Join me on finishing a custom .375 H&H build...

I'm wanting to balance quality with the idea that I will be using this a lot and it will get handling marks, etc. Every gun I've used in Africa has gotten something from riding in the truck to tracking through thorns, etc.

Also and I know this is not realistic, it would be great to use this gun next Aug to finish my big 5 with a leopard in Moz but that timeline probably isn't going to work out. If that becomes an option, it will weigh into my decision of who works on it.

I am very excited for you with this project. It has so much potential. I really fought with myself about buying it, but I really just needed to be reasonable an pass on it. I'm glad your letting us follow along on its completion. I have already hit the follow tab, I dont want to miss out on any of it. Awesome!!

Ray H

Another for Matt Roberts. I think you’d be disappointed with G&H, they aren’t what they once were, that’s all I will say. Reto Buehler would be great as well, but you’d probably be waiting years. You may be waiting years for quality work anywhere. Matt has had 2 of my rifles for well over a year and not sure when they will be done. Albeit one of them if a very unique westley Richards center feed conversion on g&h Mauser from the 40’s-50’s chambered in 425 wr., he’s never done it before so probably quite challenging.

uplander01 said:

Another for Matt Roberts. I think you’d be disappointed with G&H, they aren’t what they once were, that’s all I will say.

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If Tyrell Christensen is still a stockmaker at G&H I would 100% reccomend them. He's a ACG member too.

Green Chile said:

Part of my purpose in posting this topic is to enlist help and ideas but also just to share in the build. I enjoy watching others projects come to life. We are going to build in a pre-war Germanic style similar to @rookhawk's 9.3 and his is super classy...pictured below...
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In my opinion, that is a great option for iron sights....not so much for scope mounted unless you actually like having just the bottom of your jaw contact the stock.
If you just made it look like that Dakota, it would be hard to fault.
Have you purchased the wood yet? Considered splurging on engraving or case hardening the action?
Got a feeling this is going to be epic....

This guy isnt far from you.. he does old school traditional slow rust bluing and is extremely good.. turn around times are pretty good, prices are very good, quality of work is excellent, etc..etc..

I'd let him get the gun from "in the white" to ready to drop into a stock.. and then see which reputable stock maker could turn you something around within the next several months so that you could take it Africa on your scheduled hunt..

Whoever is going to make your stock should at least be able to get started without your barreled action.. they would certainly need the barreled action for final inletting, etc.. but there are a number of steps they could start on right now without ever seeing the actual gun..

Its been a year or so since I went to the big gun show in Tulsa last.. but Champlin / George was there when I checked it out last and had a TON of really nice stock blanks available at very reasonable prices.. I think he was trying to offload a bunch.. you might want to contact them and see if they have anything still on hand that you might be interested in.. Most were in the $300 range I think.. and honestly looked more like $1000+ quality blanks..

If you are going to take MdWest's advice and look at the stocks JJ has for sale, I would do it before they are picked over. Remember that the figure can be either better or worse when you shape it down---it is a real treasure hunt. I hope whatever you pick gets even better with the stock shaping. If you don't find what you want, DON'T settle. There are other places to find a stock. If this is a dream build, then quality becomes more important than price (as long as you can afford it).

I know JJ and George and I’m sure that George has the stock blanks. JJ doesn’t really have the space and when I talked to him 2 days ago about this project, he didn’t offer any blanks for sale. Last time I was at Champlin, they had the blanks just inside the front door. George isn’t real tech savvy and still has multiple guns I bought from him listed on his website. Getting a sense of what’s there without driving up would be difficult.

I had not thought of dividing the stock and metal work up to accelerate it. I can see that also taking longer as there is always a backlog and guns don’t jump the line.

I am open to considerations I haven’t thought of. I have multiple emails out but it’s a holiday weekend and I don’t expect quick replies.

I had mentioned NECG above for the aforementioned reasons, but G&H is close to home (pass it all the time, stop in sometimes and shoot with customers that are members occasionally. Loved their last shop, but Hudson Farm is something to behold! I'm nearly certain the "old guy" (from hmm Bangladesh?!) that did their fine stocks probably went to Nirvana by now, and they only had young guns that they pleaded with the old man to tutor (plus the added cost as compared to owner-operator gunsmiths!) I wanted to buy several guns to take on Safari (at their last store in B'ville) and they were soooo worried it'd blow up in my face as they were selling old junk at exorbitant prices. Seriously, from boots on the ground that works in the 'hood. LOL When I hear G&H it's akin to saying "Back in TR's day..." I'd be shocked if the boys in NH don't steer you the right way...'Been there, done that. The beauty of living in the NE is ALL of the greatest gunsmiths (we've been doing it up here for several hundred more years!) are within reasonable drive. IF you go the G&H route, at least you can test it out at their (moving) DG range when it's done. They'll be happy to give you a golf cart and $10/rd ammo...LOL

Looking forward to the build process!

Russ16 said:

Also talk to Matthew Roberts. But he has a couple year backlog. I think he does top quality stock work.

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This would have been my addition…and to have the action and small pieces CCH to match your Dakota.

There were some comments about matching it up with the features of my Dakota 416 Rigby. Here is that gun for consideration. One thing I love about the Dakota is that it's setup well for irons or optics. It's a good compromise without feeling like one. I wouldn't change anything on the Dakota and like all of it's features.

I haven't heard back from any stock makers yet but I've been doing some research on wood blanks. Here are some that are available (left and right profiles of 2 blanks each).

English:





French:

Scope update...I was bidding on a Swaro Habicht 1" 3-9x36 and it went past my reserve. Feelers are out through dealers and factory reps to find one of the recently discontinued Z3 3-9x36mm scopes. I will most likely go with a EAW pivot mount.

These guys sell really great Turkish wallnut, I have bought from them. Very good service.

Ray H

Green Chile said:

I haven't heard back from any stock makers yet but I've been doing some research on wood blanks. Here are some that are available (left and right profiles of 2 blanks each).

English:
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French:
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English 5004 gets my vote

You have a great Turkish supplier right in your area Bryan! Merdad Fanousi is who I use.

@Green Chile have you talked to Wayne Jacobson? He still does work for a few of us.

I have not talked to Wayne. That's another idea. Thanks.

After writing to several builders and sharing my ideas for the build, here is the direction I'm taking. NECG had the best combination of communication, pricing and timeline. I wouldn't hesitate to work with others mentioned here but everyone is on their own timeline, pricing, etc. If I had 2+ years to wait, the answer might have been different or certainly with more options. I also strongly considered using a combination of vendors to do the work but that would add at least 6 months to the timeline...not the end of the world and certainly a good option for many customers. NECG was enthusiastic to take on the full project (both wood and metal) and quoted about 1 year for the work. I will supply the wood blank, optic and factory ammo for iron sight regulation. Kudos to @rookhawk for correctly guessing the full quote in advance. It's half as much as some of the other quotes as well.

A key decision was around what kind of scope mount to go with. If I had decided on claw mounts, then my decision is always JJ for that work. His work is impeccable, he is great to work with and you just know it will come out perfectly. When I was deciding between claw mounts and the EAW pivot mount, I had a series of emails with Mark Cromwell at NECG. He was very helpful in working through some optics questions I had. Originally I was going to find the discontinued 1" Swaro Z3 scope. With the help of several people (thanks @rookhawk and @Mark Biggerstaff), we have scoured the internet, had Swaro reps check their databases and inventories, etc and came up dry. Given enough time, I could eventually find the optic but I want to move faster. After talking to Cromwell and asking if we could use the EAW pivot mount with an illuminated Swaro like an Z5i or Z5i+, Cromwell did the math and said we had enough space to make it work. A nice trim scope is a thing of beauty but realistically, I use an illuminated reticle frequently and not having one would have been a disappointment personally. I even turn them on for running shots (scarce as those are) and just find them super helpful with the way my eyes work.

Now I just have to get everything to NECG and finalize my wood blank selection.