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I've been reloading and shooting my Ruger #1 in .375 H&H for several years now and have accounted for several deer with the 300gr SBTGK at 2500fps.

I do enjoy it but would also like a bolt action .375 H&H
To my Horror every single reasonably classy .375 H&H is at the 1000.00 and up price range!!!!!

I found that the browning A-Bolt Medallion would match my requirements......alas my dealer claims they cannot be had any longer.

he did, however indicate that he could get me the stainless stalker for 629.00

I wanted a blue/walnut but I guess I could deal with another ugly gun if I had to.

Sadly the gun is rather light at a shade over 7lbs so I suppose scoped it would weigh in at around 8-8.25lbs instead of the 9.25 or so lbs I'd prefer.

Does anyone have experience with this particular model or other brownings in .375 H&H?

I'd love any feedback.
especially any finds of "for sale" .375 H&H bolt action rifles in the blue!


Thanks
Pat

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I just sold a LH SS A-bolt in .375 yesterday...

I do not recommend it.

Aside from the "usual" reasons not to get an A-bolt, the .375 has a few additional strikes against it:

-26" bbl (I shortened mine to 24")

- it is very, very light for caliber

-plastic stock is quite "squirmy" and inconsistant (I put on a take-off medallion with cross-bolts >> then a Laminate)

-loading port is barely long enough to eject a case - and much shorter than what it takes to get a loaded cartridge into the magazine box. you have to kind of angle a round in, fish it back with your finger, then depress it into the magazine

-both of the .375 A-bolts I've shot have had mis-fire issues, largely due to the safety design


you'd be better served getting almost any magnum bolt face action and rebarrelling.




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I'm not a fan of the hybrid detachable magazine/floorplate design. Definitely light for caliber like UtahLefty said. I got a McMillan stock for mine and I plan to add some weight to it to soak up some recoil. I would agree that it would be better to get a 700 or 70 action and stick a 375 barrel on it.


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UtahLefty,
what would be the '"usual" reasons not to get an A-bolt'? just ask'n.

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short version: rust and misfires

slightly longer version:

aside from the triggerguard being very fragile and prone to breakage, the trigger and safety group is hideously complex, is unprotected metal, is nearly impossible to clean, and rusts quickly (and stealthily).

most of the issues I've had personally revolve around the safety contraption's sear and bolt handle locking bars. these positively engage but passively disengage, thus tend to hang up in their respective holes, causing a misfire(sear) or inability to open the bolt.


they're very accurate (I've owned 3) but they tend not to go "boom" reliably, and have been down for service more than any other make I've owned.

YMMV smile



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It's not a Browning, but I have a CZ 550 Safari Classic that not only looks good, but shoots good also.

I did see a lower grade Remington that was made in Serbia, a controlled feed Mauser action also that looked good.

Both of these are a good bit less than $1000.

I also have a Ruger #1 in 375 and prefer the CZ for shooting, it's heavier and fits me much better. I would choose the Ruger if I had to carry it all day.

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Have you considered a left hand Ruger African in 375 Ruger? I own the Alaskan version in stainless with its 20 inch barrel. The African is blued steel and walnut. It is a terrific rifle with ballistics that match or slightly exceed the H&H. They can be found (with luck) in the low $800 range.


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Avoid the A-Bolt Stainless Stalker at all cost!!!

I've had several 375s over the yrs and the A-Bolt was the absolute worst to shoot. 26" barrel is too long, the gun way too light, and the stock too small.

Here is a pic I pull out for such questions. Bottom pad off an A-Bort 375 SS, middle reg Remington factory, and top pad went on a 700 375 I had built. If you don't think that makes a difference go ahead and buy one, but I've seen several of these guns get bought and re-sold shortly thereafter.

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I was in the same boat looking for a reasonably priced 375 H&H.
Then I saw the Remington SPSDG on sale for $549.00
It weighs about 9 lbs with a scope, it is blued with a gumby stock and good recoil pad. It is now my official rainy day rifle.
When it rains blood trails are hard to find but not with this beauty! I am not planning on using factory loads so I don't care how bad the recoil is since I will never shoot them anyhow!
whelennut


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UtahLefty: so this thread is definitely a bit old, but I'm having the exact problem you described (about the sear slipping and causing misfiring) on my .22 A-bolt. How did you get that problem resolved when you were dealing with it? My gun is flawlessly clean, no rust etc. Taking it apart I can't *find* anything that looks like it's not working, but that cocking indicator definitely slips down if I half-uncock and then recock the bolt.

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I'm reaching back into memory a bit, but I'd have two suggestions:

1) Take the bolt out and flick the safety on & off a number of times. You'll often be able to catch the cylinder that blocks the firing pin hanging up in it's housing. Because it passively falls away when the safety is disengaged, any little burr on either the cylinder or hole with fooch it, causing the firing pin to only travel half-way, and resulting in a mis-fire.

2) IIRC, there are two other such cylinders (all connected) that can be messed up the same way -- one that locks the bolt( under the handle) and one that blocks the trigger (in the front). They both need to be checked too, but #1 above is the major culprit, IME.




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375s don't hammer you, but they do come back during recoil. One I shot was a Voere that looked good, and shot pretty good, but with 300 grain factory loads, the magazine catch unlatched itself on recoil. Not to bad if you're shooting non dangerous game, but . . . . . .

Another one I shot was my brother's CZ550 Euro with express sights. Of those two, it would be the CZ hands down. That thing even handles the 300 grainers with ease. And let me tell you bout accurate -- even with express sights we were getting rounds either touching or barely not. The CZ is heavier, but the weight is needed IMHO.


"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." (Prov 4:23)

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Originally Posted by UtahLefty
short version: rust and misfires

slightly longer version:

aside from the triggerguard being very fragile and prone to breakage, the trigger and safety group is hideously complex, is unprotected metal, is nearly impossible to clean, and rusts quickly (and stealthily).

most of the issues I've had personally revolve around the safety contraption's sear and bolt handle locking bars. these positively engage but passively disengage, thus tend to hang up in their respective holes, causing a misfire(sear) or inability to open the bolt.


they're very accurate (I've owned 3) but they tend not to go "boom" reliably, and have been down for service more than any other make I've owned.

YMMV smile


Was one of those A-Bolts you've owned a 375 H&H? I'd like to hear from some actual owners of 375 A-Bolts.

Now in my humble opinion a 375 belongs on a Mauser type Action. But I'm not going to trash a different rifle.

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The CZ550 is a timeless classic and a top choice for a .375 I find the barrels bit long and have cut them back to 21" which works well. Zastava rifles are a good choice, as these are a Mauser clone.Some of the stocks that Zastava have sent out are a bit rough though , so you would maybe need to get a replacement stock. But don't let that put you off. Charles Daley uses Zastavas and they seem to have decent stocks.
When you take an A-Bolt out of its stock and see all the rods and pins held on with C clips you will see why I would avoid a .375 A-bolt. Infact I have taken non magnum A-bolts out of their stocks and heared a ping! as some part of it has dropped on the floor, then spent half an hour on my hands and knees looking for it!
You could always pick a Mauser actioned rifle up and get a barrel from Midway and build your own DG rifle.
[img:center]http://[Linked Image][/img]

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Originally Posted by paul375
The CZ550 is a timeless classic and a top choice for a .375 I find the barrels bit long and have cut them back to 21" which works well. Zastava rifles are a good choice, as these are a Mauser clone.Some of the stocks that Zastava have sent out are a bit rough though , so you would maybe need to get a replacement stock. But don't let that put you off. Charles Daley uses Zastavas and they seem to have decent stocks.
When you take an A-Bolt out of its stock and see all the rods and pins held on with C clips you will see why I would avoid a .375 A-bolt. Infact I have taken non magnum A-bolts out of their stocks and heared a ping! as some part of it has dropped on the floor, then spent half an hour on my hands and knees looking for it!
You could always pick a Mauser actioned rifle up and get a barrel from Midway and build your own DG rifle.
[img:center]http://[Linked Image][/img]


CZ550's are fine rifles. I own one. But that is beside the point. Let us hear from some people who have own a 375 A-Bolt.

Last edited by idahoguy101; 10/17/12.
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Originally Posted by idahoguy101
I'd like to hear from some actual owners of 375 A-Bolts.


I have one. Got it about 6 years ago. Had a .375 Weatherby reamer run into it, put the trigger at 40 oz, screwed on a Limbsaver, put a pair of dovetail rings on it with #8 screws, lapped the rings and set a Weaver V10 in them. It weighs 8 1/2 lbs. loaded and ready to hunt.

It shoots reasonably well (a whisker over 1 1/4" for 5 shots at 100 yards) but I have not done a whole lot of load development with it after I found one versatile load that it seemed to like.

I do not find the recoil to be hateful. But it IS probably close to or above what some would call "fun".

I have had ZERO failures to function in any way. The Weatherby conversion does, however, reduce effective magazine capacity to 2-down. 3 will fit in the clip. But you can't get the floorplate closed behind it. At least I can't.

The 26" barrel has never bothered me at all. I'm on the tall side with a pretty decent wingspan. But this rifle's numero uno duty for me is black bear. PA black bear drives. And I'm nearly ALWAYS a driver. I have belly-crawled, pushing the rifle in front of me for miles over the last 6 years. I have wrestled it through multiflora, downed treetops, spruce jungles and the likes. No complaints about too much tube.

Bottom line in my experience is that if you can enjoy the ride, you will like the rifle.


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P.S. I have shot an A-Bolt Stalker in the original H&H configuration.

It's noticeably kinder & gentler at the hind end.


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Originally Posted by Yoder409
P.S. I have shot an A-Bolt Stalker in the original H&H configuration.

It's noticeably kinder & gentler at the hind end.


Thank you for your input Yoder409

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Actually, I've owned 3 A-Bolts SS's, all with 26" tubes and in LH.

The first 2 were a matched pair in .300 WM and .375 H&H.

The .300 was a tack driver and I never had any issues with it. It also gave better MV's than my 24" .300 Wby. 3200 fps from 180s and 3000 from 200s. I loved the stainless, the lightnes, the accuracy, the 60* bolt lift AND the relatively quiet muzzle blast!

The .375 H&H had the same encouraging features as the .300: It was relatively light and had a "fast" barrel. One particular "book" load easily gave 2700 fps from 300s. I never noticed the recoil. At the time I was in my mid-sixties, weighed about 190 lbs at 5' - 9" without shoes.

The rather serious down side was that the bore was off-center, hence the accuracy was very poor. My gunsmith found that problem that couldn't be fixed, so I took it back to the dealer and for $100 got the same rifle in .338 WM and promptly had it rechambered to .340 WBY, installed a .375 magazine clip and it proved to be a GREAT rifle. It too was fast as a .338 WM -- getting close to 2850 fps from 250s with sub-moa accuracy. After conversion, I was getting 3000 fps as a .340 and 250 NPs. Shot a nice moose with it. But, I would say that as a .340 the stock was not quite stiff enough, so I epoxied 2 stainless screws in the fore end to put some upward pressure on the barrel. That worked wonders and it too would shoot 1" - 1.25" with the NP load. Never had any issues with that rifle after putting about 1000 rounds through it. I have a friend who bought the Medallion in .338 WM. He had problems getting 3 cartridges into the clip. I had a slight problem with that in the .338/.340, never with the .300 ??

I'd previously owned an M70 in .375 H&H with walnut/blued 24" barrel that, in my view, was way too heavy and would not give the velocity of the A-Bolt.

Just the facts,

Bob

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