what do you like in your hunting rifle?

Mr. Friendly

Mr. Friendly

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qualities. the little things. let's assume it's accurate and you've figured out the load you're shooting. let's also assume the game is deer or moose and you have no intention of shooting more then 350 yards. in that scenario what things do you want, like, need or find important to have?
 
Balance, and nice feel, not to light, as this although fine under 100 meters can mess you up.
Optics, 10-12 oz scope, 32 - 40 obj , that does not mess up balance , and if anything helps.
Stock fit, should just come up perfect each time (test with eyes closed), this also goes hand in hand with ring height, and how long your neck is, don't follow the old saying , go as low as poss. you want that scope in the center of your eye, ie no black edges. eye relief should also be set to have everything right there when you open your eyes, no final adjustment of head at all.
A nice walnut stock looks good in the sun, or rain:D
 
In general, I prefer CRF rifles. I like stainless rifles, with good quality synthetic stocks. (Bansner/McMillan)

I want the tirgger to be no more than 3# and I want it smooth.

The magazine should hold 3 rounds (or more)

I want a hinged floorplate. I have a few detach magazine rifles and blind magazines, but the hinged floorplate is, IMHO, more reliable (from a rifle function standpoint and never forgetting your magazine standpoint)

It should have good quality scope mounts. I like Talleys for the most part, but also like the Ruger integral rings.

I prefer a metal over plastic parts, for all but the stock.

It has to shoot premium bullets liek TSX/Nosler Partition/Accubond etc accurately. FOrtunately, most rifles will do this off the shelf these days.

Sling studs should be epoxied or at least loctited in place.

Most important- It needs to be 100% reliable. I want it to feed and extract perfectly, I want it to go bang every time.


My favorite rifle, the "go to" rifle is my 300WSM. It was built by Bill Leeper on a stainless M70 "Classic" action, and has a Smith barrel and Bansner stock. I use Talley LW rings, a Leupold 2.5-8x36 Vari X III Leupold (with elevation turret) and I carry it with a Butler Creek "Alaskan Magnum" sling. Teh sling has 4 shell loops, so when I pick up the rifle, it always has 4 rounds with it (which can be loaded into the rifle- Don't carry your rifle with extra ammo on the sling)

With this rifle and a TSX bullet, there is nothing in North America I would not hunt. In fact,t he only thing I wouldn't want to hunt with it are elephants, hippos and rhinos.;)
 
I like a montecarlo style stock, 3x9x40 scope with a reasonably heavy reticle(my fav is a Zeiss conquest). My Go to if moose is on the menu is my sako AV 300 win mag, it puts three 168 gr TSX's into an inch, I can shoot it very accurately from just about any position, it's been to africa and back without losing zero. It has burris signature rings. Weighs 8.5 lbs loaded with a foam sling, I have two stocks the pretty walnut stock that came with it and a mcmillan and it shoots the virtually the same POI with each one. When it may get ugly or I will be riding a quad it wears the mcmillan.

For just deer I like lightweight, for me it's a 308 Kimber 84m. It wears a Nikon 6x42 scope in leupold rings and bases, very accurate with 150 gr btips which at 308 velocities are excellent deer bullets.
 
Fit, the rifle has to fit you. Next accuracy. Everything else is a bonus. But with out fit, you will never get accuracy when you need it!
 
For me, I like shorter rifles cause of the area I hunt. Open sights is a must with see through mounts for the scope. It has to fit. I want to feel like I'm dancing cheek to cheek with a good friend, not like I have a 2x4 that's about to punch me in the arm.
 
I like it weather resistant, fairly portable for length and weight, and when I shoulder it - it should feel like part of my body
 
What I want in a hunting rifle

Confidence and fit. You need to hold and shoulder as many guns as possible to find the one that just feels right, then you need to shoot it until you have the utmost confidence in the rifle and yourself. There is nothing better than that level of confidence.

Indian name for vegetarian - Poor Hunter
 
A bolt action, blued barrel, wood stock, the classic look to it. I am starting to grow on synthetic stock though. I like my rifles to be a bit heavier. I like hinged floor-pates. But it must fit right, like Tod said, it should feel like an extension of your body.
 
I use a SAKO .270 Mannlicher full stock carbine with Leupold VX3 1.5 x 5 German Post reticle. It is light enough to carry with ease, short enough to bash through thick bush or sling to climb rough terrain. .270 recoil is low. The reticle is great for fast target snap shooting. Wood takes more TLC but looks great.

Another really good rifle is SAKO Quad .17HMR synthetic stock Leupold VX1 2x7 scope
Really fun to shoot, very light and very accurate.
 
Fit and balance are the most critical considerations. Beyond that, when the rifle is shouldered, I don't want to have to go looking for the sight, it should be right there; and right there is the result of a proper relationship between the height of the comb and the height of the sight. A scope's image should be full field, sharp and crisp, with no shadow. The scope should be mounted far enough forward that I do not need to be concerned with getting cut, regardless of the position I am forced to shoot from. If the sight is a ghost ring, the aperture should be large enough and close enough to my eye that my focus is not pulled to the rear sight.

I don't want to have to think about the trigger. It doesn't matter to me if it is a single or two stage trigger, but once the sear has been engaged I don't want to feel any perceptable movement until the trigger breaks, and then I want a minimum amount of over travel. Too light a trigger on big game rifle is an abomination, but 3 pounds is about right for me.

The bolt handle is often over looked, but can be an important consideration to those who prefer bolt guns. The bolt handle should be of sufficient size that it can manipulated without loosing contact with it, when the rifle is mounted in the shoulder. Conversely, the handle needs to be shaped in such a way and be sufficiently short that the trigger finger and the knuckle of the shooting hand are not hit when the piece recoils. On a related note, if the stock's pistol grip crowds the trigger guard, the recoil may result a painful bump on the knuckles, so a filler might be required behind the trigger guard.

The stock's LOP should be short enough that the butt does not catch on clothing as I shoulder the rifle. A rubber pad of some sort will help keep the butt positioned in the shoulder without slipping, even in light chamberings. While I appreciate synthetic stocks, I don't want the stock to sound hollow. Tupperware is not the best choice of stock material.

The sling should be mounted in such a way that my supporting hand will not be cut by the stud, and the sling should be one doubles as a shooting sling as well as a carry strap.
 
A well ajudsted and a smooth trigger is the most important part of my hunting rifles, as well as being accurate and fast handling.

Still have to find out why there is the big difference in scope prices, for basicly the same thing :)
 
what do you like in your hunting rifle?
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Bullets. (hey - someone was going to say it sooner or later :) )

I almost care more about optics than the gun. A decent shooting gun with great glass is a great hunting gun, but the best gun in the world with crap glass can be annoying as heck.

Other than that - good fit. A gun that fits well and has good optics should always be a serious killer if it can shoot even halfway decent.
 
Tick said:
Confidence and fit. You need to hold and shoulder as many guns as possible to find the one that just feels right, then you need to shoot it until you have the utmost confidence in the rifle and yourself. There is nothing better than that level of confidence.

Indian name for vegetarian - Poor Hunter
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Same line of thought here... having confidence and being comfortable with your gun is pretty special when you find the right fit. I experimented over the years with different calibers/actions/optics and ended up with a rifle that probably isnt worth much and doesnt look like much, but wouldnt trade it for anything.
 
If fit is assumed, accuracy is a given and we limit ourselves to average ranges the list would go, in order of importance, like this:

#1 Crisp Trigger
#2 Smooth Action
#3 3-position Safety
#4 Blind Mag (never pops open and you never leave it at home plus lighter weight than a floorplate)

I'm not fussy about whether it's wood, laminate or synthetic or whether it's blued, stainless or has some wonder coating.
 
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