Best Value on a Reliable 375 H+H ?

Who did the safety modification on your CZ?

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Straight bolt handle....Safety to 3 position...that looks like a Wayne job to me.

It took me less than 20 seconds to locate some .375 Ruger ammo in South Africa. And only about $100 USD.

http://cityguns.co.za/index.php?rout...h=.375 Ruger

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I think even closer to $75USD?

I will look at a used CZ 550 in 375 HH Monday. Not sure yet which exact model. What do I need to watch out for in used CZ 550? I've heard they sometimes have trouble cycling ammo, or is that just in bigger calibers? I've heard of cracked stocks, especially around the wrist.

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Cracked stocks, rough cycling bolts, and finicky-feeding are classic CZ 550 traits in the traditional "African caliber" chamberings.

That's why Wayne at AHR does such a thriving business tuning up his clients' CZ 550 magnum big bores. He offers several upgrade packages for the 550s, priced according to how far you want to go. Wayne also custom builds big-bore rifles from scratch, starting with an in-the-white 550 magnum action which he then trues and hones, with each part after that being a custom addition, like the barrel, trigger, sights, AAA fancy English walnut stock, etc.

Depends on how ambitious your wallet is.

Look, no one wants to spend a subtle fortune crossing the pond for that once-in-a-lifetime Buff or plains-game hunt, or on flying it all up to Alaska for one uber-expensive Brown Bear tag, plus guide fees, only to have his rifle jam and choke like it's some $100 gunshow junker-turd.

Down to decision btwn Ruger 375 Guide or Alaskan w/ Hogue stock
or the used CZ 550 HH.

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If you're not inclined to throw some level of tune-up cash into the rifle, then rolling the dice between the CZ and the Ruger for pure out-of-the-box reliability, I'd go with the Ruger.

No doubt the CZ would be more accurate, but in a DGR you want 100% reliability first and last, even if it's less accurate than a competitor. Even then the Ruger's accuracy for DG purposes will be more than "good enough."

Anybody with a Zastava? Maybe not highly polished, but look promising.

From your list, I'd recommend the Weatherby as long as it's a Series 2. It's the only one listed with a sub-MOA accuracy guarantee, so you're off to a flying start. The base synthetic model is 7.25 lbs, so it's not a lightweight rifle. The Weatherby stock is designed to mitigate felt recoil, with the dropped heel and Monte Carlo cheek piece.

I've had four of the Vanguard S2s, and they all easily surpassed the accuracy guarantee.

Same source said 375 HH is easier to hand load.

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375H&H is dead simple to load, with dozens of easily available powders and bullet options. Pick a standard powder/bullet combo and you're there; then spend the next 10 years playing with a dozen other combinations if you're into that. I actively load everything from 180gr lead slugs at 1500fps, to 250gr bullets going 2900, to 300 gr bullets going 2600. Reloading the H&H is where it starts to shine very brightly indeed.

Where are you in VA? I'm in N. North Carolina. There are a couple of us .375 fanatics around here that could get you started.

For scopes: I vacillate between the snap-shooting abilities of a 1.25–6, vs. utilizing the very good long range abilities of the H&H with a 2.5–8. I've got both, and when hunting on this side of the country use the 1.25.

Plenty of excellent options for a deer load. Hard-cast 250gr lead, moving around 2400fps, are unbelievable deer killers, with zero meat damage.

NJE

The Winchester M70 .375 H&H is the premium gun in this space in my opinion. I prefer the Alaskan model to the Safari Express model, because putting the sling stud on the barrel defeats the careful bedding and free floating on M70s. Recoil is very tolerable compared to some other faster magnums. Accuracy is better than it needs to be.

.375 Ruger is a solution in search of a problem. The CZs don't run very well, which is completely fatal to a dangerous game rifle.

My CZ-550 is smooth and reliable. It has the advantage of holding 5 rounds in the magazine.

There are a couple things to consider with an un-modified CZ-550.

1. The Safety locks the bolt closed. So no feeding a round into the chamber or out, with the safety applied. ( A model 70, Kimber, Montana, or Dakota action allows you to cycle ammo with the firing pin locked and blocked.

2. Scope mounts for the CZ-550 family are rather spendy.

3. The factory two position safety is not silent. This is a deal breaker for many dangerous game stalk hunters.

I heard from a good source that 375 Ruger can be finicky to handload, and that many hand loads have proven inconsistent due to bullet depth and other issues.

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I don't understand this comment.
Any rifle will suffer accuracy and or feeding issues with handloaded ammo if either isn't to spec or outside the guns specific requirements.
I've got a bolt .223 I have to seat bullets to 2.40 (spec is 2.26) to get optimum accuracy, those loads will have issues in most guns.

I built a 375 Ruger chambered rifle on an Enfield 1917 action and a Shaw barrel. It is very accurate with 270 grain boat-tails. ( less than half MOA )
Since I built her up as a lighter than normal rifle for caliber, she kicks fairly sharp.
There is nothing wrong with the 375 Ruger as far as accuracy goes. In fact since it does not have the goofy magnum belt it should lend itself to accuracy even more than a 100 year old belted design.

The 375 Ruger is a fairly popular chambering up here in Alaska for dangerous game.
NOT for long range hunting past 300-400 yards. The features that make a dangerous-game rifle super reliable in close quarters and in crappy conditions, also make those rifles less accurate at long ranges.

The few folks who still have delusions about taking large game at very long ranges usually use something like a 338 Lapua or the .416 Barrett/.408 Cheytac. And of course the 50 BMG.

Mmmmm.... just look at the beautiful bottleneck H&H cartridge, the belle of the ball, showing that poor Ruger as the homely lass she is.

I was walking thru a gun show in my wife's hometown when I stopped at a table with the usual .22 semi auto/.30-30 lever/12 ga fare and noticed the bottom rifle of this pair:



A Whitworth in .375 H&H that someone had shortened the forearm and added a receiver sight. In the back of my head I heard one of the trackers from our last trip to RSA say " Kudu". After asking I picked it up and heard "eeLaand". It followed me home. So far it's made a wonderful white tail rifle.
The Whitworths haven't been made in years but appear occasionally and are real sleepers. You can't have mine.

Sometimes the rifle finds you.

Beautiful

Thanks guys.

The Whitworth has now been modified with the shotgun safety replaced by a bolt mounted flag safety. Which matches the Husqvarna above it.

Both carry and come to the shoulder like a 20ga shotgun.

Gaiudo said:

Mmmmm.... just look at the beautiful bottleneck H&H cartridge, the belle of the ball, showing that poor Ruger as the homely lass she is.

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Hmmm....what I see is an inefficient cartridge design from the last century beside the improvement that eclipsed it.

35 Whelen: Absolutely gorgeous CZ rifle.

Dr.Rob: I also have a Savage Model 116 Safari Express (SE) rifle that I bought in 1995 (mine is chambered in .338 Winchester Magnum) and it has proven to be very accurate and reliable. Mine has a nicely checkered walnut stock, "express" iron sights, s/s action and barrel (with the forward sling-swivel base mounted on the barrel) and a unique muzzle brake that can be turned on or off with a twist of the hand.

For all the "wrong" reasons, I'm interested in getting a CZ rifle chambered in .404 Jeffries some day-just don't know where to find one nor how much to pay when and if I ever do.

When I hunted Zambia my PH had a couple of CZ rifles, one in .375, the other in .458. These were the "good" ones, with the pop-up peep sight in the rear receiver bridge.

He was a bit upset when I showed him small hairline cracks were developing in the wood ahead of and behind the magazine box. (No crossbolts in the stock.)

The .375 Ruger is perhaps a tad more potent than the .375 H&H, but I have reservations about proprietary cartridges. (It's been out for quite a while - does ANY other major rifle maker chamber rifles for it yet?)

As to which brand of .375 H&H, if you're not planning to do any custom work on it, I'd say get whichever one fits YOU best. Too many people ignore rifle fit - it should come to your shoulder smoothly and be right on target without you having to squirm around and settle it in.

I agree with many of the posts and a bunch of the experience cited here. I happen to have a wonderful .375 H&H built on a Rem 700 XCR II barreled action that I had glass bedded in a B&C Medalist Sporter stock in Weatherny configuration, Timney 510 trigger with optics mounted in Leupold QR bases and mounts. My total build costs came to $1,500, the rifle fits me perfectly and it shoots like a house afire, as the pic of my sight-in confirmation target with 3 rounds of factory Federal Premium ammo confirms:

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I use two scopes with this rifle, a Leupy VX-2 1-4x20 and a Zeiss Conquest 3-9x40. The QR mounts allow me to choose between them with nearly perfect return to zero. The above group was a test of where the rifle's POI was after the 3-9x40 scope was put back and three preliminary rounds fired to fully seat the scope in its bases.

While I get good accuracy/consistency with this rifle with factory loads, what I value most is reliability. This one seems to fill the bill as I have roughly 100 rounds through it with no malfunctions of any kind.

I started the project with the XCR II because I envisioned both Alaskan and late fall/winter Elk hunting which, in CO, often means snow, ice and rough terrain. Today, I would have considered a Win M70 Alaskan, a Ruger Guide Gun (in .375 Ruger) and a Sako 85 Synthetic Stainless in addition to the Remmy; three years ago the Rem was available NIB at one of my choice of box stores. I do believe that you decide on the rifle that will work for you, then the caliber of choice and finally, the modifications needed for it to work best for you and your intended purpose. YMMV.

Cheers,

Harry

* * * For all the "wrong" reasons, I'm interested in getting a CZ rifle chambered in .404 Jeffries some day-just don't know where to find one nor how much to pay when and if I ever do.

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Dudenal, a well-done .404 Jeff is at least as hawwwt as Melania Trump.

AHR .404 Jeffery.


You can thank me later.