Field test

Unusually for me I chose the factory Sako load as it performed so well in the accuracy tests and I know not everyone reloads. I also went stalking without the Schultz & Larsen Venom sound moderator — going old-school.

We had a torrential downpour the night before the stalk, which was perfect as daybreak brought a fresh, bright morning that would have the roe emerging from their beds to make good use of the early dryness to browse. Equally as good was the fact that footsteps were muffled underfoot with the rain-soaked ground.

The Victory is not that short nor that light in truth but slung on the shoulder in the barrel-down mode it posed no complications while stalking. My only worry was not scratching that lovely stock. Having said that, the oil finish shrugged off moisture, which is the benefit of such a treatment, as well as looking superb.

A quick gaze down along the Surrey hills revealed several roe out feeding at 3.56am as it was just light. Two were does and one was a solitary buck fraying at his marginal territories and too good to shoot. I needed a juvenile or younger buck before the rut so slipped back into the wood and slowly stalked the overgrown tracks. My Kahles 8x42mm binoculars picked up a movement just behind a thicket and as I nestled the Victory on the Knobloch three-legged shooting sticks the Swarovski scope found a younger buck browsing his way to the field edge. I slowly released the safety, which is silent, and waited for an opening between cow parsley, young oak and buddleia.

This is where the good handling characteristics pay dividends on the Victory — it feels part of you and the trigger is so good that the 123-gr Gamehead bullet was on its way just as my brain thought to send it. The recoil was hardly noticed and the “meat shot” sound indicated a good hit — after a few minutes and a quick scan with the Kahles I followed up the shot and there he lay. Victory all round.

Bruce found the Victory was a pleasure to take stalking, both handling and shooting superbly