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George,

My McM McWoody stocked Hawkeye African weighs 9 lb., all up with scope, rings, and sling. The McM stock, with magnum fill, actually added a few ounces to the overall weight.

The McMillan stock fits me so well that there is a noticeable decrease in felt recoil over the factory wood handle, which split at the tang after 80 rounds (and also after being bedded, I might add). A trigger job to reduce pull to a creep-free 3 lb. has helped turn this rifle into my idea of an ideal .375!

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Nice Bighorn.

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Well, I guess that's what mine will look like too which is very nice. I'm a little disappointed about the overall weight which I guess mine will be close to too, but not enough to fret about it. Right now with a Leupy 4x aboard it's just over 8.5 but I am undecided also as to keeping this scope on it. About anything else will just add more calories.

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IIRC, the weight of my rifle, with the wood handle, scope and rings, and no sling, was just a little over 8.5 lb. With the new McM, and the Montana sling, the weight is 9 lb. That sling is thick leather, and adds a few ounces.
There is a noticeable difference in recoil management between the two stocks, probably more due to the Pachmayr Decellerator 1" pad than a few more ounces of weight.
There was also a tendency with the wood stock to allow the bolt handle to rap my index finger knuckle quite smartly when shooting from the bench. The McM completely eliminated that problem.
I will say that, after carrying this rifle around for three days in the thornbush country of Argentina for water buffalo this August, I never noticed the weight!


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I agree that Mod. 70s in .375H&H are too heavy and in several other chamberings, as well, IMO. I have packed P-64-70s in .375 H&H and .338WM many, many long, hard miles in the mountains of BC-AB and in northern Alberta's gooey muskeg (YUK).

So, I finally sold my nice original .375s and only kept one, which is in a Rimrock handle with a matching .300H&H and I almost never shoot. I have the little shorty on a P-64 action, 20" sts Classic tube, etc, etc, and THAT is my idea of a working .375H&H. I do not load as hot as I might, get 2400 fps. with 300 NPs at the muzzle and sub-moa grouping.

This, is my final purpose-built "working rifle" and it really performs. Built from salvaged parts, it did not cost very much, BUT, it works like it did and if I ding it, I do not care....if, I ding one of my nice original .338s or the .375/300 set, I get a little irate and say stuff that, long ago, the nuns at St. Joseph's would sorta "tune" me for..........

A light .375 H&H, 23" bbl., to 8.75-9.25 lbs, ready to rock is probably as close to the perfect all-around one rifle as we will ever see in our remaining lifetimes. If, one prefers the Ruger, hey, it's all good and I might well trade into an African in .375 Ruger, would for sure if it was stainless, just because I really enjoy shooting medium magnums.

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I understand that Winchester has the same barrel contour for all their "big" safari type guns. With the .375 H&H, there is a lot more steel left in the barrel than with a .485 Win Mag. Thus, the .375's seem to be barrel heavy at 24". With the sight holes drilled, most smiths don't want to turn down such a barrel, siting tool chatter, etc. from the holes. And, turning a barrel down is a lot of work unless one has expensive machinery designed for that task. Cutting the barrel to 21" will miss the screw holes and can help a lot, but those guns are still pretty beefy. To me, Winchester barrels are accurate and I hate to scrap one. But, a custom build may be the only way to achieve "perfection".

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Originally Posted by Mark R Dobrenski
Originally Posted by 458Win
The difference between the 375 H&H and the .375 Ruger are almost identical to the differences between the 300 H&H and the .300 Win Mag.

Alaskans are voting with their pocket books and the Ruger is currently outselling the ancient H&H by a wide margin and a number of astute African PH's are also discovering the benefits of the Ruger as well.


Phil-this is just me but I'll hazard a guess that it's more about the price point and the package than it is about the round. Thoughts?

Personally I like the package that the 77/375 Ruger has to offer but it's very hard for me to find a factory 375 that I'd even remotely consider toting as it comes from the factory. The 700 XCR is the only exception to this that I can think of.

Thx
Dober


You are right that the price point and package certainly affect how well a rifle and cartridge are accepted. That is one of the main reasons H&H rifles built on cheaper Mauser bolt actions became noticed in 1912. Then as the performance became known the H&H round gained a legion of loyal fans. A few of the most rabid posting here. wink
So did the 300 H&H, but a other rounds were developed that either duplicated or surpassed the ancient, overly long H&H case, and could be built on even cheaper and more readily available actions, the demand for the longer case was no longer there.
Just as the .300 H&H still has a few loyal fans, I am sure the 375 H&H will be around for a long time, but hunters will vote with their wallets and my prediction is that the 375 Ruger will eventually overshadow the .375 H&H just as the .300 Win beat out the .300H&H. Not because of any ballistic advantages - which are minimal - but because you can get the same performance in a smaller, cheaper package.

And when it comes to dangerous game, nostalgia isn't worth a bucket of warm spit, while performance is and, although a slightly longer bolt throw makes no difference on the range, when your life is at stake and you are under stress even minor advantages count.




Phil Shoemaker
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Not on the OPs current list, but shot a new to me Whitworth today. Recoil was a very pleasant surprise even with an old hard pad on it. Only shot 9 rounds but having great accuracy out of the gate with RL15 and 270 Hornady spitzer. Rifle was an old friend's gun and so happy to be in possession of it.

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The old saying is "When in Rome, do as the Roman"s do".

If you can afford a trip to Hunt in Africa owning a 375 H&H is a comparative minor expense. A decent used one is $100 USD. Or just use the 375 H&H that your PH has for his clients.

If you can afford both Alaska and Africa, then two different 375's are affordable.

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Originally Posted by idahoguy101
The old saying is "When in Rome, do as the Roman"s do".

If you can afford a trip to Hunt in Africa owning a 375 H&H is a comparative minor expense. A decent used one is $100 USD. Or just use the 375 H&H that your PH has for his clients.

If you can afford both Alaska and Africa, then two different 375's are affordable.



Got any decent used 375s you want to part with for a $100?

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Originally Posted by 338rcm
Originally Posted by idahoguy101
The old saying is "When in Rome, do as the Roman"s do".

If you can afford a trip to Hunt in Africa owning a 375 H&H is a comparative minor expense. A decent used one is $100 USD. Or just use the 375 H&H that your PH has for his clients.

If you can afford both Alaska and Africa, then two different 375's are affordable.



Got any decent used 375s you want to part with for a $100?


Put me down for two........


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Originally Posted by Bighorn
Originally Posted by 338rcm
Originally Posted by idahoguy101
The old saying is "When in Rome, do as the Roman"s do".

If you can afford a trip to Hunt in Africa owning a 375 H&H is a comparative minor expense. A decent used one is $100 USD. Or just use the 375 H&H that your PH has for his clients.

If you can afford both Alaska and Africa, then two different 375's are affordable.



Got any decent used 375s you want to part with for a $100?


Put me down for two........

He probably left off a zero.

I'd take a truck load at $100... cool

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for $100 I bet you could even sell Rugers to H&H fans grin


Phil Shoemaker
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Speaking of which, I see a used Ruger African in .375R for sale here in Canada,and I am curious, has anyone EVER REALLY found that these rifles will/do not cycle perfectly if ran hard and fast in the Ruger chambering?

Also, does anyone make/sell a 4+1 replacement mag box in steel for these? I think that I would love one so modded and in a nice Micky std. fill handle, to a all-in weight of 9ish lbs.

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Originally Posted by 458Win
for $100 I bet you could even sell Rugers to H&H fans grin

laugh laugh

Now, that's a good one, Phil. And very true, without a doubt.

With the right "bottom line", "major" differences and hard opinions may just fade away... grin

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Kute,

Yes. I had a Ruger Alaskan that feed extremely well, although I believe the NP3 I had the bolt coated with was a contributing factor.

Stocked it in a McMillan and it was a nice rifle. However, it only held three down and I simply didn't like the Ruger safety. Since it wouldn't be replacing my .375 H&H's, down the road it went.

Recently picked up a CRF SS M70 .375 H&H action, so next year I'll be building yet another!

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FOst,

What's your plan for that one?

Curious about your choices and options.

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Light weight build.

PT&G aluminum obernsdorf BM, light contour SS Lilja 20.5" (no iron sites), and Echols Edge McMillan stock. Cerakote the external metal graphite black, and bolt and internals with NP3. Talley LW rings and a Leupold VX-6 1-6x24mm with illum. German #4.

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I have that scope on a Mauser/Shilen 9.3x62 build. Hard to beat, especially for the price. It's not that far behind the Zeiss Victory 1.5-6 I got from you, which is on a top of the line, AHR 9.3x62 that I traded for. And the VX-6 retail is about half the Victory retail.

I didn't think McM recommends a big magnum in an Edge fill stock. I guess you could get one pillared and Steel Bed the lug.

What's your goal weight, all up?

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HCR has built quite a few .375 H&H with McMillan Edge stocks. Proper bedding is key.

Fully loaded with ammunition it should be right at or just under 8.5lbs

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