Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only the perfect .375 for ak, or one mans vision.

Good catch DF! It is an aftermarket, the release is inside the trigger guard and it appears dropped. I'm wondering of that's the original "tupperware" stock? I haven't handled it but can if someone's serious about it, they're about 5 miles away.

I think that's all aftermarket, looks like Williams or Sunny Hill bottom metal and an aftermarket stock.

If so, that's a screamer of a deal. Some of that bottom metal goes for $250- 300, drop belly stock, who knows. And the scope.

Very possible someone doesn't know what they have. Scope and aftermarket parts could just about be worth the ask for the whole rig.

You may want to sneak back over there, check it out. Just don't ask too many questions....

DF

I agree that is looks like Sunny Hill. I was trying to identify the stock... look at the forward sling stud location compared to DF’s rifle. Was poking around earlier on the seller’s website. They have a couple that interested me greatly. Too close to the holidays for me to jump on it.

I'd have already bought it........if it were left handed. As it is, I already have 3 too many LH .375s, 2 Winchesters and a Ruger, but the Stainless Classic always tripped my switch but Winchester chose to stop at .338 in lefty.

If that is the New Haven Classic with 24" barrel, it's probably barrel heavy. A chop and flute job would really liven it up, as it did mine. Scroll back and have a look.

This one with the drop belly stock and bottom metal is worth a heap more than mine, and I'd be hesitant to take the ask on this one for mine.

DF

Closer comparison. The factory Tupperware will not fit the dropped bottom metal. That's all aftermarket. Stock doesn't look familiar. McM makes some drop belly stocks, may need to check their web site. That gun, chopped and fluted would be just about ideal. With that scope it would weigh in the mid 8's, again about ideal for that round. I'd probably swap out the rings for Tally or Warne QD's. I'm not sure if those irons are OEM or NECG. Mine are NECG, front, fiberoptic and windowed hood.

DF








DF

Well I took a run over to take a better look. Bad move, I put it in layaway. As DF brought up, there's more in extras than what the asking price. Drop magazine, glass stock matching the bottom metal, (not sure the make on either) German #4 reticle in the Leupold. Everything put together nicely and in mint condition. Sorry guys, someone shoulda jumped on it when I first posted it.

HA!

Good score, glad you got it.

I could have bought it, put my barreled action in that stock with that bottom metal, put that barreled action in my factory Tupperware and got almost that much for a factory SS New Haven .375 H&H. Thus, the pick up of those extras would have cost little or nothing.

But, I'm even happier you got it, as I didn't really want to tackle another project right now.

Not sure who made that stock, don't remember McM having a drop belly that looks exactly like that.

Anything you find out about the bottom metal, stock, etc, pass it on. I'm curious.

Congrats, again. I'm thinking it would probably cost around twice the ask to put it together. Not sure if it would sell for that, but for sure it's worth a bunch more than you paid.

And, IME and from what I've heard, those guns do shoot. Mine sure does.

I like Cutting Edge bullets, have posted and written about them. I'm currently trying the 150 gr. and 160 gr. Raptors in my JES bored .358 Win Pre-64 Fwt.

Here's a target my .375 shot. I know, just three shots, but it was pretty neat when it happened.

DF

I have a 375 ruger in the African mdl. (open sights and 23 inch brl.) I had Gary junk do the arcticcote finish. Put the action in a MPI Kevlar stock.
I also have a Sako 75 in 375 H+H just stock rifle stainless synthetic.
Both good rifles but the Sako action is very smooth. Now I have as much in the Ruger as the Sako would be new. Just don't use the Ruger much ever since I got the Sako at a Fairbanks pawn shop.

You have more self control than I do DF. That would've been icing on the cake for your barreled action, not that there's anything wrong with it's present configuration. As you mentioned it could benefit with a little less barrel weight and I just happen to have a set of Talleys like yours that fit this action. I did some online searching with McM, Manners, MPI, B&C and
H-S P and McM does offer a drop belly stock for Sunny Hill bottom metal, but the shape and the checkering pattern is slightly different. I'll have a better idea when I pull it down for a closer inspection but it might be a couple months before I bring it home......way too many expenses this month that stress my checkbook and credit card.

Picture of McM Safari

Not a McM Safari. I have a McWoody Wby Express on a MkV 7RM Brux. When I bought it, they called it the Sako Express, Wby inlet. Now, it's the Wby Express. The Safari has drop box, the Express is the same shape, same cheek piece without the drop belly.

Prob won't take that long to run thru the list of drop belly synthetic stocks out there.

DF

Kampfeld Custom is where you need to go for chop and flute. Karl’s work is legendary and his prices are reasonable.

IMO you’ll be glad you did, as those 24” barrels are too heavy. They used the same contour for .458 and .416. Of course the .375 ended up with more metal and barrel weight than the bigger bores.

Chop and flute won’t affect the forearm fit. My 21” fluted gun handles much better now.

DF

Congratulations! I couldn’t find the price, and am curious. Whatever it was, from all of the comments......it appears ya done real good! 👍 memtb

Around $1,150. It would be hard to replace the custom drop belly stock, custom bottom metal and scope for that.

It was and is a great deal. Considering a basic SS Express New Haven gun at around $1,100 or so, plus that much again in aftermarket parts, you’d have two grand or more invested. Maybe one could sell the OEM stock and bottom metal for a few hundred. You’d still have way more than ask invested.

Would be interesting to know the story in this one. Reminds me of a shooter’s nightmare. He dreamed he had died and his widow was selling his guns for what he had told her he paid for them.

Some way the real story on this one got buried. LGS obviously didn’t know what they had. They probably don’t handle enough express rifles to be in the know. They evidently looked up the used value on a Win M-70 NH .375 SS Express and filled out the tag.

DF

Another thought. Sometimes a seller will let a scope go with a gun to sweeten the deal, help it sell.

I’d sell the scope separately, would get a better return overall, IME.

That’s what I do.

This deal was pretty sweet to start with.

DF

They just took the rifle in so wouldn't discount it much. I gave $1100, but as DF pointed out, there's more than that in the stock, bottom metal and scope. It had to be a "shooters nightmare" type scenario, I can't imagine the guy who had it put together would sell it for what this shop paid for (<1K). The shop doesn't care what it's worth, only that they turn a quick 10-20%.
I still haven't found a stock that matches the one on this rifle exactly, but it'll be a bit before can I give it a closer look. What with Christmas, a 2K repair bill and a new 3pt inverted snowblower purchase, this month is a money pit. Probably won't get it out of layaway till after the holidays........IF I can wait that long.

I don’t remember seeing a drop belly stock exactly like that one. Will be interesting to learn what it is.

I do like the simple, clean lines.

DF

Certainly a heck of a deal......I’m glad it went to a good home! memtb

Checking on line, seems Sunny Hill drop bottom metal may be more like $450-$500, a good bit more than I was guesstimating.

It includes the extended box, follower spring, the whole assembly. There are other drop bottom metal makers, just not that many, none cheap. That’s pretty much custom work.

Stocks like that can run $600. I paid around that for an Echols Legend and it wasn’t a drop belly. And, I did the fitting myself. I’m not including custom smithing, just parts.

DF


Edited to add, you may get to $1,100 aftermarket parts without the scope.

Your basic classic stainless 375 is bringing $1200-$1400 on GB the last couple months.

tmitch, you did really, really well.