Carrying a rifle through the woods: MSR vs Wood stocked lever/bolt guns

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Demi-human said:
In a camouflage trailer, behind the camouflaged four wheeler, on the way to the blind that is heated and has 4G, to wait for feeding time on the spreader...;)
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I’m a low altitude flatlander with bad knees, so there are a lot of days I wish that was a thing on many of my hunts. But thankfully, Western hunting isn’t so watered down as Eastern hunting yet. Big skies and big terrain - I just wish there was a bit more Oxygen around to be had...

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mcb said:
I have never had a heat problem while hunting. I have gotten hand-guard hot enough to burn you at the range (I have melted polymer hand-guards on one or two occasions) and 3-gun matches but unfortunately I have never manage that high of rate of fire while hunting.

But a man can dream... :D
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Hot & heavy action in a prairie dog town but, more often, just soaking up the hot desert sun!
 
Varminterror said:
God forbid anyone ever carry a compound bow afield... I don’t know how it would even be possible to hunt with one in real brush, they’re so bulky and wide compared to a rifle, and sticks and branches will get tangled up between the cables, and the sight and stabilizer hanging down will snag on everything................................
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This is a good point. I hunt with a crossbow during bow season and enjoy it more than the rifle season by far. It is very hard to walk around quietly with a crossbow, let alone a compound bow.

Also, to everyone saying I'm deer hunting, if you'll read the OP you'll see I've been hunting coyotes. Deer season is long past!
 
I have been know to stalk hunt with a crossbow on a few occasions, the quiver comes off and goes on the backpack and away I go. I get bored sitting in stands for more than an hour or two. If it's windy I am on the ground moving, cross-bow, muzzle-loader, or gun season.
 
@Macchina - forgive me for neglecting to use pink font in my last.

More guys stalk closer to more deer every year with archery equipment than any AR, so complaining about bulk and noise and snagging with AR’s is exactly that - complaining.

I suppose it’s fair that someone not intimately familiar with carrying firearms can and will struggle with doing so, but there’s a pretty simple solution to that particular problem.
 
MistWolf said:
Hot & heavy action in a prairie dog town but, more often, just soaking up the hot desert sun!
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Yeah ive had guns get so hot they got dropped on pick up when were at the range all day. I can only imagine what its like when actually being fired constantly as well.
 
Varminterror said:
God forbid anyone ever carry a compound bow afield... I don’t know how it would even be possible to hunt with one in real brush, they’re so bulky and wide compared to a rifle, and sticks and branches will get tangled up between the cables, and the sight and stabilizer hanging down will snag on everything................................
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To be honest....i only do that because they make me.....

I do think theres something to the ars added bulk being difficult to deal with, especially if your not used to it, as many first time ar hunter complain about it.
Personally i just sling them up and strap them to my back unless actively hunting, or shove then into my pack. When carrying it, its either in both hands or by the scope....cause i havent hunted with one enough to really develop a better way to hold them.

I dont really find them offensive, just not as intuitive as carrying a more vertically challenged, rounder bottomed rifle, even if said rifle is longer.

I dont havent to deal with cold aluminum very often, so no comment there.
 
I carried an AR on a few coyote hunts where multiple rapid fire shots might have come in handy. Never needed more than 1 at a time, but was ready if necessary.

My use of an AR for deer hunting has been limited. I was overlooking an area late in the season that I knew had deer, but they weren't coming out of some really thick brush except after dark. I decided to go in after them and chose my 16" AR with a 1-4X20 scope on it. It is more compact and lighter than anything else I own. If carried in the right position nothing mounts and is on target quicker. You can't carry a lever rifle or bolt gun like this. And only a semi-auto will work for rapid multiple shots with a vertical pistol grip. For the job I needed to do it was the right tool at the time.

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I decided to go into the brush on the last day of the season. I arrived at the edge of the brush well before sunup and decided to wait until good light before going in. It is legal to shoot 30 minutes prior to sun rise and sure enough I caught a buck headed back into the brush and legally shot him 29 minutes prior to sun rise. I didn't need it after all, but it wasn't a handicap either.

Don't get me wrong, I love my levers, but don't hunt with one often. I much prefer a bolt rifle for hunting. Most of my hunting is on public land that require long walks to get where I'm going and usually in steep rugged terrain. Lever guns are heavy despite the reputation. Most of my hunting bolt rifles weigh less with scopes on them than my lever guns weigh without scopes.​
 
I had a custom AR .358 WSSM that I used for deer hunting. It was exceptionally accurate and a hard hitter. I had a lot if money and time in that rifle. I really wanted it to work.

As noted in some of the posts above, it was cold to carry in really cold temps, and I just never could get used to the mag and pistol grip sticking out on the bottom. It was noisy, perhaps because I never really tried to quiet it down.

It was heavy as the barrel was heavy profile and that was all the builder had at that time. Sold it to my best friend’s son. He wants to use it hog hunting

I have a Varminter AR that I love and use for prairie dogs
 
Fine Figure of a Man said:
One of the things I like best about AR's for hunting is how easy they are to carry while walking. Mine is usually slung across my chest. I don't have to touch it until I need it and I can quickly shoulder it when I do.
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You have to build your AR for woods carry. Just go light as you can find, but with a closed hand guard. (Holey Hand Guard, Batman!)
 
Varminterror said:
@Macchina - forgive me for neglecting to use pink font in my last.

More guys stalk closer to more deer every year with archery equipment than any AR, so complaining about bulk and noise and snagging with AR’s is exactly that - complaining.

I suppose it’s fair that someone not intimately familiar with carrying firearms can and will struggle with doing so, but there’s a pretty simple solution to that particular problem.
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Practice does make perfect. And your other comment about the compound bow being worse, man you couldn't be more right. Many times out chasing elk through thick stuff I dream of the ease of just carrying a rifle. But sneaking around with a bow is fun, and has made me a better hunter.
 
As a former combat engineer recon squad member, we learned quickly to tape up noisy things.

As a big game hunter in Idaho for decades, the same principle applies. Noisy sling swivels and things knocking against each other are not tolerated. You just need to use a little common sense and redneck ingenuity to address the issue.

As far as cold aluminum handguards? I am almost always wearing camo gloves when hunting since Idaho hunting seasons typically see temps from zero to around 70 degrees. Bare hands are a beacon to most game animals.

Going for a hike tomorrow in the woods and bringing my latest AR-10 build to see how it does. Ten pounds and a bit bulky...

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Every place I hunt has much more pasture than woods. Which type of rifle is harder to carry in the woods has never crossed my mind. Granted I do very little hunting with my AR, it’s almost all lever action or bolt action.
 
Macchina said:
I got out coyote and turkey hunting a few times this winter and like to think about things in the woods. I took my straight stocked double barrel turkey hunting and hardly noticed it when walking through brush. Same think for my 357 lever action even with the scope mounted. When I bring an AR into the brushy woods the hollow metallic parts make a lot of noise, the many holes in the handguard catch a lot of sticks, the QD mounts make the most racket on the whole gun, and pistol grip can really hang down when holding an AR in one hand.

I love an AR as much as the next guy but really don't like to take them hunting when I'll be walking a lot. Way to noisy and too many parts hanging off. They are not near as comfortable on the sling either and I've tried many positions.

I could half-address some of my complaints (get rid of the QD mounts, plastic handguard, etc.) but the AR seems to always be a more clunky/clanky rifle than a lever gun...

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At least you own and use both. Much better than complaining about something you haven't tried.
 
Went mushroom hunting today and brought my AR-10 to see how it did. The extra 2 pounds compared to my bolt rifle was noticeable, as was the extra bulk of the receiver and magazine. It wasn't horrible, but I'd rather hump the bolt gun all day than the AR.

Was a beautiful day...

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Even found some old wolf scat full of deer hair...

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Funny, when I read the first response to the OP my thought was immediate. Full battle rattle. It's a thing for a reason.
 
So I live and hunt where there are Griz and wolves. I prefer to carry an auto loading .30 cal of some sort. Most of western MT is pretty tight. I like my flat shooting bolt guns in the areas where I can take longer shots.
 
swagbrdr said:
So I live and hunt where there are Griz and wolves. I prefer to carry an auto loading .30 cal of some sort. Most of western MT is pretty tight. I like my flat shooting bolt guns in the areas where I can take longer shots.
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Same in this area, but we also have areas with lots of open country.

My brother bought a Christiansen Arms Ridgeline in 6.5 PRC for elk and got it dialed in for 600 yards. I asked him how far away his last bull was and it was 30 yards. He basically point shot it as it ran by him in the timber. The one before that? 70 yards. OK. This past season, we hunted huge clearcut areas so he could get a chance to shoot an elk at distance. Didn't even see an elk. They are in the deep timber now due to wolf pressure. He did end up getting a nice whitetail buck at just over 600 yards though.
 
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