MG Arms Ultralight in 6.5 Creedmoor: Preparing for an England Adventure
Let’s address the subtitle of this review first. I returned from one of the most wonderful hunting trips about six weeks ago. That hunt occurred in Sweden and involved treks after Roebuck, Fallow Stag, and gamebirds (Hungarian Partridge and Pheasant). Organized by Stefan Bengtsson and Sofia Hammarskjöld Bengtsson and their company, Scandinavian Pro Hunters, we had incredible success, landing everything we wanted because of the beautiful areas and excellent guidance by Stefan and Sofia. Before we boarded the plane for home, my wife, Frances, and I booked a return with these folks, this time a March 2024 hunt in England for Muntjac and Chinese Water deer. Both introduced species; we would hunt free-range for these two ‘fanged’ deer.
Years ago, as a student in mammalogy, I’d fallen in love with these weird, beautiful animals but had not seen either in nature until a trek in the Himalayas brought Frances and me into contact with a Muntjac browsing nearby. At the same time, we sipped a drink at a tea house. As a lifelong hunter, the trip to England would fulfill a dream of seeing and harvesting males of both species; if that is, I could connect. Given their tiny stature – Muntjac and Chinese Water deer are around 22 inches high at the shoulder and weigh no more than 40 pounds – biologists describe them as having the dimensions of a medium-sized dog like a Border Collie. I needed a very accurate rifle.
My first thought for the rifle was my pet, an MG Arms Ultralight in 7mm Remington Magnum, used previously for everything from Leopard to Waterbuck to the Roebuck and Fallow Stag taken several weeks before with Stefan and Sofia. I suggested this to Stefan, eliciting a smirk, and commented, “Well, if you want two pieces per animal, that would be fine.” “Hmm, tell me what you think,” was my thought. But he was right. Probably way too much power. So, when I returned home, I reached out to Kerry and Carol O’Day and asked if they had another MG Arms Ultralight I could borrow, chambered in a lighter caliber. They did; it was in 6.5 Creedmoor, and they shipped it immediately; now on with the review.
Why the MG Arms Ultralight is a Great Hunting Rifle
Specifications of the MG Arms Ultralight rifles describe why they are so popular among end-users. The rifle comes with a Jewell Trigger, Pac-Nor lightweight stainless steel, Cerakote-treated, National Match barrel, 13-ounce Kevlar Stock, Remington 700 action (modified, skeletonized, and trued), camo-esque stock coloration, a Microlight recoil pad, MGA’s Super Eliminator muzzle brake, and guarantee of sub-MOA accuracy with designated ammunition.
Previously, including my 7mm Remington Magnum and even a 50BMG caliber rifle fired at a one-mile target, my experience with MG Arms products showed their accuracy to be 0.5-MOA or better. I expected/hoped that this new Ultralight would provide such accuracy to allow me to hit the small targets in England. The term “Ultralight” also brings a smile to the faces of those of us who want all hunts to be a physical challenge (because we’re nuts).
The 6.5 Creedmoor sent to me weighed only 6¾ pounds, with the 14.5-ounce Swarovski Z3 riflescope and mounts. It would be easy to carry over the boggy, broken ground expected when chasing the Muntjac and Chinese Water deer in Norfolk County, England.
Range Analysis – Accuracy of Nosler Accubond and Hornady Precision Hunter Ammunition
I am a very fortunate outdoor writer, with opportunities given to me by top-of-the-industry firearms manufacturers for using their products at the range and on hunts. I am equally fortunate to have generous providers from the producers of premier ammunition. For the Ultralight in 6.5 Creedmoor, I contacted Hornady’s Marketing Communications Manager, Seth Swerczek, and Nosler’s Public Relations Manager, Zach Waterman. Seth provided their Precision Hunter with 143-grain ELD-X bullets, and Zach sent Nosler’s 140gr AccuBond Trophy Grade Ammunition. From experience, I knew it would be a tight-run indication of which ammunition type was more accurate.
I began the range work with 100-yard targets from off the bench. I’m old school (or maybe just old) and use sandbags for the forend and an Armageddon Gear, Game Changer Shooting Bag supporting the butt of rifles when firing from a bench. This combination still works for me, maybe because I’ve used this setup since I was five, shooting with my Dad on our range at our home in West Texas. For reviews of hunting rifles, I also shoot from 4StableSticks fieldrests, usually my orange, Ultimate Leather, standing rest (because it looks nice in photographs…). As an aside, I don’t travel anywhere for hunting without these rests, whether after leopard in Namibia, where I used them from our blind, to Oklahoma after coyotes, or Sweden for Roebuck and Fallow Stag. They live up to their name, giving excellent stability for field shots.
I fired 63 rounds during the range session, 36 Hornady and 27 Nosler. I checked muzzle velocities more from habit and interest than need since I always check trajectories by firing at targets out to 400 yards. I need the reassurance of groups on paper when I am hunting. I write the trajectories into my iPhone notes because I am apt to forget data from the various firearms I carry. Both ammunitions showed muzzle velocities on my LabRadar unit close to that printed on their boxes. Nosler reported 2650 fps for their Accubonds, while I recorded 2591 fps. Hornady claimed 2700 fps for the Precision Hunter rounds, with the LabRadar logging 2727 fps. The trajectories in my hands were +0.5”, -3.5”, -7.5” and -31” at 100, 200, 300, and 400 yards for the Hornady cartridges, and +1.5”, -2.5”, -14.5”, and -29” for the Accubonds.
Regardless of the differences in velocities and trajectories, the Nosler and Hornady ammunition gave very similar results in accuracy. The Bar Graph (yep, I’m a scientist and nerd…and comfortable with it…) compares the two cartridges from the two rests. All combinations, save the Nosler Accubonds from the bench at 100 yards, produced less than 1xMOA accuracy, with nine of the 12 group diameters falling in the 0.5 MOA range. In other words, both ammunition types provided excellent accuracy, giving assurance for ethical shots out to 400 yards. The photograph of the rifle, Hornady ammunition, and the 400-yard results from the Ultimate Leather rest indicate accuracy sufficient for hitting the vitals of either Muntjac or Chinese Water deer. Unless no other option was available, I’d want to be closer than 400 yards because of the trajectory. Still, the accuracy is there for an ethical attempt at the longest distance.
Swarovski Z3 4-12x50 Riflescope
As usual, the riflescope the MG Arms folks provided was very good, in this case, a Swarovski Z3. Before shipping, Kerry O’Day asked if the lack of a parallax adjustment was a problem. I said “no,” given the clarity expected from a Swarovski product; the lack did not affect 100-400 yards accuracy.
I performed the standard Box Test to check how well the riflescope reacted to significant adjustments in elevation and windage. Firing the first shot at the bottom left bullseye, I made elevation and windage adjustments for striking the target in each of the other three corners, returning the strike point to the original bull. Just before the trigger break for shot #5, the sight picture shifted slightly high; my bobble likely explains the high hit. Following the Box Test, I fired over 50 cartridges and achieved excellent accuracy results from 200-400 yards. This suggests that the variations in the expected impact points were due to the shooter getting comfortable with the rifle rather than problems with the riflescope’s elevation and windage adjustments. The performance of Ultralight + Z3 means that if the hunt in England is unsuccessful due to missed shots at game, the end-user will be to blame, not his tools.
Mike Arnold has been a life-long hunter. The Hunter’s Horn blew very early for him. From the age of five, Mike has spent months each year pursuing game animals – from quail and rabbits behind his parents’ house, to kudu and leopard in Africa, and Brocket deer in Mexico. Mike’s articles include feature pieces in Sports Afield, Hunter’s Horn, Safari Magazine, and African Hunting Gazette. Mike also produced two TEDx presentations on the topic of conservation-through-trophy-hunting. You can find links to many of his articles and his Blog here.
Mike is also a Professor and the Head of the Department of Genetics at the University of Georgia. He works in conservation biology and is the author of the 2022 book, BRINGING BACK THE LIONS: International Hunters, Local Tribespeople, and the Miraculous Rescue of a Doomed Ecosystem in Mozambique. Mike’s book is available for purchase at bringingbackthelions.com, Amazon and local bookstores.