Stopped at Cabela's in Owatonna, MN and got a brand new CZ 550 American Safari Classic in 375 H & H Magnum. Been wanting a 375 for some time and couldn't resist the $799 price tag. Shot 30 rounds through it this weekend. Best group was 3 shots in 3/4 inch at 100 yards using 64 grains Reloader 15 and 300 grain Hornady Interlock Round Nose bullets. I realize those are light loads but decided to start out easy. They were pure joy to shoot. Am going to have to try stouter loads. I realize CZ's have been discussed at great lengths on this forum, so this is just my product review. The CZ is really growing on me. Sure it might be a little heavy, and yeah the stocks a little clubby, but it sure is fun to shoot. Can't wait to load up a few more test rounds and do it again. This big bore stuff is far more thrilling than I had ever imagined.

That's what shooting is all about...

Fun, Ain't it?

Congratulations on your new rifle! YOu can load her up or down and she will still do a great job!

simangus, sounds like some good shootin' there and a really great deal on a new .375H&H. 3/4" at a hundred would be a keeper for me CZs, best bang for the buck. Rodney.

Thanks for the kind words guys. The other fun part of this story is how I found the 300 grain Hornady Interlock RN bullets. I was killing time while my wife was shopping so found a gun shop to check out. In the reloading section sat 4 old faded boxes of these bullets. The gun shop owner acquired them when he bought out another gun shop's remaining inventory. Gave me a great deal. $16.79 per box of 50. Just confirms I was meant to have a 375. (At least I like thinking that way.) Shot 14 rounds Saturday and 16 rounds Sunday. Couldn't figure out why my groups started growing Sunday. I was cleaning the gun after every 3 to 4 shots to break it in. Sunday night cleaning it up to put it away I thought to check the tightness of the 3 screws on the underside that hold the action into the stock. Sure enough, they turned pretty easy with a screwdriver. Tightened them to 60 inch pounds. Don't know if that is the proper torque or not.

simangus, is the .375 bedded and crossbolted? If not, might be a good idea to at least bed it. Rodney.

Rodney,

It has double cross bolts. I didn't remove the stock to look for bedding. My suspicion is it is not bedded. Thanks for the good advice. I am currently having my 338 Win Mag bedded as it kept rattling the screws loose.

fantastic buy on ammunition and rifle!! Welcome to the big bore club. That is the best (IMHO) rifle and cartridge to start with. Good for everything on this planet. What is the saying: "375 H&H, one rifle, one planet...".?

You are going to like this rifle!

Congratulations,

Rich
Buff Killer

60 inch pounds might be a bit much for a wood stock???

A friend has a CZ 375 H&H. It is very accurate, even to 300 yards.

You made a good buy.

Nothing wrong with using light loads in a 375 for practice and hunting deer and pigs. I do it all the time, when I am not to lazy to reload.

N E 450 No2,

How much torque do you think I should use? On my Ruger 77 Mark II in 338 Win Mag with a laminated stock 40 inch pounds will not stay tight. A gunsmith recommended 65 inch pounds on that one. I would think a laminated stock would be more resistant to splitting than a regular wood stock. I was thinking I would go 65 inch pounds on the CZ but that seemed too much as I was tightening so stopped at 60.

Most likely with the crossbolts there is minimal bedding in the stock around where the recoil lugs make contact, at least thats the story with two of mine. If you having to tighten the stock bolts anyway it would be worth it to pull it off and take a look. Rodney.

Baised on my experienced with wood dtocked sniper/target rifles I would think 40 to 45 inch pounds for a factory wood stock would be about right.

Some big bores will loosen the screws.

I had a 416 WBY Mag wood stock that wlould loosed the screws every 15 rounds or so.

Even some of the Synthentic stocked 375 and 458 Weatherby's, with their aluminium bedding blocked stocks would loosen the screws, and we tightened them to 60 inch pounds.

Sounds like I should back the screws off some and while I'm at it I'll check the bedding.
Thanks guys. If I can line up some pig hunting while I am in Sarasota, Florida I'm thinking it would be fun to use my 375. I don't feel right having guns that have never harvested anything.

Bed it using STEEL pillars, use allen head machine screws, a drop of BLUE locktite and torque to 50 in lbs.

It wouldn't hurt to add a steel block inlet around the recoil lug with a piece of allthread threaded into the block then running up the barrel channel all epoxied in...that will transfer some of the the recoil forward and basically spread the recoil over the whole rifle stock...

Not many do this but I did it to three of my heavy hitters and so far no loose screws after about 200 rounds of 300-400 gr bullets from 2400 to 2600 fs through each.

Mine is soon going to Wayne at AHR. I have spoken to a number of their customers and all reports indicate these guys know what they are doing with a CZ. In addition, Wayne has been first rate to deal with answering all of my questions.

Try them!

My 338 Win Mag is being pillar and glass bedded as we speak. Don't know if the gunsmith is using steel pillars or not. Sounds like I just as well have my CZ done too. I'll have to check in to having Wayne at AHR do it. I've seen his name mentioned a lot on this forum, always positively. It's better to have someone working on my gun who knows what they are doing instead of someone who just thinks they know what they are doing. Thanks for the continued great advice guys.

Simangus,

I would also recommend Wayne at AHR. He worked on my CZ 375 H&H earlier this year - his work is first class.

I picked up one about a year ago, beautiful tiger stripe stock with no cross bolts,so a bit eariler model. I found accuracy to be about what you report. I like the weight and clubiness of the stock. The thing that sold me on the rifle was that the sights lined up perfectly for me when I shoulder the rifle, it just fits. The weight is perfect for shooting, helps moderate the recoil well, and no I would not like to carry it all day.

Last fall my son and I were shooting it at a range in La. and a lot of the locals with their little 7mm mags were commenting that they were glad that we were shooting it and not them, not realizing that it recoiled less than their lightweight rifles.

isn't it amazing how people see the round and think it's going to tear your arm off.
Little do they know...

quote:

Originally posted by Rodney H.{500Jeffery}:
Most likely with the crossbolts there is minimal bedding in the stock around where the recoil lugs make contact, at least thats the story with two of mine. If you having to tighten the stock bolts anyway it would be worth it to pull it off and take a look. Rodney.

Pulled the stock off last night. Exactly as you said, just a little bedding where the recoil lug goes. Tightened screws to 45 inch pounds and put some loc tite (the red stuff used for scope rings and bases) on the screws.