With nearly 20 years of active infantry service and accredited by General George S. Patton as “the greatest battle implement ever devised,” the M1 Garand is one of the most notable service rifles in history. It’s a rifle that was revolutionary, effective, and for many decades, common. It’s a rifle that two generations were raised on—those that served with it, and their kids. The rifle is an icon that’s widely recognized, even idolized. But these days, anything beyond surface-level knowledge and experience with the M1 Garand is becoming rare.

The M1 Garand is seen by many as an embodiment of the greatest generation and their defeat of Axis powers. It’s hard for me to pick one up without imagining what it must have been like for my grandpa to press his cheek against the stock and gaze through the peep at the front sight, pointing into the frozen Ardenne. To me, it’s also a symbol of old school marksmanship, a tight 1907 leather sling, and pulling targets in the pits. 

I competed in service rifle competitions for a number of years and shot several M1 Garand novelty matches, but I never owned my own Garand. I started out competing with the M1A, a derivative of the M1. Like many other shooters, I had a basic appreciation of how the M1 Garand works, but not much else. Many years overdue, I finally bought my own M1 Garand to learn, shoot, and enjoy. 

A Brief History of the M1 Garand

There are many published histories of the M1 Garand rifle, most of which are regurgitated ten times over. A more detailed history of the rifle is published by the Garand Collector’s Association, but I’ll give you the Cliffnotes version. 

The M1 Garand was designed by John C. Garand and accepted by the Army in 1936. It was originally intended to hold 10 rounds and chambered in .276 Pedersen, which was a medium-sized 7mm cartridge that fired a 125-grain bullet at 2750 feet per second. For various reasons, the Army wanted it in the already standard-issue .30/06 Springfield.

The M1 Garand went on to serve through World War II, Korea, and the phase-out started in 1959 when its derivative, the M14 chambered in 7.62x51mm began replacing it. Garand designed the rifle while working for the U.S. government at Springfield Armory and gave them his patent rights to his creation. Ironically, in the March, 1974 issue of the NRA’s American Rifleman, that went to print within a month of Garand’s passing, there’s an editorial describing the efforts of Congress to award the aging inventor of the M1 $100,000. He’d only ever gotten his standard pension and, according to the editorial, the Department of the Army said, “Not another cent.”

There were several iterations of the M1 Garand, but none as widespread as the standard-issue infantryman’s rifle. The M1C and M1D were specialized scoped variants. Additionally, there was an entire M1E series which is detailed in that same March, 1974, issue of American Rifleman. Those ranged from M1E1 through M1E9 and led to the development of the M14 and its single-fire counterpart the M1A. Additionally, Beretta produced a box-fed, select-fire version, the BM-59. The Ruger Mini 14 is still in production, and is based upon the design of the M14 and consequently, the M1..

The M1 Garand is Rapidly Becoming a Mystery 

I felt like a kid unwrapping his first .22 when I finally got my M1 Garand. It was beautiful. I bought an M1 that had been purchased from the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) as a “special grade” rifle. What that means is that although it has an original 1944 receiver, my rifle has been completely refinished, refurbished, and fitted with a brand new barrel and wood furniture. My rifle isn’t something a collector would go silly over, but I want a quality functional example to shoot. My heart dropped when the rifle wouldn’t cycle correctly. It would eject empty cases, but the bolt wasn’t coming far enough back to strip the next round from the magazine. 

Who Knows the M1 Garand Anymore?

Where does someone even take their sick M1 Garand? That question is much harder to answer today than it was 40 or 50 years ago. Fortunately, I’ve got a guy. Ken Corcoran was a shooter and gunsmith with the Army Marksmanship Unit, and is a distinguished rifleman. Although he worked primarily on M14s, M1As, M16s, and AR-15s, he built and worked on hundreds of M1 Garand rifles too. 

I received a thorough and salty education from Ken when I first met him at 19 years old, and I still learn something every time I visit with him. Back in about 2005, I brought him my recently purchased Springfield M1A—I wanted to become a service rifle shooter. He was a key mentor to me in that endeavor. He’d take the time to explain everything from how light conditions change my point of impact on the target to why I should dab grease between the stock ferrule and op rod guide of my M1A. His knowledge of the M1 Garand is equally humbling. 

Nearly 20 years later, I was bringing him another rifle. With approximately two minutes of investigation, he diagnosed the cycling problem to be a result of an undersized gas port in the aftermarket barrel and an aftermarket gas cylinder lock screw that increased the volume of the cylinder itself. He drilled out the gas port, installed a G.I. gas cylinder lock screw (gas plug), and the rifle ran perfectly. 

If I hadn’t had access to someone with the experience-based knowledge, tooling, and parts to fix the issue, I’d have had to send the thing off to who knows where. The M1 Garand isn’t an enigma, but it’s a craftsman’s rifle that requires the parts and the know-how to diagnose and solve problems. Both will only dwindle as we trek into the future.

How Does the M1 Garand Work? 

In the world of gun culture 4.0, Youtube, and larping, everyone recognizes the M1 Garand. They know it’s chambered in .30/06, loaded with 8-round en bloc stamped steel clips. If they have even the slightest familiarity with the M1, they know that when the last round is expended, those clips sound off with a beautiful ping as they’re ejected from the receiver. To most, what’s actually happening under those battered wood hand guards and stock is a mystery. Here are the basics of how the M1 Garand works. To follow along, or learn more on M1 Garand nomenclature, the CMP has an excellent guide. 

The M1 Garand Ping: Magazine and En Bloc Clip

The best known feature of the M1 Garand is its use of an 8-round clip rather than a detachable magazine or stripper clip. The fully-loaded clip is pressed down into the magazine until the magazine follower is pushed far enough to unhook the operating rod catch and simultaneously capture the clip with the clip latch. When the clip clicks into place, the shooter rapidly withdraws their hand and the bolt slams forward, stripping the top round off the clip and into the chamber. Once you stop applying pressure on the clip, the bolt leaps forward. If you don’t get your thumb out of the way, you’ll quickly find out what “M1 thumb,” or “Garand thumb” is all about.

The clip is the same on top and bottom, and can be installed either way. The edges of the clip act just like feed lips in a modern rifle magazine. As each shot is fired, the follower presses the stack of cartridges up through the clip. When the last round is fired and ejected, the op rod catch simultaneously locks the operating rod open and pulls the clip latch from the small notch in the steel clip. When that happens, the clip ejector spring located in the trigger assembly sends the empty clip flying into the air with that characteristic ping, signaling the shooter that they’re out of ammo.

Long Stroke Gas Piston

Another key characteristic of the M1 Garand is that it operates on a long stroke gas piston system, and was the greatest early success of the concept. It’s alleged that the design for the AK-47’s gas system was borrowed directly from the M1 Garand—albeit flipped upside down. Unlike Soviet rifles such as the SKS that used a short piston which knocked the bolt carrier group backward, the M1 Garand and AK-47 both implement a gas piston/operating rod that directly operates the bolt. 

At the front, the operating rod starts with a precisely machined piston. It’s seated at the end of a hollow steel tube. The operating spring—it does much more than just absorb recoil—fits inside this hollow tube and slips over the follower rod. The op rod then transitions to a flat bar with a charging handle and bolt lug guide at the end. With the action closed, it extends from the gas port just behind the muzzle, to the bolt lugs just behind the chamber. 

Upon firing, in the short time that the bullet is between the gas port and the muzzle, hot gas rushes through the gas port, driving the piston back, which in turn rotates the bolt out of its locked position, and draws it to the rear, ejecting the spent case. The operating spring then drives the op rod forward, chambering a new cartridge, rotating the bolt lugs into their locking recesses, and finishing with the piston back in its original position.

The M1 Garand Runs on Levers, Linkages, and Timing

A fascinating thing about the M1 Garand and its function is that everything outside the trigger group is driven by the operating spring. The spring absorbs recoil and returns the rifle to battery after firing, but it’s also used to drive the magazine follower and actuate the operating rod catch, and clip latch. In most modern CNC-made firearms, we see a separate magazine spring under the follower, but this 1936-vintage design is actually more complex. A few seemingly simple parts work in unison to make this incredible rifle work.

According to Corcoran, timing issues can be common in this system of linkages. However they aren’t always easy to diagnose to the untrained eye. In the era where the M1 Garand was king, one would simply throw in a timing block, replace a couple small parts, and be back in business. Firearms News has a pretty informative article on checking the timing on an M1 Garand, and according to Corcoran, problems like your rifle ejecting clip along with the last round or two, or trouble getting the bolt to release when loading a clip can be indicative of timing issues—though he wouldn’t venture to diagnose a rifle without getting his hands on it. 

Buying an M1 Garand

The “good ol’ days” of plentiful M1 Garands are long gone but, with a little direction, you can still get your own functional piece of history. If you’re wanting a matching-parts, collector-grade rifle, you’ll be entertaining an entirely different set of questions and price range than if you simply want an M1 Garand to shoot and enjoy. Either way, it helps knowing where to look and what to look for. 

Where to Shop for an M1 Garand

If you’re “chasing the Garand” as my friend, expert long-range shooter, and OL contributor Sean Murphy puts it, organizations like the previously mentioned Garand Collector’s Association and CMP are great sources of information on what to look for and where to look. Collectible M1 Garands aren’t getting any more common—or less expensive.

For the average shooter, the CMP is probably still the most reliable source for acquiring an M1 Garand. Although quantities are more limited than they used to be, and there are a couple qualifiers that you have to meet, you can order a rack grade M1 Garand from the CMP for about $750 through the mail. The CMP website goes into detail about the requirements and specifics about what you’re getting with each grade of rifle.

If you know what to look for, don’t want to wait on a mail-order rifle, and are willing to take a little risk, M1 Garand rifles are often available on sites like guns.com and Gunbroker. That’s where I bought mine, and they do offer some purchase protection. Understand though, that none of these rifles are new.

What to Look Out For in an M1 Garand

Depending on where you’re at, you might be able to find an M1 Garand in the used rack of your local gun shop. This can be a good way to buy one, but there are a few things you should check if you can. Guys like Corcoran could give a post-grad lecture on things to look for or avoid on a used Garand. In fact, when I visited him, I had another M1 in tow. He took one look at it and said, “oh, that’s a Danish rifle.” When I asked how he knew that, he simply replied, “I looked at it.”

You and I don’t possess such knowledge, but there are a few things we can inspect when shopping for one in person:

• Price: Any retail-sold, shootable M1 is going to cost at least $1,000. Double that for a really good one.
• Corrosion: If you’re allowed, field strip the rifle and inspect all parts for pitting or excessive rust that can’t be wiped away with some oil. 
• Tip Test: with the operating spring removed, the op rod and bolt should slide freely to the rear when the muzzle is pointed up at approximately 60 degrees. They should close when pointed down approximately 60 degrees. Here’s a video demonstrating it. The gist of this test is to ensure that the op rod moves freely back and forth and isn’t bent or damaged. 
• Check the stock and inside of the front hand guard, as well as the edges of the gas cylinder for signs that the op rod is wearing on them. 
• Inspect the bore with a flashlight for excessive rust—with the rifle stripped and bolt removed.
• If you see something that doesn’t feel right, it’s probably not.

Some of these indicators aren’t necessarily big problems, but they can be red flags. Take your time and research markings, manufacturers, and corresponding dates. I recently saw an M1 Garand for sale in a shop that was marked as “correct grade” with a price tag of $1750. The 500,000-series serial number indicates an early vintage rifle, but without the research or know-how, it’s damn tough to tell exactly what you’ve got. Most Garands have been refurbished and rebuilt with a mix of parts—usually more than once. Thick patches of rust that were clearly visible inside the end of the bore were a red flag.

Shooting and Maintaining an M1 Garand

The M1 Garand is fun to shoot, but recoil is much heftier than the contemporary AR-15 service rifle. Some view this as a negative, but plenty of old school service rifle shooters are quick to point out that shooting one in competition forces you to build good positions. If you don’t, it’ll knock the piss out of you. The steel buttplate on the old warhorse can wear on your shoulder when shooting from the bench, but recoil is softer than that of an average bolt-action .30/06 hunting rifle. They have a two-stage trigger that usually breaks between 4.5 and 6 pounds.

Proper Lubrication of the M1 Garand

The M1 Garand is made from hand-machined steel parts, and its relatively complex function requires that you lubricate it properly. If you don’t, you’re going to have problems. You might even damage your rifle. When completely degreased, my rifle’s bolt can’t even be drawn to the rear without binding. Gun oil is helpful for some parts of the M1 Garand, but what you really need is grease. 

The previously mentioned story on the evolution of the M1 Garand stated that in development, sustained fire using normal oils and lubricants would dry the guns out and actions would seize—particularly in wet conditions. Lubriplate 130-A was adopted as the standard-issue grease for the M1 Garand, and you can still buy it today. 

GAA, or Grease, Automotive and Artillery is what Corcoran recommends. This old army staple is an excellent lubricant for the M1 rifle, and it’s what I used for my M1A match rifle many years ago. It’s cheap, or was, and cleans off easily. It’s not in every army surplus store these days, but you can still find it. Other greases like Shooter’s Choice Gun Grease work well too.

It’s key to apply grease to several areas on your M1 Garand. The bolt and op rod channels and locking recesses in the receiver should be given a thin coating.  Grease should be applied to other areas of contact, or where wear is visible on the bolt, inside the bolt lug recess on the operating rod, and on the bottom of the barrel where the operating rod should have light contact with the chamber. Brownells has an excellent video detailing this procedure. 

M1 Garand Ammo: Do’s and Dont’s

It’s commonly stressed that you should not shoot standard factory .30/06 hunting ammo through your M1 Garand. The rifle was designed to operate within a certain range of gas cylinder pressures and common advice tells us to use ammunition at or under 50,000 PSI. M2 Ball ammunition was the standard feed for the M1 Garand. It fires a 150-grain FMJ bullet at approximately 2,750 feet per second. You’ll often hear that you shouldn’t shoot bullets heavier than 150 grains, but national match ammunition for the Garand, of 1965 vintage, fired a 174-grain bullet at 2,663 feet per second. Some loads with heavier bullets, particularly those using modern slower-burning propellants, can overpressure the gas cylinder and bend or otherwise damage the operating rod. Just how legitimate is the concern?

“These guys have no idea what we used to do with Garands. We’d load 180-grain bullets for shooting at 600 yards all the time,” said John Karish, who is the other of my two main service rifle mentors. Karish grew up in California, when shooting NRA high power matches with M1 Garands was as regular as sunshine. When I asked Corcoran how easy it was, really, to bend an M1 operating rod, he said nothing. He walked over and reached behind a piece of equipment in his shop, pulling out a World War II vintage op rod. He brought it over to his bench, set it across two wooden blocks, picked up a mallet, and gave it a dramatic and swift overhand strike, right in the middle. Ken then handed it to me and said, “How hard do you think? Does that look bent to you?” 

Despite the demonstration that showed me that these rifles might not be as fragile as everyone says, we aren’t living in a time when everyone has an M1 Garand gunsmith right down the road—or an excess of operating rods or parts. There’s no need to shoot high pressure ammo, so just use caution. Many manufacturers including Winchester, Hornady, Federal, and Fiocchi load specific M1 Garand ammo, and safe load data is readily available. Simply grabbing the first cheap .30/06 ammo you find can beat your rifle up and accelerate wear and tear at best, or break it at worst.

If you really feel the need to fire heavy or high-pressure loads, you can get a Schuster gas plug that is adjustable to vent excess gas and safely fire heavy-duty .30/06 ammunition. Another aftermarket part, “that bullshit gas plug” that my rifle came with, is hollowed out to create more space in the gas cylinder and reduce peak pressures. Some folks seem to have good results with it, but my rifle will not cycle with standard ammunition. Whatever you choose to do, use caution. 

How Accurate is an M1 Garand?

Despite casual claims that the average M1 Garand is a superbly accurate rifle, it’s nothing special in standard-issue configuration. It won’t win benchrest competitions, but it’s accurate by infantryman’s standards in the hands of a good shooter. One of my favorite M1 Garand stories is when one day, about 20 years ago, Karish outshot the entire 1st battalion of the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment on the army’s pop-up qualification range at Fort Wainwright with his Garand. His only complaint was that he’d drawn a pesky double target in the middle of a reload.

Reasonable Expectations for the “As-Issued” M1 Garand

We live in a world when terms like “minute-of-angle” are thrown around lightly, and some attribute this kind of accuracy to their Garands. The right match-grade M1 Garands with the appropriate spells cast upon them, fired by skilled shooters can do such things, but you shouldn’t expect it out of your rack grade or as-issued rifle. If you can maintain 3- to 4-inch groups at 100 yards with iron sights and ball ammo, you’re doing well.

I took my M1 to an unofficial mid-range prone match, which was fired from 600 yards on standard NRA high power targets. Shooting Hornady’s M1 Garand Match ammo, I was able to keep 16 of 20 shots inside the 36-inch black bullseye. Not great shooting, but about what I expected from that rifle in my first match in 14 years. For reference, I was able to keep more than half my shots in the 6-inch X-ring when shooting  a 16-inch AR-15 carbine that I used in my recent 5.56 ammo test. It had a 10x LPVO scope and a bipod. At the peak of my service rifle shooting, I averaged around 195 with my national match AR-15 using iron sights. That’s keeping about 15 of 20 shots inside the 12-inch 10-ring. Shooting accurately with as-issued iron sights on an M1 Garand is much more difficult than the average trigger puller realizes.

The Accurized M1 Garand

“The M1 is a craftsman’s rifle. It takes a craftsman to make it shoot well and keep it shooting well. The AR-15 is a machinists rifle, and just about anyone can assemble an accurate one with the right parts.” 

Karish told me that many years ago, and he was right. I can simply order the right parts and assemble a very accurate AR-type rifle, or bolt-action for that matter. Getting the M1 Garand to shoot well enough to compete and replace bolt-action service rifles was no easy task. A lot of work was done in the 1950s to develop the National Match M1 Garand, and the techniques used to accurize the platform. 

An article by Capt. Carl J. Davis in the July, 1965 issue of American Rifleman details this in-depth process. In all, it describes the following 13 significant alterations and specifications in an illustrated diagram:

•  A. Service rifle front and rear sights replaced with National Match sights. No perceptible play between aperture assembly and sight base at 40 clicks elevation
•  B. Headspace between 1.940 inches and 1.950 inches
•  C. With operating rod spring and follower rod removed, bolt opens fully by its own weight when muzzle is elevated to approximately 60 degrees. With Muzzle depressed to approximately 60 degrees, bolt closes fully by its own weight
• D. Muzzle crown free of all burrs and nicks
• E. Clearance of .010 inches between stock and receiver at point indicated, stock glass bedded.
• F. Operating rod handle may bear lightly on stock. The tube does not contact stock, gas cylinder, or stock ferrule. Operating rod bears lightly against underside of barrel in chamber area
• G. Rear handguard does not contact operating rod
• H. Rear handguard has longitudinal play
• I. Rear handguard does not contact stock
• J. Stock ferrule free of contact with lower portion of lower band, leaving approximately 1/64-inch clearance
• K. Front handguard has no longitudinal movement
• L. Minimum of .005 inches of clearance between front handguard and gas cylinder
• M. No rotational movement of gas cylinder. Gas cylinder lock should stop between 6-o’clock and 8-o’clock positions when hand tightened

Sounds simple, right? This was a strenuous and detailed-oriented endeavor that surely took a lot of repetition to master. It’s no wonder that the match-grade AR-15 overtook the old M1 and M1A as soon as quality float tubes and high-BC projectiles were developed for it.

The M1 Garand in Competition

The M1 Garand was the standard for NRA and CMP service rifle competition from the late 1950’s through the mid-1960’s, and remained a strong competitor for many more years. Serious competitors have long-since switched to shooting the AR-15, and now low-magnification optics are even allowed. The competitors bringing match-grade M1’s to the line these days are doing it for pure enjoyment of the sport.

Vintage “As-Issued” Rifle Matches

Vintage rifle matches have seen a surge in popularity, and each year at Camp Perry, the CMP hosts a variety of them. Many rifle clubs host these “as-issued” matches around the country too, and they are some of the funnest matches you can shoot. Among the rules, an M1 Garand must be an “as-issued” rifle. There are a number of specific rules, but essentially, the glass-bedded, national match rifles with improved sights can’t be used. The course of fire can vary from match to match, but they’re commonly shot at 200 yards, or 100 yards on a reduced-size SR1 target face. This is the standard NRA high power target for the standing and sitting or kneeling positions. In a normal Garand match, you’ll fire three ten-round strings: one prone slow fire, one prone rapid fire, and one standing, for a total of 30 rounds.

M1 Garand FAQs

The Future of the M1 Garand

I’d like to say that the future for the M1 Garand looks bright, but eventually they’ll all be gone. So will anyone who was ever issued one. Done are the days where M1 rifles and parts were cheap and plentiful, but that’s life. The good news is that you can still get an M1 Garand and shoot the hell out of it. 

We now live in an era of Youtube, social media, and instant gratification. For all our CNC-machined precision, we’ve lost a level of earned experience and craftsmanship that can only be obtained by bedding a dozen rifles before lunch, then shooting across the course. The M1 Garand represents a different era that can mean different things to different people, but tapping into it for a brief moment is only a ping away.

The post The M1 Garand, the Greatest Generation’s Service Rifle appeared first on Outdoor Life.

Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made.

Shooting groups with your rifle is a fundamental process that is often underrated and done inadequately. Most hunters will shoot a few groups to get an idea of how accurate their rifle is and then call it good. Or maybe during their sight-in process they shoot a few extra groups just to make sure everything is dialed in. But shooting quality groups, and doing so consistently, is about much more than that. Shooting tight groups builds a foundation for knowing your rifle and shooting it confidently. Perfectly fired groups will also allow you to sight-in more precisely and that increased precision will be carried downrange to longer distances.

At the most basic level, shooting groups—ideally with zero human error—will tell us exactly how accurate a rifle is, and show us its average point of impact. Shooting a group is firing a succession of shots from the same position at the same target. Some shooters shoot 3-shot groups, however for most accuracy testing in Outdoor Life reviews, we mandate 5-shot groups.

At the recent Outdoor Life Gun test, our team fired nearly 400 measured groups from the field of new rifles, and I was reminded of just how challenging it can be to eliminate human error when shooting groups. It takes practice, repetition, and attention to detail. Reducing that error will help you in just about every aspect of shooting your rifle.

What Shooting Groups Can Tell You About Your Rifle

Shooting groups is the unequivocal standard when it comes to defining a rifle’s accuracy. How closely a rifle can print a string of shots together on paper is what we use to describe how accurate it is. You’ll hear rifles described as inch-guns or half-inch-guns, meaning they can consistently fire groups that measure that distance—or less—when measured across at the widest points and then subtracting the diameter of the bullet. Shooting groups can give you a realistic look at your rifle’s accuracy, help in selecting ammunition, and tell you how your rifle behaves when hot or fouled.

Perfectly fired groups with a given rifle and ammunition combination will vary somewhat, but over time they’ll even out. Just because a rifle has printed one or two half-inch groups doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a half-inch gun. You might have one or two screamer groups, and then eight or nine that are much more modest. An average of many groups will paint a better picture of what the true accuracy of that rifle is. For general purposes, an average of five or ten group sizes will give you a good idea.

Ammunition is a huge component of your rifle’s accuracy, and each barrel has its own tastes. Shooting groups over time with a variety of ammunition will help you select the most accurate loads. This is a critical component of load development if you want to get into handloading as well. Developing an accurate load is all but impossible if you can’t shoot quality groups. Confidence in your group-shooting will make you more efficient and you’ll know when flyers and errant shots are part of the rifle and ammunition’s accuracy, not your error.

Most hunters don’t need to dive deep when it comes to how their rifle holds point-of-impact when the barrel gets heated up, or whether it shoots better when left fouled, but it can be helpful. With a precision rifle, shooting extended strings of shots can tell you a great deal about how your rifle maintains accuracy, or if things start going haywire when it gets hot or excessively fouled.

Shooting Groups Isn’t Easy as It Seems

Shooting groups with a fully supported rifle off a bench or prone ought to be easy, right? Not so much. Naturally, shooting from a relaxed, supported position is easier than field positions, but truly eliminating the human element of shooting groups—or even dramatically reducing it—isn’t nearly as simple as it sounds.

With most hunting rifles, breaking shots with enough consistency to maintain regular sub-inch, 5-shot groups is very challenging for the average shooter—even off sandbags. It becomes more difficult with lighter weight rifles, poor triggers, or less-than-ideal positions or optics. Any improper physical input to the gun or instability in the position will show up as inconsistency on paper over time.

Shooting groups with consistency takes practice and great attention to shooting fundamentals. Many hunters who can’t find a load that shoots well or are disappointed in their rifle’s accuracy simply have some flaws in their technique (this that’s certainly happened to me). The difference between scorching accuracy and lukewarm mediocrity is often overshadowed by the slop of human error. This can be incredibly frustrating and can lead to a lack of confidence in the rifle and wasted time chasing different loads around trying to find the best one.

Easy Ways to Get Better at Shooting Groups

We can’t ever truly eliminate human error and input completely, but we can reduce it. Most of us don’t need to be competition benchrest shooters either—we just need a few tools to help us improve. Here’s how to start shooting better groups.

Dry-Fire Position Check

All the fundamental factors for accurate shooting matter when shooting groups. Things like breathing, position, and trigger control are critical. Many of these factors can be slightly compromised if we aren’t careful, so do some dry firing before each group. This can tell you a lot about your position and trigger pull.

When you’re getting ready to shoot, build your position and get a solid natural point-of-aim. That means that when your position is built and your rifle is supported, it should be pointed right at the target, and you should be totally relaxed. If you’re having to put pressure on the gun to keep the crosshairs on target, you need to adjust your position. Once the position is rock-steady, then dry fire at the target.

Pay attention to your crosshairs. If your crosshairs make a “jump” when you pull the trigger, you are putting pressure on the gun in a way that makes it move when the trigger breaks. It could be as simple as some strain in your neck or too tight of a squeeze in your grip. Work on your shot and position until the crosshairs don’t move when you dry fire.

Load Your Bags or Bipod

Even with sandbags supporting the front and rear of your rifle on a bench, it can still be difficult to keep your rifle stable. When the rifle is just sitting atop sandbags or bipod, it is still very susceptible to input and movement. Try setting your rifle up on the bench with front and rear supports so that the crosshairs rest on the target. Look through the scope and watch the movement as you pull the trigger without touching any other part of the rifle.

You may have heard the term “loading the bipod,” which means to lean into the buttstock of the rifle to put pressure on the bipod and create a firm connection between you, the rifle, and the resting surface. That consistent pressure locks things into place and reduces other inputs on the rifle. You can also do it with sandbags.

Loading your bipod on a bench isn’t usually straightforward, and many shooters find sandbags to be a more stable rest on a bench because their weight allows you to apply more pressure than when using a bipod that might slide. If you can find a way to create a surface to load against, it will help tremendously. At my local range, I simply clamp a small board to the front of the bench and use that to load my bipod and sandbag rest into for maximum stability. On the ground, some bipods utilize large, spiked feet that dig into the ground.

Don’t Break Position

When you’re shooting a group, maintain your position and cheek weld on the stock for the entire shot string. Many shooters fire a shot, break position, load another round, rebuild the position, and fire again. You will almost always shoot more consistent groups if you maintain your position for the whole group.

Even slight changes in your position from shot-to-shot will introduce small errors that can really increase your average group size over time. Slight differences in position and pressure on the gun can easily cause perceived point-of-impact shifts of a quarter or half-inch, and if you introduce that error repeatedly, you might have a hard time shooting under an inch with a rifle that is perfectly capable of doing so.

Use the Right Sized Target

Although high-magnification optics certainly do aid in shooting the best rifle groups, you can still shoot great groups with lower-powered optics. Many hunters use scopes that top out at 6x or 9x magnification, and that’s totally fine. Your hold or the movement in your crosshairs doesn’t necessarily change between lower and higher magnification, but it can be more difficult to aim precisely at a tiny spot with a lower-power scope or thicker reticle.

Each shooter will develop a preference for the types of targets they like to shoot at, but if you are using a lower-power optic, pick a target that has a larger aiming point. You want something that you can easily see both the reticle and aiming point and maintain consistency. If you have a thick reticle, holding over a half or one-inch dot at 100 yards can result in more inconsistency than aiming at a larger target. For low-magnification scopes, I like targets that feature a black square with a white center—just large enough for me to perfectly center the reticle and see a touch of white on all sides.

Bring a Control Rifle When Shooting Groups

Shooting groups is fun when everything is going well, but what if your rifle isn’t shooting as accurately as you want or expected? Sometimes you might have a rifle printing large, erratic groups that leave you dumbfounded—and can ultimately eat at your confidence. Poor groups might have you second-guessing your shooting.

 It can help to bring a rifle to the range that you know shoots lights-out to check yourself when another rifle isn’t performing so hot. If your new rifle isn’t shooting well, check the normal stuff like scope rings and action screws, but put the rifle down for a bit and shoot a couple groups with your control rifle. If you’re immediately shooting smoker groups when you switch rifles, you know it’s something to do with that rifle or load, not you as the shooter. If you’re still shooting uncharacteristically bad groups, it’s time to revisit your position and fundamentals.

During our 2022 Gun test, I found a couple of rifles that just weren’t shooting like I thought they should—no matter what ammo I tried. Our accuracy testing was a grind, so it was natural to question if it was me or the gun. Jumping on a rifle like the Accuracy International AT-X or Seekins Havak HIT was the confidence boost I needed to show that it wasn’t just my shooting.

The post How to Shoot Better Rifle Groups (and Why Good Groups Matter) appeared first on Outdoor Life.

Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made.

This is the first in a two-part installment on the Nightforce ELR Steel Challenge.

The Nightforce ELR Steel Challenge is arguably the most difficult long-range match in the world. It is held each year on a large ranch near Glenrock, Wyoming. Competitors come from all over the globe for the opportunity to pit their skills against each other and the demanding course of fire, which consists of steel targets arrayed from 800 yards out beyond 2,000.

It’s safe to say that the skill set of the assembled collection of shooters is unrivaled—at least as far as long-range shooting at steel under practical field conditions goes. And yet, the majority of the 300 shooters who participated head home after the two-day ordeal feeling beat to a pulp by the experience.

Simply put, the competition is brutally unforgiving. If there’s any weakness in your gear, load development, marksmanship skills, trajectory calculations, wind calling, or mental focus, this match will expose and exploit it to your detriment. It’s a meat grinder, but that’s part of its appeal.

Proper Preparation Prevents Piss-Poor Performing PRCs

While you won’t win this match through preparation alone, it is certain that you will lose—and badly—if you don’t put your time in before the range goes hot that first morning.

Every high-level shooting competition requires a degree of prep, but with matches as demanding as the Nightforce ELR Steel Challenge it takes on an extra level of urgency.

The following is a rundown of what I did in the weeks and months prior to making the 450-mile drive from my home to Glenrock.

Team Effort

Even though I’d be shooting the match as an individual, during the preparation process I worked closely with a group of friends who I planned to squad with. This included Scott Seigmund, the vice president of Accuracy International of North America, some of Scott’s AI team shooters I’ve come to know over the years, and two of my buddies from Montana—Chris Gittings and Owen Koeppen who were competing in the team division. Shawn Burkholder, the owner of Hawk Hill Custom Barrels, also joined our crew.

.300 PRC Bandwagon

Scott and his boys shot .300 PRCs the year prior and had good success with that round so Chris, Owen, and I decided to shoot it as well. In previous Nightforce ELR matches Chris shot 6.5s (both the 6.5 SAUM and 6.5 PRC) and had several podium finishes.

But the consensus was that the .30-cal magnums—the .300 Norma Mag., .300 PRC and some .300 Win. Mags.—had an edge over the 6.5s at the location where the match is currently held.

The two main reasons for this are the high winds at the ranch—it is smack dab in the middle of a wind farm—and the thick sagebrush cover that dominates the landscape. The big .30-cal bullets handle the wind better than the 6.5s, while the sagebrush makes it more difficult to spot misses. The smaller 6.5s get eaten up by the foliage more readily than the harder-hitting .30s.

Cartridge Components

Not only were we all shooting the .300 PRC, but we planned to all use the same components for our handloads, which we acquired in bulk. Our bullet of choice was Hornady’s 230-grain A-Tip, which is one of the best .308-caliber match bullets on the market. It is blessed with a high BC (.823 G1, .414 G7) and like other A-Tips it is manufactured to exacting tolerances to minimize variations from one projectile to the next.

ADG Brass

For brass, we turned to Atlas Development Group, which makes excellent high-quality cases. I’ve used ADG brass many times over the years, including in my ultimate open-country rifle build, and have had nothing but excellent results.

AI AXSR Chassis Rifle and Hawk Hill Customs Barrel

Most everyone on the squad was shooting Accuracy International AXSRs, which are among the best sniper rifles currently fielded by military and law enforcement and are one of the most accurate rifles period. Scott got us lined up with barrels from Hawk Hill Customs. With a 1:9 twist, those 30-inch barrels had no problems propelling the 230s at 3000 fps.

But as you’ve no doubt heard, just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. Running cartridges full tilt is a risky proposition in a high-volume long-range match. Performance tends to get more inconsistent at the ragged edge of maximum velocities and the chances of getting a case stuck, blowing a primer, or experiencing some other calamities go way up.

Instead, we all set a target velocity of 2940 fps, which is more than respectable and would keep our bullets supersonic well past 2,000 yards in the thin Wyoming air, but which was also mild enough to diminish the chance of some mid-stage mishap.

Hodgdon H1000 Powder

I helped secure 64 pounds of the same lot of H1000 for our group. I’ll tell you what, I was feeling a little cocky about that coup. That powder, one of the mainstays for long-range magnums, has been unobtainium since the global pandemic.

All of us running the same cartridge using the same batch of bullets, the same type of brass, and the same lot of powder—at the same speed no less—was going to make our collective load development a snap and give us an edge over much of the field. As I’ll get to in a bit, it turns out my celebratory cork-popping was premature.

Gun Prep

Whether you’re getting ready for deer season or prepping for a big match, it makes sense to go over your gear with a fine-toothed comb—particularly your rifle and scope.

I had been shooting my AXSR a fair bit in the months prior to the match, leveraging its multi-caliber capabilities to test 6.5 PRC and 7 PRC ammunition. Even so, I stripped it down, gave all the fasteners and components a thorough cleaning and inspection and reassembled it.

To make sure my scope—a Nightforce ATACR 7-35×56 with the Mil-XT reticle—was dead nuts level in its Spuhr mount, I used a Short Action Customs’ Final Scope Level and Accessory Kit.

That SAC scope level has been a game changer for me. When shooting at extreme long range, even the slightest cant in the reticle will throw your trajectory off. In conjunction with the plumb line in the accessory kit, the leveling base lets you set the orientation of the reticle so that it is perfectly vertical.

Barrel Break-In

Before I got down to the serious business of load development, I needed to break in my new barrel. There are numerous schools of thought about how to break in a barrel, or whether it even makes a difference.

For most applications, particularly with hunting rifles and rifles that will be shot mostly within 1,000 yards, I’m skeptical about the benefits of an ornate break-in procedure. But there’s no doubt that a barrel will speed up after a certain number of rounds and making sure it has stabilized its velocities is critical for generating precise ballistic calculations.

In light of that, I decided to follow Scott Seigmund’s recommendation, which was to break in the barrel over the course of the first 100 rounds. Here’s his method:

1. Shoot five rounds and clean (repeat four times for 20 rounds total; cleaning procedure below)
2. Shoot 10 rounds and clean (repeat four times, bringing the round count to 60)
3. Shoot 20 rounds and clean (repeat twice, for a total of 100 rounds)

Velocity Gain

I shot factory Hornady 212-grain ELD-X ammunition during the break in. The first 30 shots were consistent, averaging 2920 fps. Then the barrel sped up. I chronographed the next three groups of 10 shots at 2935, 2938 and 2939 fps, for an average of 2937 fps. I got another bump with the next 40 shots, where the barrel sped up to 2952 fps.

I was 100 shots into the process, but didn’t feel my barrel had totally settled in. So, I shot two more 10-shot groups and recorded an average velocity of 2965 fps. At this point, the barrel had gained 45 fps.

I needed to start developing my load for the match since my time was limited, but every time I cleaned the barrel during that process I’d shoot more of the factory ammo, which was all from the same case, to see if the barrel picked up more speed.

When all was said and done, that factory ammo shot 3004 fps on average, for a total velocity gain of 84 fps.

Cleaning Procedure

When it was time to clean, I removed my Thunder Beast 338 Ultra SR suppressor and unscrewed the barrel from the chassis. That’s accomplished by loosening a 4mm set screw on the side of the chassis and then using a 1-inch wrench that fits in the flats machined in the barrel a couple inches below the muzzle.

Being able to pull the barrel so easily made cleaning a snap. I’d spray some Hoppe’s Elite down the bore and then push a couple wet patches with my .30-caliber jag and cleaning rod. After letting that soak for a few minutes, I’d switch to a rod with a copper brush and give it 10 strokes back and forth. (When using a brush, always wet the bristles with solvent first.)

After that I’d run three wet patches through the barrel. The first one would be filthier than a USMC Sergeant’s mouth while inspecting his platoon. The second is always moderately dirty. And the third should be more or less clean.

At this point you have a decision to make. The fouling from the powder has all been removed, as has most of the copper. But if you want to really get as much copper out of the bore as possible (I did), let the barrel sit for a while so the solvent can really work. Wait at least five minutes (10 to 15 minutes is even better) and run another wet patch down the bore. If the patch comes out bright blue, it means you’re still removing copper. Repeat this process until the patch only has a hint of blue. (FYI, since many jags are brass, which contains copper, you’ll get some blue on your patch no matter how little copper remains in the bore.)

Accuracy Gain

During break in, I also measured every group the factory ammo produced. I started by shooting and measuring five-shot groups (since that was the cleaning interval), but then switched to 10-shot groups, which is a better representation of the rifle’s performance. It’s also in keeping with the round counts during the match, where you might shoot up to eight rounds a stage.

I wasn’t expecting magic at this point since those groups were all shot from a cold, thoroughly cleaned barrel—but I was curious to see how those factory 212 ELD-Xs performed.

The first group through the virgin barrel was an encouraging .773 inches. But the next three groups opened up to 1.210 inches on average.

At this point, I shifted to 10-shot groups. The barrel definitely tightened up. The next 70 shots of 10-shot groups averaged 1.18 inches. Under normal circumstances, going from a 5- to 10-shot group will see a bump in group size of about 25 percent. So the fact that groups with twice as many shots had an average dispersion just as tight, is a good thing.

Then my last three 10-shot groups tightened up even more, averaging .928 inches. Between groups I’d let the barrel cool as long as it needed so that the area around the chamber was barely warm to the touch. At this point I was feeling pretty good.

Consistent Factory Ammo

One thing I noted about that factory Hornady ammo is that it shot consistently in terms of its velocities as well. The standard deviation of those first 120 shots (measured in shot strings that varied in sizes of 5, 10, and 20 rounds) was 14.8. That’s about as good as it gets with factory ammo.

Load Development

My fervent hope whenever developing a load is that it progresses smoothly and quickly toward eye-popping accuracy. I thought the cards were tipped in our collective favor with our .300 PRCs for several reasons. One, Scott and his team shot a similar load the year before with good results. Two, we were all pulling on the same oars by virtue of having identical components. Three, our aggregate experience with long-range shooting and precision handload spans many decades.

With stars in my eyes and hope in my heart I got to work at my reloading bench.

Brass Prep

All brass, no matter how expertly crafted, has a certain amount of variation from one piece to the next. You can see that in neck wall thickness, headspace (most commonly measured from the case head to the mid point on the shoulder on bottle neck centerfire cartridges), overall length, neck diameter, and so on. Necks in particular are susceptible to dings that throw them out of round, so before loading it makes sense to run them through a mandrel to make them uniform and concentric.

After taking my initial measurements on 10 pieces of brass, I ran them through a neck mandrel on my Forster Co-Ax. I then trimmed the brass to a uniform length on a Giraud Power Trimmer, which also chamfers the interior and exterior of the neck.

I was pretty happy with the results, but as my load testing went on I felt there was room for improvement. I added a step of running the new unfired brass (I had 400 pieces total) through a SAC Sizing Die with a .333-inch neck/shoulder bushing.

This uniformed my brass beautifully in terms of neck diameter and shoulder length. A neck diameter of exactly .3335 inches on every case ensured my bullets would be gripped with the same amount of tension, which is critical for peak precision. Uniform shoulder setback is beneficial for consistency too.

Here’s some extra information for those who might care. The degree of constriction on my bullets—meaning the difference between the bullet diameter (.308 inches) and the interior diameter of the neck (.3055 inches)—was .0025 inches. Generally speaking, neck constriction between .002 and .004 inches is a smart bet—so .0025 inches is right on the money. To calculate the interior diameter of the neck you take the exterior diameter—in this case .3335 inches—and subtract twice the neck wall thickness, which on the ADG brass averages .014 inches. So: .3335 inches – .028 inches = .3055 inches. 

Ladder Testing

There’s a lot of hokum around how to conduct a ladder test and what the significance of it is. The common wisdom is that you shoot small samples of different charge weights and measure their velocities to find flat spots, or “nodes,” in the results. The theory is that a flat spot indicates forgiveness in the charge weight—meaning you can be off in your powder charge by a tenth or two of a grain, and still have similar muzzle velocities.

I have some good news and some bad news here. The bad news is that this theory is a pile of hot garbage. These nodes don’t exist. When reloaders think they’ve come across a node all it really indicates is that their sample size is too small.

Most reloaders will load only a small number of rounds at a given charge weight. Sometimes, that number is as small as one, but rarely does anyone load more than five rounds at each weight. This is done to save time, money, and barrel life. 

But for gathering statistically valid data, these sample sizes are insufficient. I’ve done a lot of searching for these nodes with three- and five-shot samples. I noticed that when I repeated the tests multiple times and overlaid the data that the velocities versus charge weight behaved in a linear fashion, the nodes disappeared. 

This has been borne out by my friends at Hornady—specifically Jayden Quinlan and Miles Neville—who are two of the company’s chief ballistic nerds. They’ve conducted controlled experiments with massive data sets that show these velocity nodes are a myth.

The good news about nodes is that you don’t need to bother looking for them. Instead, use your ladder test to simply arrive at a target velocity and then start testing for accuracy.

H1000: Old vs. New

My share of the 64 pounds of H1000 we got for the match was an eight-pound container. Because I like to gather data, I wanted to compare this new lot of H1000 against some of my older, pre-pandemic H1000.

I quickly saw there was a bit of a difference in my velocities. The older H1000 was about 25 fps faster per given charge weight than the new stuff. While 76.5 grains of the older lot got me around 2940 fps, it took 77.0 grains of the new H1000 to hit the same speed.

That didn’t concern me much, but the differences in accuracy did. My first efforts with the new H1000 didn’t impress me. I shot three five-shot groups that averaged 1.516 inches, which for this rifle and application is terrible. With the older powder I shot one five-shot group that measured a tidy .590 inches with an SD of 10.3, which was much more encouraging.

Testing Other Powders

The fact that the new H1000 powder didn’t seem to agree with my rifle and loads threw a monkey wrench into my vision of having our whole team running identical loads. Turns out my squad mates were having similar struggles finding a load that would be competitive in the match.

Some had better results when they switched from Federal 210M primers to CCI 250s. Their velocities got more consistent, and accuracy improved.

I didn’t have that option, as my primer selection was limited to the 210Ms. So I started messing around with other powders. I shot N565, Retumbo, N170, and Reloder 26, as well as more of my old lot of H1000.

I got the best results with N565 (.680-inch average), RL 26 (.710-inch average), and my old H1000 (.648-inch average). That data is based on multiple five-shot groups.

Final Match Load: 77.5 Grains of H1000

Because I had the most data with the old H1000 and had the best results, that’s where I focused my efforts. I was running out of time and needed to finalize the load in order to dial in my ballistic calculations.

I had shot a lot of groups with the older H1000 with charge weights from 72.9 grains to 78.0 grains. Across that broad range of velocities—which varied from 2775 fps to 2960 fps—my groups averaged the .648 inches, as mentioned above, and my SDs were right at 10.9.

Within that range I seemed to have better results between 76.0 grains and 78.0. At 78.0 grains the load was running a little hotter (2960 fps) than I cared for. But when I knocked .5 grains off that charge, I landed right at 2940 fps and everything tightened up. I shot six five-shot groups to confirm. The averages of my groups (.540 inches) and SDs (9.3) would be competitive.

It’s worth noting that during my struggles to find a good powder and powder charge, I burned through a lot of ammunition and spent a lot of time making the hour round-trip drive to my gun range. All told, the barrel break-in and the load development required 373 rounds to complete. That’s a good chunk of my 30-inch Hawk Hill’s barrel life, which based on how I run it should deliver peak performance for 1,600 rounds. I liked where I ended up, but I’ve never worked quite so hard to develop a load.

Reloading Equipment Used

To get peak accuracy from any handload you need to have consistent and concentric ammunition. In addition to the brass prep mentioned above, I used the following gear to craft my ammunition.

I primed my brass on a Primal Rights Competition Primer Seater. For speed and accuracy, no other priming system can match it. I can prime 100 cases in eight minutes on it, with all the primers seated to a precise depth, which the user can adjust. In the case of these .300 PRC rounds, I seated the 210Ms .003 inch below flush.

I threw my charges with my bank of three RCBS Matchmaster Powder Dispensers. They are capable of dispensing charges that are accurate to plus or minus a single kernel of powder and, once calibrated, are in perfect sync with each other. With three running at once it makes loading a couple hundred precision rifle rounds much quicker.

I seated the bullets in an Area 419 Zero Turret Press with a Redding Competition Seating Die. I replaced the seating stem that comes with the die with Redding’s VLD stem, which worked perfectly with the shape of the 230-grain A-Tips.

I don’t think I’ve ever loaded such concentric rounds. Measuring bullet runout on the ogive with a Sinclair Concentricity Gauge and Mitutoyo Digital Dial Indicator I had measurements as low as a fraction of a thousandth, with some maxing out at .002 inch, which is terrific.  

Cleaning the Bullets

Before seating the 230-grain A-Tips, I cleaned them using a technique Scott Seigmund told me about. This is necessary because A-Tips come from the factory with a coating of lube on them, which should be removed before loading.

Hornady ships the A-Tips with a felt Crown Royal-type bag you can use to wipe them down, but that gets old quick when you have dozens of rounds to load. Instead, spread out a lint-free shop rag and dump your bullets on it. Sprinkle acetone on the bullets and rag. Roll the rag like a burrito and grab both ends. Rock the bullets back and forth in the rag for a minute and that will remove the lubricant without damaging the projectiles.

Truing

Truing a load means different things to different shooters. I’m using it in the common, less-technical sense, meaning it is the process by which you get a ballistic calculator’s predicted results to line up with what you see the bullet do in the real world.

Since I burned through so much of my unfired ADG brass and supply of bullets during load development, I didn’t have much cushion to work with.

The course of fire for the Nightforce ELR Steel Challenge has a maximum round count of 160 rounds and I had exactly 182 pieces of unfired brass left over. While I didn’t plan on shooting 160 rounds at the match, I didn’t want to tempt fate by rolling into Wyoming with a bare minimum of ammunition.

Shooting Groups at 100 and 600 Yards

I started by checking zero with three rounds at 100 yards, which hit dead center and measured .165 inches. I was shooting with Chris and Owen, who did the same thing. Happy with our results, we moved to the long-distance range.

We painted steel targets at 600 yards and got solutions from our Kestrels. At 2940 fps my elevation adjustment was 2.7 mils. I held for the 9 mph crosswind and shot a good group which indicated my calculated elevation correction was correct. So far, so good.

Chris’ and Owen’s loads were quite a bit slower than mine. Chris was pushing his 230s at 2830 fps while Owen was at 2885—an indication that we all had to go our own way to find what worked best in our rifles even though we were shooting the same components through barrels that were produced consecutively from the same batch of steel. They dialed their corrections and shot well at 600, too.

Stretching It to 1,000 Yards and Beyond

We had a handful of targets from 1,000 to 1,400 yards to shoot, and at 1,000 yards my data still looked good. I was running Applied Ballistics on a Kestrel 5700 Elite and Hornady’s 4DOF on my phone. In addition, I had a Sig Sauer Kilo10K-ABS rangefinding binocular with AB on board. I had to manually adjust the environmentals on the Sig 10K to accurately reflect the temperature, but once I did that all three units were basically in sync.

That said, I started to have difficulties on the 1,400-yard target. Chris and Owen were both spot on, but my shots weren’t grouping as tightly as they had been. My impacts were landing close to the target but not connecting. The only thing that took a hit was my confidence.

Had I gone through all this work only to end up with a rifle and load that dipped into mediocrity at longer distances—where the majority of the targets would be?

Desperation Time

Those thoughts were racing through my head as we packed our stuff to head home. I grabbed my rifle by the suppressor and felt it give a little, and my stomach lurched. I didn’t mention it to Chris and Owen, but told them I was going to do just a little more shooting and sent them on their way.

I don’t know when my suppressor had come loose, but it is one of the cardinal rules of long-range shooting to obsessively check your gear. In fact, Chris and I, who often partner during team shooting events, have a term for it. We call it doing a Macarena, as our hands go through a head-to-toe motion to make sure everything is in order on ourselves and our rifles before starting a stage.

After screwing the suppressor down tight, I reengaged the targets at 1,000 yards, 1,100 yards, and 1,400 yards. My shooting was tighter than a gnat’s nether regions. I was ready for Wyoming.

Running on Fumes

Expending those extra rounds was necessary but cost me some of my valuable remaining handloads. All told, I shot 53 rounds that day, and had fewer than 130 left for the match. 

As a backup, I reloaded some of my once-fired brass, but as you might know, there’s usually a difference in velocities between virgin brass and cases that have been previously fired. I think this is because virgin brass expands more than fire-formed brass in the chamber—even if it has been fully resized, which mine was. So, some of the powder charge goes to that effort, resulting in reduced muzzle velocities with virgin brass.

To compensate, I dropped the powder charge in those resized rounds by two-tenths of a grain and hoped they’d shoot as close to 2940 fps as possible. 

Final Thoughts

Despite spending a lot of time and resources preparing for the match, I was rolling into Glenrock with fewer rounds than was ideal. But there’s no shortcut when shooting something as difficult and competitive as ELR. If you leave anything to chance or otherwise half-ass it, you’re courting trouble.

It took me 373 rounds to get my rifle squared away, but in the end it was shooting groups averaging in the .5s (with a spread between .259 inches and .840 inches) and with SDs hovering right in the single digits or just above. For a .30-caliber magnum, that’s excellent performance—and good enough to win even the Nightforce ELR Steel Challenge.

As it turned out, my fellow shooters on the Accuracy International squad and I did shoot well. We also encountered some major difficulties along the way—which I will detail in the second installment of this story.

The post Prepping for the Nightforce ELR Steel Challenge, One of the World’s Toughest Long-Range Matches appeared first on Outdoor Life.

Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made.

Most Versatile Air Rifle		FX Impact	SEE IT	LEARN MORE	Summary With the interchangeable barrel system, the FX Impact is probably the most versatile gun on the market. It’s excellent for small game and predators.
Best Big Bore Air Rifle		Hatsan PileDriver	SEE IT	LEARN MORE	Summary The Hatsan PileDriver in .50 caliber is accurate, powerful, and ergonomic, and puts more game on the ground than any other rifle I hunted with last season.
Best Budget Air Rifle		Air Venturi Avenger	SEE IT	LEARN MORE	Summary This air rifle is a great value and punches way above its price point. It offers excellent performance and is rich with features. Perfect for small game hunting and pest control.

In recent years, there’s been significant development focused on air rifles for recreational shooting, competition, and—my particular area of interest—hunting. While airguns are most commonly thought of for small-game hunting, they have expanded into predator and big-game hunting. The guns for hunting these varied species include spring piston rifles, Pre-Charged Pneumatic (PCP) powered air rifles in standard calibers, and larger-caliber PCP rifles for predators and big game. I’ve used air rifles to hunt small game, predators, and big game species all across the continent and I’ve shot every major air rifle brand. Using that experience, I’ve selected the best air rifles for small game PCP, cross-over guns that can be used for small game and predators, primary predator guns, crossover guns for predators and big game, and primary big game guns. Within each of these categories, there are several purpose-designed guns for just about any application or budget. 

Here are my picks for the best air rifles:

• Best Overall: BRK Ghost
• Best Compact: Hatsan Jet PCP Pistol
• Best Youth: Umarex NOTOS CRK
• Best Semi-Auto: Western Rattler
• Best for Small Game Hunting: Brocock Commander
• Most Accurate: FX Impact
• Best Budget: Air Venturi Avenger
• Best Budget Big Bore: Umarex Hammer
• Best for Backyard Plinking: SIG MCX Air Rifle

The Best Air Rifles Reviews and Recommendations

Best Overall: BRK Ghost

Brocock

SEE IT

Key Features

• Interchangeable barrels (Multicaliber)
• Adjustable power with flexible settings
• Fully Shrouded barrel
• Option for 480cc or compact 300cc air bottle
• Fully adjustable, match-style trigger
• Up to 95 fpe (in .30 cal)

Pros

• Modular design with multiple configuration options
• Multiple calibers available (.177, .22, .25, and a .30 on the way)
• Tack-driver accuracy
• Excellent power profile, regulated and fully adjustable
• Very quiet

Cons

• Moderately Expensive

The BRK Ghost is offered in three model configurations and is available in .177, .22, and .25 caliber, with a .30 caliber on the way. This gun is very accurate in all calibers, with the adjustability to allow the shooter to optimize performance for a specific application or projectile. The power output is adjustable in more than 20 discreet steps, and the higher-power models have an additional finger-adjustable dial to fine-tune the regulator pressure. 

The BRK’s sidelever action is a field-proven design, and it is ambidextrous. My only consideration on this air rifle is the price. However, while it is on the expensive side, if you look at competitors in this category, it is quite reasonable. Brocock (rebranding as BRK) has long been a manufacturer I consider to be amongst the best and has obviously benefited from the exchange of technology with its industry-defining sister company, Daystate. This is a compact hunting gun that is ergonomic, built to be rugged and reliable, and designed for hunting. But I think this platform will be equally at home in a competitive environment as well.

Best Compact: Hatsan Jet

Hatsan

SEE IT

Key Features

• Side-lever, repeating, pre-charged pneumatic (PCP) carbine air rifle/pistol
• Available in .177, .22, and .25 calibers
• Available in single or dual air cylinder configurations.
• Extra single and dual air cylinders available in 4 colors – black, red, blue, and green
• Overall length: 15 inches as a pistol, 24 inches as a carbine

Pros

• Can be configured as a pistol or mini carbine
• Power up to 16.5 fpe
• Up to 45 shots per fill depending on caliber

Cons

• Operating pressure of 250 BAR / 3625 psi
• Barrel length of 7.9 inches limits longer range shooting
• Medium sound level

There are other compact carbines and pistol conversions on the market, but the Jet and Jet II are feature rich, solidly constructed, perform well for their intended mission (plinking and close-range small game hunting), and have a very ergonomic and usable design. And, it comes to market at a competitive price point. I think this will be a great gun to slip into my pack, maybe with an extra air tank, for a weekend of backpacking and squirrel hunting. With no sound suppression the gun does have a little bit of a bark, but I’d still describe it as indoor friendly. All around a practical and fun little gun to plink or do some pest control around the barn.

Read our full Hatsan Jet review to learn more.

Best Youth: Umarex NOTOS CRK

Umarex

SEE IT

Key Features

• 7 Shot rotary magazine (magazine and shot tray included)
• The SilencAir sound suppression system provides quiet shooting.
• Collapsible, lightweight stock
• Sidelever cocking
• Two-stage, adjustable trigger

Pros

• Lightweight (4lb) and compact
• Regulated (set) for shot-to-shot consistency.
• Solid performance for plinking, target, small game hunting
• Quiet for backyard and indoor shooting.
• Very Attractive pricing

Cons

• High fill pressure required (250 BAR)
• Limited power (13 fpe)

At the SHOT Show this is one of the guns that really caught my attention. The NOTOS Compact Rifle Kit (CRK) is a compact little gun that can be adjusted to fit young shooters and adults alike. This gun has a budget price, but is loaded with features; sidelever cocking, an integrated regulator, an effective sound suppression system, and I think a very nice design aesthetic. The only cons, which are really better described as considerations, are that; the guns operating pressure of 3625 psi is better filled from an air-tank or small compressor than a hand pump. And secondly, the regulator is set for 13 fpe, which is fine for mid-range small game hunting and ideal for backyard plinking, but it is limited.

Read our full Umarex Notos review to learn more.

Best Semi-Auto: Western Rattler .357

Jim Chapman

SEE IT

Key Features

• Semi-Auto action
• Proprietary hammerless firing system
• Removable 580cc air tank
• Adjustable regulator
• Hammer Forged Nitrate Coated TJ barrel.
• Shrouded barrel

Pros

• Sub-MOA accuracy at 100 yards
• Great shot-to-shot consistency
• Can be optimized for various slug weights
• High shot count (in context of a big bore)
• Quiet
• Air Bottles can be changed in the field.

Cons

• Expensive
• Nonadjustable trigger
• Fixed magazine (can’t be removed)

At the time of writing this, my experience with the Western Rattler has been restricted to the shooting range. However, I have shot a selection of slugs from 100 grains to 170 grains, and have found the accuracy to be outstanding, not only for a semi-auto but compared to any .357 air rifle I’ve shot. And importantly, the operation has been consistent and reliable, which is something I look at closely in semi-auto airgun designs as this is a difficult criteria to meet. The ergonomics and responsiveness of the rifle make it a pleasure to shoot and allows the inherent accuracy to come through. The Rattler is expensive, but if you want a big bore semi-auto this is to be expected. The non-adjustable trigger was a nonissue for me, in that it is set fairly light, breaks cleanly and predictably, and is set up to optimize the reliability of semi-automatic firing. I was worried about a fixed magazine if there was a jam that needed to be cleared. However, besides not experiencing any jams to date, I have also found the break down of the rifle to be quite easy. I’m packing up for a trip down to Texas to hunt predators, javelina, and hogs, and I will be doing a detailed report on the Rattle soon. 

Best for Small Game Hunting: Brocock Commander

SEE IT

Key Features

• Max Energy: 55 ft-lbs
• Weight: 7.1 lbs
• Shot Capacity: 10
• 480 cc cylinder

Pros

• Powerful
• Accurate
• Adjustable

Cons

• Price

The Brocock Commander has a tactical design that is ergonomic and fits most shooters well. The side lever action is smooth as silk and cycles the 10-shot magazine reliably and quickly. The Commander employs a regulated air delivery system that works with an adjustable hammer and valve to provide a very consistent shot string. Onboard air storage uses either a carbon fiber bottle or aluminum cylinder, and a dual-gauge assembly monitors regulator pressure settings and air supply fill status. 

There is a power adjustment dial located on the right-hand side of the breech that permits external tuning of the rifle. The accuracy is very good, and I feel very comfortable shooting this rifle off sticks at 75-100 yards. When paired with the right pellet, it hits hard with an impressive terminal performance on small- to medium-sized game. The Commander XR is designed to use an AR-15-compatible buttstock and an AK-47 fitted grip. Versions are available with folding or fixed buttstocks in black or tan with a Cerakote or black-action finish. The Commander’s sound signature is reduced by the shrouded barrel, and you can achieve further noise reduction by mounting a third-party suppressor on the 1/2 UNF threaded muzzle. In my opinion, this is the perfect rifle to carry into the woods when heading out on a fall squirrel hunt.

Most Accurate: FX Impact

SEE IT

Key Features

• Max Velocity: 1020 fps
• Weight: 6.85 lbs
• Shot Capacity: 28
• Two-stage adjustable trigger
• Operating Pressure: 3625 PSI / 250 BAR

Pros

• Tuneable
• Versatile
• Well-balanced

Cons

• Price

My top pick for a crossover rifle that performs well for both small-game and predator hunting is the FX Impact air rifle. This bullpup design has a lot going for it, and the frame is rugged and lightweight, with an adjustable buttstock that accepts standard AR-15 pistol grips: a very comfortable fit. The air storage is a 480cc removable carbon fiber tank that can be charged to 3600 psi, and the design allows extra bottles to be packed and changed in the field. 

The sidelever action is one of the quickest, most tactile, and smoothest cycling that I have used, and reliably indexes the magazines every time. What really seals the deal for me though, is that the modular design lets the shooter swap out barrels, magazines, and probes to optimize the gun for different types of hunting. The hunter can use the .22 barrel for a rabbit hunt, then swap to a .25 barrel that has a liner optimized for slugs to do a long-range prairie dog shoot, then swap again for the .30 caliber barrel to hunt predators.

If you are interested in one of the best air rifles for shooting slugs, check out the FX Maverick.

Best Budget: Air Venturi Avenger

SEE IT

Key Features

• Regulated 
• Adjustable Trigger
• Max Fill Pressure: 4,350 psi
• Shrouded barrel
• 900 fps in .25 caliber 
• About 20 shots per fill (depending on tune)
• Weight: 6.4 pounds

Pros 

• Accurate
• Consistent velocity
• Handles well in the field 
• Quiet

Cons

• Requires a pump, tank, or compressor to fill 

Air Venturi Avenger is a budget-friendly rifle available in several calibers and wears an ambidextrous synthetic black stock, with an option for a hardwood stock recently released. There are combined 11mm and Weaver-style rails for mounting a scope, and another rail at the fore stock for mounting accessories. It’s a fairly large rifle, but with the synthetic stock only weighs about 6 pounds. The Avenger is cycled with a side-lever cocking action that auto indexes a ten-shot, in .25 caliber, rotary magazine. The trigger is an adjustable two-stage that has a tactile feel, minimal travel, and breaks crisply. The air reservoir fills to 300 BAR, using a quick release fitting and is regulated via an external adjustment, up to 210 BAR, so actual shot count is dependent on how you have this set. All this functionality in a sub-$300 rifle is impressive, and the Avenger is a great platform for new shooters as well as experienced shooters that intend to use it as a platform for building up a custom rifle.

In my full Avenger review this rifle had 19 fps variation over a 30 shot string. That consistency is reflected in the rifle’s accuracy—my Avenger shoots ¼ inch groups at 25 yards. It’s also a fairly quiet airgun, which is nice for introducing new shooters, backyard pest control, and basement ranges. 

Best Budget Big Bore: Umarex Hammer

SEE IT

Key Features

• 4500 psi carbon-fiber tank
• .50 caliber
• Three full-power shots
• Max Energy: 705 ft-lbs
• Max Velocity: 1130 fps
• Weight: 8.5 pounds
• Made in the USA

Pros

• Powerful
• Consistent

Cons

• Two shot capacity

The last of the most powerful air rifles — the Umarex Hammer .50 — came to market a couple years back, and I had the opportunity to use the first ones while filming a segment of the American Airgunner TV program. This rifle offers some interesting technology: it is the only one of these rifles that is magazine fed, utilizing a linear shuttle mechanism with a two-shot capacity. This shuttle is cycled with a bolt action that operates with little effort. The Hammers onboard air storage is a 394 cc carbon fiber bottle that fills to 4500 psi but is regulated to 3000 psi to ensure shot-to-shot consistency. The stock is a synthetic material, designed and built for Umarex by PolyOne, and uses an AR Magpul style grip. This rifle is a solid piece of gear at just under 44 inches long, a 29.5-inch barrel, and weighing 8.5 pounds. I’ve only had this rifle out once on a fallow deer hunt, and anchored a nice buck putting a 330-grain slug into him that transited end to end on a quartering shot.

Best for Backyard Plinking: SIG MCX Air Rifle

SEE IT

Key Features

• Caliber .177
• Weight: 7.86 pounds
• Max velocity: 545 fps
• Uses CO2 88/90 gram cartridge
• Unique 30 round rapid fire magazine

Pros

• Very close replica of Sig MCX rifle, great training tool
• Inexpensive ammo

Cons

• Low power
• Heavy trigger

Plinking is an application where CO2 guns rule because it is an inexpensive system to operate, the guns are fairly quiet, the power is low, accuracy can be quite good, and the technology lends itself to being incorporated into traditional firearm replicas. 

The CO2 pellet gun that I’ve had the most fun with is the Sig Sauer MCX pellet rifle. The cosmetics of this CO2 replica are based on the Sig MCX short-stroke rifle. It uses a 30 pellet Roto Belt magazine to support semi-auto shooting as fast as you can pull the trigger. Set up some metal spinners in the backyard and don’t look back, this gun is a blast.

Read Next: The Best PCP Air Rifle Compressors of 2023

More of the Best Air Rifles

There are several other rifles that were barely nudged out of the running of best air rifle or had features that didn’t exactly align with my judging criteria. In no specific order, I will list a few additional rifles that I feel are of note.

The Best Predator Hunting Air Rifle: AirForce Texan .308 Caliber

AirForce

Check Latest Price

The AirForce Texan lineup spans several calibers — from .257 to .50 — and all the guns are powerhouses. One of my favorites is the .308 caliber Texan, which has become my go-to predator hunting rifle. This configuration of the Texan can launch a .308 caliber bullet at over 1000 fps, which is very impressive for this caliber in an air rifle. Like all of the Texans, this single shot rifle is easy to cycle and load using the side lever cocking and accessible loading port. The auto-deployed safety can be reached without moving the hand off the pistol grip, and the rifle features a nice, crisp, two-stage trigger. There is both a rifle and a carbine version, and though I generally prefer a carbine, in this caliber, I like both equally. The 490cc onboard air tank is used as the buttstock and provides around 10 shots per fill depending on power adjustment. The Texan is light, the carbine version is compact, and it works well for a gun that might be carried with a lot of additional lights and calling gear. I’ve also been using the .257 caliber rifle version as a long range varmint and predator gun, and believe this is another interesting option for a hunter looking for a primary predator gun.

The Best Air Rifle for Predators and Big Game: AirForce Texan .357 Caliber

SEE IT

The AirForce Texan makes my list of best air rifles again, this time with the .357 version. All of the dimensions, controls, and features are the same as described for the .308 version. Again, what makes this rifle a top pick for me is the power achieved in a mid-caliber gun. I have a few .357s in my collection that generate between 125 – 175 ft-lb, but with the gun optimized for the 145 grain bullets I’m using, the Texan is generating about 300 ft-lb. In my experience the Texan .357 stands apart from other .357s and provides the flat shooting accuracy I want for predators out past 100 yards but can also reach out and deliver enough energy to drop a buck on the spot.

The Best Big Bore Rifle: Hatsan PileDriver

SEE IT

The Hatsan PileDriver is a single shot bullpup configured big bore PCP, built on an ergonomic synthetic polymer thumbhole stock with an integrated pistol grip. The stock features an adjustable buttpad with an adjustable locking cheek piece that provides comfort and a consistent sight alignment. The PileDriver delivers over 700 ft-lb in .45 caliber and over 800 ft-lb in .50 caliber, making it one of the more powerful air rifles on the market. This Hatsan air rifle generates enough power in either caliber, to anchor any big game animal in North America. The accessible loading port accepts ammo up to 34mm long and is easy to cycle using a side lever cocking mechanism. This rifle incorporates a 480cc carbon fiber tank that fills to 300 BAR, yielding 4 to 6 shots in the .45 caliber and three to five shots in the .50 caliber. Power is all well and good, but what I like about this big bore is the inherent accuracy, and even though it is fairly heavy at 10 pounds, it is comfortable to shoot offhand. I used this rifle to take deer, hogs, and javelina last season and it did an outstanding job every time.

Best Compact Air Rifle: Ranger XR

My top pick based on a compact design is the Brocock Ranger XR, a compact little air rifle hunting rig that weighs 5.5 pounds, has an overall length of 28 inches, and is equipped with an AR-compatible buffer tube and folding stock mount that allows the gun to fold down to 14.5 inches. The muzzle is threaded and accepts a compact DonnyFL suppressor that matches the gun’s dimensions. The Ranger has a small diameter air reservoir that fills to 200 BAR and generates about 25 to 30 shots per fill.  Multiple power and tuning adjustments permit the shooter to set the rifle up to meet their specific requirements. The integrated regulator can be adjusted to further optimize performance for a specific projectile or a specific application. The .22 caliber version I’ve been using is generating about 20 ft-lb. I think this is a perfect gun for the backpacker, urban hunter, or any other application demanding portability and stealth.

Most Powerful Production Air Rifle: AEA Zeus

The AEA Zeus is a recently-introduced rifle that has pushed airgun power well above the 1000 ft-lb mark. The Zeus is a .72 caliber pcp air rifle that can generate over 1500 ft-lb, which is close to double the power output of the next most powerful production guns on the market. The Zeus is a big rifle, but there are other configurations being offered — with a 24 inch and a 16 inch barrel. As a matter of fact, I am currently shooting the 16 inch carbine, and this compact rifle is a monster. The 650cc air bottle fills to a maximum pressure of 4500 psi and generates three full powered shots per charge. The rifle is not regulated, but the shot-to-shot consistency across the shot string is good. This is a rifle for airgun hunters going after really big game, and should be ideal for my upcoming hog hunts.

How to Choose a PCP Air Rifle

The first consideration for choosing a hunting air rifle is deciding what you’d like to hunt. With today’s accurate and powerful air rifles you can hunt squirrels, predators, wild pigs, and deer. Once you’ve decided on the game you’d like to pursue you can narrow down your choices to the proper caliber, power, and features.

Choosing an Air Rifle for Small Game

The rifles I gravitate toward for small game and varmint hunting are primarily .22 and .25 caliber rifles that generate power in the 20 to 40 ft-lb range. This energy output, in conjunction with sub-1-inch accuracy at 50 yards, makes for an ideal flat-shooting, small-game rig. Features that separate the top picks from the rest of the pack are an ergonomic design, fast cycling action, reliable high capacity magazines, large volume air storage with a correspondingly large shot count, shot-to-shot consistency, and a low sound signature.

Choosing an Air Rifle for Predators

For most hunters, it makes sense to choose an air rifle that can take either small-game or predators. The rifles I use for combined small-game and predator hunting are .30 to .35 caliber, and are designed to shoot Diabolo pellets at 50 to 100 ft-lb. These rifles are fine for shooting a coyote or bobcat at closer range (within 50 yards), but not over-the-top to use on smaller-bodied game, such as rabbits or squirrels.

In my opinion, a primary predator gun should be optimized for solid lead slugs, generate 100 to 150 ft-lb, provide at least 10 consistent shots per fill, and print groups under 1 inch at 100 yards. I don’t mind a single shot rifle, but I want a fast-cycling action, easy access to the loading port, and a light, crisp trigger to enhance accuracy.

Choosing an Air Rifle for Big Game

Big bore air rifles — in the .357 to .72 caliber range — represent a growing segment of the airgun market. In addition to the many regions in North America that permit these rifles to be used to hunt hogs and exotics, there are increasing opportunities to hunt deer, elk, pronghorn, bear, and javelina. I hunt in Texas, where there is a minimum power requirement of 215 ft-lb for a gun used to take big game. And for the traveling hunter, African plains game provides one of the ultimate hunts for the big bore airgun. Big bore airguns used for this typically generate from 200 to 800 ft-lb, though some newer guns are driving the power well beyond this.

FAQs

Why Trust Outdoor Life?

Since 1898, OL has been a leading authority in testing and reviewing hunting gear, fishing tackle, guns and shooting equipment, and much more. We have more than a century-long history of evaluating products, and we’re now bringing that expertise to online reviews. Our editors are experienced outdoorsmen and women, and most importantly, we’re trained journalists. We prioritize field testing and objective data when reviewing products. We conduct interviews with gear manufacturers and engineers as well as outdoor experts so that our readers have an understanding of how and why a product works—or doesn’t.

Advertising does not influence our gear reviews and it never will. While we always focus our coverage on standout products—because we want our readers to be aware of the latest and greatest gear—we also cover the flaws and quirks of any given product.

Final Thoughts

Top picks are definitely difficult to write about. While there are pretty straightforward, objective measures — such as dimensions, power output, and accuracy — there are other, more subjective, ones such as fit, shootability, aesthetics, and perceived value. It can also be hard to obtain certain information, such as failure rates, customer satisfaction, etc. Every individual’s priority list is very subjective, so in this article, I have identified a number of airguns that have impressed me with their design, performance, ergonomics, dependability, build quality, and aesthetic appeal. I do believe that if you are looking for an air rifle in one of the above categories, any of my suggestions for the best air rifle would be a fine choice and should be on your shortlist.

The post The Best Air Rifles of 2023 appeared first on Outdoor Life.

Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made.

There likely isn’t a more quintessential .22 rifle than a western-style lever action. It’s a class of gun that’s equal parts utility, nostalgia, and fun. I vividly remember the first time I ever shot one—my dad’s Ithaca Model 72, when I was five years old or so. My dad got that rifle at a young age himself and, while raising me, we expended countless bricks of ammunition at tin cans, cottontail rabbits, and prairie dogs. Many of the classic .22 Lever action rifle designs like the Marlin 39A, Ithaca Saddlegun, and Winchester Model 94 are hard to come by—and very expensive these days. That doesn’t mean that you have to write off having a good-looking .22 lever gun of your own.

 A couple years ago, Rossi introduced the Rio Bravo, a lever-action .22 that’s made in Brazil. It resembles the Ithaca Model 72, and carries a friendlier price than much of the competition. The rifle is available in four configurations: black with polymer furniture, black with wood furniture, a gold-Cerakote receiver with dark wood furniture, and, the model I tested, which they refer to as the Wood, Gold trim. It has a polished gold-colored, PVD-finished receiver and stained wood furniture. It rings up at a little over half the price of the similar-looking Henry Golden Boy. The real question is how well do these Brazilian imports shoot, and are they reliable? My 7-year-old son and I have been trying to wear out the Rossi Rio Bravo to answer that question.

Rossi Rio Bravo Gold Specs

Tyler Freel

SEE IT

• Cartridge: .22 LR
• Capacity: 15 Rounds, tubular magazine
• Weight: 5 pounds, 7 ounces (measured)
• Receiver: Aluminum Alloy
• Receiver Finish: PVD gold finish
• Action: Lever action
• Barrel: 18-inch, alloy steel, 1:16 twist, 12 grooves
• Optics Mounting: Tip-off rimfire dovetail atop receiver
• Stock and Fore-end: Wood, unspecified
• Overall Length: 35.9 inches
• Trigger: Curved shoe, two-stage, 5 pounds, 5 ounces (measured)
• Price: $367

Nuts and Bolts of the Rossi Rio Bravo Gold

The jazzy finish of the Gold, Wood model Rossi Rio Bravo does give it a look like the Henry Golden Boy rifle, while coming in at a more affordable price. Its gold-colored PVD finish is durable, flashy, and presents a posture of Old West showmanship. Finishes like this collect more fingerprints than the ATF, but when it’s wiped down it looks sharp. Aside from the eye-catching gold, it’s actually more similar to rifles like that Ithaca model 72 Saddlegun. 

Rossi Rio Bravo Receiver and Action

The heart of the Rossi Rio Bravo is its aluminum alloy receiver that has a cover plate that encloses the top and sides of the receiver. It’s held in place by four Phillips screws and can be removed for cleaning the barrel and bolt. This style of receiver is characteristic of many .22 LR lever-action rifles, and features a small dovetail for mounting a scope with tip-off rings on top. 

The lever loop is also finished in gold PVD, and in the closed position there’s a half-inch gap between it and the stock. This might seem odd to those accustomed to loops that touch the stock, but it’s not unprecedented. The action operates smoothly and, when closed, the lever has no play or wobble.

The Rossi Rio Bravo has an external hammer and a crossbolt safety. Unlike some lever-action rifles, it does not have a half-cock position, but does have what I’d call an eighth-cock position. When the hammer is retracted slightly, it clicks into a position that keeps the hammer approximately an eighth-inch off the firing pin. The trigger is good for a lever gun. It has a two-stage pull with a long first stage and a crisp, reasonably light break that makes pinging steel rimfire targets a cinch. I measured the overall trigger pull weight at a consistent 5 pounds, 5 ounces on my Lyman trigger pull gauge.

Furniture and Fasteners

This Rossi Rio Bravo is stocked with an unspecified species of wood furniture, with a decent finish that’s in line with the rifle’s price point. I don’t expect the finish to hold up well to a lot of exposure to moisture, and the wood seems to dent easily. Fit of the wood is also in step with the price tag. It’s acceptable, but not at the level you’ll see on more expensive rifles—particularly the fit between the receiver and fore-end.

The stock is capped with a plastic ribbed recoil plate that’s secured by two Phillips screws. It shoulders well, and should hold up just fine. One of few quibbles I have with the rifle’s build is the plastic construction of the two barrel bands—the front one features an integrated sling swivel stud. They are perfectly functional, but steel, or even aluminum, would make a big difference in the aesthetics and overall appeal of a western-style .22 rifle.

Barrel and Blued Parts of the Rossi Rio Bravo

The barrel, magazine tube, bolt, trigger, and hammer all have a blued finish—as do the steel iron sights. The rear sight is a classic buckhorn sight with a steel graduated elevation ramp for adjustments. The front sight is a simple drift-adjustable blued steel blade with a brass bead. 

Although Rossi lists the barrel as a 6-groove barrel, I count 12 on my sample. It reminds me more of the old Marlin Model 39A microgroove barrels than what many contemporary .22 LRs use. The outer magazine tube is steel, and uses a typical removable brass magazine tube and bullet-shaped loading port. It holds 15 rounds of .22 LR, and uses a plastic follower.

The finish on the blued parts is consistent, and the level of wear I’m seeing is in line with what I’d expect. The barrel-to-receiver interface isn’t as nicely executed and tight as I’d like, but it’s within the parameters of a rifle of this price. There’s a small gap where the receiver meets the barrel and some powder fouling has escaped through that crevice onto the barrel. The fit is secure and functionally satisfactory, but it’s a flaw that wouldn’t go unchecked on a more expensive rifle. I’m not a fan of the characteristically Brazilian style of laser-engraving the serial numbers on the barrel and bolt either. 

How Does the Rossi Rio Bravo Shoot?

Many imports and lower-priced guns will automatically draw more scrutiny than their domestic counterparts—understandably so. It’s especially true for rimfire rifles. These cartridges are inherently dirty, and the ammunition is prone to foul just about any rifle. Guns like the Rossi Rio Bravo are affordable, sure, but how well do they run? 

My 7-year-old-son and I put more than 500 rounds through this rifle without a single cleaning and we found it to be pleasantly reliable. The action cycles smooth and feeds many flavors of .22 LR ammunition well. It ejects cases smartly and the only issue we encountered was when my son tried to cycle the lever hesitantly. Sometimes that would cause a cartridge to feed improperly. I never encountered it myself. After firing approximately 400 rounds, we would see an occasional case stick in the chamber and slip the extractor. This is a typical .22 LR issue when wax lubricant from the ammunition builds up in the chamber. Swabbing the chamber with a pipe cleaner and a dab of solvent quickly remedied it.

My son was quickly smitten with the looks of the rifle and took to it right off. After getting a feel for the action, he was hitting steel targets out to 50 yards from a bench. It’s a little heavy for him to shoot offhand for long periods of time, but the only thing I regularly have to help him with is twisting the small magazine cap to the closed position on a full stack of .22’s. It’s stiff, but locks up securely.

Rossi Rio Bravo Accuracy

For accuracy testing, I temporarily mounted a Leupold VX2 2-7×33 scope to the Rossi Rio Bravo and fired 15 5-shot groups at 50 yards with three different types of ammo: Browning 40-grain Pro 22, Remington Eley Match, and CCI Mini-Mag. The overall average group size was 1.9 inches, and the Remington Eley ammo was most accurate, averaging 1.68 inches.

What the Rossi Rio Bravo Gold Does Well

This Rossi Rio Bravo looks good, and runs reliably. It’s a load of fun on the range and just a great nostalgic .22 rifle that’s priced and built to be used rather than kept in the safe.

Where the Rossi Rio Bravo Gold Could Be Better

I think the rifle falls right into the quality and finish level of its price point, but a couple simple touches like cleaner serial numbers, nicer receiver screws, and steel or aluminum barrel bands would make an appreciable difference at a minimal cost.

Final Thoughts

I’ve been very happy with the performance of the Rossi Rio Bravo and, in Gold trim, this one looks good too. It’s priced well, functions reliably, and is easy to clean and maintain. It’s not a collectors item that you’ll be hesitant to take out of the safe or cabinet, but I don’t have much interest in guns that are built to collect dust. Shooting it will put a smile on just about anyone’s face.

The post Rossi Rio Bravo Gold: Tested and Reviewed appeared first on Outdoor Life.

Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made.

Comparing the short-action .308 Winchester to the long-action, belted .300 Winchester Magnum will raise howls of “apples and oranges” from some readers. But we’re not tasting fruit here. We’re trying to understand how two different cartridges propel the same diameter bullets of the same weight in order to engage targets or game animals. Both can be used for each scenario, so let’s compare the .300 Win. Mag. vs .308 Win.

.300 Win. Mag. vs .308 Win. History

Despite their size differences, both the little .308 Winchester and the big .300 Winchester Magnum shoot bullets .308 inches in diameter. This is the all-American bore size—.30 caliber —made famous by the .30-30 Winchester of 1894 followed by the even more famous .30-06 of 1906, the .300 Savage of 1920, and the .300 Weatherby Magnum of—surprise—1944. Yes, the larger, faster, more powerful Weatherby Magnum beat the .300 Winchester to the magnum punch by a solid 19 years. But, the full magnum-length Weatherby was proprietary and expensive while the Winchester was engineered to fit affordable, standard-length-action rifles common in the U.S. Winchester allowed any and all ammo makers to load their new .300 magnum, too. The result was an immediate success as American hunters scrambled to own and hunt with one of these new, powerful, manly rifles. (Hey, it was 1963. John Wayne was in his prime, and neither the Beatles nor the hippies had even shown up yet.)

The .30-06 Springfield is central to this comparison because it not only falls between the .308 and .300 Win. Mag. in power, but is essentially the parent of the .308 Win. While some historians insist Winchester engineers worked from the .300 Savage to make the .308, a careful measurement of rim, head, and body diameters shows a clear connection to the .30-06. Arthur Savage probably used the .30-06 when developing his .300 anyway.

Because of the common dimensions of the .308 Win. and .30-06, many refer to the .308 as the .30-06 Short or, more derisively, the “.30-Not-Six.” Such teasing raises a legitimate question: Why would Winchester build a new hunting cartridge that was weaker than the already widely used and respected .30-06? Doesn’t cartridge development push toward higher performance?

Well, yes. But performance is not always about velocity and power. The .308’s performance advantage is efficiency. Because its overall length is a half inch shorter than the .30-06, it can be run through shorter, lighter, faster-cycling actions. Additionally, more cartridges can be carried by an individual, a truck, or a plane. You see, Winchester created the .308 in an effort to have it adopted as the new U.S. military cartridge. They succeeded, but only in 1954, two years after they’d released it as a civilian hunting round. NATO also adopted the .308 Winchester, calling it the 7.62x51mm NATO. It was chambered in the new M14 U.S. Service Rifle in 1957 and saw duty in Korea and Vietnam, with soldiers undoubtedly appreciating its lighter recoil.

Of course, the shorter .308 case holds less powder than the longer .30-06 and suffers accordingly, but not by much. It gives up about 100 fps to the 06 when both fire 150-grain bullets. Few fairly-struck big game animals have lived to notice the difference. But load up a 180-grain slug, and the .30-06 begins to pull away, besting the .308 by 200 to 250 fps. But most American big game hunters in the mid-20th century were pursuing whitetails, mule deer and pronghorns. For those, a 150-grain bullet at 2,700 to 2,800 fps provided plenty of reach and power without punishing recoil. It still does. And today’s premium bullets, including 165 to 180-grain models, make it more effective than ever.

READ NEXT: Best Deer Hunting Cartridges

Winchester obviously paddled a different river with their .300 Win. Mag. In a bid to capture America’s “bigger and faster” ethos, they went to the same H&H belted magnum case Weatherby was using. Actually, Winchester had already used this case in 1956 to create the .458 Win. Mag. They went to that well again to build the .338 Win. Mag. and .264 Win. Mag. in 1958. All three fit standard-length actions, but none would ever approach the popularity of the belatedly released .300 version. With its fatter case, the new .300 enclosed enough powder to drive a 150-grain bullet 300 fps faster than the .30-06 and 400 fps faster than the .308. Shooters paid the price in dollars at the pump and recoil at the shoulder, but they manned up and took it, many of them thinking the belt around the head was needed to contain the fearful pressures generated within. In reality, the belt was an unnecessary artifact needed for headspacing on the sloped shoulders of the original H&H cartridges. The 25-degree angle of the .300 Win. Mag. shoulder made the belt superfluous, but it was such an effective marketing tool, Winchester wisely retained it.

Odd though it seems, both the .300 Win. Mag. and .308 Win. grew steadily in popularity. With its power and flat trajectory, the .300 built a reputation as a world beater. Shooters could opt for the flat trajectory of a 150-grain bullet to reach a distant mule deer at 3,300 fps or suffer the heavy punch of a 220-grain round nose at 2,700 fps to calm down an agitated brown bear. From 10-pound dik-dik to 1,800-pound Lord Derby eland, no African game was out of reach.

Meanwhile, the .308 won converts for its mild recoil, extreme accuracy, affordability, and more than adequate killing power. It proved capable of terminating anything the old .30-06 could with less recoil. Mandatory use and training in the military introduced thousands of new shooters to this round, and on target ranges, it began winning everything.

Given that history, let’s compare these two side-by-side in several categories important to hunters and sport shooters.

Ballistics (Trajectory and Energy)

Obviously, the magnum wins this one hands down. It holds about 82 grains of water when accommodating a 180-grain bullet. The .308 Win. holds about 48.6 grains of water. Stuff the .300 with about 73 grains of IMR 4831 powder, and it should kick that bullet out at 3,150 fps. Top end for the .308 might reach 2,615 fps. With 150-grain bullets, figure about 3,420 fps for the .300, 2,997 for the .308, according to a Nosler Handloading Manual. Here’s how that translates in drop, drift, and energy at 300 and 400 yards for a 150-grain AccuBond bullet, B.C. .435 zeroed at 200 yards in a 10 mph right angle wind.

Recoil

As you might guess, the .308 minimizes recoil, but look at how much. It nearly cuts it in half. This can contribute mightily to accurate shooting. Reduced recoil is likely a significant reason for the .308 Winchester’s reputation for accuracy. Here are recoil energies and velocities in 8-pound rifles with two popular bullet weights.

Ammo Versatility and Cost

The .300 Win. Mag. wins here because it has the powder capacity to handle bullets as heavy as 220 grains, moving them as fast as 2,770 fps to generate a bone-crushing 3,800 ft lbs of energy. The .308 Win. can nudge a 200-grain bullet to about 2,400 fps and generate muzzle energy of about 2,550 ft lbs. It’s challenging to find .308 Win. factory loads with bullets much heavier than 180 grains. The best are sleek, boat-tailed, 165- to 170-grain bullets.

READ NEXT: Best .300 Win. Mag. Ammo

Virtually any retail store selling ammunition will carry both .308 Win. and .300 Win. Mag., but a 20-round box of .308 will run $15 for the cheap stuff to maybe $59 for super premium while the .300 Win. Mag. will start around $25 and climb quickly to as high as $65.

READ NEXT: Best .308 Hunting Ammo

Rifle Selection, Size, and Cost

We’ll call this a tie. Virtually every rifle maker chambers for both of these popular rounds, especially in bolt actions, but also in lever-actions, autoloaders, single shots, and pumps. You’ll find precision target rifles more often chambered in .308 Win., but plenty of sniper-style rifles are wrapped around the .300 Win. Mag. The .300’s ability to drive heavy, high B.C. bullets at good velocities makes it a serious contender at extreme ranges. The .308 Win. begins petering out after 700 yards or so. Light hunting rifles are easier to find in .308 and easier to shoot, and barrels will last a lot longer.

Read Next: The Best .308 Hunting Rifles

Accuracy

You might imagine the .308 wins this easily, given all the tactical, target, sniper, and precision rifles chambered for it, but the .300 Win. Mag. has won plenty of 1,000-yard target competitions. Rumors about the .300’s belt compromising its accuracy potential are exaggerated out of proportion to reality. In a hunting rifle especially, you needn’t worry about .300 Win. Mag. precision. I’ve worked with several .300s that shot honest 1/2 MOA. The .308, thanks to lots of precision-built factory match ammunition and rifles, long barrel life, and mild recoil, is the best option for high volume target shooting.

Conclusion

Even though more modern designs have bested both of these cartridges, they more than hold their own in today’s shooting world. Improved bullets have made them more effective on game than ever before. Standard twist rates of 1 in 10 inches stabilize most modern, high B.C. bullets, too. Most shooters choose the .308 Win. if they mainly target shoot and hunt whitetail-sized game. The .300 Win. Mag. is more popular with hunters who target shoot at extreme range and often hunt elk, moose, big bears and large African plains game. Both the .308 Winchester and .300 Winchester Magnum are poised to continue long and successful careers.

The post .300 Win. Mag. vs .308: Ballistics, Cost, and Accuracy appeared first on Outdoor Life.

Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made.

So, you’re fixing to get your first long-range rifle? As John McClane said, “Welcome to the party, pal.” Picking one didn’t used to be so difficult—at least if you were looking at production rifles—for the simple fact that there wasn’t much variety to choose from.

A long-range hunting rifle, for instance, was often the same as a standard rifle, only with a heavier and longer barrel and the addition of a second swivel stud on the fore-end to mount a Harris bi-pod.

That was then; this is now. I won’t describe that period prior to the early 2000s as a Golden Age. No, sir. In terms of long-range shooting, today is the best of times.

I’ve shot and evaluated a lot of rifles over the years, collecting data along the way. And the trend is clear. Year by year, production rifles are getting more accurate.

Choosing A Long-Range Rifle

Long-range rifles come in many flavors, depending on the shooter’s needs and desires. At the far end are heavy task-specific rifles for competition and ELR (Extreme Long Range) chores. These are rifles that are built for shooting out to 2,000 yards and optimized for the Precision Rifle Series and similar games.

Then there are numerous heavy crossover hybrid models that can be used in certain competitions or hunting applications. These rifles also appeal to recreational shooters that like to ring steel at long distances, but don’t have a burning desire to compete.

Lastly, there are lighter guns that also happen to be stunningly accurate. They are ideal for hunting and for shooting in long-range competitions like the NRL Hunter series that impose weight limits. They also showcase some of the most innovative technologies with lightweight materials that are able to hold the tolerances that precision rifles demand.

Which flavor long-range rifle to go with is up to you, but don’t be surprised that once you catch the bug that you end up with blasters from every category.

How I Picked the Best Long-Range Rifles

I went through years of data compiled during our annual tests of the year’s best new rifles and through my reviews of individual long guns. The rifles here are the most accurate I’ve shot. They also excel in other categories as well, such as handling, ergonomics and reliability. Though these rifles aren’t cheap, many of them represent excellent values for the money.

A Note on Our Long-Range Rifle Accuracy Data

The accuracy figures here are derived by taking the average of the 10 best five-shot groups these rifles delivered during our evaluations. This is a much tougher accuracy standard than you’ll find anywhere else. Not only are five-shot groups more telling than three-shot groups, but averaging it out over 10 groups raises the bar.

The next time a gun company (or shooter) brags about their half-inch (or even quarter-inch) rifle, take a closer look at their data to give it the proper context. The rifles here shooting in the .5s, .6s and .7s are remarkable performers in the world of production rifles.

• Best Lightweight Long-Range Hunting Rifle: Proof Glacier Ti
• Best for Extreme Long Range: Accuracy International AXSR
• Best Long-Range Hunting Rifle Under $2,000: Seekins Havak Pro Hunter 2
• Best Budget Hunting Rifle: Mauser M18
• Most Accurate Sniper Rifle: Sako TRG 22 A1
• Best Budget Long-Range Rifle: Mossberg Patriot LR Tactical
• Best for Competition: Accuracy International AT-X
• Best for NRL Hunter: Tikka T3X UPR
• Best Hybrid: Seekins Havak HIT
• Best Lightweight Long-Range Rifle: Christensen Arms MPR
• Best Long-Range .308: Daniel Defense Delta 5

Best Lightweight Long-Range Hunting Rifle: Proof Glacier Ti

Alex Robinson

SEE IT

• Test Gun: 6.5 CM
• Average Group: .677 inches
• Best Group: .438 inches

I’ve shot a lot of Proof Research rifles over the years and they all hammer. They are also all made with an obsessive attention to detail. That includes the quality of the materials, the tight tolerances held in their chambers and the rifling process, the overall fit and finish and the general design.

The Glacier Ti, introduced back in 2019, was one of the stars of that year’s gun test. Ultralight rifles and excellent accuracy usually don’t go together, but the folks at Proof worked some of their magic with this rifle, which averaged .677-inch five-shot groups while weighing just north of 6 pounds.

It had an outstanding 2.5-pound trigger and is blessed with fabulous stock ergonomics and an action that cycles with the smooth assuredness of a safe door swinging shut.

For a serious mountain hunter who can’t afford to have anything go awry on what might be the animal of a lifetime, the Proof Glacier Ti is the perfect companion.

Best Extreme Long-Range Rifle: Accuracy International AXSR

Nick Setting

SEE IT

• Average Group: Varies by caliber
• Best Group: Varies by caliber

The AI AXSR combines rugged construction, multi-caliber versatility, dead-nuts precision, and excellent ergonomics like no other rifle in the world. As I wrote in my roundup of the best sniper rifles, it is tough enough to survive a fall out of a helicopter and still be able to make shots on a 10-inch plate at a mile.

When I wrote that, I was rocking it in the potent .300 Norma Magnum, but more recently I swapped the bolt body and barrel to run handloaded .300 PRC ammo through it at the Nightforce ELR Steel challenge where I took 10^th place out of nearly 190 competitors in the open heavy division.

That grueling match features two days of shooting at targets out to 2,100 yards and if you dig into who was shooting what, you’ll see that the top two teams in the match were also shooting AXSRs, as did the second-place overall finisher in the match, as well as the top military/LE shooter.

In fact, no other rifle came close to replicating the success of the AI AXSR at this match, which is the most demanding of its kind in the world.

With my handloads, running 230-grain Hornady A-Tips over 77.4 grains of H1000, my five-shot groups averaged in the .5s and .6s. Other shooters running their AXSRs in .300 PRC with that bullet reported similar results.

Even with factory ammo, such as Hornady’s 212-grain ELD-X load, my rifle shot 10-shot groups averaging .75-MOA, which is remarkable for a magnum.

This is one of the more expensive rifles out there, but if you have your heart set on the best, the juice is worth the squeeze.

Best Hunting Rifle Under $2,000: Seekins Precision Havak Pro Hunter 2

Seekins Precision

SEE IT

• Test Gun: 6.5 PRC
• Average Group: .758 inches
• Best Group: .483 inches

Gun makers looking to build the ultimate hunting rifle have worked hard to blend elements of accuracy taken from the competition world into a platform that is usable for stalking game in the mountains or when setting up for long-shots in open country. No one has succeeded as well as Glen Seekins, the man behind the Havak Pro Hunter.

He created a lightweight rifle that could survive punishing treatment and put one shot after another on target.

The stock on the Havak Pro Hunter 2 has a broad fore-end, a nearly vertical pistol grip with ample palm swells and QD cups for slings and other attachments—all of which are common on competition rifles. The deep spiral fluting on the barrel keeps the weight of the rifle down but doesn’t have any adverse impact on accuracy. My rifle in 6.5 PRC averaged .75 MOA with Hornady factory ammo shooting 5-shot groups.

The rifle runs flawlessly, looks great, and given its feature set and quality, is an amazing value.

Best Budget Long-Range Hunting Rifle: Mauser M18

Tanner Denton

SEE IT

• Test Gun: .308 Winchester
• Average Group: .877 inches
• Best Group: .673 inches

The Mauser M18 won our admiration, and our Great Buy award, when it debuted in 2018. This three-lug bolt-action based on a Remington 700 pattern receiver is a screaming deal, especially in light of the excellent accuracy it demonstrated with factory ammo.

The price has crept up a bit since 2018, but you can still find them for less than $800 if you shop around. Currently, it’s the best long-range deer rifle for the money.

The rifle is basic, but solid. The action on this German-built rifle runs smoothly in the receiver, plus it has a good trigger and a three-position safety that locks the bolt down when on “safe.”

Among the hunting ammo that did very well in our M18 was Nosler’s 165-grain Accubond, which turned in a .673-inch group, and happens to be one of the world’s best big-game bullets to boot.

Most Accurate Sniper Rifle: Sako TRG 22 A1

John B. Snow

SEE IT

• Test Gun: 6.5 CM
• Average Group: .384 inches
• Best Group: .050 inches

The Sako TRG 22 A1 is the most accurate factory rifle I’ve ever tested and is one of the world’s top sniper rifles as well. I reviewed this Finnish marvel not long ago, getting into the nitty-gritty of its construction to shed some light on why it shoots as well as it does.

First off, the Finns have a long history of not only making accurate rifles but making rifles with excellent ergonomics and go-to-hell-and-back durability. They’ve been at this game a long time and when you combine their cultural roots as outdoorsmen (the Finns were among the last people on earth to transition away from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle) with their need to fend off large aggressive neighbors (I’m looking at you Russia) it is no surprise they take their rifle building seriously.

There’s a bit of sorcery with Sako’s ability to make cold hammer-forged barrels that deliver mind-boggling accuracy. No other rifle maker is their equal with this technique. And their product designers and engineers have a deep understanding of the need for a rifle to correctly fit the shooter for peak performance.

You get a feel for this with any Sako or Tikka hunting rifle, but it really comes to fruition in the TRG series—the 22, 42, and M10.

In the A1 trim, the TRG 22 employs a chassis stock that borrows heavily from the Sako M10. It has elegant and easy-to-use controls to adjust the stock to the shooter’s specific needs. The trigger adjusts for pull weight, reach and the orientation of the shoe.

The action and magazine pair beautifully for flawless cycling under any condition, and when the shooter trips the trigger, they can be confident that the bullet will strike where intended.

Best Budget Long-Range Rifle: Mossberg Patriot LR Tactical

SEE IT

• Test Gun: 6.5 CM
• Average group: .558 inches
• Best Group: .247 inches

The Mossberg Patriot LR Tactical takes the company’s workhorse Patriot action and combines it with a smartly designed stock to create one of the most affordable deals for long-range shooters.

The rifle isn’t elegant, but it handles surprisingly well. Though it comes with a heavier-contour barrel, it isn’t cumbersome. It weighs 8.75 pounds without scope and is easy to maneuver in and out of the typical types of positions one encounters in long-range field steel matches.

Of course, one reason the rifle won a Great Buy award this year is that it is very accurate.

In fact, it turned in the tightest group of this year’s rifle test, a .247-inch 5-shot group with Federal 140-grain Berger Hybrids. Overall, its 5-shot groups averaged .558 inches.

The rifle takes AICS pattern magazines, which are widely available and come in varying capacities. The effective paddle magazine release made reloads a snap. Ours was chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor, but you can also get them in 6.5 PRC and .308 Win.

The stock adjusts for cheek height and has a vertical grip that positions the trigger hand nicely. The texturing on the grip is sharp and gives a solid purchase. The chassis stock also has slots to mount M-Lok compatible accessories.

Best For Competition: Accuracy International AT-X

Tanner Denton

SEE IT

• Test Gun: 6.5 CM
• Average Group: .456 inches
• Best Group: .346 inches

The original audience for Accuracy International’s rifles was military and law enforcement professionals who needed world-class precision in a rifle that could perform under extreme adverse conditions.

Plenty of civilian shooters took to AI rifles too, but the company didn’t design their products with them in mind.

While the AT-X draws heavily on AI’s history of catering to snipers, it is also configured for competition shooters, who have been running it with great success in a variety of long-range matches.

The fore-end has a flat bottom that incorporates an ARCA dovetail that extends straight back to the magazine well. The action uses AI’s six-lug system (two rows of three lugs) that has been a mainstay of the company for decades.

The short, snappy bolt throw helps the shooter cycle the rifle quickly and the three-position safety mounted on the bolt shroud is smooth, positive, and bomb-proof.

By loosening a single set screw, the shooter can swap barrels. Our sample was chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor, but barrels can be had in .308 Win., 6mm Creedmoor, 6 BR, and others.

The two-stage trigger provides outstanding control. The trigger on our rifle broke at 10.4 ounces, has a flat face and is adjustable for trigger reach—one of the many dimensions that the shooter can alter for a custom fit. The rifle also comes with a heavier spring for the trigger that will set the minimum break weight to 1.5 pounds.

Best for NRL Hunter: Tikka T3x UPR

Scott Einsmann

SEE IT

• Test Gun: 6.5 CM
• Average Group: .633 inches
• Best Group: .493 inches

The NRL Hunter series was created to give hunters a chance to put their skills and equipment to the test. Shooters start from a blind position and must find, range, and engage targets on the clock using gear that is suitable for big game and doesn’t exceed specified weight limits. In the case of the “factory” and “light” divisions, that figure is 12 pounds and includes the rifle, optic, bipod, and other accessories one might mount to the gun.

The Tikka T3x UPR is one rifle that’s used widely—and with great success—in the factory division. Its accuracy and handling match well with the fast-paced stages one encounters in the series, where the targets typically range from 200 to 800 yards away.

I recently reviewed the Tikka T3x UPR, breaking down the features that make it such a good rifle—especially for the price.

In short, the rifle has an excellent stock that is designed to be steady in field positions. It’s shape works with you whether you’re shooting prone or bracing it on something like a rock, cattle gate, or tree branch. The adjustable trigger is terrific. And the rifle, like others in the Sako/Tikka line, has intuitive controls, feeds and cycles ammo reliably, and is accurate.

The fact that it is good for NRL Hunter also makes it a smart choice for hunting and casual long-range shooting.

Best Hybrid Long-Range Rifle: Seekins Havak HIT

Tanner Denton

SEE IT

• Test Gun: 6.5 PRC
• Average Group: .524 inches
• Best Group: .482 inches

This rifle caught our attention in a way that few firearms have in recent years. In the initial writeup I mentioned that my fellow gun testers and I were blown away by how well this original, innovative, versatile, and accurate rifle performed.

Chambered in 6.5 PRC and weighing a reasonable 13 pounds, it coughed up legit 1/2-MOA performance with factory ammunition.

Glen Seekins designed a relatively svelte folding chassis stock for the Havak HIT that functions great, but doesn’t tack on unnecessary extras. By loosening one set-screw a person can quickly swap barrels on the rifle, and changing out the bolt head to switch from one class of cartridges to another is nearly as simple.

This means the HIT can be used for general plinking, can be run in long-range field matches with weight restrictions and, with a carbon-fiber barrel installed, would be a portable (and accurate) hunting rifle.  

If we were to anoint one rifle as the do-it-all champ, the Seekins Havak HIT would claim the belt.

Best Lightweight Long-Range Rifle: Christensen Arms MPR

Christensen Arms

SEE IT

• Test Gun: 6.5 CM
• Average Group: .557 inches
• Best Group: .401 inches

The 2018 gun test featured a stacked field of exceptionally accurate rifles. One had to lead the pack, and this Christensen Arms rifle was it. It shot every 6.5 Creedmoor factory load well and when we tallied the results its average 5-shot group was .557 inches, with loads from Norma, Barnes and Hornady in the .4s.

This sleek black rifle sports lots of carbon fiber and has a sexy, sci-fi look that the team really liked. The folding stock is a great touch, as is the ultra-crisp DiamondTech trigger. Some testers found the stock a bit slick during some of the field drills, but that really comes down to a matter of personal preference.

Best Long-Range .308: Daniel Defense Delta 5

Daniel Defense

SEE IT

• Test Gun: .308 Winchester
• Average Group: .639 inches
• Best Group: .346 inches

This accurate, no-nonsense rifle is built around an excellent three-lug action that operates nearly effortlessly and is mated to a stock with impressive ergonomics and adjustability. Daniel Defense introduced the Delta 5 in 2019 and due to the quality of the rifle and its competitive sub-$2,000 price, it has managed to gain a foothold in the competitive high-end bolt-action market.

The company didn’t skimp on features. The ambidextrous grip is among the best I’ve seen, and the cheek piece can be tweaked in every dimension—height, lateral position, and yaw. It has a 20-MOA scope rail. The butt stock adjusts for length of pull. The stock incorporates QD sling attachment points. The Timney trigger adjusts from 1.5 to 4 pounds.

The one I tested really like Federal 168-grain Sierra Matchkings, turning in multiple groups that averaged ½-MOA. That’s fantastic performance, especially for a .308 shooting factory ammo.

Why Long-Range Rifles Are Getting More Accurate

Victory has a thousand fathers, the saying goes. There’s truth to that as it relates to precision shooting. One needs only to look at the components of a rifle that contribute to accuracy—barrel, action, stock, trigger, brass, propellant, projectile, optic—and it is clear that the long-range performance we currently enjoy traces its origin to many sources. Without getting too deep into the weeds on any of these elements, we can identify some common themes.

Tighter Manufacturing Tolerances

One is the state of manufacturing capabilities with gun, ammo, and optics companies. The prevalence of CNC machining allowing for tight tolerances has given rise to components that a hobbyist at their workbench can literally screw together to build an accurate rifle. This plug-and-play interchangeability speaks to a level of consistency we’ve never had before. And, as long-range shooters know, consistency is key to accuracy.Take bullets, for instance. Whereas serious shooters would often sort bullets by weight to cull those that deviated too much from the average, we now have projectiles by Lapua, Berger, and Hornady that are dead-nuts consistent from one to the next. The Hornady A-Tip is a great example of this. The same holds true for the makers of premium brass like Alpha Munitions, Lapua, Peterson Cartridge, and ADG.

Rapid Evolution of Gear

All systems in life evolve or eventually perish. But the rate of evolution isn’t a constant. Looking at the history of long-range shooting from the late 1800s until today we can identify many milestones that changed the game. The development of telescopic rifle sights. The adoption of smokeless powders. The introduction of composite stocks and pillar bedding.

The early 1900s was one era of rapid change and evolution in the accuracy game. The mid 1950s, with the introduction of many long-range magnum cartridges was another. But I’d argue those pale in comparison to the evolution in our gear over the last 20 years.

We now know how to make better long-range rifle cartridges, thanks to the principles of Modern Cartridge Design, than ever before. Our ability to calculate trajectory solutions for elevation and windage with products such as Hornady’s 4DOF solvers and Applied Ballistics software found in devices such as Kestrel ballistic meters and laser rangefinding binoculars (like the Leica 10×32 Geovid Pro) has changed the game. Even something seemingly as basic as rifle bipods have evolved in recent years to help us become better long-range marksmen under practical field conditions.

Rapid Evolution of Shooting Skills

The evolution of our marksmanship skills goes hand-in-hand with the evolution of our gear. One compliments and encourages the other. This dynamic interplay is, in fact, inseparable.

We see this on the military side of the equation because of the outsized role that snipers played in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and in the civilian world where the explosive growth in the popularity of long-range steel matches created a Darwinian laboratory where new ideas were tried and fine-tuned or rejected at a dizzying clip.

For instance, sandbags—which just used to be something to rest your rifle on when sighting in—have become an essential piece of gear for long-range shooters who employ a bevy of techniques to get the most out of them.

FAQs

Read Next: The M1 Garand, the Greatest Generation’s Service Rifle

Final Thoughts On Long-Range Rifles

Today’s long-range rifles have become so good that I don’t think we’ll see major improvements in their accuracy anytime soon. That’s not to say the quest for one-hole groups is over. It’s just that future gains will be incremental.

The rifles that today shoot a quantity of five-shot groups that average .5 or .6 inches, might someday become legitimate .4-MOA rifles with some that inch down into the .3s. But I doubt any of them will achieve that mythical quarter-MOA status that so many Facebook snipers boast about.’

That said, you can accomplish amazing things with a rifle that shoots between ½- and ¾-inch. With a good wind call and a ballistic calculator, ringing steel at 1,000 yards is child’s play. Engaging targets at one mile (assuming you’re using a good target bullet) is quite doable. And excuses for missing a deer at any reasonable distance fly out the window.

These are the best of times for the rifleman. I hope you’re taking advantage of it.

The post Best Long Range Rifles of 2023 appeared first on Outdoor Life.

Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made.

Great Plains Stalker		Tikka T3x Lite	SEE IT
Great Value		Savage 110 Hunter	SEE IT
Northwoods		Henry Lever Action X Model	SEE IT

As everyone knows, the best deer rifle is the one you already own. There might be other rifles like it, but that one is yours and therefore is superior to the rest. But every now and then, someone needs—or wants—to buy another deer gun. Perhaps you’re familiar with the sensation? From personal experience I can say this has only happened to me 10 or 12 dozen times over the years.

So if you’re a new hunter who is looking to invest in one of the best deer hunting rifles, or a gun nerd who has a hard time saying “no,” this list is for you.

• Northwoods: Henry Lever Action X Model
• Alaska: Ruger Hawkeye Alaskan
• Beanfield Sniper: Christensen MPR
• Western Mountains: Sako 85 Finnlight
• Great Value: Savage 110 Hunter
• Southern Piney Woods: Bergara B14 Ridge
• Technical: Proof Research MTR
• Great Plains Stalker: Tikka T3x Lite Stainless
• Family Heirloom: Winchester Model 70 Super Grade
• Straight Wall Shooter: Mossberg Patriot
• Pennsylvania Stalwart: Remington 760 and 7600

How I Picked the Best Deer Rifles

I structured the list loosely based on geography and hunting style to give it a bit of variety and to help provide some ammunition to whoever finds themselves arguing with their significant other over the justification for buying a new gun. “But honey, I can’t take that rifle, I’m going hunting in Kansas…”

These are also deer rifles that my colleagues and I have shot, tested, and hunted with and have passed muster. We didn’t include any that we don’t have hands-on experience with. All but one of the rifles are currently in production, and most are affordable, though we threw in a couple that are worth saving for or aspiring to.

But the bottom line is that these rifles are ones you can rely on to handle any deer hunt you might encounter, whether that is on your family’s plot of land in farm country, in the snowy hardwoods in the North Country, in a stand of alpine timber, or in the distant rainforests of coastal Alaska.

Northwoods: Henry Lever Action X Model

Henry

SEE IT

One sure sign of the decline of Western civilization is the scarcity of new lever-actions to choose from. Marlin is thankfully back on its feet, but their iconic 336 isn’t yet in production. Henry Repeating Arms, however, hasn’t missed a beat since it was founded in 1996, and has added new guns to its lineup at a pleasing clip.

The X Model in .30/30 is one of the more recent additions. While the bones of the X Model are rooted in tradition, the rifle is finished with modern hunters in mind.

It is stocked in a nearly indestructible synthetic material with recessed sling attachment points molded into the fore-end and butt stock. The fore-end also has a section of Picatinny rail up front to mount a light for night-time shooting applications. That section also has M-Lok slots to mount accessories compatible with that format.

The tubular magazine holds five rounds and can be loaded through the gate on the receiver or by dropping cartridges into the cutout at front end of the magazine tube.

It comes with a nice set of adjustable fiber optic sights but in keeping with modern tastes the receiver is drilled and tapped for mounting a scope.

Being chambered in .30/30 Win., the X Model will do its best work within 150 yards, but for most deer hunting that is plenty adequate. You can also get the X Model chambered in .45/70, .45 Colt, .357/.38 Spl., .44 Mag./.44 Spl as well if you want to go with a straight-wall cartridge.

Alaska: Ruger Hawkeye Alaskan

Ruger

SEE IT

By many accounts, the small Sitka blacktails that live in Alaska are the finest table fare of any venison. While these little blacktails don’t require anything special in the way of shooting, the best deer rifle for this country takes into account the other critters in their neighborhood—coastal brown bears, which do require an adequate amount of gun to deal with.

The Hawkeye Alaskan is currently available in three chamberings, .375 Ruger, .338 Win. Mag., and .300 Win. Mag. The .300 is a good compromise cartridge for this thick brushy terrain, but if a hunter wanted to shoulder one of the other cartridges, it’s not as if the deer would notice. The rifle ships with a muzzle brake to help tame the recoil of these thumpers.

The Alaskan holds three rounds in its hinged-floorplate magazine, has as 20-inch barrel, and measures a handy 42 inches from muzzle to recoil pad. The Hawkeye is the heir to the old M77 Rugers and has a non-rotating full-length Mauser style claw extractor and a fixed-blade ejector. Those classic turn-bolt design features have been giving hunters the warm fuzzies since the late 1800s and will appeal to sportsmen who like traditional rifles.

The Alaskan comes with fixed sights geared toward dangerous game, with a shallow V rear express-style sight and a bold bead on the front post. But the Alaskan can easily accommodate a scope as well.

Even if you don’t hunt deer in bear country, this rugged rifle is a good option for those who live by the “use enough gun” and “can’t be too dead” mantras.

Beanfield Sniper: Christensen MPR

Christensen Arms

SEE IT

The term “beanfield rifle” was coined by former Outdoor Life shooting editor Jim Carmichel when reviewing the hyper-accurate bolt-actions made by master riflesmith Kenny Jarrett. Kenny is one of the godfathers of hunting rifle accuracy and incorporated benchrest rifle technology into his exquisite firearms.

Why “beanfield?” Well in some stretches of ag land down south those fields that deer favor can be many hundreds of yards in length, and when the beans have grown high, they don’t leave much of a deer’s body as a target. Thus, you had the need for a rifle that reaches out with pinpoint accuracy to guarantee success.

Jarrett still makes those wonderful rifles, but their stratospheric price tags—many are north of $10,000—put them out of reach of all but the well-heeled or ballistically irresponsible.

The Christensen MPR doesn’t look much like Kenny’s creations, but what it has in common is the ability to shoot tiny groups. When the MPR debuted I tested it and produced five-shot groups with factory ammo that averaged .557 inch across a wide variety of brands and bullet weights in 6.5 Creedmoor. Several of the loads I shot from Norma, Barnes and Hornady averaged in the .4s. Today, you can get it in .223 Rem., 6mm Creed, 6.5 Creed, 6.5 PRC, .308 Win., .300 PRC, or .338 Lapua Mag.

For beanfield hunting, the flat-bottomed fore-end makes for a stable platform when positioned in a blind or stand. Without question, it is one of the best lightweight long-range rifles in production.

It’s a modern, sexy looking rifle with lots of carbon fiber and an adjustable folding stock and will appeal to hunters who are sci-fi nerds. Though not cheap, it costs a fraction of the original beanfield rifle. 

Western Mountains: Sako 85 Finnlight

Sako

SEE IT

There’s no shortage of mountain rifles to pick among for hunting deer in vertical terrain. The first criteria hunters consider is weight because a rifle that’s too heavy to lug uphill isn’t going to do you much good.

But there’s more to a quality mountain rifle than a sub-6-pound readout on a scale. A good mountain rifle must be able to handle awful weather, survive in an unforgiving rocky environment, and be able to deliver an accurate first-round shot on what might be the hunt of a lifetime.

The Sako Finnlight checks all these boxes through its rugged construction, excellent ergonomics, and superb accuracy. The Finnlight I tested a few years ago was chambered in .308 Win. and delivered 5-shot groups measuring less than .6 inches with factory Hornady ammo.

The fact that they were five-shot groups is key. To reduce weight most mountain guns have pencil-thin barrels that heat quickly and cause shots to walk and the groups to open up as the round count increases. For that reason, the accuracy guarantees for most rifles, especially mountain rifles, are based on three-shot groups. That the Finnlight was able to keep shooting tight groups even with a hot barrel is a testament to its quality.

The rifle comes with a smartly designed flush-mounted staggered magazine that’s easy to load and won’t accidentally get bumped and fall free of the action. The three-position safety next to the bolt shroud has a middle position that keeps the gun on safe but lets the shooter open the action to unload the rifle.

The Finnlight is available in numerous chamberings in addition to .308. You can have it in a number of great deer cartridges including .243 Win., .25/06 Rem., .270 Win., .260 Rem., .30/06, .300 Win. Mag., .300 WSM, .270 WSM, 6.5×55 Swede, 7mm-08 Rem., and 7mm Rem. Mag.

Great Value In a Deer Hunting Rifle: Savage 110 Hunter

Savage

SEE IT

Nothing warms the collective heart of the Outdoor Life gun test team than a great gun value. We’re lucky to live in an era with plenty of rifles that are budget friendly and accurate. While the Ruger American and Mossberg Patriot certainly deserve a spot on anyone’s list of smart buys, Savage Arms, more than any other modern company, has made accuracy and performance available to the masses.

I don’t know how many different iterations of the Model 110 have been built over the years—there’s been quite a pile of them—but the basic 110 Hunter is still the standard by which to measure a budget-conscious investment.

There are some cheaper guns on the market, but what makes the Model 110 Hunter so appealing are the upgrades that it comes with. That includes the AccuFit stock system which incorporates a bedding-block to create a solid connection between the stock and action, which helps with accuracy.

The stock also has modular sections to alter the length of pull and comb height. It’s a rifle that a young shooter grow with as their body fills out. The length of pull can adjust from 12.75 to 13.75 inches. It also lets a shooter fine-tune the stock dimensions for a better fit, which will translate to better performance in the field.

The rifle comes with Savage’s AccuTrigger, which is one of the original user adjustable designs to debut on a mass-market hunting rifle. In fairness, the quality of the AccuTriggers can vary, so it makes sense to spend time dry firing a sample in your local gun store before committing to a specific rifle.

The detachable box magazine holds four rounds in all cartridges except .300 Win. Mag., where it holds three. Chamberings include .243 Win., .25/06 Rem., 6.5 Creed, .30/06, .308 Win., 7mm Rem. Mag., 7mm-08, and, my favorite, .280 Ackley Improved.

The 110 Hunter isn’t as hardened against the elements as some other rifles, so some diligence and care is called for with the carbon steel barrel, especially if it is going to be exposed to the elements. Other than that, the rifle is ready to take a beating and keep placing accurate shots on game.

Southern Piney Woods: Bergara B14 Ridge

Bergara

SEE IT

Some of the most pleasant deer hunts I’ve experienced have been down in the Piney Woods of the Southeast. Alabama’s Black Belt, in particular, with its fertile soils, cranks out impressive bucks and is great habitat for turkeys and upland birds as well.

The hunting tends to be civilized as long as the mosquitos aren’t out in force, but when a cold front rolls though you might find yourself dealing with some rougher conditions that run contrary to our notions of Southern hospitality.

The Bergara B14 Ridge fits this type of hunting to a tee. It is a well-mannered and capable bolt action that delivers solid performance at a good price and while it has plenty of nice touches it isn’t a flashy rifle by any means.

Depending on action length and chambering, the rifles weigh about 7.5 pounds unscoped, give or take a few ounces. Barrel lengths run from 18 to 24 inches, with most short-action cartridges using 22-inch barrels while standard-length chamberings have 24-inch tubes.

This middle-of-the-road configuration is perfect for 90 percent of deer hunting. The B-14’s heft and balance allow it to run easily from the shoulder and brought into play in a smooth, efficient manner.

Though the rifle is built in Spain—Bergara makes extremely nice barrels over there—it is configured with the American hunter in mind. The synthetic stock has “American classic” dimensions, with its flat comb, the metalwork is treated with black Cerakote finish for durability, and the muzzle is threaded 5/8-24.

Caliber choices include .243 Win., 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, .308 Win., 7mm-08 Rem., .270 Win., 7mm Rem. Mag, .30/06, .300 Win. Mag., and .300 PRC. The internal box magazine has a hinged floorplate and holds 4 rounds of the standard cartridges and 3 of the magnums. Because the 6.5 PRC and .300 PRC are chubby, the B-14’s magazine only holds two of them.

Technical Deer Hunting Rifle: Proof Research MTR

Proof Research

SEE IT

For the technically inclined deer hunter, Proof Research’s MTR (Mountain Tactical Rifle) is an intriguing option. It is a great example of a modern deer rifle that borrows heavily from the tactical and competition shooting world to create a high-performance rig that is accurate, portable, and able to handle the most demanding hunting conditions.

Proof uses a Zermatt Arms Origin action on the MTR, which is known for its remarkably tight tolerances, reliability, and accuracy. Proof, of course, puts one of its carbon-fiber barrels on the MTR and the mating of the Zermatt and barrel delivers exceptional accuracy. In fact, I’ve used this rifle in competition and know that it is able to place precise shots on distant targets under demanding time constraints and from practical field positions.

The stock is also of Proof’s design and is made of carbon-fiber as well. Depending on the cartridge, the naked rifle weighs about 6.5 pounds to a touch over 7 pounds. The stock has a raised comb and vertical pistol grip, both of which are common on tactical rifles. The comb helps align the shooter’s eye with larger optics that tend to sit higher on the rifle (the action has a full-length Picatinny rail) and the vertical grip enhances the shooter’s control over the rifle and the trigger pull.

The MTR uses detachable box magazines and will feed from AICS pattern mags. It ships with a single polymer magazine. The rifle feeds with dead-nuts reliability and can handle dust, moisture, and other debris without any issues.

The barrel is threaded 5/8-24 for a brake or suppressor and the rifle comes with a sub-MOA accuracy guarantee. Among the available cartridges are three short-barrel options. One is the 6 ARC with a 16.5-inch barrel, and the others are .308 Win. and .223 Rem. with 20-inch barrels. You can also get it in 6 Creedmoor, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, 7mm Rem. Mag., .300 Win. Mag., and .300 PRC, all of which come with 24-inch barrels.

Great Plains Stalker: Tikka T3x Lite Stainless

Tikka

SEE IT

It still amazes me to come across deer hunters who haven’t checked out a Tikka. When the company started making a serious push into the American market about 15 years ago, their virtues were still not widely known. But at this point Tikka’s praises have been sung loudly from the hilltops, yet there are still some poor souls who haven’t gotten the message.

For an all-around, do-anything deer rifle, the Tikka T3x Lite Stainless is as versatile a big-game rifle as you can find, especially considering its price. The Tikka’s bones are similar to those in its sibling brand Sako. Many parts of the Tikka are borrowed directly from the more expensive Sako, in fact.

The three-lug action runs smoothly, the magazine system is among the best you’ll find in terms of how easy it is to load and its reliability, and the general handling of the Tikka T3x is superb, which isn’t a surprise given that European hunters place great emphasis on how a rifle manages quick shots on running game.

In the Lite Stainless trim, the Tikka tips the scales at roughly 6.4 pounds, meaning that with a good light scope it will be easy to carry across any terrain.

This isn’t a fancy rifle with a lot of adornment. The barrel isn’t fluted, though the muzzle threaded 1×14. The black stock has textured panels molded into the grip and fore-end for a secure handhold, but otherwise is fairly plain.

But don’t let that fool you. This is a very capable gun and one of the best deer hunting rifles. I used one in Mongolia last year to make a very long and challenging shot on a sheep and never felt compromised by its basic design.

Cartridge options include .243 Win., 6.5×55 Swede, .270 Win., .30/06, 7mm Rem. Mag., .308 Win., 300 Win. Mag., 6.5 Creedmoor, and one of the best all-around big-game cartridges on earth, the 9.3×62.

Family Heirloom: Winchester Model 70 Super Grade

Winchester

SEE IT

In a world of black rifles and synthetic stocks it is nice to see that some companies still make guns that harken back to deer hunting’s roots. Pretty much any kid who grew up in a deer-hunting family cast an envious eye toward their dad’s, or granddad’s, or uncle’s well-worn rifle hoping to inherit it someday.

Well, if you’re going to dream, dream big I say. The Winchester Model 70 Super Grade combines the iconic M70 action with drool-worthy wood and is the kind of gun that will get passed from one generation to the next.

The stock is made of AAAA Maple, and has a soft honey-colored hue with tiger-stripe figuring through the wood and a raised cheekpiece with a shadow line. The stock also has an ebony-tip and diamond-pattern checkering on the fore-end and grip that is both attractive and functional. A solid-black Pachmayr is a visual bookend to the ebony tip and imparts a harmonious look to the rifle.

Outdoor Life editor-in-chief Alex Robinson acquired one of these beauties last fall and had good things to say about it. Being a thoroughly traditional rifle, it delivered traditional accuracy, which is to say five shots in about 1.5 inches at 100 yards with select ammunition. Forget the social media boasting about half-inch groups (“all day long,” of course), that level of accuracy is more than sufficient for all but the most demanding deer hunts.

The Model 70 Super Grade comes with a hammer-forged barrel with a polished blue finish that’s even and well executed. The action is what Winchester calls a pre-’64 action, though in truth it is better made than the vintage M70s.

One upgrade is Winchester’s MOA trigger, which has a minimal amount of take-up for a clean crisp break. (Though there’s something to be said for a properly tuned old-school M70 trigger.) The action comes with a three-position safety and a jeweled bolt body as well.

If you want to go all-in on the vintage appeal of this rifle, get it chambered in .264 Win. Mag. with a 26-inch barrel. That will channel all your deer-hunting forefathers and make them smile from their place in the Happy Hunting Grounds beyond.

It’s also available in the very modern 6.8 Western as well as the usual suspects: .243 Win., 6.5 Creedmoor, .308 Win., .270 Win., .30/06, 7mm Rem. Mag., and .300 Win Mag.

Straight Wall Shooter: Mossberg Patriot

Mossberg

SEE IT

As more states that previously had not allowed use of centerfire rifle rounds for deer hunting relax their regulations so that straight wall cartridges can be taken afield, gun makers have responded with new offerings.

For a hunter who wants to take advantage of the recently introduced .350 Legend (basically a lengthened .357 Magnum that is geared for these straight-wall states) but doesn’t want to spend a lot of money to do so, the Mossberg Patriot is the best deal going.

The Patriot has made several of our best rifle lists over the years and it continues to impress us with its solid design and good accuracy at a price that can’t easily be beat.

Mossberg is chambering two rifles in .350 Legend, one a plain synthetic stock rifle that can be had for less than $400, and an upgraded version in walnut that costs a bit more. Other than the stock material and the price, they are the same.

Both have 22-inch barrels and take four-round detachable box magazines. The magazines are light and easy to load and clip in and out of the action without a fuss. The rifles have Mossberg’s user-adjustable LBA trigger that can be set to break between 2 and 7 pounds.

The bolts have spiral flutes on them which help the guns run a more smoothly and add a bit of visual flair to the rifle’s otherwise basic aesthetics.

The rifles come with cross-slot bases affixed to the receiver so one only needs to buy a pair of rings to mount a scope.

In my experience the accuracy of these rifles has been pretty good, though the .350 Legend isn’t a round designed to shoot small groups. You can expect five-shot groups to measure about 2-inches at 100 yards based on what I’ve seen .350 Legend factory ammo do so far. While that isn’t going to win you internet bragging points, it is a heck of an upgrade from the slug guns that the .350 Legend is displacing. Plus, with its softer recoil it is much more pleasant to shoot.

Pennsylvania Stalwart: Remington 760 and 7600

Remington Arms

SEE IT

You can’t talk about the best deer rifles without including one of the all-time greats, the Remington 760 and 7600. It might not be in production today, but for hunters in Pennsylvania and other parts of the Northeast, these slide-action repeaters will forever have a place in deer camp.

The calling card of these rifles is their fast-handling and ability to deliver quick follow-up shots. Picture still-hunting through a stand of hardwoods and jumping a heavy buck from his bed and you have the scenario that the 760 and 7600 was designed for.

Most 7600s came with 22-inch barrels and a four-round magazine. The rotary bolt system is actuated by the two action bars connected to the fore-end and is as slick as a bobsled run.

Most are stocked in walnut, though Remington made synthetic stocked 7600s—but to me those all-black guns miss the point.

The 760 and 7600 have shotgun-like stock dimensions so they are optimized to be shot with the fixed sights on the barrel. The receivers on the 7600 are drilled and tapped to take a scope, however. If you go that route, consider adding a raised cheek piece to the stock to get correct alignment with the optic.

By modern standards, the triggers are pretty rough, but shotgun shooters will feel right at home with a 7600 in their shoulder.

Remington started building the 760s in 1952 up through 1981, after which the 7600 was rolled out. The Model 7600 was made from 1981 until the company went bankrupt for the second time a couple years back. The current management of Remington Arms (as the company is now called) still has the 7600 list on their web site, but I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for new versions to be made any time soon given all the challenges that Big Green is facing.

You can still find them online and in used gun stores, however. The prices vary, but usually aren’t crazy. Even though the 7600 is beloved, it doesn’t carry around an inflated sense of its self-worth.

When production was halted, Remington was chambering the 7600 in .270 Win., .30/06, and .308 Win. But you can find some that were made in .243 Win., 6mm Rem., .35 Whelen and, my pick, .35 Remington.

FAQs About the Best Deer Hunting Rifles

Final Thoughts On The Best Deer Hunting Rifles

Selecting your best deer hunting rifle involves weighing a lot of factors. First and foremost is your budget. Start with a price tag you can live with that gets you a good rifle and quality scope and work from there.

Ideally, you want a rifle that you will enjoy shooting and will be able to shoot a lot without getting beat up. Excessive recoil can lead to flinching, which can be tougher to eradicate than rats from the NYC subway system. Better to avoid this potential problem and shoot a rifle and cartridge that is comfortable. With today’s selection of excellent hunting bullets, mild cartridges like the .243 Win., 7mm-08, and 6.5 Creedmoor are deadly on big game.

Lastly, you want a reliable rifle that will perform under the most adverse circumstances. All the rifles listed here check that box, meaning you could take any one of these afield with a high degree of confidence.

The post The Best Deer Hunting Rifles of 2023 appeared first on Outdoor Life.

Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made.

Best Overall		Federal 165-gr Fusion	SEE IT	LEARN MORE	Summary Number-one big-game round.
Best Lever Action		Federal 150-gr Fusion	SEE IT	LEARN MORE	Summary Classic, reliable deer caliber.
Best 243		Barnes 80-grain TTSX	SEE IT	LEARN MORE	Summary Benchrest wildcat.

Let’s get something clear, I’m writing about deer hunting calibers under duress. It isn’t that I have an issue with the subject. I just have a problem with the headline. Anyone with a scrap of ballistic sense knows that it should say the “best deer hunting cartridge.” But, alas, in a world where Google dictates our fate, we must follow the digital mob. And more people, by far, search for “best deer hunting calibers” than the technically correct “cartridge.” With that out of the way, let’s proceed.

How I Picked the Best Deer Hunting Calibers

This was no simple task. Being a top deer hunting caliber requires more than just knock-down power. These are the superstars of the whitetail world, with the numbers and longevity to support their claim to fame. Picking the best deer hunting cartridge also comes down to taste. And who has better taste in such matters than me, the Shooting Editor of Outdoor Life? I’m glad you agree.

The Immortal: .30/06 Springfield

The .30/06 Springfield is the Captain America of big-game cartridges. It’s been around forever, packs a punch, and helped us defeat the Nazis in World War II. Without question, it is the number-one big-game round of the 20th Century. And it’s still going strong.

Like many other hunters, my first real deer rifle was chambered in the ought-six. Shooting 165-grain ballistic tips I put hundreds of pounds of corn-fed Michigan venison in the freezer over the years. I’ve also hunted with it across North America and in Africa, using 150-grain soft points, 180-grain Triple Shocks, 200-grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claws, 180-grain Accubonds, and a bunch of other bullets I can’t think of at the moment. You won’t find another round with a more versatile array of offerings. It really is the best all-around hunting rifle caliber.

Physics plays a big part in the .30/06’s success. It strikes a good balance between power and shootability. The recoil generated by the ought-six is at the upper end of what most shooters can manage without developing a debilitating flinch. And its terminal ballistics can handle all but thick-skinned dangerous game.

It’s certainly more gun than most whitetails require, but it gets the job done and carries with it a nostalgia that few cartridges can match. If it was good enough for Teddy Roosevelt, this deer hunting caliber is good enough for the likes of you and me.

Best Deer Ammo in .30/06 Springfield

Federal 165-grain Fusion

Federal

SEE IT

Nosler 180-grain Accubond

Hornady American Whitetail 150-grain SP

Winchester 180-grain Ballistic Silvertip

Barnes 180-grain TTSX

OG Lever-Action Caliber: .30/30 Winchester

Crowning one cartridge as the best whitetail caliber is a difficult task, but it is hard to imagine which would surpass the .30/30 Winchester. It was introduced in 1895 in conjunction with the Winchester Model 94 lever gun, and in a century and a quarter since then we’ve never witnessed a more successful rifle and cartridge combo.

How did it come to dominate? Few people realize it these days, but both the rifle and round were technical marvels. The ’94 was a fast-handling and reasonably accurate rifle with great balance and ergonomics and an impressive magazine capacity. The .30/30 was the first small-bore smokeless cartridge introduced in the United States and kicked off the era of high-power cartridges in America.

Lest you think it is some relic of your grandfather’s era, the .30/30 is still the top selling lever-action cartridge, beating out the .45/70 even though that round has seen many more new offerings in terms of rifles and ammunition.

Why does the .30/30 endure? Well, more than 7.5 million Model 94s have rolled off Winchester’s production lines, to say nothing of all the Marlin 336’s and (more recently) Henry Repeating Arms lever guns that have been chambered in .30/30. So there’s no shortage of rifles chambered in this round.

But these numbers don’t tell the entire story. The .30/30 has plenty of power to take on whitetail within 200 yards, making it suitable for 95 percent of shots on deer. It also produces about half the recoil of a .30/06, so it is a pussycat to shoot. Hunters who favor the .30/30 see no reason to go to anything else and consider it the best deer hunting caliber for 200 yards and in.

Great loads for the .30/30 include Winchester’s 150-grain PowerPoint, Hornady’s 160-grain FTX LeverEvolution, and the Federal Premium 150-grain Barnes TSX hollow point.

Best Deer Ammo In .30/30 Win.

Federal 150-grain Fusion

Federal

SEE IT

Winchester 150-grain Powerpoint

Remington 170-grain Core-Lokt SP

Hornady 160-grain FTX Leverevolution

Winchester 170-grain Powermax Bonded

Old-School Metric: 7mm Remington Magnum

In the murky and distant past—meaning before the internet—gun and ammo companies would print catalogs, which you could grab for free at the local sporting goods store. For a broke kid, this was a godsend, since I was able to read about and obsess over all the rifles and cartridges I couldn’t afford while trying to pick the best deer hunting caliber.

Those catalogs had ballistic tables in the back, comparing the cartridges and listing their muzzle energy, velocity, and drop at various yardages. I didn’t need to be told that the “best” cartridge would be the one that moved the fastest and dropped less than the others. More often than not, that cartridge would be the 7mm Rem. Mag. I know a lot of other young, aspiring hunters felt the same way.

As it turned out, I used my ballistic crush on the first deer I shot—a spike whitetail buck at about 35 yards that had wandered out of a cedar swamp to feed on the grassy hill where I had posted up. Though that shot didn’t take advantage of the 7mm Mag’s flat trajectory, it convinced me of the cartridge’s superior qualities.

Since 1962, when the round was introduced in conjunction with the Remington 700, countless others have arrived at the same conclusion. You can see the numbers crunched here, but the main takeaway is that when shooting at a 10-inch target the 7mm Rem. Mag has a point-blank zero of 365 yards when sighted 3.9 inches high at 100 yards. That’s with a 175-grain spire-point hunting bullet at 2900 fps.

Performance like that in a rifle that has tolerable recoil and isn’t too heavy to lug around the hills was sure to catch the fancy of savvy hunters. For that reason, the 7mm Rem. Mag. managed to overcome the American shooter’s aversion to metric labeled cartridges and turn into a massive success for the last 60 years. It’s a solid contender for the best deer caliber out to 500 yards.

Best Deer Ammo In 7mm Rem. Mag.

Black Hills Ammunition 175-grain ELD-X

SEE IT

Remington 150-grain Core-Lokt Tipped

Nosler 168-grain Accubond LR

Hornady American Whitetail 139-grain SP Interlock

Winchester 150-grain Ballistic Silvertip

Jack O’Connor’s Legacy: .270 Winchester

There’s no way as shooting editor for this esteemed publication that I could fail to include the .270 Winchester on the list of contenders vying for the best deer hunting caliber. Winchester debuted the cartridge in 1925 along with the Model 54 rifle, which was the predecessor to the famed Model 70.

It might come as a surprise to some, but despite the gargantuan success of the .270 over the decades it was not an immediate hit with the shooting public. The .30/06 dominated with bolt-action rifles and the availability of cheap surplus ought-six ammo dissuaded shooters from trying this new-comer. In addition, some gun writers of the time questioned whether the .270 was as accurate as the .30/06 or delivered the velocities Winchester advertised, casting more doubt on the round. It did, however, catch the fancy of Jack O’Connor, who sang its praises in Outdoor Life, and as hunters tried the .270 they found they liked it very much indeed.

What drew O’Connor to the cartridge was the impressive ballistics of the round when shooting a 130-grain spire-pointed bullet. With a muzzle velocity of about 3140 fps, the .270 is forgiving on deer at unknown ranges. As O’Connor put it in his 1949 work, The Rifle Book: “Sighted to hit the point of aim at 200 yards with a scope sight, the 130-grain bullet drops only 5 inches at 300 yards, not enough to miss even a small deer with a hold in the center of the chest.”

For hunters looking for the best long range caliber of that time, O’Connor suggested sighting in at 300 yards. This puts the bullet about 3 inches high at 100, 4 inches low at 350, and just 10 inches low at 400.

Long before shooters were talking about ballistic coefficients, O’Connor hammered home the value of retained velocity down range. He illustrated many examples of how the .270 hit harder and had better killing power at longer distances thanks to aerodynamic efficiency of the 130-grain “sharp points.”

His outstanding prose, and experience in the field, tipped the scales in favor of the .270 to the point where it has run neck-in-neck with the .30/06 in terms of popularity for three quarters of a century. Even though the cartridge no longer enjoys the prominence it once did, it’s hard to imagine it slipping out of the top 10 deer calibers anytime soon.

Best Deer Ammo In .270 Win.

Remington 130-grain Core-Lokt Tipped

Remington

SEE IT

Winchester 130-grain Deer Season Copper Impact

Hornady 145-grain ELD-X

Federal 130-grain Fusion

Nosler 130-grain Accubond

Benchrest Wildcat: .243 Winchester

In a sad twist of fate, the .243 Winchester has become known as a child’s deer cartridge. Talk about damned by faint praise. When state game departments established rules for allowable big-game rounds, a number put the minimum at 6mm caliber (.243 inch) cartridges, which is why I suspect it got that rap. Being the “minimum” it must be not as good as bigger, manlier cartridges, and therefore has been equated with youth rifles and first-time hunters.

It didn’t start life that way, however. It was the brainchild of a group of accuracy-obsessed riflemen, including former Field & Stream rifles editor Warren Page, who went on to establish benchrest shooting. Page had been fooling around with a number of 6mm wildcats in the late 1940s, but when Winchester introduced the .308 Winchester in 1952, he discovered the platform he’d been looking for. Page and his cohorts necked the .308 down to 6mm and gave birth to the .243 Winchester.

The .243 gained popularity so quickly that Winchester offered it as a factory round in 1955, an astonishingly quick rise from wildcat status to commercial production. From the get-go, deer hunters took a shine to the .243 Winchester. For the time, it represented the pinnacle of high-performance long-range accuracy. And the fact that its recoil didn’t threaten to detach your retinas with each trigger pull was a big bonus. Reloaders also appreciated that it didn’t require a cup full of powder to assemble a cartridge.

Fans of the .243 have helped it maintain its status as one of the best deer cartridges, though it never could dislodge the .30/06, .270 and .308 from the top slots. But as .243 shooters know, it is an ideal one-rifle solution for hunters who chase deer and predators and is arguably the best pronghorn antelope round ever.

The best bullets for deer are those weighing 90 grains or more. Those heavy-for-caliber projectiles penetrate well and shoot flat and do a decent job of bucking the wind thanks to their high ballistic coefficients. Nosler’s 90-grain AccuBond, Federal’s 95-grain Fusion, Hornady’s 103-grain ELD-X, and Berger’s 105-grain Target Hybrid are all excellent bullets. For non-lead bullets, the 85-grain Barnes TSX and Federal 85-grain Trophy Copper deliver outstanding terminal performance.

Best Deer Ammo In .243 Win.

Barnes 80-grain TTSX

Barnes

SEE IT

Hornady 90-grain ELD-X

Winchester 95-grain Deer Season

Black Hills Ammunition 80-grain Hornady GMX

Remington 100-grain Core-Lokt Tipped

Battlefield Proven: .308 Winchester

The fastest way for a new cartridge to gain widespread acceptance with the shooting public is for the military to adopt it. That’s what happened with the .308 Winchester. Frankfort Arsenal designed a prototype cartridge called the T65 in an effort to approximate .30/06 (the U.S. service round at the time) performance in a shorter cartridge. Winchester thought the project held promise for civilian shooters and hunters and in 1952 trotted out the .308 Winchester. Since the wheels of government bureaucracy churn slowly, it wasn’t until 1954 that the military version—the 7.62x51mm NATO—was unveiled.

The .308 Winchester is certainly the most successful short-action big-game hunting round in history. It’s been used worldwide on everything short of dangerous game and is a perennial favorite among whitetail hunters.

In a well-constructed action, it is one of the most accurate rounds out there and is capable to 500 yards on deer and other big game. As I’m sure you know, the military has relied on it for many years in a variety of sniper rifles and in that role, it is effective to 1,000 yards.

For hunters the most common bullet choices are those from 150 to 180 grains. On the lighter end, you’ll find bullets like the 150-grain Barnes TSX and 150-grain Trophy Copper. The 165-grain Nosler AccuBond and 165-grain Trophy Bonded Tip both occupy a sweet spot in the middle. And the heavyweight offerings include the 180-grain Nosler Partition and Federal’s new 175-grain Terminal Ascent, which is designed for long-range hunting. All these projectiles work great on deer and larger game.

A good friend of mine who is a shooting nerd and avid Western hunter, uses a .308 on the coastal blacktails he hunts in his home state of Oregon. The timber covered mountains have patches of clearcuts where the deer hang out and long cross-canyon shots are the norm. To anchor the deer quickly, he needs a bullet that will put them down, but the bullet must also be accurate enough to make those shots. For him, the .308 is the answer, combining the desired knock-down power with pin-point precision. Most deer hunters don’t encounter such technical shooting scenarios, but the .308 is one round that can handle most any task you’d ask of it.

Read Next: Best .308 Hunting Rifles

Best Deer Ammo In .308 Win.

Winchester 165-grain Accubond

SEE IT

Barnes 168-grain TTSX

Federal Premium 165-grain Sierra Gameking

Federal 175-grain Terminal Ascent

Sig Sauer 150-grain HT

The Underdog: .223 Remington

“The only hunters who don’t think a .223 will kill a deer are those that haven’t shot a deer with a .223.” Those words of wisdom were uttered by a friend of mine on a phone call some years back while discussing our favorite whitetail rounds—and I couldn’t agree more with the sentiment.

I think a lot of hunters feel squeamish about shooting a whitetail with a .223, and in several states a .223 doesn’t meet the minimum caliber requirements. But the fact is that with the right bullet a .223 is ample medicine for any whitetail buck out there.

I’ll admit, I used to be in the no-way camp. But then I took my 10-year-old son on his first deer hunts. I equipped him with one of my 3-gun AR-15 carbines with an adjustable stock and he smoked the hell out of every deer that crossed his path, including some very large-bodied bucks in Nebraska.

I was impressed by how decisive those kills were and decided to give it a try myself and for a couple seasons notched a handful of deer tags with a .223. I used a number of bullets and among my favorites are Barnes’ 62-grain TSX, Sig Sauer’s 60-grain HT and 77-grain OTMs. Is the .223 the best AR-15 deer hunting caliber? I think that when you consider how simple it is to build a tack-driver of a .223 (just go with a 1:7 twist for these heavy bullets) and how well an AR balances with the round that the answer is yes. The ample availability of inexpensive ammo (at least during normal times) is another factor in favor of the .223. It’s certainly what I’d consider the best deer hunting caliber with least recoil generated.

Read Next: Best 5.56 Ammo

Best Deer Ammo In .223 Rem.

Winchester 64-grain Deer Season

SEE IT

Black Hills Ammunition 62-grain Triple Shock

Federal Premium 60-grain Nosler Partition

Sig Sauer 60-grain HT

Nosler 77-grain HPBT

The Boomer: .300 Winchester Magnum

If the .223 Remington is at one end of the ballistic spectrum for deer hunters, then the .300 Winchester Magnum bookends the other. This potent round brings deer-killing capability at every reasonable (and even unreasonable) distance a hunter might shoot. But with the significant caveat that the hunter must be able to handle the .300’s sharp recoil. Sad to say, many hunters cannot.

We’ll leave that aside for the moment. Let’s first look at the virtues of this belted .30-caliber magnum. Introduced in 1963, the .300 Win. Mag. was based off the .338 Win. Mag., which was, in turn, developed from the granddaddy of all belted magnums, the .375 H&H. At this time, the .300 Win. Mag. faced some stiff competition among .30-caliber magnums. One advantage it had over the most popular .30, the .300 H&H Magnum, is that it could be chambered in a standard long-action rifle, whereas the .300 H&H required a magnum-length action to run. The other .30s of the time—the .308 Norma Magnum and the .30-338 Winchester (arguably a better design) didn’t have the same support from gun makers as the .300 Win. Mag., so they fell behind with the shooting public.

The original loads for the .300 Winchester were with 150- and 180-grain bullets. Published velocities put them at 3400 fps and 3070 fps respectively giving the round a 350 to 400 fps advantage over the .30/06 with the same bullet weights. At 500 yards, the .300 Win. Mag. shoots about 15 inches flatter than the ’06 with a 180-grainer, so you can see the appeal. Where the .300 Win. Mag. especially shines is with some of the excellent heavy-for-caliber bullets in the 190- to 212-grain range.

For instance, Hornady’s 200-grain ELD-X load at 2850 fps from a 24-inch barrel and a 200-yard zero hits just 20 inches low at 400 and 40 inches at 500. Even out past 500 yards, this round is carrying more than 2000 foot-pounds of energy.

Where you pay the price is with recoil. The felt recoil from a .300 Win. Mag. is about 30-percent greater than from a .30/06. Unless that rifle carries some extra weight or a good muzzle brake, it will be difficult to shoot well. And no one practices as much as they should with a rifle that beats them up, compounding the problem. The result is lousy shot placement on game.

Fans of the big magnums insist that a benefit to these boomers is that they are more forgiving with bullet placement than lesser cartridges. Personally, I think that advantage is negated by the poorer shooting one sees with these thumpers, but to each his own.

For a shooter who has actually mastered one of these rifles, it is perhaps the best deer and elk rifle caliber available.

Best Deer Ammo In .300 Win. Mag.

Winchester 190-grain Accubond LR

SEE IT

Hornady 200-grain ELD-X

Federal 150-grain Fusion

Barnes 180-grain Tipped TSX BT

Remington 180-grain Swift Scirocco

The Newcomer: 6.5 Creedmoor

You didn’t think we could make it through a list of the best deer calibers and not talk about the 6.5 Creedmoor, did you? I’ll confess, I find the red-faced rage that some folks harbor against the 6.5 Creed amusing. Most detractors say that the 6.5 Creedmoor can’t do anything that their grandpa’s deer rifle can’t do and leave it at that. Other, more technically oriented, critics argue the Creed doesn’t perform as well as other .264-caliber rounds like the 6.5×55 Swede, the .260 Remington, 6.5-284 Norma Mag., and the .264 Winchester Mag. Neither line of argument is convincing.

How often do you hear the term match-grade thrown around? Match-grade rifles. Match-grade barrels. Match-grade ammunition. What does it mean? Well, for something to be match grade it must—wait for it—win shooting matches. Otherwise, it is meaningless marketing blather.

One only need look at the NRL Hunter series, where shooters must use hunting-style rifles to shoot real-world scenarios, to understand that not every deer hunting caliber is created equal.

The 6.5 Creedmoor dominates in NRL Hunter because it combines outstanding accuracy and shootability with bullets that are excellent on big game.

One key facet of “shootability” is the shooter’s ability to manage the rifle’s recoil and spot where their bullet went and make an accurate follow-up shot if needed. Larger cartridges, even something as relatively mild as the .308 Winchester, can’t compete with the 6.5 Creedmoor on this point.

As for the arguments concerning the other 6.5 cartridges—and I have experience with them all—they, too, don’t hold up. Since these are technical arguments—mostly concerning the ability of those cartridges to drive a given bullet faster—it requires a technical rebuttal.

The genius of the 6.5 Creedmoor is that it is such a well-balanced cartridge that is designed to maximize its accuracy potential. The fast twist rate (1:8 inches) works better with the aeroballistically efficient 130-grain (and larger) 6.5mm bullets than the 1:9 twist on the other 6.5s. The neck and chamber dimensions are tighter and the leade in the throat is at an optimized (1.5 degree) angle, so the case is more inherently accurate than those other rounds. Compared to the Swede, the Norma and the Win. Mag., it is a short-action cartridge, which is another accuracy-enhancing element in its favor.

The sum of all these details is why the 6.5 Creedmoor winning matches, and why the other 6.5s don’t.

Do these advantages translate into better performance on game? In most cases, no. When the shots aren’t challenging, then there’s not meaningful difference. But in those cases where the shots are longer and you need every bit of accuracy your rifle and cartridge can muster, then, yes, the 6.5 Creed excels and in my mind is the best deer hunting caliber of the modern era.

You can read more about the evolution of the 6.5 Creedmoor and how it came to dominate here.

Best Deer Ammo In 6.5 Creedmoor

Hornady 143-grain ELD-X

SEE IT

Federal 130-grain Terminal Ascent

Nosler 140-grain Ballistic Tip

Remington 129-grain Core-Lokt Tipped

Black Hills Ammunition 120-grain GMX

More of the Best Deer Hunting Calibers—That Didn’t Make the List

There are a number of great deer cartridges that didn’t make the final cut for this story. Many of them are personal favorites, which vexes me to no end—but I couldn’t see them dislodging any of the rounds we’ve talked about as the best deer hunting caliber.

The one 6.5 I didn’t mention in the writeup on the 6.5 Creedmoor is the even-newer 6.5 PRC. Whether this round achieves long-lasting success is an open question. But it is an outstanding cartridge that delivers great accuracy and has a little more gas in the tank than the 6.5 Creed. It pushes bullets about 250 fps faster and has been winning ELR (extreme long-range matches) even when going head-to-head against big .30s and .33s like the .300 Norma, .300 PRC and .338 Lapua. It definitely hits above its weight class and is my number one choice for open-country hunting.

The .280 Remington is impossible not to love. It’s the scrappy underdog that elbowed its way in between the .270 and .30/06 and has managed to hang in there despite the dominance of those rounds. Don’t bother with the Ackley “improved” AI version. It doesn’t give you anything other than excess pressure.

There are several quarter-bores that are great deer rounds. The .257 Roberts, which is continuing its slide into obsolescence, is near and dear to my heart. And the .25/06 and .257 Weatherby are also wonderful on deer. But fewer and fewer hunters look to the .25s these days.

In a lever gun, I’ve always been partial to the .35 Remington. The .30/30 is king, but the .35 Rem. packs a bit more punch and watching a big buck flop over after taking a 200-grain round nose from one is a sight to behold.

Read Next: 10 Best Deer Hunting Guns Today

The .338 Federal is another good round that’s been lost in the mix. It was introduced in 2006 amid a flurry of cartridge introductions and never quite caught on. For about 3 years I used it extensively, on everything from deer, bear, moose and elk and was impressed by its performance. I agree with my friend Ron Spomer that it is probably the best deer cartridge you’ve never tried.

Best Deer Ammo In 6.5 PRC

Hornady 143-grain ELD-X

Federal 130-grain Terminal Ascent

Nosler 140-grain Ballistic Tip

Best Deer Ammo In .257 Roberts

Nosler 110-grain Accubond

Norma American PH 100-grain SP

Remington 117-grain SP

Best Deer Ammo In .280 Rem.

Nosler 140-grain Accubond

Hornady 150-grain ELD-X

Federal Premium 140-grain Trophy Bonded Tip

Best Deer Ammo In .35 Remington

Hornady 200-grain FTX Leverevolution

Remington 200-grain Core-Lokt

Federal 200-grain SP

Best Deer Ammo in .338 Federal

Federal 200-grain Trophy Bonded Tip

Federal 200-grain Trophy Copper

Federal 200-grain Fusion

The post Best Deer Hunting Calibers of 2023 appeared first on Outdoor Life.

Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made.

Best Budget		Ruger American Vortex Crossfire II Combo	SEE IT	LEARN MORE	Summary A basic but functional hunting rifle setup with a ton of value for the price.
Best Overall		Browning X-Bolt Speed Suppressor Ready	SEE IT	LEARN MORE	Summary An awesome-looking rifle with extreme versatility.
Editors' Pick		Nosler M21	SEE IT	LEARN MORE	Summary Built with high-quality materials, this gun functions perfectly in tough environments.

The .308 Winchester turns 70 years old in 2022, and despite being rather long in the tooth, this round still ranks among the most popular hunting and shooting cartridges in the world, especially for hunting rifles. There’s no doubt that newer cartridges like the 6.5 Creedmoor and PRC and Winchester’s new 6.8 Western have some ballistic efficiencies over the .308, but that hasn’t eroded the .308’s mass appeal. If you’re looking for a short-action cartridge that offers ample punch for most big game animals, moderate recoil, and plenty of factory hunting loads from which to choose, then the .308 is still a solid bet. Here’s a list of the best .308 hunting rifles that I’ve used in the field or on the range.

• Best Overall: Browning X-Bolt Speed Suppressor Ready
• Best Budget: Ruger American Vortex Crossfire II Combo
• Best Lever Action: Henry Long Ranger
• Best Crossover: Springfield Waypoint 2020
• Best Youth: Mossberg Patriot Youth Super Bantam
• Best Semiauto: Wilson Combat Tactical Hunter
• Best for Elk: Kimber Hunter Pro Desolve Blak
• Best Truck Rifle: Mossberg MVP Scout Rifle
• Editors’ Pick: Nosler M21
• Best Value: Winchester XPR

Things to Consider When Buying a .308 Hunting Rifle

Action
With its overwhelming popularity and 70-year history, there are plenty of options for those who want to hunt with a .308 rifle. There are so many options, in fact, that picking the best .308 can be a challenge. But determining what type of action you want is a great place to start. Most .308 hunting rifles come in bolt-actions, and there are many great options. If you’re familiar with semiautos, then the AR-10 platform is perfect. But if you prefer something lighter and more classically styled, Browning’s BAR rifle combines the classic look of a hunting rifle with the convenience of a semiauto. Lever guns like Browning’s BLR and Henry’s Long Ranger utilize box magazines and, therefore, will work with the .308 cartridge. But there are also single shots like Ruger’s vaunted No. 1.

Accuracy
Almost all modern rifles, regardless of price, have suitable triggers and offer reasonable accuracy. Some, like the Ruger American, blend superb accuracy and exceptional value. 

Weight
Weight savings in the form of carbon fiber stocks and carbon fiber-wrapped barrels come at a price, so if you plan to carry your .308 on high-altitude, leg and lung-burning hunts, those weight savings might offer you a better chance of success in the field. A pound or two of weight adds up over time, especially in the thin air altitudes where elk, goats, and sheep thrive.

Threaded Barrel
If you’ve invested the time and money to purchase a suppressor then you’ll want a threaded barrel (preferably one that matches your thread pattern—adapters are widely available but easy to lose or forget) that is short enough so that the overall length of the rifle is still manageable. The Springfield Waypoint 2020 .308 rifle I used for a pronghorn antelope hunt in the fall of 2021 came with a 20-inch carbon fiber pipe, but with a suppressor in place overall length increases by as much as nine inches. Over the years I’ve come to appreciate shorter barrels because I exclusively hunt with suppressors when that’s an option, but short barrels also make a rifle much easier to maneuver in dense forest or in a blind or treestand. Thankfully, .308 rifles perform well with short barrels.

Ammunition
Ammo selection is critically important to wring the best in-field performance from your .308 rifle. There are light .308 loads available with bullets under 150 grains, but these are typically designed for varmint hunting or reduced recoil loads. As with other .30-caliber rounds, you can stuff 200-grain bullets in a .308 case, but velocities are so low that I’ve never seen 200-grain .308 ammo as a viable option. If you want a hard-hitting .30-caliber, 200-grain bullet, there are lots of great cartridge options including the .300 Winchester Magnum, .300 WSM, .300 Weatherby Magnum, 30 Nosler, and .300 PRC, all of which gladly handle heavy .308-inch bullets.

Best Overall: Browning X-Bolt Speed Suppressor Ready

Browning

SEE IT

Why It Made the Cut
With its Smoked Bronze Cerakote finish and new OVIX camo stock, the X-bolt Speed Suppressor Ready is an awesome-looking rifle with extreme versatility. 

Key Features

• Three-lug X-Bolt
• Adjustable gold-plated Feather trigger
• Removable rotary magazine
• Short (18 to 22-inch) barrel with 5/8×24 threads
• Weight: 6.2 pounds

Pros

• Sweet looks
• Lightweight 
• Reasonable price considering the quality and accuracy

Cons

• Stubby barrel steals a bit of muzzle velocity
• Requires X-Bolt specific mags and scope bases

Product Description
With a suppressor, the overall length of this gun is manageable but without one, this gun has an overall length of just 38-inches, which makes it perfect for a blind or tree stand. And while there are plenty of great options in the X-Bolt family, I believe this one is the handiest of the lot.  

In my experience, X-Bolt rifles are real tack-drivers, and I’ve never had one that didn’t shoot well. Browning doesn’t plaster promises of sub-MOA accuracy all over their website, but it’s reasonable to expect these guns to shoot under an inch with ammo that the rifle likes. And a shooter who knows what they’re doing won’t hurt either. With a can, a good scope, and a dialed-in load, this gun is perfect for most any game in any terrain.

Best Budget: Ruger American Rifle Vortex Crossfire II Combo

Ruger

SEE IT

Why It Made the Cut
This basic but functional hunting rifle setup has a crisp adjustable trigger, and it’s light enough for most hunting situations. Plus, you simply can’t beat Ruger’s accuracy to cost ratio. 

Key Features

• Includes Vortex Crossfire II 3-9×40 scope with Dead Hold BDC
• Ruger Marksman Adjustable trigger
• Three-log bolt with 60-degree bolt lift
• Power Bedding integral bedding block
• Weight: 7 pounds
• Detachable rotary magazine

Pros

• Accuracy matches more expensive rivals
• Tons of value for the price

Cons

• Austere look
• Heavier than other options

Product Description
The basic rifle/scope combo is, well, basic. The Crossfire might not make it on the best rifle scopes list, but it’s more than capable for most hunting situations. And if you want to add some color to your hunting rig check out the Go Wild camo version.

I’ve tested several Ruger American rifles in various calibers and—no surprise to anyone who’s familiar with these guns—every one shot well. On a bear hunt in Alberta, I managed to harvest two bruins with this rifle, neither of which made it out of view before expiring. With an American rifle chambered in .308 you can hunt most of the world’s game. So do you really need a more expensive rifle?  

Best Lever Action: Henry Long Ranger

Henry

SEE IT

Why It Made the Cut
With its two-piece oil-finish American walnut stock and rich bluing, the Long Ranger is a modern take on the classic lever-action hunting rifle.

Key Features

• Anodized aluminum receiver
• Four round magazine capacity
• Drilled and tapped receiver
• Six-lug bolt locks into barrel extension
• Weight: 7 pounds

Pros

• Beautiful finishes
• Accessible hammer design
• Detachable magazine

Cons

• Runs on the heavier side
• Not as accurate as some bolt guns in this price range

Product Description
The .308 lends itself well to a variety of action types, including lever guns like the Long Ranger. And the rack-and-pinion system is smooth and fast, so you can deliver quick follow ups with this rifle. I’m glad that Henry used a transfer bar hammer instead of sullying the look of this gun with a manual safety, and the side-mounted push button magazine release is intuitively positioned.

When I tested this rifle I mounted it with a low-mount scope, and the Henry’s short, steeply-angled hammer stayed well out of the way. Accuracy wasn’t half-MOA, but this rifle certainly is accurate for a lever-action, and it even challenges some bolt-actions. Plus, there’s nothing like the feel of a lever gun.

Best Crossover: Springfield Waypoint 2020

Springfield Armory

SEE IT

Why It Made the Cut
The Springfield Waypoint is accurate enough for long-range target shooting yet light enough to carry in the field, which makes it the ultimate dual-purpose .308 rifle for hunting and competition.

Key Features

• Cylindrical receiver with integral machined recoil lug
• AG Composites carbon fiber stock
• Optional fluted steel or carbon fiber barrels
• TriggerTech Trigger
• Weight: 6 pounds, 9 ounces to 7 pounds, 11 ounces

Pros

• Capable of .75 MOA accuracy
• Feels like a custom rifle
• Adjustable trigger

Cons

• Expensive
• Limited stock and Cerakote color options

Product Description
No part of this rifle has been overlooked, and the Waypoint’s bolt slips through the wire EDM raceway with surgical precision. This gun costs a couple grand but feels like it should be priced higher.

Of course, four-figure guns better come with precision and luckily, this Springfield does. The .308 I tested shot just over an inch for three rounds at 200 yards, and I had no trouble dropping a Wyoming antelope at just over 400 while hunting with Kody Glause of Heart Spear Outfitters. I trusted the rifle to make any reasonable shot and hated to see it go. And I’m still kicking myself for not buying that gun. 

Best Youth: Mossberg Patriot Youth Super Bantam

Mossberg

SEE IT

Why It Made the Cut
The Mossberg Patriot Youth Super Bantam is a durable and affordable gun that’s perfectly suited for small-statured or growing shooters.

Key Features

• Adjustable LOP
• Trigger is adjustable from 2 to 7 pounds
• Detachable box magazine 
• Fluted barrel
• Includes a 3-9×40 scope on Weaver bases
• Rifle/Scope Weight: 7.5 pounds

Pros

• Fits and grows with young hunters
• Reasonable accuracy for the price
• Budget friendly

Cons

• Functional but not fancy
• Bolt doesn’t lock

Product Description
This rifle comes equipped with a bore sighted 3-9×40 scope, so it provides a hunter with everything they need to start hunting at a bargain price. While this rifle is technically youth sized, the adjustable LOP(length of pull) means that hunters can grow with it.

There’s nothing particularly fancy about the Mossberg (save the Muddy Girl pink camo finish), but these are workaday guns that punch tags without pretensions. The LBA trigger is reliable and safe, and I’ve never seen a Mossberg Patriot rifle suffer from reliability issues. After carrying Patriot rifles while chasing Coues deer in Mexico, whitetails in Kansas, and ibex in Spain, I’m a fan of this purpose-built bolt gun.

Best Semiauto: Wilson Combat Tactical Hunter

Wilson Combat

SEE IT

Why It Made the Cut
The Wilson Combat Tactical Hunter is a tack-driving AR-10 rifle that’s built with premium components. 

Key Features

• Wilson Combat flat top billet upper and lower receivers
• Rifle-length gas system with Lo-Profile gas block
• Wilson Combat match grade barrel 
• TTU trigger
• Armor-Tuff finish
• Weight: 7 pounds, 13 ounces

Pros

• Exceptional accuracy
• Dependable
• Premium features
• Optional upgrades

Cons

• Super expensive
• Heavy

Product Description

I’ve spent considerable time behind Tactical Hunter rifles chambered for .308 Winchester and Bill Wilson’s sorely underrated .300 Ham’r cartridge. I went on a hog hunt with Bill at his ranch in Texas and took a nice boar with one shot before shooting the Tactical Hunter out to 1,000 yards. 

Understandably, the Tactical Hunter is priced like a premium AR rifle, but there’s no better option if you’re looking for a semiauto .308 hunting rifle. And if you’re wondering why there’s no category for best .308 varmint/predator rifle, it’s because this gun wins that award, too.

Best for Elk: Kimber Hunter Pro Desolve Blak

Kimber

SEE IT

Why It Made the Cut
The Hunter Pro Desolve Blak brings a new look to the Hunter line of rifles and at 5 pounds, 9 ounces, this gun is perfect for hunting the high country.

Key Features

• Kimber 84M controlled round feed action
• Three-position safety
• Reinforced polymer stock with pillar bedding
• 22-inch sporter contour match grade barrel
• Weight: 5 pounds, 9 ounces

Pros

• One of the most affordable rifles on this list
• Accurate
• Lightweight

Cons

• More recoil than other rifles on the list
• 7/16 x 28 muzzle threading requires an adapter to accommodate most muzzle devices

Product Description
I own one of these guns in .308, which I purchased after an evaluation. Why did I buy it? I wanted a lightweight .308 rifle that I could use for anything, especially for hunting big game in the high country. And the Kimber Hunter Pro Desolve Blak fits the bill. My Kimber is a bit finicky about loads, but it absolutely loves Black Hills’ 152-grain Dual Performance. With that load, it would shoot under an inch at 100 yards for five-shot groups, and that’s my go-to rifle/load combo for big game hunting. With the light weight, you do gain a bit of recoil from this rifle, but it’s not unmanageable. But with this gun’s accuracy, if you’re lucky enough to pack an elk out, you’ll forget all about recoil. 

Best Truck Rifle: Mossberg MVP Scout Rifle

Mossberg

SEE IT

Why It Made the Cut
With a forward-mounted scope and ten-round magazine this versatile Mossberg is the perfect rifle to ride shotgun in your pickup.

Key Features

• Push-feed action 
• 11-inch extended top rail for standard or EER scopes
• Utilizes Magpul P-MAGs (one 10-round included)
• Polymer stock is pillar bedded and offers rails on right and left side
• LBA Adjustable trigger
• Weight: 7 pounds

Pros

• Relatively affordable price
• Versatile
• Picatinny rails for additional accessories

Cons

• Not as accurate as some other rifles on this list
• Dual lug design creates a bit of bolt slop

Product Description

The MVP is an affordable introduction to the world of Scout rifles. I’ve successfully hunted elk and mule deer with this rifle, but it’s also my go-to hog hunting weapon. And with subsonic loads it’s a super training and self-defense rifle. In fact, I probably shoot my MVP Scout rifle more than any other centerfire that I own. Is a Scout rifle ideal for hunting elk? Not under all circumstances, but my Mossberg placed a 165-grain Partition in the top of a bull’s heart from a couple hundred yards away and that, as they say, was that.

The side Picatinny rails make this rifle more versatile. For AR hunters who want a bolt gun that offers  them a place to mount all their swag, this is it. Because I shoot this rifle often I shoot it pretty well, and I believe Cooper was right when he said that the speed of a Scout rifle is unmatched by other bolt guns. 

Editors’ Pick: Nosler M21

Nosler

SEE IT

Why It Made the Cut
The M21 is designed to function perfectly in tough environments, balance well, shoot accurately, and it’s built with high-quality materials. It’s a dependable all-around hunting rifle that will last a lifetime.

Key Features

• Weight: 6.8 pounds
• Barrel: Stainless steel, 22-inch, 1:10-inch twist
• Threaded muzzle

Pros

• High-quality components 
• Intuitive design
• Top-level accuracy for a production hunting rifle
• Bolt features tool-less takedown for field maintenance

Cons

• Expensive

Product Description
The Nosler Model 21 is a fantastic hunting rifle, and it won Editor’s Choice in our 2022 rifle test. It’s a medium-lightweight, well-balanced rifle meant to take on any hunt. Though it’s an expensive rifle, you get a high-quality, long-term piece of equipment for the price.

The M21 isn’t ultra light, but it’s light enough to take on a mountain hunt and substantial enough to be easy shooting. It features a bolt that’s fluted to minimize receiver contact and utilizes an M16-style extractor.

The Triggertech trigger is user-adjustable, and the rifle is suppressor-ready. I really appreciate the bolt’s tool-less takedown feature. And the action is designed with user-friendliness in mind. If you want a rifle that can handle anything, consider this one. —Staff Writer Tyler Freel

Best Value: Winchester XPR

Winchester

SEE IT

Why It Made the Cut
The Winchester XPR is an affordable but rugged and accurate hunting rifle. I’ve hunted with the XPR quite a bit and have found it to be a great value.

Key Features

• Weight: 6.75 pounds
• Barrel: 22-inch, Perma-Cote steel, 1:12-inch twist
• Detachable magazine

Pros

• Affordable
• Accurate and dependable
• Good weight and balance
• Corrosion-resistant finish

Cons

• Fit and stock aren’t what they are on high-end rifles

Product Description

The Winchester XPR represents a great value for a hunting rifle and is one of the better “budget-priced” guns on the market. It features a no-frill synthetic stock, coated barrel and receiver, and a detachable single-stack magazine.

For the price, the XPR is typically a performer, and I’ve had the opportunity to hunt with several of them, including .308, .300 WSM, .338 Win Mag, and 6.5 Creedmoor. They’re almost all very accurate for their price and hold up to the elements well. The XPR is a simple, affordable rifle, but you don’t have to feel like you’re sacrificing performance. -Staff Writer, Tyler Freel

FAQs

Methodology

For this review, I compiled a list of the best .308 hunting rifles that I’ve personally used at the range or hunting. I considered factors such as, price, accuracy, weight, and the quality of materials and components of each rifle for determining which ones made this list.

Final Thoughts on the Best .308 Hunting Rifles

It’s no accident that the .308 has been so popular with hunters for seven decades. Today’s rifles and ammunition are better than ever, and that brings out the best in an already outstanding hunting cartridge. So finding the best .308 hunting rifles to fit your own needs shouldn’t be a problem. In the future the .308 will only face more competition, but this classic hunting cartridge isn’t going to disappear from American game fields anytime soon.

The post The Best .308 Hunting Rifles of 2023 appeared first on Outdoor Life.

Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made.