My first really positive experience with a hunting rifle

[Kenneth Jensen]

Well, let me be the first to add to the group then :-)

I have a Mauser m03 Extreme 308W.

I don't load ammunition myself, so I have had a friend develop a load with me and for the first time I have had a really positive experience with a hunting rifle, as I was able to make a 3-shot group at just under 1 MOA (about 2cm @100 meters). That was with 1 out of 4 different loads that I tested, and it will be my all-round hunting round from now on.

My former hunting rifles have been a bit more exotic - like a Remington 7600 pump action 30-06, and I have never been able to make small groups with those rifles..

Best regards
Kenneth

[Rick - Mauser M03 Blog author]

Hi Kenneth. Well done on being the first to post! 

A handload that shoots under 1 MOA is perfect for hunting beasties we'd normally be chasing with a 308, and if you can get to that with a limited selection of loads developed by a friend, well, stick with it and enjoy thereafter. I'm not a bench rest shooter so once I've got a load that groups well enough with three shots, I tend to stick with it, for a few decades if I'm talking about my older rifles.

I'm not surprised that your M03 in 308 shoots more accurately than a 7600 pump in 30-06. I love the 30-06, even though I know I'd most likely get better groups from a 308. The Mauser importer here in Australia has a target on the wall in his shop, with a group fired from his 308 Win M03. Five shots at 300 metres, into one ragged hole. His story about that group and the trigger feel got me started down the Mauser M03 path.

Thanks for contributing.

Regards, Rick.