.375 H&H question

I've been doing some research into purchasing a .375 and had originally narrowed it down to the CZ Safari and the Kimber Caprivi, with leaning towards the CZ simply based on cost and reviews.

That said, a relative of a hunting buddy has a Sauer 202 (unsure of grade) with a 3.9 leupold and 7 boxes of shells for only a grand.....have not seen it yet, but sounds VERY interesting.

Not being familiar with Sauer rifles, I was hoping to find some input. I realize that the grade of the gun will mean a ton, but overall?

Any info would be awesome.
Thanks in advance
Jason

Jason,
I have used the Sauer 202 in 308 only. I found it to be very accurate and reliable rifle. About the only down side I could see was that it is difficuilt to single load rounds due to the shape of the action ejection port. I guess the answer would be to have more then one magazine. Beyond all the above the finish and workmanship is what you would expect from a European rifle. Here in Australia the Sauer is quite expensive starting around the $4500 dollar mark. This is for the switch barrel model. Hope this is of some help.

Cheers
Ben

I do use a lot my CZ .375 H&H (ZKK602) and what an excellent weapon. Nothing wrong with it. Remember all weapons can kill and most of them are quite accurate; just make sure you can buy the best optics you can afford and make sure the base rings of the scope is as close to the action as possible (bolt still have to open and pass freely) then any brand name weapon will be a super weapon...

.. I agree with Bushwack, the CZ is a great gun . I don't know much about the Sauer but whatever you do get a good quality scope and become proficient with it. The Kimber is also a great choice. Let your pocketbook dictate the choice of the weapon and most of all get out & hunt with it!! Any one of them will do the job and do it well!!

The Sauer is a well made rifle but it has two very serious draw-backs when it comes to being usefull for hunting dangerous game! It is first and foremost a PUSH FEED action, and as mentioned above the ejection port is very small, and restricts single loading, as well henders the solving of a jam.

The CRF,(Control Round Feed) CZ is not only cheaper, but is a far better designed rifle for a DGR (Dangerous Game Rifle) than the Sauer, or any pushfeed bolt action rifle.

The CZ is basiclly a BRNO 602 which is one of the most commonly seen rifles in the hands of PHs in Africa. That alone tells you something. If it were me, I'd buy the CZ in a heartbeat, and never look back.

If you deside you need a big bore later you can go with the CZ again in any number of big bore chamberings, and you have the same rifle in a big bore as well, as your medium bore 375 H&H, which is legal as a back-up for your big bore in case something happens to the larger chambering! For the big bore later I would be drawn to the 404 Jeffery, or the 458 LOTT in the big bore CZ later.

What ever you decide, enjoy your Safari!

Dagaboy1 I fully agree with you. I have got a Sauer my self and use it to hunt plains game on my farm but it has got the problem of jamming when you don't need it.

I would recommend the CZ to anyone who wants to hunt Dangerous game it just works time and time again with a certain deadly efficiency. The last thing you need is for your rifle to jam while following up your BUFF.

Jason,

If you decide not to purchase the Sauer 202 from your friend, please put us in touch. I am definitely interested. I have a .308 Lightweight that shoots 1/2 MOA with BHG 168gr Barnes TSX. Email is best. Thanks!

I'm a huge fan of the CZ rifles! I did some reading on the Sauer 202 rifle, yes it has a push feed and small ejection port but it is also a takedown rifle that can be packed in a small case and you can exchange barrels on the gun...plus it has great accuracy. I think it would make a awesome travel gun!

I have the CZ 550 safari in 375. I bought it for bear hunting in Alaska. It is a great gun. Very accurate and not bad to shoot. I've never had a problem with it and enjoy shooting it. My neighbor has a CZ .22 rimfire and he says it is a "tack driver" and he regularly shots deer out to 600 meters with his deer rifle.

Sauers' I have owned have been extremely accurate. I have owned CZ's as well and they are a good platform to start with. The need to be fine tuned if you will, as they are pretty rough out of the box. That aside, they are ok and the price is cheap.

A grand for a Sauer 202 is a very good price!
Personally I would jump on that offer as fast as I could.
It is a great gun and a good gunsmith can fix any jamming issues if the gun has it for a lot less it would cost you to custom up a CZ to be a good gun.

Funny thing is that I have never experienced any jamming or feeding issues with any of my push feed guns, but I have experienced it with two control round feed guns I have owned.

One of them was a Brno(CZ) rifle, but was very easy to fix. The other one was a Parker Hale and it was a total bitch. Very accurate, but really made me question the gospel about how much better a CRF action is.

Your personal experience may cause you to question the gospel, but your data is only based on your experience.
The weapon of choice in africa have been CRF mausers for a century. Somewhere in that statement there is a point to be made.

My experience tells me that people often trust a CRF action to much and don't test it properly before they go hunting with the gun.
Because "everybody" says how reliable and perfect it is compared with a push feed action.

I am sure others on this forum have experienced shooting many more CRF mauser action rifles than I have, but I have been shooting 25-30 rifles a lot that had CRF mauser actions in variable cartridges and some of them needed a very distinct handling of the bolt to avoid any feeding problems.

You will find complete dogs regardless of whether it is push feed or CRF.

I too prefer a well-functioning push feed over a long-eared CRF action.
If both function as they should though there are a clear advantage to having a CRF over a push.

The PF vs. CRF thing has been dispelled many a times, boils down to the owner/operator of said action.

Heated discussion with a CRF advocate some time back, said "the Mauser claw extractor is so strong, you would rip the headstamp off of the cartridge before it would fail", Shit you not, and he is not the first that I had heard this from. Anyway, my response back was, " so you would have the rest of the empty cartridge in the chamber which would render the firearm, USELESS", he had no response back. SO, aside from the PF vs. CRF controversy, I think your original plan with the CZ is your best route, it get's great reviews, the pro's use them, and (having owned them before) they are incredibly accurate. Regardless of action type, it is going to depend on YOU, to learn the rifle and become comfortable with it, in order for it o do what it does best.

Again, I have owned many medium and big bores ,I hunt deer with a 700, have owned medium and big bores in the 700 (375 h&h, 416 rem and a 458win) all have preformed flawlessly. Reason??? I practiced and I am know my rifle ....

DUGABOY1, sorry but, this topic I really don't wish to squabble on, or take away from OP thread, but, I still think that most problem with PF are operator error.

Originally Posted by 35bore

DUGABOY1, sorry but, this topic I really don't wish to squabble on, or take away from OP thread, but, I still think that most problem with PF are operator error.

I dont disagree, but the question we should be asking is if PF is more prone to punish users..
Its of no consolation to the unlucky hunter finding himself on the tip of a buffalo horn - if the misfire was due to a faulty rifle or through fault of his own...

Originally Posted by 35bore

The PF vs. CRF thing has been dispelled many a times, boils down to the owner/operator of said action.

Heated discussion with a CRF advocate some time back, said "the Mauser claw extractor is so strong, you would rip the headstamp off of the cartridge before it would fail", Shit you not, and he is not the first that I had heard this from. Anyway, my response back was, " so you would have the rest of the empty cartridge in the chamber which would render the firearm, USELESS", he had no response back. SO, aside from the PF vs. CRF controversy, I think your original plan with the CZ is your best route, it get's great reviews, the pro's use them, and (having owned them before) they are incredibly accurate. Regardless of action type, it is going to depend on YOU, to learn the rifle and become comfortable with it, in order for it o do what it does best.

Again, I have owned many medium and big bores ,I hunt deer with a 700, have owned medium and big bores in the 700 (375 h&h, 416 rem and a 458win) all have preformed flawlessly. Reason??? I practiced and I am know my rifle ....

DUGABOY1, sorry but, this topic I really don't wish to squabble on, or take away from OP thread, but, I still think that most problem with PF are operator error.

if you dont pull anything back far enough before you push it in its not going to work....

Originally Posted by spike.t

if you dont pull anything back far enough before you push it in its not going to work....

That's what I'm saying.

Thats what my wife says

Originally Posted by username

Thats what my wife says

I'm certain most do.