Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only The great 458 Winchester. Everyone should own one at least once

Regarding your bottom metal, when the Serbs open up standard length Whitworths, Zastavas etc to make 375 H&H models, they do a similar mod to your modified bottom metal. The difference is that a thin strap of metal (thinner than the material used to modify yours) is soldered to the outside of the mag box, not the inside as yours has been modified. If I recall correctly the box is cut a little bit further back too. It’s a questionable mod but you never hear of users complain that it fails.

Gotta admit I was a bit surprised to see the "inside job" done on mine.
An "outside job" would allow less crowding in the front of Old Fugly's box.

Rather than buy a new box if you know someone handy with a welder, I’d remove the mod at the front of your box, look for a spare box that you can cut and shut into place. This will restore the width to the front of the box. If you want to get fancy you could weld in a piece of tougher steel in the front of the box so it resists denting better.