In Search Of The Perfect Rifle

A LOOK AT THE MANY FACTORS TO BE CONSIDERED WHEN LOOKING FOR ONE GUN THAT DOES EVERYTHING.

A wise man said: "Nothing is quite so certain as change." When your passion is guns, your idea of perfection is constantly evolving; it evolves not only because broadening knowledge and experience change our criteria, but also the guns themselves change. With each passing year there are new models, new calibers and new scopes to test our convictions.

While "new" doesn't necessarily mean better, it does nonetheless represent a constant assault on the status quo. As a result, what for each of us constitutes the "perfect rifle" today, is probably not the same as it was five years ago, nor will it be the same five years hence.

One Gun, One Shot

My own perceptions of the perfect rifle have evolved over the past 40 years. Of all the various specialized rifle types, the one that has remained the most constant over the years is my concept of the perfect Plains Rifle ("antelope rifle," actually, because that's the only plains game we have here in the States). In many respects, hunting the American pronghorn is like varminting: it's usually done at long range, it's unhurried and one shot is all you're likely to get -- unless blasting away at a target moving 35 mph is your cup of tea.

The aforementioned scenario is perfect for a single-shot rifle. Depending on personal preference, today's choices boil down to the Ruger No. 1, the Browning 1885 and the Dakota Model 10. All are super guns, but I've always been partial to the Ruger, specifically the Model 1-B in .25-06.

Like all my cartridge choices, the .25-06 is not the most potent within the caliber -- it's just my idea of a cartridge that's perfectly matched to the task. That means it has enough horsepower to get the job done at any range a responsible hunter would be shooting, without a lot of unnecessary recoil and pyrotechnics. Remember that we're talking about an animal that weighs all of 110 lbs. on the hoof.

With today's propellants, the .25-06 is a relatively efficient cartridge and tractable handloading-wise in that you don't have to wear out a barrel before finding a load that yields that ideal combination of maximum velocity and top accuracy.

I've always thought 100 gr. bullets were a tad light for optimum performance in the .25-06, and that the 117 gr. to 120 gr. projectiles were a mite heavy. Unfortunately, no one makes a .25 cal. 110 gr. bullet, so my favorite is Nosler's 115 gr. Partition. For many years H-4831 was the classic powder in the .25-06. With 53.0 grs. of H-4831 I got 3,220 fps out of my Ruger's 24" barrel. (The 1-B comes with a 26" pipe, but I had 2" lopped off; I wouldn't do that today.)

The Light Side

Now we have propellants even better suited to the .25-06, as well as new and interesting bullets. Alliant's Reloder 19 is an exceptional powder for 100 gr. slugs in the .25-06, as is Re 22 for the heavier 115 gr. to 120 gr. bullets. If I were suiting up for another proaghorn hunt, I'd first try Re 19 and Barnes' 100 gr. XBT.

Though I said earlier that I consider 100 grs. on the light side, that assumed conventional bullets. With the X-Bullet retaining virtually 100 percent of its weight, you have the advantage of a flatter trajectory coupled with penetration that would virtually guarantee an exit, even at 400 yards or more. Not that tracking wounded antelope is very common, but an exit hole lessens the chance of having to do it.

That 115 gr. Nosler Partition, however, is still a superb choice. According to Nosler's latest loading manual, 53.5 grs. of Re 22 yields 3,200 fps. In the 26" spout of the 1-B you'd be looking at around 3,260 to 3,270 fps

Keep in mind that is a maximum load and should be reduced by 8 percent for starters. From there, prudent increases of 1/2 grain at a time should be used to arrive at the optimum load for your particular rifle. Remember: Every gun is a law unto itself. Never ignore any sign of excessive pressure, even if it occurs well below a listed maximum.

Shooting To The East

I have yet to make a Whitetail hunt anywhere east of the Mississippi where a rifle like the Remington Model Seven in 7mm-08 with a small, short variable scope like a 2.5-8x would not have been a good choice. For this rig I would now want the SS model-- the one with the all-stainless barreled action because it has a 20" barrel.

The regular blued steel/walnut model has an 18 1/2 pipe as standard, but that's too short for my taste. The SS also comes with a synthetic stock, which I prefer to a homogeneous chunk of wood. Where working rifles are concerned, function beats beauty every time in my eyes.

I've never been a fan of super light rifles; shooting qualities are more important than carrying qualities. A field-ready 7 1/4 lb. rifle is about as light as I'd want, and 7 1/2 lbs. is better yet.

A 7 1/2 lb. rifle is steadier under field conditions than a 6 1/2 lb. one, and I'm steadier yet with 8 1/2 lbs. There is a point of diminishing return, however, and for most of us it's around 8 3/4 to 9 lbs. Beyond that you're into varmint and dangerous-game weights.

For whitetails, where 250 yards would encompass virtually any shot imaginable (unless you purposely set up a stand where the distances would be longer), there's no point in carrying more gun than you need. Even with a 20" spot, a 7mm-08 has all the performance needed not just to do the job, but to excel within 250 yards.

The Range Game

Zeroed-in at 200 yards. Remington's 140 gr. factory BT load is less than 2" high at midrange, and less than 3" low at 250. That's my idea of maximum point blank range. Those ballistics are based on a 24" barrel muzzle velocity of 2,860 fps; from a 20" barreled carbine there's a loss of about 100 fps.

In my 20" Model Seven SS, a load of 48.5 grs. of Re 19 produces 2,740 fps with a Hornady 139 gr. Spirepoint and 2,755 with Nosler's 140 gr. Ballistic Tip. At these velocities, 250-yard trajectories don't change by more than 1/2" when compared to 24" barrel specs.

Because tactics and shooting distances can be so varied where whitetails are concerned, a variable scope is the way to go. There's little point in ruining the carrying and handling qualities of a carbine by mounting a heavy high-magnification monster with an objective the size of a manhole cover; however, a nice medium-range job like the Nikon 2-7x or Leupold's 2.5-8x would be ideal. Both are light, compact, and beautifully proportioned to a carbine like the Model Seven.

Regardless of hunting style -- a drive, a ground or elevated stand, or still hunting -- I cannot envision a situation where the rig just described wouldn't be a perfect choice. You could, of course, substitute another maker's equivalent carbine. You could even switch to one of the 7mm-08's sister cartridges -- the .260 Rem, or .308 Win. -- without having to accept any significant compromises. I'm partial to the .28 caliber because it's worked so well for me for so long.

In the .260 Rem. I'd work with Nosler's 125 gr. Partition and Hornady's 129 gr. SP rather than the 140 gr. weight that is considered standard for the cartridge. If I were competing in a silhouette match and wanted to be sure that a hit anywhere on a 500 meter steel ram would topple it, I too would use a 140 gr. bullet, but for Whitetail hunting I'll take the slightly lighter bullets. In .308 I'd stick with 165 gr. projectiles.

Shooting To The West

The characteristics that distinguish the perfect rife for the western half of the United States are pretty much found in the standard sporter model of every major manufacturer: a bolt action repeater with a 22" to 24" barrel of medium weight and contour, chambered in calibers like .270 Win., .280 Rem., 7mm Rem. and .300 Win. Magnums.

Pretty potent calibers for a deer, some might say, but collecting a good mule deer these days is getting increasingly difficult and those intent on doing it had better be prepared for long-range shooting. I'm talking distances that start at 200 yards and go out to 400. The typical shot will be up or down a slope, or across a canyon, draw or river bottom. In any event, in the rocky mountains those scenarios represent "a fur piece" as they say.

Since a big buck can weigh 250 lbs., stand a long way off and present a bad angle, I recommend a .25-06 as the minimum, but I would use nothing less than a .270 Win, or .280 Remington. As an upper limit I would draw the line at the .300 Win. Magnum. Anything larger -- meaning a bigger .30 or a larger caliber -- would be excessive.

Sure the super magnums like the 7mm STW the .300 Rem. Ultra Mag., .300/.378 Wthby. and the big 7mm and .30 cal. Lazzeronis are more than capable, but they are needlessly powerful at both ends, too inefficient and too intractable.

So again I choose the 7mm as the ideal caliber for my western deer rifle. Given the small advancements we've seen in propellants in recent years, any cartridge that can propel a 150 gr. bullet at around 3,100 fps from a 24" barrel is at the limit of acceptable efficiency. My 7mm JRS comes very close to doing it, and the 7mm Rem., 7mm Wthby., 7mm Dakota and the Lazzeroni 7.21 Tomahawk can all do it and then some.

Of course, so can the 7mm STW, but to get an honest 200 extra fps it requires an average of 10 grs. more powder and a 26" barrel. Those extra 2" can seem like 6", especially when you're trying to extract it from a saddle scabbard or maneuver through timber.

Monsters Of The Frontier

It's the same with the huge .30s -- they're way too much gun. With cartridges like the .300 Ultra Mag., Lazzeroni Warbird and the .300/.378 Wthby., you're looking at two to three times the recoil of the 7mm Wthby. to push a needlessly heavier bullet over a trajectory that is not enough flatter to stick in your eye. Such fire-breathing monsters are best relegated to dealing with critters larger than deer -- a lot larger!

Over the years I have used various 7mms to take hundreds of animals all over the world, but my own 7mm JRS has accounted for far more than any other cartridge I've used. My wildcat drives a 150 gr. bullet at an honest 3,050 fps from a 24" barrel, which is just below the performance levels of the Remington, Weatherby and Dakota magnums.

Recently, I stumbled upon what I believe is an even better, more efficient cartridge -- Lazzeroni's 7.21 Tomahawk. It is a short-action beltless magnum based on a squat case of almost .416 Rigby girth, yet will cycle through a 2 3/4" action.

The Tomahawk holds only 3 grs. more powder than my 7mm JRS, and 6 grs. less than the Remington and Weather by belted magnums. In spite of that relatively modest boiler room, according to data supplied by John Lazzeroni, 68.0 grs. of Re 19 will coax 3,355 fps from a 140 gr. Nosler Partition bullet, and 67.5 grs. will nudge a 150 gr. slug to 3,240.

That, my friends, is efficiency. Compare the Tomahawk specs to Nosler's own data, which shows the 7mm STW takes 75.0 grs. of Re 19 to achieve 3,365 fps with their 140 gr. Partition, and 73.0 grs. to get 3,215 from the 150 gr. Partition--with a 26" barrel! The new Barnes reloading manual shows very similar maximum velocities for the STW with those same bullet weights in a 26" barrel.

The theory that a short, squat powder column burns more efficiently than a long, slender one was pretty well proved by Dr. Lou Palmisano back in the early '70s with his .22 and 6mm PPC cartridges. Lazzeroni's five Short Action Magnums are essentially larger-caliber versions of the PPCs.

The perfect modern western deer rifle would then be a Ruger 77 Mk II/Shaw barreled action chambered in the 7.21 Tomahawk and glass bedded into a black laminated classic-style stock by Boyd's Gunstock Industries. The scope would be a 6x42 Leupold in Ruger's own rings.

Versatility is the last thing I look for in a rifle; but the fact is, what makes a perfect western deer rifle just happens to make a perfect choice for hunting over 90 percent of the world's game. So if you're looking to start a hunting rifle battery, this should be the rifle to start with!

COPYRIGHT 2000 Publishers' Development Corporation
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group