I am about to invest in my first 'big' rifle and am looking at a used Remington KS Mountain Rifle.
Have fired it a couple of times, really nice to shoot. Is there anything about these gizmo's that should put me off buying it?? It is doesn't appear to have had much use and is in Exc condition.

HiWall,
I've got a Rem700 Classic and BDL in 375H&H. Both shoot exceptionally well, function well etc... I've had no problems as such with Remingtons, but I reckon they're over priced here in Australia both new and second-hand. I've only got two small "beefs" about them. Firstly, the safety doesn't lock the bolt down, and secondly, if I don't hold it right, during recoil the bolt strikes my finger near the knuckle.
Enjoy that rifle!
Con
PS: By the way, if you pull it apart to clean, make sure you put the magazine well back the right way, it's really easy to put it on back to front.

[ 09-29-2003, 11:52: Message edited by: Con ]

Nothing wrong with that rig, mate. Very tough and I'll bet, very accurate. Good luck.

I will throw the spanner in the works and say personally from 30/06 on up I prefer Control Round Feed Rifles (CRF) and I would not buy the remington and look at getting a cz 550, Winchester Model 70 Classic, a Ruger or a custom M98 mauser.375.

That's just my opinion.

My .375 H&H is a cz 550 set me back $1250 new, I have a 1-4 leupold mounted in cz rings. I had the stock bedded and floated to the forend lug. It shoots Hornady 300 gr RN's under an 1" at 100 paces and has enough weight to make recoil fine. CZ also holds six shots.

I wasn't aware the Mountain rifle came in 375, if so I would be concerned about it being too light for the caliber which should weigh at least 9 lbs.....

Why not opt for a control feed rifle like a Ruger Safari or CZ or a pre 64 M-70 Win. then there are a few Mausers out there also in that caliber. The Interarms Mk 10 for instance and the old FNs if you can find one...The controll feed feature is definatly a plus IMO, in fact I would not have otherwise, based on my personal experiences.

If its a good deal, I wouldn't hesitate.

WRT controlled round feed, it is a plus to have it, but if you aren't planning on facing charging cape buff or elephant with your .375, I wouldn't get too hung up on it. If AUS is anything like CAN, you could wait a long time looking for a good used rig if you are too particular about make, model, condition etc, etc, etc.

Cheers,
Canuck

HiWall,
Out of interest what are they asking for the rifle? Not sure where your located, but in Victoria I think Frank O'Reilly has Rem700 Classics in 375H&H for $1300, or did a few month's back.
Con

I got to go along with Ray Atkinson. I too worry about that rifle being to light for the cartridge. Lawdog

I have looked at that rifle in the past and I believe they weigh in at under 7 pounds. OUCH!
Ray is right in that you might find a genuine pre-64 model 70 for the same price range or be able to buy a new Winchester for less money. These are probably better options.

Best,

JohnTheGreek

Thanks for the info & opinions guys. Have been giving it a lot of thought and you have picked the things that have been of concern.

The rifle is one of the custom shop jobs

.375 H&H

and has been fitted with an aftermarket muzzle brake which brings recoil back to around the level of my .300WSM F/Weight. The brake is removable for use in the field. Without the brake it is very shootable, recoil comes straight back, the stock suits me just fine but you do know you are shooting a lightweight.

Con, it is fitted with the old style safety that locks the bolt down, also has a blind three shot magazine. Still negotiating on price.

PC, I like the CZ rifles and would have one without hesitation except that I find that the hogsback stock belts me in the face - would need to restock unfortunately. The accuracy you get from yours is great

Ray, the CRF (or not) is one of my greatest concerns, while I have never had a feed problem due to push feed actions I know that under pressure it is possible to stuff up. Unfortunately I will probably never have the opportunity to hunt dangerous game - water buff & scrub bulls in Australia will be the largest the rifle is ever likely to see. Still the lack of CRF is the issue that I have to get over if I decide to go ahead with this.

Nickudu & Canuck, thanks for the positive comments, you guys have got the other side of my brain worked out. I figure that with this rifle I can fit a Leupold, work up a load and go hunting. No need to worry about bedding, stock fit, water or weather - it seems to have all that covered.

Lawdog & John, 6 3/4 pounds is light for a .375 for sure, trouble is that it such a slim & fine handling little thing that I just can't stop thinking about it

I will have a look around our local shops, see what else is available in comparison and have a few more sleepless nights. Have just returned from hunting in the Northern Territory and until now have had no need for anything bigger than my .300 miniMag, but I plan on going back next year for a trophy or two.

HiWall,
My Rem700 Classic weighs in at 3.6kg with a 2.5X Leopold, the BDL with the same scope is just over 4kg. The BDL is certainly easier to shoot BUT you never feel the recoil in the field and there's a lot of carrying between shots in the Victorian hills. If recoil is a big issue, try a 220gr FN Taipan over 39gr AR2205 (thanks Mike375!) for an accurate, low recoil practice load that in my guns shoot to same POI as my full 300gr loads.
The CRF vs push-feed issue is a way of mentally tormenting yourself. Truth be known I've had more failures to feed with CRFs (using soft nosed projectiles) than push-feed. Just this weekend my Zastava 458WM, after almost 10 years of perfect feeding started to jam when feeding into the chamber from the right side of the magazine. I'm trying to sort that one out at the moment! My CZ550 in 458WM would also not feed properly when new and straight from the box. For hunting under our conditions, I think CRF is over-rated.
Just expressing my opinion...
Con
PS: The Custom shop Remingtons are around $2000 (when you find them) in Melbourne. But there's a lot of negotiation built into that price as the big bores don't seem to be selling very much at the moment.

HI HiWall,
Don't worry about the gun being on the light side. Just change the recoil pad to a Pachmyer F990 and it will change it for the better in a big way. Then you can leave the muzzle brake at home.
Take care and good hunting,
Dave

HiWall,

You're mention of the KS Mountain Rifle in .375 H&H intrigued me.
I've collected, used, and prefer Remingtons, much to the chagrin and chastisement of others on this particular Forum.
Most of them have, prefer or need the CRF actions.
I, and some others, do not.
It's only a matter of reality as to what you will use that should sway your purchase.

I'm currently planning on getting a .375 H&H bolt-action rifle and want it to be very special to fill that niche in my safe.
Torn between the Browning A-Bolt II w/BOSS and the Remington 700 Mountain Rifle.

The Browning has all the 'neat shit' on it and doesn't seem to get bashed as hard on this Forum.
It'd be a really nice gun and fun to use.
I've already got a BAR in 7mm Rem.Mag./BOSS with nice wood...do I need another 'BOSS' Browning?

The Remington has as simple a platform as I could imagine with no sights, and a blind magazine.
It's familiar operation weighs heavily in my choice.
Since I've got the Remington family going, wouldn't a nice .375 H&H with a detachable scope fit right in?

With all due respect, regardless of the other's opinions, I've got to decide which one to get and how much to spend for a rifle I won't shoot that often! The price difference is about $300, with the Browning being the less expensive production model vs. the Custom Shop tag.
I've been asking all kinds of questions and getting excellent answers and feedback.

You've gotten to shoot the Mountain Rifle and can handle it well. I thank you for your description of how it recoils...that's good to know.

It'll be a while before I scare up the $$$ for one or the other for me.
I hope you get the Remington Mountain Rifle for yourself.
I'd like to hear about how it performs for you.
Good Luck!

Would just comment that a big magazine capacity can be an advantage, have only been to Africa once had a Sako Safari that held five in the box one in the chamber, had to shoot a buffalo four times and it was very comforting to still have two in the box while waiting to see if he would get up again.

The SK Mountain Rifles usually need to have a bed job done before they shoot well, in my experience (with several of them). Other than that, I've been quite happy.

Hiwall,
The mountain rifle is too light for caliber. I have one in .450 Ackley Magnum. It weighed 6.5lbs as it was shipped. It was generating 118lbs of felt recoil . I restocked it in laminate, added 1lb of Devcon steel bedding, 2 mercury suppressors, and a limbsaver recoil pad. At 10.5 lbs, now its fun to shoot .
Ghost

I don't know how you guys do it. I only fired 14 rnds from a bench with my Brno zkk 375H&H (9-9.5lbs) 270 and 300 gr bullets and it hurt to chamber the next round - literally!!!! You guys are animals!!!!!!!! Hats off.

My problem with push feeds is that the bullet will fall out on the ground if you move quickly with the action open, or run, whatever. I have seen this happen more than once or twice...The normally feed well enough if worked fast..

For Dangerous Game I am firmly a CFR person...and that encludes Aussie cattle and Buffalo...