Do all Hunting rig, $1000 budget.

[mmcnx2]

Hornady makes a 308 round for anything in north america. I don't think between a 308 and 30-06 there is a bad choice but I'm bias to 308.

[Rip Van Winkle]

If the choice is between a 06 or 308, I'll pick the 308 every time.

The 308 comes in a short action, it can run toe to toe with the 06 in bullet weights up to 180gr and it can handle any North American big game up to big bears.

If I'm going to a part of the wild where I can expect to run into a big bear, I'm bringing more than a 30 caliber.

[farmerj]

You mentioned bigger than .30 cal.


This comes to my mind....

https://www.henryrifles.com/rifles/45-70-lever-action/

[farmerj]

And the there's the idea of a .450 Marlin bolt gun....


http://www.marlinowners.com/forum/other ... &_k=mb4blb

[Ghost]

You mentioned bigger than .30 cal.


This comes to my mind....

https://www.henryrifles.com/rifles/45-70-lever-action/

This, for bear I'd rather go all rifleman on it rather than work a bolt while fearing teeth and claws. Hard cast 45-70 FTW

[crbutler]

Crbulter- a 20 ga slug will drop a deer all day long, but based on my personal experience, I would not push it out to 150yds. I know people do it. If I am being honest I just can't see myself practicing enough at 3 dollars a pop to get as good as I should with that gun. I also think the only real way to push it out that far would be with a 3 inch, which I don't really enjoy shooting. While I have never had an issue putting deer down, the last 2 years I have taken deer with the 2 and 3/4 federal copper solid sabots, they have failed to pass through the deer at under 40 yds. The bullet did what it was supposed to on the inside, but the idea of not having a good blood trail from the lack of pass through bothers me.

My point is that until one gets out past 100, one can make do with a shotgun if you need to. The .30-30 lever gun really doesn't have any increased effective range over the shotgun, as it's trajectory is pretty much that of a shotgun slug with the new sabots. Not a knock on getting a rifle, just saying a .30-30, for all its popularity, is really no better than the shotgun in effective use. That one needs a bit more gun than that after 100-150 yards.

I personally prefer exit wounds on game for tracking also. No arguement there. To get that with a rifle, generally it is bullet choice more than cartridge choice within reason.

[farmerj]

You mentioned bigger than .30 cal.


This comes to my mind....

https://www.henryrifles.com/rifles/45-70-lever-action/

This, for bear I'd rather go all rifleman on it rather than work a bolt while fearing teeth and claws. Hard cast 45-70 FTW

Something just says woop-ass here......

[Rip Van Winkle]

You mentioned bigger than .30 cal.


This comes to my mind....

https://www.henryrifles.com/rifles/45-70-lever-action/

I was thinking something more like this...

But it's 3x our $1000 budget.

[Jack's My dog]

Crbulter- a 20 ga slug will drop a deer all day long, but based on my personal experience, I would not push it out to 150yds. I know people do it. If I am being honest I just can't see myself practicing enough at 3 dollars a pop to get as good as I should with that gun. I also think the only real way to push it out that far would be with a 3 inch, which I don't really enjoy shooting. While I have never had an issue putting deer down, the last 2 years I have taken deer with the 2 and 3/4 federal copper solid sabots, they have failed to pass through the deer at under 40 yds. The bullet did what it was supposed to on the inside, but the idea of not having a good blood trail from the lack of pass through bothers me.

My point is that until one gets out past 100, one can make do with a shotgun if you need to. The .30-30 lever gun really doesn't have any increased effective range over the shotgun, as it's trajectory is pretty much that of a shotgun slug with the new sabots. Not a knock on getting a rifle, just saying a .30-30, for all its popularity, is really no better than the shotgun in effective use. That one needs a bit more gun than that after 100-150 yards.

I personally prefer exit wounds on game for tracking also. No arguement there. To get that with a rifle, generally it is bullet choice more than cartridge choice within reason.

Copy that. ETA: I should also probably start researching bullet design as well so I can make an informed decision about which type to go with. Homework wasn't this fun in college. I probably picked the wrong major.

[farmerj]

Kind of on the theme of the OP.

Years ago, I bought myself a Stevens 200 chambered in .30-06. It cost me a whopping $185. It's a Savage 110 action. Just doesn't have the rough edges knocked off it like the Savage does. Decent scope on it and a Boyd's Laminated stock, I am still under $500 for the rig and it's good out to about 1000 yards.

The Savage 10 in .243 I have is a tack driver and the Stevens was going to be the long action mate to it. Including a .280 Remington barrel for the 7mm chamberings. Since the .280 is a necked down .30-06. And I have a ton of that brass from shooting the M1. (All once fired.)

Then I got divorced and the little gunsmithing projects I have to complete too a major backseat to life.

[Holland&Holland]

Some airlines require the ammo in a separate bag than the firearm.

Less of an issue if you are driving, but it still sucks to forget or put the wrong ammo in the car.

For a first rifle, stay with something common.

After you have been out there a bit, getting other things makes sense.

If you are one of those guys who never forgets and won't fly, the 7-08 is a neat choice as well for elk on down.

7mm-08 is my go to deer round. Love it has performed perfectly fit me over the years.

[Holland&Holland]

You mentioned bigger than .30 cal.


This comes to my mind....

https://www.henryrifles.com/rifles/45-70-lever-action/

This, for bear I'd rather go all rifleman on it rather than work a bolt while fearing teeth and claws. Hard cast 45-70 FTW

Something just says woop-ass here......

Good handgun cartridge.

[Holland&Holland]

7mm mag would not be a bad choice for a go to single rifle, I own one myself and love that loading, however .30-06 is going to give you a bit more possibilities on the upper end, going to a .300 Win mag would stretch that even further.

How about a 7x57 or a 6.5 swede? Won't beat you up as much as either of these and really will do what you are asking them to do.

Those calibers will nearly always fail the gas station availability test.

Not at Petry's gas in finnlayson.

But regardless. I do not see this as a requirement. Be a boy scout and come prepared. If you lose your ammo I doubt the gas station will carry the same load you are sighted in for and if you are somewhere remote then you have too much into it to anyway to just shoot cheap gas station crap.

[crbutler]

I double dog dare you to do a "rifleman" with a .45-70 loaded with buffalo bore 500 grain LFP ammo.

No way I would shove the butt of a WWG .45-70 up next to my crotch...



And I have hipshot a .416 rigby once.

Once.

But I did kill the *^%% snake...

[Erud]

I double dog dare you to do a "rifleman" with a .45-70 loaded with buffalo bore 500 grain LFP ammo.

No way I would shove the butt of a WWG .45-70 up next to my crotch...



And I have hipshot a .416 rigby once.

Once.

But I did kill the *^%% snake...

Is "kill the snake" a euphemism for badly injuring your junk from doing this, by chance?