Dave Parks
Well-known member
Here's Craig Boddington's take on the new Ruger .375 after a hunt in Africa with it.
Kept full-length (2.8 inches) it would have greatly exceeded the .375 H&H in performance and would have been roughly similar to the .375 Remington Ultra Mag. This was not the intent; instead the case was chopped to 2.5 inches so it would fit into a .30-06-length action. The goal, therefore, was to equal .375 H&H performance in a “standard” (.30-06) case length. This would give Ruger a powerful and versatile cartridge that could be mated to their standard Model 77 Mark II action.
Kept full-length (2.8 inches) it would have greatly exceeded the .375 H&H in performance and would have been roughly similar to the .375 Remington Ultra Mag. This was not the intent; instead the case was chopped to 2.5 inches so it would fit into a .30-06-length action. The goal, therefore, was to equal .375 H&H performance in a “standard” (.30-06) case length. This would give Ruger a powerful and versatile cartridge that could be mated to their standard Model 77 Mark II action.
With a fatter body, relatively short neck, and minimal body taper the .375 Ruger case at 2.5 inches actually exceeds the case capacity of the 2.8-inch .375 H&H case. So it was a breeze to equal .375 H&H performance. What Hornady’s engineers hadn’t banked on was the increased efficiency of the shorter, wider case. In practice the .375 Ruger yielded a considerable velocity bonus over the .375 H&H—as much as 200 feet per second, depending on bullet weight and propellant. Perhaps even more interesting, it was able to attain full velocity in a shorter barrel.
