375 Ruger vs 375 H&H

[mstewart44]

Hello All! Have searched for a previous post on this topic and could not find one. I am looking for any discussion on the differences between these two calibers. Any recommendations on one or the other would be great. Would be used for dangerous game hunting in Africa. And not to get off track, please don't recommend another caliber. I am considering the 375 Ruger Hawkeye African or the CZ 550 in 375 H&H. Thanks for the discussion.

 

[Brandon.Gleason]

I would go for the CZ 375H&H for the proven track record. The Ruger is a great round in concept, but I feel the rifle is the down fall. I've seen numerous posts on a few different forums about bolts sticking and general failures of the rifles. I see quite a few of the Rugers on the used racks in local gun shops. I was looking into the Ruger for a good, compact stainless rifle for when/if I get to Alaska (dependent on if I ever get away from going to Africa!) and came up with the above observations.
I have the CZ in 375H&H and am absolutely in love with it as a whole. I think it is a great platform to build off of. Mine will head to AHR for an upgrade of the sights, bedding of the action, and tuning of the trigger and action. For the price, a tough gun to beat!

 

[jaustin]

I have not heard anything bad about the Ruger rifles but I would still go with the CZ because chances are if you travel enough at some point you are going to need ammo. Trying to find 375 Ruger ammo may be impossible overseas, heck I've never seen a box here in the States. On the other hand H&H ammo is very popular all over Africa and you could probably find a handful in most safari camps.

 

[jvalha]

375 ruger..

I think it depends on whether you reload yourself or are planning on just buying factory loads..I have hunted in Africa with the 375 ruger ant it is absolutely fantastic in my opinion.. I did not hunt any dangerous game but all plane games went down in the bang.. even a 1000 kg Eland.. I used 235 grain triple X bullet..loaded too 820 m. pr. second.
The Ruger bullet has a bigger potential then the H&H , its marginal but there is room for more powder in the Ruger then the H&H..
I have the Alaskan model with stainless steel and molded hogue, the recoil is not a problem with this material.
Too conclude, I would recommend the Ruger but only based on my experience..

Good luck with whatever you choose...
ps! excuse my English , being from Norway

 

[mstewart44]

jvalha, I am not a reloader so I would be buying factory ammo only.

Anyone else have any input?

 

[Skyline]

I think it is just a personal choice for you to make.

I do not care for the Ruger rifles and much prefer the CZ, but that is just me and lots of people like the Ruger. The other posters have covered the ammo availability issues in other countries.

Since you do not reload there is little point in getting into that discussion other than you are much more limited in the selection of commercially loaded ammo with the Ruger cartridge than you are with the old .375 H&H.

Also if you check I believe the CZ USA Express rifles are available in .375 Ruger and the old H&H in the Express Magnum.

 

[DKS]

375

There really is no difference in performance between the two but if you do not reload I would go for the H+H. I ordered a left handed african model last spring (april) and it was july before I found shells at $100 a box (300 gr)
There is a shortage of shells for the ruger that hopefully gets better in the future. If you plan to reload in the future, I would go for the ruger, simply for longer life of the cases. The only problem I had with the rifle was very poor ejection, and I sent it back to the factory-it came back in good time (6 wks) and now works perfect. I'm taking my ruger to zim in 3 weeks for a cape buffalo, hopefully I'll let you know how it worked out.

 

[buckcurtin]

Hello All! Have searched for a previous post on this topic and could not find one. I am looking for any discussion on the differences between these two calibers. Any recommendations on one or the other would be great. Would be used for dangerous game hunting in Africa. And not to get off track, please don't recommend another caliber. I am considering the 375 Ruger Hawkeye African or the CZ 550 in 375 H&H. Thanks for the discussion.

Wait until June and buy the new Winchester Model 70 Safari Express in 375 H&H. I have one of the last Model 70's made before the change to South Carolina and love it. Have had great success in Africa with it. The new models are even better. Was voted gun of the year by a prominent gun writer recently. Bought a Super Grade 30-06 for my son for Christmas and it is as nice as a $4,000 custom rifle I bought [left-handed and hard to find wooden stocked rifles without spending a lot]. Fit and finish on the Model 70 is wonderful and action smooth as silk. For the money you can't go wrong!

 

[monish]

Hi mstewart44,

Hope you could gain some info from this article by Joseph D'Alessandro of Real Guns, I would go in for .375 H&H Magnum CZ 550 a tried & tested caliber and exquisite rifles.

Link to article: 375 H&H Vs 375 Ruger Godzilla Vs Mothera... With Handload Data

Hope this might help !!!

Thanks,

Monish

 

[Ron Duval]

I have had rifles in both .375 cartridges and do not see much difference between them except for the better availability of loaded ammo for the H&H and the better case design of the Ruger. The Ruger ammo is getting much easier to find.
No offense to the CZ fans intended, but I don't like the CZ very much unless you are planning to spend a bit to get them improved. The little Ruger (Hawkeye African) is a much nicer rifle than I thought it would be, and now I really like it.
When the M70 is finally available it might be a good one for the H&H cartridge.

 

[enysse]

I was going to sit on the sideline and read the posts...but am going to reply anyway.

I think the 375 H&H is a great gun because you can find the ammunition everywhere. That being said....the 375 Ruger is a lot better cartridge....the physics of science support it. Plain and simple it a more effective cartridge...modern and efficient. So in the Ruger 416....it's new and people like to pick it to death.

I should start the Ruger fan club...they are very great rifles's for the money you pay. I own a Ruger because it's reliable! And believe it or not...if you find the right ammo...down right deadly accurate!

 

[owenowen]

hi

H & H for me please !!

 

[Skyline]

No one should take offense to anyones preference for one rifle or the other.........they are simply personal preference based on how any given rifle 'feels' to an individual and possibly previous experience with a given product. In the end it is sort of like having a Ford or Chevy debate and whether you like cloth seats or leather.

As long as it shoots well, you are happy with it and you have shot it enough to not only be familiar with it, but have identified and potential problems and addressed them................... the rest is just internet chatter.

 

[BangFlop]

Very well said Skyline, couldn't agree more ....

 

[RayAtkinson]

I have both a 375 Ruger and a 375 H&H English rifle, along with a 416 Ruger. My 416 and 375 Rugers were custom built on Mauser actions so I speak for the cartridges for the most part, however I did own one 77 Ruger in .375 Ruger..

As to caliber I wouldn't run out and sell my .375 H&H to buy a 375 Ruger, but if I had neither I would give serious thought to the new Ruger in either 375 or 416. That is a serious case, well designed and makes the big bore more compact and does away with the controversial BELT, albiet that is and arguement that concerns me personally very little..

I see the new Ruger cases as an up and coming new kid on the block with a lot going for it, and it will fit in a std Mauser action and easily a better choice in a short action than the 338, or any of the Chatfield Taylor calibers on the .338 case.

Balistically the new Ruger cases duplicate the .375 Holland and Holland and the 416 Remington in every respect.

I like the new round and its future is very good indeed.

 

[Bert the Turtle]

I've read Lots of comments so far about the ballistics, some here, some in the gun rags. Anyone else share my concern that a relatively straight-walled case such as the Ruger will not feed and especially extract as easily as the more tapered H and H? These rifles aren't only used on a clean range.

 

[sestoppelman]

Agree with Bert about feeding. THere was a reason for the long tapered rounds like the H&H's, they feed and extract easier than most. On Monish's post he states the Ruger is "a lot better cartridge". I think with all due respect to his research, that it is overstating it just a bit. While it may possess a very slight powder capacity advantage (depending on specific brass) and run thru a shorter action, the H&H is well known for its feeding alacrity, accuracy and other admitedly mystic properties. If one can run a long action bolt gun, the difference between the two rounds is essentially nil in that once in the field there will be no quantifiable difference on game, period. What one will do the other will do.

 

[RayAtkinson]

Well Bert if that were true, then we would have to dump the 30-06, 338 Win. 7 mag, and a multi host of other cartridges. if fact all that are not on the 300 H&H case.

I have never had one bit of feeding or extraction problems with the Ruger case, it feeds great.

My two favorite rifles are my Win. pre 64 mod. 70 worn out 300 H&H and my Mauser 98 375 H&H also pretty well worn..They are my go to almost every time.

Feeding is not the problem or lack there of in the 300 and 375 as perceived by many from reading misinformed gun writers articles, it is however alleged and perhaps possible that the the taper of the 300 H&H case makes extraction of a hot load easier.

Most of the calibers out there feed and function just fine. I'm not sure in my mind if any of this is anything more than subjecture.

A firearms ability to feed and extract has more to do with the gun itself and the tweaking that makes one function than it does the cartridge case or the caliber.

 

[sestoppelman]

I may have quoted the wrong person in my earlier post. If so apologies to Monish. Enysse I see stated that " the 375 Ruger is a lot better cartridge". For the reasons stated above I disagree with that. More efficient, perhaps. Every bit the equal of the H&H, of course. Lots better, no.

 

[enysse]

A firearms ability to feed and extract has more to do with the gun itself and the tweaking that makes one function than it does the cartridge case or the caliber.

I agree!

I like the 375 H&H and believe it is a great gun, because ammo is widely available...own one myself.

I still love the 375 Ruger and 416 Ruger because they are super efficient. The engineers made everything better, IMO. That said I wouldn't buy one because of ammo availability problems. The 375 Ruger has the belt removed...it is not needed in todays rifles.

Most of my guns and straight and simple. The most exotic gun I own is a 7mm Ultra Mag. and a 325 WSM, other than that everything is very vanilla.

I believe the Ruger engineers have come up with a lot of great products in the last 10 years.

I doubt the 375 Ruger will ever catch on...because it's new and there are a ton of 375 H&H fans. Doesn't mean it's not good though. The physics say it's a great innovation.