I'm having a CZ .375 H&H modified. What is the ideal barrel length for this caliber. It is currently 25". Thinking about taking down to 24".

24" is what holland and Holland used in this fine rifle:

http://www.hollandandholland.com/~newyork/usedguns/998989894461.htm

Cheers,

André

It depends on the balance of the rifle for me. I have a couple M-70 Winchesters in 375 and they were barrel heavy to begin with so they both got cut and crowned from 24" to 22" and they balance nicely and are great in the thick stuff. If your rifle is fairly balanced between the hands then I would still compromise and take off one inch and go with the 24 inch length.

What sort of problems with the rifle are you having with the 25" barrel, that you think you need to cut it? Old model 70's were 25". Cutting it will add a bit to the muzzle blast and recoil, and you will lose velocity. I ask because I have a CZ 375 and it balances nicely in the hands and at the shoulder. It also shoots under an inch at 100yds.

Rich
DRSS
Knowledge not shared is knowledge lost...

quote:

Originally posted by JefferyDenmark:
24" is what holland and Holland used in this fine rifle:

http://www.hollandandholland.com/~newyork/usedguns/998989894461.htm

Cheers,

André

I'm gonna go ahead and be honest with everyone here: sometimes I think about that rifle instead of my girlfriend. God help me if I were ever left alone in a room with it....

More to the point, I'd say a 23"-26" barrel on a 375 could be justified as long as it makes the rifle handle and shoot nicely. For me, it'd be 24" all day long.

quote:

Originally posted by Idaho Sharpshooter:
What sort of problems with the rifle are you having with the 25" barrel, that you think you need to cut it? Old model 70's were 25". Cutting it will add a bit to the muzzle blast and recoil, and you will lose velocity. I ask because I have a CZ 375 and it balances nicely in the hands and at the shoulder. It also shoots under an inch at 100yds.

Rich
DRSS
Knowledge not shared is knowledge lost...

It's not that there was necessarily a problem with the rifle to begin with. But I'm having Ed Plummer work the whole thing over with new stock, trigger, safety, sights etc. I figure now would be the time if I were to want it done. Truthfully, I can't really remember how it handles. I sent it off a while ago, we're still looking for the right piece of wood. By the way Ed is a very pleasant guy to work with.

.........I have always gotten full velocity from a 24 " barrel., yesterday I was holding a CZ 550 Safari in 375 and it seems heave to me ,, but then it has the same outside barrel dia. as the 458 win 550 Saf, that I handled next .Both of these were the American version ..They are large rifles,, But easy to shoot well as is.....And in 375 they are a non event in the recoil dept....That being said there are alot of 18 -20 " barreled 375,s kicking around the brush here in Alaska ...For most hunting where the shooting is done with in 300 yrds that is suficent ..But a CZ 550 just handles better for me with 24-26 " of barrel ...However I will be fully testing that when I have a 475 A&M built as it will have a 18 or 19 " barrel and a short brake so the barrel oal is 20 " or less..When I get home I,m going to shorten up a 458 Mark X ,I have to 18 ",. For just tramping around that is a good length . But then we have extremely dense brush ....,.,., If it were me with the 375 CZ I would leave it alone and enjoy trying to shoot out the barrel off hand ...Should take you 5-10 thousand rounds ...If you didn,t over do it each session you would become one of the best shots on these forums .......The 375 is a nice rifle to do ALOT of shooting with ...

23"

quote:

Originally posted by Clayman:

quote:

Originally posted by JefferyDenmark:
24" is what holland and Holland used in this fine rifle:

http://www.hollandandholland.com/~newyork/usedguns/998989894461.htm



André

I'm gonna go ahead and be honest with everyone here: sometimes I think about that rifle instead of my girlfriend. God help me if I were ever left alone in a room with it....

More to the point, I'd say a 23"-26" barrel on a 375 could be justified as long as it makes the rifle handle and shoot nicely. For me, it'd be 24" all day long.

I'm with you. I'd mount it for sure. It sure is purdy, but not near as cheap as something I can find on the boulevard.

My Brno ZKK602 in 375H&H is cut to 21" as is my CZ416Rigby. I find the shorter barrel handier and far easier getting in and out of a truck with. The 'balance' whatever that is feels good enough to me as do most of the rifles I shoot. Have never really known what 'balance' is, if it feels good to handle it feels good..Have not seen ANY adverse results on accuracy or on game.

quote:

Originally posted by dirklawyer:
It depends on the balance of the rifle for me. I have a couple M-70 Winchesters in 375 and they were barrel heavy to begin with so they both got cut and crowned from 24" to 22" and they balance nicely and are great in the thick stuff. If your rifle is fairly balanced between the hands then I would still compromise and take off one inch and go with the 24 inch length.

Exactly, and my 22" M70 375 will be ready next week. It really is a clumsy rifle at 24". But I will not shorten M70s in 416 or 458. The 416 is fine and the 458 perfect. Because they all have the same bbl profile. Many feel the CZ too is long but my 416 will remain 25". They have to balance, I don't care about velocity any more, there's more than needed there to begin with. My M70s in 416 and 458 balance well for what they are. Ditto for the CZ.

My main consideration now is whether the M70 stock with it's negative drop at comb is better or not than the neutral CZ.

You might want to leave the barrel length alone till you get the rifle back from Ed Plummer. The reason I say this is the new stock can and will change how the rifle handles because the wood may be heavier or lighter than the original wood. The dimensions should fit you better than stock. Unless you plan on hunting in predominately heavy thick cover I would leave the barrel 25 inch. You will get more velocity and I like a slightly muzzle heavy rifle as they point better when shooting offhand. You can add a little weight in the but to make it more neutral if you want. I would believe Ed will have it pretty well sorted out when you get it back.
The H&H rifle is nice but I think there are now several American rifle builders who can do as good of work for probley a quarter of that price and you can use the rest for a great hunt.
Bill

Leave the barrel at 25-inches.

My Ruger RSM in 375 H&H has a 23" barrel, and it seems to work OK. I agree with the posters who advise that if you are not having a problem with the 25" barrel, leave it alone.

Leave it at 25". You will not regret that!

If I were building an custom today, it would have a 26" barrel.

I kinda like 23 if it is a lighter .375. If a heavier (over 9) I'd make it 24.

My pre-64 375 improved has a heavy barrel (same profile as a 30-06 NM target barrel). About like the American CZ.

I had it cut to 22 1/2 inches and have never regretted it, but I am only 5 foot 5 inches tall and carry muzzle down on left shoulder alot.

If you are taller I dont think you will mind the longer barrel.

You might ask some of the PH's here if they would rather have a shorter than normal barrel for use in the jess.

Andy

I have had different barrel lengths and different contours over the years, but I'll stick with my Pre-64 Model 70 in it's factory contour and 25". I have had them that have been cutdown as far as 20" and while I can't say they were bad, I just like the feel and etc of the 25".

I guess I'm the oddball, and can call the rest of ya stubby. My 375 runs a 30" Lilja, overall length is 51.5 inches which is still 7" shorter than the muzzleloaders I used to hunt with. The balance point is still right on the front action screw. Weight all up is 9 pounds 6 ounces. It generally exceeds the vleocities given in the boks by 150-175 fps.

I prefer a 26" barrel and a 25 is fine..They are much easier to shoot off hand, they settle down faster when your out of breath, and hunting you are out of breath a lot of times..

I don't mind a carbine barrel if its heavy enough to do the same.

Bottom line is what do you like, not what someone else likes, if that were true and you relied on the internet to solve your problem then you would probably end up riding a purple horse or wiping your ear every time you took a dump!

That's what's good about the M70 Classic Safari Express, it's heavy barrel. Cutting it down does not compromise it.

Here's my only bolt gun, a Dakota 76 with 23-inch Lilja barrel. Stock is 14-1/4 inches modeled after a .350 Rigby magnum stock. Scope is Leupold 1.5-5 in EAW pivot mounts. I've had the folding single leaf welded into the upright position and regularly use the iron sights.

It's made to be a working gun and handles nicely offhand in the field. Recoil from the bench is tolerable. Muzzle blast is noticeable but that is a reality with the .375. I handload to put 300 grain Swift A-frame at about 2400 fps.

Regards