I am looking to buy a 375 H&H mag. It is between the model 70 "Classic" (stainless) and the "Safari Express". The Safari weighs about one pound more and has a second recoil lug.
Any suggestions which way to go??

What is the intended use of the gun?

Are you going to carry it a lot, and shoot it little?

Foul weather?

What is your recoil tolerance threshold?

George

I own a Safri Express in .375 H&H. It is a very nice rifle. The added weight makes it a pleasure to shoot.

I like prefer it to the "classic".
Just my opine.

What is the "composite" stock on the M70 Classic Stainless really made from and how is it made?

The stock that came with my SS M 70 Classic 7mm WSM in 2002 is best described as "injected junk". Not only did the forened have a memory to one side that bending could not over come but the bedding was to the wrong dimensions so that the action, magazine and floor plate had the wrong stack height but the so called recoil pad is one number less than a ball peen hammer on the Rockwell B scale.

Hopefully Winchester has improved upon that stock. I would not trust it if every dime counts. If the budget is large then anticipate replacing it.

As to the Safari Express I would select the Ruger Magnum over it if time were short.

Unless Winchester has recently changed the stainless weighs about the same as are the barrel contours. Their website weight is wrong for the Stainless.

After bedding and floating the Stainless are the better shooters because they don't have the barrel stuffed up by the way Winchester adds the barrel recoil lug, which is not even needed. Although Winchester in recent times has claimed the lug is induction welded.

But it depends a bit on how you much you want to play about with loads. The Stainless is likely to shoot better with more loads and shoot better with maximum loads. Rifles with so so bedding and so so barrels often shoot well with loads that are backed off.

The only problem I found with the stocks is that they are just barely wide enough to free float the barrel.

If you are a bit of an accuracy fan the blued/walnt model should have the barrel recoil lug drilled and tapped so it can be tied down to its bedding and especiallly if the rifl is bedded and floated. As they come from the factory the upward pressure from the forend tip helps keep the barrel lug located in its bedding.

On the other hand if you are the sort of bloke that just wants to fire off a few shots and have a basic hunting rifle then the blued/walnut as it comes from the box in fine.

It is a much nicer rifle than the Stainless modeland with a much better proportioned stock. The Stainless looks like they squeezed it into the rubber stock that comes with the 270 Win.

Mike