rifle

[catfish]

i guess beeing an outlaw all these years using my 22 mag and losing the hunting clubs i was in so now on wma i have to use and upgrade alittle to a legal rifle now for deer. :wink: :lol: :mrgreen: i seen a ruger 308 at wally wourld. was hoping mayby TRat or some one else good shed some light on this? i dont have any knoledge of this caliber ? i really liked how the gun felt and was around $350.00. is this a good price? any info appreciated. cat

 

[tx river rat]

I am not a big fan of the 308,it is just a short case 30 06. I would look at a 243 , flatter shooting less recoil, accurate as heck.
What brand rifle were you looking at?
Ron

 

[Kayak Jack]

Ron is right, the .308 Winchester is a shortened .30-06 for shorter bolt throw in a fully automatic weapon, therefore greater rate if fire. Isn't it also the official NATO 7.62 mm round?

Now, a .308 Norma is a different animal!

 

[dawallace45]

I'm a big fan of the 30/06 , I've either owned or shot most of the calibres available except for a few of the new short magnums and I keep going back to the 30/06 , bullets are available for it from 100 gn up to 225 gn , cases are always available and so are projectiles , I use it on every thing from dingoes to scrub bulls , it does the job with out any fuss or bother ,

Before I cleaned out the safe I had 4 rifles in 30/06 , and I think from memory I've owned some thing like 8 or 9 rifles in 308 and have loaded pretty much bullet weight for it but still prefer the 30/06

That is not to say there is any thing at all wrong with the 308 , I just prefer the 30/06 , as a reloader I think I get more loads from a 30/06 case than I do the 308 ,

For various reasons I don't much like the 22/250 , 220 swift , 243 , 270 and 7mm rem mag but much of that is personal preference

I do really like the 223R , 257 Roberts , 6.5 x55 . 7x57 , 308 , 303 and 30/06 but the last three are the only ones that can be counted on to preform on big and small beasties at all times in all conditions

There is nothing wrong at all with the Ruger , fine gun , my 30/06 is a Marlin XL7 and it's possibly one of the cheapest rifles I've owned but it shoots as well or better as the more expensive guns I've owned and the trigger is great out of the box

I've sold off a lot of the rifles I had over the last few years as I just couldn't be bothered loading for them any more and I found that I just wasn't using them , I find that for all my shooting I either reach for a 22 rimfire or the 30/06 , still got a 35/303 and a 303 and a 45 lever gun but I don't use them except on the range and the 45 is the gun when I want a gun for travelling when I think I won't need a gun ,

You won't go wrong with a 308 but if you can get one in 30/06 for the same money even better

David

 

[dawallace45]

Now, a .308 Norma is a different animal!

The 308 norma is sort of in between the 30/06 and the 300 win mag , nothing wrong with the cartridge , I had one once but would never bother having one again , nothing I ever shot could tell the difference between that and the 30/06 and but the norma had more recoil and the price of the ammunition was two to three times more expensive than the 308 or 30/06

David

 

[catfish]

ron it was a ruger. yea my daughter has a 243 and has killed several deer and hogs with it. my son has a 223 and has done the same with it. i like both calibers both seem to be good calibers? i have heard alot of people say that with the 243 they didn,t have a blood trail ? the ones my daughter killed they didn,t go no where i was with her on some. i guess its where you shoot them . i like to shoot them in the neck or head. that way i don,t need a blood trail. :mrgreen: thanks for the info .

 

[gbinga]

The one high power rifle that I have is a .308 Winchester. I chose that because it is the 7.62 Nato round, and I figured I would always be able to get ammunition for it...one way or another.

That might be a bit silly, but it is the reason I chose it.

I've honestly not hunted since I was a kid, unless you count back yard squirrels with an air rifle, and I probably won't do so unless an emergency arises. Here in Northern GA, the big game opportunities are whitetail deer, wild hogs, and black bear, all of which would be in woods, in hilly country. It isn't like you would get a target at over 100 yards, at least not from what friends have told me. I can't imagine what you could not accomplish with a .308.

I another part of the country, with different terrain and longer ranges, I can see where that would be a whole new calculation.

GB

 

[petterchan]

i have a Winchecter m100 .308 i use it for deer hunting in maine, It is usually personal preference/Distance that you will be hunting, But i use the Simmons Whitetail classic 2-10x44. It works for thick brush, Fields, Really anywhere you need it, it does its job.

 

[catfish]

well I moved up to a 223 its a savage with the synthetic camo stock. had it about a week got scope on her and sighted in. ready for hunting season. may have to retire my mag? :lol: :mrgreen: well after about 3 months was in wally world tonight and finally seen some 22 bullets. they had about 30 of the individual small boxes. limit 2 per customer. I got 2 and wife got 2. they were going like hot cakes. they are starting to get a few other calibers in along and along. sure been crazy :shock: :? :?:

man this cool weather last couple of days getting me into the fall spirit and hunting. think it was 59 this morning?chuck is it cooling down any your way ?

 

[dawallace45]

What size deer you got there ?, for the deer I hunt here in Australia the 223 is far too light but I do understand that some of your deer breeds in the USA are quite small

David

 

[oldsparkey]

Catfish....

Upper 60's in the mornings and mid 80's during the day with scattered rains in the afternoon. Just some nice weather.
It takes your weather some extra time to get down here if it gets here at all.
Good luck with your 223 , it should be really easy to fill a freezer now.

Chuck.........

 

[catfish]

David where I live the deer are smaller than further up the road (north ) from me. if you get one around 160 to 180 its a good one here. like I say its all about shot placement. I think it will fine for me.

 

[tx river rat]

This conversation is a prime example of why the build different rifles and calibers.
Back when I was a struggling young feller and needed to make every dollar count , I did a lot of research on different calibers and gun actions before I bought ( didnt figure I would be able to afford but one) and here is what it came down to for me.
First let me get rid of some popular choices .
22 250 , 220 swift 17 Rem all fine calibers but just a little light for hogs and big deer.
308 30 06 just didnt have the long range trajectory I wanted.
270 not enough bullet choices but a fine long range and very deadly choice for elk and mule deer hogs.
That brought me to the 7 rem mag choice of bullets was right in the range for the 30 cals , weights from 100 grains up to 205
at the time it was the most accurate rifle at the long rang matches ,it held the 1000 meter record a 5 shot group in 4 inchs.
ballistics were great for long shots . So that is what I bought and it has been a winner from day one I have taken everything from 30 lb varmints 706 lb wild boar, elk mule deer and a butt load of white tail. I have take animals from 10 yards out to 500 plus yards with no problem. For me this was the right rifle for where and how I hunted.
Some folks cant handle the recoil of the bigger gun and if you flinch from the kick you might as well be throwing rocks and it doesnt make a dam what caliber it is if you cant hit with it so here comes the rest of my go too rifles ,a little remg 7oo in a 243 it will hold up out to 500 meters with the big boys light recoil accurate as heck,loaded right a deer wont take a step if the shot is placed behind the shoulder, a good selection of bullet weights ,from 50 to 105 grains, I have taken every thing in Texas with it cleanly and efficiently. It is two light for elk but we dont have them here anyway .
Please dont take offense at this Catfish but the m16 and using it for two tour in the beautiful vacation land in southeast asia left me with a bad taste in my mouth for the 223 I hated the gun and the caliber. I feel the same way about semi auto pistols , folks can have the 1911 I will take my olld wheel gun if my butt is on the line.Personal feeling ,
All this being said I can take a 22 long rifle and kill anything in the USA that walks ,yea I know it is not legal but it is capable. With that statement there aint no bad guns if your the shot with it. This boils dow to preferences like who like blondes brunettes or redheads the best? And if your wife ever reads this form you beter glance and see what her hair colors is today before you answer this, Oh grey headed or blue hair is not going to make your day if she reads this.
Ron

 

[Kayak Jack]

I concur on a Remington 7mm Mag. Also, blondes, brunettes, redheads, and grey haired.

 

[oldsparkey]

I will bet that more wildlife has been killed with a 22 then any other caliber cartage.
This is counting everything from Rats up to Bears and if you want , even people. The 22 does the job and is really quieter that any other round.
Not sure about the rest of you but with a long barreled , bolt action , Winchester , single shot 22 , shooting 22 cal CB Caps I have taken Turkeys and small game with some close up head shots. That is about as quiet as an air rifle and really deadly at close range.
My favorite quiet rounds are the ....22 shorts ( hollow points ) with head shots , they are some good Rabbit getter's or even stray cat stoppers when they are trying to get into your quail pen.

Out of all the firearms that I have had , I sold quite a few since I don't use them anymore. I did keep three long guns all 22's for my use. One lever action which will take any 22 from a short to a long rifle , A semi auto that only likes 22 long rifles , a 22 mag, bolt action all three with scopes on them. That is all I need for hunting here in Florida if the economy fails and we all go into a survival mode.

 

[catfish]

Ron I started to get a 243 I looked at them also just ended up the with the 223. yea my daughter use to have one before it got stolen. that's another long sore subject. she killed a few hogs and deer with it. she wants another one I may get me one and let her use it? :roll: :wink: :mrgreen: I been looking at the regular Remington 243 and a 243 youth . I like sort of a short and lite weight gun.
man you say you killed a 706 pound wild hog ? that was a grown one. :shock: I just thought the biggest one I killed was big around 300 or 350?
no insult I may ask the wife what color her hair is. :lol: :mrgreen:
chuck do they still make the 22 short hollow points? been a many tame hog killed with those shorts at hog killing time . a lot of the old timers used that.

 

[tx river rat]

Catfish
I need to go back and add something here. I hated the m16 and the combination of the ammo we had to use. The civilian ammo should do a lot better job. I have a few friends that swear it is an accurate round.
Ron

 

[tx river rat]

Catfish
We weighed that hog so it wasnt a guess. Some folks got hold of some close to pure blood russians and turned them loose .
After a few years they started trapping them and cutting the young boars, this was one of those.
In the hill country they killed one that supposedly weighed over 1200 lb. saw the pics but didnt see the hog so I cant swear to that weight.
Ron

 

[oldsparkey]

chuck do they still make the 22 short hollow points? been a many tame hog killed with those shorts at hog killing time . a lot of the old timers used that.

22 Shorts and even CB Caps.
http://ammoseek.com/?gun=rimfire&cal=93

 

[dawallace45]

I've got no problem shooting the 30/06 all day , don't have a problem with the 35 whelen , 35/303 , 458 Win Mag or the 375H&R magnum but I do have a problem with the 7 M Rem Mag , that round has caused more flinching than just about every calibre about , go to any shooting club and there is always one up on the notice board going cheap

David