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Thanks for the tip, it looks like someone will be getting a great deal on that rifle. What mainly drove me to semi-custom builds was the lack of left-handed options in factory rifles. If I were right-handed I probably wouldn't have gone down the rabbit hole.

I've only tagged myself with a sling swivel once, that was enough. It was with my .300 WM, which has a rather short fore-end. I promise, it hurts a bit. That rifle has a CF wrapped barrel, so a barrel band isn't an option. The rifle doesn't recoil too badly, but it was my first time...

I spent about $1900 on parts and $550 at the gunsmith. The gunsmith did all the assembly and fixes. Some I could have done myself, but others I couldn't, so I just had him do everything. I might have saved $100 doing what I could do. The suppressor really doesn't move the balance point as...

The original inspiration for this thread is now complete, so time to update. I guess I should say phase one is complete in that I have a functioning rifle. Phase two will be adding express sights, a barrel band swivel, and cerakoting it. That will wait a bit until I have any bugs worked out...

Good luck to you as well! We're heading to Limpopo for hunting, but with a week of playing tourist in northern SA first.

Missed us by a day. We're flying ATL-JNB on 6/27.

Thanks to everyone for the well wishes. We'll see about a hunt report. Out of the two week trip there will only be three days of hunting. That was a bit disappointing initially, but most of the group has been there several times before and wants to do the tourist thing this time. They all...

Thank you. I'm honestly surprised by how nervous I am. This is a new experience for me, usually I'm pretty relaxed heading into a vacation.

Might as well resurrect this thread. We'll be flying out two weeks from tomorrow. I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I elected to not take my rifle due to the nature of this trip; hopefully I don't regret that decision. Per the outfitter, I'd have to haul my own rifle around the...

CCI Standard Velocity pretty much gives me a click and the sound of the bullet impact in my 16" Tikka T1x with a Dead Air Mask. If it weren't for the bullet impact I'd wonder if it misfired. No real experience with other .22 suppressors on that particular rifle, so others may be as quiet, but...

I'd be in for a lefty .458 WM in an M77. I think the stock and barrel profile would need to be beefed up a bit from the African models, and a decent recoil pad from the factory would be a nice change of pace. At some point I'll probably make my own out of my LH .375 Ruger African or a lefty...

He assumed correctly, the trip is to South Africa. My experience so far is tree stands, blinds, drives, and some stalking locally. In all of those cases, an appropriately set up suppressed rifle has worked very well. The intent of my post was to relay that experience, not tell others whether...

Yup, it's marketing, don't expect it to make sense. As an engineer I shudder to think about the amount of time in my career that I've spent reviewing marketing materials for technical accuracy, marking them up, reviewing them again, marking them up again, and on, and on. A lot of marketing...

The Raptor in .30 caliber is likely going to be added to the collection. Unfortunately, it's not an option on my .375's due to the sights unless I eliminate the reflex which is an option since it's modular. I'm definitely considering a Magnus S. My Ultra 5 is a really nice can, though again...

I'll start by saying that I'm not a dangerous game hunter. I've never even been to Africa, though that will be changing within a month. I do, however, own a pair of .375 Ruger Hawkeyes. One, an African, has a 23" barrel and is unsuppressed. The other, an Alaskan, has a 20" barrel and a Rex...

I wonder what the market would be for an all weather double. I'm thinking S/S and either a synthetic or laminate stock. It would be about as far from traditional as one could get, but as far as I know, it doesn't exist in the current market. Perhaps something like this could sell without...

I've been a mechanical engineer for about 20 years, though some of my team might debate whether I'm still an engineer or have crossed over to the dark side (management). The ones who would debate that are probably correct. My wife is in the medical field. We're not rich, but comfortably...

Very excited to see this and hear the good feedback, especially since versions with the bolt handle on the proper side are coming! As with all things, there are a few minor nits I'd pick, but having a relatively affordable left-handed CRF option available means I'm highly likely to buy one...

I won't answer for anyone else, they can do what they want. For me "too many" happens when the gun I just bought won't fit in the safe. At that point, I'll either sell one, find a way to squeeze it in, or completely reconfigure the safe (again). I made custom shelving and resorted to Rifle...

This is the sort of question that makes the gun nut in me dream. So many options. I'll say upfront that I've never hunted any of these animals, barring the cougar, so my ideas are certainly not based on experience. 1. Elephant - The dream gun for me would be a bespoke British double in .500...

I don't own any because I'm too cheap, but I've made the mistake of looking through several pairs. The most incredible binoculars I've made the mistake of picking up. Some day.

I've owned a pretty fair number of Browning rifles and shotguns and still have a few of the shotguns. I wouldn't say I love Brownings but they have, with some exceptions, made (or more accurately branded) pretty decent guns. Like a few others, I'm not a big fan of them slapping their logo on...

Beautiful rifle, and the bolt is even on the proper side!

I have one of each of these as well and consider both to be a great value. My GPO is the 44mm objective version though. The Hawke also comes with some really nice flip up caps. Mine are on lower recoil rifles, so I can't comment directly on how well they would hold up, but they seem well...

Unless they recently discontinued it, Trijicon has a 3-9x40 Accupoint with tritium illumination in various reticles. I have one and it's a pretty decent scope, but might be a bit lacking in eye relief for a .375. I am a big fan of their scopes in general though.

While a 1-6 will likely be ample in terms of illumination, the light gathering of the small 20-24mm objective lenses is rather lacking compared to something with a larger objective. A non-issue in good light, but very noticeable at dawn and dusk.

Thanks again! For the fore end tip, I'll do exactly what you recommended. If I decide to tackle the grip cap, I'll probably do something slightly different, but you gave me an idea. basically, I'll lay the Shopsmith down, make a jig very similar to what you described for the fore end tip, but...

Thanks again! If there's any finish left tomorrow I'll pick up a few brass brushes on my way home from work. FWIW, the Citrustrip does seem to work, but the nasty Jasco stuff does work better. I have lacquer thinner too, which seems to mostly remove the stripper, just not enough to bathe the...

I tried heat without stripper on the stock in the hopes that it would help the finish release. No dice. I've been using a plastic bristled brush with a reasonable level of success so far since the only brass brushes I have are pretty beat. I'm rather surprised that the stripper isn't breaking...

Yesterday morning I went out to the garage, put "Pour Some Sugar On Me" on repeat, and practiced my stripping. No, not like that.... It's working, but slowly. I tried heat as well, which didn't do much. Patience will be required. The finish on these M70 stocks is definitely catalyzed and I...

If you feel like your pistol skills need more practice (mine do too) and the goal here is practicality, I think a .22 rifle would be the way to go. A .22 rifle is too useful to not have one. Maybe add the pistol later after more basic needs are covered. From a practical standpoint, a shotgun...

I'll admit to knowing nothing about gun laws in Tanzania but, if it can legally be carried, the pistol on your person is better than the rifle in your truck or on the tractor. A .357 in particular would give you options ranging from snake shot up to ammunition capable of taking smaller plains...

I own quite a few of them. They have their up sides and their downsides. The downsides are added weight and length, cost, and the government red tape. That said, the red tape isn't nearly as bad as it's made out to be. The first time takes a little longer, but once the FFL has your...

Much like yours, my African in .375 has pretty plain walnut, but both it and the Alaskan will shoot and have always functioned 100%. Maybe not the prettiest girls at the dance, but they make up for it in other ways and I was able to take them both home at the same time. Better an African and...

Thanks again for the tip. I've done a fair bit of woodworking, to include building an electric guitar, but this is my first experience with stripping and refinishing a rifle stock. I presume 0000 steel wool would be preferred to knock off the fuzz? Degreased, of course.

One way to find out. I'm sure he'll tell us once he appears. I would love to visit Australia to see the sights, hunt buffalo, and learn more of the way, the truth, and the light that is the .35 Whelen.

Thank you sir, I'll be here all week. Don't forget to tip your waiter. FWIW, When I picture Bob, I think of Paul Hogan with a bowie knife in one hand and a .35 Whelen in the other saying "that's not a roifle, this is a roifle." :ROFLMAO:

For that money you could have bought a real rifle in .243! :ROFLMAO:

Assuming you don't cut the stock you can just put the awful factory pad back on to make it original again. I don't have an RSM, but both my African and Alaskan have 1" Decelerator pads on them, both to improve on the factory hockey puck pads and to add a bit to the LOP. If I want to punish...

Thank you. I am rather curious exactly when they were made, but it's not particularly important as long as I know the general time frame for parts compatibility. I am rather curious what Winchester would have to say about them, but they'd probably be none too happy about them being in the wild...

Thank you. That will be my next attempt. Last time I only applied a single coat and it appeared to remove a very thin skin of finish. Next time I'll coat it multiple times and let it work longer. I'm really hoping to avoid doing much sanding since the stock is in great condition and doesn't...

The crossbolts and swivel studs have arrived and both are a perfect fit. The big box from Numrich also contained two more stocks, another Express, and a sporter, so now I have a suitable stock for whatever I decide to do with the second action. If anything, the second express stock is better...

Just shoot one in the head and one in the a**, then sew them together, if you can find them. Easy peasy.

It appears we were typing at the same time. I was a bit surprised myself, but it becomes more understandable considering who the actions were originally sold to. There must have been some agreement in place. These actions are brand new; they've never been built into rifles. For what it's...

Thank you once again. I've used their fixed rings and noticed the same assembly challenges you mentioned. A third hand would be helpful sometimes.

These actions were originally ordered by David Miller for his custom builds. He modified them rather extensively for his rifles, which would be much easier when they're soft. The modifications I saw on the lefty action I didn't buy included machining the rear bridge for his custom scope mount...

Thanks OH. It's an M70 stock, just not exactly sure how old it is. It was advertised as being for an Express Super Grade, IIRC. Numrich has the Winchester crossbolts so I have some of those on the way now. If the photo on their website is correct, they're identical to yours. I also have an...

For 90% in North America, 30-06 or .300WM. Of course, hunting squirrels with either probably wouldn't leave much meat behind. Any of the other comparable .30's would do as well, but ammo for these two is ubiquitous, so they win. Really, .270, .308, 7RM, etc. would also be fine, excluding the...

Gumpy, I believe that the word you were looking for is "proper," as in "The bolt is on the proper side." :LOL: When I refer to this rifle as ugly, it's just a tongue-in-cheek reference to the number of blue and walnut traditionalists on this forum. I'm really just stirring the pot a bit too...

Here's where I'm at with the rifle build that started this thread. No stock modifications have been done yet, so the barreled action won't drop in. a 300 grain DGX drops in and the bolt closes, but obviously headspace will be confirmed before lighting it off for the first time. I'm looking...