375 H&H ID needed

T

tiglax

Inactive
About 35 years ago I traded for a 375 H&H "Custom" rifle. I recently broke the stock and need to replace it. I took the old stock off and found the following; ""FN" and "made in Belgium", also hand engraved numbers on the bottom of the breech "5 0 3 0". The trigger mechanism has "M" stamped on it and the trigger itself has tiny letters stamped "AFBER". I was told it has a Douglas barrel when I got it. I need to know what stock to look for to replace the old one. Also anything else about this rifle; like vintage, value and etc. I have mostly used it as a backup and for moose.
Thanks!
Gary
 
You have a custom made Mauser made on a Belgian FN action. They were very well made and well thought of. It's the same action Browning used in the 50s and 60s
 
need stock for it

Wyosmith,
Many thanks for your reply. Do you know what stock I should ask for that would fit this rifle out of the box? Also can you put an approximate value on it? I like this rifle and do not intend to sell it. We have occasional brown bear on our property.
Thanks, Gary
 
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The trigger inletting and bbl coutour may vary, given your bbl, but the same stock inletting for a magnum-length Browning Hi-Power and/or a magnum action 98 Mauser should fit.


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Measure the distance between the screws in the trigger guard/floor plate. This is how stock makers ID the various Mauser Model 98 action lengths. BTW- If there is a relief in left side of the receiver it's a military action and if not it's a commercial action.
 
If it has a hinged floor plate and it's marked FN Belgium it's a commercial action for sure.
As far as a finished stock goes.....I don't know of any that can be bought today. Richards Microfit makes semi-inlet stocks and you only need to ask for one made for a Browning FN action in 375H&H. Even though your rifle is not a Browning, the action is identical, so the inletting will be right
You'll want to have it made with a "starter channel" and no bolt inlet so you can make it fit perfectly and you'll also want to get hard dense wood for a rifle in that caliber. If you can't do the inletting yourself take it to a good gunsmith (any one that's worth the name) and it should not be a big job for him to stock it for you with a Richards stock.
 
Thanks Wyo and Saxon. The floor plate is not hinged, it comes off the rifle completely when opened. I will find and talk to Richards Microfit tomorrow, with screw location measurements. I do woodworking so I can probably figure it out. I could not figure out if it has a relief on the left side of the reciever.

What do either of you think this rifle is worth, with a new stock of course? It has a Leupold "Vari-x" 3-9 power scope, Redfield mount.

Gary
 
tiglax said:
I could not figure out if it has a relief on the left side of the receiver.
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The "relief" is the thumb cut on military M98 LH rear receiver walls, to clear the loader's thumb when a stripper clipful of ammo is pressed down into the magazine from on top (with the bolt open) - aka: speedloader.

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Richards Microfit for the 98's are 99% inlet (press fit). You will have to do a little trimming, but not much. Barrel channel can vary. If you are good at working with wood, you can end up with a spectacular stock. I have used Richards Microfit for decades. P.S. Do not buy their seconds. Some of them have flaws in the grain of the wood and can split easily.
 
Richards Microfit makes semi-inlet stocks
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My experience with Richards has been nothing but negative. Every stock I've received from them (and I've tried 3 to my embarrassment) has had substantial flaws in shaping, inletting, or both. I returned the first two for replacements (which both ended up worse than the originals). On the third stock I finally realized I was trying to teach a pig to sing.
 
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