I�m attempting to finish this project during the spring and summer in time for the hunting season.

Starting with:
New CZ 550 Magnum in 375 H&H
CZ original rail mount with 30 mm rings
Swarovski fixed 4x32

Considered modifications:
Custom dark-stained walnut stock styled after Kimber 89 African (I like hefty forearms)
Pachmayr F990 Triple Magnum Field pad
Barrel band + better swivel on stock *or* Push button flush-mounted swivels
Butler Creek Highlander sling
Mag-Na-Port

I�m going to do as much as possible of the work involved myself but don�t have access to equipment for everything. I will get the blank pre-fitted and roughly contoured from the stock-maker. I know of a good gun-smith who can help me fit a barrel-band if I choose that option. He can also do the porting.

Comments? I found a picture of the Kimber African in an old �Shooter�s Bible� and knew that this was what I wanted the rifle to look like. Is the barrel band worth the extra cost over flush-mounted swivels? Recommendations for swivels? Experiences of Mag-Na-Port; how is the sound-level when shooting during hunting and was there a significant reduction in recoil and barrel-lift?

Wachtel.

This sounds lika a fun project!

You ask for comments and here is a few from me. They are personal and i don�t say that yours are no good, we all have different things of looking at things.

I would defenetly go for a sling mount on the barrel. A heavy caliber like the H&H really hurt your fingers if you make contakt with the sling mount on the forend.

I don�t know if Warne makes mounts for 30 mm rings but IF they do I should get them instead of the CZ original rail. Good looking and really well made.

A Old English but pad from Pacmayr look a lot better than the F990 Triple Magnum Field pad. The Kimber styled stock will tame the recoil to a controllable level if you put in some practise and get used to the gun.

The magnaporting is something I don�t have any experience of so I�m not really qualifyed to make any coment. I have used guns with muzzlebrakes though. A gun with a muzzle brake will never follow me on a hunt, the noice level is far to high! I think that if you use a heavy recoiling rifle there is no way around the fact that you have to do a lot of practise to get the most out of your gun.

Good luck with your project!

Stefan.

If you will be shooting with sling on you will find the bbl. band a better deal. With sling off then no problem with the flush mount system.
I am not sure why you chose the recoil pad you did but I would still use a Pachmayr Decelorator pad. If it ever chipped out then I would replace it with another one...same thing.
Mag Na Porting works. Will reduce recoil some (not near as well as a brake) and will help to kill muzzle flip. It will allow you to get back on target for the second shot much quicker. The noise level for Mag Na Port no where near the level of the muzzle brake. I have Mag Na Ported numbers of firearms ( many of mine) but I have removed all my muzzle brakes...too loud.
Go for it! Post photos when done.

How does the Pachmayr Decelorator work? Is there a material in it that you can replace or? I double-checked on the Pachmayr site and I'll agree that the F990 may be a bit to big and bulky.

Look at the F550 - 1" pad using Decelerator material; it has a nice ridged face so it doesn't slip, and is internally vented (I don't like the baffles on the side of recoil pads).

Todd

I did some more checking on the Pachmayr pads. On 470 Mbogo's site and on an older thread here he warmly recommends the F990. I believe this will be the choice after all. Will also get a barrel band if it's not to pricey, waiting for the figures, or else a swivel welded on to the underside of the barrel. I've seen this latter solution on some rifles and it didn't look bad at all.

Wachtel,

Don't weld the swivel stud to the barrel! You might ruin the temper of the steel. These swivel studs are usually 'cold' soldered.

Another option is to install a standard swivel stud at the tip of the fore-end. This will prevent it from gouging your hand under recoil, allows you to use a tight sling when shooting, and still allows for a lower carry when slung (compared to standard fore-end placement).

As for Mag-na-porting, it does not increase muzzle blast noticeably, if at all, and it doesn't exactly reduce recoil. It DOES reduce muzzle flip significantly with the four-port porting, which reduces PERCEIVED recoil when your buttstock doesn't slap you in the cheek.

George

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Shoot straight, shoot often, but by all means, use enough gun!

Update on the project,

I couldn't use the old Swarovski due to unusual format (26 mm tube) so I was faced with either a Leupold VII 1-4x20 or an Aimpoint 7000. Since this rifle is going to be used for moose and wild boar, often quick shots on short distances, I will probably go with the Aimpoint.

If you have someone over there with the installation tool (one was offered here in the classifieds recently), you might consider the Pachmayr flush-mounted swivels. Once you take the sling off, there's nothing there to get you.

I will mention that, while I had the studs cut off my CZ 550 and made into flush screws, my 550 is a .416 Rigby, and while it kicks plenty, it is not clear to me that I needed to do that, even for the .416. Of course, there is plenty of experience out there that says different.

Another update,

I finally chose a Leupold 1-4x20. (The Aimpoint, model 7000L, couldn't be mounted as low as the scope so the CZ rail would have needed extensive modification).

After discussing it with the gun-smith I opted not to fit a barrel band. (The irons on the rifle would not allow a band to be fitted). And since I like the irons as they are, I will use the flush-mounted system instead. But the 'smith suggested several other interesting things that could be done so we'll see what happens!

If all goes well I'll have the scope mounted on thursday. Looking forward to a weekend of shooting

WACHTEL

Your problems with the rings could be solved by reaming out a pair of inch rings to 26mm. Some good gunsmith can do this for you without any problem. Warne rings are good but take a look at Talley or PME they might hace what you are looking for.

Do you have any plans on installing a PME Win style safety??

I don't think that magna port is needed for a 375. I have never liked breaks of any kind they make too much noise. Spend some time on the range with the rifle and learn to handle it, recoil isnt't that bad from a 375.

GOOD LUCK

Hi Johan,

Thanks for the tip about the rings but I gave up on the Swarovski anyway due to it's minimal eye-relief.

I now have the original rail mount with the Leupold installed and it looks good, for the time being at least.

As for safety this is one of the things I will discuss further with the 'smith. Haven't heard about PME, is there a web-site?

The Mag-Na-Port was not so much for recoil reduction, and the posts above seem to think that the reduction is slight and like-wise re increase in noice, but to control muzzle flip.