This product has been tested by the staff of Lone Star Outdoor News.
Story by David J. Sams, Lone Star Outdoor News
A solitary boar fed on a string of corn under the canopy of huge mesquite and oak trees near the Hondo Creek in Frio County.
Our pickup truck cruised past a narrow dirt road and stopped. The boar kept feeding. I locked the breach on the new Lewis Machine and Tool Texas Edition and started a short stalk back to where we saw the boar down the road. Taking advantage of a huge oak, I snuck up to within 75 yards and peered around the trunk. The boar looked up in my direction and then went back to eating. I put the cross hairs on his right ear and let a 120-grain bullet fly. The 6.8 SPC cracked the still air and the boar went down.
Many Texas hunters are using modern sporting rifles for hog and predator hunting and manufacturers rep Dave Richards confiscated one of the first production rifles from the NBS (Nations Best Sports) show display where they debuted the new gun.
Known for their military rifles, LMT wants to get more hunters using their modern sporting rifle platforms, and they developed this gun for Texas hunters looking for a fast, dependable semi-auto that could take down a hog and also work on predators all in the same day. They enhanced the appearance of the cerakoted gun with a laser-engraved Texas flag on the lower.
It’s designed to be the strongest upper receiver in the industry. Made out of a single forging, the entire upper receiver and hand guard area is one solid piece of aerospace aluminum, removing all the standard failure points.
With most modern sporting rifles the recoil is low. I watched the bullet hit the hog and felt no recoil as the gas action worked its magic. The Hornady 120-grain SST bullet travels at 2,460 fps from a 16-inch barrel.
We continued our drive checking other feed spots on the ranch. I saw a group of about five hogs running alongside us, about 50 yards in the thick white brush. I asked Mark Barth, our guide, if he thought they would cross in front of us and about that time they did — ripping across the 40-foot gap in the brush in a flash. I commented, “That would have been a real good test with this gun, being able to shoot so fast as they ran in a line.” We all agreed and talked about the beauty of the semi-auto on a group of hogs.
LMT makes all of their own parts for their guns. Triggers, selectors, bolt carriers, barrels, receivers, grips, stocks and tubes. This gives LMT a huge advantage in quality control, ensuring each of their guns is of the highest quality when it ships out of the factory. They are American- made in Illinois and LMT is opening a new factory in Iowa later this year.
On the way back to camp, we saw a group of raccoons feeding on some of the corn, and Mark spotted a single boar just past them right at the edge of the headlights. In perfect Texas style, I opened the truck door and settled the rifle on the open window. My hunting partners asked if I could see the boar and I told them I had a clear view with the Leupold VX-5HD 3-15×44 scope.
An amazing amount of light was transmitting through the scope as I waited for the pig to turn for a good shot. One of the curious coons was standing on his back legs steamily watching the hog as the bullet flew right over his head and hit the hog. The 6.8 performed excellently, dropping the boar in his tracks.
LMT modern rifles have several benefits. Modularity is definitely one of them. The barrel can rapidly be changed to a different caliber in 30 seconds in the field if the hunter desires to. So you can switch from hunting big-bodied game like hogs in the 6.8 SPC to a .224 Valkyrie for coyote hunting.
Another great feature is the Modular Ambidextrous Rifle System, with complete ambidextrous controls: selector, magazine catch, bolt catch and release, and charging handle so a right- or left-handed hunter is comfortable with this gun in a matter of minutes. And with me being a left-handed shooter, this was very helpful.
The 20” 6.5 Creedmore retails for $2,699 and the 16” 68 SPC retails for$1,999. It will be available mid-April at select LMT dealers across Texas.
Disclosure
This product has been reviewed under our Lone Star Tested seal. Every product under Lone Star Tested is independently selected by Lone Star Outdoor News journalists. Lone Star Tested highlights the best of everything we cover, have experienced first-hand and would recommend to others.
