Walking in the woods rifle

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Slamfire said:
If you have a 100 yard zero, a 240 grain bullet will drop 5.8 inches at 150 yards.

Looked up the numbers for a 30-30 with a 170 grain bullet going 2150 fps. With a 100 yard zero, the bullet drop is 3.5 inches. However, 150 yards is about 100 yards further than I can see in the woods around here.
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Yea the woods are dense here too, but there are a lot of fields too, which is where i got the 150 yds number. In some places you can see further than 150 yds, but I wouldnt try to make that shot, especially with open sights.
 
So I think I have a few contenders:

Winchester or Marlin in 30-30
Pros: Classic styling
Cons: I don't keep 30-30 ammo on hand and would have to buy some, ammo is expensive

Browning BLR or Henry Long Ranger in 243 Winchester
Pros: Sort of classic styling, flatter shooting cartridge
Cons: No experience with them, both may be finished too nice to get scratched up walking through woods, priciest option, ammo is expensive

CZ 527
Pros: Lightest weight, hear good things about accuracy, classic styling, have a supply of 7.62 x 39 ammo on hand, and its easy and cheap to find more.
Cons: Not really seeing any

Ruger Mini 30:
Pros: Light weight, reliable semi auto, very familiar with its operation already, have a supply of ammo on hand, and its easy and cheap to find more, I like the rear peep sight, excellent Ruger customer service.
Cons: Hear bad things about accuracy, have also seen Mini 30s not be able to fire cheap steel cased ammo due to light firing pin strikes.

All things considered, I am thinking more about the CZ 527 or Ruger Mini 30 than the others.
 
Balrog

I have been thinking about getting a CZ527 for some time now. Been looking for a quality bolt action to go along with the AK I have along with a lot of 7.62x39 ammo.
 
Balrog, just curious. If you have 7.62x39 on hand, what gun do you currently have that shoots that ammo and why couldn’t it meet your needs?

Personally, I like the 30-30 and a lever gun. I have a Winchester 94AE carbine and a Marlin 336. Both are fine firearms for the woods and the country you describe.
 
Pat Riot said:
Balrog, just curious. If you have 7.62x39 on hand, what gun do you currently have that shoots that ammo and why couldn’t it meet your needs?

Personally, I like the 30-30 and a lever gun. I have a Winchester 94AE carbine and a Marlin 336. Both are fine firearms for the woods and the country you describe.
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I don't have a gun that shoots 7.62x39 at all right now. I had an SKS and an AK at one point, but I got rid of them and decided just to focus on AR's for that type rifle.
 
Balrog said:
What is the drop on 44 mag at 150 yds? That is my only beef with the Marlin. I think I want something that shoots flatter.
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As one who has always preferred open sights (I only recently glassed some of my rifles ... eyesight issue) ...

IMO&IME, if you are comfortable shooting "over irons" and have your .44mag Marlin 1894(S) sighted to 100yds (and can actually see well enough to properly target a deer at 150yds :)) making a ~6"drop adjustment should not be an issue.

O'course, I think that most of us Marlin 1894 shooters add an aperture rear sight (mine is a Williams 5D). MUCH better. ;)
 
I apologize for deviating from the stated desires, but I agree with Slamfire. My choice would be a 44 magnum lever action, but I more or less have decided I don't care much about rifle cartridges as they aren't really needed for what I choose to do, and reloading pistol calibers is fun and easy. I've got a Henry in 357 magnum and it's really a fun gun to shoot, and adds several hundred feet per second at the muzzle over my revolvers.

You can certainly make 150 yard shots with it and it's going to give you a nice thump up close that could take elk sized game if needed. There are also some interesting monolithic bullet choices out there that could be fun to load.

But if the OP really wants it in a rifle cartridge, then I agree with the 30-30 statements. It's been a staple of woods walking for decades.
 
rdnktrkr said:
What about an AR in 7.62x39? or just get an upper for what you already have
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Good idea.

I actually did that very thing. I bought a complete 7,62x39 AR Upper that was irresistibly inexpensive, then added both BUIS and an "economical" (a.k.a., cheap) co-witness red dot sight.

If I want it light, I pop it on one of my carbine lowers. If weight is no issue, on one of my rifle lowers. :)
 
I carried a Marlin Model 336C 35 Remington for many years every time I went walking through the fields and woods. I beat the crap out of it but it always fired, never a fail to fire. Very dependable rifle and very accurate.
 
Ohen Cepel said:
Good option and would be pretty inexpensive. If looking at that route I would think about 300BLK also or maybe one of the larger thumpers (450, 458, or 50) if you need more power.
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This opens up some new thinking. If we go ar15, which at times can be hard to keep lightweight, I might add in the 458 socom. Ammo isn't cheap but hits really hard. My socom pistol easily meets the weight requirements, but my rifle is right at the 7.5 lb mark. A 30-30 levergun is still going to be easier to use in the thick stuff though, due to all the stuff sticking out of an ar15 (mags, grip, sights, etc)
 
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Not very dense woodland if you can see a deer at 100-150 yards.
For dense woods a light weight lever action or semiauto in 44 Magnum is fine. If you really think there's a chance of a shot at 100-150 yards a 30-30 or the 35 Remington (my personal choice) are better.
 
another one for a 762x39 ar15 with iron sights. Can be had from windhame for 650 or less. Just over 6 lbs. compact package. My windham has been flawless. and i run cheap ammo thru mine.
 
Charlie Martinez said:
Not very dense woodland if you can see a deer at 100-150 yards.
For dense woods a light weight lever action or semiauto in 44 Magnum is fine. If you really think there's a chance of a shot at 100-150 yards a 30-30 or the 35 Remington (my personal choice) are better.
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You did see that I was talking about being around the edges of fields? The woods are dense, but when you come out of them, the fields are pretty big.
 
Get your favorite lever 30-30 and be done with it. My preference would be a JM stamped 336, probably because I've had mine for almost 30 years. I rarely hunt with it because 150 yards if a fairly short shot where I hunt, but it's a really slick little rifle and I enjoy shooting it.
 
GBExpat said:
I must confess ... I think that I automatically winced a bit when I read that. Shades of "healthy" recoil memories. :)
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That's NOTHING ! I had a 5.5 pound Brown Precision ultra light 600 that was scoped and quadra ported in .308 . It broke the Kevlar Stock and his son about 10 years back refused to replace it. His dad Chet made it in 1982 in his San Jose Garage , was one of the first Kevlar stocks ever. It broke in mid 90s and it took me about 5 years to find they had opened in a different location . I turned the barrel action into a bull pup after they would not warranty it. here it is I don't have any recent pictures since I finished it off. That heavy laminate weighs about 7.5 pounds today with a Leopold VX2 3-9x50 and kicks far less than it did at 2 pounds lighter :)
032_zps4a4e5ef6.jpg
 
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Just a contentious point on 30-30 vs 7.63x39.

While partisans of the Soviet round like to suggest that they are the effectively the same, let us point out that they are not. First, while things have improved, there is not a plethora of proven hunting ammunition in 7.62x39, whereas Walmart available Core-lokts are very good in 30-30. Secondly, I am unaware of any 170 grs bullet weight available in 7.62x39. Thirdly, either loaded Leverevolution ammo or hand loads from the same components offer 160 grs at 2350 from a 20” barrel, ballistics that cannot be matched by 7.62x39. The CZ527 platform (or Zastava mini-Mauser) are compact, handy platforms and those attributes may offset the relatively minor shortfall in ballistics by the 7.62x39. But there are differences between the two cartridges that bear remembering.
 
I have the savage hog hunter, Browning BLR, and multiple 30-30s(win and marlin)-
I use a Win94 if I’m just bumming around- if I was going to a tree stand I’d use the BLR
Not sure if the Winchester but my 308 BLR is 6.5lbs
 
DocRock said:
Just a contentious point on 30-30 vs 7.63x39.

While partisans of the Soviet round like to suggest that they are the effectively the same, let us point out that they are not. First, while things have improved, there is not a plethora of proven hunting ammunition in 7.62x39, whereas Walmart available Core-lokts are very good in 30-30. Secondly, I am unaware of any 170 grs bullet weight available in 7.62x39. Thirdly, either loaded Leverevolution ammo or hand loads from the same components offer 160 grs at 2350 from a 20” barrel, ballistics that cannot be matched by 7.62x39. The CZ527 platform (or Zastava mini-Mauser) are compact, handy platforms and those attributes may offset the relatively minor shortfall in ballistics by the 7.62x39. But there are differences between the two cartridges that bear remembering.
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I do agree with that, but you can not get a semi auto in 30-30. and you can get a 762x39 in a ar-15 platform. I do not like like lever guns and i have never seen a 30-30 bolt. Tho the lever has been around a very long time, i just dont like doing alot of shooting with them. I can shoot a ar-15 all day long, and for .15 cents a round, ya, it limited a little bit compared to a 30-30 with heavy bolts, but the range the OP suggested. It will do fine
 
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