The Problem with Finding My Perfect Big Game Rifle

[kiwi hunter]

Mine is a xbolt long range with 26 inch barrel in 300wsm

 

[newmexicohunter12]

I’m glad to hear you found that perfect rifle and put it to use. Hopefully you are fully recovered and headed to the field this fall.

I’ve been shopping and the 280 ackley started at the top of my list. I’m not currently a reloader and it’s not something cheap to shoot (at least until more manufacturers pick it up as a factory load).

Let us all know when you decide to part with that Swede, that should be a sought after piece and an easy sell to make.

I have heard the Ackley packs a punch! I am using a 6.5 PRC this year for mule deer

 

[belshawelk]

I wish I could. Good for you guys who can narrow things down. My brain doesn't allow me to think in general terms. For some reason I feel I must have specific tools for specific jobs. No crescent wrench for me.

Boots- I have about a dozen pair. For hot weather, cold weather, snow, hiking, hunting, etc. Convince myself I need them for specific reason. The soles literally rot out before they wear out. Coat collection is not better

Guns: Elk gun, deer gun, pronghorn gun, combo elk deer gun, elk gun better for big bulls ( why?), backcountry packing gun, varmint gun, big varmint, little varmint then lets start all over again with lever guns, semiauto. Did I mention shotguns, 12 g 3.5 inch for geese ( why?), 3" then a couple for upland, defense shotguns. Handguns are not better in my mind. Why do I need 3 10mm, 3 .40 and a bunch of nines and .45's. I only carry one 10mm and a 9 for my ankle. Then there are wheel guns. How many .22's does a guy need?

Anyone ski? powder skis, groomer, bumps. Anyone PLEASE see my point.

I could kill all the animals in NA with one gun and need only 1 carry gun. But instead I cant even put an empty case in my safe because its so full. They don't make them any bigger. So I bought another safe.

I am proud of myself for selling a couple guns this year. But I miss them I think I need them back.

 

[OntarioHunter]

I wish I could. Good for you guys who can narrow things down. My brain doesn't allow me to think in general terms. For some reason I feel I must have specific tools for specific jobs. No crescent wrench for me.

Boots- I have about a dozen pair. For hot weather, cold weather, snow, hiking, hunting, etc. Convince myself I need them for specific reason. The soles literally rot out before they wear out. Coat collection is not better

Guns: Elk gun, deer gun, pronghorn gun, combo elk deer gun, elk gun better for big bulls ( why?), backcountry packing gun, varmint gun, big varmint, little varmint then lets start all over again with lever guns, semiauto. Did I mention shotguns, 12 g 3.5 inch for geese ( why?), 3" then a couple for upland, defense shotguns. Handguns are not better in my mind. Why do I need 3 10mm, 3 .40 and a bunch of nines and .45's. I only carry one 10mm and a 9 for my ankle. Then there are wheel guns. How many .22's does a guy need?

Anyone ski? powder skis, groomer, bumps. Anyone PLEASE see my point.

I could kill all the animals in NA with one gun and need only 1 carry gun. But instead I cant even put an empty case in my safe because its so full. They don't make them any bigger. So I bought another safe.

I am proud of myself for selling a couple guns this year. But I miss them I think I need them back.

Sounds like you need professional help before your outdoor-gear-itis becomes an addiction. What sedative do you use to spike your wife's Special-K and keep her compliant?

 

[belshawelk]

Sounds like you need professional help before your outdoor-gear-itis becomes an addiction. What sedative do you use to spike your wife's Special-K and keep her compliant?

Lol. My world is differently than some. I have been married 35 years. She has her hobby which is stamping. I never ask “ how many stamps do you need”. We do mist things together. I never go out with buddies golfing or bars. I get all that at work, so weekends have always been about her and the kids. So my many weeks a year hunting is never an issue and I don’t hunt weekends very often. As far as my “collections” I dont have other expensive hobbies which enables me to feed my addictions.

My dad told me a long time ago: if your wife is happy you’ll be happy, if your wife is unhappy, you’ll be unhappy with half your stuff. Happy wife, happy life. Do to answer your questions, I have learned to compromise.

 

[Farmerj]

“They’re an investment honey, I’m not going to tell you no…”

 

[Don Fischer]

Don't know if I aready answered this so will, again maybe. If I did I'll probably call myself a liar as I don't know that I really have a favorite. Well here goes. Win mod 70 Feather weight in 6.5x55. I would not worry about hunting pretty much anything with it and a good bullet. Strange thing is, it's only the second Winchester CF rifle I've ever owned! There are a lot of right answer's to question's like this and no wrong one's!

 

[EKYHunter]

Mine is a xbolt long range with 26 inch barrel in 300wsm

Well, I guess I have a perfect rifle then as I have the same one you listed.

 

[6mm Remington]

That's the 280 Ackley punch right there! One shot. I've never shot a Kimber but I've read nothing but good about them. I had my 280AI made out of a Winchester Model 70 Classic Sporter.

 

[Caleveras]

Always on the quest for the perfect rifle, I find it is less about the caliber than the feel. For me, Sako rifles fit the need the best, but as a looney it is a constant search.

 

[Don Fischer]

I don’t know how Kimber can sell for them so cheap too. Was $759 with slightly scaled down Model 70 action, a real quiet but positive three position safety, 24” light match grade barrel. A cloverleaf tack driver for the first three shots, with a fine out of the box trigger.

Maybe the question is why do other's cost so much? I've never seen a Kimber and not sure I'd even lay out that much for a new rifle but did one time for my mod 70 Festherweight in 6.5x55.

 

[noharleyyet]

Took the Brockel shortcut to my PBGR...have had qute a few before and after but the 7 Mash smirks at em...

https://flic.kr/p/2cB3Pbj

 

[Don Fischer]

The first question anybody should ask when looking for the perfect big game rifle is if it’s chambered in 280 or 280AI if not they should just keep looking.

I'm not so sure what the first question should be but I also don't believe that the cartridge defines the rifle. See stuff like that a lot in hunting threads. Someone ask's about a rifle and get suggestion's for cartridges. Cartridge can make or break a rifle but a cartridge is not a rifle.

I had a 280 years ago and think a lot of it. But what rifle would you want it in? Normally we all develope an idea of what we like in a rifle and in the end it's the rifle itself that determine's that. The cartridge determines the action length you want. Say you have already decided what cartridge you want, well then you have elminater a lot of rifles for no other reason than action length. Think about what you might want in the rifle itself. Find that and see what cartridges will work in that rifle. I only know of one way to do that, trial and error, try different rifles. That not to say your choice of cartridge is wrong but a 280 or 280AI will not work very well in a short action rifle! I know a guy that absolutely loves his 300 Win Mag, swear's by it. I forget the brand of rifle it is but he likes it because it carrys well and shoots well Oh yea, he's haad the barrel cut back to 18"! Hell he can do everything he could do with a 308 but chose to absorb more recoil in the process. Huge difference between rifle and cartridge!

One of jack O,Conner's last articles was on calling things by different than what they were of cute little side names. Infureatored him and I agree with him. Boy he caught a lot of flack over it though but no one could ever say he wasn't clear about what he was writting. I remember something that really bugged him was people that called moose, moosey! Cool but smae amount of letter in both and moose clearly define's what your talking about for anyone reading it. Notice in the opening post it mentions the rifle and then the cartridge. But alog the way rifle is mentioned less and simply cartridge is mentioned. Know what a 7mm-08 will do a 280 won't do? Function well in a short action! I happen to like short avction's, not for any particular reason either, just like them. To get my 6.5x06 I had to go with a long action. My 700 short actions just seem to me to handle better and quicker than long action 700's. Reag about a guy that liked short actions but his favorite cartridge needed a long action. he figured it out. Simply turned his short action rifle into a single shot!

Call thing's what they are, elimnate's confussion especially for the new guy. One thing that got to me even as an old guy was guys's refering to local gun shops as LGS. For whatever reason I had no idea what they were talking about. I do abrevate like that now and then but before I do that I make sure the abreviation is spelled out first. Hopefully stops confussion.

 

[Don Fischer]

Perfect big game cartridges start with a ".4". Or larger.

Perfect rifles have English Walnut stocks though nearly perfect rifles have been observed in the wild with black walnut.

Perfect rifles are always rust blued to a deep glow, not matt, not glossy, just perfect. You will know it when you see it. They are never, ever "coated" nor silver (unless well worn).

Perfect rifles often have two triggers. Not quite as often, they may also have two barrels.

Perfect rifles make their owners look more handsome or beautiful, as the case may be. (Ask Europe)

Pretty near agree completely with this. Wouldn't consider a cartridge in .4" though, getting into my no-no ange because of recoil. Take out .4 and put in 6.5 or even 7mm and I like this. bear in mind I have never hunted Africa and never will unless it was for plains game and then biggest cartridge I'd use would be a 30-06.

Somewhere we got away from wood stocks and blued steel and I have to admit I would not own a plastic stock rifle long and stainless steel does nothing for me. I ddon't leave my guns out in the boat over night when I go hunting! I have got to the point where accepting black metal is alright over blued but the blued does look better. In fact I shot a friends mod 700 in 265 Win Mag years ago that came from the facroty with black metal and I was good with it. The perfect rifle must appeal to youe eye and fit reasonably well. it should also be in a cartridge you enjoy shooting weather it's a 25-06 or a 505 gibbs doesn't matter but nothing is worse for me than pulling the trigger and getting the snot knocked out of me! In the end. the cartridge will be simply a part of the rifle you like but the cartridge may also define which rifle you choose!

 

[88man]

my non in the timber > perfect rifle today is a 7mm dakota, stiller action, manners stock, Bruxx barrel topped with a Huskemaw I feed it retumbo and 180 grn berger vlds

 

[noharleyyet]

my non in the timber > perfect rifle today is a 7mm dakota, stiller action, manners stock, Bruxx barrel topped with a Huskemaw I feed it retumbo and 180 grn berger vlds

Heavy for caliber projectiles going to the mark fast make my tight pants tingle...

 

[Don Fischer]

Heavy for caliber projectiles going to the mark fast make my tight pants tingle.

Attitudes change over time and experience. Time was I whorshipped at the throne of velocity, not any more. What I found out that as fast as it does kill, it also destroys any meat you might hit getting in there. More heavy bullet's at moderate velocity kill a bit slower, ruin less meat and animals are just as dead a few feet away!

 

[nhenry]

Attitudes change over time and experience. Time was I whorshipped at the throne of velovity, not any more. What I foundd out that as fast as it does kill, it also destroys any meat you might hit getting in there. More heavy bullet's at moderate velocity kill a bit slower, ruin less meat and animals are just as deat a few feet away!

Or go über light and fast with a mono and kill them fastest with little meat damage. Whatever poison you like

Chrono’d my new 280 AI with 120gr TTSX at 3440 fps and I can tell you they kill fast and you cut up to the hole.

 

[Farmerj]

Have yet to find a rifle for the twist and barrel length I wanted.

So I bought the components and put them together.

Savage model 10 with several barrels for it:
.223 Remington match chamber 1:9
.260 Remington 1:8.5 twist. Currently at the machinist to be cut to 18” and threaded 5/8-24.
.243 Winchester same
Aics compatible mags
Riflebasix sav-2 trigger set to 1 1/2 #


Zermatt arms big horn origin LA. Action is all Remington 700, barrel is savage.

Currently wearing an 18” criterion 1:8.5 twist .280 Remington barrel.
Triggertech primary trigger set at 2 1/2#



Not aware of any manufacturers that offers anything close to those specs. All the production rifle barrels are set to saami ancient twist specs.

 

[Don Fischer]

Or go über light and fast with a mono and kill them fastest with little meat damage. Whatever poison you like

Chrono’d my new 280 AI with 120gr TTSX at 3440 fps and I can tell you they kill fast and you cut up to the hole.

I have heard that but have never used them to find out. The bullet's I normally use have never failed me and I find no reason to change. Then of coure there is also the cost of mono's, about double reg bullet's.