Opinions please: Pros/Cons of .375 Ruger vs .375 H&H

[BeeMaa]

I understand that everybody is on a budget, but for the most part you will get what you pay for. A reliable DG rifle and scope usually start around $2K (if you find a good deal on a used one) and go up from there.

My vote is for the 375H&H because of what’s been said so many times by others…mostly resale and ammo availability.

As for the the Ruger out performing the H&H, I’d like to meet the buffalo who could tell the difference.

Reality is the difference in performance is almost nil. I get the principle of making a 375 that fits in a 30-06 action, but IMO the minor performance increase doesn’t overcome the advantages of the H&H availability.

EDIT - If you want to keep your rifle shorter, take a look at the Blaser R8. It places the magazine on top of the trigger group for an OAL that is about 4” shorter with all other things being equal. Also of note is in the standard barrel and aluminum receiver, the weight is 7.5 lbs. There you go…advantages of a shorter rifle while still using a classic cartridge.

 

[Dirtdart]

Thank you all for some great input - I appreciate it all. I can get
375 Ruger ammo and brass, so the big concern as you mentioned is ammo overseas if needed. I've also had friend who love Ruger, lnterarms Whitworth, and Howa, so I'll likely focus on those. And if I find a CZ for $800, would be a good deal also.

If you do find a supply of 375 Ruger brass please let the members of this forum know where it is after you buy what you need. There are several members on the hunt for it.

 

[Red Leg]

This is not an issue with respect to effect on game. No animal on earth will be able to tell the difference between a 300 gr bullet from a Ruger or H&H. Even stepping down to 270 gr bullets, the velocity difference is less than 50 fps in the Ruger's favor. The H&H, does have the ability to scale up to a 350 gr bullet which can offer a bit more penetration on thick skinned game, but the 300 is perfectly adequate in that role.

So, it really comes down to the rifle. I had a Ruger African for a very short while right after they came out, and simply didn't care for it. The wood on mine had the grain of a 2x4, the recoil pulse and muzzle blast were sharp (light weight and short barrel for caliber), and those recoil reinforcing bolts looked like they had been placed by a carpenter rather than a gunmaker. At the time, I also owned a Ruger Safari Magnum in 416 and the quality difference was dramatic. All that said, it was accurate and would have killed any buffalo I would have hunted with it.

I am a H&H fan, but you will be fine with either.

 

[Fixfire]

H&H for sure. Love the extra performance on the Ruger, but when you travel, which is what your rifle will be for, you have to take ammo availability into consideration.

My outfitter said the same. Hunting buff in May.

 

[Throwback]

This question seems to pop up routinely on AH and I like seeing it discussed. I go round and round on this and where I get to is that I agree with Red Leg above, no difference when it comes to lethality and the animal. Rifle choice is important and if availability of ammo outside the US is important to you, that is the other important factor imo. I keep landing on "buy both", and I mean that seriously. A Ruger 375 guide gun and a wood stocked 375 H&H would be what I do, but each to his own. Cheers

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

My outfitter said the same. Hunting buff in May.

Plus, travelling from the USA, your ammo is in your checked luggage. Two years ago my hunter arrived with his rifle, a 416 Ruger, but his checked luggage went missing. We could not even find dies for the 416 Ruger to quickly load up some ammo for his trip. Subsequently shot his Buff with a loaner rifle.

 

[BeeMaa]

Plus, travelling from the USA, your ammo is in your checked luggage. Two years ago my hunter arrived with his rifle, a 416 Ruger, but his checked luggage went missing. We could not even find dies for the 416 Ruger to quickly load up some ammo for his trip. Subsequently shot his Buff with a loaner rifle.

Exactly.

Have to take into consideration how the rifle will be used. Not a big deal if you are driving with your firearms…but flying is a completely different matter.

 

[Daisy]

Good day sir, I own a Howa .375 Ruger and many of our clients used it to hunt their Cape Buffalo with and have many guys with an H&H. they both bring great quality to the table the one is not better than the other, with the Ruger you have that little more power and it does make a difference in the long run when you go in deeper detail, not taking any away from the old H&H.
In my personal and professional opinion I would never sell my Ruger that rifle is a buffalo killer the penetration you get on thick skin animals is phenomenal, again just my opinion I would go for the Ruger.
regards Derian Koekemoer

I understand that everybody is on a budget, but for the most part you will get what you pay for. A reliable DG rifle and scope usually start around $2K (if you find a good deal on a used one) and go up from there.

My vote is for the 375H&H because of what’s been said so many times by others…mostly resale and ammo availability.

As for the the Ruger out performing the H&H, I’d like to meet the buffalo who could tell the difference.

Reality is the difference in performance is almost nil. I get the principle of making a 375 that fits in a 30-06 action, but IMO the minor performance increase doesn’t overcome the advantages of the H&H availability.

EDIT - If you want to keep your rifle shorter, take a look at the Blaser R8. It places the magazine on top of the trigger group for an OAL that is about 4” shorter with all other things being equal. Also of note is in the standard barrel and aluminum receiver, the weight is 7.5 lbs. There you go…advantages of a shorter rifle while still using a classic cartridge.

Gonna rib you a little Bee….

We have a PH in this thread that says he can tell the difference with his client on Buffalo. All I hear here is listen to your PH!

 

[Cleathorn]

They are both excellent calibers. So I would lean heavily into the advice of the guys that have been there and done it many times over (including especially the PHs advice) and go 375H&H for a true hunting gun.

Stuff happens, it just does. I’ve shot Cape Buffalo and elephant with ‘loaner’ rifles and bullets because guns or checked luggage with ammo did not make it to the same place at the same time. Its Africa. And it’s a thing.

The Ruger 375 is excellent. But walk into any camp where they regularly hunt DG, and there will be a drawer, box or corner of the bar where there will be a handful (or more) of 375H&H rounds. It is the most common gun used in DG hunting (I am not saying anything about ‘the best’) in Africa.

Here is also a truth. Take any decent enough 375 gun, with any decent scope (the scope if way more important than the gun) and any modern factory ammo with any modern bullet, regardless of bullet weight, and at 100 yards, any gun with any bullet will shoot sub 3” groups, and most less than 2”. I am not saying don’t practice, I’m not starting an argument with the reloading guys that can tweak a reload group down to 1/2 MOA or less, and I am not picking favorite guns over each other.

What I am saying is that with virtually any modern gun, scope and bullet out of a 375 that someone hands you, you can shoot 3” groups. The kill zone of a Cape Buffalo is roughly the size of a car door (not literally, but 3” group gets it done). If you are most serious about hunting, eliminate risks and uncertainty if you can.

If you are most serious about the gun. you use while hunting, pick the gun you like, practice a ton, and stay committed to your own experience.

I am about to walk out the door and go hunting in Cameroon with a 375H&H mag (model 70 with a Kahles scope I think) that I just borrowed from the camp. No lie! Its Africa. Stuff happens.

 

[Philip Glass]

In the early stages of considering another trip to Africa and possibly Cape Buffalo and plains game. Not looking to spend $ thousands on a rifle I may or may never use. I reload several calibers and could load either .375. Mossberg, Ruger, Savage rifles available in the .375 Ruger. Thoughts?

.375 Ruger is superior in every way to .375 H&H. Rifle and ammo availability is excellent now.
.375 H&H has the value of nostalgia and is also readily available,
I don't recommending reloading for DG.

 

[Red Leg]

Gonna rib you a little Bee….

We have a PH in this thread that says he can tell the difference with his client on Buffalo. All I hear here is listen to your PH!

The same bullet with 100 50 fps difference? With all do respect to @DERIAN KOEKEMOER SAFARIS's experience, a .375 300 gr bullet is a 300 gr bullet. The Ruger claims a 100 fps MV improvement over the H&H, but those marketing measurements are usually from the full length 24 " barrels not found on the typical .375 Ruger like the African or Alaskan. That doesn't mean his clients may not handle the Ruger better, or he may not prefer it to the H&H. The Ruger often comes in a more compact and somewhat lighter form factor that more closely resembles the the deer rifle a client has at home.

Koekemoer's observations are his, and I do not dispute what he has seen. But for every experienced hunter with genuine experience in both who says the Ruger is somehow more decisive, I would wager real money one can find a dozen who would say there is no practical difference in the field.

With respect to the OP, I would purchase the rifle in either caliber that best fits you and your budget.

 

[Red Leg]

They are both excellent calibers. So I would lean heavily into the advice of the guys that have been there and done it many times over (including especially the PHs advice) and go 375H&H for a true hunting gun.

Stuff happens, it just does. I’ve shot Cape Buffalo and elephant with ‘loaner’ rifles and bullets because guns or checked luggage with ammo did not make it to the same place at the same time. Its Africa. And it’s a thing.

The Ruger 375 is excellent. But walk into any camp where they regularly hunt DG, and there will be a drawer, box or corner of the bar where there will be a handful (or more) of 375H&H rounds. It is the most common gun used in DG hunting (I am not saying anything about ‘the best’) in Africa.

Here is also a truth. Take any decent enough 375 gun, with any decent scope (the scope if way more important than the gun) and any modern factory ammo with any modern bullet, regardless of bullet weight, and at 100 yards, any gun with any bullet will shoot sub 3” groups, and most less than 2”. I am not saying don’t practice, I’m not starting an argument with the reloading guys that can tweak a reload group down to 1/2 MOA or less, and I am not picking favorite guns over each other.

What I am saying is that with virtually any modern gun, scope and bullet out of a 375 that someone hands you, you can shoot 3” groups. The kill zone of a Cape Buffalo is roughly the size of a car door (not literally, but 3” group gets it done). If you are most serious about hunting, eliminate risks and uncertainty if you can.

If you are most serious about the gun. you use while hunting, pick the gun you like, practice a ton, and stay committed to your own experience.

I am about to walk out the door and go hunting in Cameroon with a 375H&H mag (model 70 with a Kahles scope I think) that I just borrowed from the camp. No lie! Its Africa. Stuff happens.

Had a similar experience in Mozambique several years ago. I arrived with my rifle, but my checked bag with ammunition decided to have an extended stay in Johannesburg. My PH was able to give me nine 300 gr A-Frames. I fired three one-shot groups to get in the black and then, feeling a bit like Barney Fife, I took my six bullets buffalo and sable hunting. But I was using my R8, and had it been a Ruger, I would have been using a loaner.

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[UpNorthMI]

I own a total of three .375 H&H rifles, My first was a new Ruger M77 safari Magnum back in 1996 before the .375 Ruger cartridge was available, I found the .375 H&H cartridge easy to load, shoot and produce accuracy. I'd drag it out of the safe and hunt deer every so often with it.

Now I have a little more time in life and started planning a number of trips I decided to move to a Blaser R8 for travel convenience, I automatically ordered a .375 H&H barrel for DG use, I never even considered the option of .375 Ruger as a caliber or choice. I guess concern over ammo availability overseas would be a factor in my decision but to be honest I don't think the performance gain is a big factor. I also like the traditional and historic role that the .375 H&H caliber has played in hunting history!

I guess I will know if I made a good choice in a couple of months when I get back from my buffalo culling trip and can work out if the .375 H&H was up to the task.

I feel that the last few years has also showed us how the sporadic availability of ammo and reloading components can actually impact us at home. Sticking to popular mainstream calibers at least means you generally have no issues. I also purchased a 9.3 x 62 barrel 2 years ago and can't believe how poor the availability in brass and bullets have been.

 

[pilar]

I have a mixed relationship with my 375Ruger, love it when I have ammunition available
250gr hornady CX for deer , nilgai, aoudad , but lately it’s been scarce, 300gr DGX is readily available and will be my go to in Africa
ammo is about equal in price on line
I like the 22 inch barrel on my ruger and the weight is nice
it’s that nagging feeling that “ maybe I should just have a H&H” easy to find ammo & verity of choice “
end result is it really doesn’t matter

 

[Outdoorbound]

Loved my 375 Ruger so much i had to have the 416 ruger also. As others have said, either choice will work just fine. Focus more on how each rifle you look at fits you. You won't be happy with either choice if the rifle doesn't fit you correctly. I personally have not had any problems finding ammo or components for the 375 ruger in the states, it has become more readily available as of late. To any of the PH's or outfitters commenting here, can you purchase 416 ruger ammo in Africa or is it available if there was to be a problem with ammo not showing up.

 

[wesheltonj]

(1) The H&H is an H&H.
(2) You can buy H&H at Academy/Walmart/anywhere.

 

[Puddle]

.375 Ruger is superior in every way to .375 H&H. Rifle and ammo availability is excellent now.
.375 H&H has the value of nostalgia and is also readily available,
I don't recommending reloading for DG.

I used to believe that as well until I met the factory DG ammo from a very familiar manufacturer that simply went 'click' during a practice session.

Never again.

 

[steve white]

pros/cons? Gives us all something to talk about.

 

[Mac Baren]

While my experience is fairly limited, I have hunted large/dangerous game with both calibers. There were no issues with either one, but I personally much prefer the H&H. My understanding also is that the case taper and belt give a slight advantage in reliability (extraction and feeding), which would be something to consider in a rifle for dangerous game.

 

[eyedok]

Took my RSM .375 HH to Tanzania and shot a couple buff - performed well but the stock was a little thick and carried like a log tracking buff for miles daily, bought a Whitworth .375 HH and it carries much better, has become my favorite DG rifle, shoots well and easy to carry, shot my best 2 buff w it in Zambia, there are a couple really nice ones on Gbroker right now