{"id":130989,"date":"2020-07-06T13:59:05","date_gmt":"2020-07-06T17:59:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/?p=130989"},"modified":"2025-11-14T06:03:45","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T12:03:45","slug":"hunt365-how-to-assemble-the-ultimate-western-big-game-rifle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/hunt365-how-to-assemble-the-ultimate-western-big-game-rifle\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Assemble the Ultimate Western Big Game Rifle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"How
The author with a beautiful mule deer buck taken at 350 yards with a favorite lightweight rifle. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s early July. Velvet-covered deer and elk antlers are growing more massive every day, summer thunderstorms are beginning to build over the high country, and the fall hunting seasons are just a couple short months away. If you\u2019ve been hankering after a great hunting rifle for stalking western big game, now is the time to make your move. There\u2019s never a bad time for a good rifle but now is always the best time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are as many differing\nopinions on what makes a great western hunting rifle<\/a>, as there are western\nhunters. One fellow wants a classic, lightweight rifle that balances like a Latin\ndancer; another wants a heavier modular rig that shoots tiny cloverleaf groups\nand settles onto the ground like a chunk of lead. One hunter wants cheap,\nanother desires the finest quality available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personally, I hunt mostly on public-land and prefer to use the quads God gave me rather than an ATV. The best public-land hunting lies off the beaten path, so I usually hike or ride a horse miles from the nearest road. As a result, lightweight is important. I like quality and demand accuracy from my hunting rifles. Snow and storm doesn\u2019t chase me indoors, so I need my hunting rifle to be weather-resistant. I\u2019m a sucker for classic beauty and I love a well-balanced rifle. So here\u2019s how to assemble the ultimate western hunting rifle according to my criteria. Unless you do most of your hunting from a truck and spend more money on your meals than your footwear, it\u2019ll be just as awesome for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"How
Western terrain is often big and wide open. You should tailor your rifle to handle everything from close-range shots in heavy timber to long cross-canyon shots. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

THE RIFLE<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The foundation of your setup\nis, obviously, the rifle itself. Working from the criteria outlined above, here\nare the features you should look for in a western hunting rifle:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lightweight:<\/strong> If a rifle is too heavy \u2013 above 6.5 pounds \u2013\nautomatically remove it from your list. It might be an awesome rifle, just not\nfor western hunting. The last thing you need when you\u2019re grinding up a\nnear-vertical slope trying to keep up with a herd of elk is extra pounds. Ideally,\nlook for a rifle that weighs closer to five pounds than six.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"How
Superb accuracy renders a western hunting rifle significantly more capable and forgiving in the field than a less-accurate rifle. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Accurate:<\/strong> I\u2019ll admit I\u2019m a bit of an accuracy snob. Rifles that offer only so-so accuracy lose my interest faster than tie-dyed tee shirts and heavy metal. You should look for a rifle that will shoot three-shot groups that average less than one minute of angle (MOA). That\u2019s roughly an inch at 100 yards. My favorite hunting rifles will group inside three quarters of an inch (3\/4 MOA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Usually, you don\u2019t have the opportunity to accuracy test a new rifle before you buy it, so your best strategy is to purchase a gun built by a company with a reputation for out-of-the-box accuracy. A few companies that I trust to deliver accurate new rifles are Browning, Kimber, Weatherby<\/a>, Nosler, and, if money is not a concern and you desire top-tier, Gunwerks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trigger:<\/strong> You need a great trigger in your western hunting rifle.\nWhen the buck or bull of a lifetime gives you a fleeting shot opportunity the\nlast thing you should be doing is fighting to get a clean trigger break. Bottom\nline? Unless your rifle has an awesome trigger already in it, buy and install a\ntop-end trigger from TriggerTech or Timney.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"How
Stainless steel hardware and carbon fiber stock design is perfect for hunting in bad weather and rough terrain. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Durable:<\/strong> For best durability and weather resistance, look for a rifle built with stainless steel and carbon fiber. Both materials thumb their nose at inclement weather. Cerakote (a ceramic-based finish) on metal can enhance durability and appearance but is not necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Design: <\/strong>If you\u2019ll be hunting where grizzly bears share the\nterritory, opt for a controlled-feed action. It might make the difference\nduring a life-and-death encounter with an unreasonable bruin. If you\u2019re not<\/em> hunting grizzly country, either\ncontrolled or push-feed action design will serve you well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I personally prefer the\nstreamlined classical profile of traditional hunting rifle stocks, with no\nadjustable comb to hang on brush and twigs, and no beavertail forend to bulge\nmy saddle scabbard. In my experience classic hunting stocks usually balance\nnicely as well, which is important both for carry-ability and rapid, accurate\nfield shooting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barrel length should be kept\nbetween 22 and 24 inches. Less and you loose velocity, more and your rifle\nbegins to become unwieldy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quality:<\/strong> My rifle is the single most important tool in my arsenal,\nand I\u2019m not inclined to opt for cheap. You get what you pay for, and while\nthere are some accurate, inexpensive rifles out there, they don\u2019t offer the\nattributes I want in a western hunting rifle. Remember the title of this article.\nIt\u2019s \u201cUltimate\u201d, not \u201cCheap\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I expect to pay $1,600 to $3,500\nfor a rifle that meets my criteria, and if I want the Lamborghini option\n(Gunwerks), three times that amount. In return I know I\u2019ll have a hunting rifle\nI can trust in any circumstances, and that will still shoot true when I pass it\ndown to a grandchild.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"How
Leupold 3×18-44 VX6 riflescope. To the author\u2019s way of thinking this is one of the finest hunting scopes available today. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

THE SCOPE<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Your riflescope<\/a> is the tool that connects your rifle with your target, and as such should be the highest quality you can afford. Zeiss, Trijicon, Swarovski, Leica, Nightforce, and others build great scopes, but in my personal opinion Leupold builds the best hunting<\/em> riflescopes (largely due to their turret design). Any of the above brands will work very well. Look for these features:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lightweight:<\/strong> There\u2019s that word again. Trust me, it\u2019s important.\nGiant, heavy scopes with 34mm tubes and magnification that rivals the Hubble Telescope\nare all the rage for precision and long range shooting, but believe me; they\u2019re\na long way from ideal for a western hunting rig. Look for a scope that weighs\nat or under 22 ounces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Compact:<\/strong> Here again, big is unnecessary and inconvenient for\nwestern hunting. Select a scope that is compact and built around a one-inch or\na 30mm tube.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"How
Miles from the nearest road and hunting at 11,000 feet elevation, life is hard. Packing a big, heavy rifle and scope combination can cripple your hunt. Choose lightweight and compact instead. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Magnification:<\/strong> Look for a scope with a low-end magnification of two-point-five\nor three-power. You need low magnification with its accompanying large field of\nview for those up-close opportunities that inevitably occur when you least\nexpect them. Someday when you\u2019re trying to get a bullet into a big bull elk in\nthick timber, you\u2019ll thank me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the top end, you\u2019ll want at\nleast nine-power magnification, though up to 18 is better. My all-time favorite\nscope is 3\u201318 power. I can turn the scope down for up close hunting, or all the\nway up to 18-power and use it as a spotting scope. I turn it down to nine power\nfor any long shot. This gives me a big enough field of view that I can stay on\nthe animal through recoil, spot my impact, and execute a rapid follow-up shot,\nif necessary. If you shoot with your scope turned up higher than nine or 10\npower you run the risk of loosing sight of your target during recoil. Then\nyou\u2019ll struggle to reacquire it afterward, due to the limited field of view at\nhigh magnification. That\u2019s not a problem while shooting paper at the range, but\nit\u2019s huge when shooting at game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Objective lens:<\/strong> Anything larger than a 44mm objective lens is too\nbig and bulky. It\u2019ll get in the way, off-balance your rifle, and smack up\nagainst something every time you set the rifle down. That\u2019s hard on your\nrifle\u2019s zero. Big objective lenses (the front bell of your scope) should be\nleft to target and bench shooters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"How
A good hunting turret, complete with engraved yardage markings. It\u2019s one of the best ways to set your hunting rifle up for long shots across open western terrain. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Turret:<\/strong> Long, open-country shots are common in the west, and a good dial-up turret with zero-stop or zero-lock type mechanism will serve you well. I like to add a yardage-marked turret as well, once I\u2019ve broken the rifle in and chosen a load to use. Once you have worked up ballistic data for your setup (velocity, bullet weight, and BC, common temp, and altitude), you should contact the manufacture and they\u2019ll help you order a yardage turret. Then all you need to do is range the target or animal, dial your turret to the corresponding range, and center the crosshairs for the shot. It\u2019s awesome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"How
An awesome bull elk and equally great rifle, complete with lightweight one-piece alloy scope mounts by Talley. They\u2019re precision-machined and bulldozer-tough. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

THE ACCESSORIES<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Now that you\u2019ve chosen your\nrifle and scope, all that\u2019s left are the accessories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scope Mounts:<\/strong> Leupold, Weaver, Burris, Talley, and others all make\nawesome rings and bases. My favorite, go-to mounts for a western hunting rifle\nare Talley\u2019s lightweight, one-piece alloy mounts. They are superbly strong and\nweigh next to nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carrying Sling:<\/strong> This little item is important because it aids you during long hours of carrying your rifle through rugged western big game country. Personally, I don\u2019t like wide, cobra-style straps, because they tend to get in the way. Instead, try a one-inch or 1.25-inch wide sling made of leather or grippy rubber.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"How
Using a bipod will add stability for long, challenging shots. Shown is one of the author\u2019s favorite models made by Atlas. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bipod:<\/strong> A bipod is not necessary; you can throw your pack on the ground or atop a boulder and use it as a rest. Lately, though, I\u2019ve grown fond of using a good bipod<\/a> for longer shots. They simply add an element of stability that\u2019s hard to accomplish any other way. I like the models by Atlas or Spartan Precision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"How
Western big game comes hard-earned, but a lightweight, accurate rifle can make the difference between failure and success. Shown is the author\u2019s friend Serge with a great deep-wilderness bull. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

CONCLUSION<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve chosen and assembled your ultimate western hunting rifle, you are the final piece of the puzzle. Train with the rifle until it feels like an extension of you. You should be able to load and unload your rifle and check the turrets in the dark. When you shoulder the rifle your crosshairs should find the target automatically. Do extensive dry-fire practice from every imaginable field position. Learn where it shoots out to extended distances. Train to watch your impact through the scope while you cycle the bolt for an instant follow-up shot. When that western buck or bull of a lifetime shows up, you\u2019ll be ready.<\/p>\n\n\n\n