Wanted Left Hand Winchester M70 Safari Express .375 H&H

[DLB3]

Also open to .416 in the same configuration but don’t know if Winchester ever made one in a lefty model.

 

[JMJ888]

I see very few M70 Lefties in 375 these days...you might look at Dakota's as well...last lefty 375 M70 I saw sold for almost $3k

All but one of my 375 length Lefty M70's started out as 7 Rem Mag's and 300 Winnie and had the rear bridge opened up to accommodate the 3.6" length.

 

[Shootist43]

Welcome aboard DLB3. Although not exactly what you were looking for, I believe Zastava makes left-handed rifles in that caliber. Hopefully some of our left-handed members will chime in here. Sgt_Zim, are your ears burning?

 

[gbflyer]

I see very few M70 Lefties in 375 these days...you might look at Dakota's as well...last lefty 375 M70 I saw sold for almost $3k

All but one of my 375 length Lefty M70's started out as 7 Rem Mag's and 300 Winnie and had the rear bridge opened up to accommodate the 3.6" length.

Who did that for you if you don’t mind my asking? I tried that guy in WI who is the M70 guru and he flat out declined. I have one I would do.

 

[IdahoMo]

Hey DLB3, fellow lefty here. I was also on the hunt for a LH CRF model 70 in 375. They do come up, rarely. I ended up going with a CZ 550 in 375 thanks to a person on here that was parting with one. A gunsmith is doing a bit of work on it now to address some creep in the trigger and lighten the overall package a bit, at 10.5 lbs unloaded with a scope it's a bit chunky. But other than those two things it's built like a tank and shoot very very well.

 

[Fatback]

The M70s in LH are hard to find. I was fortunate enough to get one last November. I gave $2900 for the rifle. There is a LH CZ 550 in 375 H&H on GB right now. I think it has been bid up to around $2,650 or so. There is also a Ruger 375 on GB now with the current bid around $850 I think. Just a couple of other options you might be interested in if you can’t find the M70. Good luck in your search.

 

[JMJ888]

Who did that for you if you don’t mind my asking? I tried that guy in WI who is the M70 guru and he flat out declined. I have one I would do.

John Farner in New Mexico did my 375 H&H...he is now retired.
Jim Kobe in Minnesota did my 458 Lott, my 375 RUM, and he has my 416 Rem now.
There are a few other very capable M70 smiths that can make it work...biggest issues are rear scope mounts, knocking the spacer out of the mag box, mag follower, and lengthening the bolt stop.

 

[DLB3]

The M70s in LH are hard to find. I was fortunate enough to get one last November. I gave $2900 for the rifle. There is a LH CZ 550 in 375 H&H on GB right now. I think it has been bid up to around $2,650 or so. There is also a Ruger 375 on GB now with the current bid around $850 I think. Just a couple of other options you might be interested in if you can’t find the M70. Good luck in your search.

Thanks, they definitely seem to be a needle in the haystack. I saw the Ruger on GB but from what I’ve read, it seems the H&H would be worth holding out for. Do you know anyone with .375 Ruger experience? Looking for a plains game/Cape buffalo rifle

 

[Fatback]

I don’t have any info on shooting a Ruger 375 myself. I know there are quite a few folks that have used them with great success on DG in Africa. I’m sure some others on the site here can give you frost hand experiences with the 375 Ruger if you decide to look into that rifle/cartridge

If you decide to hold out for the H&H, keep looking you’ll come across a left handed 375 H&H, you just have to be persistent and be ready to buy when you find it. Good luck in finding one.

 

[LES7]

They did! I regret passing the 416 rem up years ago. Settled for a Montana still pretty good. In the process of getting syn stock swapped to walnut.
375H&H:
the bottom is a safari express
middle is a classic super express
top is a safari express 458 win mag re-barreled to Lott
took me a long time to find then. keep looking and be ready they are out there. These are not for sale.

 

[LES7]

Welcome aboard DLB3. Although not exactly what you were looking for, I believe Zastava makes left-handed rifles in that caliber. Hopefully some of our left-handed members will chime in here. Sgt_Zim, are your ears burning?

I did buy a Zastava and was not as impressed with the action compared to Win and Dakota. good heavy stock tho

 

[LES7]

John Farner in New Mexico did my 375 H&H...he is now retired.
Jim Kobe in Minnesota did my 458 Lott, my 375 RUM, and he has my 416 Rem now.
There are a few other very capable M70 smiths that can make it work...biggest issues are rear scope mounts, knocking the spacer out of the mag box, mag follower, and lengthening the bolt stop.

@JMJ88 knows his stuff. ( by the way send me pics of your build on that action you bought)
correct me if I’m wrong but with what you said you should be able to tap into the 375H&H family tree with a rebarrel/ chamber and make a fine riffle? 264 win mag, 7 mag, 300 H&H, 300 win mag, 338 win mag, 458 win mag…..just makes the search a little easier?

 

[Sika98k]

I use a Browning A bolt in 375 left handed. 60 degree bolt lift, nice slick action. Personally I am very happy with it.

 

[Flipper Dude]

Saw a LH Ruger Alaskan Guide gun in 375 Ruger in a pawnshop last week. Green laminate and stainless. $1100 out the door I was quoted. Didn’t look at it as I’m not a lefty. Vidor Texas

 

[sgt_zim]

Also open to .416 in the same configuration but don’t know if Winchester ever made one in a lefty model.

I know a dude in TN that can hook you up with a LH 375 Zastava, usually has a few in stock. Zastava, like CZ before it, needs the attention of a good smith to make it slick. He probably still has them at around $1000 new. PM me if you want his info.

If you want to go bigger than 375, it would probably be easier to find a 458 WM or Lott in LH than a 416. Finally got to shoot a 458 WM this weekend, a Colt Sauer. Recoil is not dissimilar to my 404J MRC.

Ruger made a number of LH 416 Ruger, but your best bet is to buy a LH 375 Ruger and re-barrel to 416 Ruger.

 

[Ryan]

I have experience with the 375 Ruger.
I used it on this hunt for buffalo and plains game along with a giraffe in Namibia in 2013.

SOUTH AFRICA: BOWHUNT: Buffalo & Plains Game Rifle/Bowhunting With Limpopo Big Game Safaris In January 2021 RSA

This hunt was originally planned for March-April 2020, then postponed u to September-October 2020 for all the reasons we all know. So when travel finally opened this winter I figured out what hoops I had to hop through and took the plunge one more time. First things first- Travel days. With...

www.africahunting.com

SOUTH AFRICA: BOWHUNT: Buffalo & Plains Game Rifle/Bowhunting With Limpopo Big Game Safaris In January 2021 RSA

Ballistically it's the same as the H&H, just in a standard length action. The Ruger M77 action is control round feed and I've had zero issues with it cycling.

Currently the issue is ammo. I handload it because few make factory ammo and I could find brass just fine until 2020. Now I see factory loaded ammo, but no brass. 375 H&H ammo and brass supplies seem to mirror that too at the moment. I did know of a gunsmith in Anchorage who had once shot brass a year back, but no idea if he still does.

 

[DLB3]

They did! I regret passing the 416 rem up years ago. Settled for a Montana still pretty good. In the process of getting syn stock swapped to walnut.
375H&H:
the bottom is a safari express
middle is a classic super express
top is a safari express 458 win mag re-barreled to Lott
took me a long time to find then. keep looking and be ready they are out there. These are not for sale.

Beautiful rifles! Now I kind of want to put together the trio of Safari Expresses haha

 

[DLB3]

I use a Browning A bolt in 375 left handed. 60 degree bolt lift, nice slick action. Personally I am very happy with it.

Thanks, I’ll have to look into these!

 

[JMJ888]

@JMJ88 knows his stuff. ( by the way send me pics of your build on that action you bought)
correct me if I’m wrong but with what you said you should be able to tap into the 375H&H family tree with a rebarrel/ chamber and make a fine riffle? 264 win mag, 7 mag, 300 H&H, 300 win mag, 338 win mag, 458 win mag…..just makes the search a little easier?

Lane that is correct. Not to sidetrack the thread but good info. The M70 CRF actions for 7 Rem Mag/300 Win are identical to the 375 H&H/300 WBY/7 STW actions with a few changes. The WSM actions are their own animal and not suitable for the H&H swap.
1. The rear bridge on the action is opened up to accommodate the 3.6" length rounds. This is seen by the spacing of the rear scope mount holes. The standard length cartridge have 0.860" spacing between holes, and the H&H length are 0.330" spacing if memory serves me.
2. The magazine boxes are different. The standard length have a little spacer spot welded at the rear of the box to make it 3.4" length...most smiths just drill the spot welds making it a 3.6" box. Outlets like Midwest Gun Parts and Numrich carry mag boxes as well.
3. Bolt stop can be lengthened, or you can buy the H&H specific bolt stop to allow the bolt to come back far enough to pick up the longer rounds.
4. Followers are the biggest challenge. Some still around but the longer H&H length ones are hard to find. I have gotten replacements from some of the aftermarket bottom metal manufacturers, and some smiths use the existing follower depending on cartridge.
This also isn't something any garage gunsmith can pull off. There are a number of respectable M70 gunsmiths that know what they are doing and can make it work.

 

[RLL]

Thanks, they definitely seem to be a needle in the haystack. I saw the Ruger on GB but from what I’ve read, it seems the H&H would be worth holding out for. Do you know anyone with .375 Ruger experience? Looking for a plains game/Cape buffalo rifle

I shot the buff in my avatar with a 375 ruger. 1 in the heart and done at 50 yards. With good bullets like the TSX, CEB Raptors and Hammer Hunters, they elevate either .375 you chose to shoot. I also took a nice gemsbok, warthog and impala with the same.