Winchester 70 Alaskan 375 H&H

[Professor Mawla]

Good evening @TOBY458 ,
As per these vintage Winchester catalogs , a pre 64 Winchester Model 70 in .375 Holland & Holland Magnum weighs 8 3/4 pounds .

Winchester-Western Ammunition Catalogs - International Ammunition Association

Premier cartridge collecting site covering all types and forms of ammunition and their history, manufacture, markings and variations

cartridgecollectors.org

 

[TOBY458]

Good evening @TOBY458 ,
As per these vintage Winchester catalogs , a pre 64 Winchester Model 70 in .375 Holland & Holland Magnum weighs 8 3/4 pounds .

Winchester-Western Ammunition Catalogs - International Ammunition Association

Premier cartridge collecting site covering all types and forms of ammunition and their history, manufacture, markings and variations

cartridgecollectors.org

The Alaskan comes in around 8lbs according to several things I've read, and from the post above. The bottom metal is aluminum, with a steel floorplate on the Alaskan. The pre64 was all steel. Probably a reason for the 8oz weight difference.

 

[CoElkHunter]

Thanks! That's exactly the info I needed!

Toby,
If you know, what did your SS Model 70 .375 that you sold awhile back, weigh? The difference with the African with the wooden stock is only a couple of ounces heavier.
CEH

 

[CoElkHunter]

Good evening @TOBY458 ,
As per these vintage Winchester catalogs , a pre 64 Winchester Model 70 in .375 Holland & Holland Magnum weighs 8 3/4 pounds .

Winchester-Western Ammunition Catalogs - International Ammunition Association

Premier cartridge collecting site covering all types and forms of ammunition and their history, manufacture, markings and variations

cartridgecollectors.org

About the same for the new ones Professor. I’m amazed at the difference between the weight of a wooden stocked push feed actioned Browning .375 @ 7.0lbs vs. a wooden stocked CRF actioned Winchester .375 @ 8.8lbs or thereabouts? 1.8lbs more for the CRF action? Doesn’t make sense? The claw designed extractor adds that much more weight?
CEH

 

[TOBY458]

Toby,
If you know, what did your SS Model 70 .375 that you sold awhile back, weigh? The difference with the African with the wooden stock is only a couple of ounces heavier.
CEH

The Alaskan has a smaller diameter barrel than the Classic Stainless did. That's why it's lighter.

 

[CoElkHunter]

The Alaskan has a smaller diameter barrel than the Classic Stainless did. That's why it's lighter.

Oh, OK, that explains it. Thanks!

 

[CoElkHunter]

My older stainless steel laminated stock in 30-06 with 3-9x VX II scope is 9 lb 1 oz. Heavier than I like to haul around the mountains of Colorado!

Yeah, I’ll stick with my Browning A Bolt .338 @ 8.5lbs scoped for the mountains. That’s plus carrying a 25-30lb pack around at 8500ft. elevation. I know many here would consider that a light pack, but I’m older now and it’s just not as much fun! Ha! Ha!

 

[CoElkHunter]

Thinking (dangerous) out loud here, but why would any “Alaskan” rifle be blued with a wooden stock? My father in law hunted in Alaska a couple of times with his synthetic stocked, blued Remington 700 .338WM and had to have it re blued because of the eventual rusting. The saltwater infused rain took a toll on the metal surfaces. Makes no sense not to have a synthetic SS rifle in those conditions?

 

[ldmay375]

In my opinion, the New version of the M70 Alaskan did get the 375 barrel contour correct. It is definitely more slender that the 375 H&H stainless New Haven Classics.
I do not own the New versions but have handled a couple. Even with the 25” barrel they did not feel barrel heavy to me.
They made a few of the New ones in 375 H&H and 338 Winchester in stainless with laminated stocks. I have only seen 2ea of the 375’s and a couple of so the 338’s. I think these were Shot Show Specials.
I know one person that owns the 338 Winchester Alaskan stainless/laminated version.

The Alaskan has a smaller diameter barrel than the Classic Stainless did. That's why it's lighter.

 

[Aussie_Hunter]

I may or may not have a Winchester 70 Alaskan in 375 H&H on the way. I have read alot of reports on these rifles elsewhere, but I was wondering if anyone here has any experience with these rifles. I've read various conflicting post about the actual weight of these rifles. The specs say 8lbs 8oz. However, that's the same weight it shows in all calibers. I've read one post that stated his rifle came in at 7lbs 12oz. I would think the larger hole in the barrel and the steel that's removed from the action to accommodate the larger cartridge would trim some of this weight off. So, I'm hoping for somewhere near 8lbs or less for the bare rifle weight. This would put me under 9lbs with the scope I plan to use.
Any experience out there with this

I haven't owned the Alaskan model but I have owned a new model Safari Express in 375H&H and IMO the Winchesters coming out of Portugal are made just as good if not better than ever. The safari express I had was absolutely flawless, awesome rifles.

 

[Edge]

Mod 70 375 Alaskan, circa late 2017 (Portugal) with Burris Extreme Bases and Hill Country Gear shell holder weighs 8lbs 1 ounce via one fish scale, the other fish scale 8lbs 5 ounces. Figure 4 ounces for the bases and an ounce or so for the shell holder and you should be at or under 8lbs.

Seems to be accurate enough and used it to take an Elephant and Buff in 2018.

A couple pics in my original post, says 7lb 12 ounces bare.

Just arrived: 375 H&H Mod 70 Alaskan

Just received a new in box Winchester Model 70 Alaskan! First impressions: 1. Wow is this thing light! 7lb 12 oz light according to my digital fish scale. 2. Wood is pretty decent 3. Two cross bolts, they have a pattern on the ends, nice touch. 4. Fit and finish looks to be very good...

www.africahunting.com

 

[sestoppelman]

Thinking (dangerous) out loud here, but why would any “Alaskan” rifle be blued with a wooden stock? My father in law hunted in Alaska a couple of times with his synthetic stocked, blued Remington 700 .338WM and had to have it re blued because of the eventual rusting. The saltwater infused rain took a toll on the metal surfaces. Makes no sense not to have a synthetic SS rifle in those conditions?

Salt water infused rain? LOL. Thats a new one on me.

 

[CoElkHunter]

Ha! Ha! I guess rusting is more scientific than that:

 

[TOBY458]

Well....my rifle arrived today. Very impressed so far. Wood is actually pretty nice, and fit/finish is excellent. I shot it four times today to check zero of the iron sights. Sights are dead on with no adjustment needed!

 

[TOBY458]

And to clarify, the weight is 7lbs 12oz for the bare rifle. With the Leupold 1-5×20 scope and Leupold QRW rings, the weight is 8lbs 11oz. Perfect for a 375!

 

[Scott CWO]

And to clarify, the weight is 7lbs 12oz for the bare rifle. With the Leupold 1-5×20 scope and Leupold QRW rings, the weight is 8lbs 11oz. Perfect for a 375!

Pics please!

 

[TOBY458]

Here's a few pics.

 

[TOBY458]

I took this rifle out yesterday and sighted the scope in. I was only shooting at 65 yards, but it would easily keep everything in a 1" circle, shooting off the hood of my truck from a sand bag. This was with Federal Premium 300gr Swift AF factory loads. I'm thinking it should do equally as well at 100 yards from a bench. So, definitely should be an accurate enough rifle for most anything Africa has to offer.
Also, this thing feeds and ejects perfectly, like most every other Winchester 70 I've owned.
The 25" barrel looks a bit long, but the rifle balances well due to the light contour of the barrel. It's actually quite lively in the hands, making it quick to get on target. It basically handles like a deer rifle, but with the punch needed for anything on earth.
I like it!

 

[sestoppelman]

Am I correct in that it has no cheekpiece?

 

[TOBY458]

Am I correct in that it has no cheekpiece?

Yes. It has a monte-carlo stock with no cheekpiece.