ok guys i need some help. I found a left hand model 70 in 7MM Mag and its brand new. I dont really want a 7 mag so what are my options. It is CRF so i was thinking a dangerous game rifle. What caliber will that lengnth action hold?? Thank You very much for all your opinions

It's the same length as the .375 H&H so that or .416 Rem or .458 Lott would all fit.

Not without modification.

Please tell me exactly what mods will be needed and should i do it or not??

Now, that depends on what caliber you want. It's just not that easy to say without knowing what caliber. Barrel change, magazine box change or modifications, feed rail work, additional recoil lug, etc.

Charlie Williams,
You would need to replace the magazine, magazine spring, follower, bolt stop, ejector, barrel and modify the stock for the barrel. You may want to replace the stock with something that is designed to take the recoil of the larger caliber such as the factory stock with cross bolts to prevent the stock from spliting.

Good luck,
Headache

.375 Taylor or .416 Taylor!

So pretty much when i spend 800 on this gun all im gonna keep is the action?? and the trigger??

Yup...but you may be able to sell the stock and barrel for a few hundred $$.

The only "cheap" conversions would probably be in 7mm Weatherby or 7mm STW. But who wants a barrel burner?

You are basically correct, you would throw away everything but the action. My 404 Jeffery was done that way starting with a Model 70 in 7mm.

You are just a barrel swap away from a .375 Ruger...

so the only modification is a barrel change?? for the 375 ruger what about bolt face and all that stuff. what are the pros and cons to the ruger vs the H&H??? also could you just send your PH in africa the ammo so you wouldnt have to worry about losing it

I am in the process of converting a left hand .338 Win Mag for a customer to .375 H&H. There seems to be some misconceptions out there about what needs to be replaced etc. To make this conversion you do not need to replace the magizine spring, you will need a different follower, You can modify the existing magazine to accomodate the longer ccartridge. You will also need to change the bolt stop(shorten it) the same goes for the ejector it needs to be shortened. All late model 70's are not the same length. The safari express action is big enough in the loading port area to handle the.375 H&H the standard length Model 70 will not unless you open up the loading port about half inch longer than it is. Definitely not a job for the casual hobbyist. If you want the same thing for a lot less work just do what was mentioned earlier screw on a barrel chambered for .375 Ruger. Everything should work together okay you might get lucky and even have it feed as it should with no modification. Same goes for the .416 Taylor I have done several of that conversion and it fits like it was made for it. Either case you will want to cross bolt the stock or run the likelyhood of splitting the stock. Hope this helps. If it were mine I think I would do the .375 Ruger pretty slick conversion.

Shooter boy you seem pretty smart the gun is not a 338 its a 7mm mag rem so would i still be just a barrel away??? and what is a better buffalo round 375 ruger or 416 taylor and what exactly is a 416 taylor and how would i get brass and dies??

The .338 and 7MM are virtually identical. The term smart would indicate intelligence. I merely have experience gained by screwing things up and then being forced to correct them or replace the screwed up item. But thanks for the compliment. I think the .375 Ruger would be a simple rebarrel job on your action. I may have neglected to mention you will probably have to open up your barrel channel on your old stock to accomodate the the new barrel. I'm guessing you will have a slightly larger diameter on the .375 barrel. At least that would be my suggestion to go to a bigger barrel to get a little more weight. Even though the Ruger is shorter than the .375 H&H it still is going to generate similar recoil numbers and a little extra weight will help take out the sting.

Sorry I forgot to answer the .416 Taylor question. IMHO The .416 Taylor is better for buffalo based on the ability to shoot 400 grain bullets. You can achieve 2400 feet per second with the 400 grain bullet and I have shot 3 Cape Buffalo with my Taylor built on a VZ24 Mauser action. Dies are available from Huntington they are RCBS dies. Brass is made by necking down .458 Win Mag brass. I have heard that Hornady or some other manufacturer is actually making a .416 Taylor head stamped brass. I do not know that to be fact so check it out. The taylor is a great round and for a short action it duplicates the .416 Rigby numbers. Some of this is opinion but as I am so fond of saying I am the worlds foremost authority on my opinion.

So how do you get the ammo into africa without the proper headstamp??? and would the taylor be just a rebarrel?? see i also hunt big black bear and i would prolly want to take a eland with my big gun also so you just keep giving me your opinion i really value it

thank you
Charlie Williams

I have never had any problems getting the rifle and ammo into either Zimbabwe or Zambia. Nobody has ever questioned me with any ammo I have taken to Africa. I know that is something that comes up from time to time in conversation it just has not ever manifested itself in reality. The Taylor would be a simple rebarrel job. You might have to tweak it a little to feed exactly the way you would want but most likely it would feed okay as is.