What would you buy?

This may not meet your criteria however I would buy a clean pre model 70 375 H&H and be happy with life. When you have dependability, character and value, well like they say, you have about everything. Good luck in your pursuit...

Sure, buy it if the price is right. Just don't let it get water soaked for a week. Plastic is best for that. But I use wood since I am not going to rainy places.
Pre 64, would not be "new". A new production Model 70 would be. Assuming you want performance and not nostalgia.
I would build one, as I have done many times; anyone can buy a new rifle. Or depending on your skill; have someone do the metal and you do the wood...

Keep in mind that most pre 64s have at least 50 year old stocks. Ive never had warping with one of the many I have owned and hunted with, most custom rifles have nice pretty fantastic wood, much tends to be a couple of years old and it seems much of it warps with a little abuse. Picking your gun maker on custom rifle is a must..Ive seen plastic stocks melt in the trunk of a car or next to the tent fire, its a push IMO..Maintence is probably your best bet whichever way you go.

Winchester African.

Take a serious look at the new Montana Rifle Co rifles. Yes, they are made in Michigan which isn't Montana, but they are making nice rifles. It's not out yet, but they will have a safari line of rifles shortly in .375, .404j, .416 Rem and .458 Lott.

I had a good look at them and talk with the owners at SCI. I really liked what I saw.

Jeremy

New FN Winchester Model 70 African or Alaskan.

I have both.

Montana w that recoil lug got too cute by half.

mr. Hunt4: If I insisted on the rifle being new, I would buy a current model 70. However, I agree with mr. eddiel4: I DID buy a pre-64 M70 .375 because I have a son who is an alaskan guide and I intended to, and did use it successfully on a brown bear hunt. My desire was to have what I believed was the ultimate in reliability and while accuracy was obviously very important, it was secondary to reliability. BUT, I had read numerous articles about the outstanding accuracy of pre-64 .375s and I can tell you that after a good bedding job, my rifle is incredibly accurate with handloads, so much so that you'd probably think I was exaggerating. I did a lot of prepping the stock for resistance to moisture so I wasn't worried about reducing the value by doing so. Incidentally, my bear hunt was the 3rd hunt on Kodiak island, all 3 hunts using WOOD STOCKED pre-64s that had been carefully prepared for Kodiaks nasty wet weather. The 2 rifles used, my .375 and my .300 worked just fine. Good luck. Just my 2 cents worth.

You might consider a new Ruger in 375 Ruger...(H&H was not specified)

I would choose the rifleman’s rifle, a Winchester Model 70, then go to work on it until it was customized to my liking.

quote:

Originally posted by LHeym500:
New FN Winchester Model 70 African or Alaskan.

I have both.

Montana w that recoil lug got too cute by half.

Heym,
What big game have you taken with your (two) Winchester Model 70’s?. What loads do you hunt with? Lots of experience with these actual .375 rifles that make you an authority on recommending these rifles?I usually take advice from gun people who have actually hunted with the actual guns they recommend.

To the OP . I would take the advice from Mike Robinson or Ray Atkinson (maybe some others posted too but not familiar with them).
Mike and Ray have actually hunted a lot , actually used the rifles they are talking about, they have vast experiences. They are not just some self proclaimed internet experts with zero experience.
If you asked I bet Ray and Mike would pm you with questions.
4WD

From my end, I’ve had really good luck with Dakota (now Parkwest, I believe) but they are spendy.

I have a couple of the newer winchesters, and the action is reliable, but the accuracy wasn’t cutting edge. That said, they are decent (the .25 is right at 1 MOA, the .300 is about a 1.5 MOA gun- more than acceptable for hunting- my Dakota .375 is a 3/4 MOA gun from the bench.

The wood was rather pedestrian and fit wasn’t all that great in the winchesters. These are not big caliber rifles though- a .300 win mag and a .25-06.

I think the new Winchester action is solid. Their barrels aren’t the greatest and the assembly is good given it’s a factory produced rifle.

I’ve never thought the Rugers looked that great, but they are reliable rifles also. Remington, CZ… dunno, not enough experience and I’m not sure if either offers a .375 in wood now.

It’s all in how much money you want to spend.

For a hunting rifle on a budget that is wood stocked, I’d go with the M70 CRF made now.

Budget, finishs, requirements... me? Stainless 375 ruger, as a 375 is a working rifle. The new win model 70s are great tools, and can find nice wood. The ruger 375hh rsm looked great but are very heavy for caliber

What else are you looking for, what are your priorities?

Oh, and budget? Less than 1 k? Ruger, every time

Ruger 77 MKII 35 Ruger.

On this note of wood stocks, can a traditional wood stock, not laminated, be made impervious to wet weather?

Regarding "waterproof" wood stocks, they can be tougher than many realize. I had a Remington M700 classic .35 Whelen that had an unfortunate accident while I was hunting mountain caribou in the Yukon territory. The rifle still had the glossy factory finish, had been pillar bedded, and the checkering was lightly brushed with linseed oil. That's it. Nothing fancy for waterproofing.
One afternoon, We were descending the mountain, leading the horses down a narrow creek bed because it was the only way down with the horses. The rifle was pulled from the scabbard when a willow branch snagged on the sling. We didn't notice right away, and it got dark, and the rifle lay completely submerged in the creek over night.
Next morning I was pleased to find it again. Shook it off, cleaned the scope lenses, drained the barrel, and tried a test shot. That went OK, so I went on to shoot a nice caribou that afternoon. On inspecting the rifle at home later, there was no warping, swelling or any other damage to the wood.

mr. uncle grinch: Re: your question: I am a custom furniture builder as well as a user of wood stocks. Based on my personal experience, I would say it is very, very difficult to seal properly dried wood to the point it never moves OVER THE COURSE OF A SEASON. Example, I built our kitchen cabinets many years ago: I sprayed 3 coats of lacquer on both sides as a finish. However, one of the raised panels developed a crack on the lower left corner and each winter that crack opens and then you cannot see it in the summer as it has closed due to more moisture.

However, when it comes to wood rifle stocks, here is my experience and why I continue to use them in wet climates ( 3 times on Kodiak Island). It is at least as important, and maybe more so, to seal the inside of the stock (every single part of it) with numerous coats of a good wood sealer. I have never seen any indication of wood movement on the 2 wood stocked rifles I've used there in a 10 day hunt. Remember, Kodiak has lots of rain. No shifting of bullet impact either. I have read accounts of huge amount of wood swelling when taking a stock from a dry environment to a place like Kodiak. My best guess is that those stocks had received little or no prep.

Now, I know most here would suggest it is foolish to not take synthetic stock and stainless metal on such hunts and certainly they are probably superior over the long haul. But I like wood and I like my current rifles so did not want to buy another rifle.

As a final experience to share: THE MOST experienced brown bear outfitters EVER on Kodiak were Bill Pinnell and Morris Talifson. They outfitted from 1950 to the mid 1990s. They both used model 70 Winchesters built in 1949 and 1950. I had the opportunity to handle and actually shoot, Morris's .375 a few years ago when on Kodiak. Remember, this rifle was used in both a spring and fall season for over 40 years! VERY WELL WORN, along with its old Leupold 4x, but still in very good over-all condition and being used for bear hunts by its owner. SO, in comparison, I don't hesitate to take one of my wood stocked M70s to Kodiak for a 10 day hunt.

Just my 2 cents worth.

quote:

They both used model 70 Winchesters built in 1949 and 1950.

Could be because they didn't have anything better to use.

It does move the price up, but the McMillan melody stocks are legitimate. I love them a magnum fill.

Another option if you can find one is the FN Model 70, Alaskan SS and laminate rifles. Those are perfect in my opinion.

Price if you can find one is going to be asking 2,500. They only made 500 or so.

quote:

Originally posted by LHeym500:
It does move the price up, but the McMillan melody stocks are legitimate. I love them a magnum fill.

Another option if you can find one is the FN Model 70, Alaskan SS and laminate rifles. Those are perfect in my opinion.

Price if you can find one is going to be asking 2,500. They only made 500 or so.

Yes they are hard to find, especially up here in Canada, but I have two of them. One is chambered in .338 WM and the other in .375 H&H. I should also mention that they both are exceptionally accurate.

That short lived model was also chambered in .300 WM and .30-06. I have been constantly watching for one in .30-06 but owners do not seem to want to give them up, as I am yet to see one for sale.

Since you specified new, I'd first look at both Parkwest and Montana arms.

The few Parkwest rifles I have seen have cost more than a solid Dakota and poor build for that coin. They and a clean Dakota are significantly more than 1k.



I do not like the recoil lug on the new Montana

There is a brand-new CZ 550 on gun broker right now as well as a used one in 375 H&H

quote:

Originally posted by kda55:
www.gunbroker.com/item/1087759660

This buy this.

I have owned a 1951 Winchester Model 70 in 375 H&H
that I have owned for 45 years and have not found a better 375. It has recoil lug thru-bolts and handles
recoil well. Original tough stock.

* I know where there is a Ruger African SPECIAL in 9.3 X 62 for sale, but best PM me as it won't last.

the new Portuguese Model 70 Winchesters are fine rifles. I own Pre 64, Late model New Haven, and Portugal made model 70s. It pains me to say that the newest are the best. I am not a fan of the maple stocks but many people are.

Not a witch hunt...just would like to hear of any experience(s) with the Montana Rifles

quote:

Originally posted by swm:
the new Portuguese Model 70 Winchesters are fine rifles. I own Pre 64, Late model New Haven, and Portugal made model 70s. It pains me to say that the newest are the best. I am not a fan of the maple stocks but many people are.

As far as I know maple stock were only for a select run. Most including my safari express are walnut stocked.