bolt action vs lever action...

[280PLUS]

ok, we've decided we want our deer rifle in .308

now i need to decide bolt action or lever action for connecticut sized deer

open sights , in brush most likely

i'm thinking bolt action accuracy vs lever action speed.

i'm figuring i'd probably only get 1 shot so i'd want it to be accurate

what are the prefered brands of each type of action

i'll assume remington is a good choice of bolt action, what about lever?

m

 

[cma g21]

For the use you describe, I'd go with the lightest and handiest rifle you can find in either action type.
Normally I'd say the lever would be lighter and handier, but the lever actions in .308 tend to be a bit bigger than the average .30-30. I also have a Remington 600 (bolt action) in .308 that's about as light and easy to carry as you can get in a .308 rifle.
Have you considered a Remington 7600 (pump action .308)?

 

[stevelyn]

Ruger has a new compact bolt gun available in .308.

 

[ojibweindian]

I second the Remington 7600. Or a bolt. I think a lever in .308 would be a little heavy, but that's just me.

 

[RON in PA]

Don't restrict yourself as far as sights, a low power scope is faster than open sights, even if the common wisdom says open sights are faster. This has been tested and reported on over the years and optical sights are always fastest. You need a rifle that you can throw to your shoulder quickly, acquire the sights and fire. A rifle that handles like a shotgun. A light weight bolt in 308 is fine.

 

[Smoke]

Lots of good bolt guns in .308

Levers in .308 are a little more scarce, but don't overlook a nice .30-30

I like the Savage 99 for a .308 lever gun.

 

[280PLUS]

yea,,,

like i was saying at the other thread maybe a good old fashioned lever 30/30 would be my best bet and the name winchester seems to pop up quite a bit, so,,,

i just liked that cz carbine so much though :crying smilie:

i hadnt considered a scope but how about a large diameter 1:1 red dot?

i just got a nice ultra dot 30mm dia for my ruger mk II, so far so good, i love the scope, no parallax problems at all,

or should it magnify some and have crosshairs instead,

i imagine theres not more than what, 3 or 4 scopes out there to chose from so it shouldnt be too tough to pick one, right?



sure,,,so i check out the "best lever action" thread just now and lo and behold marlin wins hands down

ooo, this is all so difficult

 

[Art Eatman]

For relatively short-range hunting, the quality of the sights is far more important than the inherent accuracy of the rifle--and few rifles made today aren't accurate enough for most big-game hunting, whether lever or bolt. Lots of not-very-good iron sights, however.

The shooter's ability to judge a proper sight picture is the other important factor in getting that good hit. Practice, practice, practice.

, Art

 

[zahc]

Red dot! Red dot! You need a red dot!

The rifle? hmmm...



-whatever.

 

[JShirley]

Choice of .308 would limit options in leverguns, as others have said.

If I wanted a slick little carbine, I think I'd go for a CZ 527...in 7.62x39mm. (Hey, it's .308! )

As far as accuracy goes, my Marlin .45-70 will shoot right at minute of angle at 100 yards, with scope.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

If you want a handy, little bolt gun in .308 the new Ruger is hard to beat. It may need some trigger work. However, I love the idea and the execution.

Also, I like the CZ in 7.62 as was mentioned.

For full size rifles the Rem 700 is great.

Don't overlook Savage either.

For lever guns Browning comes to mind. I don't know of any others in .308. Not to say they aren't out there. My head-space isn't always good.

 

[Brian Dale]

Still looking?

280PLus, you seemed favorably inclined toward the idea of a .30-30 lever rifle. I like, 'em, from Marlin or Winchester; it doesn't matter. Both are great, they've both lasted over a century, and you'll give either one to your grandkids if you don't abuse them. You don't need to baby them. This choice is a lot like the Remington 870 - vs. - Mossberg 500 series question: there's no wrong answer. You're talking about my favorite brush rifle, from either manufacturer. You wrote, "I'm thinking bolt action accuracy vs lever action speed." There's also the ease of carrying a shorter rifle through a thicket. For me, that's where a lever action rifle shines.

In general, people say that the Marlin action is a little stronger and it has fewer teeny little parts to lose if you disassemble the rifle partially for cleaning. The Marlin bolt comes out in fewer steps if you want to remove it so you can clean the rifle from the breech. Old Winchesters ejected spent cartridges out the top of the action; new ones don't. That only matters to those who want to mount scopes; I like lever-action rifles without scopes, just because of aesthetics and because an unscoped lever rifle is such a sweet-handling rifle. My favorites are carbines with 20 inch barrels; pick what feels the best to you. I plan to replace my factory sights with a ghost ring setup; that's not a big deal.

Marlin or Winchester, straight stock or semi-pistol grip. Barrel length: pick your favorite. Carry it. Shoot it. Clean it every once in a while. Start accumulating happy memories with it. You can't go wrong.

And if you've already bought a bolt-action rifle, simply follow the instructions in the latter part of the previous paragraph. You've made a good choice (hey, if it goes "Bang!," I like it). No fear; you're going to own a '94 or a 336 some day anyway.

Good Hunting.

 

[Kaylee]

out of curiosity, those of you recommending the CZ... do they make a short action in the 7.62 NATO class? I thought their carbines only handled .223 and the like, and the next step up was long-action .30-06 type... no?


To the original question... the application does kinda scream ".30-30" don't it? I think I'd vote Win94 with REAL buckhorn sights.

Or the little compact Ruger I'm starting to drool over downtown.


-K

 

[280PLUS]

fyi,,,

thanx all, i hadnt seen all the new input till today,

fwiw i went with the cz 527 thinking i'm after little bitty deer not great big ones, cause the little ones are tastier,

we'll see how it works, if not so good the next stop will be the lever action marlin in 30/30

incidentally, the 527 comes in .223 and 7.62 x 39, the latter being my choice

its on order and ive promised pics when it arrives,,,so keep an eye out...

we have a saying around here,

"the deer wouldn't have a problem except for they're so darn tasty."

 

[JShirley]

Love to hear your impressions after you shoot it.

John

 

[Pumpkinheaver]

If your in the brush with open sights then why do you need "bolt action accuracy?" If it where me I'd be looking around for a nice savage 99 in .308, or one of the short handy bolt guns such as the remington model 7.

 

[gdeal]

i wonder which is best for hunting wild boar

 

[Leaky Waders]

BLR can be had in .308, but your cz should do well. I prefer the model 70 over the cz, but I got them in 7mm-08.

 

[jem375]

Savage 99, we have 3 of them for deer rifles....

 

[husker]

+1 On the smallest & the handiest. For a brush gun. & the Rem 600 are a great place to start. Dnt let the space age looking Rem Mohawks 600 scare ya away either. Basically the Same gun

 

[Legionnaire]

Zombie Thread! You do realize that before today, the last post on this thread was August, 2003?

 

[whalerman]

That don't make it bad readin'.

I got all excited when I read the part about Ruger's new compact .308. I wonder if he was talking about the Frontier rifle.

 

[unwise11]

howa m1500

 

[smartshot]

I would choose bolt action to save myself alot of trouble on the accuracy end, on the other hand, I've heard good things about the BLR's in 380 and my uncle swore by the win mod 88 lever action that shot like a bolt action and zipped through elk all day long.