Best Hunting Rifles for All Conditions

• This article is featured in the February 2022 issue of Game & Fish Magazine. Click here to subscribe

We don’t always get ideal weather conditions when we hunt, but there are silver linings to those storm clouds. Rain, snow, wind or a mixture of all three keeps many hunters home, which means less pressure on days when the weather takes a turn for the worse.

Plus, some big-game species move better when the temperature drops or a front rolls in. To stay comfortable and hunt effectively in these conditions requires gear that’s up to the task, including rifles that can handle moisture without rusting or shifting their zero.

Here’s a batch that will hunt hard regardless of the weather, just like you.

Browning X-Bolt Hell’s Canyon Max Long Range

The popular Hell’s Canyon series continues with an offering from Browning designed to tackle the elements as well as long shots. With a 26-inch heavy-sporter-contour barrel, removeable Recoil Hawg muzzle brake, Burnt Bronze Cerakote finish and fully adjustable stock, this rifle has many of the features long-range hunters look for. The rifle is available in 10 chamberings ranging from 6.5 Creedmoor to .300 PRC, and it feeds from a rotary, detachable box magazine.

• Caliber: .300 PRC
• Capacity: 3 rounds
• Barrel: 26"
• Stock: fully adjustable composite
• Sights: none; drilled and tapped for bases
• Finish: Burnt Bronze Cerakote
• Overall Length: 46 3/4”
• Weight: 8.19 lbs.

MSRP: $1,509.99 | browning.com

Nosler M48 Mountain Carbon

Built on the Nosler’s own action, the Mountain Carbon is equipped with a carbon-fiber-wrapped barrel from Proof Research, Timney trigger and 100 percent carbon-fiber stock now available in the Shale Gray color. The Mountain Carbon is guaranteed to be sub-MOA accurate with Nosler ammunition and is offered in 10 chamberings including 6.5 PRC and .280 Ackley Improved, both recent additions.

• Caliber: .280 Ack. Imp.
• Capacity: 4 rounds
• Barrel: 24"
• Stock: carbon fiber
• Sights: none; drilled and tapped for bases
• Finish: Tungsten Grey Cerakote
• Overall Length: 45"
• Weight: 6 lbs.

MSRP: $3,140 | nosler.com

Ruger Hawkeye Long-Range Hunter

The Hawkeye Long-Range Hunter retains Ruger’s Mauser-style controlled-round-feed action and marries it to a free-floating, cold-hammer-forged stainless steel barrel with 5R rifling. The muzzle is threaded and includes a radial-port brake. A speckled black and brown finish covers the laminate stock, which is adjustable for length of pull via spacers. The rifle features Ruger’s LC6 trigger and comes with a 20-MOA Picatinny rail.

• Caliber: 6.5 PRC
• Capacity: 3 rounds
• Barrel: 22"
• Stock: laminate
• Sights: none; Picatinny rail included
• Finish: Hawkeye matte stainless
• Overall Length: 42 1/4"
• Weight: 7.19 lbs.

MSRP: $1,529 | ruger.com

Savage 110 Ultralite Camo

The Ultralite Camo packs a bunch of features into a rifle that weighs less than 6 pounds. Savage combines a carbon-fiber-wrapped, stainless steel barrel from Proof Research with a skeletonized receiver to cut weight. The barreled action is housed in a composite stock with a KUIU Verde 2.0 finish and Savage’s AccuFit system that permits length-of-pull and comb-height adjustments. A threaded muzzle and AccuTrigger that’s user-adjustable from 1 1/2 to 4 pounds of pull weight are other features hunters will appreciate.

• Caliber: .30-06 Sprg.
• Capacity: 4 rounds
• Barrel: 22"
• Stock: composite with AccuFit
• Sights: none; drilled and tapped for bases
• Finish: Melonite receiver
• Overall Length: 42 1/2"
• Weight: 5.85 lbs.

MSRP: $1,639 | savagearms.com

Seekins Precision Havak Element

Though the company is best known for its semi-auto rifles, Seekins Precision applied its machining knowledge to the bolt-action world with the release of the Havak. The latest evolution is the Element, a lightweight rig that uses 7075 aluminum for unstressed portions of the receiver and bolt. Short-action versions weigh just 5 1/2 pounds, and long actions come in at 6 pounds. The spiral-fluted, 5R-rifled, stainless-steel barrel comes with a threaded muzzle; it and the action ride in the company’s own composite stock.

• Caliber: .308 Win.
• Capacity: 5 rounds
• Barrel: 21"
• Stock: carbon composite
• Sights: none; integral Picatinny rail
• Finish: anodized black action, bead-blasted stainless barrel
• Overall Length: 42 1/2"
• Weight: 5.5 lbs.

MSRP: $2,795 | seekinsprecision.com

Weatherby Vanguard High Country

The Vanguard High Country is a dedicated backcountry hunting rifle, available in nine chamberings. The two-lug action and fluted barrel wear Flat Dark Earth Cerakote, and the Monte Carlo stock has an attractive, proprietary camo pattern. An adjustable two-stage trigger and a three-position safety are two more highlights. The included Accubrake ST helps tame the magnum cartridges for which the High Country is chambered.

• Caliber: .300 Wby. Mag.
• Capacity: 3 rounds
• Barrel: 26"
• Stock: Monte Carlo composite
• Sights: none; drilled and tapped for bases
• Finish: Flat Dark Earth Cerakote
• Overall Length: 48 1/2"
• Weight: 7.25 lbs.

MSRP: $999 | weatherby.com

Winchester XPR Hunter

A rifle that can hang tough and look good doing it can also be affordable, as the XPR Hunter proves. Its receiver and button-rifled, free-floating barrel are treated with Permacote to resist corrosion and abrasion, while its composite stock is cloaked in Mossy Oak Elements Terra Bayou camo. Other notable features include Winchester’s MOA Trigger System, a two-position safety with a bolt-unlock button and nickel Teflon coating on the bolt.

• Caliber: .270 Win.
• Capacity: 3 rounds
• Barrel: 24"
• Stock: composite
• Sights: none; drilled and tapped for bases
• Finish: Flat Dark Earth Permacote
• Overall Length: 44 1/2"
• Weight: 7 lbs.

MSRP: $649.99 | winchesterguns.com

---