Schemin' and Dreamin' about what to play with next.


To make some sort of sense of my battery, I've settled on a SS .338 Win Mag w/1.75-6x Leupy and blued wood, peep sighted .458 Lott as my two "go-to" guns (both M70 Winnies). To keep the curiosity cat at bay and to try different things, I allow myself to play around with a rifle or two on the side.

One of my itches has been a reliable marine grade big bore, especially considering the local big brown neighbors here. I'm hard on rifles and don't want to destroy the Lott with hard use and the .338 seems a bit light - (and the merits of a .338 on bears isn't the point of the poll please). The other day, I was strolling by the local pawn shop and found a factory SS M70 .375 so...

Question:
Given the above parameters, how would you scratch this itch?

Choices:
Keep the .375H&H as is?
Rebarrel it to Lott?
Sell it and put the money toward SS MRC PH chambered in A2?

 

I've re barreled three M-70 SS 375's to .458 Lott. Put a nice synthetic stock like a Mac Millian on it and a medium heavy stainless 22" barrel with ghost ring sights. You'll have a great little bear buster that is easy to carry and packs some serious wallop.

I voted to keep the SS 375 "as is".....because "as is" it is all you need!

quote:

Originally posted by PWS:
....
........One of my itches has been a reliable marine grade big bore, especially considering the local big brown neighbors here. I'm hard on rifles and don't want to destroy the Lott with hard use and the .338 seems a bit light...

I think you answered your own question

Rebarrel to .416 Remington or .416AR for a nice 'tweener.

George

I voted to keep it as an H&H thinking of it as a standard model of 24" give or take barrel length. Just kind of tough to beat the ole 375 H&H for an all around medium, large and even dangerous game getting it done kind of rifle. Rodney.

Ditto with George's comments. The 338 is quite close to the 375 in ballistics. I would buy the 375 and have Danny Pederson with Classic Gun and barrel works in Prescott AZ. rebore it to a 416 Rem mag. I've had him do it to two M70's great work, accurate, and all done for less than 280.00. IMO the 416 is the best medicine for coastal bears, bar none, and you have a more balanced battery of rifles.

All good suggestions so far, thanks!

George, good idea, I hadn't thought of splitting the difference. I'll have to give the .40's some more thought.

The .338 and .375 are too close ballistically for me to be settled on that combo, however much sense it makes (and it does make a lot of sense!)

I already have plenty of .458Lott components, not to mention 458s are relatively cheap to feed so that's the attraction to that caliber.

The A2 idea was to err on the other side of things and go big. No overlap in battery there! I'm surprised it hasn't much of a showing yet.

So far,

.375 - 11 votes
.458 - 2 votes
.500 - 2 votes

Again, thanks for the input. Gonna let this one cook a little longer.

I don't see the purpose of a 375 if you are committed to the 338 and Lott. As you know, those will cover everything in Alaska and any other big game for that matter. The A2 would be fun but I would probably go with another Lott setup specifically for your needs. Then I would sell the other Lott and put it towards a nice handgun, shotgun or towards more hunting. Maybe you need to upgrade your optics or gear too?

I'm basically asking myself the same question and will probably end up with a 458. I have also thought about reboring a Ruger 375 Alaskan to 458. I like the overall setup on the Ruger...or I am seriously considering going back to a Mk 1 Ruger in .458 and restocking in synthetic, with ghost ring & fiber optic sights and having something like the Trijicon Accu-point scope with a chevron reticle on quick detachable rings.

I have all three so I'm the wrong guy to ask.

But I do agree with George that a stainless .416 (I'd get the Rem.) would probably meet your needs as well as anything out there.

Good luck with your choice. Ain't it great to have problems like these?!

PWS,
I would by the .375 and keep it as is. Rebarell the .338 to what ever caliber you want. The 500 could be interesting along with the 416. With a stainless action it might be worth upgrading to a stainless Lott.
Bill

I really see the Lott as the most versatile choice, as it can be loaded down to 416 ballistics, but with a larger dia. bullet. Then it can be pushed harder if need be. You already have the stuff to load for it, so that'd save additional expense of reloading equipment. You already covered the availability of inexpensive components in .458 caliber. Seems a no-brainer to me. If I had it to do over, I probably would have bought my RSM in Lott instead of Rigby, but then again, I like that big, classic case, much like the 404 Jeff.

David