Affordable big bores no longer being offered by the big guys

Nice! Nice pricing as well. What is your opinion on their quality?

Ive handled a couple of different musgraves over the years.. I found them both to be reliable and very accurate shooters..

A south african gunsmith that was living in the US at the time (now has moved away) that built a custom rifle for me apprenticed at the musgrave factory.. she did an OUTSTANDING job.. I couldnt be happier with the quality of work done..
 
The PH I hunted with last year recommended Sabi Rifles. I emailed them and they are very reasonably priced (less than Sako) and set up to export with a lot of custom options.
 
One thing I wish that CZ would've done, instead of outright scrapping the whole dangerous game line they had in the 550, is to instead keep it open to custom orders for them. They'd have already recieved a couple of orders from me.

But that's just not how corporations work sadly. But I'm very tired of seeing all these guns chambered in the exact same rounds and even more tired of ammo manufacturers making just the standard rounds, i.e. 6.5 Creedmoor, .308, .556 etc. Went into a store the other day just to look at ammo, and all I saw was .308. . . Hundreds of boxes of it. Can't even give it away.

Not a logical rant but its how I feel
 
Northern Shooter! Thank you for your insightful post. You articulated what I have been wanting to say here for quite some time, but never got around to doing. When one lives long enough one gets the benefit of perspective. Perhaps no closer to having a solution or answer but definitely perspective!

I was fortunate enough to go to Africa in the summer of 1989 when I had just turned 20 years old. Back then a double rifle in a large bore (or in any caliber) was the stuff of films and old safari books. In the field, in the then South Africa anyway, was the "Brno 602" in either .375 H&H or in .458 WinMag. That was pretty much it. Visiting foreign Hunters would have the same calibers usually in a Winchester M70, Ruger Mark II, or Remington 700.

Then in circa 1990 the firearms/ammo industry had a safari renaissance of sorts. Federal came back with loading for the .470 Nitro Express and several gunmakers released/re-released the .416 calibers (.416 Rigby, .416 Remington, .416 Weatherby etc) with ammo makers following suit. Ruger itself resurrected the venerable .416 Riby in both it's Mark II and No. 1 models. CZ did the same and this once great caliber, which had been relegated to the safari history books, was back for another 30 year run. Ditto for the .375 H&H cartridge which had been chambered by almost every major gun manufacture in the world as a standard offering. So much so as to be taken for granted as a caliber (and ammo) one could always find worldwide with ease.

This renaissance extended to the aforementioned rare double rifle cartridges which had almost disappeared in the 1960's with the twin disappearance of Kynoch ammo along with the British Empire. Not only did Kynoch return from the dead but many hitherto rare calibers such as .375 Flanged were back being offered by Norma, Kynoch, and Hornady.

Now history is repeating itself. First the .375 Flanged ammo disappeared. Kynoch is once again defunct and both Norma and Hornady don'f offer it. If you're one who invested in a double by Heym, Chapuis, or Krieghoff in this cartridge you're finding yourself where Indian Maharaja's and European owners were in the 1960's. Ditto now for the 450/400 NE 3" which was until recently one of the most popular offerings for a double (or single shot) rifle. Only Hornady is loading for this caliber and only occasionally so. Those who invested in expensive rifles for this caliber can't be feeling too comfortable these days!

But the real concern here is the slow disappearance of the former mainstream safari calibers that were for the everyman. Specifically the .375 H&H. As NS pointed out, there are no mainstream firearms manufactures who chamber this round. Ammo makers are following suit. One used to find ammo offered in .375 H&H easily by Federal, Norma, Winchester, Remington, Kynoch, Barnes, Hornady, and Prvi Partizan just to name a few. You could purchase a box almost anywhere and in many cases .375 H&H was as easy as finding 30-06 ammo. Likewise, one could pick up a decently priced .375 H&H bolt action made by Sako, CZ, Ruger, Winchester, Remington, Dakota, Steyr, etc. Now? As Northern Shooter pointed out that list has dwindled. I believe that Blaser is one of the few left that regularly offer the .375 H&H. And the Blaser R8 is not considered an everyman-priced rifle.

As a Life Member of both SCI and DSC, this topic is something I have always wanted to raise with the influencers in the safari industry. From outfitters, firearms manufacturers, ammo makers and anyone else who has a vested interest in seeing our sport and passion live on. We as a community need to shake some sense back into the industry we support and get them to focus. Chamberings like the .375 H&H should be continued and invested in and resources not wasted on nonsense like the Ruger .375 (or Ruger .416 for that matter) with only Hornady making ammo for it. Ruger should once again chamber its rifles in .375 H&H and get Hornady to make the standard loads for it (270 and 300 grain). That would be a good first step. We can't do anything about CZ which sees no future chambering for safari calibers sadly. That means the once resurrected legacy calibers such as the .505 Gibbs, .404 Jeffrey, and even the .416 Rigby (which Ruger used to also offer) will once again only be found in the safari history books. But the .375 H&H and possibly the .458 WinMag can still be saved if our gun/ammo industry would focus and cooperate. The everyman, which the safari industry needs to survive, will appreciate it.

Sorry for the rant and apologies if any of my facts stated above are off. This is was a stream of consciousness entry which I have wanted to get off my chest for some time. I welcome anyone's comments and thoughts.
my most sincere congratulations for this great exhibition, thank you
 
Perhaps some sidestep,of topic

A few years back,do you guys and gals remember this?
But it was a batch of CZ 550 used by poachers captured and ara groups was furious on how,where it came from



 
The distributer here for Sako confirmed that the Model 85 was discontinued we won't be seeing any further rifles entering the country.

With CZ and now Sako out of the game that only leaves us with Winchester Model 70 and Ruger Hawkeye as the two affordable DG options.
 
The distributer here for Sako confirmed that the Model 85 was discontinued we won't be seeing any further rifles entering the country.

With CZ and now Sako out of the game that only leaves us with Winchester Model 70 and Ruger Hawkeye as the two affordable DG options.

Was in the gunshop earlier and found brand new Sako 85 for you ....as said earlier will be happy to look after it for you...then you can use it anytime you out here....:A Thumbs Up:

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20230330_121005.jpg
 
The distributer here for Sako confirmed that the Model 85 was discontinued we won't be seeing any further rifles entering the country.

With CZ and now Sako out of the game that only leaves us with Winchester Model 70 and Ruger Hawkeye as the two affordable DG options.
Don’t sleep on the used market, lots of good stuff in the classifieds. Just the kitchen counter of @TOBY458 has seen more DG ready rifles than most people would ever need.
 
Was in the gunshop earlier and found brand new Sako 85 for you ....as said earlier will be happy to look after it for you...then you can use it anytime you out here....:A Thumbs Up:

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Looks like your located in Zambia? I don't believe I am able to import any firearms into Canada. Only way is if our distributors purchased directly from the manufacturer and imported it into the country.
 
Looks like your located in Zambia? I don't believe I am able to import any firearms into Canada. Only way is if our distributors purchased directly from the manufacturer and imported it into the country.
Colt Canada make the Tikka for the Rangers, that means since Sako and Tikka made in same Finnish factory , probably Colt ocer there, previous Diemaco could be asked if they would import one for you.
 
What we really need is a company to step up and fill in the massive gap left behind by CZ following the discontinuation of the 550 series.

Im willing to bet CZ doubled the interest and uptake in dangerous game rifles throughout the lifespan of the CZ550, considering the affordable price point.

It likely produced a similar uptick to what the Model 70 did back in the 50s with the release of the .458 WM.
 
I was really struck by this issue when I was asked by a friend to recommend a first larger caliber (375 and up) option for him. There really is nothing being sold new. You can still find lots of good rifles used.

The wider hunting rifle market wants smaller super flat shooting push feed rifles. I think this is driven by the success of things like the precision rifle series and people wanting to play at being snipers. The upside is you can now get a super accurate quality rifle cheaper then ever before.

Things might change but for now look to the used market.
 
Looks like your located in Zambia? I don't believe I am able to import any firearms into Canada. Only way is if our distributors purchased directly from the manufacturer and imported it into the country.

Yup but as I said don't mind looking after it for you :A Thumbs Up:
 
Let’s see now. Among currently manufactured big bore rifles:

Winchester Model 70- .375 Holland & Holland Magnum, .416 Remington Magnum, .458 Winchester Magnum

Ruger Model 77- .375 Ruger, .416 Ruger

Zastava Model 70- .375 Holland & Holland Magnum, .458 Winchester Magnum

Musgrave Rifles- .375 Holland & Holland Magnum, .404 Jeffery, .416 Rigby, .458 Lott, .500 Jeffery

Kimber Caprivi- .375 Holland & Holland Magnum

Mauser Model 98 Magnum- .375 Holland & Holland Magnum, .416 Rigby, .450 Rigby

Did I get any wrong from this list, which might have gotten discontinued lately ?
 
Let’s see now. Among currently manufactured big bore rifles:

Winchester Model 70- .375 Holland & Holland Magnum, .416 Remington Magnum, .458 Winchester Magnum

Ruger Model 77- .375 Ruger, .416 Ruger

Zastava Model 70- .375 Holland & Holland Magnum, .458 Winchester Magnum

Musgrave Rifles- .375 Holland & Holland Magnum, .404 Jeffery, .416 Rigby, .458 Lott, .500 Jeffery

Kimber Caprivi- .375 Holland & Holland Magnum

Mauser Model 98 Magnum- .375 Holland & Holland Magnum, .416 Rigby, .450 Rigby

Did I get any wrong from this list, which might have gotten discontinued lately ?
I think musgrave may be out for now.
 
What we really need is a company to step up and fill in the massive gap left behind by CZ following the discontinuation of the 550 series.

Im willing to bet CZ doubled the interest and uptake in dangerous game rifles throughout the lifespan of the CZ550, considering the affordable price point.

It likely produced a similar uptick to what the Model 70 did back in the 50s with the release of the .458 WM.
I've said this a few times and I will say it again, firearm manufactures will not invest machine time on a niche product when there is a 10X higher demand for something else. With employee shortages across all of manufacturing, throwing a new, harder product to make will not make sense to anyone in a sales office. I was recently a part of a huge project where a manufacture for rifles invested millions into making handguns. These companies will only invest in what sells, and large bore rifles are not one of them
 
I've said this a few times and I will say it again, firearm manufactures will not invest machine time on a niche product when there is a 10X higher demand for something else. With employee shortages across all of manufacturing, throwing a new, harder product to make will not make sense to anyone in a sales office. I was recently a part of a huge project where a manufacture for rifles invested millions into making handguns. These companies will only invest in what sells, and large bore rifles are not one of them
One more reason to be looking at the used market.

GI I typed in "safari" and searched for rifles in 375H&H...4 pages of results with excellent examples of rifles for under $3K.
 
One more reason to be looking at the used market.

GI I typed in "safari" and searched for rifles in 375H&H...4 pages of results with excellent examples of rifles for under $3K.
I find searching for used guns a lot of fun. You never know what you’re going to find . I have bids on a few going right now on GB. Will report if I win
 

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