Advise for a big game rifle?

noneck180 said:
Ruger No 1
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Or T/C Encore, or H&R Ultra or Handi-Rifle, according to where your taste meets your budget.


The simplicity of the these single-shots seems to recommend them for your right hand vs. left hand issue. I have a Handi-Rifle in .308 (and .223, lucky to get a second barrel in Canada) and like it a lot. I don't think a moose would like it at all.
 
You could slug it up also with a shotgun. It doesn't matter which hand you use to load it, and you can drop anything that walks or flies in NA.
 
It didn't take me long to find a comfort level where I could shoot from either side, and one of the best game shots I ever made was on my warthog which was running quartering away to my right and I rugged him with a left hand shot. The key to your dilemma is less a new rifle and more a new technique. If you are shooting a right hand bolt gun left handed, with the rifle at your shoulder turn it 90 degrees to the left so the bolt handle faces the sky, then simply cycle the bolt with your left hand then return the rifle to its normal orientation to shoot.

You might very well benefit from a left hand bolt gun as all the actions you are considering, with the exception of the #1 eject to the right. The #1 is a great rifle, one of my favorites, but it has just enough quirks that I can't recommend it as a general purpose big game rifle. The left hand bolt gun ejects to the left, and training yourself to load with your left hand should not be overly difficult. It is certainly easier and more natural than fumbling with a right handed rifle, held for left hand shooting, that you are attempting to load right handed. Regardless which side of the rifle the bolt handle is on, load the rifle on the side you are shooting from.
 
Look for a lightly used remington 7600 pump in .30-06.The .o6 has a wide variety of bullet weights and ammo is easy to find.7400 semis are good hunting rifles if you are diligent about keeping them clean,otherwise they'll tend to give you trouble at the worst possible times.
 
bill the model 94 307 or 375 are great choices the 307 ballistically is close to a 308 I have had 7400s before and some are great rifles and I have had one jam on me when it was clean with premium ammo so I believe they are a hit and miss rifle however the 7600 is a pretty dependable rifle along side of he model 94 good luck
 
sounds like a lever action would be a good choice for you. I shoot left and love lever actions, a BLR would do you fine, I do favor the short action cals, but if you have long arms, a long action BLR may not feel like a monster to you. 94's are real nice, in my eyes. Perhaps a 356 or 375 in a 94 is a great way to go for close range moose, or perhaps if you like Marlins, which I don't, maybe a 45-70 would do you fine. Good Luck, hope you find the right rifle for you and get a moose in your freezer.
 
'09fxdb said:
I like that rifle. Have you had any of the jamming issues that some people talk about or is it just a matter of using quality ammo? ...Bill
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Jamming issues for me Bill on both I owned and on the ones I've reloaded for over the years didn't exist. Keep your chamber clean with the supoplied chamber brush if you shhot alot.

The only issue I had with 7400s is this. The foreend screw tightness to the barrel lug will affect vertical stringing of you zero. Looser it gets the higher the bullets will walk up the paper. The tightness here should be maintained, and not adjusted without zero recheck. I let my 7400 in .243 loosen up fully during a shoot at the local DND range and from a 2" high zero at 100 yds, it would walk right up and over a Fig12 miltary target. I saw .308s do this as well. It's only an issue if you don't understand this and alllow for it.
My solution is to zero my rifle with everything cleaned under the foreend for the season ahead. The foreend bolt would get a touch of nail polish(weak locktite) and everything left till season was over. Then remove and clean for storage till next season cycle. I've been around these rifles for over 35 years and don't know where this unreliabilty in 7400s comes from. A Browninng BAR, well thats another Quintal of fish. In the long actions like the .30-06 and .270 I saw lots of reliability issues in BAR.
If someone asked me if they should go with a .308Win in the 7400 or a .30-06 for the uttermost reliabilty, the shorter action stroke required to clear the ejection port on the .308 might give you a 10% reliabilty edge over the longer '06, if the rifle was dirty in both chamber and action bars but I have had no issues with mine in '06. Some of these rifles have been left cocked for a full season or more stowed, so this will lighten the primer strike.
If you buy one, like all semi autos, chamber the round with full spring pressure(let it go!!) don't ride it closed to stay quiet on your morning load up.
I did this the first year I owned one to not make alot of noise on a cold quiet morning. Later when i tried to fire there was nothing. It hadn't gone into battery, so no firing. Always let her slam fully forward with all action spring force.
 
nomad 68 said:
Look for a lightly used remington 7600 pump in .30-06.The .o6 has a wide variety of bullet weights and ammo is easy to find.7400 semis are good hunting rifles if you are diligent about keeping them clean,otherwise they'll tend to give you trouble at the worst possible times.
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Nomad I used the 7400s for years and find then reliable. Considering the same basic action bar and rotating lugs in both the 7600 and the 7400, I'd imagine a cleaning problem in the 7600 will show up with the same results. The gas pressure delivered at the port is as strong or stronger than anything you'll deliver by hand on that pump. Primary extraction torgue required to start the bolt head unlocking is delivered linearly and therefore diminishes the applied force unlike the massive torge you apply directly in the direction it is required on say a bolt gun. The 7600 by the way seems a little more accurate across the board. Not sure why but that is my conclusion on hte ones I've used. The 7400 has the goods in the accuracy dept to deliver a moose.
 
I'll put in another vote for the 7600 or an older 760 in 30-06, or why not get a left handed Rem 700 in any long action caliber and replace the floorplate with a Kwik-Klip detachable mag.
 
Well...a lot of really good advise here, no doubt coming from a lot of experience. I'm kinda leaning towards a 7400 or a 7600 and I would like a synthetic stock because I can install a pistol grip butt stock on it. I recently fondled....I mean handled a 20 gauge Tamer shotgun and the pistol grip felt great..really fast to come up. Also I was wondering if I would sacrifice much accuracy by going with a carbine. Hope I'm not sounding too tactical here. I'm sure either caliber will be great (.270, .30-06 or .308). Moose season opens for me in a couple of weeks and if I don't have one by then, I'll probably use my nephews Winchester 88 in .308...hey, there's another option I hadn't thought about :eek:. We'll see how that works out. Thanks for all the help...Bill
 
'09fxdb said:
Well...a lot of really good advise here, no doubt coming from a lot of experience. I'm kinda leaning towards a 7400 or a 7600 and I would like a synthetic stock because I can install a pistol grip butt stock on it. I recently fondled....I mean handled a 20 gauge Tamer shotgun and the pistol grip felt great..really fast to come up. Also I was wondering if I would sacrifice much accuracy by going with a carbine. Hope I'm not sounding too tactical here. I'm sure either caliber will be great (.270, .30-06 or .308). Moose season opens for me in a couple of weeks and if I don't have one by then, I'll probably use my nephews Winchester 88 in .308...hey, there's another option I hadn't thought about :eek:. We'll see how that works out. Thanks for all the help...Bill
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Bill seeing as you mentioned the 88, which I think is a lovely leve gun, I recollect a story about a friend of mine from Corner Brook. He carried a Remington 742 Woodsmaster in .308Win for years and it took many moose, earning it his term of "The old meat gun". While he worked with me here in Nova Scotia we hunted together for several years on deer, he traded in the old meat gun on a 88 in .308Win. On moving back to the Rock years later, his first experience with a large bull facing him, he said the center chest shot at 70 yards IIRC, deflected along the brisket and on through between the legs. No moose that day. No more .308 for him. It was quickly sold and a bone crushing .338WinMag, I think a M70, took it's place. I haven't spoke with him in over 20 years, but I imagine the .338 served him well. I'm not saying you need a .338WinMag, it just brought the story to mind. Enjoy you moose hunt, use a heavy, premium bullet, and keep those flies off the carcass, it's still warm in september.:)
 
Sounds like budget is an issue... get an H&R Ultra rifle in .308 Winchester. On the rock, you want ammo that is readily available... .308 is a good caliber (try the 168 grain SST/BT`s if you reload)... your total cost with a scope is around $550 (gun = $375, scope and mounts = $175)... these guns are solid and can shoot... I own many. Make the first shot count... that is what it is about... but you can get very quick at follow-ups should you need to. These are also very tough, simple rifles... and they carry very nicely. Here is a couple links and pics;

http://www.cabelas.ca/product/2991/...-rifles?&_suid=135903993044808501465196303801

http://www.cabelas.ca/product/21936...escopes?&_suid=135904032051407787039668065029

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