Realisitic Varmint Range of a Combination Gun

mchughcb

Well-Known Member
A lot of people are confused or have no idea of the accuracy of combination guns compared to bolt guns. Most people think for serious varminting you need a big heavy barrel bolt gun with a big tactical scope to shoot Charlie at 250 yards. I have been shooting my sub MOA BBF 7x57R for years now and finally a mate purchased his 270Win/12G Blaser BBF97 and went to check the zero at 200m. This is the target the sent me. The blaser barrels can be regulated and they are free floating off the monoblock. Later that night he sent me two photos, a head shot fox at 340m, followed by a trotting fox at 200m. Not too shabby with the 130gr Barnes. Photos too graphic to post. Quite a versatile combination really as he bought it mainly for deer hunting but has found its good enough for just about everything including varminting way past 200m.
 
Please don't tell too many as they will all want one. Mine is an old fashioned one with a soldered barrel. It puts its first shot from a cold barrel bang on point of aim at 100 metres every time. I can't say I've shot foxes at 250, but have certainly shot several, along with a few roe deer at 150.
 
I am relatively new to the 7x57R, only having mine about three years, but a lot of owners with years of experience say their 7x57R is the most accurate rifle they own.

Since they are made for, and regulated for, heavier bullets, like the 173-gr at 2,350 fps, I am curious how light the bullets that you are shooting in the 7x57R and .270 Win for foxes? Sounds like these are not reduced loads, but full house and velocities in the 3,000 fps neighborhood.
 
The 270Win is about 3100fps with a 130gr tsx and the 7x57R is about 2500 with a 175gr interlock. The 270 is steaming.
 
Oh, full weight loads, and bolt action velocities!
I thought you might be shooting 100-gr in the .270 and 120-gr in the 7x57R.
 
Southern you sound surprised. A break action doesn't really give anything away to a bolt action as regards velocity especially as most have full length barrels all be it in a short package.

My experience with the 8x57irs O/U is very similar to that of Heym SR20.
 
I am only surprised, because I expected a light weight bullet for varmints, and probably a mild practice loading. Certainly modern combination guns made for rimless high pressure rounds like the .270 Winchester are going to be just like modern single shot rifles.

Both my combination guns (8x57JRS and 7x57R) are old maids from the 1920s, so I have tried to keep the pressures down to about the same as their regulation loads ( like a 173-gr 7x57R at 2,350 fps). My 7x57R does have longer barrels, and I have recently inched up to an accurate 139-gr load at 2,660 fps. My 120-gr loads are pretty mild, about 39,000 CUP and 2,800 fps. My goal is to get some or all 120, 140, 150 or 154, 160 and 175-gr loads all shooting to about the same point at 100 yards, or at least into small vertical groups. But once I find the best of those, or the best two, I will probably just stick with them. I only use the iron sights on the 7x57R ( two folding leaves), so 150 or 200 yards would be my longest shot on game, with one familiar load and no hold over twiddling. Even a slower 120-gr bullet shooting to the same place as a heavier one would be a great practice round, and a deer killer.

But I am thrilled to hear of others with scopes making kills on varmints at over 250 yards.
 
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