I'd probably buy a Marlin 336 in .35 Remington before the Ruger in .350 Legend.
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Not another dime.
jwl,
Thanks for that update. The only reason the .350 Legend even popped up on my radar is because of the factory American Ranch offering with the compact stock....physical specs are everything I want in a bolt gun.
I'd love to see Ruger:
1) Offer the compact stock as a factory option along at least the entire Ranch line.
2) while I think that .308 would be a solid choice, I'm wondering how much more flash/blast/recoil and less performance one would get with the 16" barrel.
3) Seeing as how the Ranch lineup is available in 5.56mm/300BLK/7.62x39, I'd love to see it come out in 6.8SPC....Doc Roberts seems fond of the caliber, and I cannot imagine a scenario where I wouldn't be well served by a Hornady GMX, Federal Fusion, or Barnes TAC-X/TSX/TTSX.
Just give me #1 + #3. Are you listening, Ruger?
"It's surprising how often you start wondering just how featureless a desert some people's inner landscapes must be."
-Maple Syrup Actual
I had an ER nurse in a class. I noticed she kept taking all head shots. Her response when asked why, "'I've seen too many people who have been shot in the chest putting up a fight in the ER." Point taken.
Don't forget stainless!!!!!
It’s no coincidence that we have so many threads about this, or how long some of these continue to get. The fact is, the rifle 95% of us would buy simply doesn’t exist is factory form. If it did, we’d likely all have one.
As such, we’re stuck making concessions on current offerings. We each have our own purposes and priorities, so the concessions change from person to person. Some give on features, others give on cost, most give on both to some extent. I went down this rabbit hole and ended up with a Tikka T3x CTR in .308, making concessions on barrel length and weight.
Ive enjoyed the tread and the blog posts. Looking forward to seeing how it all shakes out.
I've spent too much time OCDing about a 6.8 bolt gun, and even considered a long barrel chambered thusly for a Contender carbine. Finally concluded it doesn't do anything that already popular 6.5 or 7mm -in-.308-case calibers don't do at least as well. You can always download the larger, cheaper, more available case to ~30 grains of powder or even to .300BO equivalent loads if you want, but the smaller cartridge can't be uploaded to .308 performance. If you just want smaller cartridges in your pocket, there are .30-30, .35 Remington and 7.62x39. I think the 6.8 is best at what it was created for: optimizing external vs. terminal ballistics in the AR platform. I am a fan of it for that. Once you escape the confines of a standard AR magwell, you open up a big space full of opportunities to do better. In spite of that reasonable conclusion, I might still lose my common sense and build a manual-loading 6.8 of some kind one day. Might make an interesting Howa Mini action project.
Last edited by OlongJohnson; 06-26-2019 at 02:51 PM.
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Not another dime.
I had an ER nurse in a class. I noticed she kept taking all head shots. Her response when asked why, "'I've seen too many people who have been shot in the chest putting up a fight in the ER." Point taken.
I agree. On my way home from work I thought to myself, "maybe the AR pattern rifle really is the current practical rifle answer, given the probable 95% ownership".
As far as the bolt action market, the Ruger Scout, Mossberg MVP Scout, and Savage 110 Scout are at least attempts to capture what they believe consumers want for a practical rifle. But, as you say, we are a but a tiny subset, and the details of what and why are likely lost on the average consumer that simply "but Cooper!" when they go rifle shopping. As such, the manufacturers give the masses exactly what they're looking for.
The Mossberg MVP Patrol and/or Thunder Ranch models get pretty close with traditional optic mounting solution and barrel mounted iron sights. But, I've not been impressed with the few I've handled, and I'm not crazy bout the the feed mechanism. Plus, at the base 7.5lbs unloaded weight (and without optic), I'd rather have a CTR with typical Tikka quality and smooth action even if that means giving up the irons and paying $75 a mag.
ETA: People totally get where you're coming from, so don't take opinions in this thread as attempts at a course correction. You're spot on, and we know it, but know that we know it. Ultimately, I commend you and @rob_s for defining your 'practical rifle' wants/needs, and then staying true to your course. The rest of us just compromised.
Last edited by StraitR; 06-26-2019 at 08:42 PM.
I had an ER nurse in a class. I noticed she kept taking all head shots. Her response when asked why, "'I've seen too many people who have been shot in the chest putting up a fight in the ER." Point taken.