It has been about six years since I first
reviewed Ruger’s then-new 375 Ruger cartridge, chambered in
the excellent M77 African
bolt-action rifle. That rifle was blued steel and walnut; a
beautifully-crafted hunting rifle that balanced and handled very
well. The 375 Ruger cartridge offered 375 H&H magnum
performance, plus a little, in a cartridge that did not need a
true magnum-length action. Both the rifle and the cartridge
performed impressively.
Now, Ruger has introduced their latest rifle
that is chambered for the 375 Ruger cartridge; the Ruger Guide
Gun. Also offered in other chamberings, the Guide Gun is
shorter, handier, more rugged, and not hardly as beautiful as
the African, but is likely a much better hunting rifle than its
375 predecessor. The Ruger Guide Gun seems to be a marriage of
their African rifle, with the compact ruggedness and
practicality of the Ruger Gunsite
Scout Rifle.
The Ruger Guide Gun is built upon Ruger’s
superb M77 Hawkeye action. This action has evolved over
several decades into one of the strongest, most-reliable bolt
actions ever built. The Guide Gun has a one-piece bolt. The bolt
handle is not screwed on, welded on, or attached in any way. It
is integral with the bolt body. It is not going to detach, ever.
The extractor is of the classic Mauser claw style, and gets a
good hold upon the cartridge rim, for positive extraction, every
time. The ejector is a blade type fixed-position ejector, for
positive ejection. The Guide Gun’s bottom metal is stainless
steel, with a hinged floorplate underneath the internal
magazine.
One great feature that is often overlooked on
the Ruger 77 action is the integral scope bases. Machined into
the receiver, there is no way that the scope base can ever
loosen itself, eliminating just one possible thing that can go
wrong on a hunting rifle. Ruger also supplies scope rings to fit
these integral bases, and they attach securely, but are quick to
remove, if necessary.
Back to the specifics of the Guide Gun, the
stainless steel has a finish that is unique to Ruger. It has a
pleasing dull gray appearance, instead of a shiny silver like
most other stainless bolt guns. The twenty-inch barrel tapers
from 1.15 inch at the receiver to 0.765 inch diameter just
behind the front sight band, and wears a front sight that
consists of a white bead set into the rear of a black blade,
which sits atop the rugged stainless ramp. The rear sight is a
standing (non-folding) wide V express style, adjustable for
windage correction, also set atop a stainless base. The muzzle
is threaded to accept a muzzle brake, which is included with the
Guide Gun. For those who want to switch between using the brake
and not, included is a muzzle weight to replace the brake, or if
the shooter prefers neither, a thread protector is also
included.
The trigger on the Guide Gun is Ruger’s
LC6, which provides an excellent trigger feel with a crisp
release, measuring a bit under three pounds resistance on the
test rifle, and is one of the better triggers on the market
today. The safety is of the three-position horizontal style,
blocking the trigger and locking the bolt in the rear position,
blocking only the trigger in the middle position, and allowing
the weapon to fire in its forward position.
The stock is made of laminated wood,
impregnated with resin to make it impervious to the elements, to
remain stable in any type of weather. The butt pad is of soft
rubber for shooting comfort, and spacers are included to adjust
the length of pull to accommodate shooters of different sizes,
or to adjust for the thickness of clothing worn. The
length-of-pull is adjustable from 12.75 to 14.25 inches, using
the spacers provided, resulting in an overall length varying
between 41 and 42.5 inches. The Guide Gun shown here, chambered
for the 375 Ruger cartridge, weighs in at an ounce over eight
pounds, and balances very well. The forward sling attachment is
on the barrel band, as it should be on a rifle with recoil of
this level, but for those who prefer the forward sling mount on
the forend of the stock, a sling stud is provided. The stock is
well-checkered for a secure hold.
In my previous review of the 375 Ruger
cartridge, I went into detail on some load development, but with
this rifle, I stuck to two factory Hornady loads, which will
cover most every use for which this rifle will be used. From the
Ruger’s twenty-inch barrel, the 270 grain Spire Point
registered a velocity of 2676 feet-per-second (FPS) at twelve
feet from the muzzle. The 300 grain roundnose soft point
averaged 2538 FPS at the same distance. Velocity readings were
taken at an elevation of 541 feet above sea level, with an air
temperature of fifty-seven degrees Fahrenheit, and humidity in
the sixty percent range.
For a rifle such as this Guide Gun, which
might be used against dangerous game at a distance of only a few
feet, or on plains game out to a couple of hundred yards or
more, I think I have found the ideal scope. The Leupold VX-6 has
a magnification range from a true one power (no magnification)
up to six power, making this rifle/scope combination very fast
to get on target up close, but offering the precision to shoot
through brush or other light cover at a distance. The VX-6 is
built on a 30mm tube, and uses Leupold’s latest Xtended
Twilight lens Coating System, for the ultimate in light
transmission. Looking through the scope, the image is superb,
all the way to the edges. The reticle has Leupold’s Fire Dot,
for use in low-light conditions, which places a lighted red dot
in the center of the reticle. The intensity of the light is
adjustable with the push-button switch on the left side of the
scope. I mounted the VX-6 using 30mm Leupold rings that secure
atop the integral Ruger bases. I lined the inside of the rings
with a layer of black plastic electrician’s tape, to keep the
scope from slipping under recoil. I also placed a drop of blue
LocTite on each ring screw, and tightened with a Warne
torque wrench, as the 375 does tend to recoil a bit. The
VX-6 comes with both lens covers and a neoprene scope cover.
Shooting the Guide Gun with and without the
muzzle brake attached, I can definitely feel the difference in
recoil. It is hard to quantify how the recoil is reduced, but I
would put a good guess that the felt recoil is reduced by at
least one third, just judging by the bump to my shoulder.
Accuracy was very good. At first, groups at 100 yards distance
were in the two-inch range, but as I anticipated, the groups
tightened considerably as the bore became seasoned a bit. After
shooting several three-shot groups, the rifle was grouping under
one inch at 100 yards, and that was using the VX-6 scope set to
its highest magnification. Reliability was perfect. When new,
extraction was just a bit sticky with the Hornady 270 grain
ammunition, but became easier as shooting progressed. The
floorplate stayed shut, as it should, and the cartridges fed
smoothly from the three-round magazine.
The 375 Ruger Guide Gun is an excellent
bolt-action rifle for use against large, dangerous game. It also
shoots flat enough to serve very well for hunting other big game
animals at a distance. Mated with the Leupold VX-6 scope, I can’t
think of a better bolt-action combination for an all-around
rifle to take in pursuit of large animals that bite, claw, and
crush.
The right-handed Ruger Guide Gun is built
chambered for the 30-06 Springfield, 300 Winchester Magnum, 300
Ruger Compact Magnum, 338 Ruger Compact Magnum, and 338
Winchester Magnum, in addition to the 375 Ruger shown here. The
375 Ruger is also chambered in a left-handed Guide Gun.