375 Ruger vs 375 HH

[416Tanzan]

Bill,
The 375 H&H is a great plains game caliber. It is only 'broken" when trying to fit it onto a standard-length action.
Thats why the 375 Ruger was developed--to put H&H power in a 30-06 action. They both do the job.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

First let me say that I am no gun expert, with that being said if it ain't broke don't fix it. The 375 H &H has gotten the job done for over a hundred years. I have seen a lot of variations of calibers come and go. In my opinion why not use what has been proven over so many years. This may not be the exciting way to look at it, but I had a football coach that once said if you always do what you have always done you will always get what you have always got. Not proper English, but always made sense to me. The 375 H&H has always gotten the job done, so why wouldn't it always get it done. Why mess with a proven winner. Yes I personally shot a 375 H&H, it is my absolute favorite gun.

@Bill Bunn III The 375 H&H is no doubt a great cartridge with a great history. The 375 Ruger is simply building on this history, not detracting from it. The same 375 bullet, same performance or slightly better, in a more economical rifle.

The saying you quoted, "if you always do what you have always done you will always get what you have always got" is actually encouraging people to try new and different things and not to settle for what you always got. It's called progress.

Think of it this way: Had God stopped at Bill Bunn Sr., there would have been no Bill Bunn Jr. or @Bill Bunn III

 

[Bill Bunn III]

The pio

@Bill Bunn III The 375 H&H is no doubt a great cartridge with a great history. The 375 Ruger is simply building on this history, not detracting from it. The same 375 bullet, same performance or slightly better, in a more economical rifle.

The saying you quoted, "if you always do what you have always done you will always get what you have always got" is actually encouraging people to try new and different things and not to settle for what you always got. It's called progress.

Think of it this way: Had God stopped at Bill Bunn Sr., there would have been no Bill Bunn Jr. or @Bill Bunn III [
The point behind my quote was if you always do your best you will always have the best. With over a hundred years of history as one of the best cartridges out there. We still have that cartridge available, so why mess with success. And as far as God stopping at Bill Bunn Sr he would have had the best, my grandfather was a much better man than me.

 

[Bill Bunn III]

Bill,
The 375 H&H is a great plains game caliber. It is only 'broken" when trying to fit it onto a standard-length action.
Thats why the 375 Ruger was developed--to put H&H power in a 30-06 action. They both do the job.

This makes me ask the question if you want the power of the 375 H&H why not get a 375 H&H?

 

[Bill Bunn III]

@Bill Bunn III The 375 H&H is no doubt a great cartridge with a great history. The 375 Ruger is simply building on this history, not detracting from it. The same 375 bullet, same performance or slightly better, in a more economical rifle.

The saying you quoted, "if you always do what you have always done you will always get what you have always got" is actually encouraging people to try new and different things and not to settle for what you always got. It's called progress.

Think of it this way: Had God stopped at Bill Bunn Sr., there would have been no Bill Bunn Jr. or @Bill Bunn III

The point I was trying to make with my quote was if you always do your best you will always have the best. With o we a hundred years of history as one of the best cartridges out there why mess with all that success. As far as God stopping with Bill Bunn Sr he would have had the best, he was a far better man than I am. I hope to be the kind of man he was.

 

[Bruce]

Whatever the language spoken...go with 375 H&H Magnum in 300 gr for all of African game..

 

[416Tanzan]

This makes me ask the question if you want the power of the 375 H&H why not get a 375 H&H?

OK, let's phrase the question positively:
Why would anyone want a 375Ruger when the 375H&H already exists?

For the same reason that the 300 Win Mag was developed.
The 300 H&H already existed. The 300H&H was, and is, a great caliber. But the 300 Win Mag fit everything into a standard 30-06-length action, plus having a capacity with 3 grains more. (NB: the same argument does not work equally for the 300WSM, that cartridge is shorter and has less capacity than either the WinMag or 300H&H.)

Smaller, non-magnum-length actions/rifles are often
less expensive,
more common, available, and
lighter.

The result can be an easier carrying rifle.

As an example, my wife readily chose an 8lb Ruger Alaskan with a 20" barrel in 375Ruger for under $600 instead of a 9.6 pound CZ Safari Magnum with a 25" barrel in 375H&H for $900. (Prices higher today, of course.)

As a "plus", the extra five grains of capacity in the 375 Ruger allows the option of using a shorter barrel than a traditional H&H while maintaining the same velocity.

Please note, having the choice of a 375 Ruger available does not detract from the 375H&H.
The 375 H&H remains a great caliber, as does the 300 H&H. However, some people may enjoy getting a lighter, less-expensive rifle in 375 Ruger or a 300 WinMag. Those are a couple good reasons why calibers are developed.

Let me add a forecast. If the 300 WinMag is any kind of precedent, the 375 Ruger will have a good future. However, because 375 is not a common caliber for general North American hunting, I do not think that the Ruger will achieve as widespread acceptance as the 300WM. Nevertheless, in areas where the 375 H&H is a common caliber, the 375 Ruger is going to continue to grow in popularity. Mossberg, Howa, and Ruger already produce factory rifles in 375 Ruger and I've seen custom rifle makers listing 375Ruger in their caliber choices. Hornady, Doubletap, and Swift offer ammunition and Nosler has listed its brass in 375 Ruger, besides the excellent stuff that Hornady has been producing.

Here is a picture of the two rounds under discussion:

I can personalize this by adding a picture of the 375Ruger alongside a 500 **NOT**PERMITTED**:

The cartridge on the left is a 500 AccRel. It is a wildcat built on a shortened Rigby case. It fits in a standard Ruger Hawkeye action (!) with the bolt-face adapted, yet it can equal and better factory energy levels of the 500Jeffery and 505 Gibbs. (Why not get a 500Jeffery? That is also a great choice. I like carrying a lighter rifle and Jefferys tend to start around $3000 in price. Plus a load uses 20-40 grains less powder.)
The cartridge on the right is one of my wife's 375Ruger loads. Good looking.

 

[Bill Bunn III]

OK, let's phrase the question positively:
Why would anyone want a 375Ruger when the 375H&H already exists?

For the same reason that the 300 Win Mag was developed.
The 300 H&H already existed. The 300H&H was, and is, a great caliber. But the 300 Win Mag fit everything into a standard 30-06-length action, plus having a capacity with 3 grains more. (NB: the same argument does not work equally for the 300WSM, that cartridge is shorter and has less capacity than either the WinMag or 300H&H.)

Smaller, non-magnum-length actions/rifles are often
less expensive,
more common, available, and
lighter.

The result can be an easier carrying rifle.

As an example, my wife readily chose an 8lb Ruger Alaskan with a 20" barrel in 375Ruger for under $600 instead of a 9.6 pound CZ Safari Magnum with a 25" barrel in 375H&H for $900. (Prices higher today, of course.)

As a "plus", the extra five grains of capacity in the 375 Ruger allows the option of using a shorter barrel than a traditional H&H while maintaining the same velocity.

Please note, having the choice of a 375 Ruger available does not detract from the 375H&H.
The 375 H&H remains a great caliber, as does the 300 H&H. However, some people may enjoy getting a lighter, less-expensive rifle in 375 Ruger or a 300 WinMag. Those are a couple good reasons why calibers are developed.

Let me add a forecast. If the 300 WinMag is any kind of precedent, the 375 Ruger will have a good future. However, because 375 is not a common caliber for general North American hunting, I do not think that the Ruger will achieve as widespread acceptance as the 300WM. Nevertheless, in areas where the 375 H&H is a common caliber, the 375 Ruger is going to continue to grow in popularity. Mossberg, Howa, and Ruger already produce factory rifles in 375 Ruger and I've seen custom rifle makers listing 375Ruger in their caliber choices. Hornady, Doubletap, and Swift offer ammunition and Nosler has listed its brass in 375 Ruger, besides the excellent stuff that Hornady has been producing.

Here is a picture of the two rounds under discussion:

I can personalize this by adding a picture of the 375Ruger alongside a 500 **NOT**PERMITTED**:

The cartridge on the left is a 500 AccRel. It is a wildcat built on a shortened Rigby case. It fits in a standard Ruger Hawkeye action (!) with the bolt-face adapted, yet it can equal and better factory energy levels of the 500Jeffery and 505 Gibbs. (Why not get a 500Jeffery? That is also a great choice. I like carrying a lighter rifle and Jefferys tend to start around $3000 in price. Plus a load uses 20-40 grains less powder.)
The cartridge on the right is one of my wife's 375Ruger loads. Good looking.

I admit it is not a bad looking round but still doesn't look like it would feed as smoothly as the H&H. I also would have to say that in my way of thinking I don't understand wanting a lighter rifle with the same velocity or more, i thought that equalls more recoil. Not saying that what people like is wrong I just don't get it. It may be a great round but it doesn't make sense for me. That is the great thing about choices we are free to chose what we want. My choice is the 375 H&H. I think the 300 WM maybe the exception not the rule.

 

[Graham Hunter]

OMG!!! 375 H&H Done!!!

 

[BeeMaa]

I debated this very question myself and came away with a 375H&H.
The biggest reason for me was the availability of ammo.
If I go on safari and my rifle is late arriving but I have ammo, chances are there will be a rifle I can use with my ammo.
If the ammo is the problem and the rifle shows up, ammo should be easily available.

I don't know what the current trends are with the PH's or outfitters or how likely they would be to switch from one of the most popular calibers on the continent, but I put my money on the H&H for these reasons.

 

[postoak]

If I went over with a .375 Ruger and the ammunition got lost, I think I'd just borrow the outfitter's .375 H&H rifle and ammunition.

 

[416Tanzan]

I admit it is not a bad looking round but still doesn't look like it would feed as smoothly as the H&H. I also would have to say that in my way of thinking I don't understand wanting a lighter rifle with the same velocity or more, i thought that equalls more recoil. ...

The Ruger feeds great. No issues, never heard of any issues related to this caliber.

You are right about recoil and lighter rifles. A pound and a half may allow a rifle to jump a tad bit more. I'm not sure that we notice because we also have a very light Tikka in 338 that is 1 and 1/2lbs lighter than my wife's 375.

The big question is why does someone want a lighter rifle, and a second question is why does my wife want a lighter rifle?

On a hunt a person carries the rifle all day long and gets tired. Taking a pound or more off of a rifle is normally considered very nice. Likewise, when a shot is taken, recoil is not usually perceived because all of one's attention is on the animal and making an accurate shot. It is only on the range during load build-up and practice that one might be distracted by comparing recoil levels. My wife and I wear shoulder pads for range work and there is no problem. So, which is it, does one want to take a pound off all day long, or have a negligible, imperceptible increase in recoil during the shot itself? The important thing in recoil is the fit of the stock, not really the weight. Get it right and there are no problems.

As to the second part of the question, my wife finds our big 416s (CZ, and same weight as 375H&H models) too bulky and hard to hold. She much prefers a smaller lighter rifle for ease of holding. She likes her 375Ruger 20" barrel about like her even lighter Tikka 270 22.4" barrel. A person could always build a custom 375H&H to be light and short, but factory rifles don't do that. Again, the resulting choice for factory rifles is less money and a better handling rifle in 375 Ruger. I might even try out the well-proportioned Ruger African one of these days--in 416 Ruger and without the muzzle break--when I get tired of heavy loads in a CZ 416Rigby.

 

[enysse]

I can see a 375 Ruger with a 20 inch barrel being easier for a smaller frame person to shoot and carry. No argument from me!

I still think most all those fat cartridges that were invented for short action rifles were doomed to fail, years down the line. They didn't really improve too many things and the one thing I noticed is that they didn't cycle smooth as silk into the chamber without everything being perfect. Again if you like them, that's fine with me but I'll stick the cartridges that are cheap to buy over the counter and cycle silky smooth.............

 

[416Tanzan]

I can see a 375 Ruger with a 20 inch barrel being easier for a smaller frame person to shoot and carry. No argument from me!

I still think most all those fat cartridges that were invented for short action rifles were doomed to fail, years down the line. They didn't really improve too many things and the one thing I noticed is that they didn't cycle smooth as silk into the chamber without everything being perfect. Again if you like them, that's fine with me but I'll stick the cartridges that are cheap to buy over the counter and cycle silky smooth.............

I partially agree on the WSM cartridges.
However, the 375 Ruger is not a short fat cartridge and shouldn't be so compared.
The 375 Ruger belongs to standard length actions that are used for the 7mmRM, 300WM, and 338WM. What's not to like? Those rounds are wildly popular and without complaints on smooth cycling and feeding.

I am adding an image to help visualize this.

The Ruger cases are as slick as the the other standard length rounds. The short, fat WSM can be seen as distinctly different.

 

[CTDolan]

I've said it before and will say it again, when it comes to the larger end of the spectrum, the 375 Ruger is the best design in a cartridge to hit the market since the 338 Win Mag (which did so way back in 1958).

 

[CTDolan]

Strange that I do not own one (one day will, though...went with the 416, first, because I wanted the extra punch).

 

[IvW]

There is only one 375 you need and that is the H&H magnum

 

[jduckhunter]

There is only one 375 you need and that is the H&H magnum

I've said it before and I'll say it again." It's not always about needs, sometimes it's just about wants." I wanted a 375 Ruger and that's what I got. And I don't think the buff I shot ever noticed what hit him.

 

[IvW]

I've said it before and I'll say it again." It's not always about needs, sometimes it's just about wants." I wanted a 375 Ruger and that's what I got. And I don't think the buff I shot ever noticed what hit him.

Ok let me rephrase that. I only ever wanted the 375 H&H, I now have two, nothing I ever shot knew the difference either.

Each have their preferences, I am happy with mine and they have served me very well over the years.

 

[wesheltonj]

OK, let's phrase the question positively:
Why would anyone want a 375Ruger when the 375H&H already exists?

For the same reason that the 300 Win Mag was developed.
The 300 H&H already existed. The 300H&H was, and is, a great caliber. But the 300 Win Mag fit everything into a standard 30-06-length action, plus having a capacity with 3 grains more. . . .

Let me add a forecast. If the 300 WinMag is any kind of precedent, the 375 Ruger will have a good future. However, because 375 is not a common caliber for general North American hunting, I do not think that the Ruger will achieve as widespread acceptance as the 300WM . . . .

I would disagree that the 300 WM will set any kind of precedent for the 375 Ruger. (1) The 300 WM had the advantage of being Winchester. (2) Ruger has no such advantage. (3) The 375 H&H has a history that folks want to buy into. Which would you rather say you shoot over your favorite beverage, a 375 H&H or a 375 Ruger?