I just got back from Hungary, where we had an extended weekend of driven wild boar, fallow deer and red deer hunt. The result wasn't bad at all, I shot six hogs and two nice fallow deer, but also missed a number of opportunities I would have liked to have at least a shot at.
The problem was the combination of rifle and hunter. I'm not very competent with reloading a bolt action rifle quickly. I hunted with my Weatherby Mark V in .375H&H, which is a magnum action rifle hence the bolt draw is very long. On top of that, it's heavy, and I forgot my shooting sticks at home, which didn't help at all. I originally thought about taking my Marlin XLR with me; lever action is very quick to operate and while 200yd+ is still possible, the slow speed of .45-70 makes it a bit tricky when you're shooting animals fleeing at full speed. And that's what 95% of driven hunt shots are all about.
Some of my friends hunt with a double rifle, usually in rimmed 9.3x74, which is pretty much ideal for this kind of hunts as long as you don't need more than two (or four, by keeping spare cartridges between your fingers) shots. I'd be more comfortable with four or five without having to reload, especially when a 400lb+ hog is coming at you, full charge.
I have an ongoing project, a Winchester 1895, that'll be rechambered, most likely to 9.3x62. It'll get custom peep sight and provisions to mount a Bushnell Holosight or EOTech and it still has its (russian contract) stripper clip guides, which can be adapted for Garand clips for use with 9.3x62 cartridges. However, it'll probably take another year to complete so it won't be available for next 3-4 trips we have been planning.
So, meanwhile I'd like to get myself a new rifle. Semiautos are unfortunately out of the question, they're banned in many of the countries I hunt in and I already have quite a few of them. That limits my choice to lever action or pump action. Preferred caliber would be .308 or larger; something that can stop a large hog on its tracks with a reasonable shot placement when need be. I'd like the rifle to be able to shoot up to 250 yards with sufficient (1.5MOA) accuracy and have no problems mounting optics. I can't say how much it can cost, but spending more than $1000 or on a "spare" gun doesn't sound too tempting.
Any ideas? Other than practising to operate a bolt action rifle quicker, that is...
The problem was the combination of rifle and hunter. I'm not very competent with reloading a bolt action rifle quickly. I hunted with my Weatherby Mark V in .375H&H, which is a magnum action rifle hence the bolt draw is very long. On top of that, it's heavy, and I forgot my shooting sticks at home, which didn't help at all. I originally thought about taking my Marlin XLR with me; lever action is very quick to operate and while 200yd+ is still possible, the slow speed of .45-70 makes it a bit tricky when you're shooting animals fleeing at full speed. And that's what 95% of driven hunt shots are all about.
Some of my friends hunt with a double rifle, usually in rimmed 9.3x74, which is pretty much ideal for this kind of hunts as long as you don't need more than two (or four, by keeping spare cartridges between your fingers) shots. I'd be more comfortable with four or five without having to reload, especially when a 400lb+ hog is coming at you, full charge.
I have an ongoing project, a Winchester 1895, that'll be rechambered, most likely to 9.3x62. It'll get custom peep sight and provisions to mount a Bushnell Holosight or EOTech and it still has its (russian contract) stripper clip guides, which can be adapted for Garand clips for use with 9.3x62 cartridges. However, it'll probably take another year to complete so it won't be available for next 3-4 trips we have been planning.
So, meanwhile I'd like to get myself a new rifle. Semiautos are unfortunately out of the question, they're banned in many of the countries I hunt in and I already have quite a few of them. That limits my choice to lever action or pump action. Preferred caliber would be .308 or larger; something that can stop a large hog on its tracks with a reasonable shot placement when need be. I'd like the rifle to be able to shoot up to 250 yards with sufficient (1.5MOA) accuracy and have no problems mounting optics. I can't say how much it can cost, but spending more than $1000 or on a "spare" gun doesn't sound too tempting.
Any ideas? Other than practising to operate a bolt action rifle quicker, that is...