Over many years of shooting I have experienced all sorts of rifle failures. The majority of these failures pertain to stock failures and scope failures, although some failures have been features on the rifle which have led to minor injury, such as a cut hand from the front swivel stud. I have now developed some pretty strong opinions about features which should and should not be on powerful rifles.

Firstly, all "off the shelf" powerful rifles need a trip to a gunsmith who understands powerful rifles, and not all do. Once there, he can properly bed the rifle - every rifle I've owned from the .350 mag to a .458 has suffered a cracked stock due to improper factory bedding. Even a Ruger #1 I had in .416 Rigby suffered a cracked stock due to uneven bedding.

The good news here is that while the gunsmith has the rifle it can be fitted for you, and any amount of tweaking such as trigger work or a better sights can be addressed. Rifles with swivel studs on forends should have the swivel moved to the radius of the forend tip to prevent cut hands. And speaking of minor injuries, the factory stock of my Brno 602 gave up the ghost, and I replaced it with a Mcmillan. In rapid fire I would grasp the pistol grip high and receive a painful bump on my knuckle for my trouble. My solution is to have a filler made to take up space near the top of the pistol grip, which hopefully will force my hand lower and solve the problem. Anytime your rifle hurts you it's a failure.

The Ruger #1 I mentioned got a custom quarter rib inletted for Talley QD rings so that I could mount my 1-5X Leupold's ocular even with the front of the falling block. This prevented any chance of getting hit by the scope regardless of what position I fired from. It also kept the scope clear when cycling rounds through the action. Scopes fail - I've seen them fail - even good scopes, and for that reason it is essential that if your rifle is scope sighted that you take a spare with you, in QD rings. Regardless of the scope you choose, the ocular should not extend behind the rear of the trigger guard, and certainly not behind the cocking piece of a bolt action rifle.

Keep in mind, that from the time your rifle leaves home it will be in a harsh environment. Front sights can get bent, and beads can be broken off. All ammunition must be checked for functioning prior to leaving on your trip.