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| Hunting Rifles |
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| compiled by Wayne Van Zwoll |
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Rifles of all types have proliferated to the point that finding the best buy is difficult. Given the clever design and high quality of current offerings, you may well find several top picks. Competition begets excellence. Here are a few of the respected shops and their latest centerfire and black powder rifles.
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Austin & Halleck |
Got wood? Austin & Halleck muzzleloaders do, and the people at this Provo, Utah, company are proud of their curly maple stocks. The bolt-action in-lines come with synthetic stocks too; or you can get a Model 420 package with both stocks. The stainless steel action, drilled and tapped, features an adjustable Bold trigger. The 26-inch 50 caliber stainless barrel is half-octagon, half-round, rifled one turn in 28 inches. It's equipped with Tru-Glo fiber-optic sights. Carbon fiber barrels and laminated stocks are available from the Custom Shop. Rifle weight: roughly eight pounds. Price: from $419. Traditionalists should like the A&H Mountain Rifle, a half-stock 50 caliber muzzleloader, flint or percussion, with a 32-inch octagon barrel. Choose a 1-in-66 twist for round balls, 1-in-28 for bullets. Browned barrel, lock and furniture complement the maple. Prices start at $539. To learn more, visit www.Austinhalleck.com or call (877) 543-3256.
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Browning |
If you were a GI in any 20th century conflict, you know the BAR. Providing fully automatic fire to infantry, the Browning Automatic Rifle was a heavy, selective-fire .30-06. In 1967 Browning traded on the BAR mystique with a 7½-pound self-loading rifle for sportsmen. In 1993 it was renamed the BAR Mark II Safari. A couple of years ago Shorttrac and Longtrac BARs appeared. These cosmetically tweaked BARs now come in synthetic-stocked Stalker form, with alloy receivers. The Mark II's seven-lug bolt, detachable box magazine and hammer-forged barrels remain. Chamberings include WSMs and classics like the .30-06 and .300 Win. Mag. Weight: from 6¾ to 7½ pounds. Stock shims let you alter drop and cast. Retail price: $927 (standard chamberings) and $1,010 (magnums). To learn more, visit www.Browning.com or call (800) 333-3288.
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H-S Precision |
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| Two decades ago I chronicled the growth of H-S Precision, born in the desert Southwest but then blossoming in South Dakota. Tom Houghton and crew have since scrambled to meet demand for their tactical and sporting rifles. Unlike many mid-size shops that use components from larger manufacturers, H-S makes its own actions, cut-rifled barrels and hand-laid synthetic stocks. Accuracy is a priority. Pro-Series 2000 sporting rifles as big as 30 caliber are guaranteed to shoot into half a minute of angle. A .223 H-S in my rack nips tighter groups. In long- and short-action versions, Pro-Series rifles offer stainless receivers, three-position safeties, adjustable triggers and stainless detachable box magazines with center feed. Scope mount holes accept stout 8-40 screws. The one-piece bolt body has a semi-coned head with enclosed claw extractor. A new Lightweight Hunter version weighs just 5¾ pounds. There's a take-down Pro-Series too. Options abound. You can't buy a better production rifle. Prices start at $2,175. To learn more, visit www.Hsprecision.com or call (605) 341-3006.
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Henry |
It was hailed in Confederate camps as "that damned Yankee rifle you loaded on Sunday and fired all week." The Henry got its name from Benjamin Tyler Henry, who improved a lever-action mechanism pioneered by Walter Hunt in 1849. From it sprang Winchester's 1866 and 73. The Brooklyn-based Henry Repeating Arms Company of today makes lever-action rimfires with alloy receivers and walnut stocks. Centerfires in .357 and .44 Magnum and .45 Colt have brass receivers and furniture. Fit and finish on these "Big Boy" rifles is better than you'll get on many bolt guns. They're solid (weights exceed 8½ pounds with 20-inch barrels) and feature Marble's open sights. Prices range from $290 for rimfires to $800 for the Big Boy. Like other Henrys, they are made in the USA. To learn more, visit www.Henry-guns.com or call (718) 499-5600.
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Kimber |
Beloved by rifle connoisseurs, Kimber's 84M (standard short-action chamberings) and 8400 (for Winchester Short Magnum rounds) have been joined by a long-action 8400 in .25-06, .270, .30-06 and .300 and .338 Win. Mag. (24- and 26-inch barrels). Actions are beefier than the 84M's (as are WSM receivers). Choose a Classic or Super America with checkered walnut stock, or a lightweight Montana in synthetic. At 7 and 7¼ pounds for walnut versions (6¾ and 6½ for the Montanas) new 8400s scale roughly half a pound more than the WSMs. Prices start at $1,087. Kimber centerfire rifles have adjustable triggers, three-position safeties, Mauser-style extractors and an understated elegance all too uncommon. Accuracy? An 84M Montana arrived here recently for review. The first group from this 5¼-pound .308 measured 3/4 inch. I wrote a check. To learn more, visit www.Kimberamerica.com or call (800) 888-2418.
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Knight |
Known for its field-worthy muzzleloaders, Knight has two new offerings for 2006. The Long Range Hunter, spun off the bolt-action Extreme, wears a laminated stock and 27-inch stainless Green Mountain barrel, button-rifled and spiral-fluted. The 8¼-pound rifle, in 50 and 52 caliber, lists for $699. Last year Knight announced the Vision, a hinged-breech muzzleloader with trigger-guard release. Knight's Mike Mattly says the rifles are now in full production. They feature a hammerless action in an injection-molded stock formed around the alloy breech. "Weatherproof!" grins Mattly. The 50 caliber Vision weighs just under 8 pounds with 26-inch chrome-moly barrel and is priced from $379. All Knight rifles are drilled and tapped for scope mounts. Also, check out Knight’s new Elk Foundation special edition 52 caliber Bighorn and DISC Extreme muzzleloaders. To learn more, visit www.Knightrifles.com or call (641) 856-2626.
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Marlin |
You might still think of the Marlin 336 as a deer rifle. But the last two elk I killed fell to an M336 in .30-30. If you're unwilling to abide the limitations of a .30-30, consider the .444, .45-70 and .450 Marlin chamberings. In the new XLR series, designed for Hornady's flat-shooting LEVERevolution ammuniton, they're the closest you'll come to a traditional lever gun with 250-yard reach. The XLRs weigh 7 pounds with 24-inch barrels and 2/3-length magazines. They come in stainless steel, with laminated, pepper-gray stocks. They have that slim, solid feel that's endeared Marlins to hunters for more than a century. They're accurate too. My Marlin 336 shoots close to a minute of angle. . To learn more, visit www.Marlinfirearms.com or call (203) 239-5621.
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Remington |
"We think it will become one of the finest rifles of all time." So spun ad copy for the Remington Model 700 ADL when it was introduced (at $114.95) in 1962. The M700 has since earned its spot among the world's great rifles. This year, you can choose from 15 sub-models. A candidate for elk country is the 700 XCR, with stainless steel and a synthetic stock. New in 2006: a stainless fluted version of the CDL introduced last year. The CDL SF Ltd, a tribute to the .30-06, is chambered only for that round. Other CDL rifles feature chrome-moly steel, a conservative but not plain walnut stock. A Model Seven CDL, in short-action chamberings (including short magnums) has been added. A surprise is the new Model 798/799—a Mauser-style rifle with laminated stock. The 799 takes small rounds (to 7.2x39). The 798 can digest a .300 Win. Mag. To learn more, visit www.Remington.com or call (800) 243-9700.
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Ruger |
Since its 1968 debut, Ruger's Model 77 has held its own against the M70 Winchester and M700 Remington. Classic lines, integral scope-ring attachments and a wide variety of chamberings (22!) keep it popular. This year the 77 Mark II Magnum Rifle is available in .325 WSM and .338 Lapua, potent rounds that should interest elk hunters. The .325 has also appeared in the Mark II pepper-gray-laminated Frontier rifle, with 16½-inch barrel. This lightning-fast rifle impressed me on a stag hunt in New Zealand's thick forests. List prices for Ruger 77s start at $695. Also new for 2006 is the 9.3x74R chambering in Ruger's Number One "S." This lovely rifle is perfectly suited to the long, rimmed European round, a century-old classic that performs like the .35 Whelen. Number Ones list from $1,000. To learn more, visit www.Ruger.com or call (888) 220-1173.
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Savage |
The Model 110 Savage arrived about 50 years ago. Many derivatives have followed. Elk hunters who prefer integral magazines to detachable boxes will like the new Weather Warriors—stainless, synthetic-stocked M116 (long action) and M16 (short action) rifles—with that option. As with other Savage bolt guns on this platform, AccuTrigger is a standard feature. The recent American Classic M114 and M14 rifles have spawned a Euro Classic with iron sights and a raised cheekpiece on the checkered walnut stock. Choose hinged floorplate or a detachable box. The Euro Classic weighs 7½ to 7¾ pounds. Savage has also introduced youth-proportioned M111 and M11 rifles with synthetic stocks and muzzle brakes. To learn more, visit www.Savagearms.com or call (413) 568-7001.
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Sig Arms |
Commonly associated with autoloading pistols, the house of SIG also markets R93 Blaser hunting rifles. The Blaser's straight-pull bolt and collet-style lockup make for fast second shots. Blasers I've fired shot tight groups. The thumb safety is a decocker. The latest R93, the Professional, scales 7 pounds with a two-piece synthetic stock. Barrel length: 23, 25 or 26 inches, depending on which of 30 chamberings you choose. Barrels are interchangeable. Included: scope mount, rings and iron sights. This versatile rifle retails for $2,500. Walk long trails? The single-shot, hinged-breech K95 Blaser should be on your radar. In standard and magnum chamberings, stocked in Turkish walnut, it weighs less than 6 pounds. To learn more, visit www.Sigarms.com or call (603) 772-2302.
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Weatherby |
Both Weatherby lines—Vanguard and Mark V—have additions for 2006. The Vanguard Deluxe, on a Howa action, wears a figured walnut stock with traditional Weatherby caps and spacers. High-gloss wood and metal polish match that on Mark Vs. This 7¾-pound rifle features a 24-inch barrel and comes in .270 and .30-06, .257 Weatherby and .300 Weatherby. Price: $865. In the Mark V stable, the Ultramark trumps the Mark V Deluxe. Retailing for $2,599, it weighs 8½ pounds with a 26-inch Krieger Criterion button-rifled barrel and exhibition walnut. It's offered only in .257 and .300 Weatherby. The company has announced southpaw versions of Accumark and the 6¾-pound Mark V Ultra Lightweight rifles. Both come in .257 and .300 Weatherby, with composite stocks. Like all Weatherbys, these rifles are guaranteed to shoot into an inch and a half. They retail for $1,829 and $1,855, respectively. To learn more, visit, www.Weatherby.com or call (805) 466-1767.
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Winchester |
The big news at Winchester this year is what will not be in the line. America's best-known name in firearms closed its New Haven plant in March after months of financial loss. Gone are the Models 70 and 94, two rifles that have defined Winchester since they were introduced. Contracts prevent these rifles from being manufactured elsewhere, at least for another couple of years. What's left is the new SXR (Super X Rifle)—a self-loader that looks, not surprisingly, like the Browning BAR. Chambered for .270 and .300 WSMs, and in .30-06 and .300 Win. Mag., this 7¼-pound rifle lists for $811 (.30-06) and $839 (magnums). Also cataloged: the 1885 High Wall, a replica of John Browning's first contribution to Winchester. It weighs 8½ pounds with 28-inch barrel and costs $1,085. A Centennial .30-06 lists for $1,617. To learn more, visit www.Winchesterguns.com or call (800) 333-3288.
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Rifle Accessories
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Harris bipods |
Accurate rifles count for nothing if you can't hold them still. Harris bipods have been steadying rifles for decades, and they're still an industry standard. Made of heat-treated steel, with adjustable legs, Harris bipods come in 13 styles. The compact 6- to 9-inch model is ideal for bench shooting. Specify long-legged models (up to 27-inch extensions) for field use. The "S" series accommodates hunters with spring-tension play at the attachment, for instant leveling on uneven ground. Harris bipods lock to front swivel studs and, now, to Picatinny rails. They're the next best thing to a bench in the field and sturdier than the lightweight competition. To learn more call (203) 266-6906 or visit www.harrisbipods.com.
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Montana sling |
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Once in awhile a product shows up that's outstanding for its simplicity. The Montana rifle sling is a single piece of stout leather with a clever sliding knot, cut from the leather itself, which adjusts with a tug to any length but locks under tension. No buckles or buttons to bang against the rifle or frustrate cold fingers. Cinch it taut in the blink of an eye for scabbard carry. You can even use the open front loop as a shooting loop—though because it is not independent of sling length, perfect fit will be an accident. (And there's still tension on the back swivel.) The Montana sling is the best carrying sling I've found. It's ideal for "hasty sling" use and comes with locking QD swivels for easy installation. For more information call (406) 522-9300 or visit www.istdesigns.com. |
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Slingstix |
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Your elk rifle is deadly only if you hold it still for the shot. A bipod helps a great deal; however, it's of limited use in steep terrain or from high positions. Shooting sticks are more versatile but occupy your left hand. One of the most recent steadying devices is SlingStix, collapsible shooting sticks in a carrying strap. Install the strap on your rifle, and the Stix are always at hand but out of the way. They deploy instantly at a tug of their pouch. Shock cords align the five sections. The Stix stand tall enough for kneeling or, angled to your hip, offhand. Fold them down for a shot sitting or prone. Make incremental adjustments by changing base angle. The black sling and pouch are of durable synthetic fabric. To learn more call (877) 311-2633 or visit www.slingstix.com. |
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