THE SUPERIOR TACTICAL RIFLE
Tactical rifles have taken on imposing dimensions over the years. Back in the 1960s, we were issued Remington Model 700 Varmint Rifles in 308 Winchester (12 twist) that had quite the gap (an eight of an inch) between the forend and barrel. The walnut stocks were soaked in oil like other military rifles of the past, rather than lacquer or poly finished. Initially, we were issued 3x9 Redfield Widefield scopes with the range-finding feature, later to be replaced by 4x12 power scopes with improved internal attachment of the range decal that provided the estimated distance to the target. I was later issued a short, receiver-mounted 20x Unertl that provided very precise resolution.
I suppose the whole package weighed about ten pounds with the Unertl, and a half pound less with the Redfield. It was enough. Today's tactical rifles that sometimes approach 14 pounds, even when chambered for the mild 308 Winchester, fall into the category of excessively heavy. Kind of like taking a Lincoln Town Car to the convenience store to pick up a gallon of milk. Or maybe a 3/4-ton pickup. Leave the Honda Civic in the driveway; somebody might see you driving it.
The best field tactical rifle should be light enough to carry comfortably, and heavy enough to somewhat dampen heartbeat when on target. I needs to be reliably torso accurate out to at least 700 yards. The thought that impromptu torso shots can be taken at distances of 1000 yards or more is pure fantasy. Yet, there is story after story about shots taken way beyond 1000 yards, and stories about rock-shooter conquests on the desert. So-and-so got a prairie dog at 1300 yards; blah, blah, blah. Call shot? Or did he skip it into a mess of "dogs" at that distance and later discover one had been hit. I've had more of a few of these boasters tell about what they can do, only to hear all of the excuses in the book when they are asked to prove it at the range. We need to get past the crap and deal with the facts.
Sometime, in the future of our children or grandchildren, or their children, they may need to have some long-range shooting skills and appropriate equipment. Thankfully, development of good cartridges has been slow. It's pretty tough to beat the 300 Weatherby Magnum of 1944, and the 300 Winchester Magnum of 1963. How about the 270 Winchester, 280 Remington, and 30-06? All great cartridges, ready to serve in your defense and that of our nation. Look through your rifles. Pick one to be at your side in time of need, and then get it tuned so it shoots small and consistent groups. How well did Carlos Hathcock's Model 70 Target Rifle shoot, the 30-06 he used in combat sniping? Right around an inch. Work at it. Practice diligently. Work up a good load and stick with it. If you need some technical suggestions on how to improve the bedding, give us a call.
An effective tactical rifle does not have to weigh more than seven or eight pounds. Moving around with something that weighs much over ten pounds can be a real detriment. Good luck on your project.
JDC
I read your comments about the surge in gun sales in recent years, and couldn't agree more. It has gotten so bad that a short time age I observed two young men in a (large national chain sporting goods) store being shown the fundamentals of a centerfire bolt action sporting rifle, of which they were entirely unfamiliar. I struck up conversation with them, and they both said that they were disappointed in the accuracy of their AR rifles. At a recent trip to the range to try again, an "old guy" was there with a bolt action and was shooting groups well under an inch. Their groups were running over two inches at best, and getting worse as time went by. Their ARs were chambered for the 308, while the old guy's rifle was a 7mm Rem Mag. It ended up that one of them bought a rifle, trading his rather expensive and fairly new AR in at a considerable loss. He chose a rifle with some real class, a Remington 700 CDL in 30-06.
I also agree with you about a carry sidearm. In 56 years I have never been in or seen a situation that even remotely suggested one was needed. Maybe it's different in other parts of the country, I suppose it is, but I live in a medium-sized city of a quarter million people and have never carried. I travel almost every week, mostly within the state, and do usually have a 357 revolver in the pickup. In 21 years on this job, I've never had it out of the zippered pouch except for practice at home.
Society as a group has become paranoid. Recent study results investigating the gradually changing mentality of men, toward a position of increasing personal fear and reduced masculinity, suggests that estrogen and other hormones going into animals raised for human consumption are a definite factor.
Jim, Nebraska
Very interesting feedback. We may have heard about the results of the same study on a radio discussion recently. There has to be some reason for the male behavioral changes over recent years, and this one sure seems logical. We eat wild game, wild caught steelhead and salmon, and unmodified bison, so we still have that attitude edge. Hoorah!
JDC
What's your beef with ARs? Too complicated? Can't keep up with modern times? World slipping away from you? Well, why not just put your feet up, pop a cassette in the 8-Track, and relax. The rest of the shooting world is tired of reading your crap.
Unidentified respondent
The great thing about the internet in a free country is that you can take it or leave it; visit whatever site you want whenever you wish. As far as ARs go, I suspect that my experience with them goes back aways further than yours. I have owned several, mostly match rifles; from Colt's CAR-A3 on the less expensive end, clear up to the ultra-accurized custom jobs, and also have plenty of experience with several off-the-shelf varieties. The Colts were well liked and more practical than any of the others, even more so than the full-blown match rifles (which were somewhat fussy at times). However, those that shot under half an inch at 100 yards (for awhile) were no match for a good 223 bolt-action match rifle that shoots a quarter inch for years on end.
And then we get to the combat part... I can't quote the exact figures or sources at this time, but as I understand it there is a history of about 900 rounds expended in M16s and similar rifles to inflict a single casualty on an enemy, but less than two rounds from a bolt action rifle in the hands of a highly trained shooter. There needs to be a better mix within a rifle squad; some with automatics, and at least a few of the long-range rifle guys. And there needs to be better and more personal one-on-one firearms training of all U.S. combat troops. You can't shout another person's way to developing good shooting skills.
Despite our different preferences, we could probably serve on the same squad and make a hell of a team. You spot for me for the long shots, and I'll depend on you to keep us from getting overrun.
JDC