https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1046423612

LH SS extreme weather (New Haven; custom shop) in .458 win.

😳

Wow, that's going to be a fun one to watch! I'm thinking it'll break $4k easy.

Built a LH .300H&H on a M70 action two years ago. If this were a .375H&H, I would be sorely tempted. However, I may lose my looney card for saying "I don't NEED a .458..."

Looks like a custom shop rifle...

Who was the OEM for Winchester Custom Shop synthetic stocks?

That’s a McMillan. McMillan was OEM on the custom shop extreme weather.

Yep, that's no Wintupperware

That's how I felt, so I threw a bid in just to keep my card! I don't hold any illusion that it will even be close to the selling price, but it may allow me to keep "looney" status.

Correct straight Tupperware. That rifle would get an Echols Legend and go hunting!

Yes, that's a Custom Shop serial number, you could order a particular serial number as long as it hadn't already been used. The Extreme Weather model came with a glass bedded McMillan Supergrade stock. The barrels were not Winchester factory tubes but were supplied by various aftermarket makers.


I ordered a pair of left hand Extreme Weather Model 70's back in 2000, a .30-06 and a .375 H&H. They took a year to arrive. The .375 was set up like the .458 in the auction except for the muzzle brake. The front and folding leaf rear sights are from NECG.

The .375 H&H was a beauty. Both rifles have super slick actions, they feed everything including empty cases. The .375 was extremely accurate, the .30-06 not so much.


Couldn't say for sure if the threaded barrel and brake are standard or a custom option offered from Winchester. When I ordered mine they were like Honda cars, you got whatever they made the way they made it. That may have changed at some point, I was unhappy with the heavy barrel on my .30-06 - it was somewhere around a #3 to #4 contour - so I sent it back and they replaced it with a lighter barrel.

Those sights are definitely what the CS offered so you never know, perhaps it's all original or maybe just the original barrel and the brake was added later.

It’s not tupperware.

Since Winchester closed their Custom Shop. Back around 2005. It never reopened. They produced some exquisite Winchester firearms over the years. I owned three left hand rifles Extreme Weather models similar to the photo in .270 win., .338 win mag, .375 H&H. Mine were all ordered with Krieger match barrels. All were tack drivers. Smooth engine turned bolts. Mcmillan Super Grade contoured stock. They were way better than the factory produced rifles which many were a sad case in production. I sold the .270 and 375 to a fellow forum member who hasn’t posted in years. I still have the .338. I got away from the modern look and wanted more of a traditional look. I had the whole SS barreled action ceracoated Leupold matt black. Changed the rear sight to a different NECG sight. Shortened the barrel as it was fairly thick. It helped by bringing the balance back towards me than the front end. I lost about 60 fps but never noticed a difference on game. I use barnes TSX or TTSX 225 gr. home loads. 1/2” to 5/8” MOA. I switched the stock to a well laid out walnut Custom Shop stock and never looked back. I still have the Mcmillan which is fully glass bedded. Basically as a rifle loony, I dumped more money on top of good money. The rifle listed for sale sold for around $2,400 back then. As been eluded, in today’s market it’s worth the $4k. Cannot be replicated on the cheap.In a LH CRF action the only rifle that matched it in quality was the Dakota 76. Some of the Custom shop rifles had a certificate validating it from their shop. Many didn’t. It didn’t make a difference. They all had the low digit serial number starting with letter G. Most important was the Winchester proof mark on top of the barrel near the receiver. It had CSG for Custom Shop Gun. The muzzle brake was not the norm. It was either custom ordered that way or built later. Back then the most common was the KDF brake made in Michigan about a $180 addition.It had large ports all around as in the picture. Gentry was the other. bolt and magazine follower were jeweled to give it that extra touch. Excuse the lengthy diatribe, thought some fellow members might be interested. Good luck to whoever wins it.

What length action was this and the right hand safari express built on?

Express.

Wow, I really missed that one! It went for $2315, much less than what I thought it would go for. Took all my willpower not to start bidding on it...."I don't need a .458. I don't need a .458, I don't need...."

I was surprised it didn’t go for more $$$ as well.

Seemed it reached a respectable price. Any more it wouldn't of been worth it. A person could easily purchase a LH stainless Ruger in 7mm mag or 300 Win Mag and rebarrel it for less than $2300.

I am right-handed so the gun is worthless to me.

With about 10% of the world's current human population being left-handed that kind of limits it's interested pool of buyers.

It appears left hand 375 H&H Classics are all the rage, and the larger bores are not as popular, if one is following Gunbroker alone.

Agreed those LH Safari Classics in 375 H&H have been going for a premium. The super expresses that have sold recently have not been quite as expensive as the Safari Classics. Glad I got mine when I did, it’s one of my favorite rifles.

It would appear that someone bought a stash of them new, when available. And has finally decided to start liquidating. Two had consecutive serial numbers. Other S/N's very close in sequence. Also appears that they figured out to sell them as singles, spread out, vs three at a time as they began...