I was speaking with someone the other day about the wide variance between different hunters, in terms of what they expect from their rifles and ammo.

Personally I like to see my guns shoot at least a half inch group at 100m, which gives me the comfort when I need to reach out a little or really "place" a bullet in certain situations.

for example, I've now stopped taking the 375 out to Africa unless it is really necessary because I feel so comfortable with the 260 "bodyform"(as Adam now calls it) that I would rather use a lighter calibre that I have huge confidence in than the bigger gun. It shoots .25" groups and I draw huge confidence from that.

What do others look for in their rifles and ammunition combination?

K

This is merely my opinion, but it seems you are seeking more of a benchrest rifle than a hunting rifle...

Can you shoot a .25" group on moving targets at variable ranges and offhand ?

I would use the 375 for the greater margin of error over the smaller calibre any day - unless you can shoot those .25" groups under the same hunting conditions as you would use the .375.

But thats just my own thoughts...

2 inch works for me as long as i have confidence for the rifle.
Confidence is the thing.

quote:

..... I've now stopped taking the 375 out to Africa unless it is really necessary .....

Kiri,

My Winchester Model 70 or Blaser R93 .375H&Hs will both put five 270 gr. Winchester Silvertips or 300 gr. Hornady R.N.'s into one ragged hole at 100 meters. Right at @ 1" simply due to the larger bullet diameter. Both instill Yeoman confidence as Thumpers.

The 375H&H is a really good cartridge for visiting Africa IMO.

I feed my rifles GC Gold exclusively; which is IMO the epitomy of "Precision Hand-Crafted Ammunition"; and you know I'm not just particular but downright anal about what goes into and comes outa my Boomers.

But ..... I'm a Whatever-Floats-Your-Boat kinda Guy; so if you're feeling adequate and producing results with your 11-year old daughter's rifle ..... WTF not? IIRC, didn't you have the stock painted pink at one time?

It is a sad reality that the majority of folk cannot shoot consistently. They say they can but when it comes to it, fail miserably.
When it comes to accuracy I strive to squeeze every ounce of accuracy out of my rifles and I find myself these days spending more time on targets than in the field.
I suppose that's what floats my boat.

Gerry,
that last paragraph was seriously derogative, anyone we know so we can carry on the banter?

regards
G

quote:

Originally posted by griff:
It is a sad reality that the majority of folk cannot shoot consistently. They say they can but when it comes to it, fail miserably.
When it comes to accuracy I strive to squeeze every ounce of accuracy out of my rifles and I find myself these days spending more time on targets than in the field.
I suppose that's what floats my boat.

Like Griff I want my rifles to be as accurate as possible, and I practice a lot, in the summer time I will often put 50 rounds down range before work, at distances out to 700 metres, I also practice off sticks, kneeling, sitting, off hand and of course prone.

1.5" groups are plenty unless you are targetting head/neck shots only. That said I took my last 50 odd deer with a Parker Hale .308 that could only muster a 2" group, but it was consistent.
More importantly, it was easy to shoot from field positions.

Many guns that will spit out .5" groups are a complete bugger to shoot out in the real world. If it takes you 3 minutes to set up your bipod etc for that surgeon like precision, the animal is usually gone or died of old age.

quote:

Originally posted by Gerry:


But ..... I'm a Whatever-Floats-Your-Boat kinda Guy; so if you're feeling adequate and producing results with your 11-year old daughter's rifle ..... WTF not? IIRC, didn't you have the stock painted pink at one time?

Gerry,

That's why I refer to the Greek's rifle as the '.260 Bodyform' - as a rifle for the modern girl, it gives him such confidence that he can use it when roller skating, cycling or riding a horse, even when he's got his period... It won't be enough gun Kiri's daughter though - when the fearsome Athina gets to 11, she'll be shouldering a .700 Nitro Express at the least and demanding that Daddy finds her tigers to shoot!

As for what I expect from my rifle, at the moment it's lucky to hit a barn door from the inside, as I've shot the throat out of my beloved .270 after several thousand rounds and am in a bit of a quandary about what to get next - something 7mm in a non-magnum long action I think, possibly a .280 Remington or even a .280AI (or maybe just yet another .270W)...

Adam.

Bog I agree,

and that is why I think you see a lot of second hand guns on the market that have been built by benchrest smiths and then struggle to function in the field because they cant deal with a bit of dust and grime.


In terms of the 375, it is indeed a great calibre. I am moving more towards just shooting the 260 and 375 which covers most stuff I will ever hunt. If I ever get lucky enough to do some of the dream hunts I would like I might go to a bigger double but they are just dreams at the moment.

As for Gerry,

Well what can I say when my friends slur the pantone choices of my rifles....? It was not pink, IT WAS SALMON!!!


K

Boggy,
if 2" is fine your style of shooting then who am I to offer judgement.
Anyone that takes 3 minutes to deploy their pod is either dead or dying.


Adam,
nice 280 for sale! and you know it shoots

quote:

It was not pink, IT WAS SALMON!!!

Ah, correct; the one that was color-coordinated with your iPhone cover .....

I have a .223, .243 and a .300wm, the .223 is the cheapest out of the bunch and shoots the best. if only it were legal for roe and fallow south of the border! I know people that use .223 in the states for whitetail to great effect? thumb nail groups with factory ammo meant that last night I had 4 shots for 4 kills all nice and clean.

I have to say I agree with Kiri (that hurts...).

If a rifle won't consistently do 1/2" I would not have faith it in. Whether or not I can reproduce bench rest accuracy in the field is another matter.

I have had otherwise excellent rifles that suffering wandering groups when it got wet for example.

My McMillan stocked Sako 260 has proven to be very reliable and consistent, groups never wander, though they may open up a little when the barrel gets badly fouled.

The most consistently accurate and repeatable rifle I have is a Blaser with a 222rem barrel - but that should surprise no one....

For me a hunting rifle needs to be

1) light in weight and comfortable to carry in hand all day long
2) pretty much silent to load and unload - I know many are happy loading up and applying safety when they leave the vehicle and happy stalking all day with rifle on their shoulder. I am not. Rifle is loaded when I am expecting a shot and then it is in my hand with muzzle under direct control.
3) comfortable and accurate enough to put a bullet through the vitals at a reasonable range of the animal I am hunting from a field position - ie shooting sticks from standing or sitting, or if prone off a backpack, binocular case or bipod. What's reasonable - well I don't want to have to worry about bullet drop, and I want to clearly see the aiming point. Much is determined by the sights - with open sights its probably 30 to 40 yds, with a 6x42, 100 and bit on Roe, 150 on Reds, but a powerful scope that goes up to 150 and 200 yds.
4) calibre - not too fussed other than it needs to be adequate and reliably able to put a bullet through both shoulders if needs be.

+1 on what.

My rifle and 1-6 scope with dot give me a 150m maximum on roe and fallow deer in common hunting conditions. The vital area of a adult moose is 1m so you dont need a high power scope for what, most of my training is on running moose range.

I'm still mostly comfortable with my Sako 308 semi custom and, putting a 180g TSX down the barrel out to 230 yds I can be reasonably certain to drop whatever I hit.
Not that I shoot that distance often and yesterday's buck was only 80 yds.

It still shoots .5 inch off the bench and about 1+" off the sticks.
The Lothar barrel gives it all the accuracy I could wish but it comes at a price.

I'm finding the weight a bit tiring after a few hours of footslog and the size a bit cumbersome for overseas travel.


So, I'm thinking of trading it in for a Blaser.
I'll probably stick with the same calibre and bullets though.

I'll probably keep the Swarovski scope too even though the switch for the red spot it poorly designed and is forever switching itself on and draining the battery.

Hi guys,
My attitude to my rifles has changed since I moved to Alberta. I can't sell venison and I get to shoot 3 deer and an elk in rifle season, unless I buy supplemental tags for zones further from home.
Last year I shot one of my does with my .50 flintlock firing a round ball, and I shot one with my .32 lever action(like a .30-30)with iron sights.
I know there is a huge difference in the hunting culture here, but I have come to love hunting with these old guns. I just finished restoring a 113 yr old .38-55 winchester, and hope to put a 250 gr cast bullet through a mule deer in November.
I carried my no 4 enfield last Remembrance day, thought it was both fun and appropriate.
At the end of the day, we're supposed to be enjoying ourselves(at least if we're recreational stalkers).
I limit my shots to the capability of the gun I'm carrying, and it does'nt have to be F class for me to enjoy it.