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Military Firearm Restoration Corner

375 Ruger


ken98k

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I've been working on this off and on for several years. Sometimes waiting to find parts, and sometimes trying to figure out how to fix my screw-ups.

 

An example is the diamond at the front swivel. I made a big mistake inletting the swivel and had to find a way to salvage the stock. The diamond is made from mammoth ivory.

 

I finally finished it yesterday. I actually mounted an old Weaver K-1.5 on it after taking these photos this morning.

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Quite a gem you've built!! Being honest, hard to see the beauty in the white diamond from a computer photo. I bet it really looks considerably more attractive in person. You say it is a screw-up but I see it as a custom touch, giving it personality. What really catches my eye is the bolt handle, it not only looks sharp I bet it feels good and functions well in your hand. Not likely though you will need a quick follow up shot with the large bore mag. I can't imagine following a blood trail for very many yards. Most North American game will drop almost instantly. I shot a Ruger factory rifle chambered in 375 at a Sportsman's Expo a couple years ago. It really lets you know Newton wasn't pulling our legs. Any chance you will ad a muzzle brake?

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hard to see the beauty in the white diamond from a computer photo.

What really catches my eye is the bolt handle, it not only looks sharp I bet it feels good and functions well in your hand.

Any chance you will ad a muzzle brake?

Bolt handle by z1r

I wish I could say the ivory diamond looks better in person but it's really non-descript, better than the screw-up it's hiding though.

I tied down, and test fired the barrelled action via a string a 2 or 3 years ago, I'm not sure I dare fire it from my shoulder.

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I've been considering converting my 376 Steyr to a 375 Ruger. Trying to find a magnum faced bolt to use. You need to test fire it. I have been rather hesitant to change as my understanding is that the recoil of the 375 Ruger is very noticable. With the 376 it isn't bad. I used a heavier barrel than normal so it soaks up some of the recoil.

Your rifle looks nice. Good job. I like the diamond.

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my understanding is that the recoil of the 375 Ruger is very noticable. With the 376 it isn't bad.

I do recall when I test fired the barreled action, the muzzle blast / concussion was very noticeable from 10 feet behind it. :(

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I'm not sure I dare fire it from my shoulder.

I know the feeling!! With my 458 I either cast or buy lead bullets and shoot mild loads. My last batch I used loading data for the 45/70 Remington Rolling block. Got a gentle painless rearward shove. Using plenty of Kentucky Windage I grouped about 20 rds into about a 10 inch group at 100 yards.

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I've had this Santa Barbra mag action for well over 10 years. It's been begging me for a 375 Ruger barrel. Poor health prevents me from hunting anything needing the Howitzer powered rifle but what the heck. We are here in this group because we like to build rifles. Not exactly a sword needing to be converted to a plow but I'd really like to do something with it.

 

338-6-1.jpg

 

I bought two of the actions and built a 338 Win mag out of one. My original plan was for a Remington 8MM mag and a 375 H&H. Found out after the purchase the action is just a tad short for either caliber. Years ago I got a quote from a gunsmith that could alter the action by grinding away some on the feed ramp to get the H&H length cartridge to work. I don't recall the numbers but the job was priced out of my league and the grinding part turned me away. After Ruger introduced the 06 length 375 chambering the action has been screaming 375 Ruger.

 

The action has just been collecting dust in my vault getting no more attention than an annual oiling and wipe down. As long as the Grim Reaper stays in remission I'd like to do something with it this year. Like my 458 I will probably buy one box of factory ammo to sight it in. Afterward it will likely launch mild, lead slug handloads. I currently have a 7MM mag, 308 Norma mag, 338 Win mag and a 458 Win mag. The action has a mag bolt face so unless I change bolts. I have to go with an 06 length belted mag. 375 Ruger seems to be the logical choice.

 

Sorry didn't mean to change the gist of your thread and distract from your beautiful project. Your 375 Ruger post got me thinking out loud again at my keyboard. Does anybody have caliber suggestions?? I also have a McGowen barreled 35 Whelen so I've pretty well ruled out 358 Norma. So whatcha guys think, what caliber should I select??

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AZ,
I don't want to steer you away from the Ruger but here's something to consider.

A while back, I bought an FN 375 length trigger guard from another member here. I then borrowed a buddies Mark X 375 H&H and the trigger guard I purchased fit the Mark X like a glove.

What this told me is, contrary to what I have heard on the web, it is common practice by Mauser manufacturers (FN and Zastava for certain) to open up a standard length action to accommodate the 375 H&H.

I have another 375 blank that is going to become a 375 H&H eventually.

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Ken you're correct, the H&H length cartridge can be stuffed in there. With factory 375 Ruger ammo ballistics matching or bettering the original 375 H&H and the new wonder powders soon being available in canister form to John Q Public. Not much to be gained outside of maybe a couple hundred FPS going with the H&H.

 

Not personally having the necessary skills to alter the feed ramp and the likelihood of shelling out the cost of a new rifle for the mag and trigger guard if my stock parts wont stretch or can be hollowed out far enough. I prefer to apply the KISS principle and keeping the cost down. I will also avoid the frustration from the School Of Hard Knocks attempting to do it on my own. If I had anywhere near the talent I've seen numerous times over the years in this group. My Mauser action would have been completed years ago chambered in 8MM Rem mag.

 

Years ago after spending a small fortune on a minimally head spaced McGowen cryo froze premium barreled 35 Whelen. I pledged to myself to keep all future projects on the economy plan. Keeping it simple. I can send the action to Shaw or another barrel maker, get it back blued with barrel and irons installed. I am gifted with the ability to do the stock fitting and glass bedding. It wont print quarter sized 200 yard groups my 35 is capable of but hopefully I will be satisfied with it.

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  • 2 weeks later...

AZ,

I don't want to steer you away from the Ruger but here's something to consider.

 

A while back, I bought an FN 375 length trigger guard from another member here. I then borrowed a buddies Mark X 375 H&H and the trigger guard I purchased fit the Mark X like a glove.

 

What this told me is, contrary to what I have heard on the web, it is common practice by Mauser manufacturers (FN and Zastava for certain) to open up a standard length action to accommodate the 375 H&H.

 

I have another 375 blank that is going to become a 375 H&H eventually.

 

I have an interarms in .375 H&H and I will say this, FN, then Zastava, made a mistake in taking so much material out of the bottom lug. First, when FN went to the commercial triggerguard for the '06 length cartridges, they for some unknown and totally unneccessary reason moved the rear of the mag box forward. Compare a commerecial FN unit to a Milsurp box and you will see. Thus, since the FN H&H length bottom metal is nothing more than an extended '06 unit, you see that it requires moving the feed ramp even further forward than required. No way to avoid removing material from the feed ramp when building an H&H on a std length Mauser. However, less is to be prefered.

 

 

Most folks don't shoot the .375 Whitworths much seeing as they have become something of a collector's item and FN made darn few so to date I haven't heard of any catastrophic failures. I know I will continue to shoot mine. But, if building from scratch, I'd pick the .375 Ruger in a heart beat. The only real advantage the H&H has would be if one was Africa bound and ammo avalability was an issue. The .375 Ruger case capacity exceeds that of the H&H so unless you load the H&H to very high pressures you will not see a few hundred fps advantage. Unlike the .376 which almost matches the H&H performance, the Ruger exceeds the H&H.

 

Nice rifle Ken!

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I have an interarms in .375 H&H and I will say this, FN, then Zastava, made a mistake in taking so much material out of the bottom lug. First, when FN went to the commercial triggerguard for the '06 length cartridges, they for some unknown and totally unneccessary reason moved the rear of the mag box forward. Compare a commerecial FN unit to a Milsurp box and you will see. Thus, since the FN H&H length bottom metal is nothing more than an extended '06 unit, you see that it requires moving the feed ramp even further forward than required. No way to avoid removing material from the feed ramp when building an H&H on a std length Mauser. However, less is to be prefered.

 

 

Most folks don't shoot the .375 Whitworths much seeing as they have become something of a collector's item and FN made darn few so to date I haven't heard of any catastrophic failures. I know I will continue to shoot mine. But, if building from scratch, I'd pick the .375 Ruger in a heart beat. The only real advantage the H&H has would be if one was Africa bound and ammo avalability was an issue. The .375 Ruger case capacity exceeds that of the H&H so unless you load the H&H to very high pressures you will not see a few hundred fps advantage. Unlike the .376 which almost matches the H&H performance, the Ruger exceeds the H&H.

 

Nice rifle Ken!

That is the advantange to using a custom bottom metal. Makers like Blackburn put the rear wall back where it should have been in the first place. You still need to remove metal from the front, but not to the scary extreme FN did.

Don

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AZ,

 

i would look seriously at building that 375 Ruger. I have a .376 Steyr as well as the H&H, the Ruger, to me, is no more difficult to shoot nor do I notice any appreciable increase in recoil. The only reason I didn't build myself one was because I already have the Steyr and H&H.

 

I like this case design so much that instead of a .338 Win Mag I am going to neck the .375 case down to .338. Performance will be just behind the 330 Dakota.

 

Whatcha planning on huntting with your .375 Ken?

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Whatcha planning on huntting with your .375 Ken?

It would be a good back-up gun if I was still guiding but otherwise its overkill. :)

I've really become a fan of the 7x57 and 6.5x55 and they kill stuff just as dead as the bigger numbers without the extra weight and recoil.

While I also love my 338-06, the old standby 30-06 is hard to beat. That said, I also have a couple 300win's in the works.

 

When I'm getting ready to go hunting I sometimes have to do the eany meany thing.

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