Whitworth woes

Tennessean

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Picked up a used Whitworth in 375 H&H from Gunbroker this week for a great price. I took the time to look it over at the shop when I picked it up and, for $500.00 I think I did ok. The action is in definite need of work. It was a bit stiff to open and close and felt a tad "gritty" to cycle. I got the rifle home, cleaned the bore, chamber, bolt, extractor, bolt raceways, etc and re-lubricated with a quality gun oil and it is still slow and dirty feeling.
Next I checked feeding and there is a problem there as well. The third round in the magazine (from the right feed rail) jams nose first into the feed ramp (Norma ammunition, 300 grain Oryx) and it would appear that it is the follower. I can fiddle with the top right cartridge until it is seated with the right feed angle and it will feed smoothly but it is inconsistent.
So, besides the action that needs to be tuned, smoothed and the ugly old Bell and Carlson Stock I think I did pretty good for $500.00.
I just haven't decided whether I want to invest the money to fix and tune the rifle or just sell it and buy a Model 70. I would have to have the feeding problem corrected, action smoothed, sights added and a 3- position safety installed just to equal what I have found to be the smoothness and reliability of the Model 70.
I think I'm going to ponder on this for a bit but I will bet that she is going to be sold and a Model 70 purchased. At least that is what common sense would dictate. What say you?
 
My 2¢, See how it shoots and investigate the cost of fixing it.
 
Picked up a used Whitworth in 375 H&H from Gunbroker this week for a great price. I took the time to look it over at the shop when I picked it up and, for $500.00 I think I did ok. The action is in definite need of work. It was a bit stiff to open and close and felt a tad "gritty" to cycle. I got the rifle home, cleaned the bore, chamber, bolt, extractor, bolt raceways, etc and re-lubricated with a quality gun oil and it is still slow and dirty feeling.
Next I checked feeding and there is a problem there as well. The third round in the magazine (from the right feed rail) jams nose first into the feed ramp (Norma ammunition, 300 grain Oryx) and it would appear that it is the follower. I can fiddle with the top right cartridge until it is seated with the right feed angle and it will feed smoothly but it is inconsistent.
So, besides the action that needs to be tuned, smoothed and the ugly old Bell and Carlson Stock I think I did pretty good for $500.00.
I just haven't decided whether I want to invest the money to fix and tune the rifle or just sell it and buy a Model 70. I would have to have the feeding problem corrected, action smoothed, sights added and a 3- position safety installed just to equal what I have found to be the smoothness and reliability of the Model 70.
I think I'm going to ponder on this for a bit but I will bet that she is going to be sold and a Model 70 purchased. At least that is what common sense would dictate. What say you?

Perhaps just me, but this is a rifle I would not trust for DG hunting, no matter how much someone showed me it had been fixed. Now if you want to keep for non DG hunting after repairs, well that's different and up to you.
 
Buy a M70 or a CZ 550 and keep the Whitworth as a project. More than likely you will end up with a whole corner full of projects like my ‘03 338-06 that has not moved positions in 5 years.
 
What is the magazine capacity? 3 or 4 rounds?

I had a similar problem with my .458 WM, it just took a little better cleaning job than I originally gave it. A couple of times to the range , more cleaning with a copper fouling solvent, less oil, and no more problem.
 
if you suspect the problem is a follower.. I certainly wouldnt be giving up on the rifle so soon or easily.. $500 for a functioning 375 H&H whitworth in a B&C stock sounds like a pretty good deal to me..

commercial mauser followers can be found cheap from a variety of places.. Brownells has the EXCELLENT Wisner brand magnum mauser follower in stock right now... its $32 (I've seen used commercial mauser followers for as little as $8-$10 at different times if you want to go really cheap)..

If I could get a .375 whitworth running like a champ for an initial investment of $500.. plus a $32 follower.. and about $2 in oil, patches, and elbow grease.. I'd be all over that like stink on a baboons butt..

If you ultimately decide to sell it... shoot me a PM.. (seriously).. I might be interested in taking it off your hands depending on the condition...
 
Perhaps just me, but this is a rifle I would not trust for DG hunting, no matter how much someone showed me it had been fixed. Now if you want to keep for non DG hunting after repairs, well that's different and up to you.
I agree. The majority of my rifles are Model 70s and all have been proven to be reliable. I run all of my bolt guns vigorously and it's disappointing to have one that is rough and downright dangerous in some cases when they don't feed. Reliability in a weapon is of the utmost importance and I place higher value on that characteristic than accuracy. As a matter of fact, I find little correlation between the mechanical (from a bench with little human input) accuracy and the practical (with the shooter as part of the system) accuracy. I need it to be accurate enough. A rifle and its accessories must fit the shooter and become an extension of that person which aids in the shooter's ability to shoot accurately under realistic conditions. After the feeding problem is corrected, the rifle will be sold as opposed to being kept.
 
Have a gun smith give you an estimate. If you don't like what you hear, sell it to Dave West (above) and buy you a walnut and blue M70 and consider it a lesson learned!
P.S. Dave likes to work on guns....and apparently pretty good at it!
 
I didn't read all of the posts due to the fact that I'm replying on my phone but I had two whitworth Mausers in the past that operated flawlessly for years. That said I did not pay $500 for them. Consider a CZ Safari for around $1,000. You should be able to resell the whitworth for 500 and split the difference. Stray away from putting a tasco scope on the CZ. Being that you bought a 375 I'm guessing you are looking forward to hunting dangerous game. Very few brand new factory rifles are even ready for that. And I'm assuming your life is worth more than $500. in one of Kevin Robertson's books he talks extensively about what you need to do to your dangerous game rifle before you go on Safari. Good luck!
 
I like customized model 70s also but the CZ Safari is ready to go
 
maybe.
might also be like the whitworth from what you read.
reduce the odds with a m70.
bruce.
 
Well having owned a MK X Zastava which is basically the same rifle in different trim I found mine to function and shoot Fantastic, but Like an idiot I sold it to fund a New M70 Safari grade, now having owned and shot them both I have now sold the M70 to fund a Whitworth Safari grade in 375HH. I'd say pull it apart and clean it , polish the feed ramp and cycle the bolt it will get nice and smooth . There is a small following of Whitworth lovers on this sight me included
 
After much thought I have indeed decided to sell the Whitworth. I am quite sure that with a bit of competent gunsmithing it can be made to be 100 percent functional and the action smoothed but in the back of my mind the reliability will be questionable. I have always been a Winchester 70 fanatic and have grown accustomed to the reliability and smoothness of the action and placement of the safety. That being said I have never owned a Model 70 that I didn't have work performed on, if nothing else than to have the gun "fit" me better. I will find a good used CRF model 70, order a Mcmillan Express or Echols stock, install better sights, replace the extractor with a Williams, replace the bottom metal for a better machined Oberndorf style, bed/ float, Decelerator pad, tune trigger, bed bases to receiver, lap rings, install better sights, etc, etc.
Once it's all together I will shoot the cowboy hell out of it to ensure reliability and improve my proficiency. For me personally I feel that that is the best course of action. I already have a buyer for the Whitworth who is familiar with the issues at hand and he seems happy with the arrangement for the price.
Thank you all for the advice.
 
I didn't read all of the posts due to the fact that I'm replying on my phone but I had two whitworth Mausers in the past that operated flawlessly for years. That said I did not pay $500 for them. Consider a CZ Safari for around $1,000. You should be able to resell the whitworth for 500 and split the difference. Stray away from putting a tasco scope on the CZ. Being that you bought a 375 I'm guessing you are looking forward to hunting dangerous game. Very few brand new factory rifles are even ready for that. And I'm assuming your life is worth more than $500. in one of Kevin Robertson's books he talks extensively about what you need to do to your dangerous game rifle before you go on Safari. Good luck!

I couldn't agree more. I have bet my life on the quality and reliability of my weapons since I was 17 years old. It is still the most important requirement I attend to when building a rifle that might be used for dangerous purpose, be it two or four legged critters. Any firearm or ammunition can malfunction but I never could see the logic of flirting with the odds by running questionable kit in the name of saving money when your life or the life of a comrade may hang in the balance.
 
Well having owned a MK X Zastava which is basically the same rifle in different trim I found mine to function and shoot Fantastic, but Like an idiot I sold it to fund a New M70 Safari grade, now having owned and shot them both I have now sold the M70 to fund a Whitworth Safari grade in 375HH. I'd say pull it apart and clean it , polish the feed ramp and cycle the bolt it will get nice and smooth . There is a small following of Whitworth lovers on this sight me included
My Whitworth Safari .375 action is smooth as silk. I bought it used and maybe the action had some work done to it, as it has a jeweled bolt and magazine follower and the stock was steel epoxy bedded. It’s very accurate with express sights and lightweight compared to my CZ. I guess I just got lucky? Doesn’t happen to me very often! Ha! Ha!
 
Hi Tennessean,

Normally, the Whitworth Mausers were / are pretty decent hunting rifles.
As far as I know, all of these (actions and/or barreled actions at least) were made in what was then called Yugoslavia.
The ones assembled, inspected and test fired in Manchester England, (and so marked) are in my opinion, a far better rifle than their current prices seem to reflect.

Anyway, that odd fit of the bolt in yours seems like an “alarm bell” to me.
The possible “alarm” is that, the original bolt has possibly been replaced with a mis-matched one, from some unknown rifle.
In the worst case scenario, this can result in too generous of head space, a very dangerous condition.
Another possibility is that some simple goober has tried to unscrew the barrel, without proper skill or proper tools, resulting in the action being “sprung”, AKA: bent slightly.
Hopefully I’m wrong about all of this and for whatever minor reason, your rifle just needs some professional buffing.

A professional Gunsmith can check the headspace very quickly and very cheaply, especially compared to risking some fingers or your eyesight.
The possibility of a “sprung” action will also be easily detected by a professional Gunsmith.

Cheers,
Velo Dog.
 
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After much thought I have indeed decided to sell the Whitworth. I am quite sure that with a bit of competent gunsmithing it can be made to be 100 percent functional and the action smoothed but in the back of my mind the reliability will be questionable. I have always been a Winchester 70 fanatic and have grown accustomed to the reliability and smoothness of the action and placement of the safety. That being said I have never owned a Model 70 that I didn't have work performed on, if nothing else than to have the gun "fit" me better. I will find a good used CRF model 70, order a Mcmillan Express or Echols stock, install better sights, replace the extractor with a Williams, replace the bottom metal for a better machined Oberndorf style, bed/ float, Decelerator pad, tune trigger, bed bases to receiver, lap rings, install better sights, etc, etc.
Once it's all together I will shoot the cowboy hell out of it to ensure reliability and improve my proficiency. For me personally I feel that that is the best course of action. I already have a buyer for the Whitworth who is familiar with the issues at hand and he seems happy with the arrangement for the price.
Thank you all for the advice.
If you're going to do all of that you might as well also put in a Tubb's cocking piece firing pin and spring the result of which will be a quicker lockup time and slightly faster and more accurate shooting as the gun essentially goes off quicker while you're aiming and pull the trigger. $150. 5 minutes to install.
 
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Also consider an HS precision stock instead with the aluminum bedding block an adjustable pillar bedding as bedding the action is very important for greatest accuracy. Just Popping on someone else's plastic stock may actually reduce accuracy.
 
Some of the model 70s use only two action screws like most guns but the HS precision stock allows you to install 3 action screws if the rifle you purchase only uses two... This absolutely makes for a more accurate and stronger big game gun.
 

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