"375 Ruger is too much gun for a whitetail." Nope, hand loading with cast bullets transforms the 375 from too much to just about perfect. It was last light (but still legal). Walking out from hunt but hunted all the way out. Son-in-law spotted this deer about 120 yards away. He called him (we thought it was a good size doe, actually 3.5" spike) in with a doe call. At about 75 yards he stopped, grazed a little, standing at about 30 degrees with his right shoulder facing me. Dropped where he stood. Shot him a tad higher than I meant to but it hit the shoulder bone, took out three ribs, destroyed the lungs, missed the heart (high) and punched a 2" hole through the liver. I expected a pass through. Did not. No exit hole. Field dressed in the dark. I expected to find the bullet in the left ham but didn't. Must have been in the gut pile. Next time I go back may be the critters left it to lay.
The rifle is a Mossberg Patriot 375 Ruger. 2.5x scope. The load which is safe in my gun, but I have no idea whether it would be safe in yours, is a 275 grain CBE mold cast bullet by me with a ww/lead mix & powder coated at about 400 degrees, air cooled after baking. Hornady brass, 64.0 grains IMR 7383, with Winchester WLR primers. It chronographs about 1950 fps 15 feet from the bore.
Targets are at 50 yards (all the range has) off sandbags. Target 1 was shot first with clean barrel. I'm not the best marksman, yet the load is minute of deer. 4 shots on first target, 3 on the other two. (Those other holes are 30 calber.) Bore cleaning is a cinch.
Thanks for all the info I have gathered from you all on this site over the years. I am a better caster, shooter and hunter because of it.
David