Yes I like the .270 Winchester, the 30-06 and the newer 6.5 Creedmoor which I own. But the .375 Ruger in a M77 Hawkeye African put a great big smile on my face as a reloader hunter of big game. You see, I came back from an African Safari having taken all my plains game (no big 5) with a Ruger .338 Winchester Magnum figuring if I came upon dangerous game the .338 would help. For all intent and purpose it recoiled just the same as the .375 with similar weight bullets in the 250g class. The .375 Ruger however developed more energy than the .338 and more bullet weight and sectional density when needed normally up to 300 grains and in Dangerous Game heads and Solid Tungsten heads as a back up for Dangerous game and will skewer them from one end to the other putting the lights out!
So I owned and tested the M77 Hawkeye African rifle in .375 Ruger as part of my Safari Book. Yes you can buy it here, the book I mean. In years hence, I have shot Moose and Bison with the .375 Ruger and then loaded it down for deer. Yes similar results with the .375 H&H Magnum, longer cartridge and belted for head space. The .375 Ruger operates in a standard action and has no belt. I killed a large Red Deer (a doe) with a reduced 375 Ruger load and a 225 flat head very similar to the 38-55 which is the same caliber. The Red doe went 20 yards and fell dead, there was no recoil to speak of and no crack of the rifle. She was broadside momentarily at 40 to 50 yards, but the bullet pierced the heart and exited.
Today there is talk about bullets that can drop a deer like that! Even “loaded down” the .375 can drop a deer “like that and bust brush along the way!” But you can use todays M77 .375 and it can reduce recoil so low and drop a deer so fast with a 250 grain head reduced load that you just need to own but one rifle. Loaded up you can kill Elk with a Nosler 260 grain AccuBond out to 500 yards and with new recoil pad technology it is fantastic. My muzzleloader shoots a 300 grain head and kicks about the same.
And when you are ready for a plains safari or a 2000 pound Bison Hunt or a Cape Buffalo you will have a Rifle in the closet ready for the task. They say Wild Boar in the USA can be dangerous. Shoot a Hornady 300 g DGX in one and you will tame the beast in a hurry. Same for really big bear, hit them in the boiler room and they go down in a hurry. So if you handload, and hunt, give the .375 Ruger a try, it will put a smile on your face, and drop your game in a hurry, not hurt your shoulder (if standing) or crack your ears. Note: I shot this Ruger rifle prone at 600 yards with a 3 1/4 inch vertical group.
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