I would like to know what others' experience has been with the Steyr ProHunter rifles. Accurate, etc? What do you think about that safety arrangment? Is it durable? Looks like plastic to me, so I question its longevity.

Thanks.

KB

I have a ProHunter in 223Rem. Best 5 shot group over the bench at 100yds is 0.355" using 55grn Sierra Blitz King, 24.8grns AR2206H. The safety arrangement suit me well. I load a round, turn the wheel to the white dot, push the trigger into set mode, line up the target pull the wheel back to fire postion and shoot. My right hand never leaves the stock. The only restriction I put on myself is to allow some cooling down time between shots to keep the barrel temperature as constant as possible.

Love the Steyrs and own several but I'd stay away from the ProHunter. The plastic stock is too flexible and my 7mmMag needed a proper bedding job and some custom work to the foreend before it would shoot. I expected better from them.

The safety is great, roller wheel is really easy to use.

Very good hunting tool. For me the best thing is that as steyrl said, my right hand never leaves de stock when taking the safety off. This way I never loose eye contact with my target through the scope (pigs at night).

With the Remington or Winchester type safety in order to avoid any "click" when taking away the safety I need to move it slowly with two fingers for what I need to take away my right hand from the stock.

Good luck

L

I have several. 2 -300 win mags, 30-06, 7mm mag, 2- 260's. They are all sub moa out of the box.

Things I don't like/have fixed:
1) Grey stock flex - I stiffened the forend with carbon fiber rods, and the fromt bolt/recoil lug area with multiple smaller rods. I then recoated the stock in camo. It's about as stiff as the new prohunter black stock.
2) The edge of the safety is serrated. I've had it bite the interior of my rt thumb at the joint. I've fixed this by radiusing the edge of the safety.

After my first hunt in South Africa, I came back and bought the second Steyr in 300 win mag just in case I wore the first one out...With 200 grain partitions I have shot on several ocassions .7 to .8" groups at 300 yards.

Bought a Steyr Prohunter in 308 a few years ago. I tested several loads, and found the Hornady Light Mag 150gr Interlock grouped at .279 at about 3,000 fps. Can't beat that for a rifle I bought for $550. They're obviously not anything like my older Steyr Mannlichers, but they're a modern, durable hunting rifle.

I love my .376 Steyr. Same complaints as everyone else about the stock.

I have to use a scope. I cannot get my face down low enough to use the iron sights.

Maybe McMillan will make an after market fiberglass stock for this rifle. That would be nice.

HAIRBOL - Where did you buy the carbon rods from. I think small parts inc. carries them, but I do not know if their prices are good or not. What sort of glue did you use that would stick to the stock?

LD

I love mine, 6.5X57 very very accurate at or under 1/2" @ 100 yards with handloads. The saftey works just fine and to me is actually easier to use than some others. Some don't like the looks or plastic. Great trigger, smooth working bolt accurate right out of the box. What's not to like.

I had a Steyr Forester which was the pro-hunter with a walnut stock. The rifle was extremely accurate and the bolt was as smooth as glass. I sold mine mainly because of the size/caliber. Mine was a 300 mag with a 26" barrel. the gun was 46" overall. I shot three animals with it all under 100 yards. Made me realize maybe I didn't need such a big rifle. Sold it an downsized to Ruger 77 RSI in 308 with 38.5" overall length. Steyr's are known to be very accurate.

I have three of them at the moment.

I don't like the SBS features. None of mine NEED to have the bolt locked closed. Further, on none of mine can I just roll that safety back and forth easily with my thumb. For some reason, I have to dismount the rifle and use almost all of my strength to get the darned things off of the locked position.

Of course I try to never put it in the bolt locked position when hunting, but I live in mortal fear that some day I will find it there when I really need the rifle RIGHT NOW!

OTOH, I really like the stocks. I have not had any problems arise from stock forend flexibility, except in one of my other, earlier Steyrs...a .308 SSG Match with a VERY heavy barrel...heavier than the SSG Marksman model.

The buttplate spacers look chintzy to me, but they work very well. Funny how much more beautiful that makes them when one actually thinks about it.

I love the accuracy, the shortness, the smooth reliability of operation, the relatively light overall weight with scope mounted, and the ability to qickly interchange ammo by carrying a spare magazine. Most of all, I like the really low scope mounting possible, and how well the stock brings my eye automatically in line with the scope.

My two favourites are an 8x57, and the .376. Between them, there is nothing by way of larger game in North America that I could not hunt with a good expectation of success.

All together, I guess that means they are very satisfactory for my uses.

P.S. to Scott in Dallas: Good choice in your alternative there! I too have a tang-safety Ruger M77 RSI in .308. Exceptionally accurate, light, handy...all the good things...

Lawndart,

Look here:
http://www.graphitestore.com/i.../prd_id/96/cat_id/34

I have successfully used Brownells AcraGlas GEL, and an industrial acrylic whose proper name evades me right now. Try some of what you have on a roughed up section in the interior of the buttstock w/spacers removed
.