The Stag 7’s low recoil, incredible accuracy and excellent on-game performance make it a great rifle for hunters of all stripes.

My first three-shot group, fired with Silver State Armory's 110-grain AccuBond combat load at a claimed 2,680 fps (spec II-safe, combat loads from SSA average 100 fps faster than its standard loads from a 16-inch barrel) was a pretty little triangle that measured less than a half-inch. My next group was a bit tighter, and my third was an incredible bug-hole number that measured just .11 inch.

Subsequent groups proved that the Stag 7 really loves that SSA load. They also revealed that SSA's combat loads are better than I expected--average velocity was an awesome 2,742 fps thanks to the Hunter's 20.77-inch barrel.

Next, I tried Hornady's 110-grain V-Max load that moves along at 2,502 fps. It also shot very well, though its 0.7-inch average didn't quite match the accuracy of that 110-grain AccuBond. My ho-hum reaction to a sub-three-quarter-inch average from an AR-15 speaks volumes about the accuracy of my review rifle.

I selected SSA's 110-grain Barnes TSX load as my final test load. SSA claims a velocity of 2,650 fps for the combat version of this load. They shot fairly well, with a five-group average of .83 inch at an average 2,697 fps.

I really like the TSX, but I do not typically use it in cartridges with a starting velocity lower than about 2,850 or 2,900 fps because I don't feel it works as well as some other designs when driven at low velocities. But TSXs usually shoot great, and they are incredibly popular with many hunters, so I wanted to see where they hit so I could try them on a doe or hog to see how they worked on game.

The first doe to fall to the TSX was a plump, older deer that made the mistake of standing in a opening for a few seconds too long. I ranged her at 277 yards and gave the rifle to my guide, Juan Suarez. He stuck the reticle on top of the doe's back as it stood quartering slightly toward us, and he drilled the whitetail neatly just behind the shoulder with a 110-grain TSX.

It sounded like a solid hit, but we didn't find any blood where the doe stood at the shot. Fortunately my Jack Russell, Tuffy, smelled something we couldn't see and followed, nose to the ground. Shortly, we heard the unmistakable sound of him attacking the doe in a thick tangle of mesquite and prickly pear 100 yards away.

A postmortem revealed that Juan's shot was almost perfect. It went in an inch or so farther back than he intended, but was spot-on for elevation. Because of the quartering angle, the TSX took out just one lung before raking back through the liver and exiting. The wound channel was deep but not particularly devastating.

A few days later, I shot two does with SSA's 110-grain AccuBond load. The first doe stumbled about 10 steps before piling up in a heap after taking the Nosler through the shoulder socket. The broadside shot was a little over 100 yards. Internal damage was much greater than with the TSX load, though I can't credit that all to the bullet, as the impact velocity was about 400 fps faster than the shot with the TSX.

I shot the second doe from 186 yards. I placed the AccuBond on the point of its shoulder as the deer stood quartering slightly toward me. It ran about 25 yards before piling up--smack dab in the middle of a giant prickly pear patch that still has me picking thorns out of my hide.