January 21, 2022
By Rikk Rambo
The Modern Sporting Rifle has made huge strides amongst predator and big game hunters during the last decade. Shot Show 2022 demonstrated this trend with a strong showing of excellent rifles from both major manufacturers and smaller weapons making firms.
Rock River Arms were out in full force with their Fred Eichler Series “Predator 2” LAR-15 in ‘Ghost’ pattern camouflage … a perfect camouflage scheme this time of year for anyone north of the Mason-Dixon line! The Predator 2 is chambered in .223 Wylde and capable of sending both .223 and the higher pressured 5.56 NATO rounds down range with extraordinary accuracy. I was lucky enough to test this rifle (in a more film-noir shade of black finish) earlier this year in a feature article. Check it out at the Firearms News Magazine digital site (October 2021/Issue #19): https://www.firearmsnews.com/editorial/firearms-news-october-2021-issue-19/452903 . Check out the Rock River Fred Eichler Predator 2 at RockRiverArms.com .
Franklin Armory’s Brandon Dunham enthusiastically demonstrated the attributes of the predatory in appearance Praefector-M. This AR-10 based rifle has the traits of a rifle geared toward serious hunting and long-distance accuracy. It is available with a binary trigger, and sports a Magpul MBUS sights, Magpul PRS stock, and Ergo Ambidextrous sure grips. The Praefector is chambered in .308 Winchester and 6.5 Creedmoor. FranklinArmory.com
If you have an interest in CETME rifles, MSR Distribution Company is a vendor with an inventory of multiple variants of this iconic Spanish rifle. The .223/.556 CETME L rifles come in a variety of Cerakote color schemes and exhibits a silhouette reminiscent of the iconic HK 91/G3 rifle.
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*Rikk’s Pro Tip of the Day: If you want to purchase a CETME but are a bit thin on your 2022 gun purchasing budget, you can woo/romance your significant other into submission by doing the following:
Pour a glass of vino for him/her and then ask to purchase the rifle, in a sultry, Antonio Banderas or Salma Hayek voice.
Be sure to pronounce the entire name of the rifle correctly (Centro De Estudios Tecnicos de Materiales Especiales) in the aforementioned Banderas/Hayek “come hither voice” and be sure to finish off with a flamboyant flourish of your hands followed by “amour.” Feel free to roll the final ‘r’ in amour as long as necessary for dramatic effect.
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You can watch a Firearms News video review by Dr. Will Dabbs here. Check out MSR Distribution at MSRDistribution.com .
If you are an FN SCAR fan, you’ve arrived at your destination. The SCAR 20S NRCH is the hard-hitting, long reach, bigger brother of the standard SCAR series of modern battle rifles. The rifle is chambered in .308 Winchester and 6.5 Creedmoor, sports a 20” barrel, short-stroke gas piston, a new bolt carrier system, and two stage Geissele “Super SCAR” match grade trigger. A dual ambidextrous charging handle that remains static while firing and is easily transitioned to accommodate right or left-handed shooters are also standard features on FN’s “longest yard” SCAR model. For more information visit FNAmerica.com .
There are some unbelievably high-quality MSRs manufactured by smaller weapon firms on today’s market, and LFA (Live Free Armory) was at Shot Show to prove it. Jay Smith, the firm’s quality insurance engineer filled me in on the finer points of their LF6.5 Creedmoor. This long-reach rifle is available in .308 Winchester and features a floating M-LOK handguard, two stage trigger, ambidextrous charging handle, Magpul PRS GEN3 stock, 22” 416R stainless steel bull barrel, and rifle-length gas system. Quite a bit of rifle for its price point ($1,999.00). See this rifle at LiveFreeArmory.com .
