Another thread has got me thinking what make a good big game hunting rifle.

Question:
Accuracy

Choices:
.5
.5 to 1
1 to 2
as long as it hits where you intended it to

Question:
trigger

Choices:
under 2
3lbs
under 4lbs
What ever the owner wants

Question:
weight

Choices:
under 7
7 to 9
the right weight for the cailber

Question:
cost

Choices:
as cheap as I can buy it
I have to save for it
dosen't matter I can afford it.
I am on a budget and look for the best deals

Question:
looks

Choices:
factory is just fine
ugly kind of, but it works
I don't care as long as it works
has to be a cut above the rest
has to be great looking

Question:
Why did you buy it

Choices:
I needed it
I wanted it
I wanted to impress my freinds

 

Nothing of feeding, function, or handling?

quote:

Originally posted by Chuck Nelson:
Nothing of feeding, function, or handling?

..Nope!.Just looks and price

Well one can't remember all the questions one should ask.

I don't own rifles that don't work some of you might.

A lot of people say 'only accurate rifles are interesting'. That's fine but the absolute #1 priority for me in a firearm is it HAS to be reliable. It has to go bang every single time, feed, extract and eject.

It also has to fit. All the other stuff is just details.

quote:

Originally posted by Rub Line:
A lot of people say 'only accurate rifles are interesting'. That's fine but the absolute #1 priority for me in a firearm is it HAS to be reliable. It has to go bang every single time, feed, extract and eject.

It also has to fit. All the other stuff is just details.

I do agree with this man. But.....to me, there are so many other factors to consider, when asking that question.

You asked about big game rifles, a special sort of rifle IMHO. I've got four that I consider "big game", and they are not the "biggest" I own.

Two of the four, are two of the most beautiful rifles I have ever see and held, and that is some number. One of the others, is functional, not "pretty", but for a 300 WM, is a likely candidate for most trusted, to make that 400 + yard shot, and has, numerous times.

One is a double, but in a decidedly non-double caliber ( 416 Rigby ). Very accurate, just pounds factory ammo into the same dot, probably most "trusted" should I have to face a big nasty in the tough thick stuff. It was built for me, and runs like an extension of me. This rifle is 100% so far, no non-DRT yet. Bonus points for being one of the two "pretty" ones.

One each left to consider - both are interestingly enough, 375 H&H bolt guns. One is plain, but is a bona fide 1/2 MOA rifle, it's a CZ ( who woulda guessed ) with a Hill Country Rifles bedding and recrown job. The other is a very nice German/Martini Heym thing, that looks fantastic, and is 100% DT also, except when letting the trackers shoot it.

What's the "best" one - damned if I can tell, but I do know, if it shoots where you want it ( can you make a hippo/croc brain shot at 200M with it?) and makes you feel good to carry it, proud to show it, not so stuck up as to not loan it, then it is, in my estimation, a pretty damned good rifle.

quote:

What's the "best" one - damned if I can tell, but I do know, if it shoots where you want it ( can you make a hippo/croc brain shot at 200M with it?) and makes you feel good to carry it, proud to show it, not so stuck up as to not loan it, then it is, in my estimation, a pretty damned good rifle.

I have several of them and they all are semi custom or worked over factory. Most have factory barrels a couple after market, triggers set just right glass bedded and syt stocked.

But then I am a sty/stainless type of guy.

Accurate and reliable.

That is what I want in a hunting rifle.

My list of characteristics would be a little different:

Reliability: It has to fire when the trigger is pulled. If it does not, then everything else is immaterial. This category would include reliable feeding, extraction and ejection as well.

Robustness: It has to be tough enough to stand up under the conditions to which it can be expected to be exposed. This applies not only to the basic weapon, but also to the sighting arrangements.

Design: It needs to be ergonomically fitted to the prospective user, which means that its weight, balance, stock design and sighting equipment have to combine to produce a unity which allows the user to handle it instinctively, rather than having to compensate for some failure in this regard.

Effectiveness: It needs to be chambered for a cartridge which will do the job it is intended for. A .500 Jeffery makes a terrific dangerous game cartridge, but is poorly suited for long range varmint shooting. Conversely, a .220 Swift is not the ideal cartridge for dangerous game.

Accuracy: A rifle needs to be accurate enough for the intended purpose. If it is intended for hunting dangerous game at close range, the need for minute of angle accuracy is obviously much less than if it is intended for shooting prairie dogs at long range.

Accuracy is intentionally relegated to the last position, since failure to take into account the characteristics which precede it can make the question of accuracy academic.

In my collection there's basically three types of rifles.
#1. It has family history. It may or may not fuction. Or it's not asked to function
#2. It's a tool. An accurate precise tool but tool never the less. It will be appreciated and enjoyed as long as it does it's job.
#3. It's delight to my eye and performs to the degree that I find acceptable.

Jim