A Good Hunting Rifle

I apologize if this has been mentioned, but I'm a little short on time and wasn't able to finish reading through all the pages. Have you thought about a scout-type rifle? I've plugged this before around here, but for general purpose work, and specifically field work where the rifle is to be carried often, the scout platform works extremely well. It's lightweight, has very good balance and is quick to shoulder (almost shotgun-like in practice).

A forward mounted, low-power optic will allow easy target acquisition that will also allow you to maintain view of the peripheral area.

These are commonly had in .308 Win, which is what I would reccomend anyway. It's a very common cartridge, and will cover most any common game in North America. I'd reccomend it above the .30-06, as the .308 was designed to produce similar ballistics but in a smaller action (less weight to haul around).

Common examples would include the Savage Scout and the Steyr Scout, the latter of which has some very handy refinements, but will cost somewhat more.

All in all, they are rifles designed to be taken afield for long periods of time, to be carried often.
 
thats true. a scout rifle is a good idea. very much like a nice lever gun. short, quick to shoulder, medium caliber, and nice quick acquisition sights.
 
1) Your average hunting kill in the USA is 200 yards (180m) or less.

2) Back in the very early 20th Century, when most people knew how to shoot reasonably well, the .32-20 with a plain, lead, round nose bullet was considered to be an adequate deer cartridge.

3) Modern hunting ammo is extremely lethal. A Winchester Powerpoint in .308 will drop any deer with decent shot, like a heart-lung shot. So will a .30-30, especially with the new Hornady LeveRevolution ammo.

4) A .308 will match a .30-06 to within 100fps in most loadings, and the .308, like most shorter cases, is inherently more accurate.

5) It's estimated that maybe 1/2 of all legally hunted deer in the USA is killed with a .30-30.

So, get what is handy and you can shoot well. To kill deer you don't need a huge magnum. Find what you can shoot well, like maybe a .243, .260, .30-30, etc and just use it. Be sure to get a common caliber so you can find ammo at local sources if you need it.
 
Be sure to get a common caliber so you can find ammo at local sources if you need it.
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.308 Winchester lots of NATO/USGI surplus for training & reloading if you do that. Get a bolt action and it doesn't much matter whether it's a Remington, Winchester or Savage; I own (in the case of Savage have owned) all three. All would turn a cartridge into a bullseye if I did my part. I once bought USGI components and ended up with 2K new match 7.62 NATO Lake City cases. Haven't needed to use them yet, no they aren't available :)
 
Thanks guys. So far I think I'm leaning towards a Savage or a Winchester model 70, both in 30-06. I'm trying to find a Savage with a removable magazine and a bead or iron sight, most of the ones I've seen only come ready for a scope and have an internal box mag. If I can find the Winchester for less than $500 I'll go with that, but otherwise it's the Savage.

Is it possible to add a sight to a rifle that was manufactured without one?
 
I'm a big fan of old military rifles and iron sights.
The Mosin Nagant rifle is a bolt action designe that is super accurate. The long ones were even used stock with an add on scope for snipers. I had one, and though the barrel was pitted bad and it was from 1929, my first shot with it took out a 2 liter soda bottle at 100 yds with iron sights! This accuracy was consistent. I traded it for the smaller carbine version, but haven't shot it yet. But I'm sure it is just as good. These are awesome rifles that are extremely accurate and dirt cheap.
My $ .02 worth.
 
Rescue Mike said:
Since a .22-250 IS a .22 cal bullet, it MAY be illegal to use in some areas. When I hunted/lived in Texas, the .22-250 was considered illegal for that very reason.
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"# white-tailed deer, mule deer, desert bighorn sheep, and pronghorn antelope may NOT be hunted with rimfire ammunition of any caliber."

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/annual/hunt/means/

.22-250 is legal for deer in TX. I'm fond of .243; it can do everything the lower 48, if you put the pill in the right place.
 
If you want a really good bolt action rifle without spending a ton of money look for a military mauser at pawn shops.Ther ruggedand most are plenty accurate for taking deer.Scope mounting can be a problem,or at least another $50-$100 if it's not already drilled and taped,but worth it to me.

I would stay away from the turkish and chinease models,the swedish,german,spanish,cheks and swedes are all good.And sellier and bellot makes good affordable ammo in 7mm and 8mm.

just my opinion
 
saturnine138 said:
I'm thinking about taking up hunting, and I might be doing some work over the summer with chronic wasting disease in deer which could also involve me hunting. As of yet, all I own in the way of firearms is a few .22s including a .220 Swift, and some shotguns. I know enough to know that taking a deer with a .22 is going to be incredibly difficult, and a shotgun isnt the best way to go either. I'm looking for a relatively inexpensive rifle, preferably bolt action, that would be good for hunting most everything short of bears. Any suggestions?
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You're on the mark with a 30-30 up until you admit a preference for a bolt action. The BSA* 30-30, whether in the flavor of Marlin or Winchester, is the ubiquitous American rifle. Inexpensive, readily available ammo. Light, comfortable. Ease of locating a knowledge gunsmith. I love my '61 Winchester but have to give the nod toward Marlin for overall durability.

When you include all game "short of bears," I'm gonna assume you are excluding elk and moose. If that's the case, 30-30 is fine. (For what it's worth, I believe 7.62, on average, has about the same ballistics as a 30-30.)

If you're stuck on bolt action, find a 30-06. You've now covered all game in scope and still have a common cartridge. If expense is an issue, consider the recommendation of a surplus Mauser. I've got a 7mm Ovieda Spanish mauser than my Dad bought in the fifties. It was sporterized 50 years ago, so I don't feel too bad about *sacrificing* a military rifle to the God of weight savings. 7mm ammo is still pretty common and effective. You won't find as many load/game options as 30-30 or 30-06 but you should still be okay.

Good luck! :thumbup:

*BSA = Bubba Standard Issue
 
runningboar said:
I will go against everybody else, the 30/30 and 44mag are two of my favorite whitetail cartridges, both will keep meat in your freezer out to 125 yds or so. If you are going to hunt where 150 yd + shots are the norm I would recommend something else, but where I do most of my hunting me and my Dad have probably put tons of meat on the ground, hogs and deer, with marlin 30/30s. Chris
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Have you tried that new leverevolution ammo for lever actions? It extends the range quite a bit past the 150 mark now. The bullets are conical shaped and safe for lever actions as they have a soft tip.

http://www.hornady.com/story.php?s=198
 
So far I think I'm leaning towards a Savage or a Winchester model 70, both in 30-06. I'm trying to find a Savage with a removable magazine and a bead or iron sight, most of the ones I've seen only come ready for a scope and have an internal box mag. If I can find the Winchester for less than $500 I'll go with that, but otherwise it's the Savage.

Is it possible to add a sight to a rifle that was manufactured without one?
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The Savage is easy to put sights on. Buy a Williams Reciever sight for the M-110, as it bolts in to the rear scope mount holes. You have a choice of blade or fiber optic or ghost ring rear. Then pay the gunsmith to add a ramp and front sight to the front. With the way the barrel tapers to the front on a Savage, you end up with a pretty tall front sight. Makes for an extremely light package though. Request a catalog from williams if you like. They have a little bit of info on figuring out the heights you need. You can get all the parts at Midway, or just have the smith provide them. There is probably close to 80 bucks in parts for what I just recommended.
 
I use a Mosin Nagant 91/30. Great range and splendid accuracy if you're willing to put a little money into em. Right now after all I've done and had done to it it's around $300 bones. I like it cause it's dirt simple and crazy reliable; even if you don't put any money into it it's still reasonably accurate for deer. Just the rifle will run about $150 for a GREAT one. My .02
 
i really like my mossburg atr 100..........bought it this year from the walmart for the said price of 244.00......270 winch.

two shots = two deer neither went more than where they were standing.

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but you really need a good .22 rifle also, cheap to shoot, easy to stockpile massive amounts of ammo, and with the right loads and shot placement they are fine for deer, tho not legal to hunt with for deer, they will work when pressed into service as a survival rifle............but ya got that covered already.
 
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