Great read, almost made me want one. Actually I do have a HCR and I can say my experience with them was all good. This article is just another example of John's skill with words.

Glad you liked the article!

Hill Country does make nice rifles....

J.B. and Brian Pearce are my go-to guys for the straight poop on stuff these days. John's stuff is all over the place. Wouldn't surprise me to see his byline in TV Guide or the Watchtower.

Do those run hunting stories?

Not sure. I haven't read a TV guide in a couple of decades and the Jehovah's Witnesses don't linger when I answer the door with Kimber The Wonder Dog going bullsh*t beside me and a snubbie riding crossdraw in my belt. Lack of faith, I suppose.

You're not answering the door reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in your Stars and Stipes boxers again, are you?

Geno

Thanks for the heads up on the other thread John,

I hope Eileen gets more game than you this year. But you get a bunch too! Us menfolks need to be kept in our place.

Geno

Now, don't you know, you're the one they talk about when they get back to the house...

DF

When I was in college, I had what I think was the world's meanest redbone hound. All the time I lived in that apartment I never had a visit from a Jehovah's Witnesses or someone selling Girl Scout cookies.

I missed the cookies.

Geno,

She generally does get more big game than I do, at least in Montana. But not birds!

She learned rifle shooting quickly and well, but it's taken far longer for wingshooting to start working. Lately it's been going much better, in fact she dropped a double out of the first flock of Canada geese that came into the decoys last month in Alberta--with her 20-gauge semiauto. But she's still not as good as I am, probably because I started shotgunning in my early teens, and she didn't start until her late 30's....

John,

I like happy stories. Thanks.

And if I'm hearing you right, you're correcting the old myth that a 20 ga for geese is like using a .270 for anything over antelope, not enough gun.

Good hunting,

Upland starts here in a couple of weeks. I can hardly wait. I won't get many without a dog, but I like going for walks with my shotgun.

Geno

Underwear? We don't need no stinking underwear.

Something about that didn't come out right.

OOPS, my mistake. You're right, no undies necessary..

Just answer the door reciting the Pledge nekkid with the Stars and Stripes flying from YOUR pole!

That'll keep them prosletyzers away,



most everyone else too,


even friends,


except maybe the guys in the white coats!

Geno

That's way too much information...

By brain is still trying to un-think that one...

DF

Just got my copy via download, and I'm somewhat surprised that this fine specimen of a hunting rifle, didn't arrive via the used rack of the now famous Capital Sports & Western Wear of Helena Montana.

MD : Would you now say that the .280 Ackley is truly the finest mule deer hunting cartridge ? I know how fond you are of the .270 Win

Had a friend who grew up in Alaska. Told a story about when her parents bought the house back in the early '70s, (before they had kids) and they were the last ones at the end of the road. One day, the Mormons came to visit the new young couple in town while her dad was out mowing the lawn wearing his boots and his gun. Had a friendly conversation with them. They never came back.

Got my copy today. I just scanned the article for the test groups and the (URK!) price, but the rifle looks really nice.

I try to stretch out my copies by only reading an article or two a day and tend to save your stuff (and Pearce's) for last.

Sorry about the above thread hijack, but please note it wasn't me that started talking about my underwear.

Sorry gentlemen, my bad, oops

Back on topic now.

I got my copy yesterday too late to read it. I look forward to seeing what MD has written in any mag I get.

Geno

PS, thank you in advance for your forgiveness.

Geno

I went ahead and read the whole thing today. Good stuff, as per usual. The rifle looks like a winner for those who can afford it, with none of the drama that seems to be the rule for "custom" rifles at the low end of the scale. Guess the extra money real quality costs ain't really extra.

I and some buddy's on here have owned prolly 8-10 HCR units and every single one shot great to unbelievable...nuff said..

338Rules. I'm not M.D., but I have an opinion about how the .270Win compares to the .280AI. First, I have a long history using the .270, the first animal I killed with it was in 1960, a small mule deer buck. The last animal was a much larger buck several years ago. Between the first and last deer over a hundred animals taken by me with the .270win. Must were deer sized cud chewers. To say it's a favorite of mine is a colossal understatement. For the last ten years or so my go to cartridge has been the .280AI. It is nothing more than an slightly juiced up .270. As M.D. noted in the article the 280AI gets 3200fps with Nosler's factory loaded 140gr BT. You might be able to do that with a 270Win., but likely just one time. So how much superior is the .280AI, in the real world, I'd say not much. However, for me it offers the right balance of recoil in a lighter rifle and killing power on animals as large as mature bull elk. I know this because I've used it on nine mature bulls so far. With any kind of luck, number ten will go down before the end of the month. I've already passed on two decent bulls so I'm still hopeful. Finally, the .280AI is for the loony for whom small differences mean a lot. The 270 or 7RM is for all the sane people.

That's about as good a description of the 280AI as I have seen.

You'll never hear someone argue that the 270 is better than the 280 Ackley though......

That's because there is no need to argue it. Everyone knows it's better.

Can anyone post a link to the article?

Thanks,

Tim

Wolfe Publishing posts sample copies of their latest issues on their website. They don't stay up forever, but the article is in the latest RIFLE magazine, which is up right now.

Who cares? 270 users are a bunch of clueless barbarians. They don't have time to argue...too busy killing stuff and processing game


But hey I've used the 280AI a lot...without ever owning one. I just operate a 7 Rem Mag at below full throttle.Works pretty good.

Like SuperT says, the 270 and 7 Rem Mag are for sane people.

Apparently you do as do other 270 owners as they seem to be the only ones who get a little kooky defending inanimate objects. Some McMillan stock and Leupold scope owners seem to share this strange fascination in defending something that no one else gives a schit about. Of course the Campfire wouldn't be the success it is today without you guys..........

And .280 AI advocates get kooky about differences that amount to a few thousandths of an inch, and a few fps or grains of bullet weight.

These all may make some difference at XYZ angle, or past 500 yards. Maybe. But the longer I hunt the less difference I see in the results from ANY cartridge, within broad parameters at normal hunting ranges. Properly applied, they all kill stuff.

Properly applied, a 30-30 kills stuff too. Guess I just have a strange fascination poking fun at curmudgeons.

Ballisticlly the7mm is hard to beat for thier weight class if your typical shoot range starts at 300 yds.

The 280 AI is nice because any more powders becomes less efficient and the case becomes wider ( you exceed the 06 case) so for optimal bang the 280 AI is as close to perfect as you can get. Any more powder, or weight and you leave the sweet spot, any more lead and the sucker starts to kick.

Guess I'm a 280 AI Looney - just ordered a Krueger 1:8 twist for my Sako 85.

I love these 280AI debates.

Wonder what will happen when berger releases a 160gr .700 BC .277?

I like my 270s, Win and Wby, they are efficient killers..I own a 280AI as well, fwiw.

[u][color:#000099]Berger Elite Hunter[/color][/u]

I'll lean towards a 160 in the 270 vs a 195 in the 280..

As a matter of fact, i have 500 195 7mm's on the bench..not for the 280AI however..

rosco what are you getting for velocities with the 195 in your Weatherby? Tried them yet?

I'm just funin with Bob you know.

Rifles matter, cartridges not so much as long as they can be fed without too much fuss (unless fuss is what you enjoy).

I have, from time to time, while sitting in the woods, looked down at my rifle (or shotgun) and thought, "what a neat old gun". Never took a cartridge out of my pocket to admire it.

Pappy,

If you have never taken a cartridge out of your pocket and spent a moment admiring it,...then I suspect that the back-side of your Loony card might be blank. (LOL)

Just sayin....

A good bullet hole, now that's something else.

Blonde, brunette, redhead; to each his own.

My loony card dates to the early '60s. If one side is blank, it's because it's worn out.