Ruger #3 Caliber .375 Win Load Info

[missionary5155]

Greetings
Finally snagged an afordable (for me) Ruger #3 in caliber .375 Winchester.
Do you have any loading info you can pass along ? Really any info on the #3 would be helpful as this is my first. Thanks !
No pictures yet as I have not seen it in person.
Mike in Peru

[bigted]

congrats on a fun rifle and an equally fun caliber. a true 375 bore and im thinkin that you can use the 38-55 data just fine as the rifle will deff hold the pressure with ease. don't sell bp short in this cal either.

cases are just a fraction diff from each other so in a ruger #3 there should be not a whisper of a difference between the two except for the small diff in true caliber.

again congratulation on a cool purchase...I have and have had several #1's and the action is the same so the real difference will be just the straight grip area and maybe a bit more recoil as the straight stock will prolly buck ya around a bit more then the #1 does. especially with glass on the #1 and getting the head/cheek up a little higher.

ENJOY !!!...

[EDG]

There is a difference in the two chamberings that might make a difference with cast bullets.
The .375 Win twist is much faster than the 38-55.
It would have been a better round with the slower twist of the 38-55.

[JeffinNZ]

Perfect cast boolit cartridge. Check out the Hodgdon site for data.

[missionary5155]

Good morning
Have many years with the 38-55 and about half as many with the 375 Winchester (in a Marlin). Been searching about the net and it looks like any load the Marlin will do , the #3 should be able to handle OK also.
My other SS caliber .38 is a Browning high wall with a 28 inch barrel. That is a fine shooting rifle but just too nice to be lashing to my kayak or dragging about the river bottoms search for large cat tracks up north in ILLinois when there. Have a Marlin Ballard in 38 Long but that is entirely a different rifle than these.
Mike in Peru

[Haggway]

That is a good find. Everything said before is true. I am always looking for another #3 that I can afford.

[bigted]

I have 2 38-55's...one is a old '93 marlin with a relined barrel to an 18 inch twist and my custom HI wall...[browning]...with a 14 inch twist. both these have the newer .375 inch barrel dimension and both shoot very well.

my HI wall likes very much a 250 grain RCBS 37-250 GC boolit lubed with SPG and pushed along with 30 grains of IMR 3031 powder and sparked with a CCI large rifle...[200]... primer in starline 2.130 inch cases. this combo will do very tight 1 inch groups at 100 yds all day long.

my marlin has not had the opportunity for load development yet so no comment on that one until I get the new liner workin and find out what it prefers.

I don't know what your 375 winny has for a twist rate but im bettin it will like the 3031 load.

I also load 52 grains of GOEX in those same cases with the same boolit and it seems to be very competitive for a shooter in the Hi wall.

as you are familiar with the 38-55 then your trip for a load in the 375 winny should be a short one ... and all packaged in a very nice and trim #3 package...WANNA TRADE?.........

[nanuk]

could one use a 375HH barrel and stub it into a Handi? then ream to 375Win?

I'd guess there should be enough meat for the threading.

[missionary5155]

could one use a 375HH barrel and stub it into a Handi? then ream to 375Win?

I'd guess there should be enough meat for the threading.

Greetings
If the barrel has enough metal after the chamber there would be no reason not to. Not having the rifle in my hands I cannot measure the receiver area. I know the Winchester barrel on my 375 Bigbore is not real thick. The forward receiver of course was left as cast but polished to beef up that area some. Have not heard of one letting loose. The origonal Winchester prototypes were the standard receivers. Never heard of one of them coming apart either but they were not "sold to the public".
Have discovered the #3 and the #1 Rugers are considered right at the top of the strongest receivers out there. Apparently G&A magazine tried to blow one apart and only succeded in perminently atttaching the brass to the chamber which had to be removed using a chamber reamer. Sounds more than I need. Am already thing about a caliber .412 barrel and making a caliber .414 Supermag SS Rifle. Should be an awsome hog popper.
Mike in Peru

[missionary5155]

as you are familiar with the 38-55 then your trip for a load in the 375 winny should be a short one ... and all packaged in a very nice and trim #3 package...WANNA TRADE?.........

Maybe after I am too decrepid to sit behind cross sticks. Have 3031 written down as a powder to run through it. Probably gonna start with 3F though. Something about SS 's and straight cartriges makes me wanna be sure this rifle will appreciate the new shooter. Gonna have to figure out some "need" to return to the USA about September.
Mike in Peru

[Al_sway]

I have found that the best load for the .375 Winchester in Ruger No. 3 is the Hornady 220 grain FN, coupled with Reloder 7. I use the maximum load found in the manual, and this hits about 2200 fps and is accurate.
Otherwise, I use the RCBS mould for the 265 grain FN, with gas check. With that bullet I use IMR 3031, (load not at hand right now), which is a slightly compressed load. The overall length will depend on the throat in your No. 3, but the further you can seat it out, the more 3031 you could use. I get about 1800 fps with the cast bullet. Recoil is sufficient in the No. 3.
I have used the Hornady 270 grain RN, but since these are designed for the much faster .375 H&H, I found that they did not expand very well at .375 Winchester velocities, based on the shape of the bullets in the backstop. Alright for practice, but not recommended for hunting.

[JFE]

With the long throating of the 375 Win, not being restricted to a levergun LOA and being chambered in a strong action, you should be able to boost ballistics quite a bit. Something like Lyman 375449 seated so it touches the rifling should give you quite a bit more capacity to play with.

[missionary5155]

Howdy Al sway Thanks for that info. I have that mold and have used it in the Marlin and Winchester.
Did you ever try the 375248 Ideal / Lyman ? Have used that for a long while in 38-55 then the 375's up to 1750 fps in WW.
So far what I read is the barrel band could be the biggest offender in accuracy. May eventually remove that after some shooting if the #3 does not group well.
Mike in Peru

[Good Cheer]

Missionary, I got one of the No.3's during Reagan's first term. I thought it needed more powder capacity and got the chambered reamed to H&H. Oh, yeah. Plenty strong!

[6.5 mike]

For sure take the barrel band off, never saw one that would group with it on.

[Artful]

4227, 4198 and 3031 seemed to do best in cast boolit loads for me, if you kept velocity down accuracy went up in my memory.
I also used 8 grains of Unique with the little black powder round ball for a good garden pest control/gallery load

[missionary5155]

Greetings
Thanks again everyone for the info. Have it all written down especially "Remove the barrel band ".
Mike in Peru

[Good Cheer]

By all means remove the band!