Pro Hunter in .375 Ruger

[Railguner]

Well, I've been JONES'N for a Pro Hunter and the GF finally go tired of hearing me whine and picked one up for Santa to give me. I wanted a BIG bore caliber and I just couldn't make up my mind....then I remembered about the 338 Federal...but the ballistics were lousy to I dug a little deeper and found my article on the .375 Ruger. After playing with the numbers a little it looked like a fun round for BIG bears, Elk, Moose and any Africa trips. So I bought a barrel and 10 boxes of ammo and here I sit waiting for it all to arrive to start playing. I went with the 270gr loads, at 2840 from a 24" barrel from what I read is a bit high. But with the 28" Pro hunter barrel, I should have 25" of rifled barrel, I'm hoping it will be good for 2850 FPS. That shout be a fun gun!

Has anyone tried this round? This is my first venture into BIG BORE land, beside a .50 cal, but its not really for hunting. RG

 

[Railguner]

15 views and no comments...damn....just aint feelin da love! RG

 

[hntnnut]

Don't feel bad railgunner, I have a post here with 158 hits and no replies. As for the .375 ruger I have no knowledge but it looks like a sweet cartridge, and has my intrest.

Richard

 

[Railguner]

Thanks, hntnnut. I really enjoyed your post on that bear. Sounded like you guys had one hell of a great time. RG

 

[Speckmisser]

Here ya go, just to make you feel better... a reply.

Seriously, let us know how this monster works out for ya. The .375 Ruger does sound like a viable alternative to the old-school round, especially if you reload. Not sure how much availability you'll find for the ammo down the road.

Ought to be hell on elk, big bears, and moose...and could be a lot of fun for hogs too.

 

[Railguner]

Thanks Specky, I appreciate it.

Ammo is on the scarce side. Not nearly the availability as the .375 H&H. I can't weight to get some Bear Claws, A-Frames, Accubonds, Partitions, Fail Safe's, etc that the H&H enjoys now. Heck, I just may start to reload. I've been fighting it for years due to lack of time. Plus I hear ammo is going up 5-20% this year! Hunt safe and have a great '08 guys! RG

 

[sidepass]

I don't think the 338 Federals ballistics are lousy, I think it's a great bush buster out to about 250 yards.The Ruger 375 looks to do it out to about 300 yards. However with more lead or cooper,if you will.My next Encore barrel will be in 338 Winchester.It can do things out further than my 9.3x62 or 405 Win .

sidepass

 

[sidepass]

Copper

 

[Railguner]

I like the .338 Win mag. The .338 Federal is down about 200fps, in comparison, which is just too much for me. Close range brush gun, sure, but even for that their are better calibers.

The 375 Ruger is going to be going on a Brown bear hunt that is in the booking process. I'm hoping to use it at 100yds or under. But, yes, it can can go 300yds fairly easy and deliver a TON & 1/2+ of OOOMPH! Just the kind of medicine I'm looking for. RG

 

[tmoniz]

RG.

I lived and worked and hunted in Alaska. Got my Brownie with a 7 mag. It was the only rifle I owned.
The 338 Winchester and the 375 H and H are still to this day the most readily available ammo and rifles used up there.
Just some food for thought.

Practice with it a lot because when you're in real close on those big boys, it gets mighty touchy.

 

[Railguner]

Tmoniz,

I hear ya. I don't even know if this caliber will be around in a year or two. It was a impulse buy. I liked the specs and just wanted a bigger bore...so I said screw it, I'm getting one. I also have a .257 WBY, .300 WSM and a .340Wby custom barrels being made for my gun. So I have most of it covered. I went with rounds I currently own...so that way I don't need to stock up on a new caliber. Just find a good constructed bullet that flies well.

Brownie with a 7Mag, your an ANIMAL!, Ball-Z or foolish Congrats!, that's awesome! Can't wait to go after mine.

" Practice with it a lot because when you're in real close on those big boys, it gets mighty touchy. " The reason I shoot so good is that I can't run for SHIET! Uniped, here. Lost a leg in a motorcycle accident many a years ago. But I definitely hear ya on the advise. Thanks.... RG

 

[bpnclark]

Have you shot it yet? I’m still deciding between the Ruger and the H&H. I think I’ll get the H&H, just because I like the CZ rifle over the Ruger.

My brother bought a Pro-Hunter this year. It’s a sweet little gun. There is a company (I forgot the link right now) but they will make you any caliber, any length and any twist you want.

Good luck with the gun.

 

[Railguner]

bpnclack

No, I haven't shot it yet. The ammo came in today and DNR sports is draggin their feet in getting me my barrel.

Honestly, the H&H is a great round and is SOOO classic around the world that ammo is hardly an issue and with Hornady and Federal having HIGH ENERGY rounds for them they are even more so capable. So it's a great choice. I just wanted to try something different. I figured the Ruger version would be a fun round in a break-action because of the short case length, so I'm giving it a go. Looking at the ammo I just cant wait to light one off. This may just be my Elk, Moose and Bear gun. RG

 

[inchr48]

I got a DVD from Hornady that showed several kills with the new 375 in Africa. Seemed to do the job quite nicely. Keep us posted as your project progresses.

 

[tmoniz]

RG

I was very young and "foolish." Good looking round.

 

[bpnclark]

That looks like its going to make a big hole.

 

[Railguner]

UPDATE, Well I've been F'd in the a$$ on this one. Comes to find out, TC has discontinued the .375 Ruger barrel. I guess they never did produce them. Although, they are listed in their PDF catalog and on DNR Sports website. So now I'm stuck with ammo that I cannot return. What a bunch o crap! I was really getting excited about this round and now I'm screwed. Looks like I'm going to have to order the 375 H&H. I will have to look into getting a custom barrel made for the 375 Ruger. Butting my head against the wall probably, with my luck I will order the barrel only to find out Ruger has decided to stop ammo production due to lack of interest. Well, thats the way things go sometimes with new rounds. Sorry that I won't be able to give you guys a timely progress report. It's time to step back and think about what I want to do now. RG

 

[bpnclark]

Check around for the custom barrels. The ones I was priced were about the same as the ones TC makes. Check around if you still want the Ruger.

 

[bpnclark]

Try calling this guy –

http://www.matchgrademachine.com

He doesn’t list “Pro Hunter” barrels but aren’t the Encore and Pro Hunter interchangeable?

 

[Railguner]

I already have MGM making a .257Wby, 300 RUM and a .340 Wby barrels for me. The 375 was to finish off the battery. One gun that would cover it all. I was kinda hoping to have at least 1 TC barrel. This is getting expensive! I don't see MGM listing a reamer for .375 Ruger, so I'm going to have to give them a call and see if they can swing it. All is not lost, my degree of being pissed is wearing off. 375 will have its day.

bpnclark - thanks for the link...I appreciate it. RG