Rifles

Once I had picked up the rifle from a local sporting goods store, it was time to add a scope and the various accouterments to turn it into a legitimate all-weather hunting rifle, capable of holding its own no matter what Mother Nature throws at it.

A team of shooters with varying experience went through, shot, and evaluated four, mid-range priced rifles from Mossberg, Savage, Howa, and CVA to see just what kind of bang for your buck you get in a mid-priced rifle.

There are as many differing opinions on what makes a great western hunting rifle, as there are western hunters.

When I unboxed the Predator, I found a skinny little tapered barrel, a light composite stock, and a surprisingly smooth action. I say surprising because there was really nothing remarkable about the rifle other than the action. Admittedly, I did not have high expectations for the predator. It is a deceptively modest gun. Can a rifle that retails for less than $500 makes hits at 1,000 yards?

The Ultralight Hunter was designed for hunting, but the author believes the rifle would be equally adept in a home-defense role loaded with the right 300 HAM’R ammunition.

Today, anything you buy from Christensen Arms has at least a sub-MOA guarantee and many of the models carry a ½ MOA guarantee. That’s an impressive feat for rifles that are extremely lightweight.

The bottom line is it was an amazing trip. The service, facilities, staff, food, professional hunters, animals, weather, and just the overall welcoming and accommodating attitude of everyone associated with Marupa Safaris was fantastic.

This hunt was going to be from the Land Cruiser since there was no cover to even consider a stalk and the springbok was covering hundreds of yards each time we tried to get near it. After what seemed like an hour, Dolf decided it was time for me to use some of that ammunition.

You would expect to get a lot of rifle for anything wearing this price tag, and with this gun, you will. Here’s a closer look at what makes this rifle worthy of its price.