I am kinda fickle when it comes to rifles but I think this one may be the perfect rifle, at least for me, to hunt North America and plains game in Africa. My perfect rifle is a Steyr-Mannlicher Model M Professional in .30-06 with iron sights and quick detachable mounts. I just bought a Kahles Helia S 6x42 that will replace the Redfield that came on it. The Harris bipod has to go too

https://i.postimg.cc/nrqNR1p5/...3-633-E338-FFF38.jpg

Not a bad choice at all.

Got a Mark V Wby look about it, especially the bolt shroud.

A bolt action .30--06 with a fixed magnification scope? All around rifle? Who ever heard of such a thing? But I guess it will do in a pinch.

With the right load, that Steyr will shoot under 1/2".

I like your dry sense of humor for posting a 30-06 where a 35 Whelen should have been.

I am happy we you have found your perfect, all around rifle.

quote:

Originally posted by pacecars:
I am kinda fickle when it comes to rifles but I think this one may be the perfect rifle, at least for me, to hunt North America and plains game in Africa. My perfect rifle is a Steyr-Mannlicher Model M Professional in .30-06 with iron sights and quick detachable mounts. I just bought a Kahles Helia S 6x42 that will replace the Redfield that came on it. The Harris bipod has to go too

https://i.postimg.cc/nrqNR1p5/...3-633-E338-FFF38.jpg

That sounds like a pretty perfect rig, bro - especially with that new glass! I'm excited for you. If'n I was limited to just one rifle, it would probably be something exactly like what you've got.

The problem with finding the perfect rifle is that you have less of an excuse to look for another perfect rifle.

There is no perfect all around rifle.

I own many looking for it.

As I said, I am fickle. I will probably post about another perfect one after I have this one a little while. The search is never ending. I do have a Shiloh Sharps .50-90 Business Rifle on order that will also be in contention. It is a damn disease I tell you

You should try mounting that bipod the other way; looks like the front stud is too far in front.

The perfect rifle has two studs up front.

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:
A bolt action .30--06 with a fixed magnification scope? All around rifle? Who ever heard of such a thing? But I guess it will do in a pinch.

My 9.3x62 with fixed 4X scope is close to about an "all-around" rifle.
And so far "perfect" 100% DRT.

Pacecars, that's indeed a fine rig. Pretty close to my idea of a great all-around rifle too. Do you handload? I ask because I'm wondering where the locking lugs are on the bolt--front or rear. If you do handload and the locking lugs are at the rear (I have a vague recollection that they may be there), you'll need to keep a sharp lookout for incipient case-head separations. This typically won't happen on the first two or three loadings, but will at some point after that number. Not a really big deal, but something to be aware of, particularly if you are loading for maximum velocities.

quote:

Originally posted by AnotherAZWriter:
You should try mounting that bipod the other way; looks like the front stud is too far in front.

The perfect rifle has two studs up front.

That is a picture from the website from where I bought it. Pretty sure it is backwards. I will be removing it anyway.

quote:

Originally posted by South Pender:
Pacecars, that's indeed a fine rig. Pretty close to my idea of a great all-around rifle too. Do you handload? I ask because I'm wondering where the locking lugs are on the bolt--front or rear. If you do handload and the locking lugs are at the rear (I have a vague recollection that they may be there), you'll need to keep a sharp lookout for incipient case-head separations. This typically won't happen on the first two or three loadings, but will at some point after that number. Not a really big deal, but something to be aware of, particularly if you are loading for maximum velocities.

It has rear locking lugs. They are extremely accurate. I have had several different Steyrs and no problem with handloads as of yet

Sounds good, pacecars. After a few loadings, just be careful to look for incipient case head separations--a thin bright ring running around the cartridge case ahead of the extractor groove. Once you see that, get rid of the case and start over with new brass. The bright ring tells you that a case head separation is "incipient" (or about to happen), and you will want to dispose of the case before an actual case separation occurs, something you definitely want to avoid.

I have a lot of experience with rear-locking actions, owning a number of Schultz & Larsen (4 rear locking lugs) and Colt-Sauer (three cammed locking lugs at the rear) hunting rifles in the 70s and 80s. All developed incipient case head separations after a few loadings. This didn't present an insurmountable problem, just fewer loadings per case. I always used virgin or once-fired brass for all the cartridges I took into the field.

Won't win the Pretty Gun award, but looks like a fine hunter!

Nice Choice!

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:
There is no perfect all around rifle.

I own many looking for it.

This^^^^ is the definition of the absolute truth!

Zeke

That's a great choice. I'm in the stage of my life where I like to simplify everything. That Kahles 6x is an excellent choice I think. 30ft. to 300yds! Their optics are outstanding. I have a IOR 4x which is close to a Kahles. I use it for anything except heavy recoiling big bores.(Short eye relief.) Good job.

I think you chose well, Pacecars. Just so darned many great bullets for the old '06 these days.

I have an old 1905 Steyr M/S 9mm X 56mm with a QD scope mount. It has a low power variable Leupold in the rings now. But for the 26 MM tube, I have an older Kahles 2.5X with PCH. That looks to be an all around gun. Be Well, Packy.

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:
There is no perfect all around rifle.

I own many looking for it.

You are right about that. The "perfect all around rifle" to a person is not necessarily the same to another person. Then some of us may have more than one perfect all around rifle, depending on the game we hunt. For example, nothing wrong with the .30-06 as a perfect all around hunting rifle, so I agree with the OP. This cartridge is also quite popular in Alaska.

Thad said, the perfect all around rifle for the game I hunt in Alaska where I live, is the .338WM. In here the shots can be close in forested areas, and quite far in the open tundra.

By the way, the perfect all around hunting rifle for rabbits and grouse, at least for me is an accurate .22-LR bolt action rifle. While the shots taken are at short distances, I prefer headshots to avoid meat loss and lead residue.

I had a safe full of guns that I didn't shoot often or, sometimes, at all. So, I decided to reduce the number and increase the quality.

I now have three rifles: 2 Dakota 76s, 30-06 and 375 H&H; and a CZ .22 LR. If I could only keep one rifle it would be the 375. On my last trip to Zim I took my .375 and a 12 gauge Beretta 686 Onyx. Had a great time and didn't feel the need for anything else.

My perfect rifle in NA is a M70 30-06 by Gene Simillion. My perfect rifle for Africa is a .375 H&H also by Gene Simillion.

I load the 30-06 with 165 Barnes TTSX - works great.

I'm glad I don't have to have a perfect all around rifle. I find it more fun to have several different calibers for the various things I shoot.
Leo

quote:

Originally posted by 44magLeo:
I'm glad I don't have to have a perfect all around rifle. I find it more fun to have several different calibers for the various things I shoot.
Leo

The most perfect rifle I own is a self built VZ-24
With a used (bought on AR by the way) FN bbl in 270 win. screwed on, every piece blasted & coated with flat black KG gun kote. timney trigger, hogue stock, bolt shroud Wisner safety, 3-9x40 vx11 on one piece leupold base.
Puts 3 touching @ 100yds with 130g or 140g barnes at 3100fps. Properly placed bullet will kill anything I need to kill. My last most perfect rifle is the same in 376 steyer

I suppose I could get along just fine with my Winchester model 70 Classic featherweight .30-06 I bought years ago.

I actually did because it was for a time the only centerfire rifle I owned. After loosing my shirt (and most everything else) in a divorce and being a confirmed bowhunter for most things it was all I needed for the rest. It always seemed I could come up with a powder/bullet combination that took care of any situation.

But like many here I now own a cabinet full of the latest attempt at the most perfect rifle.

My first perfect rifle was a Marlin 336 30-30 and the first doe I took with it was and still is my biggest joy in hunting. My second perfect rifle was a Browning BLR in .308, took many Deer with it. My third perfect rifle when I got my first chance to hunt Elk was a .300 Winny, took many Deer and Elk with it. My fourth perfect rifle was a .340 Wby after a Brown Bear encounter, it took many Elk and a trophy Moose and has server me well. My fifh perfect rifle was a 7mm STW that took many Deer. My sixth perfect rifle was a Weatherby Accumark in .257 Wby and wow what a deer getter. My seventh perfect rifle was a .338 Lapua that did those long shots fine and accounted for many Elk. My eighth perfect rifle was a .358 STA and liked it so good I got another and took many Elk and African plains game with it. My ninth perfect rifle was a .416 Rem for Cape Buffalo in Africa and when my son expressed interest in the hunting there got a .416 Rigby prepared for him. My tenth perfect rifle was a .270 WSM and liked it so well got three more for son and grandsons. My eleventh perfect rifle was a 6.5 PRC just because I wanted to play with that wonderful .264 bullet everybody was talking about. I am now on a quest for another perfect rifle to go with all the others that I still shoot along with my son, grandson, and great grandson. Wait, I left out the .243 WSSM and the 25 WSSM so they fit in that list somewhere. My point is a hunter and shooter is always looking for that next perfect rifle. Good shooting.

I have gone through so many perfect rifles it is ridiculous. If this follows my usual pattern it will be perfect at least until I kill a deer with it!

quote:

I have gone through so many perfect rifles it is ridiculous.

Amen!

I guess I finally found my perfect rifle, to go with a number of less than perfect rifles, but only for certain a certain amount of time, then I pick one of the others.keeps life simple, but the own I carry most is an old pre 64 Win fwt. in 30-06 loaded with 200 gr. Nosler accubonds or Partitions...Anyway its the last one Id sell, and those are strong words coming from this old gun trader.

There is nothing that will top a crf bolt rifle, with a 3-9 scope in quick detach return to zero scope mounts,and iron sights, in a synthetic stock, for any kind of weather, and chambered for 375 H&H with Nosler partitions,or solids for anything from whitetail deer to elephant any place in the world.

...………………………………...………… MacD37

Ray, I think you have settled on a fine choice in that old Model 70. And I know you love those 200-grain Partitions.

The locals here are taking bets that I will sell it before the year is up? I understand why they think like that but they don't realize how long Ive had this one!! it ain't going nowhere!!

Contrary to common belief I do have a few guns that have a permanent home.

Got the rifle in and yanked the scope and bipod off and put on the Kahles scope and it is now perfect for me

[img] https://i.postimg.cc/25g41mVG/...7-A1167-FD.jpg[/img]

quote:

Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:

quote:

I have gone through so many perfect rifles it is ridiculous.

Amen!

I have also spent over 40 years assembling perfect all around rifles for use here in Alaska.
When those Styer rifles were first introduced I was very close to ordering one, but decided it a wiser, and more affordable decision to put a synthetic stock on my JS Higgins FN 30-06. And six stocks, three, or four barrels, three triggers and upteen different scopes and mounts later I may have done it. It now sits in a rack full of other perfect all around Alaskan rifles with various synthetic stocks including two 338's, a couple of 9.3x62, two 375 H&H, two more 375 Rugers, a 416 and a 458 and there are always a few stragglers passing through.

The 06 still works as well as ever.

What is the old fabled native saying ?

"Any gun good,
Shootum good"

Being one that always had to be different I have had a lot of different and odd balls just to not have a .30-06 because everyone else had one. I have had a few because of the rifles they were in like the other Steyrs but never got excited about the round. Well I am 54 years old now and have finally admitted (I knew it all along really)why everyone else has a .30-06 rifle. They plain work. I am still looking for the “perfect” gun but I plan on keeping this one until then and even then it will be around as a fallback. I think I just need to kill a few things with it, after all it is perfect.

perfect is as perfect does ! that is why I still have two 3006 and a 9.3x62 all in steyrs

Well, thank goodness that we still (for now) live in a country where we can own all we want + can afford. But getting back to the one "perfect" all-around rifle brings up that old query, 'If you could only have one, what would it be?'