Q: I am a novice and this is a long letter, but you have great wealth of knowledge and experience, and I enjoy reading your columns and articles. Your advice would be appreciated.
Jamie Stirling
A: Because you have a lot of questions, Jamie, I’ve separated them and briefly answered them, one at a time.
Q: I’m considering my first rifle, more for use on game than varmints. I’m looking for quality for price, good accuracy, manageable recoil and availability of ammo, as I’m not sure whether I will start reloading. My choices include the .260 Rem, 6.5x55mm, .270 Win, 7mm-08 Rem and .308 Win.
I favour the .308 as I found the recoil of Federal factory ammo in a Mauser rifle, fired standing and kneeling after 40 rounds, was bearable.
A: My personal choice for hunting would be the .270 Win rather than the .308 as it shoots flatter and is overall more versatile. But surely, there’s nothing wrong with the .308.
Q: Are there any issues using the .308 with match bullets for target shooting?
A: No.
Q: Other calibres are supposed to be flatter shooting and have milder recoil, but many people tell me that .260 and 7mm-08 ammo is hard to get and costs more.
A: Ammo for the .260 Rem and 7mm-08 is not always easy to find and the 6.5x55mm is pretty much redundant. European ammo for it is rather expensive compared with American calibres, but Geco and Sellier & Bellot is affordable.
Q: Does modern once-fired brass have a shelf-life before reloading?
A: Once-fired brass can be stored for quite a time without any problems with it getting brittle.
Q: I know calibres smaller than .270 are not legal on some deer and might not handle game as well as the .308. I have only fired two rounds of .270 in an $800 Marlin at the bench and found its recoil greater than the .308 Mauser with a Pachmayr pad. I have had no experience with the other calibres.
A: The minimum calibre law only applies in Victoria, where .270 is the minimum for the larger species of deer. Recoil of the .270 and .308 is not much different in a properly stocked rifle.
Q: Some people have said the .270 and 6.5×55 are better than the .308 for hunting and at long range, and that the 6.5×55 is more accurate for targets. Does the .270 have greater downrange energy than the .308 ? I’ve been told by a target shooter that .308 factory rounds don’t buck wind well over 600 yards. Would lighter-loaded .270 ammo be the same for targets?
A: The 6.5x55mm is highly regarded as a target cartridge throughout Scandinavia. Don’t believe all you hear; there are target loads in .308 that will shoot accurately out to 1000yds, but only in a simonpure target rifle. The .270 loaded light wouldn’t show up too well on distant targets or game.
Q: One writer claims the .270 WSM is better than the standard .270 Win. Does the .270 WSM have greater recoil and burn the barrel out faster?
A: The .270 WSM is more powerful and kicks harder than the standard .270 Win, and is harder on barrels. But how much shooting do you intend doing?
Q: With regard to recoil reduction, I’ve heard of Kick-EEZ (70%); Limb Saver (50%); Remington Super-Cell (54%), Howa Talon stock (65%). Have you tried these or other recoil-reducing devices and found them worthwhile? I assume I’d have to get a gunsmith to attach them. I’m not keen on muzzle brakes as it annoys me when others use them.
A: All of the recoil pads you list soften recoil to some extent, but I’d query the amount of reduction stated in the ads. A properly shaped stock helps just as much. I’d avoid the ugly Talon stock as it moves the scope about 38mm to the rear every time the rifle is fired. If you are inclined to crawl the stock you’ll cop a “Weatherby eyebrow”.
Q: Are button-rifled barrels really more accurate, or less likely to metal-foul, than hammer-forged barrels? Some say the latter are harder and better resist wear.
A: I haven’t noticed any difference in accuracy between button-rifled barrels and those that are hammer forged, but the latter usually have a longer life.
Q: What twist rates would you recommend for the above calibres?
A: Twist rates are normally set on factory rifles and can be counted on to be correct for the calibre. Different twists are available on some .223 and .308 rifles, and the rule of thumb is to go for a faster twist if you intend to shoot heavy-for-calibre bullets.
Q: What rifle models would you recommend that have adequate barrel lengths, good stock design and an effective recoil pad?
Savage rifles appear to have excellent accuracy for the price, but one NZ writer said he’d seen tool-skipping scoring inside the barrels of some new rifles. Still, the Savage Long Range Hunter looks pretty good to me.
A: All the Savage rifles I’ve tested have been well-made and superbly accurate. The Long Range Hunter would be an excellent choice. I’d take what that NZ writer said with a large grain of salt.
Q: I read your review of the Howa Hogue in .22-250. What do you think the accuracy and recoil would be like in a .308?
A: The Howa-Hogue .308 is mild to shoot.
Q: Tikka T3 seems reasonably popular, but the Yanks don’t seem impressed because it has a long action which is blocked off for shorter cartridges.
A: The Tikka T3 is an inexpensive rifle and hence relatively popular.
Q: I’ve heard good things about the high-end Ruger rifles, some bad things about new Remingtons needing trigger and action jobs, but not much about Winchester Model 70s or Browning X-Bolts.
A: Don’t believe all that crap you hear about Remingtons, which did suffer a drop in quality in the recent past but the new rifles coming out of the new RemArms-owned factory are well made. My personal preferences for a hunting rifle are the Winchester Model 70 and the Browning X-Bolt.
Q: Would you recommend a traditional riflescope over an Aimpoint style?
A: For hunting I’d always recommend a traditional hunting scope with a simple duplex-type reticle over the Aimpoint. Tactical scopes and tactical rifles were never intended for hunting and the tactical label is scattered about with gay abandon these days, even being applied to air rifles. What next, I wonder?
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