I have a SS M70 in 7mm Mag. that's my action donor.

Gonna use a Douglas barrel but not quite sure about contour or finished length.

It'll go in a McMillan Supergrade stock.

I'd go with a #5 or #5A contour. A 24" long barrel is most common in the .375H&H which feels 'right' to me.

Tailor both dimensions to the type of hunting you intend to do.

George

The Ruger barrel on the African is about 0.670" at the 23" point.

This would be closest to taking a #4 contour (Medium Heavy Sporter) that is 0.650" at the 26" point and trimming it back to 23".

The #5 contour (Magnum Sporter) is 0.700" at the 26" point. Cutting that shorter makes it thicker at the muzzle.

I have a #3 (Regular Sporter) from Douglas that is on a .375 H&H, and it is 0.625" at the 24" point, perfect for a featherweight with a 1-pound stock.

Flyweight rifle in .375 Ruger: #3 contour, barrel weighs about 3.00 lbs

Medium weight rifle in .375 Ruger: #4 contour, barrel weighs about 3.75 lbs.

Heavy weight rifle in .375 Ruger: #5 contour, barrel weighs about 4.25 lbs.

You gotta have the right stock weight to balance the barrel weight.

Finished rifle weights (bare and empty) would be roughly (+/- 1/4 lb):

Light .375: 7.0 lbs
Medium .375: 8.0 lbs
Heavy .375: 9.0 lbs

skinner
i would go with a No 3 barrel profile...remember its a hunting rifle YOU have to carry, and together with a standard action you should aim for a good weight/balance to complement the cartridge
Daniel

Isn't the .375 Ruger's claim to fame that, "it still out performs the 375 H&H but with a 20" barrel?" Quoted from Hornady's Rifleman advert page 39, April '07 issue.

quote:

Originally posted by Skinner.:
I have a SS M70 in 7mm Mag. that's my action donor.

Gonna use a Douglas barrel but not quite sure about contour or finished length.

It'll go in a McMillan Supergrade stock.

Skinner,

I've yet to actually drop the "African" 375Ruger into a standard Ruger 338WM stock, but I will next time I take it down.

I did take measurements of the 375R barrel and compared it to a Ruger "canoe paddle" stock from a 338WM. They appear identical, so this should give you an idea how trim the 375Ruger barrel is in the "African" package.

When I lay an M70 Safari "classic", an M70 "classic" Featherweight, and the 375Ruger "African" side by side. The Safari appears huge. The "African" follows the same lines as the Featherweight and is only a tad bigger.

With all that said, you can make your M70 375Ruger into whatever you want from a short barrel lightweight to a heavier barreled mis-weight. The Supergrade stock is fairly big and makes for a heavy rifle. I believe my Supergrade 30-06 has a medium weight 24" barrel and weighs almost as much as my 416Rem. I think it would be out of balance if it had a light contour barrel w/out going to a lighter stock.

good luck,
GVA