first of all thank you for your service to this country, my family and i greatly appreciate it, and secondly, glad to hear of a fellow m77 .308 hunter, i've owned mine for 12 years now and wouldn't think of using any other caliber for the hunting i do. I did however buy myself an interchangeable optima elite just in case i do ever feel like going after something as large as a moose, but for elk, mule deer and whitetails i'm plenty confident with a 300 yard shot.