Any Hunters in Here?

SoonerAviator said:
The Ruger American seemed decent, but there were some complaints about the magazine being flimsy/finicky. The American Hunter version uses a Magpul stock with Magpul receiver/magazine which solves those complaints, in addition to the upgraded barrel and trigger set. Most of the Tikka T3 variants are closer to $850, and the ones that compete with the American Hunter model for capacity/barrel are $1,200+. As with many things, the quality control and detail you get from the Tikka is what makes up the cost difference (and undoubtedly a smoother action), imo. I suppose it's nice to have so many options for rifle choices, lol.

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My first Tikka 15 years ago, a lot of people complained that they wouldn't trust the "cheap" plastic mags that came with it. Never had a problem. Neither with my Ruger. Just have to have make sure you seat it square. You just can't slap it in like an AR mag, and you shouldn't need to anyways.
 
My favorite caliber right now is a 5mm Easton Axis coming out of an Elite Ritual. Elite.jpg
 
Time for better scenery

My 6.5x55. Traded a bottle of decent bourbon to a friend for the action, off to Mark Penrod for lots of metal work, three position safety and cock on close, wenigs for the wood, negc sights but with a 4x scope (German #4 reticle of course) it shoots 3/4” three shot groups with 120 gr ballistic tips over Varget.

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Pugs said:
Time for better scenery

My 6.5x55. Traded a bottle of decent bourbon to a friend for the action, off to Mark Penrod for lots of metal work, three position safety and cock on close, wenigs for the wood, negc sights but with a 4x scope (German #4 reticle of course) it shoots 3/4” three shot groups with 120 gr ballistic tips over Varget.

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Very very nice! What do you use it for?
 
+1 for the Remington 700. You might look into the 7MM-08. It’s a 308 necked down to a 7mm round. Very flat, flatter than the 308, better range, and lower recoil. Incredible round - lots of versatility.
 
Learnin’ to fly… said:
+1 for the Remington 700. You might look into the 7MM-08. It’s a 308 necked down to a 7mm round. Very flat, flatter than the 308, better range, and lower recoil. Incredible round - lots of versatility.
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7mm-08 is a great round. One of my Tikkas is in that caliber.
 
One more update. The governor (King Jay) signed another idiot bill (pushed by our idiot AG) that outlawed the sale or purchase of semi-automatic "assault rifles" and the law lists them by name. So forget about moving to this state (of insanity) until that bill is struck down as unconstitutional if you possess any of the currently prohibited rifles. And it's not just what you think, even the M1A is on the list. I'm firmly convinced that the legislature in this state is run by people who hate the US and state constitutions.
 
I would imagine the law will be immediately challenged and I really don't see how any rational person would think it would be constitutional.
 
Pugs said:
Time for better scenery

My 6.5x55. Traded a bottle of decent bourbon to a friend for the action, off to Mark Penrod for lots of metal work, three position safety and cock on close, wenigs for the wood, negc sights but with a 4x scope (German #4 reticle of course) it shoots 3/4” three shot groups with 120 gr ballistic tips over Varget.
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Beautiful gun! My father has a 6.5x55 SM on a Mannlicher stock. Mom dropped many Texas whitetail with it back in the day. I cut my teeth in NRA F-class 600/1000yd competition with a 6.5x55 Ackley Improved running a 142gr custom target bullet. Solid long range performer in lighter winds.
 
Bob Noel said:
I would imagine the law will be immediately challenged and I really don't see how any rational person would think it would be constitutional.
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Agreed. But challenges can take many years and be very expensive. A state can run out the clock or your bank account.
 
Half Fast said:
Agreed. But challenges can take many years and be very expensive. A state can run out the clock or your bank account.
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Isn’t there some preliminary kind of injunction that would delay the law taking effect until the case is decided?
 
Ghery said:
One more update. The governor (King Jay) signed another idiot bill (pushed by our idiot AG) that outlawed the sale or purchase of semi-automatic "assault rifles" and the law lists them by name. So forget about moving to this state (of insanity) until that bill is struck down as unconstitutional if you possess any of the currently prohibited rifles. And it's not just what you think, even the M1A is on the list. I'm firmly convinced that the legislature in this state is run by people who hate the US and state constitutions.
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Aero Precision is one of the most popular component manufacturers for AR15/AR10 rifles. They are based in WA and can't even ship the stuff they make to people in their state due to the wackos in Congress there.
 
SoonerAviator said:
Aero Precision is one of the most popular component manufacturers for AR15/AR10 rifles. They are based in WA and can't even ship the stuff they make to people in their state due to the wackos in Congress there.
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One of the biggest reasons Weatherby decided to move from CA to WY - including relocating their machinists. They looked around and realized their taxes were feeding the machine that was fighting against their business at every turn (my paraphrase of what I read/heard in interviews - not their words directly).
 
Ok, I have a gun shop that sells around 2500 guns a year, I am the opposite as far as forums go, I mostly hang out on gun forums.

The Ruger American 308 is an excellent choice. You can get them packaged with a Vortex Crossfire scope for around $680ish. That will handle all your needs.

Some of the posts above are laughable. The 30-06 is not overkill for deer, it's probably a top 5 deer caliber nationwide. You don't need a semi auto to hunt them but an AR-10 is nice for follow up shots but they are more expensive to set up with scope and are way heavier than a bolt gun.

6.5 Creedmoor is also a good option and is available in the same package gun from ruger.
 
fudge80 said:
Ok, I have a gun shop that sells around 2500 guns a year, I am the opposite as far as forums go, I mostly hang out on gun forums.

The Ruger American 308 is an excellent choice. You can get them packaged with a Vortex Crossfire scope for around $680ish. That will handle all your needs.

Some of the posts above are laughable. The 30-06 is not overkill for deer, it's probably a top 5 deer caliber nationwide. You don't need a semi auto to hunt them but an AR-10 is nice for follow up shots but they are more expensive to set up with scope and are way heavier than a bolt gun.

6.5 Creedmoor is also a good option and is available in the same package gun from ruger.
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I agree fully. I did shoot 4 or 5 rounds of 6.5cr at the range about a year ago with a Savage Axis w/scope that came with it. Didn't have much recoil with the 6.5cr and shots were all pretty closely on target, but it was a 50yd bay so I wouldn't expect much different. I just liked the Ruger American Hunter because it had the Magpul stock and magazine as well as a threaded barrel w/muzzle brake (or ability to add a suppressor). Also has the rail for bipod attachment as well, should I want that option when hunting.
 
Question for the gallery: Deal or No-Deal: newer (not vintage/historic) Henry lever action 30-30, never fired, w/soft sided gun case, $400. Always thought having a 30-30 would be fun to have, iron sights, likely just as a target/plinking gun although plinking with $1.20/rd isn't the cheapest option.
 
SoonerAviator said:
I'm sure there are better forums for seeking hunting advice, but there's seems to be a lot of bravado and other rigmarole to sift through to get anything meaningful. Long story short, looking to pick up a rifle for two things #1) feral hogs moving into parent's land and tearing stuff up, #2) joining in with some cousins who frequently deer hunt and have been asking me to go for years.

I have a Mossberg 500 12ga shotgun, but it's not really the tool for this job, even shooting slugs. Can it be done? Sure, I suppose, but let's just ignore that gun.

Anyone have a good idea on a caliber that would be effective for both activities? 30-06 is probably overkill for deer, and I've been seeing a lot of 6.5CM stuff but ammo is a bit expensive/hard to find in some instances.

Been looking at reviews on the Ruger American in .308 which seems like it may be a good option. Thoughts? (yes, it's a thread about guns, let's keep in non-political)
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.270 & 30-06 use the same cartridge case.
.243 & .308 use the same cartridge case.
All 4 of the above are easy to get.
For what you described I feel the 30-06 case holds more powder than you need. Unless of course you're shooting 400+yds
 
plinking? yeah, 30-30 might be overkill.

and with reloading, the cost can be more like 50 cents per round - still not cheap, at least cheap that I think of when talking about plinking
 
sansoneservices said:
.270 & 30-06 use the same cartridge case.
.243 & .308 use the same cartridge case.
All 4 of the above are easy to get.
For what you described I feel the 30-06 case holds more powder than you need. Unless of course you're shooting 400+yds
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Solved most of that part already. Built an AR10 (LR308) in .308 w/20" barrel. Also bought a Tikka T3X in .308, simply for a lighter option when one purely hunting. Chose .308 mostly due to short action, tolerable recoil, and ease of finding a variety of .308 rounds pretty much anywhere ammo is sold.

If I go to a long action at some point, I'll probably go 300wm, or maybe 7mm rem mag.
 
Bob Noel said:
plinking? yeah, 30-30 might be overkill.

and with reloading, the cost can be more like 50 cents per round - still not cheap, at least cheap that I think of when talking about plinking
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Yeah, it'd be more like a "take it to the range along with some other guns just to shoot some targets, or coffee cans out in the pasture". Probably not a big deal regarding ammo cost as it'd be under 100rds/yr anyway. For high volume "plinking", a .22LR is a better option.
 
I don't think I could pass up that Henry... Not saying it would be a good decision, just saying I'd probably make the dumb decision and surprise my wife with a $400 hole in the account... Plus a $30 die set and $50 jug of powder. And some rifle primers? That could be a $600 hole very fast.
 
In my youth, I watched my father down plenty of pigs and whitetail with his Marlin 30-30, 150gr Core-lokt. I noticed, in a prior post, you made a comment concerning feral hogs. It is a fun and fast way to drop a few.
 
2-Bit Speed said:
I don't think I could pass up that Henry... Not saying it would be a good decision, just saying I'd probably make the dumb decision and surprise my wife with a $400 hole in the account... Plus a $30 die set and $50 jug of powder. And some rifle primers? That could be a $600 hole very fast.
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Lol, well it may be better to ask for forgiveness than permission.
 
robin ardoin said:
In my youth, I watched my father down plenty of pigs and whitetail with his Marlin 30-30, 150gr Core-lokt. I noticed, in a prior post, you made a comment concerning feral hogs. It is a fun and fast way to drop a few.
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Yeah, I always hear about "30-30 has dropped more deer than any other caliber", although I'm not sure how that data would have been collected aside from assumptions of frontier-days hunting for food.
 
SoonerAviator said:
Yeah, I always hear about "30-30 has dropped more deer than any other caliber", although I'm not sure how that data would have been collected aside from assumptions of frontier-days hunting for food.
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I thought that was the .270 Win...., or was it the Rem .30-'06... now I'm just confused...LOL

The wonderful thing about an iron sight lever action carbine is the short swing radius and fast action allowing you to stay on the target while charging with another round. Great in the brush while shooting at game on the move. Not to mention the cool factor...:cool:. When I got a little older and was allowed to move from a 12ga/buckshot weapon to a rifle, I used a lever action Marlin .444 with a 240gr Core-Lokt. It seemed, at least with the animals I shot, that the ol' .30-30/150gr got as much, if not better, penetration...and was a much lighter gun.
 
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SoonerAviator said:
Exactly. Every old caliber seems to have "dropped more deer" than the other ones.
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Here in the southeast, where shots are at close range through heavy woods and swamp, and the deer are run by dogs, I'd bet the 12ga is pretty high on the list.
 
Half Fast said:
Here in the southeast, where shots are at close range through heavy woods and swamp, and the deer are run by dogs, I'd bet the 12ga is pretty high on the list.
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My first two at age 10 were 12ga 00 buckshot, full choke 32" barrel Mossberg pump. All nine pellets hit both. I got knocked on my can shooting off balance with the first shot on one that was running and came closer to hitting a migratory waterfowl than the doe. Second shot, after I remembered to pump the action :rolleyes:, dispatched her though.
 
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