General Purpose or Practical Rifles?
- Thread starter blakeyboy
- Start date
Strasser is an ANTI practical rifle, are you serious?
Even if we take aside price and availability and all proprietary and most uncommon parts. This this is not a rifle I can possibly rely on:
This is a gucci rifle for EU weekends. Zero practicality, no value no matter how you look at it.
Even if we take aside price and availability and all proprietary and most uncommon parts. This this is not a rifle I can possibly rely on:
- Barrel is clamped, the zero will walk. You can pretend it won't, they will guarntee it won't. But I'm sure if I had one and drag it around it would. I'm sorry, no, half a rotation of a lever on a clap never worked on any proven rifle design, civilian or military. Sorry, there is no magic, the amount of force applied and surface available does not make it promising. If this could work and return to zero this would be on every military and competition gun, but it can't work. The only reason they do it this way is to compete with Blaser modularity, but Blaser has infinitely better systems for switch barrels.
- Look at the bolt head. Do you understand that there is exposed tiny spring going around bolt head which contracts bolt lugs in. The moment this exposed spring fails, get dirty or weak you will have bolt totally shut in the barrel. This is insane to consider this to a practical mechanism to face dirt, elements, poor cleaning and temperature extremes.
- Look at the size of this extractor, look at a poor single ejector. This straight pull has no primary extraction. None. Good luck fighting your not so ideal brass.
This is a gucci rifle for EU weekends. Zero practicality, no value no matter how you look at it.
Very thoughtful assessment. Thanks.
Well, I think that stretching the requirements to big game at 400 would put this rifle into niche territory. Not many cartridges will comfortably do it. And your optic might need to be more specialized than what I think is right for a Canadian general purpose rifle.
I don't disagree - But then we should be more specific about the expected types of applications.
As above, we should get specific about the expected types of applications before assuming that any particular rate of fire is a requirement.
Cooper was satisfied, for his purposes, with a bolt action. But that's probably only because of a lack of an excellent semiauto option that satisfied the rest of his criteria. I like the Browning BAR a lot, and it is certainly superior to the Remington 760/7600 series for this purpose (which I also like, a lot), but I don't think anyone will claim that any of these are in the same category of ruggedness and durability as a well-designed and well-built bolt action. Cooper clearly didn't consider them an option, and that's one of the few central decisions around his scout rifle concept that I think should be maintained with the Canadian general purpose rifle.
Predatory Grizzly in your Camp, hosing down running Coyotes and as far as I know there are still people who drive Deer with Dogs in various places. All these applications benefit from repeated shots with a minimum of Operator input.
When I go berry picking or places where Bears are the primary concern, I take an SKS or an Auto 5 with slugs. Nobody can shoot a bolt action of any description as fast as those two. Now the SKS is a 100 yard hunting rifle and the Auto 5 is good for 60 or so, but isn't legal for much Big Game in BC.
A general purpose rifle needs to be suitable for the largest Game you'll hunt and in the West and North suitable for defence against large Predators. If anything is sacrificed it'll be range (500 yards is really far, even 300 yards is a long ways), as my Grandfather said you still have to climb to them with the skinning knife.
When I go berry picking or places where Bears are the primary concern, I take an SKS or an Auto 5 with slugs. Nobody can shoot a bolt action of any description as fast as those two. Now the SKS is a 100 yard hunting rifle and the Auto 5 is good for 60 or so, but isn't legal for much Big Game in BC.
A general purpose rifle needs to be suitable for the largest Game you'll hunt and in the West and North suitable for defence against large Predators. If anything is sacrificed it'll be range (500 yards is really far, even 300 yards is a long ways), as my Grandfather said you still have to climb to them with the skinning knife.
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
A huge part of what we consider practical with perspective is easily shown to be sentimentality. It strikes me too with my focus on collectible Winchesters and Mausers, and the odd Lee Speed and side by side. The older I get, the easier time I have getting sentimental about an auto loader or something outside my conventions of CRF and doubles.
I personally don’t think Cooper had it all figured out, he was just like us and had preferences and made compromises. I find his stripper clip fed scout rifle admirably practical and have built a few of my take on the concept over the years, the reason he limited it to bolt guns was simply weight. It was just another compromise as he couldn’t get what he wanted and include a reliable, accurate semi action. His weight limit from the perspective of having carried a rifle daily for work in the season, was very sensible and it was wise compromise.
I get the itch to build the Valmet utility rifle in nice walnut, the M88 Hunter is damn near it, but the barrel is too light. Despite repeated ownership of the model, never been able to get one to shoot well enough to be a general purpose rifle. The M78 does, but is a boat anchor.
I personally don’t think Cooper had it all figured out, he was just like us and had preferences and made compromises. I find his stripper clip fed scout rifle admirably practical and have built a few of my take on the concept over the years, the reason he limited it to bolt guns was simply weight. It was just another compromise as he couldn’t get what he wanted and include a reliable, accurate semi action. His weight limit from the perspective of having carried a rifle daily for work in the season, was very sensible and it was wise compromise.
I get the itch to build the Valmet utility rifle in nice walnut, the M88 Hunter is damn near it, but the barrel is too light. Despite repeated ownership of the model, never been able to get one to shoot well enough to be a general purpose rifle. The M78 does, but is a boat anchor.
3 kg, if memory serves. - dan
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
3kgs (6.6lbs) was his preferred weight, he was willing to comprise up to 3.5kgs (7.7lbs) when he wasn’t able to fit everything he hoped for into 3kgs. But it was a compromise, he still preferred it be 3kg.
The fact he was using metric as an American long ago tells me he thought what he was doing represented a science.
The fact he was using metric as an American long ago tells me he thought what he was doing represented a science.
I've had 375's in Rem, Win 70's, a 602 (loved that early pop up peep sight), and a nice sporterised P14 in 375 Wby, which shot well but was a very heavy rifle. Helped soak up recoil though. If I was playing in big bear country, a 375 would make sense and I would find my weight reductions elsewhere. But again, general purpose doesnt mean I'm going chasing grizz or polar bears.
Yikes that’s feathery. Sako peak 90 308 I just grabbed is 5 lb 10 oz, leaves room but not with Trijicon 1-6 at 19.2 oz and Arc m-brace x-low rings at about 5.2 oz. it’s still 7 lb 3oz all up and a little tank. With a Leupold vx5 or 3hd 1.5-5 types then get closer to his low end goals. I am after more versatility though, the Trijicon will allow stretching legs further, the accuracy should easily be there also, the low end zero magnification with battery free illuminated dot and absolute tank like build, tank rings to integrated to action pic rail should prove more durable and robust than even irons. Put in your hands and you’d see what I mean. A sledge hammer will hurt irons as much or more than this set up but this set up has much broader versatility. Just need range time. With different optics one could get to those weights with this Finn and set up more versatile to what’s available for gear and know how today.
Doing a Tikka 308 as well with 5 round mag. It’s in getting barrel chop to 20” and 419 rail skimmed to 0 moa, not sure I’ll go rail or Talley depends on height but will have option to see, doing vx3hd 1.5-5 on it for now, high desert alum bottom metal with larger trigger guard and what a piece! Have to tap that in with rubber mallet as it’s machined so precise for that inlet, reviews on it are as stated. So going to compare these two Finns first. May have to do the Hawkeye at some point for a trio lol, have two boys so I have the excuses in chamber ready to go. The tikka will land under 7 lb if Talley but just over with rail and weaver lows.
Sometimes they chase you and since your life may count on it, General Purpose needs to skew heavily to this; therefore needs to be of adequate power, fast firing with a minimum chance of the Operator fumbling and able to mount a light.
A fast firing 300 yard Elk Rifle with the ability to attach a light, sub 8lbs or so, 40" or so max length, with a detachable magazine for motor vehicle legality, and compact enough to fit in a scabbard is "General Purpose" for me.
That’s pretty close to what I’m after for this also. Gonna start with executive Finn and blue collar Finn at 40” in 308 with 5 round mags and see how they shake out but want to scratch the Hawkeye Hunter 40” 308 itch at some point maybe also.
Homesteader
CGN Regular
- Location
- In a Wallow West of Edmonton.
Virtually all I grab for day to day is my Battue in 308. Only change was a nice second hand factory wood (walnut?)stock.
I run an FX-II 4x in a Mosi mount. It’s the cats asz. I ran a triji 1-4 with green post, but I’m old school and am too used to a duplex so that’s what I went back to. Oh and I slapped a tikka plastic ball on the bolt. For a basically factory rig, it can’t be improved on for me.
2/3 of the time the scope is off, probably more
It’s “MY” rifle!
I run an FX-II 4x in a Mosi mount. It’s the cats asz. I ran a triji 1-4 with green post, but I’m old school and am too used to a duplex so that’s what I went back to. Oh and I slapped a tikka plastic ball on the bolt. For a basically factory rig, it can’t be improved on for me.
2/3 of the time the scope is off, probably more
It’s “MY” rifle!
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