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Post by bigblue on Oct 17, 2009 19:08:50 GMT -6
Online gun sales are going to send me to the poor house! It's just too easy!! You sit, look and drool and next thing you know a new gun is on it's way!!! I think it was an out of mind experience!!!! Anyway that's how it started today, it ended with me ordering a Howa Ranchland rifle in .308 with a 20" barrel and Hogue stock. Here's a stock photo. The rifle should be in by the middle of the week. Don  |
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Post by DocHolladay on Oct 17, 2009 23:51:59 GMT -6
I am still in the market for a new rifle and havent been able to make up my mind on what caliber and what rifle. I am 90% sure that this rifle may just be it!! Nice buy Don.
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Post by bigblue on Oct 18, 2009 5:24:52 GMT -6
I am still in the market for a new rifle and havent been able to make up my mind on what caliber and what rifle. I am 90% sure that this rifle may just be it!! Nice buy Don. I've been looking at these since they came out. A little heavy at 7#s for a 20" barreled rifle, at least by Tikka standards, but still within reason. They are well built with a forged flat bottom receiver, one piece bolt, M-16 style extractor and hammer forged button rifled barrel. Don |
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Post by GrampaJer on Oct 18, 2009 5:57:25 GMT -6
 LOL.. DON, the Gun addict.. ;D How many "new" Guns do you have now, for Shooten that Deer with the Christmas Tree Rack..  .. I would just love to be in your tree stand with ya, while ya are trying to make up your mind... 
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Post by bigblue on Oct 18, 2009 6:51:16 GMT -6
I would just love to be in your tree stand with ya, while ya are trying to make up your mind... Jer, Funny, but that often happens opening morning right in front of the gun safe. LOL!! Don |
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Post by bigblue on Oct 23, 2009 14:03:53 GMT -6
I picked it up yesterday and didn't get to shoot it yet. It is a little on the heavy side, 7 lbs. without the scope, for a 20" barreled rifle. That may be a good thing if your trying to negate recoil. The Hogue stock feels great and has a fantastic recoil pad that should take away any recoil the .308 can put out. It is a bit wide in the forearm, but not overly so. The pebble grain in the gripping areas sure won't allow it to slip in your hand. I usually adjust every rifle's trigger, not this one. It's easily adjustable, but it's real crisp and came with the trigger adjusted to 3.75lbs. which is ideal for me on a hunting rifle. It's now wearing a Nikon 3-9x40 Buckmaster's scope in Burris base and rings. That probably adds another lb. or more. I have some factory .308 loads and loaded some 150gr. Hornady SST's and some 175gr. Berger bullets over Hodgdon's Varget. As soon as I get to the range I'll let you all know how it's shooting.
Don
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Post by DocHolladay on Oct 27, 2009 17:47:00 GMT -6
MMMM... Berger. I am still waiting on some on game experience from my .270.
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Post by bigblue on Oct 27, 2009 18:32:17 GMT -6
I'm anxious to see the lightening strike of a Berger bullet first hand. I had wanted to use this .308 to shoot lighter bullets for smaller game like the Mouflon sheep or even the Fallow deer. Since I have the Tikka shooting the 180gr. SSTs so well I'll keep that as is for larger game like elk. Now the Remington .260 should fill the smaller game niche just fine so I'll use the .308 for whitetails. It would be nice to see how the Bergers performed on Whitetails.
After mounting the 3-9x40 Nikon scope on this rifle I bore sighted it and took it out back to fire a round and see if I was on paper. I used a cheap PMC FMJ military surplus round. The muzzle blast from this 20" barrel with those rounds is unreal. My chickens were running around about 40 feet away and they looked like they got hit by a sonic blast! Wait 'til they get a load of the S+W .50!
Don
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Post by juliang on Nov 3, 2009 5:53:43 GMT -6
Nice job Don!! When we hog hunted this February I was carrying my Weatherby Vanguard, essentially your rifles sister. The weight does add up when you have to carry it up and down hills etc.
Like Doc and yourself, I loaded Berger VLD's in that rifle. I sure am looking forward to seeing some terminal performance results.
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Post by bigblue on Nov 3, 2009 20:16:08 GMT -6
. Like Doc and yourself, I loaded Berger VLD's in that rifle. I sure am looking forward to seeing some terminal performance results. We've all seen the videos from Berger and without a doubt they do drop game in their tracks. I do however have my reservations as to how much meat is being damaged in the process. Here's one account I read regarding just that issue. I found it under bullet reviews of the Berger VLDs at Relodersnest: Well I bought some with some hesitation 9 months or so ago. I had seen the video and I swear those animals are ALL spine shot. I was looking for an other option to the Nosler Ballistic tips so ... I gave them a shot. Well I watched in utter amazement as my daughter dropped a Whitetail doe dead in it's tracks. That thing was shot behind the leading shoulder and exitted out the far shoulder. There was a laser sharp hole in approx. 3 inches but what followed was utter devestation. That doe didn't kick / thrash or anything. I surgically examined that animal and I can clearly verify there was no spine involment or impact fractures to the spine. The bullet did "Totally" destroy the far shoulder/front leg. There was no less than 6 fractures of the combined upper and lower leg. SOOOO ... if you want a bullet that will kill immediately with devestation then this is your bullet. If you want to eat up to the bullet hole go buy Barnes TSX's.
Submitted by: TK
Date: 4/27/2009
Rifle used: Stevens
Caliber: 7MM-08Having grown up in New Jersey and therefore not being the most trusting of souls, I will have to try them for myself and do my own evaluation. Don |
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Post by DocHolladay on Nov 3, 2009 22:54:26 GMT -6
I usually dont eat the front shoulder anyway. Not enough meat and lots of tendons/gristle.
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Post by bigblue on Nov 4, 2009 14:56:29 GMT -6
I usually dont eat the front shoulder anyway. Not enough meat and lots of tendons/gristle. I agree it is a lot of work for very little meat. I usually take what meat I can get from the shoulders and throw it in the grinder. Some folks use the whole shoulder as a roast. Don |
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Post by bigblue on Nov 7, 2009 15:29:41 GMT -6
While the 175 gr. Berger bullets didn't work all that well in the Howa, I did have better luck with lighter bullets. The best three shot group I was able to get at 100 yards used Hornady 150gr. SSTs over 47.0gr. of Varget and measured .74" center to center. I'll play with that load a bit, but it looks pretty promising as is. The 165gr. Sierra Gamekings didn't do too bad either with a three shot group measuring 1.0" using 44.5gr. of Varget.
Don
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Post by locksley on Nov 29, 2009 4:37:15 GMT -6
interesting
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LOL.. DON, the Gun addict.. ;D How many "new" Guns do you have now, for Shooten that Deer with the Christmas Tree Rack.. 
.. I would just love to be in your tree stand with ya, while ya are trying to make up your mind... 
