I can try and look at mine tonight and measure. For starters, they are 25" instead of the 24" barrels on other standards like an '06, 270, etc. And not 26" like the 300 H&H.
I didn't take it out of the stock, but hopefully this will help. Overall length 25", muzzle diameter .680, midpoint diameter just in front of the forearm tip .858, and 1.250 at the receiver. Barrel is close to the 1.250 for about 2.3", then it tapers.
Many thanks for your effort. It sounds like it is probably a bit bigger than I'm going to want. Hmmm....
Perhaps I will have Lothar Walther make me a custom contour that is the same as the pre-64 standard model 70 barrel out to the rear sight island, and then specify a 0.675" muzzle @ 23". The result would probably be a nice compromise.
quote:Originally posted by eddieharren: My 1938 375 has a 24" bbl. that measures 1.130" at the face of action and .775" at the muzzle.
Could this be one of only 10 made? or is it the also rare straight taper. My all time favorite factory rifle and ctg is the pre-war Mod 70 and the .375H&H. I too would like to see pics of that rifle!
Posts: 116 | Location: Alaska,U.S.A. | Registered: 09 January 2005
Not one of only 10 made. That was the ultra rare Standard weight barrel at 24" for the 375. Eddie has a straight taper "fat" barrel 375 as they called them, which is also rare but you still see them for sale. This was the only factory option up until 1938 or so. They changed over to the slimmer taper to cut down on the weight.
I saw one on the net a few months ago for sell. Unforurnatly it also had a G&H side mount. Still it didn't last long. Another collector told me many years ago that the straight taper was shot at Perry for the Nat's but that nobody could stand the recoil in a prone string. And the reason the std taper only went to 10 barrels was the factory found the barrels expanded because they were to thin. Of course this was long before Rule or Whitaker wrote there books and and set us poor old dumb collectors right on the model 70.
Posts: 116 | Location: Alaska,U.S.A. | Registered: 09 January 2005
BFD, I don't think the first .375 barrels, with the standard '06/.270 contour, were too thin for safety. The rifles were just too light and with the drop in the prewar stocks they kicked brutally. As to the straight taper prewar 24" barrel, they had about the same contour as the 70 target model barrel and the terrific reputation that the .375 got for accuracy came from these heavyish barrels. The two most accurate M70s prewar were said to be the .250 Savage and the .375. Then of course the 25" tapered barrel finally became the standard.
