375 H&H Mag and cast boolits.

[Griffin]

Hi there again,
i asked a similar question not long ago about 444 and 45/70 and CB.
Since its very hard to find rifles in sweden in 45/70 for a "normal" price in retail version (i mean used), i have found that the 375 HH mag is for them moment a very unpopular caliber in sweden.
there are several Ruger no 1 for sale and the pricing is good (50% lower than 45/70) and therefore i have two questions:
1. is it a bitch to get working with cast boolits?
2. how is the recoil in this gun/caliber? comparable with max loaded 45/70 for Ruger no 1?
i can surely live with the recoil from a ruger in 45/70 with a hot load.
thanks again!
/Karl

[j23]

..I have one of each in No.1B.

The first thing youll notice is that the 375 is about a full pound or more heavier, and believe me it helps... though neither gun is a freight train either...

The 375 IS VERY conductive with cast boolits.. ..just as much as with any other centerfire.. working a reduced load is a little trickier, because of the excess case room.. however if you take a look in the Lyman manual, it has some midrange cast loads listed.. I have duplicated several of them,and recoil is VERY tolerable, and I am like a schoolgirl when it comes to recoil...

If you are comparing recoil between the two, the cast mid-range 375 loads are similar to the 45/70 winhcester 350 gr. factory loads in the no.1, or close anyhow.

Hope that helps.

Buy it, you would be disappointed.

[AlaskaMike]

Yup, I'd agree. I don't have any No. 1s but my Ruger M77 in .375 H&H shoots cast very well. That cavernous case definitely does make sub 2000 fps loads a little more difficult. This is the only rifle I experienced delayed ignition with, and it was using powders commonly thought of as being easy to ignite. I'm sure a filler would help quite a bit, but I just started focusing on loads generating 2000+ fps and my problems went away.

Mike

[Bullshop]

Because we have lots of it I like old Hodgdons 4831 powder with heavy boolits. The two I use most are a 320gn NEI, and a 350gn LBT. Because 4831 is a bit too slow for optimum results with the long sloping case shape there is no worries of over charging.
I am not sure of the charge weight but basicly just fill to the sholder for nearly a 100% density. It yealds right at 2000 fps give or take a little change. Good nuf for anything I will point it at and the bonus is super accuracy.
BIC/BS

[looseprojectile]

Griffin;
I have been shooting a 275 grain plain base flat nose boolit in my Ruger #1.
Probably because of my alloy? I have reduced the velocity to 1300 FPS to eliminate leading.
At one hundred yards I have put ten rounds into five eights of an inch.
My rifle came with a shortened? 24 inch barrel and Mag Na Ported.
Are you going to shoot animals or paper?
Of course I will continue to adjust loads, alloys and powder burn rates to get more velocity, though this load will stop any animal we have here at short range in the brush.
If you want more power from the 375 H&H with cast boolits I would choose a boolit with a gas check. Iwill probably get a 300ish grain gc boolit for my use if I live long enough.
Just having a 375 H&H in a #1 Ruger is it's own reward.

Life is good