I have an ich for a new Bang stick

Troy1760

Troy1760

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So, I have been hunting a few years now and shot guns alot.

I have been invited to join a Moose hunt this year and possibly if i make it past the Hazing, years to come aswell. I already have a Savage axis 30-06 and a few other shotguns and lighter calibers, but no sense to drop them in here. I would like to get a good bush gun, been thinking about it for over a year or so and would like a lever if i need to get a new gun....(wants and needs). Short, compact for bush and able to do what i want. Im thinking 30-30 or someone mentioned the 45-70. What do you guys think if this will be my go to truck, quad, and bush bashing gun, ill use the savage for longer range shots or my tree stands and blinds. If im pushing, i think the compact 20" barrel woould be more ideal. Is the 45-70 over kill for moose? will 30-30 be enough? ive herd the 45-70 is bit of a pain when i comes to recoil? is it that much different from an 06 high grain, 180 or 200+

Thanks
 
Are you really stuck on a lever?.... Just curious as a nice light compact bolt gun would be a good choice as well and would open up a whole list of cartridges levers can't...
 
Superbrad said:
Are you really stuck on a lever?.... Just curious as a nice light compact bolt gun would be a good choice as well and would open up a whole list of cartridges levers can't...
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I am open to all sorts of ideas, but i have looked at lever as i have been told great for follow up shots, and are ruggedly designed for the bush and harsh enviroments. What are you sugesting?
 
Sage advice from Superbrad. Consider a Tikka Battue or Compact in .308 or perhaps a Ruger Scout.

Personally I've tried the big bore levers (45/70) for your application. Big bores are fun, recoil is manageable (I'm 155lbs) & everyone should try one once. Inevitably however a shot exceeding their range would present itself even when hunting the thick.
 
Troy1760 said:
I am open to all sorts of ideas, but i have looked at lever as i have been told great for follow up shots, and are ruggedly designed for the bush and harsh enviroments. What are you sugesting?
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Depends on your budget..... A nice Ruger compact or scout would fit the bill (they are what I use), also the options mentioned above or a remington model 7.....
 
For such applications as described I'd direct you to the 35 cal thread. If you're not sold 100% on a lever gun, I'd try and find a model seven in 350 rem or a 35 whelen. And if you wish to stick to a lever and can find one, a 356 would be ideal. 45 70 are cool, but outside of carrying them for bear defense on my quad rides I see no point. And even then I'd be tossed up between a 444 or 450 Marlin. Short mags are another route to look on the bolt end of things 270 wsm would be good enough for moose in my eyes.

Interested to see what other nutters say, Cheers.
 
Your axis is a perfectly adequate moose and bush rifle. I would just use it probably. It doesn't have an overly long barrel (22 inches) so unless you go with something that's really short you will hardly notice the difference. If you want a new rifle, that's cool but I don't think you NEED one. Because of this fact I'd just get whatever you fancy most.

Edit - I suggest a savage 99 in 308, or a BLR.

If you reload then go 45-70. Good factory ammo is too expensive for it otherwise. And I wouldn't consider a 3030 adequate for moose. Sure, they've killed plenty over the years but with the options available today I feel it's marginal at best. We are trying to kill the moose quickly and humanely after all.
 
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You already have a .30-06 which is great on moose, why not get a Browning BLR in same caliber, or if you must have another caliber there are a few options available.
 
My suggestion would be to get yourself a Browning BLR chambered in 358win,...nice short reliable bush gun with enough thump for moose out to 250 yards. These rifles are still available new from Browning. The BLRs are a lever operated bolt action, and come in a wide selection of calibers.

Info on BLR and 358win,..Read here...>>> http://www.gunblast.com/Browning-BLR358.htm
 
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Tabacco Brook said:
The BLRs are a lever operated bolt action, and come in a wide selection of calibers.
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Lever operated bolt action? How can it be BOTH exactly?

You either use a lever to cycle the action, or a bolt handle to cycle the action... The fact it has a rotating bolt does not make it a bolt action, contrary to whatever someone on the internet says (I think thats his reasoning for calling it a lever operated bolt action?). Other examples of guns using a rotating bolt are the M1 garand, AR-15, and Desert Eagle - none of which are bolt action or lever action...
 
Your .30-06 will do fine, the extra couple of inches of barrel won't be a handicap. Unless you just want an excuse to buy another rifle. In that case I would much rather a .45\70 than a .30/30 if moose is the intended target.
 
Suther said:
Lever operated bolt action? How can it be BOTH exactly?

You either use a lever to cycle the action, or a bolt handle to cycle the action... The fact it has a rotating bolt does not make it a bolt action, contrary to whatever someone on the internet says (I think thats his reasoning for calling it a lever operated bolt action?). Other examples of guns using a rotating bolt are the M1 garand, AR-15, and Desert Eagle - none of which are bolt action or lever action...
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I think he is alluding to the fact that the blr is mag fed and can chamber many of the same cartridges as a bolt gun....

That being said, I never saw saw the appeal of a 7-8 pound rifle as a bush gun..... Just because it is a lever doesn't make it a 94.....
 
The 45/70 isn't a great choice if any sort of longer shot appears and or a tough angle. The bullets are all flat nosed.

If I wanted a thumper that few have, get a decent bolt gun in 35 Whelan.
 
Troy1760 said:
So, I have been hunting a few years now and shot guns alot.

I have been invited to join a Moose hunt this year and possibly if i make it past the Hazing, years to come aswell. I already have a Savage axis 30-06 and a few other shotguns and lighter calibers, but no sense to drop them in here. I would like to get a good bush gun, been thinking about it for over a year or so and would like a lever if i need to get a new gun....(wants and needs). Short, compact for bush and able to do what i want. Im thinking 30-30 or someone mentioned the 45-70. What do you guys think if this will be my go to truck, quad, and bush bashing gun, ill use the savage for longer range shots or my tree stands and blinds. If im pushing, i think the compact 20" barrel woould be more ideal. Is the 45-70 over kill for moose? will 30-30 be enough? ive herd the 45-70 is bit of a pain when i comes to recoil? is it that much different from an 06 high grain, 180 or 200+

Thanks
Click to expand...

Buy the CZ carbine in 9.3x62. Nice short barrel, iron sights and a cartridge so cool they'll be begging you to come back next year. Bonus points if you engrave the floorplate ".366 Wagner".
 
Suther said:
Lever operated bolt action? How can it be BOTH exactly?

You either use a lever to cycle the action, or a bolt handle to cycle the action... The fact it has a rotating bolt does not make it a bolt action, contrary to whatever someone on the internet says (I think thats his reasoning for calling it a lever operated bolt action?). Other examples of guns using a rotating bolt are the M1 garand, AR-15, and Desert Eagle - none of which are bolt action or lever action...
Click to expand...

Yup,...I hear ya,....but what my point was, is the BLR is unlike any other lever gun out there, its action is as strong as a bolt action and gives you most all the benefits of a bolt action,...such as pointy bullets in a box mag,.. all the common short, long, magnum, and short magnum caliber options,.. the barrel on the pistol grip BLR is almost completely free floated,.. and yes a rotating bolt that is actuated by a lever,....I don't know,..but that sounds an awful lot like a bolt gun to me,...especially when you compare it to the 94s, 336s, 86s, etc,....I agree that it isn't a 100% bolt action with a lever,..but it's pretty darn close.
 
shortaction said:
Remington Model 760/7600 carbine in 30-06. That is as handy a bush gun as you will find and you will only have one kind of shells to take with you.
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Now that is the best advice so far. Very durable, dependable and accurate. They are all I use and I have no regrets.
Don't kid yourself, they are not just in Ontario.
 
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