Opinions on a Coues Rifle

[roninflag]

I know what my Ruger can do so what's your point. A Ruger rifle is more than capable to hunt coues with even to 500 yards. What experience or proof if any do you have to prove that a Ruger rifle is less accurate than a Remington or anything else for that matter besides what you may have read online. I am a savage guy personally but I do own Ruger and Remington rifles as well and each and every one is tuned to shoot well beyond 500 yards with ease. Load development and the guy behind the trigger is more important than the brand of rifle.

Stomp - that last sentence is right on. i have not shot against a browning or a ruger in competition. AKA starts his first thread mentioning "600-700 yards " which i consider a very very long shot at coues demanding really good loads/equipment and skill. later he mentions " 300 yards " which i consider a very short shot at coues, i hardly ever am able to get that close. AKA does not mention much load "development". he better is better off with one really good gun/scope than two that shoot " 4-5 inches " at 200 yards. remington makes a 25-06 sendero and ruger makes a hvy barrel 25-06 either one of those will give him a higher probablity of precision than most sporters.

[Guest akaspecials]

I know what my Ruger can do so what's your point. A Ruger rifle is more than capable to hunt coues with even to 500 yards. What experience or proof if any do you have to prove that a Ruger rifle is less accurate than a Remington or anything else for that matter besides what you may have read online. I am a savage guy personally but I do own Ruger and Remington rifles as well and each and every one is tuned to shoot well beyond 500 yards with ease. Load development and the guy behind the trigger is more important than the brand of rifle.

Stomp - that last sentence is right on. i have not shot against a browning or a ruger in competition. AKA starts his first thread mentioning "600-700 yards " which i consider a very very long shot at coues demanding really good loads/equipment and skill. later he mentions " 300 yards " which i consider a very short shot at coues, i hardly ever am able to get that close. AKA does not mention much load "development". he better is better off with one really good gun/scope than two that shoot " 4-5 inches " at 200 yards. remington makes a 25-06 sendero and ruger makes a hvy barrel 25-06 either one of those will give him a higher probablity of precision than most sporters.

 

Just to clarify:

I don't practice with a rifle enough now to comfortably shoot past 200 or 300 yards at a deer. I would like a gun though that is capable of 600-700 should I ever start spending more time at the gun range than the archery range. All shooting would be hunting. No competition. I currently switch back and forth between hand loads and factory loads right now depending on what my schedule permits. If I was long range shooting I would be using hand loads only and would put the time into "load development". As a side note, I'm leaning towards passing on this M77 in 25-06 and spending more time with my Model 700 in 30-06 and maybe dropping the money into better optics and a trigger job.

 

Also, what do you mean by "sporters"?

[ragu]

As a side note, I'm leaning towards passing on this M77 in 25-06 and spending more time with my Model 700 in 30-06 and maybe dropping the money into better optics and a trigger job.

 

Ok, I've been through, and continue to go through exactly what you are considering. I'm a bowhunter who bought my first rifle 8 years ago just after I moved to AZ. It was a 30.06. I topped it with a 4.5X14 Zeiss Conquest. I've considered buying a 'coues gun' again and again over the years. Why? Because the grass is greener on the other side of the hill and it recoils less. However, every year, I debate internally until I just decide to stick with what I have. It's served me well as a Coues gun as i've gotten solid out to 400 yards with it. That's enough for me and I strive for the 250 yards or less shot. I have killed at 378, though.

 

One big point, I did get the a 'trigger job' and it made a BIG difference. The recoil flinch issue is so much more manageable. I also bought an inexpensive bolt action .22 for practicing a lot of shooting and I do some dry firing with the 30.06 to become a better 'squeezer' on the trigger.

 

So, I say, save the bucks unless you have cash to burn and get some glass and trigger job. It won't cure your desire to buy a new Coues gun, but it will help you shoot a great caliber, the 30.06, better.

[Willyhunts2]

I have tikka 25-06 that I love. Very light so your shoulder feels it for sure. The gun is very capable of shooting long distance(500-600). I know this from shooting off a lead sled, however I'm not that good and won't risk wonding a deer that far. I shoot the factory ammo and havnt looked up kenetic energy at those distances. The caliber is very capable, just make sure you still have knock down power out that far.

[Ochoa.Luke]

I shoot a 243 WSSM. I've killed my two coues and one mule with it. It has the knockdown power it takes to drop any buck, but has very very little recoil (almost none). As for range, all of my deer have been shot at under 200 yards. But at the range I've been able to easily hit targets from 500 yards away without dropping at all. The bullet is about 100 grain I believe, and it is FAST. I have a 4x12 leupold scope on it. It is perfect for those under 300 yard shots with those coues on the run.