Badboymelvin
AH enthusiast
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2013
- Messages
- 478
- Reaction score
- 1,860
- Location
- Geelong, Victoria, Australia
- Media
- 22
- Articles
- 2
Hey,
Do you have a knockabout/ utility rifle?
By that I mean a perfectly functioning - dare l say it boring rifle, but one you don't mind getting a scratch on, or don't mind getting wet... but one you find really, really useful?
Now, for some people all their rifles are knockabout rifles - but not me. I hate scratching, marking or damaging my rifles.
As for knockabout/ utility rifles, I have 2.
These 2 rifles are my constant companions when my son and I go metal detecting, or we go for a wander in the bush, or go fishing or it's pouring down with rain...
And even though l consider them knockabout rifles, it doesn't mean l don't like them... l do. I love them both.
The first is my 'Churchill' Mauser '98 in .243
Even though it's a knockabout/ utility rifle l love it for a few reasons.
Firstly, it is just so light and handy with it's 18" barrel and 3kg weight. I fitted it with the smallest 3-9 scope l could find and it is just an absolute joy to carry in the
field.
It has a M98 action and with 4 in the mag and another 9 in the ammo holder on the stock, l'm all set for the day
Secondly, l love the cartridge. Where l live in Victoria we just don't have the big dangerous game that other parts of Australia do, so the .243 is a really useful cartridge.
If l am not actually hunting just bushwalking, fishing or going metal-detecting l always carry a rifle - just in case, and in my neck of the woods the biggest predator I would encounter would be feral dogs.
My load consisting of a 87gn projectile at 2900fps would be absolutely deadly on predators this size as well as small/ medium deer, and when l'm carrying it l have every confidence l can handle any potential problems l may encounter...
And thirdly l love it because a dear friend gave it to me for my wife and daughter to shoot. It's nice when l'm out with my family and they can have a shot or 2 with it as well.
I will never part with this useful little rifle...
My second knockabout/ utility rifle will be very familiar with a lot of people... it is the venerable SMLE in .303 British.
I bought this for my Dad years ago and when he let his gun licence go, I inherited all his guns... but this was the one I was really happy to get back.
Like so many of these rifles it has been sporterised and fitted with a scope. This particular rifle is fitted with a Japanese made 3-9 Tasco which is actually pretty good.
The dependability and reliability of these rifles needs no elaboration and my SMLE feed, extracts and ejects flawlessly.
My rifle is pretty accurate for a sporterised .303 and averages around 2" at 100m. This is with the budget PPU 180gn ammo and while this may not please the benchrest crowd, I think it is pretty good for an ex-military rifle that is nearly 100 years old.
It is certainly plenty accurate for deer and big game at moderate ranges.
This rifle will get chosen over the .243 if l am doing something with my son or family and am in Sambar country - and the chance that a big stag may just appear from out of nowhere.
As much as l love the .243 the .303 is better suited to deer this size and a 180gn softpoint at 2400fps is nothing to sneeze at.
It may not look it, but my sporterised .303 actually feels pretty light and handy - and when loaded with a full 10 rounds of 180gn ammo in the magazine, l feel extremely confident carrying this rifle while adventuring in the bush.
So there's my 2 knockabout/ utility rifles.
What are yours?
Would love to hear about them and see a pic or 2...
I just love working rifles!
Russ
Do you have a knockabout/ utility rifle?
By that I mean a perfectly functioning - dare l say it boring rifle, but one you don't mind getting a scratch on, or don't mind getting wet... but one you find really, really useful?
Now, for some people all their rifles are knockabout rifles - but not me. I hate scratching, marking or damaging my rifles.
As for knockabout/ utility rifles, I have 2.
These 2 rifles are my constant companions when my son and I go metal detecting, or we go for a wander in the bush, or go fishing or it's pouring down with rain...
And even though l consider them knockabout rifles, it doesn't mean l don't like them... l do. I love them both.
The first is my 'Churchill' Mauser '98 in .243
Even though it's a knockabout/ utility rifle l love it for a few reasons.
Firstly, it is just so light and handy with it's 18" barrel and 3kg weight. I fitted it with the smallest 3-9 scope l could find and it is just an absolute joy to carry in the
field.
It has a M98 action and with 4 in the mag and another 9 in the ammo holder on the stock, l'm all set for the day
Secondly, l love the cartridge. Where l live in Victoria we just don't have the big dangerous game that other parts of Australia do, so the .243 is a really useful cartridge.
If l am not actually hunting just bushwalking, fishing or going metal-detecting l always carry a rifle - just in case, and in my neck of the woods the biggest predator I would encounter would be feral dogs.
My load consisting of a 87gn projectile at 2900fps would be absolutely deadly on predators this size as well as small/ medium deer, and when l'm carrying it l have every confidence l can handle any potential problems l may encounter...
And thirdly l love it because a dear friend gave it to me for my wife and daughter to shoot. It's nice when l'm out with my family and they can have a shot or 2 with it as well.
I will never part with this useful little rifle...
My second knockabout/ utility rifle will be very familiar with a lot of people... it is the venerable SMLE in .303 British.
I bought this for my Dad years ago and when he let his gun licence go, I inherited all his guns... but this was the one I was really happy to get back.
Like so many of these rifles it has been sporterised and fitted with a scope. This particular rifle is fitted with a Japanese made 3-9 Tasco which is actually pretty good.
The dependability and reliability of these rifles needs no elaboration and my SMLE feed, extracts and ejects flawlessly.
My rifle is pretty accurate for a sporterised .303 and averages around 2" at 100m. This is with the budget PPU 180gn ammo and while this may not please the benchrest crowd, I think it is pretty good for an ex-military rifle that is nearly 100 years old.
It is certainly plenty accurate for deer and big game at moderate ranges.
This rifle will get chosen over the .243 if l am doing something with my son or family and am in Sambar country - and the chance that a big stag may just appear from out of nowhere.
As much as l love the .243 the .303 is better suited to deer this size and a 180gn softpoint at 2400fps is nothing to sneeze at.
It may not look it, but my sporterised .303 actually feels pretty light and handy - and when loaded with a full 10 rounds of 180gn ammo in the magazine, l feel extremely confident carrying this rifle while adventuring in the bush.
So there's my 2 knockabout/ utility rifles.
What are yours?
Would love to hear about them and see a pic or 2...
I just love working rifles!
Russ
