How I build a rifle for
myself is based on a number of factors ...
The most important of which
is the experience that has come from building thousands of
rifles. Seeing what works and what doesn't. Building rifles
for myself also enables me to try new materials or techniques
before we offer them to you. Sometimes these new things do not
work, but if they don't, we will know it before we put it in
our line. I would rather have a failure on my own gun then on
yours.
Now, the main thing to think about is
caliber selection. There are obviously a number of caliber
choices out there. On my own guns I am fairly specific on
caliber selection, however, I feel caliber selection is a very
personal thing. I will try to explain what my choices are and
why I make those choices.
Another important consideration is what
action to use. Again this is very personal. When I am trying
to save weight, the Remington 700 is the choice. On a gun that
will be used for dangerous game the Winchester Model 70 with
controlled round feeding gets the call.
Varmint hunting
This is kind of a tough one
because there are so many different types of varmints. In
general, the Pro-Varminter rifle is my choice. For small
varmints (squirrels, prairie dogs, etc) I will use a couple
different rifles depending on the conditions I am shooting in.
For medium range shooting (under 250 yards) I use a .222
Remington, .223 Remington, or even a 6mm PPC*. In any case I
use a Remington 40X single shot action, or a custom benchrest
single shot action The single shot will tend to be more
accurate then a magazine feed gun. I use a Select Match grade
stainless barrel in number 7 contour 22" long in. The
barrel will have the Cryogenic treatment performed. I don't
bother with a metal finish because I will not be hunting in
bad weather. I use the Hunter Bench style stock which rides
sand bags very well, but can also be used offhand, or prone.
I will go with the 8x40 bases screws, not because of recoil,
but enlarging these screws allows us to make sure they are
perfectly straight and square with the barrel and
action. The speedlock firing pin spring will be used to
increase lock time as well as provide a heavier
"hit" for the primers.
For longer ranges, very windy
conditions, or if I will be shooting animals such a coyote or
rock chucks, I will use a 22-250 Remington, or .243 Winchester
with a 24" barrel, but everything else the same. I use
these calibers because they are more geared towards longer
ranges, or larger animals, and will buck the wind a little
better. The Talley scope mounts with 8 x 40 base screws will
hold a Swarovski 6-24x50.
If I want an all around varmint gun
that I want to carry, I go with the 22-250 Remington or .243
Winchester. I will use a number 4 barrel contour 24" long
on the Remington 700 action. I will use our Classic style
stock and Talley scope mounts with the 8 x 40 base screws, and
speedlock spring. The
scope would be something in the medium power range like the
4-16x50 Swarovski, or 5-15x42 Zeiss.
*Note: There are a number
of great calibers for varmint shooting, and we can chamber for
the one that fits your application best.
Medium Size Game
This is another one that is fairly
tough because it really covers a large range. For game such as
deer, sheep or antelope I use a .270 Winchester on the
Remington 700 action. A Cryogenically treated 22" stainless barrel in #2
contour, Teflon metal finish, Talley scope mounts with 8 x 40
screws and speedlock firing pin spring. I use the Kevlar
Pounder classic style stock with our lightweight recoil pad
because weight is an issue. On this gun I use a Zeiss 5-15x42
or Swarovski 4-12x50 scope because of the additional light
gathering. Like I said, weight is an issue, and these scopes
are fairly light, but light gathering is often critical on a
deer or sheep hunt. This is the gun I use for hunts in
the high country and on backpack hunts.
I really like the .270 because it
will shoot a 130 to 150 grain bullet with good velocity, has
fairly light recoil and the weight can be kept to a minimum.
With a good quality bullet, this caliber will still work very
well for caribou and even elk. The rifle I use is our Custom
High Country.
Medium to Large Game
This covers everything from deer
and antelope to moose and elk. In this circumstance I try to
choose something that will give me some versatility. I don't
want to get too big for deer, antelope, and sheep, but still
have enough for the bigger stuff. In this case I again use the
Custom High Country but in .300 Winchester Magnum caliber and
Remington 700 action. I go with a #3 contour stainless steel
barrel 24" long, Cryo treatment, Teflon metal finish, Talley scope mounts
with 8 x 40 screws and speedlock spring. I use the Answer
System muzzle brake because I am recoil sensitive. I use the
Kevlar Pounder stock on this rifle as well because of it's
weight savings. Even though the recoil is increased with the
Kevlar, this gun will be used in the high country, so an extra
4 to 5 ounces of weight savings is nice. Again a scope in the
medium power range works well. Some people will load lighter
bullets for smaller game and heavier bullets for the big
stuff, but I am a believer in keeping it simple and loading
one bullet for everything. The 180 grain bullet works best for
the .300, so I will load it and shoot everything with these
bullets.
Large Game
This covers everything from elk
and moose to bears and African plains game. Again the Custom
High Country is the choice, but the .338 Winchester Magnum is
the one I go with here. Remington 700 action, #4 contour
stainless steel barrel 23" long. with the Cryo treatment,
Teflon metal finish,
Talley mounts, 8 x 40 screws and speedlock spring. On this gun
I will use the Answer System muzzle brake as well. The scope
on this rifle will be something in the 2.5 - 10 range with a
30mm tube. Again Swarovski or Zeiss. This will work great in
low light conditions, like in a lion or leopard blind, but
have enough on the upper end for a long range shot on sheep or
elk. Again this caliber has a lot of versatility in bullet
selection, but keeping it simple I shoot the 250 grain bullet.
The 225 grain works well also and would be the choice if I
were using this gun for lion and leopard only, but the fact that
I use it for elk, moose and plains game in Africa, I like the heavier choice. The 23"
barrel is a little different, but we have found this works
extremely well for this caliber. With this barrel length we
get it all, great velocity and extreme accuracy.
Dangerous Game
For this application I actually
have two choices. My first choice is the Pro-Hunter Elite in
.416 Remington Magnum caliber. Everything about the Pro-Hunter
Elite is the way to go, including the drop box trigger guard.
This gives me an extra round which is nice insurance when
hunting things that can eat you or run you over. On the big
gun I will use a barrel that is Cryogenically treated in #5.5
contour 22" long. This is shorter than most people
go with, but I know I can get the velocity with no problem,
and a short, quick handling rifle is really nice in the long
grass of Africa, or the thick brush on a bear hunt. I also use
the Answer System muzzle brake to help tame recoil, and of
course the Teflon metal finish. I use the
1.5-6x42 Zeiss or Swarovski scope. These scopes are great in
low light conditions like lion or leopard blinds or in the
thick country up north.
My other choice is exactly the same
except in .375 H&H magnum caliber. Again a Cryo barrel,
but this one in #5 contour, but also 22". The determining factor
between these two calibers is where and what I will be
hunting. If I am hunting Africa for buffalo and maybe elephant
I will carry the .416 and also bring the .338 Custom High
Country for the cats and plains game. If I am in the north
country, or in Africa after everything except elephant and
buffalo, and
want to carry just one gun, I will use the .375 H&H.
Again, both of these calibers have a lot of bullet choices,
but I will again stick to what works best, 300 grain for the
.375 and 400 for the .416.
Some Closing Thoughts
The specs on the above rifles I
have outlined are based on personal experience and opinion.
There isn't any special magic in these choices, these are just
guns I know I can handle and shoot well and that I can be
effective with. You might choose different options for
different reasons. You might want the lightest rifle on the
planet, fine we can build it. You might want a different
caliber, barrel length or metal finish, fine we can build that
too. The only thing we ask is you think about ever aspect of
the rifle and make intelligent decisions based on those
thoughts.
We are commonly asked what calibers
are best. There is really no set answer. The most important
things in choosing a caliber are 1) pick a caliber you can
handle and shoot well, 2) shoot a well constructed bullet (I
believe this is the single most important thing in the
hunting game, and why we choose only top quality hunting
bullets 3) put that bullet in the
right place, 4) practice, 5) practice, 6) practice. No matter
what caliber you are using, if you shoot an animal around the
edges you have not done yourself (or the animal) any favors.
With the introduction of some of the new "hot rod"
calibers, many people think shooting at long range is as easy
as putting the cross hairs on the target and pulling the
trigger. There is nothing farther from the truth. No matter
what caliber you are shooting the shooter still has to do
their part.
Another thing to consider, and a very
important reason why I have chosen the calibers I have, is the
availability of ammunition in different parts of the world. If
I get separated from my ammunition on my way to Alaska, Africa
or even Alabama, will I be able to find something to shoot in
my rifle? There is no worse feeling then landing in Whitehorse
on your way to a sheep hunt and not being able to find ammo
for the .300 Boom-N-Slammer you have in your gun case. Now I
am not saying there is anything wrong with "hot rod"
calibers or wildcats, on the contrary they are a lot of fun
and can be very effective, you just need to consider all
aspects when deciding on the best caliber for you needs. Of
course I am an advocate of having lots of guns, so don't let
caliber selection (or anything else) keep you from ordering a
new rifle!
Mark Brown,
President, Brown Precision
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change without notice. Prices shown are in US dollars and do not include shipping, applicable
sales tax or customer requested options.