Safari magnum

[msorenso]

Does anyone have one?  Looking into well ALL of them.  I am really curious about the Safari classics in 505 gibb, 404 jeffery, 450 Rigby!

[gwindrider1]

I have a 550 American Safari Mag. in .458 Win. that I have been playing with, and working on for about three months now.  If there are any specific questions I could answer for you, I would be happy to help. :grin:

[msorenso]

Thanks for the reply.  First question I have is are do you have the fancy or field grade stock?  How do you like them?

[gwindrider1]

Unfortunately, I have the basic, field grade stock, and I am not impressed with the quality of the wood.  While I am impressed with many things about this rifle, the quality of the wood is not one of them, and I am not referring to the appearance.

Recently, during a shooting session, a piece of the stock, next to the floorplate, blew out.   Never had that happen on another rifle.  That prompted me to not only glass that piece back into place, but also glass the bottom metal as well.  If you are going to keep the original wood on your rifle, I strongly advise glassing all internal areas.  The wood seems brittle.  I would love to hear some feedback from anyone who has the upgrade wood on their 550.

When, and if finances allow, I will consider restocking this rifle, otherwise I believe it is a fine piece of ordinance.

[gwindrider1]

One thing I forgot to mention in my previous post was the issue of the front sling stud.  Get that sucker out of there.  It can, and sooner or later will, ruin your shooting session. :eek:  Sad to admit that I speak from experience on this one.

Good shootin' to ya!

[glock29]

I REALLY like my CZ550 in 458 Lott.
Supposedly it has the "Field" grade stock according to the box, but it has by far and away the BEST looking piece of wood I have EVER seen on a factory "Field" grade gun.
I suspect I have the higher grade, but was placed into a "Field" grade box !

[showme]

I have 3; a 375 H&H, a .458 win mag and a no longer made safari in 300 win mag. They all shoot like lasers. Some other owners have had split stock issues but I never have had any problems. It is important, however, that the action is tight (action screws are tight) in the stock. A .410 shotgun will split a stock if the action screws are loose.

[GEMSBUCK]

I own a 550 American Safari in 458wm. I bought my first one from a dealer thru Gunbroker.com 'cause with shipping,etc. it was $35 cheaper...guess what the stock was the worst piece of wood I've ever seen...almost blonde with no grain...I called the dealer and he said"well why do you think I was selling it on Gunbroker and not in the shop?" Lesson learned, I returned the rifle under the 3 day inspection period.
 Bought the next one from a dealer near  my home and though he didn't have a large selection to look over I did pickout a very nice piece of wood.
 I am shooting my own handloads which I worked up thru trial 'n error using H322 and H4895 it groups  around 1" @ 100yds. if I let the barrel cool between shots.
 I have no bedded it, and have no cracks with about 120 rounds thru it @ 2400fps/400gr bullet