A hunting carbine...
- Thread starter ColassalEntry
- Start date
if bear defense is in your mind and you want to hunt deer, i dont see you having a rifle that can get any use for small game. (too expensive to waste on gophers and would destroy the meat on rabits) you are asking aLOT from this rifle. if bear defense wasnt a factor then a 243 might work out. If you cant get around bear defense then a 308 is a great cal. i 2nd that new ruger gunsight scout
two things:
a) I think the rifle is less important than having a good hunting strategy. ie your brain is a more important hunting tool than the rifle.
b) have a look at this link:
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=431263
a) I think the rifle is less important than having a good hunting strategy. ie your brain is a more important hunting tool than the rifle.
b) have a look at this link:
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=431263
Northman999
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Southern Yukon
Its true that I'd be asking alot from it; I'd also be running it pretty hard (I'm not exactly gentle. Ask my ex's
but in all serious the round is capable of stopping a bear? correct?
Like I said originally, 7.62x39 is not what I would call a "real" bear defense cartridge, but it will kill a bear, and if you hit it right it will kill him when he's pissed off and coming at you. I'm reccomending it based on your original post stating you wanted to hunt small to medium game and also be able to use it in a pinch for bear defence. Fact is, you will most likely never have to use it for bear defence, and 99% of your use will be the "small to medium game" stuff. I see lots of people reccomending .308 win, and I love the .308 win, but for a rifle that is a 99% small and medium game killer, it's just way too much gun.
Rocket Surgery
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I'm from the west coast, so I know your terrain and bear/cougar concerns.
You should look into the Ruger M77 scout.
It's short, making it easy to lug around through the hilly areas. Stainless steel barrel and laminated stock makes it so you can take in the rain. The stock shouldn't turn milky white in the rain like an enfield. The accuracy isn't bad and the detach mag makes it so that your chances of getting a deer you spot on the road while driving to your spot a lot better than a hinged floorplate.
308 will drop a cougar or black bear.
The scope will be lower magnification so you'll get a decent field of view in the bush. The gun comes with rings which allow you to put any normal scope on if you'd like to do some longer slash hunting. It would probably take 3 minutes to install the base and rings for whatever optics you plan on installing.
I have one on order after handling one a few months back. The other choices would be to get a Savage 16 FCSS weather warrior or a Tikka T3 Lite Stainless. These don't have iron sights so you'd have to install them at a gunsmiths or hunt without them.
You could also rock an 1895 stainless 45-70 guide gun by Marlin if you want to do the whole lever action thing.
I personally use an Enfield right now, as I don't care what happens to the sporterized stock and I drown it in oil before every outing. It's cheap, powerful, and accurate enough. The bolt on it is very fast and comfortable, more so than even a Tikka. The magazine is fantastic and they're easy to sling. Ammo is available everywhere and less expensive than boutique calibers.
You should look into the Ruger M77 scout.
It's short, making it easy to lug around through the hilly areas. Stainless steel barrel and laminated stock makes it so you can take in the rain. The stock shouldn't turn milky white in the rain like an enfield. The accuracy isn't bad and the detach mag makes it so that your chances of getting a deer you spot on the road while driving to your spot a lot better than a hinged floorplate.
308 will drop a cougar or black bear.
The scope will be lower magnification so you'll get a decent field of view in the bush. The gun comes with rings which allow you to put any normal scope on if you'd like to do some longer slash hunting. It would probably take 3 minutes to install the base and rings for whatever optics you plan on installing.
I have one on order after handling one a few months back. The other choices would be to get a Savage 16 FCSS weather warrior or a Tikka T3 Lite Stainless. These don't have iron sights so you'd have to install them at a gunsmiths or hunt without them.
You could also rock an 1895 stainless 45-70 guide gun by Marlin if you want to do the whole lever action thing.
I personally use an Enfield right now, as I don't care what happens to the sporterized stock and I drown it in oil before every outing. It's cheap, powerful, and accurate enough. The bolt on it is very fast and comfortable, more so than even a Tikka. The magazine is fantastic and they're easy to sling. Ammo is available everywhere and less expensive than boutique calibers.
