What 375 H & H rifle would you Purchase and Why

[James.Grage]

I am looking at purchasing a 375 H & H in either a Sako or Montana Rifle.

I am open to suggestions on what rifle you would suggest and why you would pick that maker.

thank you

 

[enysse]

I guess I'd go with the Montana Rifle, has a real classic look to it .

But I really love my CZ 550 in a 375 H&H too! What not to like, control feed, nice wood, heavy...really a lot of gun for the money!

 

[James.Grage]

enysse

i also looked at the CZ 550, however with some of the negative comments about the rifle on here, i set it aside. i also like the looks of the rifle.

When i purchase my new rifle, i do not want to have to rebuild it.

 

[Nyati]

For DG, I prefer control feed.

I used a Heym to take my buffalo last year, I like everything about this rifle.

 

[Calle]

I have a Winchester 70 pre-64 and if I ever would have to change it I should definately go for the Montana. Very nice rifle.

 

[PaulT]

James, my personal preference would be the Win mod 70.

Why;
*because the particular dimensions of the Winchester stock fit me better than most other factory rifles,
*proven performance
*well balanced and not over-weighted
*controll feed
*great trigger
*normally quite accurate.

A nice new Win 70 in .375, with an appropriate scope is a pleasure to use in the field.

And by the way, I have a Cz 550 in .375 and most/all of the "issues" surrounding these rifles in other calibres are not, at least in my .375's case, apparant in this calibre.

Cheers,
Paul.

 

[Code4]

There is nothing wrong with the CZ rifles. In fact for the asking price you can then spend a little more to personalise and improve them for a lot less than the sticker price of a Sako or Montana.

Of the two you list the Montana with its CRF is the prefered option. Be aware however that they are made with tighter tolerances than the Mauser '98 design ( and possibly it's clones such as the CZ or Zastava ). These looser tolerances are a design feature, not a manufacturing flaw and allow some increase in reliability should you end up with dust and mud in/on your rifle.

 

[DOC-404]

All my hunting rifles are CZ's...243,.308,.375 and .416.They are excellent,strong,accurate rifles.Think about it,CZ's are without doubt the most widely carried rifles in Africa.There must be a reason.Great value for money too..!

 

[Thunder head]

Winchester model 70
A rifle purchase is definatly a personel choice. I handled a Ruger, CZ, remington and the winchester. The model 70 has it all. Controlled round feed, pacmeyer decelarator, express sights and its heavy enough to help soak up that recoil. The trigger is pretty sweet also. Not to mention its made in america. I liked it the best so thats what i bought.

I only beleive about half what i read about rifles on the net. I am sure that there are alot better shots than me out there. Personely i have never shot a rifle of any kind that wasnt accurate enough for hunting, straight from the factory.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

I'll offer up what I've read about the CZ and Kimber. Note again this is what I've read and not what I know from personal experience. I put it here only to suggest you research it yourself further.

From what I've read, those who own a Montana either love them or hate them, not much in between. I would say that of those who hate them, the complaint seems to be bad quality control followed by poor customer service.

Also from what I've read, CZ has experienced issues with rifles shooting so low, scopes cannot be adjusted far enough to even get close to achieving a proper zero. This issue seems to not be that limited. Where I read that, a number of similar complaints were posted. Now in fairness to CZ the issue was remedied after sending the rifles back for service under warranty.

Again I encourage you to research these issues for yourself.

Now for what I know concerning my M70 in .375H&H. This is my first DG rifle and I have all of about 8 months experience with it.

The good: I like the weight of it and it really helps eating up recoil. Thanks to another member here, I have a very accurate load in 300gr A-Frames. I have a nearly as accurate load in 300gr TSX. If I ever miss my spot while hunting with it, it won't be the gun's fault. I won't be bedding this gun or floating the barrel. The price is still quite reasonable. Personally I like the looks of the gun. It's a dull finish on both the stock and metallic parts. Shiny while pretty is not something I prefer in a hunting rifle.

The bad: With handloads I ran into a feeding issue. It was a problem with the front edge of the brass at the neck hanging up on the rear face of the chamber. The solution thus far has been to crimp my rounds as suggested by the gunsmith. Since doing this, I haven't had an issue. However, I want to go through another 50 rounds before I totally declare victory. If I even get one more, I'll be sending the gun to the gunsmith to resolve this. I think it's a small issue to resolve, with bascially just rounding off the edge a little on the chamber face. Should I have to do this with a brand new gun? Probably not, but I've not read this to be a common issue. While I do like the trigger overall, mine is set a bit heavy. I don't know that this should be listed as a bad thing but I probably will have it lightened a little bit.

 

[sestoppelman]

I have heard several complaints about CZ rifles but never the one about low shooting. I have owned several and never run into that. My.404 wont feed Barnes Banded solids from the left rail when set at factory length and I do believe the follower springs are weak but thats about it. Heard some knock the open sights but thats kind of lame. Others dont like the set trigger: so dont use it. My 9.3 is double lugged with factory crossbolts and totally reliable. I think the CZ rifles are as good a bargain as any out there.

 

[James.Grage]

Thanks for all the valuable help...

Thank you all for your time, helping me put this purchase together...

other input i have received is to look at a Dakota , Ruger, Heym, Kilimanjaro, Jarrett with a Kimber recommendation to boot...

Ones rifle is like anything else you have to do your research and learn to live with what you decide on.

I still kick my self in the butt for not buying the colt-sauer 375 and 458 when i had the chance...one was new the other was shot only one time at the range behind the dealer.

 

[sestoppelman]

If I had a nickel for every time I missed a good deal, I could pay off Obama's spending bill!

 

[James.Grage]

you got that right...

 

[Uncompahgre]

My two cents worth. I really like Sako. I own five of them. I really like how smooth the actions are. I also prefer their safety mechanism compared to a wing style found on Rugers, Dakotas, etc. That is why I purchased a 416 Rigby in CZ 550. (Sako doesn't offer a 416 Rigby.) The CZ 550 value is great. Dakota has made a great comeback after Remmington bought the company. The quality of their rifles has come back. They are pricy though.

 

[michaelhh375]

Hi James.
IF you can find, buy a SAKO TRG-S, just buy it. You will appreciate this rifle so much ! HH 375, and a recoil less 30.06... precision you don't ask for to much with HH375, but with this rifle and correct ammo, 3 shots one big hole. 100% safety and very easy to keep clean and nice. I have used my Sako TRG-S since 1996, more that 3000 rounds... never ever any problems. By the way, this is the former sniper gun for Finnish army, now they use TRG 42....

All the best from Sweden.
Michael

I am looking at purchasing a 375 H & H in either a Sako or Montana Rifle.

I am open to suggestions on what rifle you would suggest and why you would pick that maker.

thank you

 

[libertarian]

I recently went through the same decision, and I ended up with a Sako Kodiak as my .375. It fit me better than most of the others, and it was the only one of the ones I spent time with (Kimber, Remington, Winchester, CZ) that didn't feel "cumbersome" (by this I mean awkwardly balanced, not just heavy, though some certainly were) when I carried it around. It points very naturally and shoots very well, and the bolt has the extreme smoothness and consistency that all Sakos have. Controlled round feeding doesn't mean much if the bolt binds up every time you push it forward too quickly, something a lot of the other rifles seemed to do. It might not be the 'ideal' dangerous game rifle, but it should do if the unexpected happens. For serious work hunting DG I think I'd want a 416 or a 458 anyway.

It is fairly light, even with a scope, so it is a little 'lively' on the bench, but I don't find it to be much worse than a lightweight 30-06 under field conditions.

 

[PAoutlaw]

I'm looking at the same situation, what rifle to buy in .375 h&h, and decided to call Mauser USA for a price on the M98 Magnum. I love everything about the K98's that I already own, so that almost seemed natural for a big gun. Then came the price, starting at 23,000 for a rifle and going up from there! But anyway, what is a "good" weight for a .375 h&h bolt rifle? It would be either solid wood or laminate stocked. And has anyone ever shot one with a thumbhole stock, I have one on my 300 win mag and love it and was just wondering if they are anygood on a DG rifle? Thanks in advance for any opinions.

 

[sestoppelman]

I spent a few minutes fingering a Kodiak at the SHOT show a couple of years ago and I like it a lot. But I already have a good .375, a Whitworth African, and dont need two.

 

[James.Grage]

I went with the Montana Rifle...

I was able to get a custom rifle at what i thought was a very good deal...and it comes up very nice....put a Ziess scope on it with detachable mounts...