So, as planned, I used the Voere as one of my primary coyote guns last winter; I took 16 or 17 dogs with it, and I never thought I would make this statement, but...this rifle is too light!
Every shot requires concentration at a level that is simply higher than I always, or even often, want to exert. Lightweight rifles have always been catnip for me, but...enough is enough, and even less is...too much of a good thing. This really hit me this morning when a coyote was seen foolishly sashaying along the far edge of the pasture adjacent to my yard. I reached into the mudroom safe, where all the "might need it right away!" guns reside, and grabbed...my Ruger American .223 from where it stood right next to the Voere. Without really thinking about it, I just didn't want to mess around trying to get into the Zen state of perfect concentration that the Voere demands; I just wanted to kill the dang coyote, and the American made that easy.
The Voere is a terrific training rifle; if you can shoot it well, you can shoot
anything well. But sometimes, I don't want to train; i just wanna shoot.
While it is not my cuppa tea jjohnwn, you did select a fine piece of glass to serve you and your gun well.
Yes, that tiny scope is what this rifle needs. I have tried a number of other scopes on it but most optics just overpower and unbalance this dainty gun.
...(assuming you’re not getting too much of an accuracy drop-off as the pencil barrel heats up)
The barrel isn't well-suited to long strings fired quickly, that's for sure. Carbon fiber is cool, but...let's face it, it's also an insulator. Fire quickly and shot #4 will already begin to creep upward.
EDIT: I see its a 1:12".
Not sure why anyone does that these days with a .223.
This seems to be everybody's main concern, but I'll admit it's not mine. Sure, a heavier bullet increases the performance of a fast-twist .223 substantially, but...so what? I don't need to turn my .223 into a .22-250. If I need a .22-250...I will use a .22-250. I apply the same thinking throughout the range of cartridges and bullet weights. I'm not reloading to eke out every last bit of lethality from every gun I own; I'm doing it because I'm cheap.
This gun is too accurate to waste time shooting ultra-cheap bulk .223 FMJ in it, but good brass and good bullets...like the Speers I use on the rare occasions when I load .223 ammo...does everything I want or expect out of a .223. Those Speers were just the ticket back when I had a long-term love affair with the .222Rem, and now they have finally found a new home.
John, mentioned that he liked being able to place his hand at the balance point of the rifle with no bottom mag protrusion, but it looks like that would only be an advantage holding the rifle with the right hand, if you wanted to shift over the left hand navigating terrain the side mag would likely get in the way of the forearm?
He also mentions the gun being harder to ####, which makes me think of the advantages of a protruding magazine in the traditional location.... I find for example that on my Ruger Ranch rifle using 10 round magazines, the mag makes for a nice grab handle both for trail carry and also as a support to stabilize the rifle while working the bolt?
I tried carrying this rifle left-handed, simply to see how it worked...and it sucked. However, the thing is so light that finding and carrying it at the balance point isn't nearly as important as it is with a heavyweight rig. The side magwell acts at least as well to stabilize and brace the rifle during bolt operation as a downward-projecting mag does. Instead of wrapping your left pinky finger around the front lip of the magwell, it's simple to brace the ball of your left thumb upwards against the bottom of the sideways magwell during bolt manipulation. Both actions prevent the counterclockwise rotation of the rifle as the bolt handle is lifted. In fact, I prefer to brace against the rigid magwell itself, rather than applying sideways pressure to the magazine itself sticking out the bottom.
Should be easy enough to just unlock the bolt and then softly re-lock as a loud safety work around if needed for some situations.
Yes, that's my standard modus operandi. 60-degree bolt makes it easy to pull it down with the right thumb, barely breaking the shooting hand's grip on the gun.
.... sounds like the rifle could use a trigger job.
Yeah, during cold weather, the not-too-light trigger is actually quite comforting, and the two-stage feature is a delight. I don't need or want an ultralight trigger, and especially not a single stage one, when shooting with half-frozen fingers. Shooting the gun now, in T-shirt weather, it's easy to wish for a lighter trigger...but again, I consider the gun a coyote hunter, and most of that is done in frosty conditions.
I can't help but wish it had a set trigger; the best of both worlds. I've had a number of set triggers on various guns and like them very much. A double-set would be useless in this gun with its standard-sized trigger guard, just not enough space in there for two triggers levers. A single-set would be perfection.
I've had a couple guns that were equipped with single-set triggers, which I didn't know about until I had owned and used them for years! I tested this one almost immediately, hoping...hoping...nope! Dang.
Still not sure about the this gun's long-term future with me. The last gun which I purchased mainly for its unique features, and which I expected to re-sell soon afterwards, the Sig Cross, is still with me and becomes more and more a favourite each time I use it. This one? I love it...and then I don't...and then I'm not sure...
Sitting here at my laptop, with the gun in the safe, it's easier to enumerate the things about it that aren't my idea of perfection, or which make it more specialized and less useful as an all-rounder...but when I pick it up and handle it I am still at the point where I can't help but think "Wow...this is a very cool little gun!"
