comfisherman
Well-Known Member
Fair enough, I'll stick with my 375 ruger and just make a new one. I'm 10 years and 2000 rounds into it with nary a hiccup. It flings 300 grain pills fast enough.
375 Ruger vs 338 Lapua for hunting?
- Thread starter WEATHERBY460
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Fiftydriver
Official LRH Sponsor
Yep, if your set up for it, great choice. I love mine but rarely have a use for it in the field….. serves as good bear protection around the house though. Unfortunately grizzlies are getting rather common around our parts.
WEATHERBY460
Well-Known Member
ttt Still on the fence.
FireFlyFishing
Well-Known Member
Devastating how? Like bloodshot meat? Or, DRT bang flop capability?
What are you hunting?
Where are you hunting?
Which rifle carries better?
What is your anticipated max range?
Do you own the rifles or trying to decide what to buy?
Did you ever answer the question about what you would be hunting?
WEATHERBY460
Well-Known Member
Moose, large bear, bison......I'm guessing 200 yards and under.
FireFlyFishing
Well-Known Member
375 Ruger.
Fiftydriver
Official LRH Sponsor
With the availability of components today, i would have to lean hard toward the 338 lapua……. Not saying its better for the game you listed you will be hunting, in fact, at the ranges you list, the 375 ruger would likely be a BETTER choice in many ways, however, when was the last time you saw 375 ruger components available?? If you have them, i would say go with the 375, if you dont have components, lapua has more component availability.
WEATHERBY460
Well-Known Member
Thanks all, I will stick the Lapua. Is the 260 hammer hunter good enough for Moose, bear, and bison?
How about a .375 RUM? That would give you an extra round in the mag but still have plenty of power.
Or is my thinking wonky?
Or is my thinking wonky?
FireFlyFishing
Well-Known Member
Let me get this straight…your plan is using a 338 Lapua 200 and in? To each their own I guess. I'm guessing you're ambush hunting from a blind or something? I can't imagine shooting a 338 Lapua off hand…
Lots of cartridges that will get the jobs you listed done with a lighter weight package and far less recoil.
Ive spent last 40+ shooting a 340wby,of that 14 years with a 338 NM.I hunt all game with antelope to moose, piled up game at point blank bow range moose and elk, coyotes on the fly, shot gophers too.My son has 340 now and has taken over 40 big game animals at 30 years old.338 works
For 200 yards and less, and the animals you are talking about, 45-70. I have a 338-378, 375 Ruger in a 20" barrel stainless, 45-70 with 16" and 22" barrels, and had a 460 Bee. For light, fast handling, great penetration, lots of fire power and great knockdown, can't beat a Marlin in 45-70. I like my 375 Ruger but even in LH, the bolt gun is a slower rate of fire for sure. If I didn't have the 45-70 for that use case, I would use the 375 with 270 grain bullets.
benchracer
Well-Known Member
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- Dec 18, 2009
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Component quality, cost and availability favors the 375 Ruger, NOT the 338 Lapua. It seems that everyone is forgetting that 375 Ruger is the parent case for 300 PRC. Multiple premium brass manufacturers, including Lapua, make 300 PRC brass. If I owned a 375 Ruger, I would be necking up and fire forming premium 300 PRC brass, rather than using Hornady 375 Ruger brass. Premium 300 PRC brass is significantly less expensive than 338 Lapua brass.
Additional advantages of 375 Ruger:
The main challenge for the 375 Ruger is going to be bullet selection. Most 375 bullets have thicker jackets, made for safari use, that are less than ideal for most North American game. There are exceptions. Careful shopping is required.
As for long range loadings, bullets such as the Cutting Edge Lazer can be safely loaded to high enough velocity to significantly narrow the ballistic gap with the 338 Lapua.
With conventional bullets, the 338 Lapua won't show a tangible advantage inside 400 yards. With the right bullets and single loading, the long range performance gap between 375 Ruger and 338 Lapua is much smaller than most people think it is.
For the person who already owns a 375 Ruger, optimizing what you have is a better choice than switching to the 338 Lapua. That is, unless you just want something new and different.
Additional advantages of 375 Ruger:
- Fits in any standard length (3.4"+) action with a magnum bolt face and retains standard magazine capacity.
- Does not require a true magnum length action or the larger tenon diameter required to accommodate Rigby sized cartridges.
- Works well with a broader range of faster burn rate powders than the Lapua.
- Requires less barrel length than the 338 Lapua to reach maximum performance.
- Is a more versatile cartridge than 338 Lapua.
The main challenge for the 375 Ruger is going to be bullet selection. Most 375 bullets have thicker jackets, made for safari use, that are less than ideal for most North American game. There are exceptions. Careful shopping is required.
As for long range loadings, bullets such as the Cutting Edge Lazer can be safely loaded to high enough velocity to significantly narrow the ballistic gap with the 338 Lapua.
With conventional bullets, the 338 Lapua won't show a tangible advantage inside 400 yards. With the right bullets and single loading, the long range performance gap between 375 Ruger and 338 Lapua is much smaller than most people think it is.
For the person who already owns a 375 Ruger, optimizing what you have is a better choice than switching to the 338 Lapua. That is, unless you just want something new and different.
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