Trekking rifle(s)/Long guns. Again. Savage 219 with .30WCF 26" Barrel.

[Ugly Sauce]

From what I own it would be either a Mossberg 20 gauge bolt action with buckshot and/or slugs and No 71/2 shot loads or a Marlin 1894/44 Mag. with 240 grain factory loads and shot loads. The shotgun might be a better for survival but for "trekking" the little Marlin is lighter, more accurate, larger mag capacity and faster cycling. The Marlin would probably end up the winner.

Hard to beat a shotgun, my Mossy Riot-pump only weighs 6.4 pounds. However, shotgun ammo in general, and 12 gauge specifically is very bulky and heavy, so the ammo load is limited. I have a Ruger Carbine .44Mag, which is incredibly light at six pounds. But lately I've had functioning problems with it, which is unacceptable. I took that on a couple of very memorable cross-country map and compass over-night hike/treks/journeys. It used to be very reliable, not sure what is going on with it. My companion piece for it was always my Charter Arms Bulldog in .44 special which worked very well on grouse with shot loads. That was a good combination, with some ammo compatibility.

Yes, the Marlin would be a winner.

 

[Armored farmer]

I nominatemt ruger ranch 7.62x39 .
It is short light and accurate.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

I nominatemt ruger ranch 7.62x39 .
It is short light and accurate.
View attachment 1131800 View attachment 1131801 View attachment 1131802

Oh yeah, most excellent. I bet the 7.62X39mm fires a sub-load really nice with that small case capacity. Also not far behind the .30WCF in power, I bet in a bolt gun you could/can load a 150 grain bullet, or even a 170 grain thutty-thutty bullet a little on the hot side. ? Does it have a .308" bore, or .310-.311"? How much do it weigh?

 

[Archie]

The stalking rifle is a good choice, although I think it's important that it also shoot sub-loads for small game. I have a SMLE that is, yes, another of my "trekking" rifles, although I call it my "stalking rifle" as it follows the lines of a classic stalking rifle. At 7.8 pounds it's a tad over my "self-imposed-trekking-rifle-weight-limit" of 7.5 pounds, but I took it on a hike (actually a couple) when hiking last summer, and it was a winner. Carries nice and feels much lighter than it is. Lots of faith in the cartridge for defense, and she shoots cast bullet sub loads with precision.
View attachment 1131768

Oh me heavens that is a lovely old dear and lovingly altered. And that cartridge is a real full power rifle cartridge. My full agreement with the choice, sir.

 

[Archie]

Oh yeah, most excellent. I bet the 7.62X39mm fires a sub-load really nice with that small case capacity. Also not far behind the .30WCF in power, I bet in a bolt gun you could/can load a 150 grain bullet, or even a 170 grain thutty-thutty bullet a little on the hot side. ? Does it have a .308" bore, or .310-.311"? How much do it weigh?

I have a CZ bolt gun in 7.62x39mm. As you say, it handles 150 grain bullets (I've found the .303 British bullets do satisfactorily). Velocities are close to what the .30-30 does according to the manual.

 

[jmr40]

I like bolt guns.

A short barreled version similar to a "scout" type rifle would be my choice. I'm not sold on Cooper's strict definition of what a scout rifle is. But something with an 18-20" barrel, low powered optic, and chambered in 308 or something similar with weight under 7 lbs would be my choice.

 

[RJTravel]

The older I got the less I could carry. Today a 3 pound long gun is all I want. Snake Charmer .410 is 3 pounds and can handle most anything. Henry AR-7 is 28 OUNCES with aftermarket stock - inexpensive, accurate, reliable semi-auto. For me much better than a handgun and breaks down to carry in very small knapsack. Perfect.

 

[LimaCharlie]

Winchester '94 and Colt SAA in 45 Colt.

 

[Armored farmer]

Oh yeah, most excellent. I bet the 7.62X39mm fires a sub-load really nice with that small case capacity. Also not far behind the .30WCF in power, I bet in a bolt gun you could/can load a 150 grain bullet, or even a 170 grain thutty-thutty bullet a little on the hot side. ? Does it have a .308" bore, or .310-.311"? How much do it weigh?

I don't know the weight, but it's pretty lightweight. I will have an answer soon.
As for the bore....I don't know that either....I'm still using surplus ammo that I had stockpiled.
I have a 170 gr fp gc .309 mold. It is for my 30-30. I m afraid it may be loose in the x39.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

I m afraid it may be loose in the x39.

I don't remember now if Ruger bored them to .308" or .310". I've had good luck shooting .308's in .310-.311" bores, and Visa-versa, .311-.312" bullets in .308" bores. If you don't size that 170 it could work just fine.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Winchester '94 and Colt SAA in 45 Colt.
View attachment 1131812

That's a nice combination, that pistol will throw a shot cartridge pretty good. I've shot a lot of grouse with my .44mag pistol, and my .44special, I'm sure the .45 Colt would do just as well or better. Those .45ACP shot-shells even work well out of my Webley.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

The older I got the less I could carry. Today a 3 pound long gun is all I want. Snake Charmer .410 is 3 pounds and can handle most anything. Henry AR-7 is 28 OUNCES with aftermarket stock - inexpensive, accurate, reliable semi-auto. For me much better than a handgun and breaks down to carry in very small knapsack. Perfect.

Lightweight is good. I guess my lightest weight combination is my Little Badger .22LR, which weighs 3.1 pounds, and then my El Patron in .45 Colt, but I usually take the .44 Mag pistol if I'm going to carry a .22LR rifle. The .44 is a little extra weight, but a lot of extra power. Also have a couple old single shot .22LR "Boy's Rifles" I like to take that are in the 4 pound range. Those are both laser accurate, a guy would not go hungry with either. The Little Badger is also super-accurate.

On the other hand, I have a single shot 12 gauge shotgun, 3" chamber, that only weighs 5.8 pounds. (no, you don't want to shoot it much, if ever with the 3" slugs. Sighting it in with those was a...wait for it...PAIN) Paired with my .22LR AirLite revolver, that makes a really light weight "kit" for long range hiking/trekking.

 

[adcoch1]

Oh yeah, most excellent. I bet the 7.62X39mm fires a sub-load really nice with that small case capacity. Also not far behind the .30WCF in power, I bet in a bolt gun you could/can load a 150 grain bullet, or even a 170 grain thutty-thutty bullet a little on the hot side. ? Does it have a .308" bore, or .310-.311"? How much do it weigh?

You can really crank up the loads with a bolt gun and 7.62x39. and it likes little 100 grn cast bullets with pistol powder or starting loads. It's a nice sized case for the application. I use a CZ in x39 but the 300 blackout in the Ruger American is my rifle for this. You can make really nice small game rounds with these smaller cases.

 

[SharpDog]

My 6.5 Grendel AR with Trijicon LPVO is exactly 8 lbs unloaded

 

[Ugly Sauce]

My 6.5 Grendel AR with Trijicon LPVO is exactly 8 lbs unloaded

I sure wouldn't put any "official" weight limits on a "trekking" rifle. Eight pounds to one person, might feel like seven to another. I like as light as possible, usually, so I can carry more "stuff" in my pack. And man do I haul a lot of STUFF around. It's a personal problem! But at least I'm ready for anything. Even on the State Land, I'll carry all my gear, just to stay in shape and stay used to packing all my bush-craft-survival stuff. An eight pound rifle ain't bad, I hunt with two 8.25 pound guns. But less weight, less fatigue over the long run.

I imagine you can shoot the eyes out of small game with that rig, although I like to keep the noise down as much as possible, if possible. My .30WCF and .303B sub loads still have more bark than I would like, but accuracy goes away if I reduce the powder charge further. Seven grains of Unique seems to be the least I can use and still maintain really good accuracy.

 

[Wolfshead]

I love discussing this type of topic. Trekking, practical, scouting, still hunting/stalking rifles.
It gives me an image of the modern day Longhunter. While I understand our modern version of a Longhunter is leaps and bounds beyond what one used to be it is enjoyable in my mind to get as close as possible to that experience.
My Tikka T3x Lite Compact chambered in .308 Win. is what I’ve come to the ideal with.
It has a Vortex Diamondback 1.75-5 x 32 with the BDC reticle.
It is a half inch or so longer than my Win. 94.
I’ve replaced the bottom metal with an aluminum one from Mountain Tactical. I have a couple of three round magazines and also a five round mag. I mostly use the three round mags as they are located on the balance point and it is easier to carry with one in. The five round was just not as comfortable in that regard.
It weighs in at 6.5lbs unloaded, with the scope, so plenty light enough for carrying any distance.
I did a spray paint job on it as the black just looked so generic. I feel the rattle can job makes it look more the part too!
I had a leather sling for it at first but it made a lot of noise so I put together a paracord sling and it is much quieter.
I probably put thirty miles on it this past hunting season, not as much as I would have liked but still very enjoyable.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

I love discussing this type of topic. Trekking, practical, scouting, still hunting/stalking rifles.
It gives me an image of the modern day Longhunter. While I understand our modern version of a Longhunter is leaps and bounds beyond what one used to be it is enjoyable in my mind to get as close as possible to that experience.
My Tikka T3x Lite Compact chambered in .308 Win. is what I’ve come to the ideal with.
It has a Vortex Diamondback 1.75-5 x 32 with the BDC reticle.
It is a half inch or so longer than my Win. 94.
I’ve replaced the bottom metal with an aluminum one from Mountain Tactical. I have a couple of three round magazines and also a five round mag. I mostly use the three round mags as they are located on the balance point and it is easier to carry with one in. The five round was just not as comfortable in that regard.
It weighs in at 6.5lbs unloaded, with the scope, so plenty light enough for carrying any distance.
I did a spray paint job on it as the black just looked so generic. I feel the rattle can job makes it look more the part too!
I had a leather sling for it at first but it made a lot of noise so I put together a paracord sling and it is much quieter.
I probably put thirty miles on it this past hunting season, not as much as I would have liked but still very enjoyable.

Yes, the old Long hunters come to mind when I use the word "trek" or "trekking". Actually I thought that is where the term came from, but perhaps it is Afrikaner. I hope the Afrikaner's are okay with me stealing the term!

A 6.5 pound .308. That is impressive! Not a bad rattle-can job. If I had any synthetic stocks I would do that. The 550 cord sling is nice. Mine are just three strand braided cord, which I have on several rifles. I never carry a rifle with a sling, but climbing a steep rocky incline, or crossing a snow melt swollen stream...don't leave home without it! I use them, or very light nylon slings for the weight reduction.

For "trekking" purposes, magazine capacity is not important, unlike a Scout rifle. I am quite comfortable with single shots, even the front stuffing kind. Since trekking differs (very much) from scouting, in the sense that no one is going to be shooting at you with an AK or M16. !!! It's teeth and claws that are the problem.

On the other hand, I believe a side-arm paired with any "trekking" rifle (or smoothbore/shotgun) is a must, especially with a ML. My single shots I can reload faster, or just as fast as pulling any of my pistols out of their flap-holsters on my weak side. (flap holsters for me are must. If I ever should need my pistol in a hurry, I sure do want it clean and oily and dry!) (a fast draw ain't no good if the pistol is jammed up with dirt, sand, twigs or other debris)

 

[theotherwaldo]

My little '94 Swede sporter fills the bill.

 

[alsaqr]

The model 219 is a great switch barrel gun.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

My little '94 Swede sporter fills the bill.

"94 Swede"...got a pic?

 

[theotherwaldo]

Nope.
I'm not putting any more pics on the internet.
I picked up this poor, abused carbine at a local gun show for 70 dollars.
Somebody had clumsily cut down the stock, took off the sling furniture, broke the rear sight and packed all of the cavities full of plastic wood. I cleaned it up, reshaped and refinished the stock, installed a silent sling and red dot on a no-drill base and wound up with a handy little stalking/scout rifle.
I picked up its brother, a near-pristine 94/14, a few months ago - for a lot more than seventy bucks... .

 

[someguy2800]

I built this Remington 141 in 35 rem to take camping and hiking. I don’t know that I ever actually will, I normally just take a handgun, but it was a fun excuse to build a neat rifle. I think if I were really going on an extended hiking trip I’d probably take a 20” barrel 12 gauge pump with birdshot in the chamber and slugs in the tube.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

I built this Remington 141 in 35 rem to take camping and hiking. I don’t know that I ever actually will, I normally just take a handgun, but it was a fun excuse to build a neat rifle.

View attachment 1132101

Don't need no excuse for that. Wow, what a beauty. That certainly qualifies. Just having that, and not needing it, is reason enough. You had better take it, just because you can. I'm feeling the pain of not having it right now!

 

[Ugly Sauce]

I'm not putting any more pics on the internet.

Okay. Draw us a pic with a pencil?

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Or Waldo, I guess crayon would be okay too.