375 Ruger... to build or buy?

[brentc]

Go factory unless you have a donor rifle to rebarrel. I had a Ruger African that shot ragged holes at 100 yards with 270 TSXs with RL15 and 260 Accubonds with RL17 and H4350. I eventually installed a Timney trigger, a mcmillan stock, and had it Teflon coated, but out of the box the sucker shot very well. I killed several bears, both brown and black out to 400 yards and a large moose at 450 yards with it. Since I sold it to a friend it's killed at least three 10'-11' brown bears since 2011.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

Interesting... I hadn't thought about this option. At $850 street price, it's got my attention. I don't particularly like the stock but could upgrade to a McM Hunter if I really hated it.
How's the fit and finish on it? I've heard/read the bolt on the Ruger M77 is very smooth out of the box and just gets better with use.
It seems heavy for just a 20" barrel, especially when the 23'' is basically the same weight... reasons for that? Is the laminate stock just really heavy compared to the walnut?
I really like the matte stainless finish, but am on the fence because of the shorter barrel. Right now I am for sure leaning hard towards a Ruger rifle which I may or may not put a custom stock on down the road, rather than putting together another build with match-grade accuracy in mind. <2'' @ 200yd is more than likely good enough to hit anything I'd plan to shoot at with this rifle and I'm sure with a little massaging/tuning between bedding and loads could tighten things up a bit if needed.

The multi-colored laminate stock isn't bad in appearance and is stout. The variable length of pull is a nice feature. The stock would certainly contribute towards the weight but probably mitigates recoil when the brake isn't used.
The 20" barrel will result in 100-125 ft/sec loss in velocity but I don't see that as an issue. I shoot the 270 TSX at 2,700 ft/sec with RE17. 2,800 is considered max with a 23-24" bbl.
The action has a controlled round feed and is fairly smooth but it sure isn't a Sako.
For whatever reason the manual cautions AGAINST bedding the rifle. The rifle shoots very well for a dangerous game gun so I don't see any benefit to altering the bedding anyway.
Overall, the rifle looks a bit like a tank, rugged and utilitarian in many respects. So far I am very happy with the Guide Gun. It's also available in 416R for anyone that may be interested.

 

[woods]

I built my 375R with a 24" Pac-Nor 3 groove and am very happy with results

But, if I were in the same place I believe I would just go with the Savage 16/116 Bear Hunter

23" barrel
7.75 pounds
muzzle brake
stainless fluted
camo stock

What's not to like? Maybe the 14 twist. But I've had the 260 gr Accubond to 3000 fps with the right powder and that twist should work

 

[wilkup]

Go factory unless you have a donor rifle to rebarrel. I had a Ruger African that shot ragged holes at 100 yards with 270 TSXs with RL15 and 260 Accubonds with RL17 and H4350. I eventually installed a Timney trigger, a mcmillan stock, and had it Teflon coated, but out of the box the sucker shot very well. I killed several bears, both brown and black out to 400 yards and a large moose at 450 yards with it. Since I sold it to a friend it's killed at least three 10'-11' brown bears since 2011.

Which stock did you use from McMillan?
Why'd you get the gun Teflon coated instead of any other option?

 

[wilkup]

Would there be any advantage/disadvantage to Nitrocarborizing all the metal parts on the African verses going with the matte stainless Guide Gun from a metal protection/durability standpoint?

While I really like the compactness of the Guide Gun and think the matte stainless is super sexy, I just can't get over how ugly I think that stock they put it in is.

I found some listings, for a black and grey laminated walnut stock mounted to the stainless gun, but apparently they were limited runs; some with 20'' barrels and others with 23'' barrels. Too bad, cuz they're super sexy looking!

 

[brentc]

Which stock did you use from McMillan?
Why'd you get the gun Teflon coated instead of any other option?

Both mods were to make it more weather proof. I went with the Mcmillan Ruger Mark II Hunter in a gray marble design. I went with Teflon because my good friend at Black Ice Coatings applies it and it's fabulous weather protection. I've found it to be just as durable as other coatings and liquid runs off it like water off a ducks back.

Here are a couple photos.

 

[elkaholic]

Nice bear Brent!

 

[wilkup]

Thanks for the additional information and pictures, Brent. Great pics by the way! I love how the rifle turned out and the grouping shot is very helpful. Is it a 3, 4, or 5 shot group? I'm assuming it's at 100 yards...?
That's the stock I figure I'd eventually put the Ruger in if I go that direction. That setup looks amazing!
Does the Teflon coating increase the hardness/durability of the metal or is it strictly for waterproofing?

 

[Cold Trigger Finger]

Interesting read. I can't pin down exactly what your in search of. But that's ok! The Ruger Guide Gun ( should be named Guide Rifle) is a dream come true for those of us that used to have to build something comparable. At usually 2-3× the cost. . I've had a few 375 Rugers. All the 20" Alaskan. Both bare stainless and blackened stainless. The should have gone light brown color. If your looking for a fighting rifle the GG is almost perfectly set up out of the box. For long range precision, more barrel length would be handy.
I'm a crf guy. But many push feed rifles are totally reliable. . I like Rugers because they have never let my down and got me killed. And most of them are more accurate than I am.

 

[HARPERC]

Interesting read. I can't pin down exactly what your in search of. But that's ok! The Ruger Guide Gun ( should be named Guide Rifle) is a dream come true for those of us that used to have to build something comparable. At usually 2-3× the cost.. .....

Amen. if something happened to my custom H&H, I'd replace it in a heartbeat with the Ruger.

 

[wilkup]

Interesting read. I can't pin down exactly what your in search of. But that's ok! The Ruger Guide Gun ( should be named Guide Rifle) is a dream come true for those of us that used to have to build something comparable. At usually 2-3× the cost. . I've had a few 375 Rugers. All the 20" Alaskan. Both bare stainless and blackened stainless. The should have gone light brown color. If your looking for a fighting rifle the GG is almost perfectly set up out of the box. For long range precision, more barrel length would be handy.
I'm a crf guy. But many push feed rifles are totally reliable. . I like Rugers because they have never let my down and got me killed. And most of them are more accurate than I am.

That's great to hear! The rifle I'm talking about is some sort of distributor exclusive, I'll try and post a pic when I'm new a computer next.

 

[wilkup]

Here's a link to see a pic of the rifle I'm talking about =)

http://www.lefthandedgun.com/uploads/3/0/6/2/3062112/9224475_orig.jpg?479

 

[wilkup]

Any ideas on what scope to place on such a rig?

I'm thinking either a Leupold VX3 1.75-6 or the VX6 2-12 30mm CDS. I think either of those scopes would do what I needed with the VX6 offering far more magnification than needed.

I've pretty much settled on the Ruger and just need to figure out if I want a 20'' or 23'' barrel at this point. I've gone to the gunshops and played with each model, but still think that green laminate stock is super ugly. I'm going to have to decide whether or not I want the McMillan Hunter II or one of the wonderful Manners stocks - either the MCS-SL or MCS-EH3.

Can't wait to get the ball rolling on this!

 

[Cold Trigger Finger]

Ya, the brown laminate seems to appeal to more people. I looked at those in right hand. With the 23" barrel you would get the velocity for the heavier high bc bullets and either one feels somewhat little compared to a CZ 550 Safari. I'm planning on trying the Vortex Viper PST 1-4 on my 9.3×64 Brenneke. And on my Creedmoor. They advertise 4" of eye relief. That's very important!! I'm not too keen on the CDS system as I have very varying conditions and would rather dial my drops according to the conditions. Ymmv. If you want to do both close range hunting and long range shooting you can just get 2 scopes. The 1-6 range scopes will cover all the normal hunting ranges. And keep the weight down.
An illuminated reticle would be a good asset for hunting also.
I've seen some 375s with Aim Point type red dots on them also.