I picked up A M70 SE in .375 H&H a short time ago, and after it's first 150 rounds I have formed a few opinions to share.

It is taken to the range each time with a Ruger Hawkeye African chambered in .375 Ruger as it's travel companion. I shoot each the same number of rounds, and try to figure out which of them I like the best.

The M70 has a good fit between the metal and wood and a fairly nice piece of walnut. The Ruger's wood is plain walnut, but has been replaced with a HS Precision stock. I like the M70 iron sights better in good light, and the Ruger's better in dim light. The M70 was harder to scope due to the length of the action and the LOP. The triggers on both rifles are acceptable for this type of rifle.

Both rifles shoot about the same 5 shot group size at 100 yards. Sometimes you get a smaller group, but the aggregate group size is somewhere around 1.25" with handloads (Nosler PT and Barnes TSX) and 1.50" with factory loads. Accuracy is quite good.

The M70 is factory bedded on both recoil lugs. The bedding is not the best, but it is OK. The Ruger requires a DIY bedding job as it is simply bedded in into the wood with no bedding compound. Feeding and ejection is flawless on both rifles.

The biggest difference between the two rifles (other than the chambering) is the size and weight. The scoped Ruger is a 9 pound load with the walnut stock, and 9.5 pounds with the HS stock. The scoped M70 is a full 10.5 pounds. The M70 is a pain to carry, but the weight and cartridge make recoil much less snappy than the more powerful Ruger. The Ruger is quicker to get on target for the first shot, but the M70 comes out of recoil better for the second.

I like both rifles and both cartridges, but only one can go with me to Africa this year. It is a toss-up!