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Ruger M77 Compact Magnum and Hornady RCM cartridges
The plan was to borrow one of Sturm-Ruger’s new M77 Compact magnum bolt action rifles, mount a Leupold 3.5 X 10 X 40 VX-3 scope on it, beg a hundred rounds of Hornady’s new 300 RCM cartridges, win an elk permit in New Mexico’s annual lottery and then go out this fall and bag myself an extremely large animal for the freezer this winter. 
click image to enlarge
Hiking up through the arroyo, I quickly put the rifles attributes to the test. The short, 20-inch barrel fells light and balanced for the gun’s 6.5-pound overall weight. With the thick underbrush and over hanging junipers, there was no snagging on branches as we crept along. Of course, the real test was to see whether I could turn our prey into coyote McNuggets. Well, we did spot one--the Leupold glass dialed them in from about a half mile away--and the memory of that first shot lives with me still. It was the most extraordinary feeling of tremendous power erupting from such a light, quick- handling rifle. My body was tensed for the recoil of a gun twice the size. No need. As powerful as the Hornady bullets are, I felt perfectly at ease and in control when I took my second and third shots. And believe me, nothing on earth short of Godzilla is going to stand up to a single shot from this combo. Oh, and that coyote? Well, that damn cholla cactus next to him will never, ever, be the same. Ruger M77 Compact Magnum, walnut stock, $995; www.ruger-firearms.com; Leupold VX-3 Scope, $624.99, www.leupold.com; Hornady 150 grain RCM ammo; www.hornady.com
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