Friday, May 9, 2014

A Good Read on the Best Rifle

My experience with rifle hunting was much the same - read Jack's book, bought a M700 Classic in 270 Winchester in about 1980, loved it, and still do.

http://www.sportingjournal.com/main79.shtml
When I was in high school back in the 50s I was a big fan of outdoor writer Jack O'Connor. He said the .270 was the ultimate deer cartridge, and that was gospel to me.

When I turned 16 Dad let me buy a used .270 Remington 721 bolt for $75. That November I was walking through a cut when a doe stood up from behind some slash. When I shot the deer charged off out of sight. Heart pounding, I ran along the clear blood trail and found her piled up not far away. There was a big exit hole, and when I opened up the chest cavity it was full of blood and lung tissue. I was mightily impressed.

That was 45 years ago, and I still feel the same way about the .270. In my hands and others it has accounted for over 40 deer, well over a dozen caribou, a black bear, and a moose, almost all one-shot kills. Very good penetration, complete even on quartering shots, giving good exit holes and blood trails. I've had several face-on brisket shots on deer penetrate into the hindquarters, and one "Texas heart shot" (at the base of the tail on a deer facing directly away) that penetrated forward into the chest cavity.

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Best Rifles

Didn't know about the MG UL or the Luxus - both look very interesting!

http://www.mgarmsinc.com/MGA-UltraLight-Rifle.html
http://www.luxusarms.com/

I enjoyed this list:

10. Savage 111 Hunter XP
Times are tough right now and not everyone has a pile of money to spend on a rifle they may only use a few days out of the year. The Savage Hunter "package" is an accurate, durable and dependable rifle that comes with a Bushnell 3-9X40 scope and mounts right out of the box. This turnkey setup retails for just over $500 and, thanks to Savage's reputation for accuracy, will likely outshoot many rifles available at twice the price.




9. CVA Accura V2 209 Magnum Muzzleloader
Some states don't allow deer hunting with a center-fire rifle, so for those chasing whitetails in places like Illinois, a "deer rifle" has a ramrod. CVA's flagship muzzleloader isn't much of a handicap afield thanks to its stainless-steel Bergara barrel and 209 shotgun primer ignition. It's quick to both load and clean due to its Bullet Guiding Muzzle and quick-release breech plug. Add a quality scope where the rules allow it and you're ready to hunt.




8. Marlin 1895G "Guide Gun"
When deer live in thick brush and shots are quick and close, your deer rifle needs to be powerful, compact and easy to handle. Marlin's Guide Gun in .45-70 is only 37 inches overall and feels lighter than its well-balanced 7 pounds. In its modern loadings, the .45-70 doesn't lack for horsepower and the lever-action allows for quick follow-up shots. A great choice for when things are fast and close, my Guide Gun wears a set of X/S ghost ring sights and is my go-to for the thick stuff.




7. Hill Country Rifles "Harvester"
Custom rifles are great and there's nothing that inspires confidence like a rifle that shoots bughole groups, but that kind of rifle often involves the equivalent of a few mortgage payments. Hill Country Rifles offers "accurizing" services for factory hunting rifles, but also produces semi-custom rifles it calls the Harvester line. You basically get a factory Remington 700 barreled action with a precision cut crown, pillar bedded into a McMillan fiberglass stock with a free-floated barrel. The trigger is also tuned and the barrel is inspected with a borescope. Each rifle is guaranteed to shoot sub-MOA groups at 100 yards with factory ammo. For the hunter looking for something in-between an off-the-rack rifle and a full-custom build, this is a great choice.






6. MG Arms "Ultra-Light"
Not all deer wander around on flat ground. Sometimes deer hunting means backpack hunting in the high country where every ounce adds up. MG Arms Ultra-Light rifles weigh in at as little as 4 ¾ pounds and are both accurate and reliable. Made from skeletonized Remington 700 actions with match-grade stainless-steel barrels, jewel triggers and Kevlar stocks, these rifles carry like a bag of feathers but hit like a bag of bricks. I'm currently evaluating one in .300 WSM and absolutely love it. Forget what you've heard about lightweight rifles being hard to shoot; these guns carry, point and hit with the best of them. At $3,695, they are not cheap, but it takes lots of skilled hand labor to turn out this kind of hardware.




5. Ruger M77 Hawkeye Compact
Deer rifles don't have to be big to be effective and if you're climbing in and out of vehicles and treestands, a full-size rifle can be an albatross. The Hawkeye compact is light and small, yet maintains a traditional "American Classic" appearance with its walnut stock and satin-blue finish. A 6 pound .243 or 7 mm-08 would be just about perfect for the majority of whitetail hunting in the East, and would be a treat to carry up the mountains out West. They retail for under $900 and include rings and bases, which saves you a few extra bucks.




4. Luxus Arms Model 11
Single shots are rifleman's rifles—sleek, simple and classy. It's rare that I've had a second shot at a deer so, for me, they aren't much of a handicap. The Luxus Arms Model 11 is a petite take-down rifle capable of switching barrels to just about any caliber, but the real star of this show is the exhibition grade Turkish walnut that turns this little rifle into a head-turner. As the first guy to actually take one of these guns out hunting, they hold a special place in my heart. The best part is that, if you don't see any deer, you'll be happy just to stare at the stock.




3. Kimber 84M Montana
With rifles that are functional, accurate and trim, you can tell that Kimber's design shop is full of guys who actually hunt. The stainless-steel and synthetic Montana is the most utilitarian of the 84M lineup—this rifle is built to get wet and dirty and sometimes that's what it takes to get the buck of a lifetime. As much as I love the beautiful French Walnut on the Classic Select Grade, I wouldn't give rain or snow a second thought with the Montana on my back. Chambered in short-action classic cartridges like the .257 Roberts and .308 Win., the 5 ½ pound Montana is lot of rifle for the money.




2. Echols Legend Sporter
If no expense is to be spared in the pursuit of big game, it's hard to match the functional masterpiece that is the Echols Legend series of rifles. Painstakingly hand-built from Winchester Model 70 actions by Utah gunmaker D'Arcy Echols, the Legend is the epitome of understated perfection. Most people would expect that a custom rifle costing more that two dozen Savage 111s would feature garish engraving and inlays, but the Legend's artwork is on the inside. Every surface is machined and polished, and most components are built from scratch. The synthetic stocked Legend doesn't stand out from across the room, but those fortunate enough to own them swear by their performance afield.




1. Remington 700
You can argue over which deer rifle is the best, but with over 5 million rifles produced over the last 50 years, it's hard to argue that the Remington 700 isn't the most popular. I shot my first deer with a 700 and, though I hunt with other rifles, there's not a season that goes by without me carrying one of my Remingtons afield. The 700's diverse lineup offers about as many flavors as Baskin Robbins, but the classically styled CDL epitomizes the American deer rifle.



Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Back on Target

I am building a bullet backstop so i can rejoin the shooting game with my kids on my in-laws' farm without worrying about spraying the farm with lead/copper.  The start is two sheets of treated plywood, cut in half and joined into a square with screws and 2x4s as the corner posts.  I'll bury this about an inch into the turf, and fill it with sand, logs and such.  As I shoot through the front, I'll add layers of plywood as needed to keep the sand at bay.  I'm sure of the boomers will shoot through, but they won't explode into showers of lead fragments, as by then they'll just be poking along.  A box full of lead pieces beats an acre laced w thousands of bullets.

Kids are excited to try the 22s again!