Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only 375 Rifle Suggestions

I recently got a Sako Kodiak in 375H&H, put a leupold VX3 2.5 to 8 scope in extra low optiloc rings. Very happy with it, accurate, handy, knocks lighter game down with authority. The front sight is a bit large and the recoil pad is a bit thin, but off the shelf I could not be happier. Even the cheaper ammo shot well, so premium stuff is only for the projectile.

Smart man.....

My first 375H&H was a Whitworth Mauser that I wish I had never sold! The Remington 700 Classic in 375 ( if you can find one) is also a very well handling and trim gun, if you can live with the push feed.Currently shoot a Winchestor Custom Model 70 with a fairly trim contour barrel, fold down express style sight, and Leupold quick detach bases with a Bushnell Scopechief 1.5 X 5 on it. Nice rifle, but recoil is extreme compared to the two prior rifles I mentioned.

No one has mentioned my personal favorite rifle - so I'll write a bit about it. I am in love with my 375 H&H Sako Model 85 Synthetic Stainless rifle. It's without a doubt - the finest factory rifle I have ever owned.

Why do I love it so?

First - it's about THREE POUNDS lighter than many other brand's 375's. A light rifle makes packing it all day long, or up and down high mountains, as good as it can possibly be. It only weighs 7lbs (yes SEVEN!) pounds naked. Compare that to other brand's 375 H&H's!

Secondly - it's action is smoother than any other rifle I own - blindfolded, I think I'd be hard-pressed to tell if. when playing with the bolt, I'd just chambered an actual round, or had just cycled an empty bolt. It's that smooth! It also feeds flawlessly right or left side up, right or upside down, barrel up or barrel skyward, and every other possible angle with it's perfectly designed controlled-round feed.

Thirdly - it's trigger is as smooth, light, and creep free as any factory trigger I have shot. It's a delight to shoot small groups with this rifle. Not only is this rifle capable of very small groups for a big-bore, but to me, it's comforting to know that the Sako company stands behind each of their rifles sold - guaranteeing five shots into an inch at 100 meters - not something many other brands (if any) will offer on their own factory-built 375 caliber rifles.

Fourth - it has a detachable magazine box that is the best design I have ever come across. Without looking, I can drop the magazine out in seconds with one hand - and yet, there is no way that it can drop out accidentally. Also, this rifle holds FOUR rounds in the magazine (not the usual - three) - and still has it fit flush to the bottom of the rifle. I like the extra round in any rifle - in a DGR rifle - I appreciate it even more! When hunting alone in grizzly country - I can even have an extra four rounds in a spare magazine sitting in my pocket. Ready to snap in at a moment's notice. It it's a confidence-inspiring feature, at least to my way of thinking.

Fifth, it has a synthetic stock with rubberized inserts, providing great grip.

Sixth, the synthetic stock has a patented recoil attenuation design that actually works! The stock design, in combination with the recoil pad design really does smooth out the recoil to an amazing degree - it also deflects the rifle down and away from one's cheek - making this lightweight big-bore fun to shoot. I have 30-06's and 7mm Magnums that are far more unpleasant to shoot.

Seventh - it's stainless. Long hunts in wet places won't make their mark on this rifle.

I could go on and on. Actually, I guess I have.

The Sako Model 85 is - without a doubt - the finest factory rifle I have ever owned - or shot - in my life - and I've been at this for more than 40 years now.

Here's some pics of my rifle and Sako's web-site. Do yourself a favour and give this big-bore some real consideration. If you buy one like it, I'm sure you'll be more than satisfied with your purchase. Mine cost about $1700 and was worth every penny.

Here's a close-up view of the butt and the cleverly designed recoil pad.


This shot shows the detachable magazine.


Another view.


Probably will never need all this power - but when alone in Northern BC, with lots of bears around, it just makes me FEEL better! Note the very soft squeezable and grippable rubber inserts in the harder synthetic stock. Ingenious.


Finally a picture of my very first group shot with this rifle. It was shot in a gravel pit behind my house - after taking the brand-new rifle out of the box after driving home with it. I got so excited at the accuracy (and unexpectedly pleasant recoil from such a light-weight 375) that I pulled my fourth shot - and called it. I shot two more rounds to get the five touching bullet holes. This group was shot with the cheapest factory ammo I could buy - and with no tuning or prep whatsoever. To say I was pleased with what I had just purchased - would be an total understatement.


Next week, I'm heading into the Northern Rockies of B.C. for a hunt with this rifle - I hope it collects a moose, sheep or big bear for me while I'm up there. If I get a shot - and miss - with this rifle - I'll have no one to blame but myself. So far, the only thing living things that I've shot with this rifle was the heads off of enough grouse to make a good dinner one evening. All of the deer that I had in it's sights last year, were allowed to continue growing for another year.

Here's Sako's own spec sheet.

http://www.sako.fi/pdf/specs/85SyntheticSS.pdf

.................Very nice rifle!!!........If Sako ever decides to cut the barrel down from slightly over 24" down to 20" and then chamber that same rifle in the 375 Ruger, then I`ll be MORE than happy to sell my (8 lb naked) 375 Ruger Alaskan and pick me up a sweet, new and very handy Sako Model 85!!!!

I'm not particularly attached to CRF vs not CRF. I've had some push feeds that fed and ejected better than some CRFs. And of course, some that did not. Depends on the individual rifle. No matter what you pick, test it a lot before you bet your nut sack on it working.

My most reliable feeding rifle these days began life as a 700 XCR in .375 which got rebarreled to .338. Since the only problem with it as a .375 was an egg shaped chamber which affected resizing fired cases, not function during shooting, if I wanted a .375 H&H I'd buy the XCR II and give it a shot.

Otherwise, I'd get the Ruger Alaskan in .375 Ruger.

Tom

I can�t say that CRF doesn�t have a slight edge if the manufacture and design of it is flawless, but I�ve talked to a lot of experienced hunters who think that the CRFs, since the designs are more complex, are more likely to have manufacturing issues that cause failures than with a good push feed. Overall a CRF may be better, but I have fired more than 10,000 rounds collectively through my 1980s Ruger M77 30-06; 1980s Remington 700 BDL .300 Win Mag; 1990s Mk V Accumark .340 Wby; and newer Wby Mk V DGR .375 Wby. These have been fired at the bench; target shooting in the mountains; hunting in good weather; hunting in rain/mud; hunting in sub-zero temps; hunting in the mountains; hunting on farms; etc � With all of those thousands of push bolt rounds fired (only high-grade factory ammo�I don�t reload or buy cheap ammo), I honestly never once have had a single FTF. Every single time, for more than 10,000 times, I have pulled the trigger, those push feed bolt guns went boom. Every time. In countless positions and configurations. The day that I have a single double-feed or any FTF on my bolt guns for any possible reason, I will start to worry about getting a CRF. But I know of almost no gun that will fire more than 10,000 times without a single problem.

Basically, I agree with this guy:

Super T there is a Whitworth Mauser on Guns International, with scope. Looks real nice

I would check around, taking my own good time and buy a good used custom rifle by a well know maker for $3000. It can be done very easily..I know that I can find them for that.

With such a generous budget, you can weather proof any blued/wood rifle. Have the metal parts covered in a black weatherproof finish, like cerakote/gun-kote. Then have the rifle bedded in a nice synthetic stock of your choice and, presto, you have a quality all-weather 375 H&H. The nice thing about going this route is you can always put the rifle back in the wood stock for that classic look when hunting in Africa.

As to what rifle to go with. I have a CZ550 and really like it. A rifle based on the Zastava action (Whitworth, Mark-X, Charles Daly, Remington 798) would also be nice choice as would the new M70 safari express.

I am a control feed fan of the last order, I would not hunt danerous game without one unless I had no other choice...I doubt that one could make one of my Mausers jam but they have been tweeked and tested and been shot a lot..A new Mauser that has not been tweeked and polished out and tested can jam easily enough...

BUT all the tweeking and polishing in the world cannot prevent a double feed in a not control feed rifle as that is operater error on a faulted design, and you actually have a round fall out of the action with a non control feed action and I have seen this on more than a few ocassions, again a operator error with a faulted design..

As far as non dangerous game their is little if any risk, but you might lose a fine trophy..

The choice is yours to live with, and I chose the control feed long ago and am firm in my belief, but only speaking for myself.

I know I am late to this discussion.. but if I had 3K

I would go with..

A Hawkeye African for the 23" barrel and add..

A trigger job or a Timney

A MKII classic from McMillan (Keeping the factory wood as well)

Send the rifle to someone who works with CRF's and have it checked for function and then smoothed out.

Buy a set of Warne QR's for it.

After all was good for function I would have it Cerakoted.

Probably just put a 4x leupold on it and spend the rest on brass and bullets.

A MK X Alaskan tuned up is a great choice, also, and they are about 1/3 less money.

Of those mentioned, I'd vote for the M70 first, Kimber second.

Sako action, Kreiger barrel, McMillan stock, coated by ROBAR with NP3 and called perfection.

Watch out for the CRF experts. They will be out in droves now.

JW

CRF? Ah, Ha Ha Ha ha!

I think that whole CRF thing is a failed philosophy based on screwing up the first shot, and being to get another screwed up shot into action quickly......

I've got a CZ in 500 Jeffery and am very happy with it, but if I was buying a 375 H&H, I'd get the new Win M70. Neither a 338 or 375 is a hard kicking rifle in my book, but then again my brain has probably softened up after 300 or 400 rounds through the 500 Jeff.

Regards,

Chuck

i vote for a 375 ultramag in a rem 700

Imagine that! ..... A push feed, pushing a belted case.