Help me choose next fall's hunting rifle

H Wally

H Wally

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Canada/New Zealand
Well, I'm looking at another summer of being in the middle of nowhere with lots of time on my hands. I figure I should have a rifle to practice up for hunting season. Thing is, I'm only bringing one, so have to pick, and pick wisely. I reload, so ammo availability isn't an issue.

The options:

Enfield no4 sporter in 303
Pros: Common ammo components, available commercial ammo, rugged, dependable, capable of taking anything I choose to hunt.
Cons: Boring, needs to be accurized as it's loose in the fore stock, heavy
* So far I've only shot this gun a little... shows promise and responded well to minor work on bedding, but haven't shot it a ton, and getting any parts or other tools might be difficult up there

M96 sporter in 6.5x55
Pros - light recoiling hard hitting cartridge, a pleasure to shoot all day
Cons - have to re-mount scope, no irons (and I damage scopes), long OAL for gun
*Very accurate gun, but heavy and long with no irons. Seems to me it's a bit frivolous for a summer beater gun that'll be dragged all over.


Winchester 94 carbine in 30-30
Pros - short, light, light recoiling cartridge, accurate within 150 yards
Cons - possibly limited on some game due to cartridge power, limited on range, don't like having to clean the darn thing by gutting it every time it gets wet and risk losing the tiny screws
*So far this has been my go to gun for everything for 4 years. I shoot it far more than anything else and have taken all my deer with it. Then again, all of my shots have been with irons under 100 yards, and I can clean and overhaul the gun in a dry house at the end of a day.
 
wubble wubble.

30-30 with levervolution in it should do you a treat. get ghostrings for the 94 and you should be in gravytown.
 
Your choices look like you are shopping from a cataloge printed in 1912.... :psome venerable choices for sure, but any options a bit newer/more flexible??

You haven't said what you are hunting. Game, field conditions and rifle fit are what matters in my book so more info will help.
 
jaydog said:
Your choices look like you are shopping from a cataloge printed in 1912.... :psome venerable choices for sure, but any options a bit newer/more flexible??

You haven't said what you are hunting. Game, field conditions and rifle fit are what matters in my book so more info will help.
Click to expand...

Nope - I'm happy using those cartridges/guns, just need to decide between them :p I'll be hunting anywhere from NE to SW BC, and possibly anything I can get tags for, so pretty open ended
 
My new go-to gun is quickly becoming my 308 Ruger RSI or my Rem custom shop mod 7 mannlicher in 7-08. I got a thing about full wood tastefully done and short well balanced rifles.
You might consider upgrading into the 21st century or at least the mid to late 20th. They've made some damn fine rifles and cartridges after 1950, you might wanna try a couple.
If this just isn't in the cards then I would cut down the swede and mount a set of Rem sights on her and go. The swede is a pleasant cartridge to shoot even with the steel butt. I cut one down years ago and it lived behind the seat of my truck for years as a "just in case rifle". (I think they were 79 bucks back then)
A cut, crown and sight mounting is less than an hour for a smith if you don't have the expertize.
If you're hard on scopes you might go for a good mounting system and look for an old steel tube K4, not the best glass in the world but tougher than a pigs nose.

Just a couple of thoughts
 
out of your choices, I'd grab the 30-30!
I just got a 260 in the mail yesterday, so that will likely be my choice for me, this Fall.
Good luck, hunt'n.
 
I always think the rifle to chose is the one you are most used to. I am a lever fan with a receiver sight. You know it and it will do anything in the right hands. I used the same rifle, a 444, for decades and it is an extension of me, or maybe I'm an extension of it. As the old saying goes, beware of the guy who owns one gun, he can probably use it.

If your concerned about power move up to the 303 and shoot a lot to get used to the gun. A handloader has options in heavy weight bullets factory ammo shooters no longer have. The 215 gr 303 was the standard moose rifle in the bush and farms for many years.
 
With the three options you have in hand clearly the Swede would win out for me. Regarding versatility, you have a cartridge which can range from moose to yotes, short or extended ranges. And lighter is better for a carrying gun especially in the hills. Also, because you are scoping it, you could cut and recrown to sporterize (not expensive) to remove this only con. So if you find yourself out of the heavy bush and shooting at a long distance mulie on the prairie, you will thank yourself for this choice.

Have fun choosing:)
 
c-fbmi said:
If this just isn't in the cards then I would cut down the swede and mount a set of Rem sights on her and go. The swede is a pleasant cartridge to shoot even with the steel butt. I cut one down years ago and it lived behind the seat of my truck for years as a "just in case rifle". (I think they were 79 bucks back then)
A cut, crown and sight mounting is less than an hour for a smith if you don't have the expertize.
If you're hard on scopes you might go for a good mounting system and look for an old steel tube K4, not the best glass in the world but tougher than a pigs nose.

Just a couple of thoughts
Click to expand...

This sounds to me like the best option of the rifles you mentioned. Get that 6.5x55 sporterized a bit further, and with that solid K4 scope it'll be the one you always want to grab. There won't be a moment's hesitation.
 
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