help choosing 2 calibers for first safari (300 Weatherby & 375 Ruger?)

[Rosch]

375 H&H shooting 270 gr TSX hunting everything on your list would be ideal.

375 H&H ? The 9,5 Ruger is a very well option too!
With a premium 270 Grainer and lots of practice before the trip, You're more than good for everything on Your list!
You know for sure Mr. Murhpy? He will organise your hunt with pleassure!
You carry the 375, You see the small stuff, You carry the 300, You will stumble the real big golden medal buffalo, You*ve ever seen out there! So, better keep it easy!
Besides, carrying one gun is more than enough!

 

[swashington]

The Ruger M77 375 is a CRF action. They are fine rifles so don't let that be a deciding factor. I have 2 ruger M77 as a lefty and they are fine rifles. Better to spend the money on the hunt than expensive rifles that do no more than what you can get for less.

 

[IvW]

The Ruger M77 375 is a CRF action. They are fine rifles so don't let that be a deciding factor. I have 2 ruger M77 as a lefty and they are fine rifles. Better to spend the money on the hunt than expensive rifles that do no more than what you can get for less.

What calibers?

 

[HBartley]

What he said......I would also never buy a Ruger bolt as a dg rifle......left hand or not.....

I’ve ordered a barrel for my Blaser. There’s a whole lot of people that have used a ruger 375 for dg. Just saying. If I didn’t have the money for a new barrel then I would definitely buy a ruger 375 in lefty. As a left handed shooter it’s a pain in the ass to reach over and work a bolt on a right handed rifle. And in a hurry or in a pinch, could get pretty bad results

 

[Ryan]

I’d suggest getting a 375 H&H barrel for the Blaser.

I know it’s going to cost more than the 375 Ruger but it’ll also retain more resale value used. It’ll takedown and pack smaller than a 2nd rifle as well. You’ll have more ammo options with the H&H over the Ruger. The $1000 NIB 375 Rugers also aren’t CRF guns, then again neither is the R8. If Buffalo is your goal then I’d suggest CRF or the Blaser over a PF Bolt Gun. You’re going to struggle to find a decent LH CRF Rifle that’s affordable which brings me back to the R8 being my choice.

You can also hunt everything with either 375 option and might find the 300Wby doesn’t get used until after your buffalo is in the salt.

I own a M77 African in Left handed, in 375 Ruger, it is CRF. I have taken it for buffalo along with 5 other plains game, it worked without issue. My PH on my buffalo hunt used a Ruger M77 in 416 Rigby. He didn't have an issue with the CRF. He did have an issue with the safety. So he removed it.

 

[Hunt anything]

@IvW, your dislikes for the Ruger must have a backstory for another thread!

I have run several thousand rounds through my 4 Rugers without a single issue. I do like my .375 Ruger it being of 30-06 length and not prone to short stroking. I’ve shot around 40 or so animals with it including elephant and buffalo. That being said on my next DG hunt I plan to use my Montana Rifle Company .416 Rigby.

 

[375Fox]

@IvW, your dislikes for the Ruger must have a backstory for another thread!

I have run several thousand rounds through my 4 Rugers without a single issue. I do like my .375 Ruger it being of 30-06 length and not prone to short stroking. I’ve shot around 40 or so animals with it including elephant and buffalo. That being said on my next DG hunt I plan to use my Montana Rifle Company .416 Rigby.

Good luck getting details on that backstory. After 3 years of bashing Sako 85s he finally provided some details why and described the wrong rifle. The fewer details provided the less questions can be asked.

 

[Red Leg]

@IvW, your dislikes for the Ruger must have a backstory for another thread!

I have run several thousand rounds through my 4 Rugers without a single issue. I do like my .375 Ruger it being of 30-06 length and not prone to short stroking. I’ve shot around 40 or so animals with it including elephant and buffalo. That being said on my next DG hunt I plan to use my Montana Rifle Company .416 Rigby.

I am no fan of the rifle either - at least in the "African" model. I had one soon after they came out in .375 Ruger. Yes, it went bang whenever I puled the rather gritty trigger. It also put rounds into a bit less than 2" at 100 yards. Townsend Whelen would have been underwhelmed - at least with mine. The rather ungenerous open sights were difficult to impossible to align due to height of comb. I also could never quite get past a stock that looked like a walnut stained 2x4, and the weight was a full pound too light for those sketchy ergonomics. The rifle was very unpleasant to shoot from the bench. Did I mention those recoil bolts that looked like deck screws?

Were I looking for a baseline .375, my search would begin at Winchester.

That said, a Ruger in .375 Ruger will kill a buffalo. However, if I already owned an R8, a .375 barrel would fulfill the requirement far far more effectively.

 

[swashington]

What calibers?

308 and 300WM. The 300WM is the most accurate rifle I have ever shot. 3 shot groups with all three holes touching. Using a leadsled of course but damn accurate. That is my planes game rifle. The 308 I have used for years for deer and elk in heavy timber areas of Western Washington and whitetail in Eastern Washington. Now I am stuck in Florida. Great fishing but the hunting here sucks.

 

[Hunt anything]

I am no fan of the rifle either - at least in the "African" model. I had one soon after they came out in .375 Ruger. Yes, it went bang whenever I puled the rather gritty trigger. It also put rounds into a bit less than 2" at 100 yards. Townsend Whelen would have been underwhelmed - at least with mine. The rather ungenerous open sights were difficult to impossible to align due to height of comb. I also could never quite get past a stock that looked like a walnut stained 2x4, and the weight was a full pound too light for those sketchy ergonomics. The rifle was very unpleasant to shoot from the bench. Did I mention those recoil bolts that looked like deck screws?

Were I looking for a baseline .375, my search would begin at Winchester.

That said, a Ruger in .375 Ruger will kill a buffalo. However, if I already owned an R8, a .375 barrel would fulfill the requirement far far more effectively.

My .375 Ruger is in the Alaskan model, it has a decent trigger and a bulky Houge stock but is really accurate 1” groups at 100 yards off of sticks. I have the African model in .338 Win mag I bought it in 2020 so it’s newer, the trigger is just okay. It has a slim stock and a muzzle brake so the recoil isn’t bad but it’s loud as hell. It’s very fickle about what ammo though. Best accuracy is from 230 grain Oryx.

My other 2 Rugers are the inexpensive American models, a .204 and a .308. I bought the 308 for my daughter and it may be the most accurate rifle I have. The .204 is a coyote rifle.

 

[BryceM]

On an Africa Hunting forum recoil is perceived a bit differently........ Many people here consider anything smaller than a .600 NE a kid gun.

I've taken my .300 Wby with 180gr TTSX to Africa a few times. It has served me well for everything from Steenbok to Eland. That said, I'm a firm believer that even the .300 Wby is already big enough that some people get flinchy and don't handle it well. For most folks, a .308 Win or .30-06 or similar is a better choice. Shoot a .300 Wby genuinely well in field conditions - no worries - you're all set. It took me a little effort to fix some bad habits and master it. It was worth the effort.

On other trips I've just used the PH's rifles in a smorgasbord of calibers. .243, .308, .300 Win, .338 Win, .375 H&H..... They all work. Shot placement is 90% of the winning formula. Bullets and calibers are the other 10 percent. Put your mental energy where it makes the most difference. No bullet will rescue poor shooting and even poor bullets will usually do the job if you put them in the right place.

For buffalo, I went with a .416 Rigby. It's serviceable for body shots on elephant, perhaps a bit better for that than the .375 H&H. If pachyderms aren't a possibility, a .375 is perfect. I'd stick with the .375 H&H, but that's just me. Tried, true, and proven.