I appreciate the desire to use a semiauto rifle for dangerous game. I hunted for years with a 742 in 30-06. For dangerous game I would choose a high quality strong bolt action. I prefer bolt actions to carry also.
If a rifle will feed empty cases well, that might say something about how reliablly it will feed loaded ammunition. D'Arcy Echols demonstrates how well his rifles feed flat nose solids for a similar reason.
I think it's a good test for a rifle of this kind. Obviously the important thing is that rifle is 100% reliable with whatever ammunition you use, but if it'll feed empties you should have a high level of confidence that it'll feed just about any loaded ammunition with virtually any type of bullet. Typical hunting or tactical rifles don't need to feed flat nose bullets, SWCs or any other whacko bullet geometry so the required operating envelope is narrower. When I competed in the Safari Challenge a couple of years ago I was surprised by how many rifles didn't feed well, rifles from well-known manufacturers too, and some high $ stuff. John Snow has an article somewhere about the issues he had with a Montana Rifle Company CRF. You should be able to run the bolt smooth and fast with the rifle shouldered, and if you can't then how can your rifle be considered a dangerous game rifle. I still want a .458 Lott at some point … just because … and it'll be a Caprivi unless I win the lottery and can afford a D'Arcy Echols Legend.
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