recommend a beater rifle?

Runs With Scissors

Runs With Scissors

Joined
Dec 3, 2000
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Just when I thought I had all the guns I need...it occurs to me...I need one more...:D

I'm looking for a cheap, ugly, but effective centerfire rifle to beat through the woods. The other day when hiking I musta slid down shale and ice about six times, and fallen on the ice a couple dozen. This rifle will take a beating and become very ugly, so looks are of no importance. The bigger the caliber the better, but it's not priority- this isn't about bear protection. The lighter the better also. field accuracy is great, tackdriving accuracy is better, but not mandatory.

So far my best options seem to be a Windchester 94 30-30 for $100-150ish or perhaps an SKS. I'm not really up on my knowledge when it comes to most Military Surplus rifles. I know the old Enfields have a great reputation, but aint that light.

whaddy'all suggest?
 
Only centerfire rifle I now have is a .308 civil guard Spanish Mauser M1916. Had it 20-some years. Works fine, no CPU issues. Was $89 when I got it. I made it "scout-rifle" ish, wrote about it, got the article published in Fur, Fish and Game, which paid for most of the cost of the rifle. I've since extended the stock about two inches with a recoil pad and a piece of fitted oak.

Truly a beater. Never a problem. Samco is still selling some at ?$129? I think.

http://www.samcoglobal.com/rifles.html


http://www.surplusrifle.com/shooting/spanishinquisition/index.asp

I'm back to iron sights though. I prefer them.


This is one of those topics, though...never-ending generation of opinions.

Have fun.
 
Plenty of good miltary surplus out there. I like the K31's real well for the money. The SKS's are also a good option, however, they seem to be going up a bit lately and aren't as powerful as a K31.

Both are a bit heavy though.

You may do real well to watch the local chain stores and see what they put on sale. I know Dicks here are marking their guns down 10% or more right now. Or, watch the local gun shows for a used Savage bolt gun with a sythetic stock. Not real pretty, but would fit your use very well (light, powerful and will take a beating). I often see lightly used Savages for under $300.
 
a New England Arms Handi Rifle in 45/70 or 25-06 might work. I have one in .22 Hornet and it's pretty cool!:thumbup:
 
...Hollow owns most the beater rifles fit to have...

I'd get a cheap Mauser bolt. Or an SKS. I probably wouldn't get a Spanish Mauser unless I knew what I was doing. The metalurgy was inconsistant, there are non large ring 'large ring' issues, and the fit and finish is second to many others. Having said that, I've almost purchased one several times and wouldn't throw one out of bed.

You know, the old 30/30 can be had cheap and would make a fine beater.
You can buy factory ammo easy too. Most military bolts are not going to be in a calibre very easily found at Joe's burger n gun stand.

Any SKS of course, will have ammo avalible nearly everywhere. It was said almost 20 years ago now the SKS replaced the 30/30 as the South's gun in Pickup truck window.



munk
 
NEF Handi-Rifle...now there's a suggestion...light, cheap, handy (as the name implies) rugged and accurate. That might would work out great.

Although you can't beat those old Mil-Surp turn bolts for just plain neatness...

And then there's the good ole. 30-30 Trapper Carbine.....Just about broke my heart when Munk mentioned that being replaced by the SKS.....makes me wanna get another one of those just for nostalgia sake. Although ammo availability is a darn good point.


Now that I think about it though, I'm wondering if I'm a bit nutty wanting to get a "beater" AKA "user" rifle. That was the same reason I bought my Savage Scout Rifle, my Marlin 45/70, my Savage '06, and my Windchester 94 .45 Colt (not happy with the 94 in .45 Colt BTW)

Of course there is a big difference between a nice late summer caribou hunt, and the crappy miserable conditions of Winter and Spring....
 
Buddy you took the words right out of my mouth . The SKS is a dandy little elcheapo rifle that will take abuse and keep on firing . You can get militairy ammo for next to nothing . I don,t know what you would do for a hunting round . I,m sure you can source that up . I like semi autos and I wish I,d bought one when they were still under a hundred bucks . You can fancy them up or buy two and have spare parts for a good long while . I aint braggin but I can shoot one of those standing up on semi auto better than most people can do single shots sitting down ! Iron sights of course .
 
Mosin-Nagant M38. It's the least expensive surplus out there right now, it's almost the cheapest to feed, and it isn't four feet long like most of the other milsurps. (A slight exaggeration, but only a slight one.) Perfect rifle for knocking around in the woods with. If the rifling is good, the accuracy should be fine. The caliber is appropriate for most game in North America.
 
Dave Rishar said:
Mosin-Nagant M38. It's the least expensive surplus out there right now, it's almost the cheapest to feed, and it isn't four feet long like most of the other milsurps. (A slight exaggeration, but only a slight one.) Perfect rifle for knocking around in the woods with. If the rifling is good, the accuracy should be fine. The caliber is appropriate for most game in North America.
Click to expand...

That's a good suggestion. Also M44. You can fix the bayo, skewer some vennison on it shoot ten rounds or so and the muzze fireball will cook it!
 
Runs With Scissors "not happy with the 94 in .45 Colt BTW)"

Why not?


munk
 
Guys,

I love the old Milsurp guns...

Having said that...in all seriousness...

The used market is fullof good used rifles that will do the work...

...a few tasty add ons ...and you are there...

So is it just the romance of the old Military guns...or is there a real world advantage I do not understand...

...somebody enlighten me....

Shane
 
I'd get an old 98K action Mauser and strip off the top wood. I'd also get a gunsmith to bend the bolt down if it didn't come that way. For game up to deer size (well elk in a pinch) I like the 7mm mauser cartridge. It is very pleasant to shoot and has a rather flat trajectory. For tougher game I'd go with an 8mm mauser (well I guess its actually 7.92). If you found a source for 7.62 Nato or 7.65 Mauser thows would be OK. If I wanted to use it at anywhere over 75 yards I'd put better sights on it.

My real light weight knockabout gun is a 6.5mm Carcano Carbine. It cost me $20.00 when I bought it. I stripped off the top wood and added an better sight. It is real handy for crawling through brush when I sling it muzzle-down along my back.
 
I can't do anything but praise my Marlin 3030 for this function. No crying when it gets scuffed, but always reliable and accurate.
 
munk said:
Runs With Scissors "not happy with the 94 in .45 Colt BTW)"

Why not?


munk
Click to expand...


The 94 was originally made for longer cartridges ie: 30-30 Windchester decided it was adequate to just rechamber the good ole '94 for .45 Colt which in a nutshell leaves ALOT of excessive movement. Not chest thumping or anything, but...I'm pretty adept with most of the firearms I own, but this one is remarkably easy to short stroke, and also takes a pretty brisk stroke to clear empty brass.

I know it's heresay, but I'm honestly thinking about selling it off and buying a friends Rossi 92 .45 Colt instead. I've looked at it VERY long and hard, and the fit and finish actually looks better on the Rossi. Also it's the 92 design which means it was originally made to feed shorter cartridges such as the .45 Colt, 44-40, etc. Either that or just scratch the whole rifle/pistol cartridge combo thing and get the same trapper in 30-30 which is more what it was designed around anyways.
 
I can only offer some advice on what I have experience with, so in my case that would be the SKS and Mosin-Nagant.

My SKS was my official beater rifle that came along with me on the tractor every single day on the farm, for about 5 years straight. (I don't get to help Dad on the farm as much as I'd like to these days, but it still comes along when I do go out.) I figured since it was so cheap, I'd just beat the tar out of it and buy another one when mine broke. It never broke. I didn't clean the thing for two years straight, and a lot of days we got so dusty the dust would literally spill off the brim of my cap when I looked down. The stock is gouged up pretty bad, and there's some surface rust here and there, but the chrome lined bore is still great. (Chinese version- I don't think the Yugos have chromed bores.) It really looks like it went through a world war or two, but it still functions like the day I got it. One of the big plusses going for it, is there's tons of cheap non corrosive ammo available, which means you can actually practice a lot and learn how to shoot from field positions. I've put a couple thousand rounds through mine; only a handful of those at paper targets. I've used it to take everything that walks, flies, crawls, slithers, swims, or sits, from grasshoppers to coyotes. (can't use rifles on deer here) Many people are put off by the sights and trigger, but you'll be quite accustomed to their quirks after a thousand rounds. While these guns aren't known as tackdrivers, all that practice means you'll still be able to hit what you're aiming at. I could outshoot my buddy whose .22-250 could print 1/4" groups.

Many of the surplus guns can boast cheap ammo, but keep in mind that much of that ammo is corrosive. If you don't want to scrub out your bore every time you shoot it, expect to pay higher prices for ammo, or pick another caliber.

My Mosin-Nagant is pretty accurate for such a cheap rifle. The only time I ever shot a paper group with it, the shots were within a half inch of each other at 118 paces. (excluding a called flyer) But again, the cheap ammo I've been able to find is corrosive.

I do know that the stock of the mosin can't handle being run over by a tractor, if that's one of your requirements. ;) :D
 
Unless your real goal is to repel an invasion or fight WWIII you do not need a semi-auto. Go to the gun show and find a Ruger 77 bolt action in whatever caliber that strikes your fancy up to 338 Mag ( over that the ammo is too expensive ). This should cost you no more than $280 to $300 used; find a used Leupold in 3X, 4X, or 6X FIXED POWER, mounted in the rings Ruger includes free. The Leupold has a lifetime warranty for anyone, not just the original owner. You can beat this outfit until there is not a shred of bluing or finish left on the stock, and it will keep right on ticking ( DO clean the bore occasionally ). I have just such a .270 bouncing in the back of my 4WD every day for 25? years. Come shoot against it for a couple beers :D Two nice bucks this last season. I'm sandbaggin' you; I handload for the sucker 130 gr Ballistic Tips over 55 grains IMR 4350 in Winchester cases and Fed 210 Match primers. Any takers for a beer??
 
shane justice said:
So is it just the romance of the old Military guns...or is there a real world advantage I do not understand...
Click to expand...

Inexpensive to own, inexpensive to shoot (until the milsurp ammo dries up, anyway), usually sturdy, usually simple. They clean up nice, they have history and character, and they're normally assembled with a degree of care that's not seen in that price bracket on today's weapons.

Were a company to decide to manufacture new Nagants/Enfields/K31's/etc. today, they'd be selling for a whole lot more than <$200.

And that may be the biggest draw of them all, ironically...everybody loves a good deal. :) The fact that they've already been paid for once makes them a bargain this time around.
 
I have always loved old military rifles. Besides my Bearcat .22, the first gun that was actually mine was my 94 Mauser. I've always loved history so I think that's the appeal for me. The cheap ammo for the MN and SKS is good too.

For hunting I have a .35 336. and the .243 Ruger 77 RSI, and Jurassic is right they do shoot great!
 
I've owned 4 SKS, IIRC. I personally would say buying an SKS, installing a $35 Mojo peep sight, and buying Wolf 154 grain SP ammo would be one fine way to go for deer-sized game and a sturdy rifle.

Nothing wrong with an NEF, either. I carried an H&R Topper, Jr. 20 gauge for about 11 years. Truly handy, if you don't mind a single-shot. Rossi also is selling an even lighter-weight single shooter, though I don't know if they're as strong if you go for something like the .45-70.

John
 
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