What Are Your Most Accurate Sporting Hunting Rifles

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What are your most accurate sporting hunting rifles. Not those heavy barreled long range, varmint or target rifles. I am talking about the average hunting rifle you would pack on a spot and stock hunt. Less than 7.5 pounds (not including scope) The reason I have qualified the class of rifle is that with a heavy barreled specialized rifle I can print exaggerated holes all day long once I get the load right, in fact most half way good shooters can.

Now!!!!! To get good accuracy with a quick handling (out of the box or customized), sporting hunting rifle is another thing. So no one miss understands I am talking about rifles that fall into the 700BDL or CDL, Ruger Mk II or Hawkeye, Weatherby Synthetic or ULW, or Savage 116 or Classic, Winchester Mod 70 feather weight or deluxe, Brwoning A-bolt Stalker class of rifles.

Here is a sampling of what sporting rifles can do today. One does not need a semi bench type rifle to get superb accuracy and these are the guns that can be carried anywhere in the field for long periods of time. Some are out of the box some are not but all these weigh 7.5 pounds or less without scope.

300Wby custom (first target is 200yds the second is 100yds)

Rem 750 Woodmaster carbine 30-06 out of the box

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7mmSTW 116FS out of the box

Mark V 30-06 (lighest rifle I own 6.5 pounds) custom

Ruger Hawkeye 358Win out of the box

Mark II 22-250 Stainless out of the box

 

[1Shot]

With most any Rem 700 or Savage 110 with a little tinkering and proper load development you can get them to shoot sub MOA. Most of the hunting rifles that I have are custom barreled Rem. 700's but I do have one sporter M-96 Swede 6.5X55 that will shoot most anything you put into it in a ragged hole at 100 yards. It is light enough to meet your specks but with the 29 inch military barrel it would not make a good brush gun. I have a K-31 Swiss military rifle in 7.5X55 Swiss that I put a clamp on scope mount and scope on that will shoot bug holes. I also have some other open sighted military rifles that will shoot just as tight a group as most scoped shooters do.

 

[bullet]

I have chased paper long enough in my life to know that I can do it and shoot that one hole thing. But I am more interested in hunting now days and just wondered what our most accurate hunting rifles are that can be carried in the field all day long.

 

[C.Smith]

I have a Savage 114 that shoots around 1/2" groups but it is a heavy rifle fromt he factory, over 8 pounds. This year I bought a Tikka T3 lite in stainless 30-06 and shot this group while testing loads the other day:

Corey

 

[bullet]

I think that hunting rifles today are so accurate and put together with much better steel. Use to when I was young you were just hoping when you bought that factory rifle that it would be a shooter and you were glad when you got one. Now all but a few rifles bought are shooters right out of the box. I think that is cool. Today we expect them to shoot. In days gone by we hoped they would shoot.

 

[big rifle man]

Three years ago I purchased a Kimber Montana in .300WSM. With a 3-9 Kahles scope, mounts/Rings and a magazine full of ammo the Rifle weighs a llittle over 7lbs. With 180 Grains of Partition, a load of Re22 and a Fed215M primer she'll shoot into 3/4" or less all day long.

 

[FOTIS]

In my experiences.........

Sakos without question

Savages without question


Remingtons (Sendero& heavies only)

Japanese weatherbies

 

[1Shot]

It all depends on what you get into shape to carry. Too many people sit around on their duff and don't get into shape to go hunting. If you will exercise and start walking carrying a piece of 1 1/2" PVC pipe filled with sand and some lead to bring it up to the weight of the rifle you want to carry to hunt with and cap both ends, you will be amazed at how long you can carry a rifle hunting without any problem. A good sling that has the Neoprene shoulder pad that will give and help take some of the shock off your shoulder as you walk with the rifle slung helps a great deal also.

 

[JDMAG]

Would you include a Ruger #1 in this category? because I think this new 7MM rem mag is the most accurate gun I have ever owned, next to a 300 RUM rem 700. and it is just as accurate as it ever was.

 

[bullet]

Would you include a Ruger #1 in this category? because I think this new 7MM rem mag is the most accurate gun I have ever owned, next to a 300 RUM rem 700. and it is just as accurate as it ever was.

Yes, this is not arbitrary, some rifles weigh just a little more than I listed as max and are used all the time for out in the field. I carried a 300Wby Mag for two years hunting and is one of the rifles I wish I had not let go of.

 

[FOTIS]

In my experiences.........

Sakos without question

Savages without question


Remingtons (Sendero& heavies only)

Japanese weatherbies

OOPS!!!!

I did have great luck with all my Ruger #1's.....

in a 204, a 223, a 223 Ackley improved, 4 different 2506's, 270 win, 2 458 win mags and 2 458 lotts.

 

[JDMAG]

I also had a remington 700 classic in .243 that was exceptionally good, but not as good as the # 1 or the RUM. The rest have all been 300 win mags in both remingtons and rugers. The 300 winni I gave to my son is decent but not great (yet) and my old 06 aint to bad either. I'd say both of those and my sons Model 7 youth in .243 are within "minute of deer"

 

[old #7]

Nosler Custom 280AI.
I didn't think I would take it out in the field but I can't get it out of my hands. Kind of like the Garth Brooks song......Nosler Custom.... Let go of my hand....
Followed closely by my Rem 700 ltd aniversary 30-06 and the Rem 700 ltd aniversary 280.

 

[JD338]

All my M700's shoot under MOA but my most accurate is my 280 AI with the 160 gr AB at 3000 fps.

JD338

 

[bullet]

All my M700's shoot under MOA but my most accurate is my 280 AI with the 160 gr AB at 3000 fps.

JD338

Jim, you need to send that rifle to me and let me shoot it at 100yds instead of ten feet so we can see what it will really do. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Every time I see you post targets of that 280 AI it makes me want to get a Ruger M77 Hawkeye in 280 Rem. :shock: Oh no, did I say that, you mean my addiction for rifles is coming back. :idea: Nope I got to kill that feeling :shock: :lol:

 

[JD338]

bullet,

My experience has taught me to shoot groups at 15 feet to eleminate powder burns on the target. :lol: :lol: :lol:

JD338

 

[buckfever]

My most accurite gun is a Remington M700 ADL 7mm RM its an older one has a 5 digit serial # the trigger is set a 2.5 and is glass bedded it weighs about 8 pounds with scope and sling and will out shoot my Savage M12 22 250 any day.

 

[bullet]

bullet,

My experience has taught me to shoot groups at 15 feet to eleminate powder burns on the target. :lol: :lol: :lol:

JD338

I really like that cartridge and your set up, that is truly a nice rifle. I would really like to shoot that thing, really nice and you should be proud of that rifle, scope and cartridge. With that AccuBond that will really be a killer.

 

[jtoews80]

I've got a 257 wby vanguard sporter that shoots around 3/4 MOA consistently with sierra 120 grn HPBT's. They really are hard on deer and coyotes.
I had a 25 WSSM that weighed a little over 6 lbs with scope. Very accurate rifle off a rest too, just didn't cycle reliably, always wanted to jam if you didn't really move that bolt fast.

I prefer the heavy barreled rifles, but that could be laziness on my part. I had an old Sako l579 forester in 22-250 that would really shoot under a dime most times. The year I got it I ran about 100 rounds a month thro it for that summer, most likely why it shot well.
JT.

 

[Powerstroke]

Hopefully my new Rem 700 in .257 Bee is going to fit this category... I'll know tomorrow. With the first second load it's under and inch.

I also have a Rem 700 SS in .280 that has printed some half inch groups with the 150gr B-tips. I'm doing a complete change with scopes / loads etc so somewhat starting from scratch again... will be attempting to get the 140gr A-bonds to shoot through it now.

My others are all heavy barrel units and I still hunt and pack them... the Sendero gets taken to 11 to 13 thousand feet....