Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Why aren't there better semi's for big game?

I have had many BARs come through my shop for scoping and fitting pads, but very few problems with function. They are quite good. Not "sniper accurate" but clearly accurate enough for big game hunting. We are all familiar with the love GIs had for M-1 Garands and m-14s and I have to point out that the BAR sporting rifles out-shoot nearly all M-1s adn M-14s in accuracy. Some of the match grade and sniper versions of the GI rifles will shoot better than a BAR, but only a little bit.

I own a Benelli R-1 in 270 short mag. It's finicky about ammo, but with my best hand loads using 160 gr Nosler Partitions it shoot just slightly over MOA. I have killed antelope, deer and elk with it. Most shots were 250 yards and out to 400 and it's not even a problem to make kills with.

If you are dead set against using something that "looks military" you would not be interested in any of the AR style rifles in 6.5 Grendel, 6.8SPC, 30 Rem-Ar 260 7-08 or 308. But before I leave those out, I would like to point out the accuracy they they are capable of. Sub MOA is so common with good ones that it's boring and if you buy a good AR I doubt you will ever have any function problems.

They are ugly, but for most white-tail hunting in most places in the USA, an AK-47 is a great tool. If you get one with a good barrel and you use good ammo they will shoot 2.5MOA out to about 300 yards. If we are honest with ourselves, we have to admit that 2.5MOA is just fine in most cases, and we also need to admit that most of the shots made for white tails are under 300 years. 2.5 MOA is all that many M-94 Winchesters did, and they brought back so many deer to freezers that we can't count them. AKs are SUPER reliable.

Remington 740-742-7400 and so on have always been fairly cheaply made (not reflected in the price however)
Even the Remington service center will admit to you if you push them that the engineers at Remington made then to last "at least 500 rounds" Not 5000. 500.
To me, that's not very impressive. I know men that own some that have been trouble free, but I know of not one man that has shot over 1000 from one without failures. There may be some out there, but I can be pretty sure they are rare.

For now, if you want to buy an accurate reliable non-military sporting auto I think Browning is the only one I would consider. R-1 Benelli would be good too, but I understand they are not being made anymore. They are also weird looking but not military looking.