In Search Of The Perfect Rifle

Guns Magazine, April, 2000 by Jon R. Sundra

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.