Walking in the woods rifle

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Here's the standard size 527 Carbine (not the Youth stock) with a Burris Fullfield II 4.5-14x42 for perspective. IMO, would be hard to beat for your purposes, and versatile for other jobs as well, like if you want to put enough scope on it to get somewhat serious about shooting groups or shooting at distance.

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First off new to the site and am blown away with the knowledge of the contributors.

May have missed them in the thread but a model 88 win in 243 or 308 would be sweet, a little over 7lb but not much. My personal favorite, not that it matters.

A Ruger M77 carbine also gets it done in the brush
I forgot about them, one of the best shots I ever knew and a great deer Hunter carried one in 284 Winchester. Great choice. Another great fun would be a Savage lever in a classic cartridge like 257 Roberts.
 
I also use a slug barrel 11-87 but only when forced to by state rules for certain zones. Besides being big and heavy they are comparatively short range for lack of accuracy, rapid loss of energy and poor killing power compared to a rifle. I speak from years of experience.

I used to load the shotgun with all slugs, until one day, when I jumped a nice buck in the alders that ran from the right to left at about 35 yards, and fired four slugs at it. I saw each slug hit an alder and get diverted, again and again. Never touched the buck with any of the slugs due to the same situation. If I'd loaded one slug, then the rest, buckshot, I'd probably have gotten that buck, because each slug hit the first 2-3" diameter alder where the kill zone was at the time.
 
These are available on the used market. I believe they were also made in 30-30 /12 gauge. Seems to check all of the boxes.

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IronHand
Wow, cool advertisement. I bought my first deer rifle from Grice Gun Shop. Where I live, 150 yards in the woods is a stretch, even when the leaves are off. A Rossi M92 in .357 would work for me. But man, that 527 carbine sure is sweet.
 
For years my walkaround rifle was a Model Seven in .308; now it's a Model Seven in 7mm-08. A CZ is a great option.

That's what I was thinking, a Model 7, maybe with the 18.5 barrel and iron sights, since the OP didn't want an optic. Mine in .260 wears a Leupold VX3 2.5-8 and my other in .350 wears a 1.24-4X Swarovski. I really like the LPVOs for "all around" optics.
 
I am looking for a rifle for walking through fairly dense woods. I want it to be deer capable. I think all shots would be 150 yds or less.

Here is what I am looking for:
1. Lightweight, must be under 7 pounds.
2. Don't intend to put an optic on it, so must have iron sights.
3. Chambered in a rifle cartridge (not a pistol caliber carbine), something in power between 30-30 and 308.
4. Barrel under 20"
5. Repeater action, but don't care if its semi auto, bolt, or lever.
6. Not so fancy that I will mind if it gets a few dings going through the woods.

I am considering a Browning or Henry lever action in 30-30 or 243 Win. Also possibly a Ruger Mini 30 Ranch. What else should I consider that meet these criteria?

I just looked over perfect sample. A 1968 vintage Steyr Model L .308 with great handling weight of about 6.5lb. The only thing one would have to do is throw gun sock over the barrel during stalking to cut down on the glare.
Another great choice would be BSA Majestic Featherweight Deluxe. More affordible choice could be provided by HVA 1600 carbine with short slim profile barrel. Current production could include CZ 527 7.62x39 carbine. Lots of choices depending on budget and availability.
 
I agree. And one of my favorite "walking in the woods" carbines is a Ruger MKII, RSI, International model, chambered in .308 Winchester. Mine has a Leupold, VariX II, 1x4x scope mounted on it.

My first deer rifle purchase at 19 was a Ruger carbine in 30.06. I hunted for many years with open sights until my eyes started going south. Sweet little gun. Still have it and now feels like a little slice of home.
 
Winchester 94 with peeps all the way. Its like carrying a yardstick.

However, scopes are a must for me. On a square range I enjoy shooting irons on a black bull/white sheet but a scope makes shooting through brush, picking up a target, and accurately placing a shot significantly easier.
 
Winchester 94 with peeps all the way. Its like carrying a yardstick.

However, scopes are a must for me. On a square range I enjoy shooting irons on a black bull/white sheet but a scope makes shooting through brush, picking up a target, and accurately placing a shot significantly easier.
Me too, Have been using optics for the last decade. I guess nothing lasts forever.
 
I've got a 30-06 sporterized mauser with williams peep sights in a nice Fajen stock I'm only into for $150 I picked up in the last year for the same purpose.

Hard to think of how I could have done better for twice as much money. I can still even run it with stripper clips and I'm not afraid to put *another* scratch on it dragging it around the brush.
 
Winchester 94 with peeps all the way. Its like carrying a yardstick.

However, scopes are a must for me. On a square range I enjoy shooting irons on a black bull/white sheet but a scope makes shooting through brush, picking up a target, and accurately placing a shot significantly easier.

Especially Trijicon Accupoint 1-4 or 1-6 with a triangle post.
 
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.

The .30-30 can beat it and some of the 7.62x39 bullets can be of questionable quality, but if a 150-gr .30-30 is acceptable then so is a 154-gr 7.62x39.

A 150-gr Core-Lokt at 2,290 fps is going 1,688 fps at 150 yards. And a 154-gr Tula softpoint at 2,100 fps is going 1,748 fps at 150 yards. The energy is already equal by 100 yards. And no one ever needed Leverevolution or 170-gr bullets to kill deer.
 
I've recommended a couple of carbines (the Winchester Model 94 with peep sights, chambered in .30-30 and the Ruger International with a 1x4 scope) as being great "walking in the woods" companions. My final candidate is a setup I've come to use more and more as the years fly by, a Browning (Miroku) Low Wall single-shot (I know the op specified a repeater), chambered in .223 (if varmints and small game is the intended prey) or .243, (if large varmints or deer/antelope is the intended prey). My petite and lightweight little Browning, chambered in .223, is scoped with a Burris 3x9 Compact and it has been a great companion when hiking the many forests we've explored.
 
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