The thing is, by the time I finished the range day, I realized I was holding a rifle that felt like every good day of hunting I’ve ever had. Conscious thoughts about the rifle faded to the background and a deer, or hog or bear in the distance became the point of mental focus. The whole world was reduced to no more than the quarry, the confines of the scope’s field of view and the placement of the scope’s reticle. Unfortunately, in this case the “quarry” was a paper target posted at 100 yards.
In 1966, and for some years that followed, my no nonsense deer slayer was a sporterized 98 military Mauser that was purchased for $75; Herter’s barreled action and Fajen walnut stock. Adjusted for inflation, $75 in 1966 is the equivalent of $531.47. The Remington Model 783 has an MSRP of $450, but is widely available for $385. Install a reasonably priced scope, throw in a couple of boxes of inexpensive Remington Express Core-Lokt ammo and, if you have any shooting skills, you’ve got a hunting rifle that will see you into the foreseeable future.
And what exactly could you be hunting?
Winchester recommends their 150 grain ammo for deer, black bear, antelope, hogs, etc. They recommend their 180 grain ammo for elk, moose, brown bear and similar size game. Both Barnes and Hornady reloading manuals list the 30-06 Springfield, with appropriate bullet types, suitable for even the largest North American game.
As hunters, American’s tend to be over-gunned, which is one of the reasons we have so many commercially successful magnums in this country. Not only does the thirty aught six have enough power to drop the largest North American game, but it is also flat shooting, easy on recoil and economical to shoot. The need for a larger cartridge stems not from the practical aspects of hunting requirements, but rather from peer pressure; being able to compete for attention with the guy shooting from the adjacent bench, or the buddy who is always one upping us with new guns. Not that I would be motivated by such juvenile behavior… however, my deer rifle is a 375 Ultra Mag.
If you want to be a hunter, and you are willing to set aside small game hunting and 500 yard prairie dog red mist outings, the 30-06 Springfield, no not the 308 Winchester, is a one rifle, one cartridge solution. Yes, I know the 308 Winchester can come within 75 fps and approx 150 ft/lbs of the 30-06 Springfield, but I have yet to see a valid reason to settle for 1 fps less, other than from folks who have an irrational attachment to the 308 Winchester.
This worked out well…
With a Warne base listed for a Remington Model 700 front mount… at the front, and a Burris Tactical base listed for the front of a Model 700… at the rear, I installed a Weaver Super Slam 2-10x42mm scope. With current scope models, eyepieces are very large and bolt handle clearance often drives ring height selection, rather than the objective bell to barrel clearance. This Weaver scope has a particularly large magnification setting ring, however, the flat Remington bolt handle profile permitted use of just a medium height ring.
No special ingredients required…
Rather than assemble a bunch of handloads with dollar bullets, then sort through them to find the smallest groups, I decided to go with affordable factory ammunition, Remington Express Cor-Lokt 150 and 180 grain. At the muzzle the 150 grain ammo clocked 2,900 fps and the 180 grain ammo clocked 2,749. Thanks to the SuperCell™ recoil pad and natural dampening characteristics of molded poly stocks, recoil was.. mild. No shoulder beating after a dozen rounds and nothing to shake concentration. Best 100 yard, three shot groups size for the 150 grain was 0.6″. The best for the 180 grain was 0.8″. The largest of three 150 grain groups measured 0.8″ and the largest of three 180 grain group measured 0.9″.
Comb height is good for scope eye alignment. The drop at the heel makes for good shoulder support for a steady hold and for absorbing recoil. The muzzle stays down flat on discharge. It is a friendly rifle. The magazine is easy to insert and remove, but it is positively secured. At 7.5 lbs the Model 783 isn’t light, but it doesn’t feel heavy. The stock geometry and contours make it comfortable to carry and shoot.
Wish list? I think a base Remington Model 783 like this is essential. It will put a lot of hunters in the woods with a quality firearm they might not otherwise be able to afford. I’d like it for me, a rifle I can drag around and not worry about the cost of nicks and dings, but still have a rifle with excellent accuracy. However, it would be nice to see a Model 783 with satin finish bluing, a walnut stock and bottom metal in place of molded plastic pieces. I have a hunch this rifle is going to be with us for some time.
Email Notification