Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Which 375hh?

I decided to replace my very lite 375hh. I'd like a heavy, realatively short rifle. Either wood or laminate. I'm leaning towards the sako75 375hh delux or the ruger 375hh 77 safari. I have also not ruled out the winchester african.

I figure I have to start prepairing somewhere and buying an express double seams a bit over kill for my first real safari.

Wich of these make the most sense or is there another floating around in the under 2000$ department that makes more sense?

Buy the model 70, send it to Mark Penrod and ask him to make it "Africa" ready, which includes installing a spring steel extractor. Ifn you have some money left over, also have Mark put an Echols "Legend" McMillan handle on it.



Mark Penrod

Penrod Precision

312 East College Avenue

North Manchester, Indiana

(260) 982-8385





Chuck

jcberiau,

You could also look at the CZ 550 which probably will be your most inexpensive choice for a .375 H&H. It is blue steel and walnut, but I wouldn't call it short unless you make it so. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

They are a lot of rifle for the money.

I am using a .376 Steyr with 20" barrel in their ProHunter model, now that rifle is short. The cartridge is also a .375 H&H "short".

Of your choices I would go with the Win M70.

jim dodd

If 2000 dollars is your budget, I would either buy the Ruger or the Model 70. The Ruger is considerably more expensive than the 70, but the MOdel 70 can be tuned to perfection with the money you save. Both are fine rifles as is the Sako, but regardless of what many say, a rifle in that caliber for all around AFRICAN USE that includes dangerous game, not having Controlled Round Feed is a showstopper. jorge

This would be a good place to start. For the money mentioned you could have it modified to exactly what you want and still have change left over.

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Buy the model 70, send it to Mark Penrod and ask him to make it "Africa" ready, which includes installing a spring steel extractor. Ifn you have some money left over, also have Mark put an Echols "Legend" McMillan handle on it.
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Around how much does he charge and what does he do, it it just a tunning job or does he do a action trueing job as well?

I don't know what he will charge (he is reasonable) and he will do what you ask. If there is nothing seriously wrong accuracy wise I would have him check the safety, install a spring steel extractor, and make sure the rifle feeds,ejects and overall performs to Mark's standards. I would give him a call and pick his brain a bit, and ask about the Echols McMillan. Mark is one of the best.

Chuck

I have Several 375's and other "African" rifles.
The M-70's are accurate to very accurate and are smoother than the Rugers. They feed well have well shaped stocks.
My 2 RSM's (416, and 458) have nicer wood than the factory winchesters and I really like the 1pc barrel-1/4rib-swivel-front site. They are probably the least accurate out of the box and the Recoil-transmission device they call a recoil pad needs replaced. I find the stock a little blocky and my 416 won't feed factory Federal ammo. Overall I think they are a lot of rifle for the money (a milled 1/4 rib can be $2500 up) but 416 needs tweaking before I would rely on it in a pinch, the Lott could be smoother.
My Sako M-75 is far the most accurate 375 I've had. I would prefer it to have a straight classic stock and mine doesn't have Iron sites yet. It's not CRF but feeds so smooth off the bench I sometimes have to look to make sure a round feed from the magazine.
I have a Steyr Scout in 376 Steyr. I'ts very accurate, handy and has lots of bells and whistles. It kicks like a pissed off Jackass. The rounds in the rear spare magazine get flattened from recoil. Great rifle in tight spaces but I'd prefer a std rifle for longer range.
I had a 9.3x62 CZ, It smoothed up nicely and was accurate, the trigger is either neat or too complex depending on your point of veiw.
My Dakota 9.3x62 is Sweetness.

If I left tommorrow for Africa I would take either the Sako or Dakota for most stuff and the Ruger Lott for nasties..........DJ

Another vote for Mark Penrod! Great guy, and, what a talent!!

Huntr

Just wondering why you wouldn't shorten and "heavy up" what you've already got and are familiar with. Pocket the difference from the 2k$ or, better yet, get a top notch quality 30mm scope for it, a set of Talley QD's and pocket the lesser difference from the 2k$?

Have you listed your lite" model on classified?

Old Toot

I'd go with a Model 70, appropriately slicked up. Champlin Arms does a good job, in addition to the others already listed. You should be able to get out for under $2k, including a 1.5x5 Leup.

My current 375hh is a mauser model 3000 it weighs 7 lbs even. It kicks like a mule. It also has a 26 inch barrel. I have it for sale at my local dealer for 1000$ canadian but so far no takers.

I have about 4 sets of talley QR rings and bases already. I also have three schmit&bender scopes that I love and plan on sticking with.

What I really want is a heavy 375hh that's fun to shoot. If it's fun I'll shoot it alot, if it's painfull and unpleasent I will not practice with it enough before I go to africa.

I'm definatly leaning towards the ruger, partially because of better sights and the 1.5lbs of extra wieght, but the winchester is getting alot of votes. I'll talk to the two gun smiths mentioned previously and see if they have a preference. I definatly don't like the open sights on the winchester and figure to put a set of express sights from NEG. With that and the tunning it should be close to my 2k price tag.

PS Maybe an ebony fore end tipon the winchester, they just add a touch of class.

DJ,

I see you have the Steyr Scout version of the .376 Steyr, mine is the ProHunter version. My ProHunter .376 weighs 9#+ all ready to go hunting, and recoil is only moderate.

One thing I like about the removeable box magazine is it will feed anything. I tried some test bullets from Mike Brady at North Fork, and the Steyr would feed them at longer lengths than my .375 H&H would (I am talking about amount of bullet protruding from the case, not cartridge length overall).

jim

[color:"blue"] Mark is an outstanding gunsmith!

Here is what he did to my Model 70 375HH to make it "Africa Ready".

*Pillar bedded it with steel block.
*Replaced factory extractor with Machined PME Extractor.
*Pinned Factory Trigger.
*Trigger Job to 3 lbs with trigger jib for exact repeatability.
*Recrowned factory barrel.
*Set factory Barrel back 1 turn and rechambered factory barrel.
*Installed Pachmayer Decellerator to 14 1/4" LOP.
*Polished feed ramps.
*Remachined Talley Mounts to fit receiver. (90% of left-handed Model 70 375s are defective from the factory on the receiver not being straight. Mark remachines the bases to make up for this mistake - makes them straight to barrel).

Result?
It is almost like a full-custom rifle. Shoots 300G Trophy Bonded Solids/Bearclaws into 3/4" groups. Spits the empties out 10 feet. Feeds like butter.

Cost? Around $1200 for everything.

I'm happy as hell with this rifle. I shot wildebeest, hippo, zebra, kudu, and and impala with this rifle. I'm going to take it back with me next year to Zimbabwe, but in the meantime, Mark will rebarrel it to 416 Remington. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Mark is extremely competent, honest to a fault, and an all around nice guy as well. I've had him build a 338 Win since this rifle and it's a shooter as well. I'm going to also have him build a me a whitetail rifle as well. [/color]

If you email me, I can send photos of this rifle.

Jeff <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

I'd like to echo Ngrumba's sentiments regarding Mark Penrod. Truly an outstanding gunsmith and gentleman. He corrected a pesky feeding problem on my Ruger 416 and it now feeds ANYTHING effortlessly. jorge

What is it, besides the weight, that you don't like about your current 375 H&H ?

I would consider rebarrelling it with a short (20") heavy barrel like the remington LTR. If you want to increase the weight more then add lead to the stock. A short heavy barrel will dramatically improve your rifles handling.

Conrad

MY current 375hh is a model 3000 edie buaer model. It has a weatherby style stock that I don't perticularly enjoy. The 26 inch barrel is another negative. The safety is loud and well that's pretty much it. It's really a heym action that mauser baught and built the rifle on in the 70's. It's very well made and shoot's well, but is just not my cup of tea.

I'd really like an express magazine style rifle that weight a tonne and is short.

I'll call the two gun smiths mentioned and see what there recomendations are.

When adding lead to the stock, do you add it to the butt, the forend, or both?
rimshot

Go with the Sako, you wont be disappointed. My hunting buddy has a Sako 75 Deluxe in 30-06 and it is a beautiful rifle. It is extemely accurate as well. I mean sub 1" accurate. Sako, IMO, are in a completely different class then any of major rifle manufactures ie. Remington, Ruger, Winchester, Savage. Its not just the extreme accuracy out of the box its the quality of parts and craftsmanship. Every rifle is test shot for proper function and accuracy. Anyways, again just my oppinion but, the ones I've seen, shot and heard about were always great.

The Avid Outdoorsman

fwiw,
If you decide to go with a Model 70 Classic the trigger and safety will need attention. Specifically the trigger on my Custom Model 70 in .375 H&H is fine until you apply and remove the safety. The trigger pull is considerably heavier after the safety is removed. So much so that it affects my ability to place the shot. It needs to be consistent...

I'm either going to have this rifle fixed or sell it and have Darcy Echols build a .375 H&H Legend...

Regards, Matt.