Welcome to the Gun Bench. This is a series where we at Straight Talk bring our readers into the thought process behind how we set up our gear for various roles and scenarios. There is a saying that purpose drives gear. In the gun world, that saying rings clear. With each selection of equipment, there is a purpose—whether it be for hunting, competitive shooting, home defense, or survival—that equipment matters and must stand up to the task at hand. This series looks to help with the thought process behind each piece of kit, so that you, the reader, can have the best available information. One important note, Straight Talk is Ohio-based. Some items may or may not be legal in your state. Also, not every state has a Constitutional Carry or Castle Doctrine in place. So please, educate yourself on the laws that you must abide by.

The Case for Straight Wall

Growing up, Ohio had been a slug gun state. Other states, such as The State Up North, Illinois, and Iowa previously succumbed to this annoyance. Slug guns—frankly—are not accurate. It wasn’t until Savage introduced the Model 212 and 220 bolt-action slug rifles that hunters felt they had an edge. But these were expensive, and a bit bulky, and good ammo was pricey and hard to find. But for generations, Ohio hunters toted out to the woods, shotguns in hand, to try their luck at taking the Buckeye state’s most alluring game animal. Thankfully, that changed in 2014.

In that season the Ohio Division of Natural Resources (ODNR) legalized the use of straight-wall cartridges for deer hunting. For the trial period, ODNR limited which cartridges could be used. In later seasons, ODNR removed the cartridge list and issued guidelines for legal cartridges. The hunting handbook currently states, “Straight-walled cartridges in the following calibers: All straight-walled cartridge calibers from a minimum of .357 to a maximum of .50.” With that, a flood of new hunting rifles hit the market, giving the Ohio hunter a plethora of options for the first time. The current crop popular of calibers includes 350 Legend, 450 Bushmaster, and 45/70, as well as newcomers 360 Buckhammer and 400 Legend. We have sold thousands of straight-wall cartridge rifles to hunters. From that experience, I sat down to build my new hunting rig.

My Rifle: Winchester XPR

As a kid, growing up on a farm in the southern tip of Northeast Ohio, hunting season was a rite of passage. It was the only time of year where “going hunting” was a permissible excuse to miss school (although, it's surely frowned upon today). My Dad and I hunted primarily with muzzleloaders. To us, they offered greater flexibility since they could be used during two seasons. Conversely, almost all my friends were slug-gun hunters. Fast-forward two decades things have since changed. My knowledge and experience in firearms have expanded allowing me to match the right gear and equipment for the task at hand. That’s where my Winchester XPR comes in. It’s not any rifle, though. It was one picked specifically for its unique feature set. The first aspect of the equation is caliber and range. Like many Ohio hunters, the distances to take game are not great. The type of cartridges available of course is a limiting factor, but so are the dense forests and farmers’ fields many of us frequent. I also wanted to have a relatively light rifle, so recoil was something to bear in mind. All things considered; I settled on the 350 Legend. Its ballistics (very similar to that of a 30/30 Winchester out to moderate ranges), light recoil, and affordability were the winning marks.

Next was choosing the rifle. For this, I wanted something that light and handy. While Winchester lists over twenty variants of the XPR, the stealth model is the one that I was attracted to. The rifle boasts a 16.5” barrel that is threaded. This keeps the rifle compact and lightweight but allows me to attach a suppressor (which has been the Silencerco Omega 36M). The rifle also comes with a Picatinny rail for optic mounting further simplifying my choice. Speaking of optic, I took a bit of a Lt. Col. Jeff Cooper “practical rifle” approach. Since most of my shorts are 200 yards and in, I went with a Low Power Variable Optic (LPVO)—specifically the Vortex Viper PST 1-6. It is a durable optic with a simple reticle and an illuminated center dot, perfect for dawn or dusk. The rings are Vortex PRO 30mm while a Magpul Rifle Loop Sling (RLS) pulls it all together.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Thus far I’ve been very happy with this setup. Accuracy sits at 1 MOA (or approximately 1” at 100 yards) with Hornady 165gr FTX ammo. While some might scoff at the rifle’s short barrel, in testing it's about 100 fps slower compared to a 22” barrel rifle. The benefit is that when I add the 36M can to the end, the rifle matches the length of its longer brethren. There are untold configurations when it comes to setting up a hunting rifle. Thankfully, in Ohio, the list of options continues to expand. Manufacturers are pushing out products to fit the needs of hunters in straight-wall-restricted states. Now is the time to hang up that old slug gun and pick up a new Ohio legal rifle.