Today I tested the .375 Ruger M77 Hawkeye African with three totally different loads and two completely different bullets of shape and grain weight yet at 50 yards they all hit the same spot within an inch from one another. This speaks to the unbelievably enormous versatility of this cartridge. A member friend Andy at my club observed and verified the shot groups.
The lower bullet at 5 o’clock was a Speer 235 grain spitzer round nose bullet chrono’d at 2122 fps shooting a load of SR 4759.
I used the Hornady book for 375 H&H and slowly over time worked up my own loads starting very low, all the time inspecting the case and primer for signs of over-pressure. This reduced load I intend to use as a deer/bear load out to 100 yards delivering 1800 ft-lbs of energy. Recoil is similar to a muzzle loader. Use of software such as QuickLOAD is also highly valuable but expect to pay $150 for it. If you are a real wildcat load developer this, I hear, is a great tool. This software, I believe, does not have SR 4759 listed for load development.
The higher bullet hole at 1 o’clock was the same Speer 235 grain but traveling at 2430 fps with a starter load of IMR 4895. I extrapolated this too from the Speer Manual from the 375 H & H tables. This reduced load I intend to use as my 200 yard shoot anything load for Moose, Deer or Bear developing 3100 ft-lbs at the Muzzle. Do your homework and be safe. Recoil is very manageable in a standing hunting situation equivalent to shooting a 30-06 with 180 grain heads.
And finally the almost 12 o’clock load which was a 260 grain Nosler AccuBond® Spitzer crono’d at a whopping 2738 fps that has killed a 750 lb Moose and a 850 lb Bison to date. This load was taken directly from the Nosler Reloading Manual using RL-15 Powder.
The Accubond, left. This load develops 4350 ft-lbs at the Muzzle and an deliver 2400 ft lbs at 375 yards to drop a Bull anything with good shot placement and fantastic penetration/mushrooming of this Nosler AccuBond. At right in the above photo is the 300 grain monolithic solid for Elephant.
This load is intended for Moose, Brown Bear and large African game. It is fine for Cape Buffalo, the Cats, Nile Croc’s, Hippo’s and plains game and is used to take Elephant, though a larger bore is recommended for close shots at a a testy tusker.
Standing, this round is easily tolerable with a Pachmayr Decelerator recoil pad and a t-shirt.
At the bench which is where I was to shoot this I had a Decelerator Pad and a strap on shoulder pad and it shot fine with the resultant recoil spread out making it an easy shot.
I have been shooting this .375 Ruger in the M77 Ruger African since around 2008/2009 and I just love it so much for its looks, its accuracy, versatility and it’s ability to pack a whallop when you need it. The Cartridge brass has been reloaded many times and has paid for itself many times over. This is still classified as a medium caliber. I am no youngster these days but I shoot this rifle just as if I were one, and you can too. If this article gets you interested as it did a shooter from Texas last month then let me know. This round is known for less destruction of surrounding edible meat then the ultra fast calibers. If you are a hand loader this caliber is simply a blast to shoot! Pun intended!
© 2014