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buffalo!
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CURRENT OPTIONS
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 The argument could be made that the stand out Savage 99 was an
American approach to a “stalking rifle”.

 Any great American custom gunmaker can certainly make a rifle on the
“stalking rifle” pattern, as can any good English or Continental maker. But there
are lots of other options. Again, it’s a concept, a mindset, not a specific rifle. I
 would submit that a vintage Savage 99 in .250 Savage is a perfect fit as an “all-
American stalking rifle!” Likewise a Ruger Number One Light Sporter…I have
one in 7×57:Iron sights, detachable scope, barrel-mounted forward sling swivel.
And what about the incredibly sleek, light Dakota Model 10? Or any of the
several single-shot “Stutzen” rifles from the Continental makers? Is there
anyway to characterize them other than as“stalking rifles?”

In the bolt-action world, there are many departures. Synthetic is more popular
today than good old walnut, and many of us (me included, sometimes!) worship
at the throne of velocity. Good iron sights seem almost an anachronism, and
scopes keep getting bigger and bigger. But there are still plenty of light, trim
over-the-counter bolt-actions, both domestic and imported, that absolutely fill
the bill, certainly in spirit as well as utility, if not elegance or appointment. Think
about good old American standbys like the Remington Model Seven,
Winchester Model 70, and Ruger M77 Hawkeye. Think about mild, easy-to-
shoot cartridges like the .260 and 7mm-08 Remington, 6.5mm Creedmoor, and
of course the .308 Winchester. Think about crawling through the sagebrush
after a pronghorn or mule deer, or still-hunting the timber for a whitetail. While
you want versatility, you don’t need extreme reach. Instead you need a rifle
that’s as easy to crawl with as it is to carry, and will come up fast and on target
when you get the shot…after you get ten yards closer to your quarry!–Craig
Boddington

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