Another rifle

[Idaho]

Last year I bought a Savage .223 with a 3-9 power Nikon scope on it. I love shooting that rifle and intend to use it on coyotes.

This year I've got the urge to go chase after wolves. (only a 1% chance of getting one according to statistics but who cares?) So, I decided that I wanted something capable of reaching out a little farther. I wanted a rifle that was known for distance that did not also kick the snot out of me when I pulled the trigger. (I'm beyond the macho stage in life) I settled on a Ruger M77 Hawkeye in 25-06. Found a nice used one in a local gun shop with a real POS scope mounted on it. It is a Symons and it's the worse scope I've ever looked through. Ordered a new Burris 4.5-14x42mm C4 scope. Burris will custom build a calibrated elevation knob specifically to match the ballistics of the round of my choice. I'm also buying a Leica 1000 yard range finder to eliminate guesswork.

About 1980 I had an M77 in 25-06 and took an antelope at 650 yards with it. I'm looking forward to getting this rig together and going out looking for wolves.

If this scope works as well as I hope it does I will replace the Nikon on my 223 with a Burris C4. Last year I spotted a coyote out about 600 yards and did not even try a shot because I was not sure of the distance nor where I needed to hold on the scope. If my research is correct the C4 and rangefinder will fix that little problem.

[HwyRider]

Isn't it illegal to hunt wolves?

[ant]

Good luck on your hunts

[plumber63]

I don't have a problem hunting for animals for food. But just to shoot one for sport/trophy is morally and ethically wrong. They were here before we were, it is us that is encroaching on them not the other way around. I know got to control their population, maybe thats what they are thinking about us when they attack a human.

[Idaho]

No, it is not illegal. Wolves are causing lots of headaches for ranchers and elk herds have crashed to a fraction of their size because of them. I know of elk hunters who have been frightened out of their wits because of wolves and refuse to head to the mountains again.

I hunt coyotes on a sheep ranch where the rancher is constantly at war with them.

[cnc]

I prefer to shoot wildlife with a camera.

[HwyRider]

Originally Posted by cnc

I prefer to shoot wildlife with a camera.

+1

[paul]

Interesting choice, the 26-06. At one time, that was a very popular caliber. I never owned one, but always thought it would be a great all purpose cartridge with some limitations on the upper end. I don't have the means or, for that matter, the desire to own a small arsenol, so I try to maximize my capabilities in the weapon I choose.

I am a big fan of the '06' cartridge and it's many offshoots. After doing a lot of looking around, I decided on the 7mm-06, or 280 as most people know it. Kind of like you, I wanted a reach out and touch someone gun, but also some built in versitility. With all the 7mm bullits available, I can load from varments to moose in the same gun, and build long range rounds or super accurate target/hunting rounds. The efficiency of the '06 casing also lets me load to within 100 fps of the 7mm Mag with 10 grains less powder and all the thumping that goes with it.

On a side note, my last varmet gun was a beautiful custom 22-250 with Monte carlo stock in blonde burle wood and rosewood caps. I was bedded and built on mauser action. Super accurate and a long distance prairie dog hitter par excellance. I lent it to my brother to go on a deer hunt and he had a feed malfunction and blew the gun up. The bolt went out the back, digging a huge cavern out of the cheek rest, sheered the bolt completely off. First thing he did when he got down out of the stand, was take a HUGE c&@p right on the trail. Before I knew what had happened, I came down that same trail on the way back to the cabin. I remember thinking, ' That was just damn rude.'

I didn't like that gun for anything but varmets, because it would just turn the little bullets into schrapnel and ruin any meat you hit. I tried it on a deer right after I got it, shoulder shot, barely see the entry wound, had to move the hair around to find it, no exit at all, but in between, nutin but hamburger. Even the bones were reduced to mush. It would have made one hell of a sniper rifle.

[Idaho]

The 25-06 will do perfectly for what I want, long range capability without the recoil wallop of a magnum. The Ruger M77 Hawkeye has a Mauser style action and a medium weight 24 inch barrel. For now I plan to only put 117 to 120gr JSP bullets through it. That will be plenty effective for my intentions. If I decide to go after some long range varmints I will work up the ballistics for a lighter bullet and order a new custom elevation knob. I'm really looking forward to getting the scope mounted and a custom elevation knob ordered.
The 22-250 is super fast and it does blow up bullets on penetration so you get clean kills on deer within 200 yards. Sounds like your brother is lucky the bolt did not take out half of his face.

By the way, on the wolf issue. The wolves that the USFWS have released into Yellowstone and the surrounding states are Canadian Gray Wolves. They are not the same smaller Northern Rockies wolves that once lived here. Nor are they endangered or threatened. There are tens of thousands of them living in Canada and Alaska.

The success rate for hunters here in Idaho is only 1% so this is more of a chance for me to get out and enjoy the mountains and get some exercise than it is a serious hunt.

[Top Cat]

Originally Posted by plumber63

I don't have a problem hunting for animals for food. But just to shoot one for sport/trophy is morally and ethically wrong. They were here before we were, it is us that is encroaching on them not the other way around. I know got to control their population, maybe thats what they are thinking about us when they attack a human.

PETA member

Originally Posted by cnc

I prefer to shoot wildlife with a camera.

Originally Posted by HwyRider

+1

I hope you guys take a firearm with you when hunting with those cameras. There is wildlife out there that will kill you if given the chance
Unless birds and squirrels are the wildlife you are shooting with your camera

[paul]

Originally Posted by cnc

I prefer to shoot wildlife with a camera.

Me too. Right after I've rendered them etable. And I am a proud member of PETA.

People
Eating
Tasty
Animals

[ponch]

The .25-06 is a great round for that and would work well on speed goats and mule deer. If you want something that reaches out a little more without a lot of kick, the .257 weatherby is a little better, but harder on barrels. I think you'll be fine. Funny thing though about the elk hunters, you'd think that with a rifle that can kill an elk, shooting a wolf would be easy.

[cnc]

Originally Posted by Top Cat

PETA member





I hope you guys take a firearm with you when hunting with those cameras. There is wildlife out there that will kill you if given the chance
Unless birds and squirrels are the wildlife you are shooting with your camera

In that case maybe we should equip school children in suburban Toronto with guns. There was a documentry on a few weeks back stating that there are very few pure eastern grey wolves as the have found it necessary to mate with coyotes over the past 100 years. Quite a number of this newer breed of animal have moved into suburbia and co-exist with the population, shying away from people but none the less they are there.

I have encountered several coyotes up at my cottage but they also prefer to avoid you. Bear are further into the mountains, there is the odd lynx etc. I have never been threatened by deer or moose either.

[Top Cat]

I'm not getting into a pissin match about gun control or what happens if mother nature is left to thinning the heard by survival of the fittest.
Do your own research

[cactusjack]

PETA = People Eating Tasty Animals