Handloading the .375 Ruger Is Rounds Over a Chronograph, the .375 300 Nosler Partition H-4350 77.0 2,489 Lug to Help Prevent Splitting
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Load Development Handloads for the .375 Ruger Brian Pearce turm, Ruger & Co. has once again teamed with Hornady SMfg. to offer a cartridge bear- ing its name, the .375 Ruger. The concept is sound – a beltless case that fits in a standard .30-06 length bolt action but offers performance that slightly exceeds the around-the- world proven .375 H&H Magnum. Industry specifications list a Through this development, Ruger maximum cartridge length of has improved the Model 77 rifle. 3.340 inches for the .375 Ruger, (More on that in a moment.) but Hornady factory ammunition measures 3.2470 inches. The .375 H&H Magnum was first offered around 1912 and has become a standard among hunters Model 77 Hawkeye rifle, I believe taking large and dangerous game. It this combination is a real winner. may be considered the .30-06 of Af- I generally avoid comparisons, but rica, where it regularly accounts for the .375 Ruger will duplicate .375 lion, buffalo, hippo, elephant and H&H Magnum performance, us- ing less powder (and in a rifle with shorter bolt travel making it less likely to end up in the shooter’s Brian was impressed with the face when cycling the bolt hard accuracy of the Ruger Model 77 and the consistency of the .375 with the rifle on the shoulder). The Ruger. Accurate handloads folks at Hornady claim the .375 were easy to develop. Ruger has a case capacity 6 percent greater than the H&H Magnum, other dangerous game. Likewise it touted as a “proprietary case,” it has been popular in Alaska for many shares similar dimensions to the decades, where brown bears and old Newton case. Regardless, it is hunters occasionally tangle at close of modern design and will easily quarters, and a powerful cartridge handle its SAAMI maximum aver- capable of reliably ending fights is age pressure rating of 62,000 psi. desirable. It’s an excellent blend of According to Hornady’s “Maxi- caliber, bullet weight and velocity, mum Cartridge” drawings, the rim yet offers a recoil level that can be and head measure .5320 inch, case mastered by most hunters. Although length is 2.580 inches, while the the average U.S. deer hunter may shoulder angle is 30 degrees. Maxi- believe it is a big cartridge, it is not, mum overall loaded cartridge length being considered more of a “medi- The .375 Ruger (middle) offers a slight Hornady Mfg. is currently offering 270- is 3.340 inches. Brian used a Ruger Model 77 um bore” by hunters of large game. performance edge over the .375 H&H and 300-grain loads for the .375 Ruger. Powders that offer first-rate performance Hawkeye African version to Magnum (right) but has an overall car- Through handloading, it was possible to Having worked with the new in the .30-06 and .375 H&H Magnum also develop loads for the .375 Ruger. Although the .375 Ruger is being tridge length similar to a .30-06 (left). duplicate factory load performance. .375 Ruger and the new Ruger give excellent results in the .375 Ruger. 1 www.loaddata.com July-August 2007 2 Load Development Handloads for the .375 Ruger Brian Pearce turm, Ruger & Co. has once again teamed with Hornady SMfg. to offer a cartridge bear- ing its name, the .375 Ruger. The concept is sound – a beltless case that fits in a standard .30-06 length bolt action but offers performance that slightly exceeds the around-the- world proven .375 H&H Magnum. Industry specifications list a Through this development, Ruger maximum cartridge length of has improved the Model 77 rifle. 3.340 inches for the .375 Ruger, (More on that in a moment.) but Hornady factory ammunition measures 3.2470 inches. The .375 H&H Magnum was first offered around 1912 and has become a standard among hunters Model 77 Hawkeye rifle, I believe taking large and dangerous game. It this combination is a real winner. may be considered the .30-06 of Af- I generally avoid comparisons, but rica, where it regularly accounts for the .375 Ruger will duplicate .375 lion, buffalo, hippo, elephant and H&H Magnum performance, us- ing less powder (and in a rifle with shorter bolt travel making it less likely to end up in the shooter’s Brian was impressed with the face when cycling the bolt hard accuracy of the Ruger Model 77 and the consistency of the .375 with the rifle on the shoulder). The Ruger. Accurate handloads folks at Hornady claim the .375 were easy to develop. Ruger has a case capacity 6 percent greater than the H&H Magnum, other dangerous game. Likewise it touted as a “proprietary case,” it has been popular in Alaska for many shares similar dimensions to the decades, where brown bears and old Newton case. Regardless, it is hunters occasionally tangle at close of modern design and will easily quarters, and a powerful cartridge handle its SAAMI maximum aver- capable of reliably ending fights is age pressure rating of 62,000 psi. desirable. It’s an excellent blend of According to Hornady’s “Maxi- caliber, bullet weight and velocity, mum Cartridge” drawings, the rim yet offers a recoil level that can be and head measure .5320 inch, case mastered by most hunters. Although length is 2.580 inches, while the the average U.S. deer hunter may shoulder angle is 30 degrees. Maxi- believe it is a big cartridge, it is not, mum overall loaded cartridge length being considered more of a “medi- The .375 Ruger (middle) offers a slight Hornady Mfg. is currently offering 270- is 3.340 inches. Brian used a Ruger Model 77 um bore” by hunters of large game. performance edge over the .375 H&H and 300-grain loads for the .375 Ruger. Powders that offer first-rate performance Hawkeye African version to Magnum (right) but has an overall car- Through handloading, it was possible to Having worked with the new in the .30-06 and .375 H&H Magnum also develop loads for the .375 Ruger. Although the .375 Ruger is being tridge length similar to a .30-06 (left). duplicate factory load performance. .375 Ruger and the new Ruger give excellent results in the .375 Ruger. 1 www.loaddata.com July-August 2007 2 Table I .375 Ruger Load Data bullet powder charge velocity Load Development (grains) (grains) (fps) 235 Speer spitzer softpoint H-380 80.0 2,815 and my water capacity measure- 82.0 2,898 84.0 2,990 ments support this. Some may RL-15 74.0 2,814 assume that .375 H&H data can be 76.0 2,880 used with an additional 6 percent 78.0 2,950 powder charge. Do not attempt 260 Nosler AccuBond H-4350 78.0 2,587 this, or dangerous pressures will 80.0 2,645 probably result. The shorter pow- 82.0 2,703 der column utilizes powder differ- RL-15 72.0 2,702 ently, or what is commonly termed 74.0 2,769 A Nikon variable 3-9x Prostaff scope was “more efficiently,” so charges are 76.0 2,853 used to check loads for accuracy. similar and sometimes less (espe- 270 Barnes Triple-Shock H-414 81.0 2,795 cially with heavier bullets) in the 83.0 2,851 .375 Ruger than the .375 H&H. 85.0* 2,912 nady factory fodder had an extreme H-4895 68.0 2,637 Nonetheless, the .375 Ruger can spread of 43 fps, while the 300-grain The new Ruger Model 77 Hawkeye African rifle weighs less than 7½ pounds (without scope) 70.0 2,689 load ran 38 fps (each with a five- drive 270-grain bullets around and should prove an excellent rifle for field use. It has great handling characteristics. 72.0 2,747 shot string). Every powder charge 150 fps faster or 300-grain bullets Varget 69.0 2,632 around 100 fps more than tradi- in the accompanying load data was 71.0 2,670 weighed. In many instances the ex- tional .375 H&H velocities with mended at 3.340 inches, maximum, When it comes to powder selec- 73.0 2,713 the same bullet weights. For refer- but in using a variety of bullets to tion, there are many choices that treme spreads were less than 10 fps 270 Speer spitzer boat-tail AAC-4350 79.0 2,669 (again for a five-shot average). ence the Hornady 270-grain factory develop the accompanying data, will give excellent results. The same 81.0 2,722 load is advertised at 2,840 fps or the they were seated to different depths powders that have proven useful in 83.0 2,770 The new .375 Ruger Model 77 300-grain roundnose at 2,660 fps. to accommodate the differences in the .375 H&H will work equally 270 Hornady Spire Point W-748 70.0 2,619 Hawkeye African rifle has several Velocities from the Ruger Model ogive profile. (The accompanying well in the .375 Ruger (or for that 72.0 2,667 virtues worth mentioning. First, 77 African rifle with a 23-inch matter the .30-06). Examples in- 74.0 2,710 rather than being heavy and blocky, barrel clocked 2,859 and 2,745 clude Hodgdon H-4350, H-4895, 285 Speer Grand Slam H-414 80.0 2,772 like the Model 77 Express Magnum fps, respectively. In terms of perfor- H-414, Varget, Alliant Reloder 15, 82.0 2,820 at 10 pounds, it is trim and weighs mance on game, there shouldn’t be Accurate Arms AAC-4350, Win- 84.0* 2,880 just under 7½ pounds.