Crf Rifles Encountered While Hunting?

[CoElkHunter]

This is mainly a quasi survey for U.S. hunters, but how many CRF actioned rifles have you seen while hunting? In thirty plus years of hunting in Colorado and Wyoming, I've seen one (unless the Ruger M77 counts as semi?) after observing and talking to many, many other hunters. Just interesting.

 

[WAB]

Odd, I’ve seen plenty of CRF M70’s including those I regularly hunt with. There are at least 9 in my safe. My hunting buddies are about 50/50 on CRF vs PF.

 

[mark-hunter]

I am not US hunter, but CRF rifles I have seen with other hunters:
Zastava m70
Voere
Winchester m70
ZKK 600
CZ 550
Sporterised military mausers (zastava m48, and similar)

Ruger m77, never seen - never seen even in gunshop. Possibly not imported at all.

Zastava and CZ rifles, in my own estimate represent biggest overall percentage in ownership with local hunter community.

 

[sierraone]

I own several of each, but my experience in the U.S. is most are push feed, primarily do to popularity of Remington 700s in the past and currently it seems most the younger folks are shooting more semi or bolt versions of different ARs which are all push feed to my knowledge. I have locally deer hunted with a 1973 M 70 push feed 30-06...my first center fire rifle...for the past 47 years.

 

[CoElkHunter]

Odd, I’ve seen plenty of CRF M70’s including those I regularly hunt with. There are at least 9 in my safe. My hunting buddies are about 50/50 on CRF vs PF.

Hunting in the U.S.? Interesting?

 

[sierraone]

Odd, I’ve seen plenty of CRF M70’s including those I regularly hunt with. There are at least 9 in my safe. My hunting buddies are about 50/50 on CRF vs PF.

@WAB correct me if I am wrong. You spent a lot of your hunting life in Alaska where larger caliber rifles were/are common due to many large game animals. This in itself would make the use of crf rifles more common. Yes or no?

 

[CoElkHunter]

I own several of each, but my experience in the U.S. is most are push feed, primarily do to popularity of Remington 700s in the past and currently it seems most the younger folks are shooting more semi or bolt versions of different ARs which are all push feed to my knowledge. I have locally deer hunted with a 1973 M 70 push feed 30-06...my first center fire rifle...for the past 47 years.

My observations too. Lots of 700s, post 64 Winchesters, Brownings, Savages, Rugers and most recently Vanguards, Tikkas, Howas and ARs. I’ve seen NO Mauser actioned rifles? Just my observations, but don’t really know why, except for the sheer volumes of those rifles manufactured here in the U.S.?

 

[Wyatt Smith]

Most of my friends have push feeds. One has M70 CRF in 300 win mag, one has a CZ 527 in 204 Ruger, and one uses a few sporterized Mauser rifles.

 

[Red Leg]

In Africa? Lots. Stateside - far less.

 

[CoElkHunter]

I am not US hunter, but CRF rifles I have seen with other hunters:
Zastava m70
Voere
Winchester m70
ZKK 600
CZ 550
Sporterised military mausers (zastava m48, and similar)

Ruger m77, never seen - never seen even in gunshop. Possibly not imported at all.

Zastava and CZ rifles, in my own estimate represent biggest overall percentage in ownership with local hunter community.

Yes, you just don’t see the Zastavas and CZs here used by the average hunter. Too bad, cause I own both and they are great rifles! But I think it comes down to what is commonly manufactured here and or available as imports? Sadly, non are CRF actioned rifles.

 

[sierraone]

In Africa? Lots. Stateside - far less.

With the popularity of your Blasers seemingly growing larger all of the time it's likely affecting the number of CRFs used in Africa if someone were actually keeping count.

 

[deewayne2003]

Why would the Ruger 77 be considered semi CRF?

 

[sierraone]

Why would the Ruger 77 be considered semi CRF?

I own five Ruger rifles, 9.3x62, .300 Win Mag, .375 HH, .404J, and .416 Rigby. I consider all of them CRF, but have been told they are not "true" CRFs. So I don't know why they are not.

 

[Alistair]

Here in the UK I've never personally seen any CRF rifles in medium game calibres used for hunting. The only ones that one sees on forums are old Parker Hales. In fact, excepting my own Win70 (where I specifically searched for CRF as it was a .375) and old military rifles for classic military rifle comps, I've only ever seen 2 other CRF rifles full stop.

Most (80%+) hunters opt for a Tikka T3, a Sako 85, a Rem 700 or something like a Scultz and Larsen or a Blaser. Maybe a few opt for a Howa, a Browning, a Steyr Mannlicher or a Mauser M12.

Honestly, unless its a DG calibre, CRF offers no real benefit for hunting in my experience and it seems that the market agrees.

 

[CoElkHunter]

Why would the Ruger 77 be considered semi CRF?

Don’t really know, I’ve never owned one, except my M77 in .220 Swift? But, from what some of the M77 experts have said here, is the Ruger RSMs are CRF and the others are not? Don’t know for sure?

 

[woods0824]

Kimber rifles are fairly common out west. Took a mountain ascent on my mule deer hunt in Wyoming last year. Took a Highland stalker this year.

 

[CoElkHunter]

Here in the UK I've never personally seen any CRF rifles in medium game calibres used for hunting. The only ones that one sees on forums are old Parker Hales. In fact, excepting my own Win70 (where I specifically searched for CRF as it was a .375) and old military rifles for classic military rifle comps, I've only ever seen 2 other CRF rifles full stop.

Most (80%+) hunters opt for a Tikka T3, a Sako 85, a Rem 700 or something like a Scultz and Larsen or a Blaser. Maybe a few opt for a Howa, a Browning, a Steyr Mannlicher or a Mauser M12.

Honestly, unless its a DG calibre, CRF offers no real benefit for hunting in my experience and it seems that the market agrees.

Very interesting! I would have thought in the UK and Europe, Mauser actioned rifles would be more prevalent? But I agree, there is no advantage to having a CRF actioned rifle for non DG. They’re nice actions, but heavier and not generally as smooth as push feeds. And maybe, generally more expensive?

 

[RS71]

Seen? None. I’ve only used push feed in the lower 48. CRF while hunting bear in Russia. I suppose it’s different when the game isn’t hunting you at the same time.

 

[CoElkHunter]

I own five Ruger rifles, 9.3x62, .300 Win Mag, .375 HH, .404J, and .416 Rigby. I consider all of them CRF, but have been told they are not "true" CRFs. So I don't know why they are not.

I believe the .375 and up are, but not sure about the 9.3 and .300? One of the Ruger experts here will know.

 

[HuntingGold]

I found this article and took the screenshot while doing my own research. This is a graph of the most popular actions used in long range competition. While incredibly maligned as inferior, substandard, or just plain garbage by many forum members, the Remington action and those actions designed in its footprint are THE ACTION used in accuracy competition. I don't have data for competition in other countries, perhaps it's different in Europe or Africa. While this graph is not hunting related, I think the rifles carried by hunters (at least in the western US) are mostly push feed.