pass i o n & Grands Gibiers N°103

autour de la bête noire chasse mythique Le rembucher S us scrofa, en du "Petit Roger" sa cathédrale tarnaise au cul des chiens l La FACCC prend la voie du cerf ! les phénomènes Un 20 cors pour l L’année des un heureux invité ! grands bleus

dans la traque Millevaches et des sangliers

radioscopie La prolifération des sangliers : p-narlons e !

culture sanglier dans les corbières à l'établi... l L a carabine à réarmement linéaire À quelques encablures Browning Maral calibre 30-06 de la « grande bleue » l L es Cartouches 6,5x55 Mauser suédois au ferme l L es jumelles Kite Lynx HD Entrevue avec Gérard économiques et performantes Bédarida président de l'ANCGG  M A 5,50 ce n

. 65 D 65 . - TOM 950 XPF 950 TOM -  AR M Quel avenir pour -  . 6,40 . - LUX. 6,50 6,50 LUX. -  ONT C 6,60 T R L. E PO B le grand gibier ? Fra- 2014 Juin-Juillet - N°103

sang103couvOk.indd 1 18/06/14 14:57 on the bench- rifle The Browning Maral 30-06 calibre straight- pull rifle THE "SEMI-AUTO" THAT ISN’T

When the Blaser 93 was launched, other manufacturers took the plunge with their own straight- pull models, such as the Mauser 96, the Heym SR30, and the Browning Acera.The idea was original, and smart; but the designs were rushed, did not have the benefit of field trials, and were devoid of practical considerations. The fast reloading action was spoilt by poorly positioned levers that required users to have arms as long as an orang-ut an’s if they were to get the full benefit of the straight-pull movement. Maral Wood. The quality of the Text: Dominique Czermann wood in the featured model is Photos: reviewer and manufacturer outstanding for a rifle at this price. When one of my friends, a interchangeable heel pad, adjustable rear gunsmith and long- Getting sight for users who don’t like the battue standing Browning dealer, to grips type rib, removable ball-locking sling received the Acera, his The first impressions swivels, a padlock for transport and a first impression was that it on seeing the Browning detailed user manual. wasw "not clever by Browning. If they’d put Maral are positive, despite some As with Browning’s semi-automatic in two springs, they’d have had a rifle that preconceived expectations. The rifle is Zenith Wood, the wood is the result of a reloaded automatically, almost a semi- delivered in a Browning carry case with discerning selection process and pleasing automatic with a removable magazine". the stock removed, complete with to the eye. At first glance, the finish seems Fifteen years later, along came the Maral. accessories, screwdriver, interchangeable , more than decent for a mass-produced gun. With the stock out of its protective packaging, assembly is unsurprisingly TECHNICAL DATA straightforward. The screw tightens quickly and secures both sections of the Maral System: straight-pull, servo Maral together without having to be Manufacturer: return, separate cocking Browning Int forced. The result seems sturdy and Type: manual, straight-pull Sights: battue-type rib and designed to stand the test of time, but repeating rifle adjustable front sight (rear sight supplied in carry case) more of that later. Once assembled and Barrel: 22 inch seen from the left-hand side, the Maral is Overall length: 43.3 inch Stock: removable, adjustable length, virtually indistinguishable from the grade 3 walnut as standard. Weight: 7.23 lb, may vary Zenith Wood. The right-hand side is depending on wood and calibre Optional: as for Bar Zenith: Big surprising, and may nonplus regular users Game, Wood, Ultimate. See catalogue. Calibre: 30-06 Springfield of Browning semi-automatics. The long, (9.3x62, 300 WM available) Price: from 2,390€ depending slender cocking lever seems odd and on options and model. baffling as it looms backwards. Its slightly Feed: removable 4-round magazine over-elaborate shape is the trade-off for the straight-pull action that rewards users with a quick reloading system.

42 C h a s s e Sanglier pa ss i o n & Grands Gibiers juin-juillet 2014

sang103armMaral&cartouch.indd 42 18/06/14 10:36 Toutes les chasses, partout, tout le temps !... www.noschasses.fr

The Maral comes with The front sight can be a carefully designed adjusted horizontally La carabine à réarmement battue-type rib. and vertically. linéaire Browning Maral calibre 30-06 presqueune“semi-auto”

The independent cocking system is an increased safety feature. A clear red dot shows when the rifle is cocked.

With the Maral, closing the breech to a round is a thing of the past - the breech is self-closing, like a semi- automatic! But the most surprising aspect is the rifle’s inherently light feel and balance that belie the 7.23 lb of the model we tested. The Maral also looks longer than the Zenith, and our tape measure shows that at 44 inches, it does outstrip its the remainder is shipped in from Liège. The bolt release lever is not needed on the semi-automatic cousin by 2 inches. The Maral and so does not feature, in contrast media as a whole, and most gunsmiths, Receiver. Breech to Browning’s other semi-automatics. The portray the Maral as a battue rifle, but our sides of the receiver are designed to hold impression after getting to grips with it The Maral’s receiver is practically the same walnut inserts as the for the first time is that the Maral is more indistinguishable from the one on the ZenithWood. than that: it’s a genuinely versatile rifle, an Zenith, which was itself based on the The upper section of the receiver is aspect we’ll look at again later. famous BAR that was designed in 1966 tapped to mount all types of optical and released to market in 1967. It is made Like Browning’s semi-automatic rifles, sights. The base retaining screws fit in from a light, aircraft-grade alloy, has an the Maral is assembled at the company’s steel inserts to ensure long service life. ejection port that extends into a slit for ultramodern plant in Portugal, where the cranked cocking lever to slide into This was a source of concern with some some sections are also built; when fully opening the breech. Short tracs and Vulcans, but Browning was quick on the trigger with the necessary adjustments. The breech is derived from those on the semi- The Maral HC with stock automatics. The principle is unchanged, removed, stored in its with a 7-lug rotating bolt in the carry case complete with Brownings that is derived from the accessories. Some rivals Armalite/Colt AR10/15. should take note. This system gives a highly trustworthy, sturdy locking mechanism and can endure high-pressure Magnum cartridges, while the initial turn of the breech head during the unlocking action results in an impressive primary extraction. The lugs are seated in a barrel-extending steel insert; the only purpose of the alloy casing is to house the breech and hold the barrel.

C h a s s e Sanglier pa ss i o n & G rands Gibiers juin-juillet 2014 43

sang103armMaral&cartouch.indd 43 18/06/14 10:38 on the bench- rifle

Cocking lever: "strange" but effective. Also shown are the internal sight-mounting threads on top of the casing.

Before the action begins Removable 4-round magazine with one in the chamber - what many look-outs want. .

This is familiar, tried-and-tested Well designed magazine: the there was a bit too territory based on over a million sides are shaped to prevent much free play in the rifles sold, nearly all of them still rounds sliding forwards. Note the bright-green follower. lever. We tightened it up, in use today. and it didn’t move again even after we had fired off The relatively deep bolt face several boxes of 30-06 at wraps around the base of the slow and rapid rates. , which is held by the sturdy and reliable claw. The Maral barrel Spent cartridges are ejected by a spring- The cocking lever is an unorthodox shape, The barrel is cold hammered, a process in loaded ejector. Ejection is clean and but it does its job well. It is slightly on the which FN Excels, and is chambered for the reliable, but with less punch than you get slender side, and secured to the breech 30-06 Springfield cartridge - a wise choice with a semi-automatic: an aspect that will carrier by a hex screw. The walnut ball end that makes for a versatile rifle, even though, please reloaders who like to get more use is very practical and pleasing on the eye as has been said before, it is by no means the out of their cartridges. and hand. When our Maral arrived, best calibre around!

a SHOOTING TESTS a

he shooting tests were held rounds,at 2,749 fps. The times It is quite easy to keep within a Check whether this is the case T over a number of sessions were registered using two 25-mm group from 50 metres with your Maral, but it’s good to giving us the opportunity to have different calibrated chronographs using the same scope, if you are know if you’re running short of the Maral tested by several to ensure reliable results. The proficient in the intricacies of ammunition… All those who used different shooters against temperature fluctuated between shooting. The Maral’s trigger pull the Maral with the H-1 on the running boar and fixed targets, 22 and 24° C.Manufacturers are contributes to the accuracy. As running boar target found it easy to and to rate its practical accuracy, increasingly upfront with this long as your eyesight is still handle, cock and manoeuvre, and rate of fire and ease of handling. information, and factory good, the Maral still hits the inner a comfortable shooting We only used Winchester, Geco, ammunition is of a high standard target rings when sighting experience. At just under 8 lb and Sellier & Bellot factory and hard to beat for hunting use - through the battue-type ribs off a when loaded, this is something cartridges with conventional 180 a point worthy of note. We fitted soft support. The reviewer shot that can definitely be put down to gr rounds, and some Norma our test gun, marketed as a the target, an outline of a the gun’s weight. The accuracy Oryx bullets of the same weight. battue rifle, with an Aimpoint whitetail deer, resting on elbows was excellent. The rifle was It is this type of round that built Micro H-1 2 MOA dot scope from a distance of 100 metres on disassembled a number of times to the 30-06’s reputation for providing 6 cm of cover at 100 a hazy, windless day in check how well the stock fits. effectiveness since it was first metres, mounted on a Warne temperatures of 23° C. Four Several series of rapid-fire shots used for hunting. steel base. From a distance of Norma Oryx bullets made a large were performed, including double 100 metres, the five shots of hole in the centre of the heart; 4 shots in aim at a moving target, to These standardised loads, due each test cartridge grouped Geco T-Mantels would have test how the spring and the to their use with old and semi- within a maximum 50-mm circle, grouped inside a coffee cup. The winding mechanism resisted heat. automatic guns, can travel at with the Norma Oryx just edging difference in height is deliberate, Operation was flawless. speeds of 2,690 to 2,756 fps in a it on accuracy. Accustomed as and due to the author’s aiming, 24-inch barrel. The average we are to adjusting vast numbers for greater clarity. These two The Aimpoint H-1 scope was also speed of the ammunition used of rifles, ncluding many Browning different cartridges and bullet fire removed and refitted, sometimes is around 2,690 fps in the BAR and Short Tracs, this level at almost the same point in our Maral’s 22-inch barrel. of accuracy comes as no Maral. The Norma Oryx were the, surprise. fastest and most consistent

44 C h a s s e S a n g l i e r p a ss i o n & G r a n d s G i b i e r s juin-juillet 2014

sang103armMaral&cartouch.indd 44 18/06/14 10:38 Toutes les chasses, partout, tout le temps !... www.noschasses.fr

The barrel is rifled along 2/3 of its length: pleasing on the eye, and lighter in the hand.

The Maral’s 22-inch barrel gets near- Another benefit, and a major one, is that It comes with an adjustable-elevation perfect performance from the bullet and the tube extends the aiming line, battue-type rib and a front sight that can be keeps muzzle waves and their damaging increasing accuracy when using the rear adjusted on two axes. Green and red optic effects from the firer’s usually, sight or the battue ribs. The semi-floating fibre inserts are a boon for fast aiming. unfortunately, unprotected ears. Serious barrel provides excellent accuracy over tests have shown that an additional 4 reasonable distances of 0 to 300 metres, inches of tube cut the perceived noise depending on the sighting system level by 2 or 3 decibels, in other words by used and whether the user around half, depending on the calibre and knows what he is doing. ammunition used. The barrel is rifled along two-thirds of its length, primarily for aesthetic purposes and to lighten the gun for perfect balance, rather than to reduce heating as many sellers and users claim. These extra two inches compared to the barrels of semi- automatic battue rifles lead us to conclude that the designer plans on the Maral being Stock bolt and cocking mechanism. a versatile weapon. Not for the cack-handed …

together with the stock, to show Despite its weight and look of a more out of place than a Sauer accuracy, separate safe and that the Weaver/Picatinny mount quasi-semi-automatic, the Maral 303 that is pitched as multirole silent cocking action, and its maintains zero: no notable is perfectly uited to stalking and gun, thanks to its high practical practical removable magazine. variation in accuracy was found at hide hunting, and would be no distances of 50, 100 and 150 metres against game the size of roe deer or a 30 kg boar. Another myth from the world of guns and hunting held by people who mistake dreams for reality. We had no problems with the semi- floating barrel when firing off a soft rest or bags, or from a freestanding position.As with most modern guns, ammunition and scopes, when the game gets away, we’re the ones to blame. Getting back to the Maral, the action is extremely fast thanks to its recoil spring, but most of us who were putting it to the test, including yours truly, did not find it to be quicker than other straight- pulls, because of its relatively long breech stroke. Now, for hunting, it is certainly more than adequate. A left-hander firing a right-hand version. A special The real speed is still the stock is available for left-handed shooters. accuracy of the first shot…

C h a s s e Sanglier pa ss i o n & G r a n d s G i b i e r s juin-juillet 2014 45

sang103armMaral&cartouch.indd 45 18/06/14 10:39 on the bench- rifle

C The steel flat spiral spring. The breech is open.

The Maral also comes with a rear sight D The double winding mechanism on which the steel strip is wound. The breech is closed. that can be used in place of the battue- type rib if preferred. The rifle seems to be preset for a 98-yard shot to target. Purchasers would be well advised to carefully read the user manual, which covers this topic in some detail, especially the position of the front sight in relation D Two rods guide the return spring and the breech in a smooth motion. to the rear sight when adjusting. In 30-06 calibre, 180 gr Winchester Power Point rounds are used. All the metallic parts are flawlessly finished to the standard of the BAR Zenith.

Operating system The Maral has a novel operating system that is unique for a hunting rifle or any These have all been replaced by a double The flat-spring-actuated breech draws unmodified firearm, although some winding mechanism with a flat steel and chambers the next cartridge from the military firearms have been altered to spring, much like a dressmaker’s or magazine;gunman’s hand is already in produce near-similar operation. carpenter’s tape measure, located between position to fire the next shot.The flat the operating rods. spring delivers a smoother, faster motion The breech, similar «"This simple than a hand-operated coil or spiral spring. The “strip” spring is to those on semi- The double winding mechanism yet ingenious attached to what acts as automatics,maintains maintains a constant sprung tension. The the gas block on BARs. both of its operating system re-cocks steel used to make the spring is highly This simple yet ingenious rods parallel under resistant to overheating, as proven in a the Maral in one system re-cocks the the fore-end. But series of running boar shooting sessions. Maral in one action. the Maral cocks action." » As with the Merkel Helix, the breech a snook at gas-assisted operation, pistons, The user just has to pull on the breech to inside the receiver does not hinder the helical recoil springs, and guide rods. eject the spent cartridge and then let go. shooter’s aim during rapid firing and is a bonus passive-safety feature.

a MARAL IN THE FIELD a

of Gatimel gunsmith shop in It was this last point that tipped Then I switch on my Peltor, which March, and I’ve just Marseille, on the last driven hunt the balance. We’re near the has been my constant companion 29th agreed to join my of the season, the next day. Durance river, close to the on driven hunts for six years. friend Nicolas Bonniel, owner I don’t want to go, but he Luberon hills, and it’s a hot Through the wonder of convinced me when he morning. There are 7 look-outs, electronics, I soon hear an animal slipping away, perhaps a fox. I listen in even harder. No, it’s a large hare that’s stopped 50 feet 3 trackers, ahead, then it’s some roe deer. A and a pack goat also stops by, waiting for last of young hounds year’s kids to catch up, wondering training for the next season. what an odd creature like me is Our aim for the day is to have fun, doing here in its wood. Suddenly, In action: ejection is reliable; shoot some young boars, and they all spring away out of sight the shooter can keep the rifle told me that maybe even a fox or two. I’m into the woods. We let them go! shouldered and maintain aim "There won’t be positioned in a small wood with a The hounds bark as the trackers during the action. many of us, a few safe, wide shooting angle and a call them back on the trail of the friends, a beautiful good view of the hunt. Off comes boars. They pass by. The hunt landscape, some boars, my jacket and I start taking some goes on. Some fifteen minutes and an opportunity for photos. Then the trackers loose later, two shots ring out, bang, you to get some photos the hounds. I put the Nikon down, bang, followed by barking, of your Maral." chamber a 30-06 and insert the shouting and two more shots. magazine with its four rounds.

46 C h a s s e Sanglier pa ss i o n & G r a n d s G i b i e r s juin-juillet 2014

sang103armMaral&cartouch.indd 46 18/06/14 10:39 Toutes les chasses, partout, tout le temps !... www.noschasses.fr

The Maral and the Peltor ear defenders were a great help to the reviewer during this lively hunt.

The cartridges are fed in from a inconvenient... The apple green, almost Here, too, the benefit of having the removable steel magazine with a synthetic fluorescent follower is a good indicator of cartridges fed axially from a single-stack bottom. The sides have been carefully the gun’s status when the breech is open - magazine does not bear comparison to a shaped to restrict the amount of forward and reassuring for hunt companions. dual-column magazine like the one on the creep due to recoil.Although most Such small details add up when it comes Maral, especially when the magazine huntsmen think that the nose of the bullet to purchasing or using a hunting rifle. holds 5 or more cartridges. This magazine is deformed in this kind of situation, this This is a reliable, 4-round, standard is similar to the one on Browning semi- is of little consequence for a battue shoot. calibre, dual-column magazine that is automatics used in countries with a less However, a c artridge that has slipped easy to reload, detach and insert. paranoid attitude than France, and has forwards in the magazine can impair the successfully stood the test of time and of loading action, which can be far more experience in the field.

The hunt has veered around; The boar swings around, crosses The barrel of the Maral is almost bristles and the scars tell us that they’re on my right, in another on my right and straight into the touching him as I put a 180 gr he knew how to defend himself. woodland across a field. The brambles behind me. If the boar Power Max behind his ear. He’s My first bullet would have killed Peltor makes it easy to keep track and hounds mix it up in there, it’s struck down but does another him, but not before he had got his of the movement, at bay ready to going to be medieval. There’s only metre before falling at my feet. own back. While he was being bolt. The boar waits for the me; the trackers are far behind. I The base of his tail lies over my cleaned, every hunter there noted hounds and then bolts as the leave my position quickly and right boot. With the adrenalin the lack of fat. This wasn’t a trackers approach. The animals quietly. There’s a noise of bustling pulsing, I catch my breath. The reared “pig” fed on maize and have the lead over the brambles, barking hounds and a hounds had stayed back, and synthetic feed. This was a real hunters.The shouts from the snorting dark beast. I get to within now they come up. They get their boar, the kind you can still find trackers betray their fear for their 20 feet of the brambles and hear revenge by growling and biting at around here! The type of animal young and inexperienced hounds, the distinctive clacking sound of the brave animal’s remains. that you often only kill by sheer which could be drawn into a head- the old male popping his jaws. The trackers arrive, pleased with luck, because they know how to on fight with the young boar. Whether he heard me or smelt the outcome. Time for photos. avoid humans and stand up to Finally, the boar charges across me, I don’t know. Out he comes This boar hardly ever left the them if have to. the field. Even from afar, he looks and wheels around. I’ve forgotten wood of thick, black thorns and In any event, this was a good imposing; a mature animal, and to cock my Maral and lose two brambles, and apparently killed baptism of fire for the Browning self-assured. He’s too far away for tenths of a second. My first shot one dog and very seriously Maral, and an excellent end to the me to shoot at, and the following misses his heart, and now he’s in wounded two others a fortnight season for the reviewer who had trackers would be along my line of front of me, charging to demolish earlier. We reckon he is about 5 not wanted to go on the hunt. As fire. He’s about to go into the the bogeyman who has hurt him. I years old. He tips the scales at the saying goes: “It ain’t over till woods.A dog barks in pain or fear, step aside out of his way like a 210 lb “all in”. His coarse and it’s over!” a sign that it has been butted. matador worn grey

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sang103armMaral&cartouch.indd 47 18/06/14 10:40 on the bench-rifles

Like the Zenith HC, the Maral is cocked and are of better quality than you find on has to be done with care to avoid it via an easy-to-use pushbutton many models that cost nearly twice the working permanently loose and to positioned apart, behind the receiver, price. The Bavarian cheek piece features a prevent premature wear. Part of our tests which makes it completely safe to carry prominent grip with a curvaceous swell involved removing and refitting the stock the rifle with a round in the chamber. that will suit most hands. The fore-end a number of times, and did not reveal any provides outstanding grip. issues either with the strength of the The rifle is cocked using assembly or the accuracy of the shot. All the thumb of the firing « "Although not None of this will come the wood components are made at the hand when shouldering, as a surprise to anyone Browning plant in Viana do Castelo, as with a Blaser, Merkel our favourite who knows their Portugal, and are finished and fitted to a or Sauer. This separate type of gun, this Zeniths and Short very high standard.n cocking system results Tracs. The experience in a lighter, crisper, rifle did impress is inimitable. higher quality trigger us." » CONCLUSION pull compared to a To Browning’s credit, lthough not our favourite type of conventional semi-automatic. Although the stock is not too long for rapid fire A gun, this rifle did impress us. not on a par with certain aforementioned from a standing position, while also being It’s an excellent choice if you’re looking for a versatile rifle with a removable German rifles, which sometimes border practical for shooting off bags, from raised hides, supports, and crouched or magazine that is quick in driven hunts, on the silly and can even be dangerous on highly accurate for stalking and hide driven hunts, the Maral’s trigger pull is prone positions. Those with long arms hunting, and has no need for removable clean and ensures excellent accuracy. The can extend the stock with the insert barrels and calibre changes. uncocking action is straightforward. Of provided. The Inflex butt plate does As a more politically correct alternative course, the safety pushbutton behind the exactly what it‘s designed to do. The to semi-automatics for hunt managers, trigger guard is not used. Maral is very comfortable to shoot in the the Maral should meet with the approval test calibre. The stock is removable so that of a large number of potential users. Especially since it is well positioned Stock and fore-end the rifle can be carried unobtrusively, but price-wise and sports the most The stock and fore-end of it isn’t intended to be removed and gorgeous wood in its category. the Browning Maral, and refitted endlessly. It screws easily into But, please oh please, will the the inserts that grace the place with the T-handle screwdriver marketing people stop vaunting its rate casing, are made from provided, and seems to hold securely in of fire! Sooner or later, that will come high-quality walnut place, but as with any removable item, it back to haunt us… Ah, yes! On a final note, why not bring out a version for that rather flatters left-handers? Browning already has the a rifle with this casing, or nearly. price tag,

After the adrenalin rush, our reviewer, three dogs and the last boar of the season pose for the camera.

48 C h a s s e Sanglier pa ss i o n & G r a n d s G i b i e r s juin-juillet 2014

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