CHOICE in .375 - Guidance please!

I own the Mod 70 S/S. Love it. I do my big game hunting in Alaska and Idaho. My rifle loves 260 gr Accubonds. Never loaded solids or anything heavier for that matter.

Go to a gunstore of your choice, test as many of the rifles that you can put your hand on in 375 H&H and buy the one that fits you best!!

Narrowed it all down to 2 rifles, BUT...I find myself undecisive between these two. Had both in my hands - both feel / feed great - hell, if i could i would take both, I want to take both, but i JUST HAVE TO make a choice here.

Win Mod 70 Saf Expr 375
Sako Synth Ssteel 375

Common guys -

..seeing that you don't like my old kaka CZ,then at least take the mod. 70 with the timber stock, asseblief tog..!

Hands down take the Winchestor Model 70 Safari Express 375 H&H!

I have to go with DOCMAN on this

The new Model 70 hands down. I bought one in .375 2 months ago and it is excellent. It leaves nothing on the table and the new trigger is the best I have ever see. Mine is wood stocked and I paid $1200 US for it. It shoots so good out of the box that you do not need the extra magazine capacity.

I received my new Safari Express .375 last week and went out and put some rounds through it on Saturday. It is as good as all the reports I have read and I am more than pleased with it!

fhm3006,

I think I may have already said it, but if it's one of the new South Carolina plant rifles, then the M70 for sure. I have not yet read a less than happy report for both the .375 and the .416 Remington. The stock is nothing special, but then the price is quite reasonable.

Outside of adjusting the trigger which I can do myself, there's really nothing I plan to do to it that I think must be done. The one thing I may do is put in a mecury recoil reducer. Not so much for recoil as much as to balance the weight of the gun. Some folks have arm to leg ratios somewhat similar to a gorilla. And then there are those like myself who have arm to leg ratios that more resemble a tyrannosaurus rex. I.e., my arms aren't long and I naturally bring my non-shooting hand back more than a taller guy. This of course makes the gun feel front heavy. So I'd like to balance that out more so than bringing the recoil down.

I really can't imagine you'll be disappointed unless you're wanting a fancy stock.

Thank you gents for the input here - appreciate.

Docman,
i have checked out the CZ, nothing wrong there, it's just the WIN and Sako 'felt better' in my hands.

I am leaning towards the WIN...but will make a final decission when i fork out the currency.

just FYI, here in the USA the Sako lists for about 1.5x of the Model 70 so you may have more "bargaining" room. Also I think the Sako is not true CRF and has many small cheap parts including the safety. The Winchester has a far superior design for CRF and the safety. I carried a Sako Deluxe circa 1989 for 20 years and many times in the bush safety would end up in "fire" position.

fhm3006

Looks like there are lots of CZ & Winchester fans. Both good rifles (have not owned one from the new factory). On the other hand you could save your pennys and get what you really want.

I have one in 375 H&H and also 30-06. Topped of with 3-9 Trijicon (375) and 3-9 Zeiss (30-06). I can switch calibers in about 30 sec and go back to hunting. The quality is amazing straight from the box. No tuning, no malfunctions, sub-moa groups.

Thank you 'ww ace' - that does not sound 'fresh' at all on your Sako - the safety switching to 'fire' position by iteself!!! You should proably have a gunsmith check that out for you sooner than later.

'richteb' is that your mauser?
If so - how much have you forked out for this baby?

Fhm3006,
Yes thats the beast. I purchased it a couple of years ago now. I think all up with the 2 calibers and 2 sets of scope mounts and 2 scopes it came to about $9000 Aussies dollars. Today I guess with the exchange rate it would be a little cheaper.

I looked long and hard at all the various switch barrel guns that are available to us here and the Mauser is the best. The action is a double squared bridge design and very solid and strong.

Unfortunatly they are not cheap and I had to sell some stuff out of my gun safe to finance the Mauser. I must say that I have not regreted my choice. Even my PH was drulling over it. I am thinking of adding the 404 Jeffrey barrel in the future.

Originally Posted by richteb

Fhm3006,
Yes thats the beast. I purchased it a couple of years ago now. I think all up with the 2 calibers and 2 sets of scope mounts and 2 scopes it came to about $9000 Aussies dollars. Today I guess with the exchange rate it would be a little cheaper.

I looked long and hard at all the various switch barrel guns that are available to us here and the Mauser is the best. The action is a double squared bridge design and very solid and strong.

Unfortunatly they are not cheap and I had to sell some stuff out of my gun safe to finance the Mauser. I must say that I have not regreted my choice. Even my PH was drulling over it. I am thinking of adding the 404 Jeffrey barrel in the future.

I realised the other day - they're most certainly not cheap!
One outlet in WHK told me i can look at his Mausers (Custom made) and the price start at N$ 150 000 (ZA Rands equivalent) and up to N$ 250 000...i will get myself one in another life...deffinitely not in this lifetime

I bought the .375 Ruger hawkeye African. Love it, it's now my favorite rifle. I put a 1.75-5 scope on it and have about $1,000 USD in it total. The 375 ruger will slightly out perform the H&H with factory loads. All look like good choices but i'm not sure if the Sako is controlled round feed. I wouldn't want it if it's push feed. The only issue was in 2009 they lost a piece of my luggage between Jo-berg and Polkwani. the bag with ammo in it. .375 ruger was not a common round there at that time and no one had any. luckily it showed up the next morning. lesson learned, pack some ammo in every bag.

Go for the M70 Winchester. Its a smooth, solid action, reliable with the pre 64 claw extractor, good quality and should be cheaper than the Sako. I considered both the Sako 85 and WIN M70 this year when shopping for a .375. I ended up on the .416 in Win M70m but I have yet to purchase it. I used a .375 WINCHESTER pre 64 this year, and having grown up on a CZ550 in .375 I immediately knew why so many people have high regard for the M70. It's rugged, reliable, and classic. I found, in my experience growing up on CZs, BRNOs, Zastavas etc that these actions tend to become lose over time, a gunsmith said something to me about "stretch". Anyhow, the magazine starts to rattle around when you walk because of this and sometimes you can overpull the bolt causing further stretch. I think M70 is the way to go, especially if you going for DG. But in hindsight, the list of rifles you have to choose from have all stood their ground.

Also, synthetic stocks are great for accuracy and keeping the zero when travelling abroad to colder or wetter countries, and stainless barrel better to resist erosion and heat expansion and barrel wear etc But im an old school guy who likes a little scratch here and there on my wooden stock so that over time it looks and feels like a rifle thats been hunted. I dont know how plausible my next comment is but i believe the shine that stainless steel barrels reflect is a possible hinderance if you stalking DG or big cats that have supersharp eyesight...though this can be remedied with a camo barrel glove.

No disrespect for the Model 70 here.. but to somehow disparage CZ's, BRNO's or Zastava rifles for action "stretch" or "overpull the bolt" or shoot loose?! Absolutley ridiculous!!

Well you make a good point. But I did not intend to disparage the CZs, Brnos, and Zs in the way you implied. I am not writing off all CZ's, Brno's, and Zs, to stretch etc. That's why I made a clear and distinct point of saying "in my experience", and at the end of my comment, "all have stood their ground". Its just my subjective opinion based on my personal experience of using the rifles. I believe they are still the major rifles for sale in most gunshops and there is a reason for that, they are all practical and reliable weapons. But, in comparison to the M70, I believe, they are more prone to stretch, as i have used the M70 for a while in various calibres alongside the CZs, Brnos, and Zs. I guess it also has to do with the materials that Winchester use in comparison to the mentioned brands. So, its not absolutely ridiculous; any rifle from Purdey to Howa can be subject to strecth, some more than others. In this case, I believe, based on my experience, and in direct relation to the question at the beginning of this thread, and not as a universal empirical fact, that the M70 would be the best choice. I would buy a Cz, Brno, Zastava without a problem, but if I had the option to buy an M70 instead, I would.