Anybody buy one from SakoAlberta? Looking for opinions on this rifle. Curious as to the barrel length of this version compared to the wood stocked African at 23".
Any range or load reports out there?
Rifle Opinions
Just received mine a few days ago and finally had it out to the range. I'm quite happy with it! It's compact, nicely balanced and fairly light. Trigger pull is smooth and predictable. Fit & finish is nice, and I love the stainless, even with that matte finish on it. Recoil is a heavy thud...not like my Tikka T3 Lite 300WM, which was sharp & violent and downright unpleasant to shoot. I fitted the .375 with a Zeiss 3x9-40 Scope.
Load Info
Given the many different .375 bullets available but the limited number of published loads available for the .375 Ruger it was hard to find a place to start. There isn't much powder around either which made it even more difficult. Nevertheless, I started here: h t t p:// www . realguns.com/loads/375Ruger.htm
Bullet: Hornady SPFB #3706 225gr
Powder: IMR 3031
Primer: CCI 200 Large Rifle and Winchester WLRM Magnum (same loads with both primers)
Cases: Hornady
COL: 3.330"
Started at 68.0gr and worked my way up to 72.0gr. I had no idea what to expect so I remained conservative. Having said that, I wish I had a 73, 74 & 75 made up already because everything worked so nicely. I mirrored the same charges using Magnum rifle primers and kept an eye on the cases to ensure no pressure signs.
The group sizes were between 0.5" and 0.75" @ 50 meters. I'll post the most accurate loads after I test up to 76gr charge. Velocities were 2621 @ 68.0gr/standard primer up to 2851 @ 72gr/Magnum primer. The Magnum primer loads were consistently 25-70 fps faster. The load data claims that 3195fps is possible.
Got some Barnes 235gr TSX on the way that will get worked up next. Thankfully there's load data from Hodgdon to work off of. Then off to Africa in December

Can't wait to use this gun there!