looking for a african rifle/bear killer

jcbruno

jcbruno

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hi i am doing a revamp of all my rifles sold od my 30-06 and 7mm mag and going to 308 and 270,l i am looking for a big bore rifle that isnt over borne like the 300 win mags etc the 2 calibers i am looking at is 375 H&H or 375 ruger
which is cheaper for factory loads? do they bothe shoot the same bullet for ease of reloading supplies? and what is the barrel life?

also what rifles do you suggest with a budget around 1000-1500
the new ruger hawkeye/CZ safari/used winchester?
does anyone know if browning and sako are making these rifles?
 
IMO you can't beat the 375 H&H, its classic, brass and loaded ammo is very available, I'm a big fan of the CZ's (or older Brno's if you can find them). There was a 375 H&H Brno ZKK 602 at the gun show in decent shape for $875 Used Winchester Mod 70 would be nice to, I think the CZ holds more down though.
 
375 Ruger for sure...It's what the 375 H&H woudl be if the 375 H&H was introduced in this day and age.:)

Same bullets, same barrel life (a really, really long time)

The new Ruger Hawkeye is about perfect, and is about $1200...:)
 
Dude, if you burn out the barrel in any of the above mentioned you are one hell of a lot tougher than me!!!!

Friggin' 10 rounds of the bench out of my H&H and I am done for the day unless I want to risk developing a permanent flinch.

Ian
 
Normally I don't care too much about factory ammo availability. However, for an African gun, it might be more important to you. You'd be able to pick up 375 H&H FAR more easily than 375 ruger
 
For a controlled round feed I'd go with the Ruger. If you just want a push feed, I'd go with a Rem 700 XCR 375 H&H.
 
I think the .375 Ruger is a great rifle, particularly the Alaskan version. That thing has bear gun written all over it. It's not so good that I'd trade off my .375 Ultra for one, but it nearly is. As the .375 Ruger catches on, the brass will become easier to get. The cartridge is so good that it will spin off lots of wildcats, some of which are bound to be adopted by someone. Once that happens the brass supply won't be a problem. It is curious that Hornady and Ruger didn't simply adopt the .375 Dakota, which is quite similar, but I suppose Ruger wanted "RUGER" in the name.

If you prefer the magnum length actions, a Brno 602 in .375 H&H would be hard to beat. I've heard mixed reviews concerning the CZ 550, so I can't offer an opinion as I haven't seen one. I did use a M-70 .375 H&H. That is a wonderful rifle if you can find one.
 
Get a Cz, just think of it as a ruger with forged parts and a good trigger. Or rebarrel an FN mauser from Tradex.
leave the castings to matchbox.
Any good medium from 338-06 to .375 ruger would do
flame on:)
Im headed south for the weekend so will check back in a few days to see where this goes.
 
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I don't think it's that hard to shoot out a .375 H&H, depending on what you consider shot out, whether you are a handloader or not and how long your magazine is.
In the four months preceding my first safari I put 1200 rounds through my CZ .375 starting from new. Accuracy hung right in there with 5 shot groups hovering just over the 1 inch mark and 3 shot groups somewhat smaller. The following year things were starting to look grim when groups on previous pet loads could barely make 2 ". At that time I was able to determine that .120" had eroded out of the throat. This was at about 14 months and 1700 rounds. I was able to salvage the situation by seating the bullets out farther, since the CZ magazine box is super long. Now at 2000ish rounds and two years I'm wondering if I have another hunting trip left in it or not. Luckily I have a spare.:D
If you hunt at bush distances, need a bear/buffalo rifle, have a glass shoulder, or shoot with iron sights you may never be able to shoot out a .375 barrel in a long and healthy life. If you think of the caliber as a general purpose 300 yard hunting rifle and get a #### eating grin when you blast off 3 or 4 boxes of cartridges offhand then it can be rather easy. The only way to learn to shoot a big rifle fast, is to shoot a big rifle fast.:dancingbanana:
Not being one to let limited examples stop me from forming theories, I'm giving the credit to that sloping shoulder allowing more powder to burn in the barrel than in the case, but a soft barrel is possible.
 
if you go outside Canada, you must think of the possibility to buy ammo
up-road.
nobody outside north amerika has heard of the 375 Ruger.
on the other hand, everybody knows the 375 H&H.
most big game animals shot around the world are so with the 300 Win.Mag.
i had clients that showed up without their bags, the ammo for their guns somewhere in England or other centers around the world.
the same can happen when you go up-road.
i found out that many of the newer caliber are not to be had in Europe, Africa or Asia.
to sum it up: 300 Win Mag and 375 H&H are the way to go.
 
narraway said:
if you go outside Canada, you must think of the possibility to buy ammo
up-road.
nobody outside north amerika has heard of the 375 Ruger.
on the other hand, everybody knows the 375 H&H.
Click to expand...

That's funny, cause I've read several articles from writers that have been to Africa with the .375 Ruger, and they all had ammo.;)

If I was going, I'd ship ahead no matter what cartridge I was using.
 
good luck with shipping ahead!
i had a Danish client whos ammo was taken out of ALL his bags by airport security in Europe. other had everything stolen (gun included).
just wait until you go to Africa or Asia.
 
The 375 H&H is a historic African cartridge. The 375 Ruger is its modern counterpart. Both do about the same thing. If you prefer "standard" length cartridges, go with the Ruger. If nostalgia and African history mean anything to you, go with the 375 H&H.

If neither is important, then just buy the rifle you like regardless of chambering.
 
Gatehouse said:
Or ship some ammo in advance, or distribute your boxes of ammo among your different bags or...Lots of different approaches.
Click to expand...

Usually you have two pieces of luggage, plus your carry-on. One of the pieces is your gun-case, with no ammo allowed in it. The carry-on ain't happening either. What you can do is distribute your ammo through your hunting partners' bags, so if even one guy's luggage made it you will all have at least a little ammo. That's assuming that your guns made it. Good luck with shipping ahead. Chances are if you lose your ammo, you'll be hunting with a borrowed rifle too.
 
tkv000 said:
IMO you can't beat the 375 H&H, its classic, brass and loaded ammo is very available, I'm a big fan of the CZ's (or older Brno's if you can find them). There was a 375 H&H Brno ZKK 602 at the gun show in decent shape for $875 Used Winchester Mod 70 would be nice to, I think the CZ holds more down though.
Click to expand...

X2 on the Grand Old 375 H&H, everthing else is a pretender!:)
 
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