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

[Daisy]

Also out of stock and only sporadically available. The ballistic advantage was already discussed. It also means little when it will be paired with Hornady DGX. The 375 rem ultra mag and 378 weatherby also have ballistic advantages over the 375 H&H but have fallen mostly away for the same reasons as the 375 Ruger will.

The 375 Ruger Hawkeye has a 23” barrel btw. That’s in line with any 375 H&H. 375 H&H barrels are 21-25” from a number of manufacturers. 375 Rugers are 20-23” from what appears only 4 manufacturers. I don’t think you can point to a 375 Ruger rifle that’s 4”-6” shorter than my 21” barrel.

What I can point to is one that is 4-6” shorter will have the same ballistics as your 21” barrel. Cutting it is easy peasy.

Check out @michael458 and his B&M rifles. He discusses frequently the benefits of his shorter barrels in dangerous game and African hunting. You think his experience is relevant?

The Ruger a frame ammo by swift is in stock just as much as the h&h is. I have bought some from their website twice, and resold it here. Isn’t it considered a premium African bullet?

Also the Buffalo bore is in stock most of the time. With tsx ammo. You could email and he would make it easily. Same with superior ammo. Or choice ammo.

So now we are down to if you fly to Africa and lose your ammo then you would be able to buy the h&h ammo in Africa. But in that case you could just use the ph 375 that he had for clients.

 

[BJH65]

I feel the arguments against selecting a 375 Ruger perhaps have a little merit as far as certain factory ammunition availability, although there is currently plenty of factory hornady available suitable for any African game. Personally, I like the Buffalo Bore 375 Ruger loaded with 270 and 300 grain TSX which are not currently in stock. I’m not certain but feel this is from panic buying. Remember back during the COVID days when people were purchasing large quantities of toilet paper and the stores were always out of stock or limited quantities you could purchase.

One could still easily acquire enough Hornady loaded ammunition or reloading components to last a lifetime. This isn’t a plinking round. As to the rifles presently chambered in 375 Ruger: Ruger Hawkeye African, Ruger Guide Gun, Ruger Alaskan seem like very suitable rifles for Africa. I have a Ruger Guide Gun in 300 RCM and it’s been a very reliable and accurate rifle.

Savage offers several models in 375 Ruger as well as Mossberg. I like the Savage Brush Hunter 375 Ruger and Mossberg Patriot 375 Ruger, seem like neat affordable rifles that should work perfectly fine for Africa. In fact I may buy either a Savage or Mossberg 375 Ruger just because, so I can play around with it some. Apparently, some feel they are junk but have they personally tested them or used them?

I detect perhaps a little snobbery in regard to the Savage and Mossberg and some barely grudging acceptance of the Ruger’s chambered in 375 Ruger. I’ve personally never had a factory rifle fail me, including some inexpensive Remington, Tikka, Howa’s, and Ruger American.

I feel it’s still premature to predict the death of the 375 Ruger and premature to advise against the purchase of a rifle in this chambering. If it lasts 20 years, that’s perfectly acceptable to me since I’ll be 60 in a few months.

 

[Daisy]

I haven’t said 375 Ruger ammo is unavailable. The midway link I posted has Hornady ammo and nothing else in stock. I said the only choice is Hornady which is exactly what you posted. 375 Ruger is less about the cartridge and more about the Ruger rifle and Hornady ammo combination as the only current option if you don’t reload.

It is my opinion the 375 Ruger will fade just as other 375 DG calibers have. It’s only fair to talk about it if you are considering tomorrow. It might be 10 years or 20 years, but a lot of good cartridges have faded away.

That’s a fair point my friend. I agree with you the lower amount of ammo is a pain.

I shoot custom ammo on most hunts so for me, that had zero effect.

I enjoy my shorter barrel with increased ballistics.

 

[375Fox]

What I can point to is one that is 4-6” shorter will have the same ballistics as your 21” barrel. Cutting it is easy peasy.

Check out @michael458 and his B&M rifles. He discusses frequently the benefits of his shorter barrels in dangerous game and African hunting. You think his experience is relevant?

The Ruger a frame ammo by swift is in stock just as much as the h&h is. I have bought some from their website twice, and resold it here. Isn’t it considered a premium African bullet?

Also the Buffalo bore is in stock all the time. With tsx ammo. You could email and he would make it easily. Same with superior ammo. Or choice ammo.

So now we are down to if you fly to Africa and lose your ammo then you would be able to buy the h&h ammo in Africa. But in that case you could just use the ph 375 that he had for clients.

There are a lot of individuals here with relevant experience. I’d rather pull pieces from many than point to one. There is a certain barrel length that is too long. I really like my 21” barrel, but I’ve found the positioning of the barrel band for a sling while carrying is more valuable than the actual barrel length on the shot.

 

[Daisy]

I’m not sure why you guys are making this about winning. It’s just a simple fact the 375 Ruger has very limited options in factory ammo and rifle manufacturers. I own two disappearing cartridges. The 300 H&H and 450 Rigby. The fact they are disappearing doesn’t make them less effective with the bullets I have, but I would caution someone considering them for a general purpose rifle. The fact I own one wouldn’t change my advice.

Wait, didn’t you post in this thread that 37h&h has won and Ruger lost and is dead?

And I think pointing out ammo shortages is great when counseling others on what to buy. As long as you also give the same credence to the ballistic advantages

 

[Daisy]

There are a lot of individuals here with relevant experience. I’d rather pull pieces from many than point to one. There is a certain barrel length that is too long. I really like my 21” barrel, but I’ve found the positioning of the barrel band for a sling while carrying is more valuable than the actual barrel length on the shot.

That doesn’t dispute his experience with shorter barrels on a ton of dangerous game.

Sounds like you don’t have experience with shorter barrel on game. Maybe you should try it. Cut your 375 to 16. Or better yet, shoot a Ruger at 16” and get the same velocity as your h&h at 21”.

The vast majority of h&h sold have a 24” barrel or longer. Saying different is equivalent to saying the Ruger has a lot of ammo available.

 

[375Fox]

I feel the arguments against selecting a 375 Ruger perhaps have a little merit as far as certain factory ammunition availability, although there is currently plenty of factory hornady available suitable for any African game. Personally, I like the Buffalo Bore 375 Ruger loaded with 270 and 300 grain TSX which are not currently in stock. I’m not certain but feel this is from panic buying. Remember back during the COVID days when people were purchasing large quantities of toilet paper and the stores were always out of stock or limited quantities you could purchase.

One could still easily acquire enough Hornady loaded ammunition or reloading components to last a lifetime. This isn’t a plinking round. As to the rifles presently chambered in 375 Ruger: Ruger Hawkeye African, Ruger Guide Gun, Ruger Alaskan seem like very suitable rifles for Africa. I have a Ruger Guide Gun in 300 RCM and it’s been a very reliable and accurate rifle.

Savage offers several models in 375 Ruger as well as Mossberg. I like the Savage Brush Hunter 375 Ruger and Mossberg Patriot 375 Ruger, seem like neat affordable rifles that should work perfectly fine for Africa. In fact I may buy either a Savage or Mossberg 375 Ruger just because, so I can play around with it some. Apparently, some feel they are junk but have they personally tested them or used them?

I detect perhaps a little snobbery in regard to the Savage and Mossberg and some barely grudging acceptance of the Ruger’s chambered in 375 Ruger. I’ve personally never had a factory rifle fail me, including some inexpensive Remington, Tikka, Howa’s, and Ruger American.

I feel it’s still premature to predict the death of the 375 Ruger and premature to advise against the purchase of a rifle in this chambering. If it lasts 20 years, that’s perfectly acceptable to me since I’ll be 60 in a few months.

I’ve only had one rifle brand jam on me in the field on borrowed rifles and both have been Savage. I wouldn’t consider risking a DG hunt on that rifle. Perfectly fine might be good for the range. CRF has been the standard for DG hunting. I don’t believe that as strongly as some but pushing for the lowest end of push feed rifles like savage and Mossberg to justify the 375 Ruger falls into a new argument.

 

[BJH65]

I’m not sure why you guys are making this about winning. It’s just a simple fact the 375 Ruger has very limited options in factory ammo and rifle manufacturers. I own two disappearing cartridges. The 300 H&H and 450 Rigby. The fact they are disappearing doesn’t make them less effective with the bullets I have, but I would caution someone considering them for a general purpose rifle. The fact I own one wouldn’t change my advice.

It has a decent amount of options just in manufacturers you don’t care for and in factory Hornady ammunition that you don’t care for either. I would perhaps buy into your argument if we were discussing the 416 Ruger.

 

[375Fox]

Wait, didn’t you post in this thread that 37h&h has won and Ruger lost and is dead?

And I think pointing out ammo shortages is great when counseling others on what to buy. As long as you also give the same credence to the ballistic advantages

You can go back and quote my post before you misquote me. The 375 Ruger clearly isn’t dead but it has lost the race and is in decline against the 375 H&H.

 

[Daisy]

You can go back and quote my post before you misquote me. The 375 Ruger clearly isn’t dead but it has lost the race and is in decline against the 375 H&H.

That takes too much time. You know what you said. So do I.

 

[BJH65]

I’ve only had one rifle brand jam on me in the field on borrowed rifles and both have been Savage. I wouldn’t consider risking a DG hunt on that rifle. Perfectly fine might be good for the range. CRF has been the standard for DG hunting. I don’t believe that as strongly as some but pushing for the lowest end of push feed rifles like savage and Mossberg to justify the 375 Ruger falls into a new argument.

That’s unfortunate, I would first thoroughly checkout any of my rifles prior to taking to Africa or anywhere. I understand you couldn’t do that with a borrowed rifle. I do demand reliability from a rifle regardless of price. Haven’t tried a savage yet but my cousin uses one a lot (he’s one of those one rifle only guys) and has never had a problem.

 

[Daisy]

The 375 H&H won regardless of some of the 375 Ruger’s advantages.

Here it is.

Don’t tell others to not make it about winning when you already did it

 

[Daisy]

The 375 H&H cartridge won. That’s just a fact.

Another one

 

[Daisy]

I’m not sure why you guys are making this about winning

Then this.

 

[375Fox]

Here it is.

Don’t tell others to not make it about winning when you already did it

Based on some of your answers it apparently is that hard. The 375 Ruger is a moderate increase in ballistics over 375 H&H. A 378 Weatherby is a significant increase in ballistics but no one defends that as a major advantage hunting dangerous game. The simple fact is a 375 Ruger is really only offered in Ruger rifles for reliable factory rifles and only widely offered in Hornady DGX/DGS ammo. Unless you go the custom route on both rifle and ammo the 375 Ruger is really a choice of Ruger/Hornady vs multiple options. The 375 H&H is and was made by a large number of gun manufacturers. 375 H&H ammo is made by several manufacturers and offered in a number of bullet choices. There is nothing wrong with the 375 Ruger Cartridge but I don’t expect it to have staying power in the future. The 375 H&H won regardless of some of the 375 Ruger’s advantages.

The 375 H&H cartridge won. That’s just a fact. Ammo availability, number of ammo manufacturers, and number of rifle manufacturers are the criteria. There are a number of “superior” cartridges that have faded away over the years. The 375 Ruger might take longer but it’s on that path.

Here are the posts you edited to take my quote out of context.

 

[Daisy]

Right. You declared the h&h the winner In two different posts. Then, in a later post, ask why we are making it about winning?

I’m open about the positives and negatives of the Ruger. I just don’t see the openness on the other side.

 

[375Fox]

Right. You declared the h&h the winner In two different posts. Then, in a later post, ask why we are making it about winning?

The cartridge has won against the Ruger. That’s a simple fact. The 375 Ruger never surpassed the H&H in ammo offerings, rifle offerings, or popularity hunting dangerous game. A few of you are trying to make this personal when the facts are against you. Regardless of the 375 Ruger’s advantages it remains where it is.

 

[Daisy]

The cartridge has won. That’s a simple fact. The 375 Ruger never surpassed the H&H in ammo offerings, rifle offerings, or popularity hunting dangerous game. A few of you are trying to make this personal when the facts are against you. Regardless of the 375 Ruger’s advantages it remains where it is.

Ok. I respect your opinion. I just disagree. I enjoyed the conversation on a slow Friday.

 

[dlmac]

I have 1 375 ruger and 2 375 H&H. No matter how much you love your Ruger when outside North America ammunition could be issue. To that point, I will be selling the Ruger, no reason to have 2 rifles of the same caliber that can do the same thing. I don't chase numbers, therefore I won't split hairs over performance.

 

[HookMeUpII]

It has a decent amount of options just in manufacturers you don’t care for and in factory Hornady ammunition that you don’t care for either. I would perhaps buy into your argument if we were discussing the 416 Ruger.

They're really one in the same. There's really nothing wrong with the 375 Ruger. It's just that there was really never a need for it. It's hard to dispute that. Like I said about re-inventing the wheel.

Shorter action = No real benefit.

Beltless round = The 375HH doesn't typically have feed issues because it's not a giant cartridge like the 458WM or 458 Lott.

Shorter barrel = You could potentially make an slight argument here. Does a 2" off a 24" barrel really matter? I don't personally, think it does. Especially when you look at the 375HH as a short to mid-range round to begin with. Not long range. Why are we even going shorter? Are we trying to make a bush-gun?

Minimal velocity increase = Not worth speaking about.

It's not a bad round. Is it worth the extra work to find ammo and reloading supplies? That depends on the person I suppose. If you like it, go for it. If you reload and have the supplies, have at it. The fact it has "Ruger" at the end of it and is one of the only offerings in the Hawkeye, feels a little nepotistic and money-grabby to me.

There's a couple really iconic African rounds out there. Two of which are the 375HH and the 416 Rigby. Why they would reinvent them makes absolutely no sense. The 416 makes even less sense.