Just picked up a new BAR ShortTrack, oiled finish in .308. I got it from Cabela's and it was the only one they had. Beautiful rifle...I'm a sucker for nice wood stocks. http://www.browning.com/products/catalo ... mid=031534 I've never owned an auto-load hunting rifle. Any words of advice? Next big decision is to put some optics on it...will probably go with a 3X9 as most of my shooting is 100-120 yds . I've had very good luck with Bushnell Elite scopes and I really like the RainGuard lens coating. Leupold also offers high-quality products and I like the fact that accessories such as sun shades are readily available for them...maybe go with a VX-II or a VX-III. Also considering a Zeiss although the Conquest is getting up there in price. The Zeiss "Terra" is more affordable..has anyone had any experience with these?
Hey talkinghorse, congrats on the new purchase!!! The only advice I have on the autoloading guns is keep them lubricated. I always keep a nice coat of frog lube on my auto-loading guns and they all work flawlessly. As far as a scope goes, like you said above the options are limitless. I have a Leupold on one of my guns (forget which model) and haven't had any complaints so far. What are type of hunting are you going to use it for?
Mainly just whitetail...I really don't need an autoloader as most of my hunting is in relatively open country where the need for follow-up shots aren't an important consideration. But this gun is different so I sprung for it...there was only one in the whole store. Bolt actions seem to be king around here. Do you happen to know how to go about removing the forearm piece? There's a lot of moving parts under there, but the Owners Manual is silent on removing the forearm. Author of an on-line article said the front swivel stud also served as the release, but he was unspecific as to push/pull twist, etc. I don't want to break anything.
It should just twist off. Found a pretty helpful video for disassembly. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZD2RMCKAXw&sns=em[/youtube]
I recently bought my son (15) a new BAR shortTrac stalker in .308. We both really like it. We mounted a Nikon Pro staff 3-9x40 on it and will soon take it out to center it. We put a box of rounds through it so far with out the scope, and find it shoots smooth and easy. I'll let you know how we make out with the scope.
I ended up getting a Zeiss Terra 3x9x42...very happy with it...clear and bright. Mounted it with Talley mounts (integrated base and ring)...the same ones Browning sells under their own name but for about half the price. This is a very clean set up. Sighted it in and used it for deer hunting this year . Shot a deer thru the neck at ~80 yds or so...the deer was dead before he hit the ground. The rifle is really a joy to shoot...very little kick.
