Steyr 30-06

[thomas]

I have been using a Steyr pro-hunter in .243 with an A-tec moderator for a few years and I have now put in a variation to up things to a 30-06. I would like to go for a similar combination but with the Steyr mountain version as I do find standard version a little long; no problem in the high seat but can snag a bit when stalking in cover. I have also considered the Steyr scout; I would welcome any comments or info regarding these variations of the pro- hunter.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and happy hunting for 2008!

 

[ssgpiv]

Hi Thomas. I had a moderated scout in .308 untill recently. The bipod is of little or no use its very light and with the moderator off (which I took off almost immediately) I found the recoil unattractive. I think when you have lost faith in a tool, (something in which confidence is crucial) for whatever reason, whether real or imagined you have to get rid. I have replaced it with the mannlicher ssg piv which is an excellent weapon and which I would heartily recommend to those who can accept its looks.

 

[Fester]

Hi thomas
Why dont you go for the pro hunter mk11 mountain Ive not long bought one & im more than happy with it. I also have a tikka t3 which is an excellent rifle but im fast favouring the steyr over the t3 & can see my t3 starting to collect dust already.
I looked at the scout but prefered the more traditional lines of the pro hunter.
Apart from a "so called" common problem with the synthetic stock flexing & touching the barrel i really cant fault it & it feels like an extension of my arm when using it. The stock flexing problem i sorted in about 2 hours by filling the honeycomb section with resin & glassbedding the reciever to stock area. This cost me about £15 in materials to do & took about 2 hours & now the stock is rock solid & is impossible to flex up to touch the barrel. Accuracy is fantastic & can virtually clover leaf 3 shots at 100 yards using 100 grain Normas, Far better than i thought it would achieve being a sporting rifle.
Can i ask why you are upping to 30-06 I started with 243 then went onto 308 then 30-06. I then went back to 243 & have used it for the last 8 years. I dont have any problems downing any species of deer with this calibre despite what some say. Its down to the individual i think & what he prefers & feels comfortable with. Its down to shot placement at the end of the day. A 243 is more than capable of doing the same job as any other calibre im my opinion.
Every calibre has its pros & cons at the end of the day.

 

[Fester]

Hi Stag
I dont doubt your opinion on the 30-06 being an excellent round. I used one myself long enough, my old 1903 A4 springfield ex US Army service rifle. Great round i admit but its not the be all & end all of rounds to use. Ive shot reds, roe, muntjack & sika with it & worked very well but i have also done the same job with the 243 to the same effect. I prefer it for its flatter trajectory & wide range of ammo available off the shelf & the fact that i shoot very well with it. its an excellent foxing rifle at the same time.
If people are relying on the extra punch to take there quarry down then they need to spend more time target punching to improve there shooting skills than shooting at deer with the hope that there shot was in the correct place or thinking it doesnt really matter if its not because the extra punch will take it down anyway & ill not need to worry Thats not always the case anyway, ive witnessed muntys shot with a 308 & still run for 50 yards before dropping.
Dont get me wrong im not saying the 243 is the be all & end all round either because its not. Put it in the correct hands & its as lethal as any other calibre out there. Put it in the wrong hands & its just as useless as every other calibre. Some dislike it others love it. I just know i shoot well with it so ill stick with it.
By the way mate have a verry happy christmas & hope santa brings you lots of shooting toys

 

[Fester]

How has my post ended up on top of yours

 

[stag1933]

Hi Thomas.
Stick with your thoughts with regard to the .30-06 , it is one of the finest cartridges ever made by mortal man.
In 46 years stalking I have had 3 and shot 7 species of Deer from Muntjac to Moose with them.
There will be a time when the .243 man wishes he had used something with more punch, Sika and Muntjac are the two hardest of the various speces to nail `in situ`.
In the words of the late Robert Ruark `use enough gun`.
Do not expect a boy to be capable of mans work under all conditions.

HWH.

 

[thomas]

Thanks for the replies everyone. My Main reason for the upgrade is to make things boar legal; living in rural Herefordshire I am very lucky to have quite few running over my shooting ground. I have no intention of getting rid of my Steyr .243; it really is an excellent rifle.

I never handled a scout in the flesh, but thanks ssgpiv, you have confirmed my thoughts about the bi-pod (not that I shoot using one) but if it's on the rifle you might as well be able to use it. I have never been quite convinced by the looks of this rifle either! But I will have a look at one in the flesh before I decide.

Steyr 243, I like your tip for beefing up the front end; my rifle is the MkII, and it is better than MkI, but there is still flex in there. I too use 100 grain Normas and find these spot on.

Thanks stag1933, it will be a .30-06 for sure.

 

[Fester]

Hi Thomas
My rifle is also the MK11 but found it quite flexible despite being assured they had resolved this problem on the MK2s. However i did have to put alot of pressure on the rifle to get the stock to flex upto the point of touching the barrel. I decided to stiffen it up anyway just incase & i realy cant fault the rifle for handling & accuracy. It shoulders very fast & feels comfortable. Its the 1st steyr ive owned & i really like it.
Again its not to everyones taste but thats why there are so many makes on the market to allow people to pick whats best for them
I cant fault my Tikka T3 either for performance, Its a good workhorse but i find myself favouring the steyr as i think it handles better.
Good luck with your boar shooting my friend
Merry christmas & hope santa brings you all the goodies you want.
By the way i took my steyr out sat morning & downed a nice munty buck stone dead at 100yards. Put a nice smile on my face

 

[Fester]

Whats happening to my posts there getting put on top of the other threads that were posted earlier

 

[ssgpiv]

Hi Thomas.

The bipod works ok but it is very noisy to engage or disengage. If after looking at one you still fancy one but in .308 I can organise a cheap one. If you want one for boar and want a carbine like rifle because it mounts more instinctively (which is the reason I bought the scout ), have a look at the ssg piv.

 

[MarkH]

Glad to here you have not handles any scouts recently

The Scout really isnt designed as hunting rifles. Their role was as a tactical police rifle. The bipod is a waste of space.
At pig shooting distances there is no ballistic advantage to a 30-06 compared with a 308. If you need a second shot the shorter action is better on the 308.

Mark

 

[stag1933]

Hi Thomas.
Good decision !
For the Piggys try the 180 grain Nosler Partition, it works well on Moose, Piggys and African plains game.
Don`t worry about the long action, I also have a .308 and under field conditions have never noticed the difference.
A carefully executed 2nd. shot if required is better than a burst of rapid fire.

HWH.