The Compact Rifle Thread

We have 3 model 7 Remingtons 223, 7 08 and 308 all with 20" barrels. Very handy I like them all. Bell and Carlson stocks and aftermarket triggers were a good investment.
 
akimo said:
CADEX SEVEN STARS COVERT in 308 ........ not cheap but awesome little package
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Isn’t it over ten pounds for a compact rifle?

Might as well get the

Sig cross
Christensen MPR
Fierce mountain reaper.

All are half the weight and up to half the price or better and just as much gun lol
 
18" remington 788in 308, 130 Barnes TSX pushed to 2900fps. Very lightweight and accurate.

Backup is a Tikka battue 20" in 308 180 gr norma bondstrike
 
99Solutions said:
Shooting a 20” 308 barrel provides no perceptible difference from a 22” to me, and that’s as short as I’d want. I’d put it on any reliable and reputable action that comes in a true short action (not short cartridges stuffed into a 30-06 length action). It makes no difference to me if it’s a 260 rem, 7mm-08, 308 etc so I’m not glued to a specific chambering. But any short action deer/blackbear class short cartridge in a properly scaled action with a 20” tube is to my liking. The Tikka Battue as previously mentioned does sound quite appropriate, though I may be equally as happy with a dozen others.

Please update us if/when you materialize your setup.
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Crashman said:
I too recently got on the 20" barrel train, picked up two Rem M7s, one in 308 and the other in 7mm-08. I figured if one is good then two MUST be better! I haven't hunted them yet, that will be next year in October at moose camp. I may try them for some coyote this winter, but i also just got a SF 2020 that will likely get the nod there if it proves accurate.

I am excited to hunt these shorter barrelled rigs, all my other rifles are 22" to 26" and I hate them in the heavy bush.
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And this is kinda where I’m at given the above replies.

I agree with a 20” barrel being a short action Caliber.

I’ve used a lot of 22-26” rigs over the years SA, LA, WSM, RM and WM, but never 20”’er. Anything shorter just doesn’t seem practical or interest me for where and what I hunt. If I needed Carbine length I’d just go with one of the 94’s I have in house.

I’m waiting on one possibility currently, but may go the Browning Micro (not Midas) which I’d still like to hear more about, SPS (missed two recently) or build off a 700 donor if I can’t find anything.
 
Had a Remington 7600 in 35 Whelen w/ 19” bbl, a Winchester Model 70 Compact in 7mm-08 w /20” bbl and a Remington Mountain rifle in 270 Win with a 22” bbl. The Mountain rifle carried the best in hand. The Winchester felt a little more compact, and the 7600 fell somewhere in between. I found the correct LOP was just as important as barrel length. I wanted a gun that carried like a 30-30 and was quick to shoulder like one. The Model 70 Compact was 95% there sans the featherweight barrel which made it a little hard to steady and a little too much wood through the action, or thick there, but I wouldn’t hesitate to have another one. Like a fool I sold all 3. Wish I had that Winchester back…. All wore a 2-7x33 scope.
 
I like the Ruger hawkeye compact/ frontier as good rifle. Currently pickup 14.5” barrelled action that will be tried next yr for hunting. Might get it together and try it for dogs yet this winter
 
I love my sig cross but also love my encore prohunter with the 15 inch barrels here is a oic with the .223 barrel also have a 15 inch barrels in 45-70 kills everything i need it too
 

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DGY said:
I’ve had lots of short rifles, Ruger no1 with 20” and 22” barrels are really short and handy, toped with 2.5-8 scopes with no1 reticles make for an awesome rifle, that said they are not really light.

I have a husqvarna 649 carbine 20” barrel, full stock toped with the same scope in QD Leupold rings and open sights, that rifle is one handy rifle in the bush at only 41” total length!

I also have a Merkel k5 with 22” barrel that is really short and light, on that one I have a 3.5-10x scope with a somewhat #4 reticle with illuminated dot. One of the easiest rifle to carry either on the shoulder or in your hand with its shallow action, it a little bi like a lever gun.

I just got a new to me( and i think new) cz600 lux in 223 open sights, detachable scope mounts, I also put a 3.5-10x on it, they are not my favorite scopes but I had it on hand. Rifle is really handy and short, feels real good and shoulder real nice! My only center fire with a detachable box magazine(I have a BAR also but the system is as you know quite different), I don’t mind it cause it is flush with the bottom “metal” and for me that is important. I think that a model in a big game chambering could be a great option!! They are moderately priced they look good the trigger is great and they are supposed to be great shooters( I have yet to try mine since we are in some cold ish temps at -25 -30c these days)!

One I never owned but would be a great short rifle is the old Remington 600, I would buy one and get it rebore in 338 federal I think!!
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Agree with the 600. I've owned 7 or so, still have 4, in 222, 7mm-08 AI, 284 Win, and 308. Built a few scout rifles on them, still have the one in 308. Good rifles. - dan
 
The only downside to 20 inch barrel is muzzleblast in low light. It can blind you momentarily when your trying to keep sight of your game animal.
 
I've bought 2 browning x-bolt micro Midas, in the pre-muzzle brake & duratouch stock time period. At $750 they were pretty hard to beat. Browning custserv was amazing and replaced one of the stocks for free, when it was clearly damaged by a former site sponsor's gun rack.
You can get spacers for the stock of the LOP is too short. Not sure if they still give you a voucher for 50pct off a full-size stock within 5 years of purchasing.

I also briefly had a Ruger Hawkeye compact stainless in 308 which seemed really nice but I traded it before using it for a Ruger frontier stainless in 358 win when one came up on the used market. I would definitely have considered the Ruger Hawkeye in 358 mentionned in this post but it wasn't out yet.

I feel the x-bolt is a more refined rifle overall, but I prefer the fact the Ruger was available in 358 and has a thicker profile stainless barrel.

Not clear if you're looking for a shorter LOP stock or just a 20in barrel, but a Steyr Scout is also a good option if you find a good deal on a used one. 19in barrel and adjustable LOP.
 
doctor_meltdown said:
I've bought 2 browning x-bolt micro Midas, in the pre-muzzle brake & duratouch stock time period. At $750 they were pretty hard to beat. Browning custserv was amazing and replaced one of the stocks for free, when it was clearly damaged by a former site sponsor's gun rack.
You can get spacers for the stock of the LOP is too short. Not sure if they still give you a voucher for 50pct off a full-size stock within 5 years of purchasing.

I feel the x-bolt is a more refined rifle overall, but I prefer the fact the Ruger was available in 358 and has a thicker profile stainless barrel.

Not clear if you're looking for a shorter LOP stock or just a 20in barrel, but a Steyr Scout is also a good option if you find a good deal on a used one. 19in barrel and adjustable LOP.
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Ya, I went down a bit of a rabbit hole this weekend looking into the Micro Composite. Found out you can put a regular OEM X Bolt stock or an aftermarket one on to lengthen it out if desired. I figure an OEM variant is almost as expensive as something like a McMillan or such. A Micro Composite is in my top three choices for sure.

I also looked into these a bit more this past weekend;
Savage Axis Pro 2
Ruger American Standard G2
Bergara Stoke
 
I built a "general purpose rifle" based on this video:


Cut the barrel to 18.5", not the 16" - thanks to the stupid Canadian gun laws. Used a scope similar to the one in the video: 1.5-4X Leupold with a "fire dot". 3 5-round magazines and a buttstock sleeve for extra rounds.
 
First choice would be a Rem 700 Short Action. Had a few over the years; great platform to build upon as there are loads of aftermarket parts. Second choice would be a custom build on the Remington Seven. Either the 700 or Seven would need to be a 308 or 7-08, 18-20" barrel, and dropped into a McMillan Edge and topped with a compact scope like a Leupold 1-5, Swaro Habicht 1-4, or Leica 1-6.

Straight off the shelf without modifications would be a Ruger Scout. I had one in 308. It was extremely accurate but I could never warm up to the Ruger bolt's extra wiggle room as a slight downwards pressure on the rear of the bolt can result in missing the next round in the magazine.
 
Duncan Idaho said:
First choice would be a Rem 700 Short Action. Had a few over the years; great platform to build upon as there are loads of aftermarket parts. Second choice would be a custom build on the Remington Seven. Either the 700 or Seven would need to be a 308 or 7-08, 18-20" barrel, and dropped into a McMillan Edge and topped with a compact scope like a Leupold 1-5, Swaro Habicht 1-4, or Leica 1-6.
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These are tied as my top two choices for the same reasons you mention.
 
Duncan Idaho said:
Straight off the shelf without modifications would be a Ruger Scout. I had one in 308. It was extremely accurate but I could never warm up to the Ruger bolt's extra wiggle room as a slight downwards pressure on the rear of the bolt can result in missing the next round in the magazine.
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There is no way!! I use a river m77mkII so same action as the scout and never ever I had anything close of the bolt missing to grab a round! Hoytcanon would be the man to confirm this he has or had probabaly over a 100 Ruger in his collection!
 
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