rbTanzan

The 375 Ruger is the cartridge that I would have chosen over the 338 Win Mag if it came out 30 years ago. I did buy a 375 Ruger last year for a build. It was pleasant to shoot before I sent it off for a 500 AccRel rebarrel.

The 375 Ruger cartridge is a beautiful design and should be supported and chosen over the H&H. It is about an ideal capacity for the medium bores, efficient by filling out the body, and not demanding extra length in the action. While the 375H&H is a great cartridge, the 375 Ruger is better. Yes, that means a commitment to handloading, but such a commitment is necessary for tailoring any hunting load, especially as one goes above 338 calibre.

When the question moves on to the 416 calibre I am mixed.
The 416 Ruger is a great cartridge and design in the Alaskan Hawkeye model. I would handload 350 grain TSX or TTSX at 2600fps or a lighterweight CEB tipped non-con at 2800fps. My problem is that I love shooting the 416 Rigby with 350 TSX at 2825fps (6200 ftlbs). If I didn't have the Rigby I'd go with the 416 Ruger and save a pound of rifle weight. Maybe. I really like the Rigby. The bullet seems just the right size in one's hand.

So what would I recommend? Maybe the 416 Ruger in Alaska and the 416 Rigby handloaded as above in Africa. For elk the 375 Ruger is about right, with 250-grain TTSX or the newer CEB tipped non-cons.

wastednights

Finaly bought my .416 Ruger Alskan

No all I need is a .204 Ruger to complete the trifecta

emtrescue6

I have done a fair amount of caribou and bear hunting over the years in Alaska...I have never used anything bigger than my 270WSM on caribou and my brother and Sis-In-Law most commonly use 30-06 and 300 Win Mag's on our regular caribou hunts...and we all have taken animal out to 300+ on several occasions.

Now bear is a different story...but only if you are Griz hunting...99% of my black bear hunts were with a 308 or 270...and one of my hunting partners who is a big time bear hunter has taken more black bears with a .243 loaded with 100g Nosler Ballistic Tips than the rest of us in the group combined.

Cape buffalo....now that's a different story....but a 375 or 416 would certainly be overkill for a caribou.

Sheridan

.338 WM is all you need for North America.

Going to Africa - .375 H&H or .416 Rigby


You should find available ammo in those calibers on each respective continent.

Big Uncle

I have seen many more .416 Rem Mag rifles in Africa than the Rigby version. I would hazard a wild guess that there are more rifles chambered in .416 Ruger than Rigby.

The Rigby seems like it would be more popular, but from what I have seen it just is not. The cartridge case is just too darn large to fit in many actions and ammo is expensive.

Sheridan

Good read;

http://www.huntinglegends.com/2008/11/416-rigby/


Don't have to guess - The Rigby is a classic cartridge since 1911 (the Ruger 2009) .

When you hunt Africa the expense for the ammo is totally insignificant.

Nomercy448

I haven't read all of the threads, but here's my take on it....

The "average rifle hunter" is a whitetail deer hunter, so he needs something along the lines of a 100-200grn bullet cruising anywhere from 1800-3500fps. Henceforth, there are hundreds of mainstream cartridges that deliver that level of performance. Every one of these "average hunters" has an idea of what the ideal cartridge is for his use, but ultimately, the significance in the gap between these hundreds of cartridges is imaginary when it comes to actual on-game performance.

The 'average rifle hunter' doesn't spend much time shooting rimfire for anything more than casual plinking, so his standards are low. Henceforth, we had only 2 common rimfire cartridges for years, and now only have 5. We made no illusion that there was a gap to be filled, so there weren't 'filler cartridges' produced, as there just wasn't demand for them. Is there room? Sure. Are they needed? Eh, not really, but neither are HUNDREDS of those deer cartridges mentioned above.

At the other end of the spectrum, there are a scarce few hunters that spend much time in need of a big bore rifle, therefore the demand is low. Again, there have been a dozen or so what I'd call "mainstream" heavy cartridges for the last 100yrs or so. Again, these powerful few have met the needs of all of their hunters, so there hasn't been a huge demand for new alternatives. Is there room for others? Sure.

So to say that buying a 375R or 416Ruger is a waste of time because it's not any 'better' than a .375 H&H or .416 Rigby or Remington, I'd ask the question: "then why in the sam he11 do we have a .30-06, .308, .300WM, .300WSM, .300 Savage, .30......?" None are significantly better than the other, but we have them.

The mentality that a .338wm, .375H&H, and .416Rem are the ONLY heavy cartridges anyone would ever need, and therefore should be able to buy is the same logic that all pick-ups should be white Ford F-150's.

The only legitimate reason, in my opinion, to not buy a Ruger cartridge chambered rifle is that too many people will stand up and say "the only pick-ups should be white Ford F-150's", and eventually that mentality will kill a great cartridge. In all fairness, most guys that buy these rifles end up selling them after a once in a lifetime hunt with no more than few boxes fired through them AND the overall rifle/ammo cost of such a hunt is minute compared to the hunt costs, so considering 'longevity' of these cartridge against resale value of the rifles is essentially moot.

I still have a .416Rig and a .375 H&H, even a .338WM in the safe. Almost never shoot them, don't even have dies for the .375 or the .338wm. If I get a chance at another bear hunt in a couple years, then I'm pretty interested in taking a .375 Ruger, just for something different (will probably take my Marlin 1895 Guide Gun though ).

But everybody else can go ahead and keep driving their White Ford F-150's and wearing the same pair of shoes...

Nomercy448

On the Rigby vs Remington issue, I'd say 10-15yrs ago, the common perception was that you could find Rigby ammo on the other side of the pond a lot easier than Remington, so no matter which one they preferred, having a ammo was favorable to getting overseas and having your ammo not make the trip, so guys bought the Rigby. So that bolstered sales of Rigby's, even if guys thought the Rem was superior (my vote was Rigby either way).

I don't think those rules apply today. Getting ammo to your destination is a lot more reliable, and I think .416Rem has gained enough popularity that you could get ammo either place.

For what it's worth, I have heard a parallel thought process that guys should never reload ammo for their 'African rifles', because if your ammo doesn't make it, you'll be stuck with factory loads available, so you should just shoot and zero to the factory fodder. It's sound logic, but I think it's better to just plan your trip effectively enough to get your ammo there, no matter what you're shooting.

Big Uncle

My comment about ammo is certainly significant to the fellows that live over there. All rifles and ammo are expensive for the locals.

For the traveling hunter the cost of ammo is insignificant compared to all of the other costs.

The comment about seeing more .416 Rem Mags than Rigby was my personal observation of the rifles that the local guys use. I don't recall seeing a PH that used the Rigby but I do know several PHs that use the Remington version and one that uses the Ruger. They are all fine cartridges, but the recoil from a .416 or larger wears me out quickly.

Bullcamp82834

I voted for the 375 H&H.

Call me a nostalgic old fool.