308 vs 7.62 x 54r first hunting rifle

[tealeaf404]

i was out shooting with a buddy and tried out his m44 very little recoil very light.. was going to buy a nice m-44 for 100 my father said maybe to spend a little more and get a 308 hunting rifle as ammo well be cheaper and well always be available so what to buy... is the recoil off a 308 the same as a 7.62 x 54r out of a m44? what would be a good starter 308 if i went down that road i want to hunt deer maybe elk later down the road so is the 308 or 54r a good hunting round

thanks jay

 

[jpwilly]

The 7.62x54R is to Northern Eurasia as the 30-06 is to North America. Of course the 308 is a great round and it too is simiar to both. Far more hunting rifles are chambered in 308 than 7.62x54R and even the lease expensive offerings today are far more accurate than your average Nagant.

 

[Maverick223]

For hunting I have to lean towards the .308 (or a .30-06=better for elk) in 30cal due to better firearms and more choices for hunting. The 7.62R is a fine round, but there are few options for hunting, or for about anything else. If you have gobs of cash a Dragunov (not a PSL) would make a good hunting gun, but so would a Win. Model 70 (and a dozen others) for about 4-5 times less.

 

[lvcat2004]

I have a 308 in precision rifle and a couple of mosins as well. I'm not sure about "very little recoil" on M44...perhaps you have more "cushioning" than I do, but I usually don't like shooting more than 10 rounds at a time. Relatively speaking, my 308 is a lot gentler, but then again, I don't have a metal plate for a butt pad like M44 on my other rifle.

You have plenty of ammo choice with 308, but if you are shooting deer-sized game at 100 or so yards, cheapo surplus softpoint would suffice with 7.62 54R. If you are thinking longer distance, then 308 rifle with glass would be better than M44 with iron sights obviously.

 

[peyton]

The fact that you can put a scope on hunting rifle in 308 seals the deal. Iron sights are fun but I got "old man eyes" and it is hard to see them plus the animal you are hunting.

 

[rangerruck]

I would drop the 44, and look for a 38, or a 91/30, the 44 misses accuracy becuase of the bayonet. i would take the mosin over a 308, simply because of ammo prices.

 

[General Geoff]

my father said maybe to spend a little more and get a 308 hunting rifle as ammo well be cheaper and well always be available

rofl

 

[rmuzz]

You can scope a Mosin too with a little work... and money.

There are pros and cons to either buying a Mosin Nagant, or finding an affordable .308 bolt action. The Mosin is cheap, mil surp ammo is cheap for practice, and its really really cheap. It has historical significance and its an interesting rifle in that regard.

In .308 you get more options as far as easy to find hunting ammo. Walk down to your local Wal-Mart and try pick up a box of 7.62x54r. Doubt it will be there, some sporting goods stores carry it... If you decide to go for the .308, like your dad told you you will probably have to save up a little bit more cash an expect to spend more on ammo. The upside is you aren't buying a rifle that spent the last 75 years in a Russian warehouse, haha. Mosins are definatly cool, but I dont know Id recommend it unless cash was a major factor.

 

[Maverick223]

i would take the mosin over a 308, simply because of ammo prices.

If used for hunting ammo prices shouldn't be a governing factor. Nearly all surplus ammo is fmj, and therefore is not well suited for hunting, so ammo price is a moot point. Besides you shouldn't need more than a few boxes a year (even for practice). Also, it's not like we're talking about a .416Rigby, ammo to feed a .308 is not going to break the bank.

 

[tealeaf404]

ok lets say i buy say 2 maybe 3 m44 pimp one out in a new stock and stuff as a hunting rifle what type of range can the 54r get and what all can i legally bring down besides deer and elk... bears? lol i just bought off my buddy 20 rounds of 7.62 by 54r igman 180 gr softtipped "good for deer? ? ?" is there a rounds or types i need to look for? also is the 91/30 worth looking at as well?

thank a lot guys

 

[elmerfudd]

Buy 1 M44 and leave it stock. By the time you get done pimping one out you'll have spent as much as you would have on a good .308, but you'll still have a marginal to half-assed hunting rifle.

Mosin Nagants are great for plinking or fun at the range and I own 3 of them myself. Ammo is some of the cheapest out there and the ballistics are close to those of a 30-06. That said, they suck for mounting optics on, their safeties are very poor and you're stuck with a cartridge that has very few choices available in commercial loads. Even handloading you're limited by a small supply of brass and a narrower choice of bullets than you would have with .308.

Your standard Remchester makes for a darn good hunting rifle right out of the box.

 

[Maverick223]

I agree with Fudd, not worth spending the cash for upgrades, I wouldn't recommend it as a hunting gun at all. But nice and cheap (in every way) range gun. That is not to say that it will not kill a deer, or Elk, or German...just that you might want to invest in a good ghillie suit and some training for the stalk...because you are going to have to get CLOSE.

 

[Random Discharge]

A Savage is another good choice for an inexpensive 308 bolt gun for hunting. Unless you get a longer barrell, don't bother with a 30-06.

The Russian for hunting? Um - not so much for reasons already stated.

 

[kanook]

mosin for a "ya, I got a gun with me lets go" truck gun. 308 for "screw work I'm going hunting gun"

 

[stubbicatt]

It will work OK. The single greatest shortcoming will be the iron sights. No doubt an optic would be better, but countless head of game have been harvested by rifles wearing iron sights.

Maybe consider one of those "sniper" Mosin Nagants, I guess the optic is adequate to harvest people sized game.

 

[winchester '97]

for close range work such as woods hunting, get the m38 mosin and replace the rear sight with a scope mount and mount a quality pistol scope on it, and get some silver/golden bear soft point hunting ammo. then you will have a 150 yards and under deer rifle. and because the gun is so cheap you could afford to spend a little more on a scope. plus the scout scope mount is very quick to bring onto target.

 

[lefteyedom]

I love "cheap guns" but not for primary hunting rifles. It is the classic case of a $100 saddle on a $5 mule.
For $350-500 there are many very good rifles, such as the Stevens 200. 270 and 30.06 are the best values in the used market. Plus the ammo is normally about the cheapest at Wal mart.

My latest "cheap truck gun" is a $50 H&R 12 gauge that I have spent about $160 on.
$65 for screw in chokes
$35 for a recoil pad.
$20 Sling
$15 fiber optic bead
$10 Stock sleeve to hold 5 rounds
$6 in paint
$3 Sandpaper
****s and giggle factor Priceless

 

[sarduy]

For hunting I have to lean towards the .308 (or a .30-06=better for elk) in 30cal due to better firearms and more choices for hunting. The 7.62R is a fine round, but there are few options for hunting, or for about anything else. If you have gobs of cash a Dragunov (not a PSL) would make a good hunting gun, but so would a Win. Model 70 (and a dozen others) for about 4-5 times less.

A PSL is great for hunting, same goes for the Saiga .308,

 

[sarduy]

but as for cheap .308

1. howa 1500
2. stevens 200
3. mossberg 100atr

 

[Maverick223]

A PSL is great for hunting, same goes for the Saiga .308,

It is one of those guns that I just can't like, I don't really have anything against them, but in my hands they just feel clunky and are a poor fit. On the other had I like the Saiga .308, it has a different feel in my hands.

 

[hogmanahoo.com]

my m91/30 shoots as good as my 30-06 and is cheaper to reload for and shoot.my .02 worth