Category: The Gun Thing

Here’s a $5,000 solution to someone of a practical mind.  Let’s assume that you would like to have a couple of rifles that would do duty on varmints and on medium-sized game.  But you’d like them to be identical in every respect but chambering, so that you would be familiar with both the action, the trigger and the shouldering thereof.

Why not, asks Steve Barnett (Merchant Of Death Extraordinaire), get these two?  Here’s the Ruger M77 RSI in .22-250 Rem (which spells “death to varmints” in no uncertain terms):

…and here’s its twin, in .308 Win (which spells “death to pretty much everything else”):

Yes of course they’re identical:  that’s the whole point of the exercise.  And at under $2,500 each, it seems to me to be a very practical and elegant solution to the “one gun, two calibers” demand made for hunting.

Longtime Readers will also know of my inordinate fondness for the full-stocked rifle, and Ruger’s RSI line fills that to capacity, oh yes it does.

As for the boolets themselves, here’s a comparison (with ballistics):

All that remains is to mount two identical scopes with identical reticles to the above rifles, and the brief is filled, I think, pretty much to perfection:

And yes, I think the term “elegant solution” is entirely appropriate here.

Anyone who has known me for longer than 30 seconds will be aware of my fondness for the venerable Mauser Model 96 a.k.a. Swedish Mauser, chambered for the excellent 6.5x55mm cartridge a.k.a. 6.5mm Swede.

(That’s “mine”, nicknamed Princess Inge and stolen from me by the Son&Heir, who shoots 1-MOA groups at 400 yards with the iron sights as fitted.  Unfortunately, he loves it as much or more than I do, so I never get to shoot it anymore.)

Truth be told, I prefer it over the German Gew. 98 and the later K98 Mausers — in fact, I pretty much prefer it over any bolt-action rifle ever made.  Ditto the 6.5mm Swede, which when shot out of that 29″ barrel has a flat trajectory and due to its long bullet, boasts exceptional sectional density, which means it’s going to penetrate just about anything it hits, especially if it’s the steel-core Hirtenberg mil-surp ammo.

Anyway…

One of the actions the Swedish Army took over the years was to identify which of the rifles showed exceptional accuracy (out of a group which was already very accurate), and turn them into both scope-fitted sniper rifles (M41b) and designated “Target” rifles.  Here’s an example of the sniper version:

…and from Collectors Firearms, an example of the “Target” version:

The sniper rifle above was purchased for about $1,500 at Collectors (not by me, but by a Reader), but that was back in the early 2000s.  Gawd knows what it would sell for now, because the Target rifle as shown is going for just under $1,300 at the same Merchant Of Death.

Doesn’t matter.  It seems as though all bolt-action rifles of any quality sell for around a grand these days (aaaaargh), but I would suggest that this Target rifle is actually a bargain at that price — because it has proven accuracy and of course, being a Mauser, its reliability is unquestioned.

What a beauty, in every sense of the word.

Want.

Here’s a pretty one from Champlin Arms:

I’ve had a fresh perspective on Connecticut Shotgun Manufacturing Company ever since I watched Jonny do a tour of the place a while ago.

Despite being located in gun-hating Connecticut, it’s a company I’d love to buy from, especially one their top-end RBL shotguns.

Of course, I’d get a side-by-side and not one of those new-fangled O/U things, but still.

…and of course with a double trigger:

But that’s just me;  others may vary.

I stumbled on this fine article SOTI, and I had to share it with everyone because not only is it a good analysis and background story on the wonderful old Nylon 66, but it evokes from me a feeling of deep regret, because I was once offered one for about $20, and I turned it down because to me the little gun looked kinda cheap and nasty.

It was a Black Apache like this one:

No, don’t bother to offer to kick my ass, because said ass already has an excellent set of bruises thereon, self-inflicted.

In my defense, I didn’t know as much about guns back then as I do now, and in fact I’d never even heard of the thing because of my deprived South African childhood.

Anyway, here’s a different model, the brown one:

…and one that was recently on sale at Collector’s (it’s long gone, don’t bother), and for around $650 (!!!!):

Now go and read the article, because it’s full of interesting stuff.

By the way, I rejected the Nylon 66 because it looked flimsy and cheap, whereas it’s anything but.

Don’t trust me with any investment advice;  I suck.