Gun Test: Montana Rifle Company Prairie Runner Video Review

Montana Rifle Co. Prairie Runner by OutdoorLife

A good varmint rifle needs to deliver excellent accuracy and be configured so the shooter can see his hits (or misses). The Prairie Runner excels at both. 

Chambered in .22/250, the Prairie Runner was one of our favorite guns to shoot at the 2016 Gun Test. Its best 5-shot group measured .521 inch with a Federal 40-grain hollowpoint, but it shot numerous bullet weights very well, which is a testament to the quality of MRC's barrels. The lovely 2-pound 1-ounce trigger helped here, too. Overall, we were smitten with this rifle's looks and performance and would happily take it afield.

To find more of the guns we tested at this year's Gun and Optics Test, click here.

A Recipe for Cracked Pepper-Crusted Muskox Tenderloin

If you've never had the pleasure of eating a Wagyu Kobe steak-the priciest and arguably most prized beef on the planet-then you might not know that it the intensely marbled meat has a characteristic buttery texture, complex flavor, and subtly-sweet finish. Part is nurture, and part is nature. Interestingly, the Japanese cows that yield this delicious meat were originally from rugged terrain and isolated areas. They have a genetic pre-disposition for higher percentages of Omega fatty acids, and therefore marbling. Once they're introduced to a strictly sedentary lifestyle, you're on your way to a rare (or medium-rare) red meat experience.

Enter my friend Scott Shultz, who shared with me a cut of muskox loin from one of his recent hunts. Among other things, Shultz is a globe-trekking adventurer, big game hunter, ATA board member, and a hunting apparel designer and marketer with more than 20 years of experience innovating outdoor apparel.

This recent Arctic hunt was no cakewalk. “Shooting an arrow that is bucking negative 45-degree air temps, flesh-biting winds, and blowing snow-and has to go all the way through a 6-inch woolen mattress and a hulking muscular frame-takes some serious punching power,” Shultz said. “For this trip I was toting my 'serious' set-up: A Mathews MR5 set at 80 lbs. [with] a Rage Hypodermic-tipped ACC arrow [that packed more than] 100 ft. lbs. of kinetic energy. That's some serious muskox medicine.”

When I opened the packaged muskox loin I was amazed at its resemblance to Wagyu beef. The intense marbling is virtually identical. It leads me to believe that the high protein available in summer browse, along with a sedentary life spent statue-like huddling in a herd to survive the harsh elements in the Arctic Circle, must contribute to the marbling.  

Regardless of the reason for the intense marbling, I had really high hopes for the muskox after I got a good look at it. I decided it called for something simple to showcase its flavor: A light crust of Tellicherry cracked peppercorns, Maldon sea salt, and a quick rare/medium-rare sear on a super-hot seasoned steel pan would prove perfect. 

The result? Far and away the best mouthfuls of wild game I've ever had the privilege to experience. Hands down. Bar none. 

(For a bit more on Shultz's hunt to Ulukhaktok, please see below.)

If you're ever lucky enough to successfully hunt these creatures-or receive the rare gift of a muskox tenderloin-here's a great way to make it:

Photo by Krissie Mason

Pepper-crusted muskox loin, with pepper sauce.

Ingredients

8-12 oz. cut of loin (remove from fridge about 30 minutes before cooking)

1 TBSP cracked peppercorns (more if you prefer)

Maldon Sea Salt

Olive Oil

Butter

A few slices of foraged lobster mushroom, or whatever you prefer 

4 oz. Cognac or light red wine

6 oz. warmed cream

Optional: Wild yellow birds foot (trefoil) flowers, and smooth brome grass, both picked from the Minnesota prairie for garnish and salad.

Method

Step 1. Crack the peppercorns. I have a pepper grinder, but for this recipe I didn't want coarse pepper, I wanted the Tellicherry peppercorns cracked. I used a cloth to cover them and my Gramps' old ball-peen hammer to lightly crack them. Why Tellicherry? Because they're larger. Bigger peppercorns lose some heat compared to their smaller relatives, but with size they gain fragrance, aroma, and complexity perfect for our meat.

Step 2. Dry off the loin with paper towels and douse generously with cracked peppercorns and Maldon sea salt.

Step 3. Heat the steel, or cast iron pan, add about a tablespoon of olive oil, and then add about a tablespoon of butter. If you use only butter it will scorch at high temperatures, so I always use some olive oil, too, since it has a higher smoke point. 

Step 4. Lay in the muskox and sear the first side. Because of the intense marbling and lower melting point of the fat in the tissues, this is going to go fast. Maybe three minutes for rare, 3.5-4 for medium rare. 

Step 5.  Flip the meat and cook for three minutes on the other side. As you can see, the fat in the tissues has already melted, causing the tissue to pull up and start to curl a bit. Remove to a warmed plate and tent with aluminum foil while you prepare the pepper sauce reduction. 

Step 6.  Turn down the heat and allow pan to cool off some, or else the cream will curdle. Once cooled to a medium/medium high temperature, add wine or Cognac to deglaze the pan.

Step 7. Toss in a few mushrooms if you like and swirl around.  Add the warmed cream slowly and whisk into the deglazed juices. Stir until thickened to desired consistency.

Step 8. Slice the meat, arrange on the plate and spoon on some pepper sauce. Serve with a few favorite sides and prepare to be amazed. I oven-roasted some carrots, Brussel sprouts, zucchini, beets, and paired them with a kale salad.

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Shultz shot his trophy Muskox on an expedition that took him by snowmobile and wooden cargo sled about 100 miles north of the Inuit village of Ulukhaktok on Victoria Island in the Northwest Territories. He endured an onslaught of wind, driving snow, and below-freezing temperatures, and at last met his moment of truth.

Here's his own account:

It was an amazing feeling, standing face-to-face with these hairy pre-historic looking behemoths, braving the intimidating natural conditions the way native hunters had done over the ages. I tugged back my heavy bow to full draw.

The razor-tipped arrow cut through the big bull's long hair and thick wool, lodging just behind the shoulder. The bull wheeled away and ran. The herd was close behind. But the heavily bossed old warrior would run no more. At 25 yards he stumbled, and was dead before he hit the frozen tundra.

As I approached the huge creature, the bitter cold in my nostrils filled with its namesake musky scent. I sat there with him and, no longer tired, I admired every inch of the unique giant of the North; an arctic muskox with thick, flowing black hair nearly three feet long, his woolen “down” as thick as a mattress. He was marvelous. It was a hunt I will never forget.

A Ballistics Family Tree: The Origin Stories of Your Favorite Hunting Cartridges

Ever wonder where your favorite deer cartridge came from or what inspired the latest whizbang introductions in recent years? Our knowledgeable, but cranky, correspondent has all the answers in this useful guide to cartridge genealogy. 

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1906
.30/06 Springfield 

Created in 1906, the .30/06 Springfield was so far ahead of its time that it still might not have peaked. It is arguably the most popular big-game cartridge on earth.

1915
.250 Savage 

Charlie Bolt was an Eskimo guide who hunted everything with a .223-caribou, wolves, seals-except for polar bears. “That polar bear is a tough customer,” he told me. “You need a big gun. I use a .250 Savage. Ever hear of it?”

1920
.300 Savage

Before the .308 Winchester, this was the premier short-action .30 caliber cartridge.

1922
.35 Whelen

1925
.270 Winchester 

This cartridge, the first with a muzzle velocity in excess of 3,000 fps with a bullet weight suitable for big game, ushered in a new era.

1945
.338/06

Designed by Elmer Keith, Charles O'Neil, and Don Hopkins after World War II. 

1952
.308 Winchester

The most famous and successful of the .30/06's offspring. 

1955
.358 Winchester  

.243 Winchester 

The .243 is one of our most popular cartridges. The .358 isn't.  

1957
.280 Remington

Remington's answer to the .270 Winchester. It was at one time the best-selling hunting cartridge Remington made, but it never caught the .270.

1957
.280 Ackley Improved

Perhaps the best of the Ackley Improved cartridges. This one has gone mainstream.

1965
.22/250 Remington

When the .250/3000 Savage was introduced in 1915, wildcatters J.E. Gebby and J.B. Smith necked it down and called it the .22 Varminter. In 1965, Remington made it a standard offering.

1969
.25/06 Remington

With the smallest-diameter bullet of the '06 family, this cartridge is revered by the few hunters who use it.

1980
7mm-08 Rem. 

There is a law that says all cartridge families must have a 7mm, and it must bear the Remington name. 

1997
6.5-06 A-Square 

An oddity that, if introduced today, might fare better given the interest in 6.5mm cartridges. 

1997
.260 Remington 

Designed for 1,000-yard target shooting. Great for hunting and long-range work.2006

.338 Federal 

An unsung hero of the short-action cartridges. Works well on critters from deer to moose.

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1912
.375 H&H

This cartridge was introduced by the famous British firm Holland & Holland back in 1912. It continues to surf at the crest of its popularity even today. 

1925
.300 H&H

The first successful .30-caliber “Magnum.” It paved the way for many popular cartridges.

1943 .270 Weatherby 

1944 7mm Weatherby 

1944 .257 Weatherby 

1945 .375 Weatherby 

1948 .300 Weatherby

Roy Weatherby's cartridges have a small but devoted following even today.

1956
.458 Winchester 

Introduced in 1956, the .458 Winchester was designed to emulate the power of the Nitro Express cartridges.  

1958
.338 Winchester Magnum

If you set out to design the best possible cartridge for elk, moose, and bears, this is where you would end up.

1958
.264 Winchester Magnum

Great in concept, but it failed to deliver.

1962
.340 Weatherby 

Weatherby's answer to the .338 Winchester.

1962
7mm Remington Magnum 

Our most popular metric cartridge.

1963
.300 Winchester 

You know that age-old question about having one cartridge for North America? Yeah, it's this one.

1965
.350 Remington Magnum 

1966
6.5 Remington Magnum 

1971
.458 Lott 

One of the best rounds for shooting creatures with plans to bite, stomp, gore, or claw you.

1978
8mm Remington Magnum
Huh?

That's the response from most when you bring up this cartridge.  

1988
.416 Remington

The .416 Rigby in a compact package. Same performance, but it fits a standard-size action.

1997
7mm STW 

This necked-down 8mm Remington had its 15 minutes of fame before the 7mm RUM killed it off.

2000
.450 Marlin 

A modern version of the .45/70, it's a hard-thumping cartridge that's slowly dying.

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1905
.404 Jeffery

A British round designed to be used for dangerous game. A rare find in the hunting fields today, it gave birth to some impressive cartridges.

1999 .300 RUM

2002 .338 RUM 

2002 7mm RUM

Overbored and not popular. 

2002
.375 RUM

When you absolutely, positively have to stomp the snot out of something, this is the cartridge to use. 

2000 .300 WSM

2001 7mm WSM

2001 .270 WSM

2002 .243 WSSM 

2004 .25 WSSM

2004 .325 WSM

2002 .22 WSSM 

2001 .300 SAUM 

2001 7mm SAUM 

These worthy cartridges were overshadowed by the WSMs.

2013 .26 Nosler 

2015 .28 Nosler

2016 .30 Nosler

Nosler's trio of speed demons are latest of the Jeffery's offspring.

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1950
.222 Remington

The Triple Deuce was introduced in 1950 and said to be a scaled-down .30/06. The .222 Remington has always had a reputation for outstanding accuracy.

1958
.222 Rem. Mag.

1964
.223 Remington

Developed for the military and adopted commercially by Remington. The .223 is king of cartridges in this case size.

1963
.221 Fireball

This is a shortened version that was developed for the space-age-looking XP100 handgun. 

1971
.17 Remington

Once boasted the fastest muzzle velocity in any factory cartridge. 

2004
.204 Ruger

Neck the obsolete .222 Rem. Mag. down to .20 caliber, and you have the .204 Ruger. 

2007
.17 Fireball

This downsized .17 Rem. is a nice little cartridge that never caught on. 

2011
.300 AAC BLK

J.D. Jones created the .300 Whisper, primarily for subsonic use with suppressors. Years later, Advanced Armament Corp. “reinvented” it as the .300 AAC Blackout.

2014
.25x45 Sharps

Developed for a bit more wallop from the AR-15, this cartridge's future is still murky in the crystal ball.

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1876
.38/55

The .38/55 started as a blackpowder cartridge and gained fame as a target round. This fine patriarch has a huge family of successful offspring.

1884
.32/40 Win./Ballard

Developed for target shooting, it was a favorite of famed barrel maker Harry Pope. 

1895
.30/30

One of the most successful cartridges ever. It ushered in the era of smokeless powder. 

1895
.25/35 

This one was introduced as a fraternal twin with the .30/30. Its sibling ate it alive. 

1902
.32 Special

This was a crossover cartridge that could be loaded with black powder or smokeless.

1964
.225 Winchester

Big performance, but nobody wanted a rimmed varmint cartridge.

1978
.375 Winchester

A modern-day version of the .38/55. It came along too late in history to be successful. 

1984
7x30 Waters

A fun experiment, but as they say, when you strike a king, you better kill him. The .30/30 is still on the throne.

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1911
.416 Rigby

I have shot it in a lot of rifles, but by far the most memorable is the .416 Rigby that belonged to the famous African PH Harry Selby. It was a huge check off my bucket list.

1953
.378 Weatherby

Roy took the .416 Rigby and necked it to .375 inch.

1957
.460 Weatherby 

A .45-caliber elephant stopper in beast mode. 

1989
.338 Lapua

It holds the record for the longest successful sniper shot ever. What more needs to be said?

1989
.416 Weatherby 

Weatherby's .416 is the biggest and baddest of all the .416s. 

1996
.30/378 Weatherby

The huge case of the .378 Weatherby necked down to .30 caliber.

1998
.338/378 Weatherby

Necked to .33 caliber, this dragon slayer is a thumper on big game and the shooter's shoulder.

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1982
.307 Winchester

This was a great concept-.308 performance from a lever-action Model 94 rifle. Except for that flat-pointed bullet thing. It fell flat. But the case design lives on even today.

1982
.356 Winchester

The .307 necked up to .35 caliber and stuffed into a Model 94 lever action.

2007
.30 TC

A cartridge born without a pulse. This is the .300 Savage 50 years too late.

2007
6.5 Creedmoor 

The hottest cartridge going right now. It's the darling of the long-range precision shooting clan.

2007
.308 Marlin Express 

It worked for Winchester, right? So Marlin thought they should give it a try.

2009
.338 Marlin Express 

A great lever-action hunting cartridge. At least five people bought one. 

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1963
.284 Winchester

The .284 Winchester is an example of a brilliant cartridge from an engineering and performance standpoint that was rejected by the public. It lives on through its descendants.

1999
6.5-284 Norma Mag. 

The 6.5 is the hip and happening bullet diameter today. This one is doing pretty well.

2007
.450 Bushmaster

Straighten out the case, stuff a big bullet into it, and chamber an AR-15. This is a thumper for hogs, bears, or deer. I once shot an 1,800-pound water buffalo with this cartridge. 

2008
.30 Remington AR

The best .30-caliber hunting cartridge made for ARs. Sadly, it hasn't caught on and is near death.

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1944
7.62x39

Of the estimated 875 million firearms in the world, 100 million are AK-47s, which has got to make the 7.62x39 the most popular rifle cartridge in the universe. 

1974
.22 PPC

Accuracy defined. A successful benchrest round.

1975
6mm PPC

Another sweetheart of the benchrest crowd. 

2003 
6.5 Grendel

Bill Alexander's creation. It's designed for the AR-15 and is a great, but often overlooked, cartridge. 

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2007
.375 Ruger Compact Magnum

Ruger and Hornady modernized the .375 H&H with this. It fits in standard-action rifles and manages the same velocity from a shorter barrel. A family of offspring has followed.

2008
.416 Ruger

Same idea as the .375 RCM, but with a bigger bullet.

2008
.300 RCM

Short mag ammo makers pay a royalty to the guy with the patent. This was Ruger's way around it.

2008
.338 RCM

Good all-around big-game cartridge. 

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Photographs by Bryce M. Towsley (cartridges); Alamy (animals)