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I am thinking about building a 375 Scout rifle. The rifle will be built on a Vanguard action. I am thinking of ordering a SS full blank from Krieger. The wait time is about 12 months last time I checked. My plan is to have my smith turn the barrel down but leave 2 portions at the chamber intact so I can mount a scope. Basically have 2 large round bases tapered down sharply. The barrel would be installed normally and headspaced etc. Then have the smith drill and tap the 2 portions he left thick. The rifle will be chambered in 375 Ruger with a 20.5" barrel. I want something to use on moose, elk and deer. Loading the new 250 gr. Barnes TTSX. The gun will be my serious "meat gun" and fairly light and short to carry all day. I just don't want to have to worry about getting tapped in the head with the scope shooting such a powerful caliber. I often wonder why more high powered scout rifles aren't built? It seems everything available is mostly 308. | ||
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I don't know what your smith charges per hour but that sounds like a lot of time. You might check into a used Steyr Scout in 376 Steyr too. Jeff Copper made a rifle similar in concept to the Scout in 350 Magnum. I think Cooper called it his lion rifle. I'm doing this from memory but I think another was called the 416 Fireplug or some such name (the 350 Magnum necked to 416). I saw the rifle at Brent Clifton's Medina shop when he was making the stock. I'm guessing the tacti-coolness of a military caliber sells a lot better than a big bore. Big bores in general aren't exactly flying out the doors relative to overall rifle sales. Most of the Zombie shooters think a 308 is a REALLY big round, for that matter. "Experience" is the only class you take where the exam comes before the lesson. | |||
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buy the complete action for $526 retail, in stainless http://www.legacysports.com/pr...howa_baractions.html turn a "flat" spot, or a same diameter section, and solder on a sleeve+base (picatinny?) he'll have to indicate TDC, remove barrel, turn, solder on sleeve, remount barrel. the howa action IS the vangaurd. opinions vary band of bubbas and STC hunting Club Information on Ammoguide about the416AR, 458AR, 470AR, 500AR What is an AR round? Case Drawings 416-458-470AR and 500AR. 476AR, http://www.weaponsmith.com | |||
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 sounds well thought out. Muzzle brake to protect you and the scope????  rogerOld age is a high price to pay for maturity!!! Some never pay and some pay and never reap the reward. Wisdom comes with age! Sometimes age comes alone.. | |||
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My F-I-L has a stainless barrel like that with two turned bases on an a M-S scout. Fred Wells did it years ago, and.it.did.not.come.cheap. | |||
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....scouts are supposed to be in .308 as it was originally designed as a light,handy rifle for scouts-the out the front army type- and the .308 (7.62) is a standard military calibre....read Col. Coopers article sometime, its very informative. Roger | |||
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Very interesting, I thought about this as well. How about a poor mans version of starting with a stock Ruger Alaskan, replacing the rear sight with a picatinny rail. | |||
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The Steyr .376 is worth the used price. Understandable the thought and anticipation that goes into building one, but the original is very hard to beat. Shoot them with non-coms, and learn to love the forward mounted scope. Other than the stock, they're marvelous. | |||
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It's not as elegant as a pillar barrel but XS makes their version of a Scout Scope mount:  XS web site If you scroll down a bit you will find the mount at the bottom. They make it to fit several different barrel diameters. | |||
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True- I differ with the concept on the point of detachable magazines- to losable, it would seem. Stripper clips make more sense to me. Also, Cooper's concept rifle had no iron sights- something else I disagree with. | |||
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Unless you just want the fun (and cost) of building something different. I would very HUMBLY suggest just buying a Ruger 375 Alaskan and not give it another thought. Getting whacked with the scope is just not something you will need to worry about! "The difference between adventure and disaster is preparation." "The problem with quoting info from the internet is that you can never be sure it is accurate" Abraham Lincoln | |||
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I have hunted with a shot a lot a SAKO Handy rifle with a 20" barrel and a Blaser R 93 with a 19.5" barrel, both in 375 H&H. They both handled and shot great. While you would not want to shoot one off the bench all day, in the hunting field they are not that bad. I never worried about the scope hitting me in the face. Except for the time the SAKO broke the factory mounts, the scope hit my glasses and cut me pretty good. WARNE mounts fixed that problem, my brother has the rifle now and hunts with it all the time. A calibre larger than 308 in a Scout rifle is called a Super Scout. Cooper had one in 350 Rem Mag. DOUBLE RIFLE SHOOTERS SOCIETY | |||
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I have a Steyr scout and a full custom scout. Trust me it is cheaper (by half)to just go straight to gunbroker and buy a Steyr in 376 and go hunting. Go Navy | |||
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I don't understand what is so expensive about leaving 2 rings on a barrel blank then drilling and tapping them? | |||
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X2 You gotta pay for the time they dick around on the computer!  roger Old age is a high price to pay for maturity!!! Some never pay and some pay and never reap the reward. Wisdom comes with age! Sometimes age comes alone.. | |||
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That is the only reason I am building the Scout. Recoil. The Scout is my only guarantee the scope will never hit me. It gives me a great sense of relief just thinking about shooting that Scout rifle. Absolutely no worry whatsoever and the only way to achieve it. I have always been a person who "crawls into" the scope view after I position my cheek. I place my scope much farther forward than most people and have always shot long eye relief scopes. Once when tracking a brisket shot buck all day it was getting dark. I was walking through the brush and suddenly the deer appeared 50 yards away. I dropped immediately into a sit and at the shot the scope just "breezed" my brow. Like a puff of wind. That was only a 270 Winchester and a 300 mag would have made solid contact. A 375 would have made a major cut. I don't trophy hunt and this will become my only rifle. It is strictly meat hunting and that means sand hills and thick brush, mostly still hunting and spot/stalk. When I see game it is usually an automatic reaction to immediately flop down prone or sitting. Try grabbing your 12 gauge and shooting prone with it. No problem. Your thumb knuckle might bang your lips and numb them for a few seconds but there is no worries. Now put a scope on that shotgun, that changes things... | |||
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Yup. | |||
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No. No muzzle break, too darn loud and adds extra barrel. The reason I am going with a 20.5" barrel is for carrying in brush. When a rifle is slinged on my shoulder I don't like constantly fighting hang ups. 24" simply sticks up too much to catch on branches. 22" is better yet I find an extra 1.5" chopped off makes a big difference. 20.5" is perfect. Going any shorter than that starts getting into bad muzzle blast. | |||
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I would humbly suggest that if you do a lot of prone shooting you consider something other than a 375. I top out around 7mm mag from the prone position and I'm not particularly recoil shy. | |||
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Yes, Howa builds the Vanguard yet they are not the same action. The Vanguard has a couple better safety features. In the event of a case rupture the Vanguard has 3 gas escape vents built in the bolt and the Howa shows 1. Not a big deal yet might mean the difference between walking away from an accident or turing into a burn victim. The other safety feature is the sealed bolt shroud. The Howa is exposed and again, more potential for gases to blow back into the face. Based on the 2 reasons stated above, the Vanguard is a slightly safer action. | |||
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The 7mm Rem. Mag I owned was probably the most pleasant shooting high powered rifle I ever owned. I reloaded Barnes TSX 160 with IMR 4350 and 4831 and the gun produced a distinct "magnum roar" with a gentle thump that pushed into my shoulder. I actually found the 270 Winchester worse to shoot. It recoiled with a loud and very irritating "pop" that gets into your head and hurts the hearing. | |||
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ar You don't mention which scope you are thinking of using. My 375 Rooger African has a Leupy 2.5x Ultralight on it, mounted in standard rings, the eye relief is plenty. I shot the rifle prone, which is when they are most likely to bite, without the slightest kiss from the scope. Before you go ahead with your plans might I sugest you consider the Ruger Alaskan with the same scope. | |||
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Roger : http://www.thetruthaboutguns.c...w-first-impressions/ | |||
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Scopes: If someone had a magic ball and told you that every single big game animal you shot in the future would be 100 yards or less, you probably wouldn't be too concerned about going past 4X magnification. What if that same person streched that number to 200 yards or less? Again the 4X wouldn't be out of place. The truth is that 90% of game animals taken are 200 yards or less. Another truth is that a serious 300 yard shot from a sitting, prone or field rest(limb, backpack etc.)requires significant skill if you want to be guaranteed a quick humane kill. I have only wounded 2 animals in my life. 1 of those was my first shot ever taken at a deer when I was 12. Every other animal has expired within a minute or two. I made a resolution a few years ago about limiting my shots to 300 yards and the world would be a much better place if 90% of the hunters a field did the same. Why am I saying all this? Basically the first 15 or so years of my hunting career were done using a simple 4X scope. And I used to practice and shoot at 400 yards with only 4X. Now that I limit my shooting and big game hunting to 300 yards, 4X is actually adequate. And considering that the majority of game is hunted under 200, the Leupold VX-II 1.5-4 Scout is actually the perfect scope for me. My biggest challenge is still hunting moose in thick brush and that can mean close encounter's and only black fur found in the scope. Having the scope so far forward allows for excellent target aquisition. If I find a mule deer 300 yards away in the sand hills I will have enough time to set up a rest, also turing up to 4 power. | |||
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AR - I think this item of yours is one of the better posts I have read here at Accurate Reloading, and I support both your logic and your self-discipline. A 4x scope at 300 yards gives you the same sight picture a 1x scope would at 75 yards. Surely anyone who is shooting at a living, feeling, creature should be able to hit it precisely with zero magnification (1-X) at 75 yards and not be throwing lead at it willy-nilly. If not, I think they need to take up something with less potential long-term pain to their targets, such as Tiddly-winks. Indeed a refreshing read.  | |||
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4 of my rifles are scope forward scout type. 2 are 1 1/2 power and 2 are 2 power. 2 have 19" barrels and are the best off hand rifles I own for moving targets. Use to hunt a lot with a sporterized 6.5 Carcano carbine with open sites till it became too blurry. The scope forward was a great substitute.  FYI-- 2 are 8X57 and 2 are 7X57. roger Old age is a high price to pay for maturity!!! Some never pay and some pay and never reap the reward. Wisdom comes with age! Sometimes age comes alone.. | |||
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The Ruger action is another option. It is Mauser style, full claw extractor, controlled feed. Unfortunately I don't like the stock/action interface of the Ruger design. It is an angled fit and I prefer the simplicity and stability of the Vanguard or Model 70. A nice, flat platform with a large recoil lug directly on the action. | |||
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Forgot to talk about the stock. I have decided on a Bamboo Accurate Innovations with a Limbsaver recoil pad and ghostline cheekpiece. I first read about this stock in L.P Brezny's book on Long Range shooting. I like the idea of a full bedding block for stability and and the durability of the bamboo wood. | |||
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Yea, I would recommend the Ruger Alaskan and their 20" stainless barrels and controlled-feed. The angled action is sound and the action has plenty of metal for overall strength. If you want an inexpensive stock replacement, try Boyd's. Accurate Innovation are beautiful but cost more than the rifle. (I happen to like the practicality of the Hogue.) The Bamboo AccInn. would be a great complement to the stainless barrel/action. That would be an awesome meat gun. 375 Ruger calibre would fill the freezer anywhere. Now for scopes: Nikon has solved your problem. You can get their shotgun scope in 1.65-5 power with FIVE INCH eye-relief. If you need more range, then get the Nikon "Inline" muzzleloader 3-9 power with FIVE INCH eye-relief. Your scope problems are solved, the glass is very good (92% transmission), the scopes are strong and built to handle the heaviest recoil. Oh, and they retail around $200-250. The objective lens will not require high mounts and the weight is a relatively light 14 oz. +-+-+-+-+-+-+ "A well-rounded hunting battery might include: 500 AccRel Nyati, 416 Rigby or 416 Ruger, 375Ruger or 338WM, 308 or 270, 243, 223" -- Conserving creation, hunting the harvest. | |||
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What does Ruger have for ring options? Last time I checked they only have their own proprietary rings in medium or high profile. Can get low mounts? Thanks for the Nikon advice. The Howa 1500 375 Ruger is another option with the Nikon. I would like to find a 1 piece picatinny rail. | |||
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make a phone call before ordering -- make certain it will fit YOUR model.. its listed as m77 not mkII opinions vary band of bubbas and STC hunting Club Information on Ammoguide about the416AR, 458AR, 470AR, 500AR What is an AR round? Case Drawings 416-458-470AR and 500AR. 476AR, http://www.weaponsmith.com | |||
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I have to agree with AR Corey and Alberta aout scopes. If I could only use one power it would be a 4X. When my retinas were still good I could shoot as well with a peep as a scope. The advantage of the scope is really in making a 3 plane image into a 2 plane image. Magnification is not really important out to 300 yds. a buddy took a peep sithted rifle to Texas hunting white tails and got laughed at until he showed them what he could do at 300 yds with it. I have a Steyr 376 but not in a Scout. Very nice rifle and very handy. I never had the scope bite me on this rifle and I never really embraced the scout concept. Anything Worth Doing Is Worth Overdoing. | |||
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My thoughts exactly or, as Jeff suggests, just buy a 20 inch barreled action from Legacy Sports. Legacy even provides a complete Howa/Hogue .375 Ruger. MSRP is only $564 and your would have it in a week. Why go to all the trouble of building one? Dave DRSS Chapuis 9.3X74 Chapuis "Jungle" .375 FL Krieghoff 500/.416 NE Krieghoff 500 NE "Git as close as y can laddie an then git ten yards closer" "If the biggest, baddest animals on the planet are on the menu, and you'd rather pay a taxidermist than a mortician, consider the 500 NE as the last word in life insurance." Hornady Handbook of Cartridge Reloading (8th Edition). | |||
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Yes and less than $600.00, 20 inch barrel.That sure is tempting. | |||
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Yes, I think I agree. I have given the Scout some serious thought and probably the best option is to buy a Howa 375 and put a picatinny rail on it. The rail and a good 5 inch eye relief scope mounted far up would be much cheaper. I also really like the Howa/Vanguard action. From everything I have read about them, they appear to be a very well machined product. No doubt, the quality of computerised equipment and level of skill and focus imparted on building those rifles seems much better than the typical Remington 700. The concentricity of the action and receiver face is said to be near trued compared to the stock Remington as well. If I didn't like the 375 I could always spin that barrel off and build a 338 RCM without having to true the action. Basically an action starts at $1000.00 whether that is a trued Remington SPS or something like the Stiller Predator. The Howa is half that and arguably a better action with no recoil lug to fool around with. | |||
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Jeff, do you have experience with these actions? I am almost sold on the ruger 375. Does anyone else have any experience with Howa. Thanks, | |||
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Buy the 24" barrel, shoot about 100 rounds through it to get it broke in nicely. Then cut it to whatever length you want and get a true professional crown after all the tedious cleaning between shots. 20.5" is my choice. | |||
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Google "Pete Lincoln" and read everything you can that he writes about the Howa. He takes stock Remington 700's, Howa 1500 or Tikka T3's and true's the action's, re-barrel, trigger etc. His experience trueing the action's of the Remington 700 vs. the Howa 1500 is extensive. If you are not interested in spending money trueing an action then the Howa is going to be your best choice in getting a concentric, square action to re-barrel. The flat bottom of the action is stable, solid and easily bedded with a very large recoil lug. | |||
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http://www.gunbroker.com/Aucti....aspx?Item=290315539 Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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