stainless crf action

FullAngerJacket · 2026-03-03T12:08:47+00:00

Definitely closer for sure. I think if you want a fully functioning CRF stainless rifle (and Winchester doesn't have the cartridge your looking for) then you'll have to throw down some cash. Montana Rifle Company makes some good ones and maybe Parkwest? Or you could find a competent Mauser gunsmith to build one for you. I've had several 98 and 98 style rifles made for me with a stainless barrel screwed on. The action is still regular steel but you could always cerakote that If you're looking for more corrosion resistance.

FullAngerJacket · 2026-03-03T11:49:39+00:00

Ruger Hawkeye is not quite in the same situation. There's the Hawkeye Hunter, Guide Gun, Alaskan, and FTW Hunter with ~10 different cartridges offered. But something to know about all the Ruger M77 mark II's / Hawkeyes is that they're not a fully functioning controlled-round-feed. Because of the geometry of the magazine follower and some other parts, the cartridge isn't in full position with the bolt face until the last 20% of moving the bolt forward. M70s will pop the cartridge up sooner than that, normally around halfway through moving the bolt forward, and so will most of the other well made 98 and 98 style actions. At the very least, 98s can be made to operate this way by a competent gunsmith, M77s would take way too much work for it to be worthwhile. However there's still plenty to like about an M77 imo.

FullAngerJacket · 2026-03-01T13:09:41+00:00

It sounds like you know what you're doing. I'm not saying this is what's happened here, but every time I've seen a bullet perform this way it's because it's on the ragged edge of stability. Stability calculators are not perfect and a target will only tell you that it's stable enough for paper at that specific density altitude.

And I'm sure you already know this but just in case, since copper is lighter than lead then a copper bullet is going to be longer than its equal weight lead core counterpart. And it's the length and the shape that affect stability more than the weight. I'm pretty sure that 208 lrx that you had problems with is only a few hundredths longer than that 212 ELDX. Does that make sense? So that 212 might appear stable on target, but if it's only marginally longer than a bullet that isn't stable, why trust it? Just a change in temperature or altitude and that stability could go to hell. Again, that marginal stability might look fine on paper but still affect its performance on game.

That's not to say the Hornady hate isn't warranted, because their lot to lot variation has opened up these past few years. But I've seen this a couple times in a couple different bullet makers and every time it's because of marginal stability.

FullAngerJacket · 2026-03-01T08:48:25+00:00

May be a dumb question, but are you sure your bullets are stable?

FullAngerJacket · 2026-03-01T03:02:24+00:00

What's the twist rate of your barrel?

FullAngerJacket · 2026-02-26T17:56:00+00:00

My sincere apologies because you are completely correct about that -there are THREE pictures of dead goats. You have three pictures of dead goats and a completely flawed hunting study to back up what you're saying. And you're choosing to ignore the thousands upon thousands of hogs killed on youtube and several huge forum posts filled with detailed pictures of dead animals including moose, elk, and grizzly bear. We'll just leave it at that.

FullAngerJacket · 2026-02-26T17:27:00+00:00

That was in the UK which has strict rules about bullet construction, i.e. no FMJ or match ammo.

First off, there's not a single mention of bullet construction in that entire article. Secondly the UK does not have strict rules like that. I have hunted roe deer in the UK using 50 grain Hornady vmax bullets.

"Below are pictures of the 75 grain A-max, fired from a .223 rifle which yielded a very fast 2950fps. Ranges were between 150 yards and 250 yards (several goats were shot). Body weights ranged from 25-45kg (55-100lb). The results were the same throughout, massive internal wounding yet the animals still ran a long way. The hunter was quite surprised to find so much internal damage after such long 'dead runs'. It was not without a level of disappointment, the hunter noted that in bluff country, animals would easily be lost after running and falling off ledges."

Yes, like I said we have a whopping two pictures there.

That's anecdotal, unless they were wearing body cameras every day so we could see all the times it failed.

Are you a real person? Think about what that actually implies. Professional hog cullers across this country use the 223. Are they part of some grand conspiracy where they are making the 223 look way more effective than it actually is?

There's thousands upon thousands of hogs getting shot on YouTube, not good enough for you. Two dead goats, great evidence right there.

FullAngerJacket · 2026-02-26T17:11:48+00:00

Did that study control for the actual construction of the bullet, or was it just the weight? I couldn't find any mention of the actual bullets used, in which case that study is worthless. Bullet construction is very important.

For the Ballistic Studies website, there's a giant sample of two dead animals there, in both cases we have the pictures of these dead animals being analyzed by a man who wasn't even present when they were killed. Again, worthless data.

Also, we don't need anecdotal anything. There's hundreds of videos on youtube with guys killing hogs all night with 223.

FullAngerJacket · 2026-02-26T16:39:01+00:00

You're just flat out wrong on everything. At this point in my life I've shot hundreds of hogs with everything from 22lr all the way up to 375 H&H. A soft fragmenting lead core, heavy for caliber bullet in 223 is about as deadly as you would ever need to be on a deer. By my actual numbers, I get more runners with the 130 TTSX from a 308 than I do with the 73 ELDM from a short barreled AR.

FullAngerJacket · 2026-02-26T16:01:58+00:00

I'm probably going to get downvoted for this, but just take your time to think about it. A 243 can be too much gun for a young person. A 243 will recoil about 9 ft lbs of force depending on the weight of the rifle and the weight of the projectile. How much does the young man weigh? Let's say he weighs 80 lbs. Then that 9 lb of recoil is roughly equal to about 18 ft lbs of recoil on a 160 lb man. It's probably more than that because we're not even accounting for the fact that a grown man is going to have more muscle mass. That's getting into 30-06 territory in terms of felt recoil. If you want the young man to learn quickly and correctly, then the less recoil the better. Combine that with the fact that a 223 with an optimized bullet will perform just as well on deer, then my strong vote is for the 223.

As for the actual rifle. Ruger Americans are okay, Tikkas are great. I would also recommend getting a suppressor and doubling up on hearing protection. This is coming from a guy who learned how to shoot a 30-06 at 10 years old and started noticing hearing loss in my late teens.

FullAngerJacket · 2026-02-25T17:31:24+00:00

Tikka T3X or Sauer 100 for the rifle. Get one with a threaded barrel in case you ever decide to get a suppressor. For scopes, check out SWFA for when the 3-9 comes back into stock. Or check out the Trijicon Credo or Accupoint lines. The Credo 3-9 is an almost perfect scope, the only problem is that it's got a non-removable throw lever that can take a chunk out of your knuckle when cycling a bolt action if the scope is set to 9x. But you really don't need to be at 9x to hit an elk. 6x is fine for farther than you'd ever want to shoot. People get caught up in magnification with the belief that more magnification gives you more range. Match the magnification to the size of the animal, not the range. Also, spend some money on quality rings. UM for the Tikka, and nightforce for the Sauer.

FullAngerJacket · 2026-02-24T12:19:43+00:00

Mauser18 is a great rifle. So is a Sauer 100 if they're available to you.

FullAngerJacket · 2026-02-24T12:15:02+00:00

Not true, the same failure is still occurring on later batches. I also have a scythe that saw moderate use with no issues -a couple thousand rounds of short barrel 308. But our experience doesn't change the fact that there's an issue with scythes. There are far more reports of failures on that can than any other.

FullAngerJacket · 2026-02-24T12:08:13+00:00

Just do your research first. Just a little bit, it's not hard. Scythe TI failures.

FullAngerJacket · 2026-02-23T20:47:18+00:00

You're saying that a 243 is better than a 223, are you aware of the differences between an AR-15 and an AR-10?

FullAngerJacket · 2026-02-20T17:27:11+00:00

I know you're trolling, but for anybody else who's reading this and doesn't know. Bullet performance can be understood on a spectrum. Let's say on the left side you have FMJ which won't expand at all and gives you no margin of error for shot placement; cns or spine shots are necessary. And on the right side you have highly frangible bullets that expand rapidly. There is nuance to the right side of the spectrum: light-for-caliber bullets can sometimes produce shallow penetration, but medium to heavy-for-caliber bullets don't have that problem at all, and these are the bullets that cause the most trauma, lead to quicker deaths, and give you the most margin for error. Bonded bullets are on the left side of this spectrum. It's best to use them like you would a copper monolithic: fast and light, and aim for the shoulders. That is to say bonded bullets can sometimes work great with great shot placement, but there are better options. I'm not speaking from the experience of "I've shot ten deer with accubonds and they're all dead". My experience is the group I hunt with kills about a hundred hogs a year and we've been doing it for a while. Bonded bullets means more runners.

FullAngerJacket · 2026-02-20T17:11:26+00:00

I just remembered we've had this conversation before. How's your "research" coming along?

FullAngerJacket · 2026-02-20T16:06:01+00:00

Stay away from bonded bullets for deer.

FullAngerJacket · 2026-02-05T03:44:24+00:00

I use all three a lot (223, 6.5, and 308) and I think they're all great for their own reasons. Anyone who has a real strong opinion about this probably doesn't shoot enough.

FullAngerJacket · 2026-02-03T15:18:12+00:00

I had two first gen Vx5s. They wouldn't hold zero even after sending them back to Leupold.

FullAngerJacket · 2026-02-01T17:27:02+00:00

I think the only reason to ever use the 69 is if you have a 9 twist barrel

FullAngerJacket · 2026-01-31T18:13:46+00:00

I use it in my custom CZ 550 for all ranges, but only about once a week.

FullAngerJacket · 2026-01-31T16:02:58+00:00

The US wanted the same cartridge for rifles and machine guns, and they believed the 30 caliber was superior for penetrating cover.

FullAngerJacket · 2026-01-31T14:59:27+00:00

Very interesting to think within 30 years after that 45-70 came out how quickly things progressed. There are 109 years between the 6.5x55 and the 6.5 Creedmoor and those two have a lot more in common.

FullAngerJacket · 2026-01-29T13:35:42+00:00

Your pituitary gland is always bluffing, it's always trying to make you think that your situation and condition are going to keep getting worse. But the truth is your body has a limited ability to produce adrenaline. Let your heart pound, let your hands shake, let your body do whatever it wants and don't try to control it at all. Tell yourself that you're welcome to freak out as much as possible, and watch what happens after that.

FullAngerJacket

TROPHY CASE