Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only Browning Safari Grade 375H&H??

I have an opportunity to purchase one, and am curious as to what the value may be? It is about 90%. I just need ballpark numbers. This will be my first foray into big bores.

Thanks,

short or long extractor?

What year manufactured? You can tell by the serial number.
Is it a "salt" gun.
Value could range from $600 to $1,200.

I don't know regarding the long or short extractor, but I will find out.

I am not sure on the salt and the serial number is from what was sent me (by the mans wife) 63298672.

Thanks for the information so far.

Sactoller -
I own a Browning Safari in .458 and it is about 99% and is not a salt gun. Depending on your market area the .375 should be worth about $1200 - $1500 if in nice shape with nothing but small handling marks IMHO.

They are wonderful rifles. I recently convinced someone to buy a .270 I found that had Medallion grade wood on it for $1,000. I even bought his plain but really nice 700 ADL .270 to kick him into a layaway. He is glad he did it.

I don't know about the .375s, but the Whitworth Mauser has has the same length action, and they seem to feed the longer H&H rounds pretty well. My only .375 Mauser was on a Magnum Mauser action, which is longer, and slick as a whistle.

If it is in great shape, and under $1,300, you surely will not get hurt, and probably not at $1500 for a .375, should you not like it and decide to sell it.

If it still has the original, old, dried up, hard recoil pad, go ahead and change that to a Decelerator (nothing too soft), before you judge the way it shoots and recoils.

Whats a salt gun?

Correction on the serial number it is 63298lxx which appears to be manufactured in 1959. Would this be a "salt" gun?

Thanks,

Browning used some wood which was packed in salt to accelerate the drying of the rough blank. Most of the salt-impregnated wood should have been cut off in shaping the blank, but some apparently were not, and rusted the rifles and shotguns.

I have seen various dates alleged, but the range seems to be late 1967 through early 1972, when many of the Belgian guns were resourced to Miroku.

Simple solution for you is to have the shop remove the barreled action. If there is salt, there will be agressive rust in the barrel and action channel. Mind you, there could still be some rust due to water or moisture that got in there while hunting. At least look and make up your mind.

It doesn't scare me, if it is not rusted badly, because you can always very lightly sand the inletting and seal it with a wood sealer. You may even glass bed the action first, anyway, but I wouldn't unless it shot badly (never seen one that did).

Lee24,

Thanks again for your prompt posting.

Well, I did it. I went and purchased the Browning! It is the only picture I have right now, should be getting it in about a week.

I cant't tell for sure, but it looks like one of those that were made on the commercial FN action. About the only difference in the one Browning used and the other FN's was the bolt release.

The bolt release on the Browning was slightly differen't.

Anyway, my opinion is that you have a fine rifle, one to be proud of. Of all the commercial made bolt actions, the ones built on the FN action have always been my favorite. At least they would have been, if I could have afforded one.

I think some of these rifles also used the Sako action, but but I think yours is the FN.

Agreed, this is one REALLY FINE rifle! Congrats, there are few, if any, better out there.

MARK

Congratulations. I love FN Mausers and Browning double-step barrel taper. I have missed 2 Browning 458's myself. Very nice find.

Love those old FNs! A .375 H&H is not to be passed up.

Can a short extractor be changed to a long (claw) extractor?

If you get buyers remorse I could find a spot for it in my safe!
whelennut

Good find, I have had two Safaris in .30-06, still have one, had a fabulous CRF .375 with stunning wood, but, since I also had 3 P-64-.375s at the time, I sold it...wish now I hadn't and I just bought a 1964 model in .458WM with a muzzlebrake so I can trim the tube to 22" without pangs of conscience.

Mine is 90-95% and I intend to customize it with a Sunnyhill dropbox, Recknagel sights and a Dakota 3-pos. safety. I intend to load 450 SAFs to about 2175 for backing Grizzly hunts here in B.C. These are VERY fine rifles, among the best ever made.

Beautifull rifle!

There is no buyer's remorse, at least not until I send some down the tube. I would have liked a CRF but, I really doubt it is going to make a hill of beans. I have never owned a Browning that has not been a shooter, so this ought to be fun.

The worst part is I have found a couple other in 270, '06, 264 and 284. Now, the 284 would be nice, I am just gonna have to keep working the man, to get him to turn lose of it.