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

[RichD]

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?

 

[Ridge Runner]

Why wouldn't you never use it again? The 375 is a good caliber. It can be down loaded for whitetails, or beefed up for elephant. Or any where in between for anything on the planet.

IMPO, The 375 H&H would be the better choice should you eventually decide to sell or trade in the distant future.

There are /were several Whitworths and Remingtons in 375 advertised here for $900.00 to $1100.00 along with a few Winchester Model 70 in 375. Winchester's are a bit more, but they also hold their value better.

 

[RichD]

Why wouldn't you never use it again? The 375 is a good caliber. It can be down loaded for whitetails, or beefed up for elephant. Or any where in between for anything on the planet.

IMPO, The 375 H&H would be the better choice should you eventually decide to sell or trade in the distant future.

There are /were several Whitworths and Remingtons in 375 advertised here for $900.00 to $1100.00 along with a few Winchester Model 70 in 375. Winchester's are a bit more, but they also hold their value better.

My stateside hunting is elk with a .300 Wby Mark V, deer/antelope with Win 70 .30-06, also Win 94 .30-30.

 

[Safari Dave]

Of the ones you mentioned, the Ruger, definitely.

If you look around, you can find a used .375 H&H for the price of the Ruger.


I bought a .375 H&H CZ at a gun show last year for $800.

 

[Daisy]

375 Ruger! Don’t settle.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

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?

No flies on the 375 Ruger, but if you're thinking this is a one and done, or not much more than that, I'd stick with the more popular 375H&H. It'll be easier to sell. But be forewarned, once you've had one, you'll likely not want to let it go. If I only had two rifles in my safe, it'll be my M70 in the 375H&H and the other M70 in .300WM. Not much in this world that those two can't handle well.

 

[Daisy]

Sounds like the H&H are selling dirt cheap.

 

[Tex .416]

I had a .375 Ruger. I like the cartridge design more than belted mags. However, brass was not findable anywhere and I load my own. Wish I would have checked that before buying the rifle. So, gave it to a friend with a couple of boxes of ammo and bought a Win M70 in H&H. Brass is far easier to find. There also are far more factory ammo options for the H&H, if needed.

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

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.

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

I'm a fan of the classic .375 H&H due to ammo issues that might occur while traveling. Guns can be found for under $1500 all day, and under $1000 if you keep an eye out.

The .375 Ruger is no slouch, but ammo isn't as widely available. Most every PH in Africa will have or can get some H&H. It's common in Alaska as well.

 

[DERIAN KOEKEMOER SAFARIS]

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

 

[RichD]

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.

 

[Laniarius]

H&H tends to feed more smoothly because of the tapered shape of the cartridge. Not that a .375 Ruger can't feed well, but I think you're more reliant on luck that a factory gun will feed smoothly out of the box.

Unless squeezing a little more velocity out is really important to you, the main advantage of the .375 Ruger is having a lighter, generally less expensive rifle. You could put on a relatively heavy scope and still come under 10 lbs loaded up with a .375 Ruger rifle.

Like others have said, ammo availability is a big difference between the two.

 

[Ridge Runner]

No flies on the 375 Ruger, but if you're thinking this is a one and done, or not much more than that, I'd stick with the more popular 375H&H. It'll be easier to sell. But be forewarned, once you've had one, you'll likely not want to let it go. If I only had two rifles in my safe, it'll be my M70 in the 375H&H and the other M70 in .300WM. Not much in this world that those two can't handle well.

Because I'm a versatile hunter, waterfowl, turkey, small game, big game, turkey, varmint, and quota hunt where shotgun with slugs only or muzzleloader, and muzzleloader season, I couldn't have just 2 rifles in my safe. Need a 22 cal, a 12 gauge with smooth and slug barrels, and a 60 cal flintlock smooth bore muzzleloader to go with the 375 H&H and 30-06.

Hmmm....could substitute 38-55, 45-70, 44-40, or 340WBY, maybe 7.7 x 58 JAP, for the 30-06 and the 32-20 for the 22 cal.

 

[KIH]

375 Ruger do everything 375HH does, but with a 4" (10cm) shorter barrel. Ammunition or reloading component is hard to come by even in Europe. 375HH is all over, also in rural shops.

 

[DLSJR]

I’m a fan of the 375 H&H, it simply kills everything efficiently. There isn’t an animal that walks the planet that would know any difference if shot with one or the other Between the H&H or Ruger.

As for the comments about a Ruger being lighter, not really. My H&H is a pre-64 model 70 with 24” Krieger barrel and fiberglass stock, topped with a Leupold VX5HD in 2-10 (not a light scope), without ammo it weighs 8.9 pounds. It Carry’s easily and shoots like a dream.

 

[CBH Australia]

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?

I like your thinking. You are not the only one on a budget with dreams that may or not become a reality. For that reason my CZ550 in .375H&H is relegated to the "Safe Queen" position for now.

I did not consider the .375 Ruger but I might have if at any time the rifle availability was right.

If you find the right thing at the right price that ticks the box then that's one one hurdle down.

Doesn't hurt to ask the question and it seems like there in no wrong choice between the two in this scenario.

Do what's right for you.

 

[Neil Molendyk]

The only significant difference that really is apparent is that if you shoot left-handed, the Ruger is available for that. A LH 375 H&H is like the Easter Bunny, or a nymphomaniac. I've heard about them, but never met one.

 

[Laniarius]

As for the comments about a Ruger being lighter, not really. My H&H is a pre-64 model 70 with 24” Krieger barrel and fiberglass stock, topped with a Leupold VX5HD in 2-10 (not a light scope), without ammo it weighs 8.9 pounds. It Carry’s easily and shoots like a dream.

For sure, individual .375 H&H rifles can be made light with the right parts like you've done. This doesn't change the general pattern that rifles with a shorter action, and often a shorter barrel to achieve similar velocity, will tend to be lighter. The Model 70 Alaskan is 8 lbs 8 oz, and the Safari is 9 lbs. The CZ 550 in .375 H&H is a bit over 9 lbs. But the Ruger Safari, Alaskan and Guide Gun are 8-8.1 lbs out of the box with factory stocks.

As the OP said, he's not looking to spend thousands on a rifle so comparisons of the plain, out of the box models are relevant.

Still, it's helpful to know what can be done. Maybe the OP can find a used one with a light configuration. I have the same 2-10 scope on my Model 70 Safari but the rifle is plain and unmodified so it's over 10 lbs with scope and rings.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Ballistically, no real difference. The Ruger factory ammo is widely available in the US and usually much cheaper than the H&H. I bought my 375 Ruger and then over the next several months bought about 300 rounds of factory ammo at an average price of less than $3 per round ($58 per box of 20). This insured a good supply of brass for reloading. The H&H is THE classic African hunting cartridge.

The 375 Ruger was developed to be roughly equivalent to the H&H, but with a 20 inch barrel. With the 23 inch barrel, the Ruger slightly exceeds the H&H. The Ruger is typically a lighter rifle, so easier to carry around all day. Recoil is attention getting! Right after buying the Ruger, I bought a Lead Sled!

A couple of good comparison articles.

https://www.americanhunter.org/content/head-to-head-375-ruger-vs-375-h-h-magnum/

.375 H&H vs .375 Ruger - Which is the Best? - Guns and Ammo

The two most popular .375-caliber rifle cartridges - .375 H&H vs .375 Ruger - square off to see which is the best for big game.

www.gunsandammo.com