I appreciate it, and I did consider it when first posted. I have a 500 already and want a 458 for my son and I. Finally got laid off two days ago so everything is on hold for a while. One of the last oilfield hold outs finally got the axe seems like. Good luck with the sale.If you want a 50 B&M, I am selling a friend's widow's .50 B&M (never fired except for function test). Save you some $$$ and help her out at the same time.
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Your Custom Rifle
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Jon Glajchen
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Hi Clodo, thank you!
The rifle holds five rounds in the magazine thanks to the custom bottom metal. The barrel is 23 inches long and the rifle weighs about 10,5 pounds with the scope.
I find the shorter barrel contributes to the handling of the rifle.
The rifle holds five rounds in the magazine thanks to the custom bottom metal. The barrel is 23 inches long and the rifle weighs about 10,5 pounds with the scope.
I find the shorter barrel contributes to the handling of the rifle.
Clodo Ferreira
AH fanatic
Thank you Jon!
Good weight for a fully dressed .375! Agree with you about the barrel lenght.
I have a Winchester 70 pre 64 serial number in the 3XX.XXX (barrel dated 1953). It is in its original form but is not mint. Has been used by me and by the former owner, with care but has the normal, and beautiful, scares added...
The thing it has the 25" original barrel, in excelent internal condition. But it has a rather long and sligthly heavy contour, not needed, in my oppinion, for a .375 H&H.
I am wondering about to cut it to 23"...but, may be, the gain would not justify the modification.
Best Regards!
CF
Good weight for a fully dressed .375! Agree with you about the barrel lenght.
I have a Winchester 70 pre 64 serial number in the 3XX.XXX (barrel dated 1953). It is in its original form but is not mint. Has been used by me and by the former owner, with care but has the normal, and beautiful, scares added...
The thing it has the 25" original barrel, in excelent internal condition. But it has a rather long and sligthly heavy contour, not needed, in my oppinion, for a .375 H&H.
I am wondering about to cut it to 23"...but, may be, the gain would not justify the modification.
Best Regards!
CF
Jon Glajchen
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I agree, I think that there are no half measures.
If you are going to modify it then the intrinsic collectible value will be gone so if it’s just the barrel mod I would leave it. I also pondered the same question at the time I decided to customize my rifle. In the end the condition of it was just not good enough for me to leave it standard and I decided to turn it it a rifle that I would really love to use with all the features that I required.
I do not regret my decision at all
Clodo Ferreira
AH fanatic
Thank you Jon.
Best
CF
Best
CF
Here are the pics of my .458 B&M with new Turkish walnut stock that was built by Accurate Innovations. Also, people have asked about ammo brass when entering African countries with a wildcat. On the barrel the donor brass is engraved as well as the actual caliber just in case someone asks (never have so far). Components are Win 70 LH WSM donor action, Douglas barrel reamed and fitted to the action by SSK Industries, Jewel trigger, NECG iron sights and EGW rail.
It will be heading to Zimbabwe with me in August (crossing fingers).
It will be heading to Zimbabwe with me in August (crossing fingers).
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Longwalker
AH elite
I really like the old Czech Brno rifles and actions. Here are my only two customs.
An AHR upgraded CZ550 .375, and a Chris Griesbach custom Brno ZKK 600 .30-06.
Both have good quality walnut, upgraded metal finish, custom sights. The straight comb stocks are beautiful, but I actually prefer some drop at heel like the original Brno ZKK 601 .222 pictured at the bottom. That's about all I'd change if doing it over.
An AHR upgraded CZ550 .375, and a Chris Griesbach custom Brno ZKK 600 .30-06.
Both have good quality walnut, upgraded metal finish, custom sights. The straight comb stocks are beautiful, but I actually prefer some drop at heel like the original Brno ZKK 601 .222 pictured at the bottom. That's about all I'd change if doing it over.
shootist~
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@One Day...
Very nice rifles. A question on the B&C stock on your 375, if you dont mind.
It appears to be the #30, Tan with Black web, however it looks darker than a #30 I see at my gun club, (which was a bit too light, IMO).
Is yours the stock (no pun) color, just the luck of the draw, or possibly modified somehow?
Thanks,
Joe
If you are bent on destroying such a rifle, PM me and I’ll make you an offer. I have been at this a while and have never found a longer barrel an issue on any hunt in any location in which I have participated. Ever.
Nevada Mike
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I have a couple custom rifles, but currently no photo hosting site }:-(
A Mathieu LH in 7mm Rem Mag with Goudy stock and 24" Hobaugh barrel
A Ruger No. 1 in .257 Roberts stocked by Goudy with 25" Brux barrel - considering re-chambering to .25-'06
A Win Model 70 Classic LH in 7 X 57 mm stocked by Bautz with 23" Kreiger barrel
A Dakota 76 short action LH in .257 Roberts with factory stock and 20" barrel
A Granite Mountain standard magnum action in .404 Jeffery being built by Reto Buehler with 23" PacNor match barrel
Also have a LH Ruger 77 mrk II awaiting re-barrreling from 30-'06 to .338-'06 that will be altered and restocked to suit.
A Mathieu LH in 7mm Rem Mag with Goudy stock and 24" Hobaugh barrel
A Ruger No. 1 in .257 Roberts stocked by Goudy with 25" Brux barrel - considering re-chambering to .25-'06
A Win Model 70 Classic LH in 7 X 57 mm stocked by Bautz with 23" Kreiger barrel
A Dakota 76 short action LH in .257 Roberts with factory stock and 20" barrel
A Granite Mountain standard magnum action in .404 Jeffery being built by Reto Buehler with 23" PacNor match barrel
Also have a LH Ruger 77 mrk II awaiting re-barrreling from 30-'06 to .338-'06 that will be altered and restocked to suit.
Clodo Ferreira
AH fanatic
Hello Red Leg,
Agree with you about the length of the barrel. It is not the issue for me, neither, in spite I said that.
What I mean, actually, is about the balance or, more accurate, the distribution of the weight in the rifle, which is not exactly the same as the balance. I like the weight in my rifles, fully dressed, "between the hands", perhaps a little, just a little, slightly muzzle heavy. That way, the weight alone is not so important. The weight of my Win .375 H&H doesn't bother me, less than 10 pounds with scope, sling and 4 cartridges in the magazine plus one in the chamber. The thing is that it is more muzzle heavy than I like! Because the barrel is to heavy at the muzzle! The new Winchester 70 Alaskan .375 H&H has, to my liking, the correct taper in the barrel!
A good example of the best .375 H&H configuration, to me, can be seen in the Holland & Holland take down rifle offered for sale by vette 447 in the Free Classifieds section.
So, when I am wandering about to cut the barrel to, perhaps, 23" I am thinking in that.
My BRNO ZKK 600 original 9,2x62, made in 1967, 60 cm (aprox 23,6") barrel length, complete with mounts, scope, sling, 5 cartridges in the magazine plus one in the chamber, for roughly 8 1/2 pounds, is another sample of the perfect between the hands weight to me!
Best!
CF
Agree with you about the length of the barrel. It is not the issue for me, neither, in spite I said that.
What I mean, actually, is about the balance or, more accurate, the distribution of the weight in the rifle, which is not exactly the same as the balance. I like the weight in my rifles, fully dressed, "between the hands", perhaps a little, just a little, slightly muzzle heavy. That way, the weight alone is not so important. The weight of my Win .375 H&H doesn't bother me, less than 10 pounds with scope, sling and 4 cartridges in the magazine plus one in the chamber. The thing is that it is more muzzle heavy than I like! Because the barrel is to heavy at the muzzle! The new Winchester 70 Alaskan .375 H&H has, to my liking, the correct taper in the barrel!
A good example of the best .375 H&H configuration, to me, can be seen in the Holland & Holland take down rifle offered for sale by vette 447 in the Free Classifieds section.
So, when I am wandering about to cut the barrel to, perhaps, 23" I am thinking in that.
My BRNO ZKK 600 original 9,2x62, made in 1967, 60 cm (aprox 23,6") barrel length, complete with mounts, scope, sling, 5 cartridges in the magazine plus one in the chamber, for roughly 8 1/2 pounds, is another sample of the perfect between the hands weight to me!
Best!
CF
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One Day...
AH elite
Hello Joe;
My stock is entirely stock (pun fully intended). I expect the picture exposure made it look darker than it is. Here is another pic where it looks lighter.
Amen!
Not to mention substantially reduced muzzle blast; reduced muzzle flash at dawn & dusk; increased velocity; longer iron sights plane; proper balance at the front action screw; zero risk of shooting your own hand reaching over the muzzle; etc.
Admittedly, as Clodo Ferreira discusses, balance is a very personal issue...
This reminds me of the same debate in military context. Aside from room clearing - a very specialized endeavor rarely undertaken with a DG rifle
- I never saw any advantage to the bullpup configuration or the 14.5" barrel of the M4 (well, maybe a slight advantage in dismounting vehicles in a hurry, but this too is not really relevant to hunting 
). Truth be told, I always was a proponent of the full caliber "battle rifle" over the small caliber "assault rifle"...God bless folks who feel the need to spend $1,000 to have a .375 or .416 barrel chopped down from 25" or 24" to 22" and all my sympathy to those who shoot (and especially those around those who shoot) a 16" barreled .500
I see all this as another fad, but to each their own
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Clodo Ferreira
AH fanatic
Hi One Day,
Agree, also! By the way, All my rifles have 60 cm barrel lenght, but that Winchester 70 pre 64 at 25", original barrel.
As I said, the thing is not the length itself but the balance, a VERY IMPORTANT mater to me!
Best
CF
Agree, also! By the way, All my rifles have 60 cm barrel lenght, but that Winchester 70 pre 64 at 25", original barrel.
As I said, the thing is not the length itself but the balance, a VERY IMPORTANT mater to me!
Best
CF
Jon Glajchen
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The very notion of a custom rifle is exactly that, it is a rifle created to suit the specific needs and taste of the owner. It is impossible to satisfy the needs and tastes of all rifle owners.
As they say “ one man’s meat is another man’s poison”
As they say “ one man’s meat is another man’s poison”
Proneshooter
AH enthusiast
Cannot post any finished pictures, but here is the foundation.
Satterlee 404 Jeffery action.
The middle blank is the one that will become the stock. Steve Durren will be doing the stockwork and rust bluing. Not sure who I am going to have do the engraving.
CAD file for the barrel. Krieger blank with a 1-14 twist, a bit faster than the standard 1-16 for the Jeffery. Barrel will have integral ¼ rib, recoil lug, front sight base, and sling stud. Profile will be half octagon to half ovate. Morris Melani of Alaska Arms is doing the metal work.
Satterlee 404 Jeffery action.
The middle blank is the one that will become the stock. Steve Durren will be doing the stockwork and rust bluing. Not sure who I am going to have do the engraving.
CAD file for the barrel. Krieger blank with a 1-14 twist, a bit faster than the standard 1-16 for the Jeffery. Barrel will have integral ¼ rib, recoil lug, front sight base, and sling stud. Profile will be half octagon to half ovate. Morris Melani of Alaska Arms is doing the metal work.
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nztimb
AH ambassador
Cannot post any finished pictures, but here is the foundation.
CAD file for the barrel. Krieger blank with a 1-14 twist, a bit faster than the standard 1-16 for the Jeffery. Barrel will have integral ¼ rib, recoil lug, front sight base, and sling stud. Profile will be half octagon to half ovate. Morris Melani of Alaska Arms is doing the metal work.
Is that barrel going to have a wedding ring transition or (nicer in my opinion) a gradual fade into the round.
Love the stock blank and the Satrterlee action.
Proneshooter
AH enthusiast
Von Gruff,
The transition will be a gradual fade, we are in agreement, I like the gradual rather than the wedding ring transition.
Badboymelvin
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Hey guys,
Here's mine.
It's a Zastava in my favourite caliber the .458 Winchester Magnum.
I chose the rifle as I wanted a Mauser CRF action and with the Zastava you get so much gun for the money.
All steel and no plastic and it even comes fitted with a nice set of open sights - which is a must-have on a DG rifle.
It's fitted with a Hogue stock with the full aluminium chassis so its very strong, very stable and the stock is very comfortable and grippy in wet or bloody conditions.
On top is a Leupold 1.5-4x20 scope in Leupold steel mounts and rings and this set-up will cloverleaf 3 shots with either my handloads or factory ammo at 50m.
Speaking of handloads my load consists of the Woodleigh 550gn RNSP at a chronographed 2080fps in my rifle.
And even though it's a big projectile going at a sedate velocity it still shoots flatter than what you think. Zeroed at 150m it's 2.75" high at 100m and 5" low at 200m.
I can't see myself shooting at anything past 200m with a .458 ...
I built this rifle for hunting Water Buffalo in the NT next year plus hunting big Sambar stags in the thick stuff down here in Vic - and everything about this rifle just feels perfect to me.
Its light, handy, comfortable, accurate and hits with over 5200ft/lbs of muzzle energy. And having that kind of horsepower on tap just inspires confidence when carrying it.
I've owned quite a few .375's - .458's and I've spent a lot of money on them. Some were prettier, classier and more impressive to the eye - but none were better and more complete than this one.
It's just perfect.
Here's mine.
It's a Zastava in my favourite caliber the .458 Winchester Magnum.
I chose the rifle as I wanted a Mauser CRF action and with the Zastava you get so much gun for the money.
All steel and no plastic and it even comes fitted with a nice set of open sights - which is a must-have on a DG rifle.
It's fitted with a Hogue stock with the full aluminium chassis so its very strong, very stable and the stock is very comfortable and grippy in wet or bloody conditions.
On top is a Leupold 1.5-4x20 scope in Leupold steel mounts and rings and this set-up will cloverleaf 3 shots with either my handloads or factory ammo at 50m.
Speaking of handloads my load consists of the Woodleigh 550gn RNSP at a chronographed 2080fps in my rifle.
And even though it's a big projectile going at a sedate velocity it still shoots flatter than what you think. Zeroed at 150m it's 2.75" high at 100m and 5" low at 200m.
I can't see myself shooting at anything past 200m with a .458 ...
I built this rifle for hunting Water Buffalo in the NT next year plus hunting big Sambar stags in the thick stuff down here in Vic - and everything about this rifle just feels perfect to me.
Its light, handy, comfortable, accurate and hits with over 5200ft/lbs of muzzle energy. And having that kind of horsepower on tap just inspires confidence when carrying it.
I've owned quite a few .375's - .458's and I've spent a lot of money on them. Some were prettier, classier and more impressive to the eye - but none were better and more complete than this one.
It's just perfect.
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Clodo Ferreira
AH fanatic
Hello longwalker,
I would like to know your opinion about the Kaps 4x36 30mm scope on your big rifle...
Thank you!
CF
I would like to know your opinion about the Kaps 4x36 30mm scope on your big rifle...
Thank you!
CF
Clodo Ferreira
AH fanatic
Hi badboy,
Your .458 Zastava looks really neat! I like that Hogue stock. I have one exactly like yours, but black, designed for this last Zastava, in my FN-AKAH .30-06. The fit stock-metal is perfect, as the Zastava are nothing more than FN actions made in Serbia. The Hogue is very well designed and made, and fit me very well.
Best
CF
Your .458 Zastava looks really neat! I like that Hogue stock. I have one exactly like yours, but black, designed for this last Zastava, in my FN-AKAH .30-06. The fit stock-metal is perfect, as the Zastava are nothing more than FN actions made in Serbia. The Hogue is very well designed and made, and fit me very well.
Best
CF
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Preparing for the adventure of a lifetime. Looking forward to my 2026 Africa hunt with Van Wijk Safaris in South Africa.
