375 ruger or 416 ruger?

[SoVa]

I am debating between the 375 and 416 ruger cartridge. Either one will be in a ruger Alaskan rifle that I will do a stock upgrade one. Whichever I choose will be paired with a 7mm PRC. The use case for the big bore will be to Hunt Cape buffalo, American Bison and maybe coastal brown bear in Alaska or simply take with me on other hunts there as a just in case gun. I am aware that both of these maybe harder to find ammo for outside of the US but I am leaning towards them for their performance in shorter barrels and standard length actions as well as firearm availability.

I have never hunted dangerous game before so these cartridges are new to me, clearly the 416 has more foot pounds of energy I was just wondering if some of you with more experience would share your pros and cons for each caliber and explain why you would choose either.

 

[Bert the Turtle]

All depends on what you can comfortably shoot. 375 is adequate; 416 hits harder on both ends. Some people are more or less recoil tolerant. There’s no shame in choosing a rifle that you are comfortable with.

 

[meigsbucks]

Either one will fulfill your needs. I have a .416 Ruger Alaskan and it is one of my favorite rifles. I used it to take the buff in my avatar.

 

[Mountaineer]

I made this choice and choose the 375 Ruger for the down range performance with a huge selection of bullet weights and styles.

 

[SoVa]

All depends on what you can comfortably shoot. 375 is adequate; 416 hits harder on both ends. Some people are more or less recoil tolerant. There’s no shame in choosing a rifle that you are comfortable with.

Good point, I should have added to the original post that I am not very recoil sensitive so I am not giving that too much weight in the decision.

 

[Northern Shooter]

IMO go with the 416. It's the lightest recoiling and most affordable of the 416s.
A 416 will pair better with a long range offering like the 7 PRC.

 

[BeeMaa]

Neither.

375H&H or 416RM would be my choice in those calibers considering ammo availability for hunting in Africa and Alaska. 375RUGER is close to the H&H, but not there yet. Finding 416RUGER is going to be a chore. Traveling the world for game hunting includes the risk of lost luggage...meaning lost ammo. Unless you plan on renting a rifle, finding ammo will be job #1. Doing so with the Ruger cartridges will not be easy. Choose wisely.

BTW - The 7PRC will be even more scarce than the 416RUGER.

There is a reason so many choose the 30-06, 300WM, 375H&H and 458WM for hunting and traveling. The choice is yours.

 

[USMA84DAB]

I have owned four .375 Rugers at the same time, and still have a pair of them. I have adequate brass to deal with Hornady's betrayal of the hunter's who bought the new rifle/cartridge and they then refuse to make cases for .375 Ruger. I have hunted with the Ruger Alaskan for three years (deer) and did a plains game safari with it in 2021. (zebra, impala, oryx, kudu, wildebeest, giraffe, baboonx2). One Alaskan sports a VX6 1-6x24 firedot with CDS. The other has a VX5 3-15x44 with firedot and CDS. They are very nice to still hunt with.

I owned a .416 Ruger Alaskan. It shot 5 round Minute groups at 100 yards for me. It just didn't make sense for me to keep it as I have a .495 A-Square 1/2 done. I sold it to AZ Dave. BeeMaa is correct - you CANNOT find ammo for the .416 Ruger. At least the .375 Ruger you can pay $85/20 rounds of the Hornady DGS & DGX. The .416 does kick harder, which I found odd that it was that noticeable, having bunny hunted with my prior .495 A-Square and never being put off by it's recoil. As much as I love these two cartridges AND the rifles Ruger makes them in, I would have to wave you off of the .416 Ruger. Hornady has murdered their own cartridge by refusing to support the people who bought them.

I took the .375 Ruger to Africa in spite of the risk on ammo because I just wanted the better cartridge (than the .375 H&H) and the rifle was shorter, lighter, and a butt-load less money than a MAGNUM .375 H&H that you are gouged hundreds more for - because it is a MAGNUM!

The rifle for the Vulcans out there is the .375H&H or a .416REM/Rigby. For the James T. Kirk types - risk takers who just want it their way - the .375 Ruger is it in a heartbeat. Either works, and I wouldn't spit on you for choosing the H&H. I have cases for the H&H cartridge and have not found a rifle in it yet that coincided with my funding/budget. I will probably ream the chamber to the AI version and bob the barrel to 20" like my Alaskans - then I can forget about the ammo availability if I go overseas again.

Weigh the decision and do what makes you happy. I will keep the .375 Ruger Alaskan and finish the .495 A-Square. Hope this helped a tiny bit with your decision.

 

[SoVa]

@USMA84DAB thank you for the analysis of the two, the 375 ruger ammo being more available in Africa does make me lean that way more.

@BeeMaa thank you for your input as well, the ammo availability for the 375 ruger May push me that way over the 416 ruger but I am not interested in the h&h or rm at this point due to rifle availability. But I may buy a second plains game type rifle in 300wm to pair with it and keep the 7prc for stateside use.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

.375 Ruger if you don't hand load. We have to think long term.

 

[AZDAVE]

I have owned both. I kept the 416 Ruger.

 

[SoVa]

I have owned both. I kept the 416 Ruger.

@AZDAVE what was your reasoning for the choice?

 

[Outdoorbound]

A few years back i asked myself this same question. Couldn't decide so i ended up with both. I personally prefer the 416, it quickly became one of my favorite rifles. If your not recoil sensitive, i would say go straight to the 416.

 

[DJStang]

I have rifles in both calibers. I've used the 375 Ruger on black bears and wild hogs. Expecting to use the 416 Ruger on a Cape Buffalo hunt in 2025. As far as 416R ammo goes, I've found that there are other companies that offer it besides Hornady. I use 400 grain TSX rounds from Buffalo Bore. Choice Ammunition and Gunwerks have ammo in stock for their different loadings. So there are other options.

 

[RR 314]

For Cape buffalo and big bears I would go with the .416. I have never owned a Ruger rifle, but they appear to be a great value. Strike that--have never owned a Ruger centerfire rifle. I do have a synthetic DGR from AHR in .416 Ruger and it has flat laid down some big pigs.

 

[Doug3006]

I used a Ruger Hawkeye African in 416 Ruger to take my first Cape Buffalo in Zambia. It did a fine job. I’ve never owned a 375 Ruger but I’m sure it would have done just as well. The lack of ammo and reloading components makes me lean toward the 375 H&H and the 416 Rigby or Remington.

 

[AZDAVE]

@SoVa I shot them both, and in the 9.3-375 range I chose the 9.3x62. Sold my 375 Ruger and 375 H&H was adopted/it's mine now by my wife. My primary reason on the decision was pure logistics. I had 3 9.3 62's and 3 9.3x74's along with enough brass in each to last me a lifetime. When I sold the 375 ruger It included 250rounds of brass and dies. The 416 ruger is in a synthetic stock and stainless action and barrel. The 375 Ruger was blued and nice walnut stock. The 416 is my Alaska gun. More than enough power for anything there. Can shot it out to 300 with no problem.

The 375 ruger is a good round you won't go wrong with either but I chose the 416 as it was a better fit for my requirement.

 

[86thecat]

I went with 375 R on a Zastava action, mostly because of the performance advantage over an H&H. Considered a 416 R, but settled on the 375.

Would be great if Ruger would offer a 458 WM on same platform as the 375, that would be a great pair.

 

[BJH65]

I am debating between the 375 and 416 ruger cartridge. Either one will be in a ruger Alaskan rifle that I will do a stock upgrade one. Whichever I choose will be paired with a 7mm PRC. The use case for the big bore will be to Hunt Cape buffalo, American Bison and maybe coastal brown bear in Alaska or simply take with me on other hunts there as a just in case gun. I am aware that both of these maybe harder to find ammo for outside of the US but I am leaning towards them for their performance in shorter barrels and standard length actions as well as firearm availability.

I have never hunted dangerous game before so these cartridges are new to me, clearly the 416 has more foot pounds of energy I was just wondering if some of you with more experience would share your pros and cons for each caliber and explain why you would choose either.

I am debating between the 375 and 416 ruger cartridge. Either one will be in a ruger Alaskan rifle that I will do a stock upgrade one. Whichever I choose will be paired with a 7mm PRC. The use case for the big bore will be to Hunt Cape buffalo, American Bison and maybe coastal brown bear in Alaska or simply take with me on other hunts there as a just in case gun. I am aware that both of these maybe harder to find ammo for outside of the US but I am leaning towards them for their performance in shorter barrels and standard length actions as well as firearm availability.

I have never hunted dangerous game before so these cartridges are new to me, clearly the 416 has more foot pounds of energy I was just wondering if some of you with more experience would share your pros and cons for each caliber and explain why you would choose either.

I too considered both a 375 Ruger and 416 Ruger (except in Guide Gun format with wood laminate stock) for some of the same reasons as you. I ended up going in a different direction, acquiring a CZ 416 Rigby, which will mostly be used for African hunting (buffalo & hippo).

I believe the 375 Ruger will be the more versatile for you. In same barrel lengths, it’s 50-100 FPS faster than the 375 H&H. Flatter shooting than the 416 Ruger for the longer shots. Many years ago when on a Alaskan grizzly hunt, we initially hunted along the Chulitna River where shots would have been 20-40 yards but the bears transitioned from eating salmon and went back up to the hills eating berries and I ended up shooting an 8 ft grizzly at 200 yards.

You mention that you will take it on more than just DG hunts so I believe the 375 Ruger will be the more versatile. If you were primarily searching for a DG rifle, then I’d go with the 416 Ruger. Ammo is still available for both in the U.S. which meets your requirements. I think they are an excellent rifle, I have a Ruger Guide Gun in 300 mag.

 

[Northern Shooter]

I went with 375 R on a Zastava action, mostly because of the performance advantage over an H&H. Considered a 416 R, but settled on the 375.

Would be great if Ruger would offer a 458 WM on same platform as the 375, that would be a great pair.

Yeah it would be nice to have another American made option that offered something above the 416 Ruger and 416 RemMag.

Either a 458 WinMag or other heavy hitter that could be shoehorned into a standard action.