When you’re venturing deep into the backcountry on a hunt, every ounce counts. You want to keep weight to a minimum because, along with your rifle, you will be carrying food, water, binoculars/spotter, GPS, and possibly a tripod or shooting sticks. Then, if you are successful, you will be carrying all that gear PLUS the game meat you harvested. Weight definitely becomes an issue — so a low-mass rifle is good.
With advances in stock and barrel technology, we are seeing excellent new hunting rifles that weigh under 5 pounds. Such ultralight rifles were once only available to wealthy sportsmen paying $3000 or more. Now that has all changed. Legacy Sports International has introduced a series of very affordable ultralight rifles. These are all on display in Legacy’s new 2021 Catalog.
Legacy offers a number of rifles that weigh well under 6 pounds before optics. The Howa Carbon Stalker starts at 4 lbs. 10 ounces, while the Carbon Elevate is a just a few ounces more, starting at 4 lbs. 13 ounces. These both feature a full carbon-fiber stock from Stocky’s Stocks.
Legacy’s Howa Mini Action models are also lightweight, even with a more conventional stock. These attractively-priced Mini Action models begin at just 6.6 pounds. Shown below is the new “Full Dip” hunting model with full camouflage Hydro-Dip on stock, barreled action, and even the scope. This model is offered with your choice of three different Kryptek camo schemes: Highlander, Kratos, and Yote.
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Our friend Ernie Bishop (SEB Rests USA) has been busy in the Wyoming backcountry. Bishop is a big fan of specialty pistols, and one of his favorite XP-100 bolt-action pistols showed its capabilities recently, harvesting a whitetail doe that will provide meat for the Bishop family and friends.
Ernie reports: “Dan Ekstrom and I did some whitetail hunting earlier this week, and tonight our families enjoyed some smoked backstrap and grilled sausage, a bunch of other fixings. We were in the foothills of the Big Horn mountains, outside of Story, Wyoming. Yes, we have whitetail here.”
Ernie’s Remington XP-100 bolt-action pistol features a 14.5″ HS Precision barrel chambered in .308 Winchester, fitted with a Mac’s Gunworks muzzle brake. The scope is a Burris 3-15x50mm XTR2. The field support consists of a BOG Tripod, with the original BOG PSR top and Holland’s small field bag. Ernie reports that, unfortunately, the PSR Top has been discontinued.
The Story of the Successful Whitetail Hunt — Report from the Field Report by Ernie Bishop
My center-grip .308 Winchester XP-100 drew first blood Friday afternoon (12/11/2020). It was a hurried, double-kneeling short shot at around 50-60 yards, using my BOG tripod with PSR top. I was doing the sneaky sneak on my way to place where I was going to sit for the rest of the day (no artificial blind). The doe was either just coming out of cover or was just inside cover. We seemed to discover each other at about the same time. I was in the open though.
Even though I had the XP-100 in one hand and my BOG tripod in the other, I could not get set up quickly enough to make a shot. She turned around and walked back into cover, and then threw up her flag and waved it a few times going away for me and to the left. Now, I need to get about another hundred yards so I can try to get set up on a two-track that’s going to my right and wait there, hoping that she will cross and give me a shot opportunity. As I was walking faster to get to that spot to set up, I look to my right and there she was (or a different one, I’m not quite sure) just inside cover — basically broadside.
Given the spookiness of these deer here this year, I didn’t think I was going to get a shot opportunity. But you don’t know unless you try, so I kneeled, spread the tripod legs and centered up as quick as I could and took the shot. I didn’t range distance before or check afterwards. The whitetail doe dropped on the spot. The 168 grain Hornady A-MAX TAP Precision .308 Win ammo performed admirably.
Ernie’s Tips for Wyoming Whitetail Hunters
There are two different ways that I hunt this area of Wymoming. First is doing the slow sneaky sneak, which has given some good results, but it also ends up with the “just wasn’t able get it done” before they move into cover (which happened more than one time on Thursday and Friday morning). The second way, is to put yourself in a place to where you have a reasonable view, of where you can tell they have crossed, in semi-open areas. I usually am sitting with my back against a tree.
About Ernie Bishop — Specialty Pistol Guru
Ernie tells us: “For those who know of me in the shooting world, you would probably know me in one of two ways — Dealer for SEB Rests or someone who does most of his competing, varminting, and or hunting with specialty pistols. These are typically bolt-action, single-shot rigs that can be used with a bipod. They are similar to a pistol-grip rifle, but without a conventional buttstock. My interest in all things specialty pistols (Remington XP-100, TC Contender, MOA Maximum, Pachmayr Dominator, H-S Precision HSP, etc.) goes back to the early 1980s. Sadly, some of these are no longer made.
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Our sharp-eyed researcher EdLongrange spied something very interesting in the 2012 HS Precision Catalog. Among HS Precision’s complete rifle offerings are two competition rifles — an F-Class gun, and (believe it or not) a short-range Benchrest rig chambered in either 6 PPC or 22 PPC. It’s been a long time since a major gun builder came up with a turn-key rifle for the short-range (100/200) benchrest discipline. The HS Precision BCR™ Rifle complies with all NBRSA short-range rules and is even set up with a tight-neck 6 PPC or 22 PPC chamber. The BCR Rifle features a single-shot action, competition trigger and an aluminum trigger guard. And get this — with each BCR Rifle, HS Precision supplies a 5-shot test target measuring .250″ or less. For guys who don’t compete, but would like to use this rifle for varminting, other short-action calibers are available with a ½”, 3-shot 100-yard accuracy guarantee.
Will we see this BCR 6 PPC rifle on the firing line at registered benchrest matches? Probably not, as the $3375.00 price is comparable to what you’d spend for a full custom gun. On the other hand, we’re pleased that HS Precision is building something for the accuracy market. If the gun is a commercial success, perhaps other large gun-makers will follow suit.
New HS Precision F-Class Rifle
In addition to the surprising “point-blank” BCR rig, HS Precision is introducing a new F-Class competition gun, the FCR™, designed to compete straight out of the box. The rifle is available in short or long actions, and in chamberings such as 6.5×284. With multiple barrel lengths, stocks, and accessories available, this rifle “can be made as individual as its user” according to HS Precision. We don’t have a price on the HS Precision FCR, but it looks like a well-thought-out F-Open rig. The listed barrel length is 26″, but we imagine many F-Classers will prefer a longer tube. Hopefully HS Precision will offer a .284 Win or 7mm WSM version with a 28-30″ barrel. For more information, visit HSPrecision.com, or call (605) 341-3006. HS Precision is based in Rapid City, South Dakota.
Correspondent Kelly Bachand visited the Savage booth at SHOT Show 2012. As always we were impressed with the wide range of affordable, rimfire rifles marketed by Savage. The popular Mark II BTVS is a good choice for rimifire tactical games, and it is also a nice carry-around varminter for squirrels and other small critters. The model 93 ‘Package Series’ rifles are real bargains. MSRP on the model 93R17 XP Camo package (which includes 3-9x40mm scope) is $456.00, while the “street price” is around $385.00.
What really caught Kelly’s eye was the impressive Model 110 FCP chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum. This rifle features a stiff, high-quality HS Precision fiberglass tactical stock with V-block insert. New for 2012 is the .300 Win Mag chambering. (Other chamberings are .338 LM and .308 Win, both introduced last year). The Model 110 FCP HS Precision features a 5-round detachable box magazine, 26″ heavy fluted barrel, muzzle brake, and AccuTrigger. It even comes with scope rail.
In .338 Lapua Magnum, the m110 FCP weighs 10.7 lbs. The .300 WM and .300 Win are somewhat lighter, tipping the scales at 9 lbs. without optics. MSRP for the .300 WM version is $1192.00 — a good value, considering what the stock would cost by itself. The big .338 Lapua Magnum version has a $1549.00 MSRP on Savage’s website.
If you’re on a tight budget, Savage also offers a long-range big-caliber rifle in a polyethylene (tupperware) Accustock. The Model 11/111 Long Range Hunter is a lighter hunting variant that features a composite AccuStock with 3D bedding and a Karsten adjustable cheekpiece. It also has a 5-round detachable magazine, heavy fluted barrel, muzzle brake and AccuTrigger. MSRP for a Long Range Hunter in .300 Win Magnum, is $989.00.
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Ask any Palma shooter and he’ll tell you that Barnard makes one of the smoothest, most reliable actions available. And now there is a new modular metal stock system that adapts the Barnard SM action for use in target and tactical rifles.
The new Barnard 07 Target-Tactical Stock (TTS) from MTGuns features an anodized aluminum chassis with a floating tubular handguard. The TTS is designed for the Barnard small repeater action, and the chassis is configured to use reliable H.S. Precision detachable box magazines. One H.S. Precision .308-sized magazine comes with each stock, allowing the rifle to be chambered for any round with a .308-spec case head and a maximum overall length of 2.800″. That means you can mag-feed and shoot a 6XC, .243 Win, 6.5×47, 6.5 Creedmoor, .260 Rem, .308 Win, or 7mm-08.
Fully Adjustable Cheekpiece and 4-Way Buttplate
One of the most impressive features of the Barnard 07 TTS stock is the ease with which it can be configured for different shooters or different shooting positions. The stock comes with an adjustable cheekpiece secured with a large, ergonomic rotary knob. The Barnard TTS stock also includes a 4-way adjustable butt plate at no extra cost. This allows the shooter to easily modify length of pull (LOP), pad height, offset, and cant (buttpad L/R tilt). Also included with the stock is an elevated Picatinny-spec scope rail, and the Barnard SM action is drilled and tapped for a Remington-type rear sight base.
While there are many metal chassis systems offered for Remington-footprint receivers, the TTS system gives you the advantage of a Barnard action. Like its ‘P’-model big brother, the SM action boasts a very fast lock time, easily removable striker assembly — no spring compression issues — with a 1/16″ firing pin in a three-lug bolt. Overall bolt/receiver tolerances are machined to very exacting standards. The SM action can use Remington-style triggers.
The TTS stock is strong and stiff, yet light in weight. Using a TTS stock, you can build a rifle that is comfortable to carry in the field. A complete rifle fitted with a 26″ medium Palma contour barrel (and included Picatinny scope rail) weighs just 12 pounds. The Barnard Target-Tactical stock comes standard with sling swivel studs, one on the handguard and the other near the bottom of the adjustable buttplate.
For more information on the Barnard 07 Target-Tactical Stock, visit MTGuns.com, or call MTGuns (in California) at (805) 720-7720. The Barnard 07 Target-tactical stock, complete with floating handguard, 4-way buttplate, H.S. Prec. magazine, and scope rail, normally retails for under $1300.00, but prices are subject to currency fluctuations (Barnard products are crafted in New Zealand).
Disclosure: MT Guns has purchased advertisements on this site.
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About Ernie Bishop — Specialty Pistol Guru
