The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Rifles Big Bores Model 70 Classic stainless / synthetic 375 H&HGo | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
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Anyone have/had one, impressions? I just found a mint one and am about to take the plunge. Never had an M70 before and I think it's about time. Regards, Chuck "There's a saying in prize fighting, everyone's got a plan until they get hit" Michael Douglas "The Ghost And The Darkness" | ||
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There's probably more of them used by brown bear guide's than all other rifle's combined. I tend to use more than enough gun | |||
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Hello Chuck375, I bought mine in 2002 I believed... Quality control was terrible to say the least. Open sight on it are crap and were not even tighten from factory! Many tool marks were present on the action. Factory injected molded stock is also crap. I ended up getting a laminated stock made my Accurate Innovations for mine. As we speak, it is being converted to a 375 RUM, reason being, tool marks left from factory in that chamber... Decided to go with a 24 inch Pac-Nor barrel 1/10 twist. A very accurate gun, but I expected a bit more from Winchester after spending 1100$ Canadian. Anyways, hopefully when I get it back, it will be all I hoped for initially. Maurice | |||
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I have one. Bought it secondhand but it didn't seem to have been shot much. I'm with Enigma on most points. The fact that the rear sight folds down is a problem, but easy to fix. The bolt face has some toolmarks, but that doesn't affect performance. Still has the old trigger, so it's adjustable for an awesome pull. I also have a very rough land close to the muzzle and the barrel fouls badly. This REALLY worried me, but nevertheless, the rifle shoots really well. I used mine as is with open sights for a while and got rained on a few times and it worked just fine. I've since replaced the plastic tupperware with a take off wooden stock. Adding a bit of weight was a good thing and it's become a favourite rifle. Never had a single reliability issue and I shoot a lot on the range before I go hunting. I'm not sure what you would pay, but for the same price I'd probably get a new Mod 70. I'm not sure how critical the SS finish is to you. It's a good rifle, but it's a bit rough. From what I hear most shoot well. I'd not sell mine in a hurry. | |||
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Thanks guys, I do want stainless / synthetic, so it sounds like I'd be better off waiting for Winchester to come out with a 375 H&H in their extreme weather rifle. It seems like the new ones have a better stock and better quality control. Regards, Chuck "There's a saying in prize fighting, everyone's got a plan until they get hit" Michael Douglas "The Ghost And The Darkness" | |||
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If you've lost interest, would you PM me the details and contact info on this rifle. Thanks  | |||
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Hey Chuck I have a .375 H&H in M70 Stainless Classic and love it! I'm not sure what year mine was made I bought it in 2003 or 04 and it was previously owned but looked unfired. It functions flawlessly and shoots max loads of RL-15 and Barnes 300 grain TSX's into tiny little groups, even with the hot glue bedding it came from the factory with. I wouldn't get rid of mine for twice the price. Chuck are you a member of Frontier Sportsmans club? I see you are in Colorado Springs, I'm in Falcon. | |||
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I also have a 375 H&H stanless clssic and love it. I bought it new quite a few years back and paid 670 for it. Fit and finish are excellent. the injected moulded stock is a little too lite weight for a lot of shooting but it carries well. I did replace the hot glue bedding with pillers and Acra-Steel bedding. Accuracy is excellent and all I could ask for. reliability is 100% and I don't mind the fold down rear sight (easy to zero, quite funtional and acraglassed to the barrel as was the front sight base. Mine has a Leupold 1.5x5 on it most of the time anyways but the iron is zeroed for any emergency use. If I did't have the scope on it I'd have a ghost aperture in a Lyman steel receiver sight on it. However the factory rear sight is a good back up to have. I picked up a new Winchester factory wood stock for it. which adds a little weight, is thicker in the fore end and butt so it shoots easier and looks real pretty. I love mine and wouldn't sell nor trade it for any other. Larry Gibson | |||
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I like mine. The stock is a little cheasy. The follower too. I think the dinky little holes they drill for scopes are a travesty. I coated mine with black teflon coating although they have a fairly matt stainless finish (especially compared to finish on Ruger all-weathers). Feeds and shoots great and is about perfect size and weight for a 375 IMHO. | |||
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Another vote of confidence for the SS M-70. In fact I'll say it's the most usable most bomb proof rifle Winchester has ever built. As other have stated the plastic stock is a major POS but easily replaced with something better. I restocked mine in a Mc Millian. I also had mine stainless blued(yes there is a process for that). I cut mine to 20" and had it fluted and it's topped with Leupold 1.75x6. The only thing 'd do different on mine was I'd have cut it to 22" not 20". My .375 is a WAY sub MOA rifle and has gone with me everywhere. I've killed hundreds upon hundreds of head of game with it from AK to Texas to Africa. It is my one and only rifle that is not nor will it ever be for sale. Winchester is making a HUGE mistake not offering a SS version of the .375 in their new offering. I'd like to see them do the same with the .416 too. The rifle..  It shoots like this with boring regularity if with just about anything I put in it.  | |||
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Surestrike, Wow! Your rifle looks like a great alternative to the Ruger Alaskan. In a good old standard H&H chambering. I like the idea of 22" in 375H&H (although, your 20 has to be real handy). My M70 375H&H is 24" bbl & wood stock. It shoots like a dream, but your creation obviously would be better to carry. What is the weight of the bare bones gun, no scope -no ammo. I ask just to get apples to apples comparison to the Alaskan at 8 lbs. How much weight difference do you think the fluting made? | |||
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I just built a second 416Rem off a NH M70 to improve upon and replace my older 416. My older "Shoemaker light rifle" M70 416 weighed around 8 1/2 pounds with mounts less scope. My newer version is better balanced, better fit, and weighs approx 7 3/4 pounds with mounts less scope. The scope weighs 6 1/2 ounces and the ammo weighs 6 ounces which brings my new rifle to just over 8 1/2 pounds ready to roll. The difference between my old and new rifle is around 3/4 pounds and that difference is night and day. I like my old rifle, but my newer version is markedly improved and unmistakably better in my hands. It carries like a well balanced sporter 30-06. In lieu of barrel flutes, I used a 375 contour barrel with a 416 bore, cut it to 22-inches and used a deep protected crown. This gave me built-in weight savings over a 375H&H chambering similar to how the 416Ruger is lighter than the 375Ruger. In addition, some excess metal was removed from the receiver along with the 1-pc steel Williams bottom metal was replaced with a CNC machined 7075-T6 duplicate. Along with a light weight stock, the entire package was brought down to approximately 7 3/4 pounds with NECG barrel sights and QD mounts less scope. I had enough room with the modifications to fine tune for best overall balance. By far, a Ruger rifle in the Ruger 375 or 416 chambering is a better route for an out the box rifle if one is looking to be practical. But if one is willing to take the extra steps, the M70 in a traditional chambering can be made equally as light without too much fuss. One could actually take the 375 Classic Stainless and turn the barrel down to minimal specs, remove some excess metal, go to 7075-T6 bottom metal, and use a lightweight stock to end up with a very lightweight mountain rifle. But again, it would probably be far more practical to go other routes to reach those results if that were a goal. Best  [/quote] | |||
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Thanks Gary. | |||
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I couldn't resist. I wanted to wait for my new scope to arrive, but I decided to test out the new rifle with the fixed NECG sights. Used my sighting board to regulate, placed one fouling sighter at 15yards over the chrono, and then posted at 100yards for a 3-shot group. I've got a winner! I'd been pleased to shoot a group this good with the scope, but with fixed sights, I don't see how I could ask for more. I do so love the 416Rem out of a NH M70.  Later  | |||
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Got a used one, and I love it. Came with Leup 1.75-6, trigger work, pillar bed, and merc tube already done. Caleb | |||
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Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. No scope no ammo the rifle weighs just at 7.75 lbs. The fluting/shortening removed nearly a pound and half. The M-70 in .375 has a truck axle for a barrel so we were able to safely take quite a bit of material out with the fluting. The rifle does carry and shoot like a dream. I actually cut it that short because at the time I was bush flying in AK. I needed a short handy thumper that would be less hassle to get in and out of and store in a light airplane. Mine will fit nicely in the custom rack I made across the back seat of my 1956 Cessna-180. I had to sell the airplane but I've still got the rifle. It isn't nor will it ever be for sale. | |||
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Chuck, I had one from the New Haven plant. It was a piece of junk. When I open the floor plate at the store, the follower fell on the floor. That was, as a matter of fact, the last Winchester I ever owned. My advice... buy a Ruger. 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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Thanks surestrike. Thats two very light and handy 375H&H based on M70 action. No need for any new cartridge designs. Not with Winchester. Dave, I know opinions vary and even though i had no problems with either Ruger or Winchester, I think the Winchester is a better (and classic) design and the Carolina guns have zero complaints here on AR. There have been complaints about the new Ruger hawkeye family. | |||
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Thanks Dave, sorry to hear. What do you think of the new M70s made in South Carolina? I am going to get my 500 Jeff restocked with the CZ Bell & Carlson synthetic stock, so I don't really need a 375. Regards, Chuck "There's a saying in prize fighting, everyone's got a plan until they get hit" Michael Douglas "The Ghost And The Darkness" | |||
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Chuck, I don't have any experience with the South Carolina guns. I am sure they are better. However, the New Haven guns left a really bad taste in my mouth and if I was looking for a stainless .375, I would go with the .375 Ruger stainless or better yet, a Ruger 9.3X62. That's just my two cents. I am not part to the Winchester cult and I was never, ever part of the pre 64 cult. I had a friend who had a Super Grade .338 and I thought that was a really nice gun. It was the only Winchester that I would have like to own 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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Unfortunately I feel about Ruger rifles the way you do about Winchester. I bought an M77 in 270 in Montana in 1972 turned around and sold it 3 months later at a $200 loss (a huge amount of money to me at the time), just couldn't get it to shoot. I turned around and bought a Remington 700 BDL in 270 and it has shot nickel sized groups at 100 yards for 30 plus years and has never had any kind of malfunction. Outside of a trigger job by Norm Thompson to get the pull down to 2 1/2 lbs I've never had any work done on it. Regards, Chuck "There's a saying in prize fighting, everyone's got a plan until they get hit" Michael Douglas "The Ghost And The Darkness" | |||
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"Thanks guys, I do want stainless / synthetic, so it sounds like I'd be better off waiting for Winchester to come out with a 375 H&H in their extreme weather rifle. It seems like the new ones have a better stock and better quality control. Regards,Chuck" Or a nice Browning Stainless Stalker also in .375. Loved mine! "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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Chuck: My experience with Remington is the same as yours. Everyone I ever owned was a shooter right out of the box. I have a Remington Classic in .35 Whelen that is an incredible shooter. I have had good luck getting the Rugers to shoot with the exception of the No.1's. I have had some that shoot really well but some I couldn't get to shoot no matter what I did. 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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I just recently found one, Win. 70, Stainless Classic in 30-06 Spfd, Leupold 3 - 9x 40mm duplex. The Stainless Classic reintroduced the full-length extractor and some other features which were dropped in the 1964 re-vision of Winchester designs. Scope mount -- I have Leupold bases on a Winchester. I trust the underwriters and the warranty. I never looked to see how they're bored. Trigger adjust is useful, secure, positive. Stock is OK . . . Nothing to write home about, and would be the first thing on this gun I'd upgrade. But I bought it for shooting, not raves and envy. Mod. 70 is "The Rifleman's Rifle." | |||
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I wouldn't sell mine but had my share of issues - barrel not properly indexed so sights lopsided, chamber rough. New quality sights, original stock bedded, barrel cut to 22", replacement extractor, kept original 6x32 for Leupold QD bases. Roughest trip in to Zambezi Valley and another bumpy trip in South Africa no problems. Handles so much better with 22" barrel.Charlie. | |||
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My PH carried a S/S M70 in 375H&H in Tanzania. That was enough of an endorsement for me. Phil Massaro President, Massaro Ballistic Laboratories, LLC NRA Life Member B&C Member www.mblammo.com Hunt Reports- Zambia 2011 http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/1481089261 "Two kinds of people in this world, those of us with loaded guns, and those of us who dig. You dig." | |||
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The classic in 375 holds three down. For $47.50 you can change that to four down (Sound Metal Products) A PH might like that extra round... | |||
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Hi Duane - any chance I could order the necessary parts to New Zealand?? Tried the replacement spring and follower but never quite got it to work right so went back to 3+1. Thanks, Charlie. | |||
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[/QUOTE] gary, what's the scope on that one? | |||
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The current scope is a LEU 2.5xUL, but it's not in the pic. What's in the pic is an extra set of rings awaiting a new ordered scope. They're oriented because they were hand fit and lapped. Later | |||
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I had two Model 70 classics in stainless synthetic chambered for .375 H&H and loved both of them. As Enigma said the sight were not at all good from the factory and I did not like the blue sights on the stainless guns so I cured both problems by ordering a stainless Ruger rear sight a stainless Number 1 banded front sight and stainless Number 1 barrel band front sling assembly and having them installed on the rifles. This made a very good rifle even more attractive. I also had one of these rifles rebarreled to .458 Lott with a stainless barrel and the same sight system. By using the .375 rifle for the conversion the Lott fit perfectly with no modification needed to the magazine box length. | |||
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Hi Steve, You wouldn't happen to recall the part number of that stainless Ruger #1 front sight that you used?? I'm halfway into the same exact project, a .458Lott built with a .375 Classic Stainless. Thanks! Mike | |||
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PWS, I can't recall the part number but what I did was get on Ruger's website and get the number from the expolded diagram for the Number 1 Tropical rifle in stainless finish and ordered that along with the set screws and inserts. The sights inside diameter is almost identical to the barrel contour of the Model 70 stainless barrel in .375 H&H, with the sight being just slightly larger in diameter. If you get the sight and send it with you action when you have it barreled your barrel maker can turn the barrel to a perfect fit. If you go this route you will also have no problem as far as opening up your barrel channel of the stock if you choose to keep the original stock. I hope that helps. Going this route really makes a nice setup. I at one point had a 30-06, 375 H&H and the .458 Lott all built like this and you had a set of tough use rifles that was just about ideal for any kind of hunt. Sincerely, Steve | |||
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Chuck, I got mine used on AR-bay. Came with both a factory stock and a bedded HS Precision stock. Was a STEAL at the price I paid for it ... on the day Winchester announced they were ceasing production in Conn. Seller was good enough to stand by his price even though I offered to let him out. Rifle came to me with the front site boogered up. The seat for the screw was too tall and it would not engage enough threads in the barrel to hold. Milled it down a bit and have had no further difficulty with it. Even in the HS Precision stock, it has never been more accurate than decent for a hunting rifle ... 1 1/4" at 100 pushing 300 gr Barnes TSXs at 2604 fps. Good enough to go, but not amazing. Has been to Africa and did well. Not worth a premium over new production rifles when they are available. Mike -------------- DRSS, Womper's Club, NRA Life Member/Charter Member NRA Golden Eagles ... Knifemaker, http://www.mstarling.com | |||
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You got a deal. I found one in mint condition for $1100, but if I have to put a new stock and sights on it, then I'm up to $1700. Don't need one quite that badly just yet. I can restock my 500 Jeffery for $500 in synthetic and switch stocks back and forth. Makes more sense for me I guess Regards, Chuck "There's a saying in prize fighting, everyone's got a plan until they get hit" Michael Douglas "The Ghost And The Darkness" | |||
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Not to start a fight, but I don't like the Blaser action in the African dust. Never heard of a problem, but I've handled them and even hunted with one. If there's snow and no dust and grit it's a different matter I guess. i like a CRF for a DG rifle, but do concede that it's not essential. Of course you could but a current M70, have another finish applied, cerakote or whatever, and pop it in a synthetic stock. Would cost a bit, but a nice project. Does anyone know whether you can swap out the previous M70 trigger to the new MOA system and vice versa? | |||
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Thanks Steve - no part# needed with that info! | |||
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