What makes a great hunting rifle?
 

What qualities do you look for in a great hunting rifle? Range? Clip capacity? Durability? Camouflage? Engraved Pictures? Action?

The old whole is the sum of its lock,stock and barrel. Golden means proportion great but must have...
Accuracy and Dependability.

Accurate and reliable with only enough weight to achieve the first two requirements.

Magazine capacity is way down the list for me. I often hunt with a single shot. Reliability, weight, accuracy and fit....in no particular order.

reliability, weight, and accuracy. magazine capacity is the least of my worries. One good shot is all you need. I hear so many people take multiple shots and just think wonder why. A lot of public land hunters i've ran into spray and pray, unsafe to say the least.

Fit = I first look for a rifle fits me comfortably (without this, accuracy will be an issue)

Accuracy = I haven't had to put a second round in to an animal in a very long time, first shot is really all that matters...(I have missed a time or two though...hahaha)

Safety = location of the safety is big for me...I really prefer a side safety (like on the Remmy 700's and my Tikka)

Durability and well built = I want a gun that will last a lifetime, while I have several in the safe...90% of my hunting is still done with 2 rifles...

Mag capacity (see accuracy) isn't really an issue...I mostly hunt with my 270 WSM and 3 + 1 is all I get...

What makes a great hunting rifle is the one behind it!!! If the shooter can't aim it correctly, it don't matter what the rest is.

My .02 cents. Correct cartridge for the job. Plenty of optic and quality for the task being asked of the weapon. Quality weapon for the environment and hunting style most likely to encounter. Don't ask a K-Mart rifle to shoot Benchrest groups. Learn your weapon and its limitations BEFORE going afield and try taking game!!! You owe it to yourself and the animal.

Very personal ~ the one I choose for me & the one you choose for you !

Accuracy is everything !

Accuracy and power enough to kill what I'm hunting to the ranges I want to hunt them.

I want as much magazine capacity as I can get. When I'm meat hunting for deer, if I can get all of my doe on the ground from one group, the better for me. If I'm calling coyotes and a flock of them come in, I want them all on the ground. Load up in the morning, hunt all day without running out... That's what I want... I run 30rnd magazines on my AR's when I'm calling coyotes. My 6.8spc, I run 10rnds for deer (better feeding than my 26rnd mags). Upland hunting, I stoke 9rnds of 2 3/4" 12ga in the tube and start walking. Migratory birds (duck, geese, dove) are the only times I'm limited on mag capacity, which has happened about 4 times in the last 5yrs.

Trigger should be crisp, short 2.5-3lbs.

Weight isn't as big of an issue to me as handling and shootability. I almost never carry my rifle at low-ready while hunting anymore, even when stalking, so whether it's 7lbs or 17lbs, I just want it to be well balanced. I'm in good enough shape to hang whatever rifle I want over my shoulder for the hunting I do (rarely over 1/2mi from the truck, haven't been over 5mi from the truck in 5yrs).

Reliable and sure feeding, period.

Good optics. Clear, good performance across the gammut of low light to high light.

Stopping power good enough to pound DRT's whenever I put one on the button. Don't want to do too much meat or pelt damage, but I don't go afield undergunned.

I'm with emtrescue6 on the first most important item ... #1. FIT!

After finding a rifle that fits me well and handles comfortably from length of pull to scope to safety (prefer 3 position's like Winchester) I then like the features in the following order ...

#2. Simplicity of breakdown and cleaning --- I own quite a few complicated weapons, and enjoy tinkering with them, but I don't want that in the field. This would include things like Stainless Steel, Synth stock, simple adjustments for trigger and such, bolt disassembly, etc.

#3. Accuracy to be better than average ... but most guns shoot better than most shooters.

#4. Round/cartridge. I'm not dead set on ANY cartridge but prefer mild kicking rounds that can be loaded heavy for caliber (like 6.5 X 55). However if I can't get a rifle in 6.5 X 55 I'll be very happy with a 308 or 30/06, though there are others I'd investigate first.

Thats about it for me ... I am easily placated by the array of stuff out there today.