Empire Rifles in the Field
Empire often receives mail from satisfied customers delivering great stories of successful hunts and shooting experiences. Following are selected highlights:
George: Just back from Tanzania. It was an excellent, excellent safari in every way. [The Empire 375] is a death ray! I killed two buffalo, one 41", one 45". . . Scott killed two great ol' big-bossed dagga boys, 38" and 39". The hunts for all four of them were great fun--hours on the tracks, then lots of exciting stalking and close encounters. The best part was, I hit the big buff exactly through the heart at 100 yards. He ran 30 yards and dropped dead. The .375 rules! --Diana Rupp, Editor-In-Chief, Sports Afield Magazine
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George: Just a note about how great the rifle shoots. In June I shot a 3 rd. group at 100yds with Rem. 300gr. SAF measuring .750 in. I thought that was good until last month when I shot 3 rds into a clover leaf group measuring .250 inches at 100yds. But the real amazing thing is that the first round was a Federal TBBC and the next two were Rem. SAF. When it will shoot like that while mixing loads and bullets, it says a lot about the quality of the rifle. Thanks, --Rick N.
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Dear George:
I am writing to tell you how pleased I am with the Empire standard rifle in .270 cal. which I received from you a few weeks ago. In the several weeks before I received the rifle from you I had been shooting a rifle from another manufacturer and I was extremely disappointed. I shot several different bullets from the rifle and no matter what I did, accuracy was poor. I was convinced it was my shooting. I found out very quickly after I received my rifle from you that it was not my shooting, but rather the other manufacturer’s rifle. The first three shots I took at 100 yards with [my Empire rifle] resulted in all three bullet holes touching. I found that I could actually shoot my Empire rifle more accurately from various field positions than I could shoot the other rifle from the bench!
The other thing about my Empire rifle which really amazes me is the smoothness with which it feeds rounds from the magazine to the chamber. My new .270 is such a pleasure to shoot compared to any other rifle I have ever shot. As you know, shortly after I received my .270, I called up to order another rifle from you in .35 Whelen. I am certainly anxious to receive it, and will be certain to give you a call to let you know how that one shoots as well. Thank you,
Joe M
Morris, IL
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Lou H. with a superb Alaska-Yukon moose taken with an Empire Legacy Rifle in .375 H&H. Lou reports impressive accuracy with the rifle. Susanna shoots an Empire Liberty, also in .375 H&H.
Dirk L. with an incredible Namibian Red Hartebeest taken with a left-hand Empire East Africa in .375 H&H. "Being a left-handed rifleman I have combed the earth to find reliable big game calibers for use in Alaska and Africa. My search led to many disappointments. My experience with production guns left me with magazine boxes that looked like peanut shells because the metal was too thin, the gun was too light for the caliber, the action was just barely large enough to fit the ammunition, and at best these rifles held three rounds. My search took me to a semi-custom gun manufacturer (name withheld) where the prices started in the $4000-$5000 range. I thought my quest was over, to my dismay I was wrong again. These guns were very accurate and beautiful, but accurate and beautiful guns can get you killed when they don’t function properly in the field. When you have to send two out of three guns back to the factory because they will not extract cases, rounds jump the rails (ten days before I was headed to Zambia to hunt dangerous game), bolt will not always pick up rounds out of the magazine, and you need two to three fingers to move the safety on one of them, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! One day as I was flipping through the SCI magazine I came across an ad for Empire Rifles and called George Sandmann. The rest is history, I own three of these rifles and I believe they are the finest, most accurate, most RELIABLE big game rifles that you can buy for the money. I can now quit shopping and do more hunting. Thanks, George!"
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"George: This rifle does not meet my expectations! It exceeds them. I am very pleased. . .The [7MM Rem Mag] rifle is quickly becoming "an extension of myself". I love shooting it. The fit is as perfect as one could achieve. I am delighted with the attention to detail and quality obviously applied. On the 100yd range I fired 25 rounds of Hornady 139 grain SST Heavy Magnums. The extremes in each group included one or two flyers with the remaining rounds 0.25 to 0.75. One group of four measured 0.38. . . With some practice, I'm certain I could shoot a pencil in half at 100yds, given 3 or 4 rounds of premium ammo and this rifle!" George M
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Dennis W. with a terrific Kudu taken in Zimbabwe with an Empire Legacy .375 H&H. “While on my African Safari I found the combination of Barnes bullets and Legacy Rifle capable of shots to well over 300 yards. I also experienced tracking a wounded Cape Buffalo in thick brush and it was comforting to be carrying a modern rifle with a Mauser action. My only question is what caliber will my next Empire rifle be? Thanks.”
Dr. Rick H. with a bushbuck for the “book” taken at 360 yds with an Empire Legacy in 270 WSM, in his words “one great shooting rifle.” Rick also took a fantastic Nyala, green scoring in the top ten SCI. “The Empire 270 WSM performed flawlessly! Thanks again.”
