Hunters
and shooters these days have an almost endless variety of
quality rifles and scopes from which to choose. The low-end
bargain scopes available today are better than many of the
expensive scopes of a few decades ago. Also, rifles are becoming
more and more accurate, right off of the dealer’s rack. Part
of this can be attributed to better ammo, but it is mostly due
to shooter demand. Hunters want a rifle that will shoot small
groups at the target range, but most do not put in the necessary
practice to place a shot quickly and accurately in the field.
Still, it is comforting to know that the rifle will do its part
if the hunter does his.
To
achieve this high degree of accuracy, many hunters are carrying
afield rifles that are too heavy. Many hunters go into the
woods each fall carrying a rifle that is better suited for
long-range varmint hunting than for a quick shot at a whitetail
deer. A few years back, a couple of custom rifle makers started
to build guns which are referred to as "bean field
rifles", and there definitely is a place for these. The
bean field rifle was developed for hunters who shoot deer from a
fixed position at long range, often across large soybean fields,
hence the name. The rifles are basically fairly heavy,
long-barreled, powerful, and capable of fine long-range
accuracy. They are the perfect weapon for shooting
accurately at long distances from a steady position.
The
problem is that most hunters do not hunt from a fixed position,
or elevated shooting house, at extreme range. Most deer hunting
takes place at much shorter range, with the occasional long shot
thrown in just to make it interesting. For instance, where I
hunt it is mostly thick hardwoods interspersed with red cedar
trees, with only the occasional shot down a long clear-cut power
line right-of-way. While a rare three hundred yard shot is
possible, most shots are within one hundred yards, and many are
under twenty-five yards. One of my stands overlooks a long
power line, with a maximum possible range of almost four hundred
yards, but I see more game on the way to this stand than I do
after I get there. I have hunted from that stand with a ten
pound twenty-six inch barreled .25-06, but it was very unwieldy
and slow to mount if I jumped a deer on the way in. The fact is,
too many hunters are using a similar rifle, and missing shots at
game because of it. I have since sold that .25-06, because it
was more of a handicap that an asset. Across a bean field,
it would have been perfection, but for a quick shot at a moving
deer, it was like swinging a pig on a shovel.
For
general purpose big game hunting, one needs a rifle that mounts
like a fine English shotgun; quickly and instinctively. For
generations, the .30-30 lever action Marlin or Winchester
carbine was the definition of the deer rifle. They are light,
handy, and quick to the shoulder. While there are still
thousands of the little carbines that bring home the meat each
year, and the old thirty-thirty kills much better than most give
it credit, many hunters want a rifle that will reach out and
shoot flatter for that occasional long shot. Usually, they end
up carrying a rifle that is much too heavy and ill-balanced to
optimally do the job.
Thankfully,
there are a few rifles on the market that combine the light and
handy balance of a lever action carbine with the flat shooting
ability of a modern bolt action. One such rifle is the subject
of this article. Ruger makes a wide variety of good bolt
action rifles. There is most likely a configuration of their
Mark II to suit the needs of any shooter, but the jewel of the
bunch for the modern deer hunter is the Mark II Compact.
The
Compact combines light weight, fast handling, and good accuracy
into one very compact package. "Compact", while not an
extravagant or fanciful name, aptly describes the attributes of
this rifle. The Compact is built on Ruger’s short action, and
is chambered for the .223 Remington, .243 Winchester, .260
Remington, 7mm-08, and .308 Winchester cartridges. All
except the .223 are excellent whitetail deer cartridges, and
where hunting laws allow, even it will suffice with the right
bullet. I would love to see the .358 Winchester added to the
lineup as well, for it is a superb short action cartridge for
larger game such as elk and moose. Notice that I stated
short action, and not short range. The .358 is often categorized
as a short range cartridge, but that just ain’t so. With
the right bullet, it shoots as flat as most modern non-magnum
cartridges.
To
achieve its light weight and good balance, the Compact wears a
slender sixteen and one-half inch barrel, that tapers quickly
from 1.15 inches at the chamber to .525 inch diameter at the
muzzle. The length of pull measures just twelve and
nine-sixteenth inches, resulting in a quick-mounting rifle, even
when wearing a heavy jacket. The overall length of the little
rifle is a bit shorter than a yardstick; measuring just
thirty-five and one-half inches. The stock is slender, and
on the test gun, is made of laminated wood. Also available is a
walnut stock version. The test rifle is made of stainless
steel, and thankfully, the trigger guard and floorplate are made
of the same. Like all of Ruger’s bolt action rifles, the
Compact is supplied with their excellent scope rings which
attach to the built-in bases. The Compact is also furnished with
sling swivel bases, as every hunting rifle should be.
The
Mark II action has a ninety degree bolt lift that easily clears
a low mounted scope. The action is of the controlled-round feed
system that carefully guides the cartridge into the chamber as
it slips under the claw extractor from its position in the
magazine. The action will also close on a round that is
dropped onto the follower for those who like to single-load when
shooting from a bench rest position. The Compact has the Mark II
three-position safety that, in its rearmost position, locks the
trigger, sear, and bolt handle. In the middle position, the
safety locks the trigger and sear, but allows the bolt to be
operated. In its fully forward position, the rifle is ready to
fire. The sample rifle tested had a very crisp trigger
that released with a pull weight of four and three-quarter
pounds. The floorplate latch is recessed into the front of
the trigger guard, and is almost impossible to accidentally
release, yet still easily opens to empty the magazine. The
sample rifle was chambered for the .260 Remington cartridge, and
weighed in at a svelte six pounds and two ounces, without scope.
For
testing, I mounted one of the better hunting scopes that I have
encountered in a long time; the Trijicon 3-9x40
AccuPoint. The AccuPoint, besides having excellent optical
qualities, has a tritium powered aiming point for very low-light
conditions, backed up by an adjustable fiber optic system that
allows the user to easily adjust the brightness of the aiming
point for any and all lighting conditions, all without
batteries. The aiming point sits atop a heavy post
reticle, and proved extremely quick to get on target. I used the
scope in conditions from bright sunlight to pitch darkness, and
everything in between. With this scope, if you can make out the
target, you can take the shot. The reticle is always visible.
Unlike a battery powered dot scope, the tritium aiming point is
always on, and the ability to adjust the brightness to match the
lighting means that the target is never washed out by a
too-bright reticle. The power ring on the AccuPoint tracks
precisely and easily, and the optics will focus clearly as close
as six feet away.
The
Ruger Compact was test fired using Remington 140 grain Core-Lokt
pointed soft point ammunition at a distance of one hundred
yards. Accuracy of this factory load is very good in this rifle,
with each group fired measuring less than that magic one inch.
From the short barrel, the ammo chronographed 2410 feet per
second. Functioning was perfect in the Mark II action, as
expected. The magazine holds four rounds, plus one in the
chamber. The overall fit and finish of the rifle is excellent.
The
Ruger Compact is one of the handiest little bolt action rifles
available. As can be seen in the photo, it is shorter than two
of my favorite lever action thirty-thirty carbines, but shoots
much flatter for that occasional long shot, without being heavy
and cumbersome. It is also lighter than either of those two
lever action carbines. With the Trijicon scope mounted, the
Compact is six ounces lighter than the scoped Marlin .30-30
pictured. The .260 also shoots much flatter and has a better
sectional density than does the thirty-thirty. The Ruger Compact
allows better ballistics without sacrificing quick handling. It
is one of the better all-around deer rifles available.
Check out the full line of Ruger products
here.
Look
at the entire line of Trijicon optics at: www.trijicon.com.
Jeff Quinn
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