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By
Ron Spomer, Field Editor, and Jeff Johnston, Senior Editor
Though not the prettiest, most-nostalgic
or least-expensive tools for hunting, these four lightweight, made-to-order
rifles will get the job done no matter the conditions.
Borden Rimrock LSR
Despite weighing just 7.5 pounds with a Swarovski
AV 3X-9X scope mounted on Talley steel rings, the Jim Borden creation
I hunted grizzlies with last spring grouped three 180-grain Barnes
TSX bullets into .670 inch in the wind at 100 yards. Under calm
conditions, three 180-grain Scirocco IIs propelled by Vitavouri
N165 powder clustered .292 inch at 100 yards. Those tiny groups
are even more impressive when you consider the caliber—.300
Borden Caribou, Jim’s version of an Improved .300 Weatherby
Mag. Hot .300s aren’t generally noted for stellar accuracy,
but this one had it, thanks in no small part to Borden’s tight,
precision-built bolt-action with patented Borden bumps, which precisely
align and seat the bolt lugs in the action, square with the axis
of the bore. Its shock-absorbing, straight comb, sandstone Rimrock
fiberglass stock has fiberglass pillars to bed its Hart barrel—this
contributed to its accuracy.
Its Rifle Basix adjustable trigger is set at 2.5
pounds, just about right for a field rifle in the hands of an experienced
shooter. A hinged floorplate added weight, but also convenience
and safety when it’s time to empty the magazine. With a rifle
as accurate as this in a caliber this potent, you’ll be emptying
the magazine through its floor a lot.—R.S.
New Ultra Light Arms
M209 Muzzleloader
Some people hunt with a muzzleloader for nostalgia;
others hunt with one because it can extend their hunting season.
Now I’ve found one that can extend my season and my maximum
range: The custom M209 muzzleloader from legendary lightweight riflemaker
Melvin Forbes. In a nutshell this rifle wizard takes a Douglas barrel,
threads it for a breach plug and primer nipple, mates it to a bolt-action
receiver and beds it in a hand-built, featherweight stock made of
Kevlar and graphite.
The M209 ML weighs under 6 pounds and it shoots
sub-MOA groups. By building the rifle on one of his bolt-action
receivers, a custom centerfire trigger—an essential aspect
of any sub-MOA rifle—is incorporated as well as a quality,
two-position safety. The receiver and bolt also facilitate priming
and primer extraction.
Forbes built the barrel and action so strong that
it can handle blackpowder, Pyrodex or smokeless powder. Executive
Director of NRA Publications Joe Graham reports that with 39 grains
of Vitavouri coupled with a Barnes .50 caliber, 260-grain TMZ bullet
(the sabot was specially designed for these ultra-high velocity
loads) the M209 will compete with modern centerfires for accuracy.
Because of its lines, trigger and accuracy, the
M209 feels like a modern rifle, as proven to me one winter day last
November in Virginia’s vast George Washington National Forest.
At high noon, after a full morning of still-hunting, I spotted a
buck before it spotted me. With little conscious thought I raised
the rifle, thumbed the safety, found the buck in the scope and pulled
the trigger. Now I have a nice buck hanging on the wall but I am
very sad. You see, I had to send the rifle back to Mr. Forbes.—J.J.
Rifles Inc. Titanium
Strata
The Strata is laughably light. I know this because
everyone whom I have asked to pick up the rifle has experienced
the tickling sensation of having their mind fooled when their muscles
apply more energy than they actually need to lift it. As a result,
the rifle seems to float upward to the shoulder rapidly, often hitting
the cheek with stimulating force. Usually they suppress a laugh
and turn to a buddy. “Dang,” they say, “this thing
weighs a ton. Here, Bill, try it.”
The Strata, built by Texas gunsmith Lex Webernick
of Rifles Inc., weighs 4.5 pounds. You can literally hold it by
its grip with one hand and maintain decent control of it. It has
a hand-built stock that weighs 11 ounces, a toothpick thin, Lilja
match barrel, a Timney trigger and a Remington Model 700 action
that’s as skeletonized as a Gucci model. But a lot of people
can build light rifles. The trick, then, is making them shoot accurately
while not maiming the shooter. The Strata comes standard with a
muzzle brake because a 4.5-pound rifle in a caliber larger than
about a .270 is no fun for anybody to shoot from the bench and I
don’t care what kind of space-age, rubber recoil pad it wears.
But the brake can be twisted off and replaced with a thread protector,
a piece of the metal that looks like the rest of the barrel. The
thread protector has no holes and doesn’t vent gases back
toward the shooter nor does it mitigate recoil. The muzzle brake
and the thread protector are machined and polished so well that
you can’t tell they’re a non-integral part of the barrel
without a magnifying glass. Use the muzzle brake for range work,
use the protector while afield. Lex modifies and trues the action,
then squares and mates it to the barrel. He beds it in the stock
using glass and pillars. The trigger is tuned and adjusted to 3
pounds. Next Lex adds a little Texas prairie dust and voilà,
the rifle will shoot 1/2-inch groups for as long as you can carry
it, and that’s a long time. —J.J.
NoslerCustom M48
Renowned bullet-maker Nosler has been tinkering
with rifles for years, but only recently did it delve into the custom
rifle market. The M48 Sporter (48 denotes the year John Nosler began
producing bullets) utilizes Nosler’s proprietary bolt action,
a dual lug, push-feed bolt. The action is exceptionally smooth thanks
to precision machining and a MicroSlick metal coating on all interior
parts. A one-piece floorplate and trigger guard that houses a hand-tuned
Timney trigger adds a nice touch, as does its Remington-styled-yet-three-position
safety. All the exterior metal is finished with CeraKote, a baked-on,
matte finish that is impervious to the elements. The hand-laid stock
is made of Kevlar and painted.
As a hunting rifle it is a gem, and here’s
why: Where I put the crosshairs, the bullet hit every time. With
Nosler’s custom 140-grain Accubond ammo (2006’s version
is chambered in .270 WSM, but the .300 and .325 WSMs are expected
to follow) the rifle is guaranteed to 3/4-inch groups, but I recorded
several 1/2-inch groups even with factory ammo. At 5 3/4 pounds,
the M48 is a babe to carry in the woods but it doesn’t need
to be babied. While high atop a Virginia mountain, I climbed a tree
with the M48 on my back in order to get a better shot angle at a
scavenging black bear. The rifle worked, in one-shot fashion. What’s
more, the rifle may be one of the better semi-custom-rifle bargains
going with its $2,495 price tag. —J.J. |
