Gents: I'm at a point of having to make a decision. I bought a .375 M70 Classic Stainless that would require some work to make suitable for Africa 2007. I'd need a restock, barrel beading or rebarrel, action/feed/trigger tuning, and and probably a glass bed job. This would cost around $850-1,200.
Or I could sell it, buy a Ruger RSM, have the action/feed slicked up, maybe a Timney trigger and be done with it.
I'm into the rifle $700 already. I'd be in at around $1,900 when all said and done.
There is a RSM with my name on it for $1,350 at my gun store. I'm tempted to get the RSM and sell the M70. I plan to get more into the double rifle side soon, so this would be mainly my plainsgame/all-around gun. I plan to get a Searcy PH in .450-400 this year. I plan to hunt everything with it and get good at it.
What would you do regarding the M70/Ruger RSM? If I decide to get the RSM, the M70 will be for sale.
Thanks, ScottW

What would you do?

I guess I don't see why this weapon needs to be re-stocked and all. I say slick up the Model 70 as you say with the existing stock and glass bed it. Use the money you had thought about using for a new stock to install new and better sights and maybe a good scope from http://www.premierreticles.com on the model 70 and call it good. I like the RSM but it seems you are really comparing apples to oranges with it and the synthetic stainless Model 70. Do you want a really nice (and heavier) .375 in the Ruger or a good secondary, drag through the African Bush and possibly take to Alaska someday .375 in the Stainless Model 70?

JMHO,

John

John the Greek: Good point on the Alaska possiblity. I should have mentioned I have a Leuphold VX-III 2.5X8 matte finish reg duplex on Talley mounts as well on the M70.

Scott,

I'd agree with JTG, I'm sorta perpelxed as to what your dilema is at all. Unless you simply want to purchase another rifle?

IMO you've got a solid piece for $700.00 with a Leupold 2.5-8x32 & Talley mounts. Sounds like a really spiffy Plains Game/Do Everything rifle set-up to me.

I bought a L/H Winchester Model 70 .375 H&H in 1997. When it arrived I took it out of the stock putting some Tru Oil inside, tightened the cross-bolts, cleaned the barreled action, made sure everything was as should be, mounted a 1.5-6x42 Kalhes in Leupold mounts, adjusted the trigger to suit me and sighted it in. The grand total of time invested at my work bench was two hours and another 1 hour at the range.

The rifle shoots great, feeds like the catridges have been pre-greased and has been around the world several times including three trips to Africa - without a hickup.

I say stick with the Model 70, and invest in whatever modifications are necessary to get it safari-ready.

I like the Model 70 action, trigger, bolt handle, and safety better than the Ruger, plus the Ruger is just too darned heavy to pack around every day. Heavy rifles slow you down, and especially in the case of the 375 H&H chambering, all of that weight is unnecessary, and a burden you don't need.........

AD

I'm with everyone else, I can't see a dilemma. I have the same mdl 70, I don't think you NEED a stock change. I replaced the rock hard Win. recoil pad with a prefit Pachmayr Decelerator and painted the stock with a matte black gray web. I replaced the open sights and slicked the action up just a little. Total cost about $200 and I have had loads of compliments on that rifle, the only other thing that I considered doing is a barrel band swivel, but the stainless ones are about $70 and it would just be for a looks. This rifle shoots awesome, I shoot crows with it and rarely miss, so I haven't seen a need to restock or rebed it.

Scott,

I differ from the others here. I think the SS Mdl 70 is great for an Alaskan type of rifle, but it does not have the ambiance of the Ruger as a safari rifle. The great wood on the Ruger along with the quarter rib and express sights make it a very desirable rifle. The iron sights on the Mdl 70 SS are too small and are very difficult to aquire when needed in a hurry. Typically, the Rugers shoot very well and the $375 H&H is very comfortable to shoot with the Ruger's weight. Do think about bedding the Ruger and relieving the tang though, as I did not and cracked the stock on one in 416 Rigby.

Looks to me like you're just looking to justify spending some money. JMO.
(The M70 doesn't have the ambience of a Ruger?)
Dave

Scott,

if you really want the Ruger then get it.....................as you will always be wondering, the Ruger is a much smarter looking rifle than the m70 and has some lovely features, especially that integral 1/4 rib. And it has one of the best mounting systems in the business, much better than the M70's.

Speaking as someone who has a Ruger in 375, and a Winchester with synthetic stock (even though it is a 416 that I put in a Winchester factory 375 stock), I MUCH prefer the weight and handling properties of the Winchester.

The Ruger has a nice piece of wood, and is very accurate, but it feels too muzzle heavy for my tastes. Others will disagree with this, and "feel" is certainly a matter of personal preference. With that said, the Ruger only gets used occasionally at the range, and the Winchester has been to Africa for ele, etc, if that tells you anything more about how I feel .

I love the 375 caliber, and have used it on all but one trip to Africa, either as a single rifle, or in combination with another caliber. You won't go wrong with either rifle you are considering, just use what appeals to YOU the most. I have several 375's including an original Jeffery, a Mauser, a Whitworth, a Browning, and the Ruger, but the one that I usually take hunting is a ( Heaven forbid!!!!!) Blaser R93 because it is light, reliable, and extremely accurate. Personal preference is worth more than anything except reliability and possibily accuracy in selecting a hunting rifle if you want to be comfortable and happy with your selection, and no one else can make that decision as well as YOU can.

Good luck,
Jim

Curious.

Has the ruger been bedded, an action tune and trigger job already?

I went through the same mental gyrations. I decided to stick with the M70, shoot it a bunch before spending a lot of money on it, then decide what to do. In the end, I had 3 of these guns as there were three hunters. All shot 1" to 1.5" groups with the factory barrels, triggers were adjusted without problems. Stocks were sliced and diced to fit the shooters.

In the end, we shot all three rifles and did great with them. I spent about $1000 per rifle excluding the scope.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Good input... which I shall consider. ScottW

ScottW

Had to weigh in on this one! I'm 75 and was shooting a M70 since I was 18. (in 220 Swift and later in 30-06) I went to Africa in 1993 -and carried a Ruger (I think it was called the "Ruger African") The rifle was heavy, admittedly (it gave one more round in the mag,a big feature when you look at a Cape buffalo at 35 yards!) but I also practiced some 1200-1300 rounds of off hand shooting with it before I ever saw Africa. ( I was determined never to use aiming sticks)I rebarrelled and carried it in Africa. (375 H&H) I gave the rifle away to my PH before returning. (Don't even THINK about doing this today after 9/11. You have to account for firearms) I then bought the M70 in 375 H&H.I found the rifle a wee bit too light and seemed to jump up on me. That's me. I guess what I'm trying to say in longwinded fashion is that no one really can point you away from one or the other. (I like Chevys and don't particularly care for Fords) I really wouldn't be so concerned about Timney triggers nor even glass bedding (Shooting at a Cape buffalo is not trying to hit a chuck in the head at 300 yards) Your concern should be to shoot effectively offhand -and, equally important - "set up to shoot" quickly! Why not see if you like your M70? Being comfortable with your rifle is more important than anything else. There's an old shooter's expression (from the frontier days of "turkey shoots") I don't hear much anymore: "Beware of the man with one gun". It means that he knows that firearm inside out. Try out the M70 and see if you really don't want to carry this rifle in the field. Until then, save your money. Just my thoughts.

I have the RSM in 375 and love it. I wouldn't skuttle a nice Winchester to have one though. Tune the M70 and get an RSM in 458 Lott - then you would have a nice combo for your hunt. Maybe add a 7X57 for the small fellas.

You have asked a very probing question.
Most production rifles are OK to shoot pigs (or deer) with.Who cares if it fucks up -a new target is around the corner.After 25 yrs buying rifles I would suggest having a very few, very good rifles.Fit of a rifle is a concept I have only recently come to grips with and consider it more important than calibre.In all honesty I would suggest a heavily worked CZ or '98.It is not the cheapest option but the surest to getting a rifle of function and fit needed in a dangerous game rifle

SCOTTW,

I have the RSM, Safari Classic, Classic and Supergrade.

First, I cannot see how anyone can bring the Safari Classic or Classic M70 up to speed w/ the RSM for the amount of money the RSM costs out of the box. Both of my RSMs are head and shoulders above the My 70s in every respect: quality of parts, fit, finish, function, etc. This continues to hold true as I just picked up another M70 Safari Classic yesterday (this year manufacture) which cannot hold a candle to the RSM (Winchester continues to be only "fair" when it comes to quality control IMO).

Second, I do not like the design of the Winchester stocks. They are excellent for scope use but piss poor for express sights IMO. I cannot do anything to save the M70 plastic stock and I must take off some material on the M70 wood stock to better fit me. For me, the better stock design is the RSM for express sight use. I am not alone as myself(5'10"), a former Marine sniper(5'8") and a former 82nd Airborne and current national record holder(6') were testing my Safari Classic stock for fit w/ the factory sights. We all agreed that this stock would need to be altered for fixed sights. The only way we could make use of it was by stock crawling.

Flip Side, THE RSM IS ONE HEAVY BEAST!!! I do love my RSMs, but when I get the M70 to fit and get the bugs out...THE M70 IS A BEAUTIFUL RIFLE TO HANDLE!!! This is why I put up w/ Winchester's lower quality control. When the M70 is squared away, it is one hell of a rifle.

I'd suggest you think hard about the end use of this rifle. If you are only going out on short day hunts and want a beautiful rifle for the least amount of cash...then consider the RSM. If you want a rifle that is easier to carry over long distances that you can bang around and drop in the creek w/ out worrying...then get the bugs (if any) out of the M70 and go hunting.

Good Luck,
Gary

I would agree with GaryVA. I've carried the Ruger RSM on "carry everything" expeditions (for the last decade) as my carry rifle for as much as five days and would carry no other 375 in the bush. Yes its heavy and yes I have had the feed worked on by a gunsmith (they have a sharp edge at the base of the barrel that will catch an fmj and jam the bullet in a quick cycle. If you have the area ramped and polished the problem is gone), bu the weight of the rifle actually helps in aiming on DG when close. It is a superb bush rifle, the extra round in the magazine is important and more than just an extra. The feed is better than in an M70.

go with the Ruger

Scott - you should be able to find a good pre-64 in 375 for about 2K... here's one
It'll hold 4-down and shouldn't need any action work!

Shoot it, take care of it and if you don't like it, you can always get your money back out of it. Or if you do like it - it'll be worth more next year than it is this year, etc...Very rarely can one say the same about "customized guns."

Just another option...

quote:

Originally posted by ScottW:
Gents: I'm at a point of having to make a decision. I bought a .375 M70 Classic Stainless that would require some work to make suitable for Africa 2007. I'd need a restock, barrel beading or rebarrel, action/feed/trigger tuning, and and probably a glass bed job. This would cost around $850-1,200.
Or I could sell it, buy a Ruger RSM, have the action/feed slicked up, maybe a Timney trigger and be done with it.
I'm into the rifle $700 already. I'd be in at around $1,900 when all said and done.
There is a RSM with my name on it for $1,350 at my gun store. I'm tempted to get the RSM and sell the M70. I plan to get more into the double rifle side soon, so this would be mainly my plainsgame/all-around gun. I plan to get a Searcy PH in .450-400 this year. I plan to hunt everything with it and get good at it.
What would you do regarding the M70/Ruger RSM? If I decide to get the RSM, the M70 will be for sale.
Thanks, ScottW

What would you do?

Guess if I'd bought a 70 that needed that much work before I could use it for it's intended purpose, I would take it back where I bought it, and demand my money back!!!!! Then I would forego any Ruger, and buy a pre-64 model 70 for around 2000 bucks, and take it hunting........Grant.

I shot my first buff the past Sept with a Ruger SM 375 H&H. The weight made it easy for me to get use to thr recoil and it sure helped a lot when shooting 300 practice rounds off of the shooting sticks. At five foot seven inches and 140 lb, I had no problem carring it for 5 day in 90 degree weather on my hunt. I never loaded a mag round in my life, but I was able to get the Ruger to shoot 5/8 inch groups with both Barnes TS and Hornady 270gr bullets. I plan to buy this gun from my friend who lent it to me. His excuse for selling it, Too Heavy, and he has yet to hunt Africa.
PS: It has real nice wood also

I would stay away from the Win, if you have to put that much work into anything it will fail guarnteed. I would buy a Blaser or a SAKO 75. If neither of those appeal to you then there are several good pre 64 model 70's out there in .375.

Aleko

I can't say enough good about the RSM (mine's in .375), it's a wonderful rifle in every way. It's only negative is it's about one pound heavier than I'd like it to be. Perhaps a 'Smith could address that issue and of course most people say the trigger needs to be changed to a Timney, otherwise it's a damned good-looking rifle, well designed and once it's been reliability-tested you're ready to hunt. I love the express sights on it and it shoots dead-on with both solids n softs at 50 yards. Recoil is very manageable also.

Not a thing wrong with the M70, it's just a matter of preference when you boil it all down.

The Ruger is an excellent rifle. And Ruger never made a tougher gun.

However, a custom M70 with a lot work done to it could be a lot of fun too. Not my idea of fun, but I am sure there are those that would lean this way.

I would buy the Ruger, and still build the M70.

Then you will have one for Alaska and a wood one for Africa. Not that you couldn't use both on both, but you know how it is when your a rifle crank.