Where have all the guns gone?

[DriveByGuy]

I am finally in the market for a rifle, and had my mind set on a new Winchester safari in .375 from one of the big box stores/gunbroker.

Of course, there are none for sale ANYWHERE. No one is in stock. Did Winchester stop making them? Or did the covid panic buyers literally buy anything and everything, including safari rifles lol??? Who panic buys a .375h&h?

 

[CoElkHunter]

I am finally in the market for a rifle, and had my mind set on a new Winchester safari in .375 from one of the big box stores/gunbroker.

Of course, there are none for sale ANYWHERE. No one is in stock. Did Winchester stop making them? Or did the covid panic buyers literally buy anything and everything, including safari rifles lol??? Who panic buys a .375h&h?

I think the pandemic/riots panic buyers bought all the black guns, pistols, defense shotguns and ALL the ammo for them with their first round of Covid stimulus checks. Then they branched out buying everything else with their second check, including Safari rifles and ammo for them. Some of the stuff has come back slowly at greatly inflated prices. You just have to look around including the classifieds here on AH for a fair price?

 

[BeeMaa]

Not sure what exactly you are looking for but a quick search on GB shows 77 bolt action rifles in 375H&H, including 8 from Winchester. OK I'll concede that none of the M70's are new, but there are 375's out there to be had.

Lots of quality firearms from Browning, CZ, Sako, Kimber and Ruger. And if you really want to dig into your wallet...Blaser, Mauser, Rigby and H&H.

One option is this Dakota rifle, which from a mechanical standpoint is little more than a slicked up WIN M70 with a better grade of wood.
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/907263414

Hope you are able to find what you are looking for.

 

[DriveByGuy]

Not sure what exactly you are looking for but a quick search on GB shows 77 bolt action rifles in 375H&H, including 8 from Winchester. OK I'll concede that none of the M70's are new, but there are 375's out there to be had.

Lots of quality firearms from Browning, CZ, Sako, Kimber and Ruger. And if you really want to dig into your wallet...Blaser, Mauser, Rigby and H&H.

One option is this Dakota rifle, which from a mechanical standpoint is little more than a slicked up WIN M70 with a better grade of wood.
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/907263414

Hope you are able to find what you are looking for.

Unfortunately I’ve been a little crazy with my gun purchases the past couple years, so I’ve have to tone it back some or else the ladyfriend is gonna string me up by the nads.

I was looking for a new production Winchester M70 mainly because it’s cheap enough that I won’t care about putting dings in the wood (that I plan on replacing) or scratching the bluing. I don’t want to ruin those older models available on gunbroker.

 

[BeeMaa]

Unfortunately I’ve been a little crazy with my gun purchases the past couple years, so I’ve have to tone it back some or else the ladyfriend is gonna string me up by the nads.

I was looking for a new production Winchester M70 mainly because it’s cheap enough that I won’t care about putting dings in the wood (that I plan on replacing) or scratching the bluing. I don’t want to ruin those older models available on gunbroker.

IMO - You don't buy a Ferrari and worry about having to replace the tires. It's a rifle, and at the end of the day it's job is to (safely) fire a cartridge. Those scratches and wear marks are reminders of the memories of wonderful hunts. I can understand if you were buying Jim Corbett's 275RIGBY or some other investment type rifle, but the majority of hunters are not in that league. Get what you can afford and enjoy using is how I hunt.

As for your "ladyfriend", it sounds like she needs a rifle of her very own to start her own rifle addiction. Something like a 6.5x55SE or 270WIN would be a good place to start.

 

[Medicine]

New ones are to be had. Keep checking gunbroker. Especially the seller who offers free safaris. He has listed a few recently.
But, if it were me, hell wouldn’t be able to keep me away from one of those listed New Haven Super Express.

 

[Berettaco]

I think the pandemic/riots panic buyers bought all the black guns, pistols, defense shotguns and ALL the ammo for them with their first round of Covid stimulus checks. Then they branched out buying everything else with their second check, including Safari rifles and ammo for them. Some of the stuff has come back slowly at greatly inflated prices. You just have to look around including the classifieds here on AH for a fair price?

Damn - how big were the checks?

 

[baxterb]

Damn - how big were the checks?

All told about 4K per person. Whether you needed it or not. Then they pushed a child tax credit advance (meaning they advanced you the credit that you write off on your taxes at the end of the year). To opt out of that you had to do a biometric identity check.

Think of that - it is more difficult to get the government to STOP sending you money than it is to VOTE against the assholes that so freely give away everyone else's money...

 

[curtism1234]

I think the stimulus really caused the hunting rifles to go out of stock. I was/am half thinking about a Browning x Bolt 375 and there are normally 20 of them at any given time on gunbroker. Right now - none. People who were on the fence and just casually shopped ended up pulling the trigger and these manufacturers only make certain guns/cartridges once or twice a year.

It doesn't help Remington went bankrupt either

 

[DriveByGuy]

I think the stimulus really caused the hunting rifles to go out of stock. I was/am half thinking about a Browning x Bolt 375 and there are normally 20 of them at any given time on gunbroker. Right now - none. People who were on the fence and just casually shopped ended up pulling the trigger and these manufacturers only make certain guns/cartridges once or twice a year.

It doesn't help Remington went bankrupt either

I think that’s our problem: manufacturers only make a handful (relatively speaking) of their “safari” rifles. All the Covid crazies bought literally everything they could get their hands on. You’d think they would have bought handguns or something.

Every other category of firearm, like semi auto sporting rifles, handguns, even lever actions, are in stores; safari rifles, not so much.

 

[Forrest Halley]

Who panic buys a .375h&h?

Well I'm going with someone who realized they could get ammunition for it when they couldn't get 5.56. The iron sights probably solved the sighting problem rapidly on an apartment wall somewhere with a dot or orange sticker and a quick bore sighting. They figure they've got something substantial that will ward off evil spirits and they're really not wrong. It's so loud that it probably overcomes the shortcoming of low magazine capacity and recoil delayed shot to shot splits. Not much will advance in the face of that report and it certainly isn't getting back up after getting hit. Probably never even been fired sitting in a corner somewhere loaded with PPU soft points awaiting its hour of need.

Nah, there is just more of a demand for plastic fantastics in 9mm and 5.56 right now. Once the world survives covid and whatever ensuing power grabs by the various governments it should return to availability again.

 

[CoElkHunter]

Well I'm going with someone who realized they could get ammunition for it when they couldn't get 5.56. The iron sights probably solved the sighting problem rapidly on an apartment wall somewhere with a dot or orange sticker and a quick bore sighting. They figure they've got something substantial that will ward off evil spirits and they're really not wrong. It's so loud that it probably overcomes the shortcoming of low magazine capacity and recoil delayed shot to shot splits. Not much will advance in the face of that report and it certainly isn't getting back up after getting hit. Probably never even been fired sitting in a corner somewhere loaded with PPU soft points awaiting its hour of need.

Nah, there is just more of a demand for plastic fantastics in 9mm and 5.56 right now. Once the world survives covid and whatever ensuing power grabs by the various governments it should return to availability again.

Yeah, I bought my Lott to ward off any Covid crazed driver in a rogue Chevy truck that might barrel toward me in the neighborhood. Ha! Ha! Ha!

 

[Forrest Halley]

Yeah, I bought my Lott to ward off any Covid crazed driver in a rogue Chevy truck that might barrel toward me in the neighborhood. Ha! Ha! Ha!

I bought my Lott because I had a case of ammo for it and needed a rifle.
I bought my .375 M70 because I had been drinking and GunBroker'ing.
Such fine and logical reasons!