In the world of big game cartridges there’s this notion that bigger is always better. There’s also a segment of the hunting public that firmly believes velocity is what kills. Weird like I am, I don’t belong to either camp. However, I’ve done enough work with real ballisticians to know that without velocity you are either throwing little or big rocks.
If you cannot decide whether you need big bullets or lots of velocity Mossberg has the rifle for you and Hornady has ammunition for it. Mossberg is now offering their very affordable Patriot rifle in .375 Ruger. Yes, you heard right, Mossberg now has a dangerous game rifle. And, Hornady’s Superformance GMX load pushes a big bullet (250 grains) fast at 2900 fps.
Larry Weishuhn commented on my Facebook page, “Have taken MANY critters with the .375 Ruger from elephant to Hippo to Lion to various African buffalo to monster Alaskan brown bear, Austrian ibex to whitetail deer in Texas using it in various Ruger rifles, likely the best all around round to date, my opinion!”
Hey I got a lot of respect for Mr. Whitetail, but I gotta ask, have the T-Rex and triceratops made a recent comeback? I understand, some folks just like big guns and the notion that they can hunt anything, anywhere with one rifle is appealing to them. Some, like Bryce Towsley even argue you can shoot hard kicking rifles as well as you can shoot light kicking rifles – unless you just suck. (Bryce is wrong; recoil negatively impacts the ability of all humans to shoot accurately.) No use telling him that, people who are wrong have a tendency to stay that way.
In this 8 pound, 7.6 ounce rifle – that’s with a Swarovski Z6i 1-6X riflescope installed in Leupold QRW rings – the .375 Ruger generates 38 foot-pounds of recoil. That’s 61% more recoil than a .308 Winchester would generate in the same weight rifle. In return you get only 38% more energy at 300 yards. Twice the pain, half the gain.
So, what you might ask and I doing shooting a .375 Ruger? I have an upcoming bear hunt on Vancouver Island with Mossberg and they asked if I’d use/test their new three-seven-five. I agreed, only because I thought there was a slim possibility I might run in to Sasquatch. Now, I don’t think I need a .375 Ruger for Sasquatch but at the same time, I’ve never seen or shot a Bigfoot.
The reality is I’m testing the rifle just for those of you who might be looking for a new dangerous game rifle. And, for those of you like Weishuhn who just like big rifles. And finally, I’m doing it for those select few like Bryce who think they can shoot any rifle expertly and should be a part of the West Virginia University Rifle Team. A team, by the way, that has won the NCAA Rifle Championship 18 times! (Just a side note here: Since they are interested in extreme accuracy they don’t shoot rifles that kick hard.)
Yes, this rifle kicks. It kicks harder than I like. I sucked it up, gritted my teeth and fired one three shot group from the bench. Looking through the spotter I thought my retina had been detached because the group was just a shade more than an inch. (It measured 1.10 inches.) Wow! Maybe Bryce is right. I bet he could break the half-inch mark with this Mossberg!
I made a slight zero correction and fired an additional 10 rounds from the standing off-hand position. (I’m smart that way; what more was there to prove or suffer through from the bench?) My off-hand shooting was not as precise as normal; I went 10 for 12 on a 10 inch steel target at 100 yards. (Either I cannot shoot as well as Bryce Towsley or he is wrong.) The aggravating part was that about every other hit on the portable and handy Viking Solutions steel target knocked it over. This required a walk down range to reset. (It also gave me time to let the fog clear from my vision.)
The Mossberg LBA Trigger broke at a consistent 2.5 pounds. The rifle fed flawlessly from the detachable, four-round magazine. And, the soft butt-pad was appreciated. (My shoulder did not hurt when I pulled the trigger; what bothered me was the sensation I’d taken a left hook from Connor McGregor to the temple.) I’m sure I can kill a bear with this rifle but I’d like to know for sure that the factory open sights, which include a red fiber optic front bead, are sighted in too. I’m going to wait a couple of days and give the Excedrin time to work before I take on this monster again.
On a more serious note, this just might be the best, most affordable dangerous game rifle of all time. (I bet Towsley dreams about a rifle like this.) I can find only one thing wrong with it; its chambered for the .375 Ruger and since dangerous game hunting is an infrequent event, I – like most hunters – don’t need a .375 Ruger. Fortunately, Mossberg offers the laminate stocked Patriot in more sensible cartridges like the .270 and .308 Winchester, the .30-06 Springfield, and the .300 Winchester Magnum. All of which are suitable for anything in North America, including, I’m almost sure, Bigfoot!
I know what you’re thinking; this hillbilly gun writer is a wimp. I’m OK with you believing that. Seriously, you won’t hurt my feelings if you think so, or if you want a .375 Ruger to kill whitetail, bear, elk and other creatures that fall within the power realm of the .30-30. As soon as this hunt is over I’m going back to more sensible hunting cartridges. In the mean time, I’ll leave you with this:
In most cases, enough gun is a lot less than most people think it is. Too much gun and poor shooting are the mistakes that are more often made.
