Gentlemen,

I new to this board and new to big-bore rifles. This year I purchased not one, but 2 big-bores!

The first one is a Marlin 1895SS in 45-70 (the 22" bbl version) and I just recently traded for a Sako AV in .375 H&H.

I haven't had a chance to shoot the .375 yet. I do have a question or 2 about it: Will Burris 1.75x5 Fullfield 2 scopes withstand the recoil generated? Will the stock Sako scope rings be adequate or should I invest in Warne Maxima or Premier QR rings?

While neither of these rifles will be used as DGRs (other than maybe black bear), elk and moose are in the agenda. Maybe the elusive North Dakota Caped White Rhinoserouses .

Later,

BH1

[This message has been edited by BlackHawk1 (edited 12-23-2001).]

BH1,

Can't answer your scope mounting questions, but several here can. Just wanted to say welcome aboard! Great site here - though I imagine it will have slightly less traffic through the holiday.

Best regards,

redleg

Welcome to the board! I have an AV in .375, and I'll tell you that the recoil of a .375 is surprisingly mild (although you might want to have the factory recoil pad replaced with a Pachmayr Decelerator.

Burris makes good scopes, and I expect that it will handle the recoil just fine if mounted properly.

Sako mounts for the AV came in two varieties;
genuine Sako, and those produced by Millett.
The Milletts are junk! They broke while I was on safari, and were replaced by Redfield bases.

Describe the rings for me and I'll tell you which ones you have.

George

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Shoot straight, shoot often, but by all means, use enough gun!

Thanks all for the warm welcome!

quote:

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Originally posted by GeorgeS:
Welcome to the board! I have an AV in .375, and I'll tell you that the recoil of a .375 is surprisingly mild (although you might want to have the factory recoil pad replaced with a Pachmayr Decelerator.

Burris makes good scopes, and I expect that it will handle the recoil just fine if mounted properly.

Sako mounts for the AV came in two varieties;
genuine Sako, and those produced by Millett.
The Milletts are junk! They broke while I was on safari, and were replaced by Redfield bases.

Describe the rings for me and I'll tell you which ones you have.

George

---

The ones I've got have Sako stamped in the front of the base of the rings. They have 4 ring screws per ring to secure the scope. The ring base locking setup has the clamping arrangement for a better term "tongue in groove" with one side that is spring loaded and the other has large thumbscrews for final tightening for each ring (looks very adjustable).

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BH1

"Did you use excessive force---I HIT WITH EVERYTHING I HAD!

BH1,

I would say that in general, a 375 is about the same on mounts and scopes as the 30/06.In other words what a 375 will cause trouble with, so will a 30/06. It might however take more shots and quite often a 30/06 level of rifle may develop flyers that open the group whereas the 375 might tend more to shooting open groups, when there are scope and mount problems.

In my experience once you get above 375 you seem to cross a threshold. Not sure where the threshold is, but a 458 with 500 grainers is certainly beyond it.

Mike

BH1,
You're in luck! It sounds like you have the genuine Sako rings.

Just be sure all the screws are tight before firing the gun, and you should be fine.

Burris has a Lifetime Warranty, so even if your scope fails they'll take care of you.

George

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Shoot straight, shoot often, but by all means, use enough gun!

GeorgeS,

Thanks for the input. Do you reload, if so, what load recipes work best in your Sako? I'm thinking about playing around with Hornady 270 gr RN and SP and their 300 gr RN. I hear that Re-15 is powder of choice in the .375 H&H.

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BH1

"Did you use excessive force?---I HIT IT WITH EVERYTHING I HAD!

BH1,
You're welcome. My standard load for both my .375s with the 300gr. Hornady RN is 78.0 grains of W760 with a CCI 250 primer in W-W cases. I generally get sub-MOA
groups with that load.
The best I ever did in that Sako with that bullet was with 82.0 grains of Accurate Arms MRP, Fed. 215 primers, and W-W case.

I don't use Reloder 15 (no reason) or 270gr. bullets in my .375H&H rifles; I only use them in Africa, and prefer the heavier bullet weights.

George

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Shoot straight, shoot often, but by all means, use enough gun!