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New hunting rifle coming along; Ruger Predator.

1K views 13 replies 7 participants last post by  Idaho45guy 
#1 ·
I had two main hunting rifles for decades. One was a custom Winchester Mod 70 based on a pre-`64 action and chambered in .35 Whelen. It was my elk rifle. Beautiful gun built by Mel Smart of Kilimanjaro Rifle fame. Value of the rifle is around $15,000. Only hunted with it in perfect conditions where it would not be subjected to brush beating or foul weather, understandably.

It's counterpart was a Ruger M77 "boat paddle" rifle in .30-06 that I camouflaged and used whenever the weather was bad, or I was doing real hunting in the brush. Paid $400 for it. But, it was heavy, the recoil was bad, and the trigger was heavy.

Last year, I acquired another custom Model 70 based on a pre-`64 action chambered in .30-06 Ackley Improved. It came with two stocks. One an Al Biesen fiddle wood stock worth around $5k, and the other, a no name composite stock. I put the action in the composite stock, stuck a cheap Nikon scope on it, and was rewarded with incredible 3/8" groups.

I then found out that the Ruger I had was a collectible and gained value. I scrubbed all of the camo paint off of it and sold it for $800 on Gunbroker.

I replaced it with a Ruger Predator in .308. I wanted a cheap, handy, accurate rifle that was capable of 1 MOA at 500 yards. Research shows that the Ruger should be capable of it.

Got it in last week and mounted a Nikon P-Tactical 3x9, Limbsaver Kodiak Lite sling, Axis Mfg. brake, and then gave it my own custom camo job.

Worked up some loads tonight and am taking it to the range tomorrow.

Really happy with how the rifle feels and carries. Still under 8lbs with a 3.5 lb crisp trigger.

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#6 ·
Rag on me all you want, but an all camo rifle looks as if it came out of a rack in the toy department at Wal-Mart.
 
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#8 ·
Took the rifle out today to an informal range that was the sight of a WWII-era clay mining facility.

Met my brother and we shot for about 5 hours until the rain moved in.

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I brought 6 different recipes with me using bullet weights of 150, 165, and 178. Best results were with the Hornady ELDX in 178 grain and 42 grains of Varget. 150 grain Hornady SP Interlock and 42 grains of 4895 were close behind.

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The more I shot, the tighter the groups got. Will load up some more recipes using the ELDX bullets, since they will work very well for elk and deer and have great ballistic coefficient number of .552.

Was hoping for 1/2" or less groups, but not this trip. Hopefully next time.
 
#9 ·
I really had no complaint about the accuracy of the plastic stock that came with my Predator. I did gain accuracy with the Boyd's stock on a Savage Axis that was RH bolt, my predator is a lefty. Common complaint about the Axis is the flimsy plastic stock. Had it been a LH Axis I would still be using it. The Predator is a little nicer rifle however and I got it on a sale that was acceptable. In MN, visibility laws for hunter dress is such that deer will see the hunter before the rifle. They mostly catch movement. I learned that from bow hunting. I am not knocking the preference for a camo rifle set up. Just like my set up. The out of box Predator is a matte barrel and a green plastic stock so it is designed for what the OP mentioned.

DEP
 
#10 ·
In MN, visibility laws for hunter dress is such that deer will see the hunter before the rifle. They mostly catch movement. I learned that from bow hunting. I am not knocking the preference for a camo rifle set up. Just like my set up. The out of box Predator is a matte barrel and a green plastic stock so it is designed for what the OP mentioned.

DEP
No such requirements here for hunter orange. Though I do keep a blaze orange vest and trail marking tape in my pack for when I do take an animal, so I can mark it when packing out of the woods. Strapping a deer or elk head to your back and hiking through the brush without it wrapped in hunter orange or bright green tape is asking for trouble.
 
#12 ·
I don't know. Ask the engineers at Browning...





Or the guys at Kimber...



Or Tika...



Seems that all the high-end rifle manufacturers feature a muzzle brake system on their hunting rifles. Especially on the lighter rifles. When I picked mine up from the FFL, he said he had a Predator and installed the Axis Mfg. brake on it and really helped tame the hotter 180 gr loads in a 7lb rifle. It was $30. Shot it for a few hours and my shoulder is just fine today. Unlike my previous rifle, a Ruger M77 in .30-06. It would punish me in under 10 rounds.

I don't understand why less recoil is a bad thing, and I like the protection against sticking the barrel in the dirt and plugging it up. I've had that happen on a hunt when I slipped trying to follow a fresh elk trail.

My other hunting rifle is just a tad lighter than this one, and is in .30-06 Ackley Improved. It will push a 180-gr bullet at 2900+ fps. That rifle kicks. It hurts my eyes when I touch off a hot round in it. I've been thinking about having a gunsmith take a couple of inches off the barrel and thread it for a brake.
 
#14 ·
Got the AICS mag conversion kit finally and installed it this afternoon.

5-round Magpul mag functions perfectly, but the 10-round mag only works for the first 7 rounds. The last 3 rounds, the bolt isn't catching them. It seems like the spring is too weak and isn't pushing them up high enough.

Doubt I will ever use the 10-round mags, anyway. Even with the 5-round mag inserted, it digs into my side when shouldered. Just thought the 10-rounders would be a handy way of carrying extra ammo in my pack.

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