Walk a bout carbine

[JumboJVT]

@JumboJVT

Might not hit all of your points but this is one fine rifle.

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Belongs to a friend, one of the nicest .308 rifles I've had the pleasure to shoot.

Even if you're a bad shot, this rifle will still get you on the target!

All it would need to be a walk about rifle, is a good sling.

I'm sure its a nice rifle, but really it misses on what I want in everything accept being a bolt. I have both a M7 308 and a shortened M77 308, and neither carry like a lever.

I should clarify what I hear when someone says "walk about rifle". Actually, my definition closely follows what Copper called a scout rifle: a rifle that is with you at all times and capable doing anything a medium caliber rifle could do at moderate (<300 yds) ranges. The key difference I see with many of the suggestions here is that the emphasis is on portability and snap shooting rather than rather than long range accuracy. A bipod and a dial-up scope just add unnecessary bulk to what is supposed to be a trim, light rifle.

So I'm not talking about a rifle specifically for hunting from one's two hind feet (which being from the Northeast is the only type of hunting rifle I own), but something that sacrifices some of the things a hunting rifle should do well (easy to hit with, low-light performance) in lieu portability. Something to fill the gap between a handgun and a dedicated hunting rifle.

While this is what I want, I must admit that my opportunities to use such a weapon are few and far between. But a guy can dream. If he couldn't, this forum wouldn't exist.

 

[film495]

definitely go to some shops and feel and hold a bunch of different options. find something with the right weight and balance and handling features suited to you.

 

[plainsdrifter]

Here go. 30-30 or '06

 

[adcoch1]

The savage hog hunter is pretty great out of the box. I couldn't believe how close it comes to my ultimate walkabout rifle for what it costs. Wish I would have bought the one I looked at...

 

[BJung]

Of the guns I've handled, I would choose a Savage 99 take-down. It is well balanced, chambers a decent round (300 savage) and I could have another caliber made with a different barrel from a 35 Rem to a .243win

 

[Old Hobo]

With a given cartridge case capacity and powder burn rate, one must have a rifle bore capacity to burn all of that powder; else, you will either have a fireball (insufficient barrel length / bore diameter, i.e. bore capacity to burn all of the powder), OR you may even have more barrel length than needed (could even get bullet slow-down). It's a complicated topic.

https://www.google.com/search?q=rifle+cartridge+case+capacity+"barrel+volume"+efficiency+velocity&ei=wnh9ZIKUO72m5NoPsIS64Ac&ved=0ahUKEwiC_bPfuKv_AhU9E1kFHTCCDnwQ4dUDCA8&uact=5&oq=rifle+cartridge+case+capacity+"barrel+volume"+efficiency+velocity&gs_lcp=Cgxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAQAzoLCAAQigUQhgMQsAM6BQghEKABOgUIIRCrAkoECEEYAVDVFFjyJmDHKWgBcAB4AIABc4gBwwWSAQM3LjKYAQCgAQHAAQHIAQE&sclient=gws-wiz-serp

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[Old Hobo]

My 336 in 30-30 has been my go to , while checking springs walking fence line … in a mountainous wooded area …. for decades
I once had a custom 6.5x55 Mauser with a 18.5 inch barrel that was my go to about 25-30 yrs ago
and Im thinking about another boltgun
Im learning toward a 16 to 20 inch barrel
1.5 to 2x fixed powered scope …
But trying to decide caliber … 308 ,6.5 CM , 243
7.62x39 ,350 L ,400L , 6.5 Grendel are mostly the calibers Im looking at
Deer , occasional Black bear , coyote ,, feral dog
are what I see .occasionally when Im out
( yep .. deer season and bear season ) I do have my license…
Only hunting rifles I own are 3 Marlin 336 in 30-30
I own no Bolt action hunting rifle

Just wanted to bounce it off u guys and see what might be your choice.. also I will enjoy the conversation

Thinking bolt-action rifle.

The .308 Win doesn't require a whole lot of barrel to burn the powder in the .308 case. At the .30 cal bore diameter, it only takes 20" of barrel to burn your powder; especially given "spherical"/ball powder vs. extruded. Even 18" of barrel will get a .308 cartridge bullet up to speed. Smaller bullet diameter bullets / barrel diameter/thus-volume barrels will need more length. For instance, the .243 Win requires at least 22" of barrel to get it up to efficient velocities.

The critters you mentioned do not require howitzers to drop them. Just sayin'. Some out-of-the-ordinary BIG black bears could require a heavy bullet to drop them before you get turned into revenge/food. Never seen one myself in the wild. In captivity, I've seen a male black bear who was freaking enormous -- poor fellow. He was in a ###-####ed zoo. He was burning up. Summer. Southern state. Hot day. Gag me, even now. Made my soul ache for him. I wanted to let him out of his caged-in area. Would have liked-to of put him in a truck, taken him back into the Cherokee National Forest, and let him go. I know places. We once lived near one bear sanctuary mountainous area (lord only knows how many times I was up in there). Had a bear that kept visiting a neighbor's apple orchard. Apple orchard adjacent to a bear sanctuary area ... guess what's gonna happen ... go figure!!!!!! Maybe I'm a bear; paunchy, hairy, lazy, sometimes bad attitude, known to have gone violent when provoked, known to like the self-same foods as bears (honey, berries, small and large critters), ... .

Note that I'm a pro-.308 bigot.
.

 

[Buckeye63]

Well .. I decided to stick with what I’m most comfortable with . Actually my main hunting cartridge 30-30 .. and my old beater 30AS

 

[WestKentucky]

Well .. I decided to stick with what I’m most comfortable with . Actually my main hunting cartridge 30-30 .. and my old beater 30AS
View attachment 1155439

I was gonna say to find one of those, but in 35 Remington. It’s just as good a caliber as 30-30 for any sensible range that you would use them at, but the 35 is a slightly better anchor. The upside of 30-30 is that you can find modern loaded ammo which is much more capable than the old LRN 150s which are not bad, but for perforating Smokey I would feel better with a bigger hole and/or a modern tube-mag friendly bullet. As for a gun that’s quick into action, there really isn’t anything better than the 336 family of guns and/or its descendants. I still want a 45-70 but I missed the great Walmart clearance of 2019.

 

[Buckeye63]

I was gonna say to find one of those, but in 35 Remington. It’s just as good a caliber as 30-30 for any sensible range that you would use them at, but the 35 is a slightly better anchor. The upside of 30-30 is that you can find modern loaded ammo which is much more capable than the old LRN 150s which are not bad, but for perforating Smokey I would feel better with a bigger hole and/or a modern tube-mag friendly bullet. As for a gun that’s quick into action, there really isn’t anything better than the 336 family of guns and/or its descendants. I still want a 45-70 but I missed the great Walmart clearance of 2019.

The 35 Remington really shines when handloaded
it is only loaded at 35,000 PSI …it was initially chambered in a semi- automatic carbine …
35 Remington ammo is scarce and expensive

Hopefully Marlin will come out with the
360 Buckhammer , which operates at 50,000 PSI
and is going to be a thumper

 

[Mk-211]

35, 360 whatever it takes.

 

[Necessary_Nutrient]

We definitely need more new calibers to be on shelves for 6 months and then reloader specials forever

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

In Texas, you never know what you might walk up on. I carry a Ruger M77/44. A stainless, synthetic stock M77. 18 inch barrel, open sight. 260 grain Buffalo Bore ammo. When I'm along the creek bottoms looking for cattle I carry it with me. depending on time of year I also wear snake leggings. sidearm in .357 or .44 mag.

 

[Buckeye63]

In Texas, you never know what you might walk up on. I carry a Ruger M77/44. A stainless, synthetic stock M77. 18 inch barrel, open sight. 260 grain Buffalo Bore ammo. When I'm along the creek bottoms looking for cattle I carry it with me. depending on time of year I also wear snake leggings. sidearm in .357 or .44 mag.

I think Ruger is missing out on not having a open sights option on their American Ranch carbines

 

[mongoslow]

I have 3 excellent walk around carbines,
Ruger Ranch 6.5
Ruger MPR 350L
Ruger 308 Scout

 

[BJung]

The 35 Remington really shines when handloaded
it is only loaded at 35,000 PSI …it was initially chambered in a semi- automatic carbine …
35 Remington ammo is scarce and expensive

Hopefully Marlin will come out with the
360 Buckhammer , which operates at 50,000 PSI
and is going to be a thumper

Could you just cast .357 - 158 or .357-180gr bullets and resize them for the 35 Rem? I think the case is a necked up .308?

 

[BJung]

I just read an article that both the Ukranian and Russians like the AR10

 

[Buckeye63]

Could you just cast .357 - 158 or .357-180gr bullets and resize them for the 35 Rem? I think the case is a necked up .308?

35 Rem case is necked up 30 Rem
The 35 Rem used ,358 dia bullets so it will use bullets designed for the 357 mag .. problem is they are not designed to operate at higher velocity..
The 358 Win is a necked up 308

 

[theotherwaldo]

35 Rem case is necked up 30 Rem
The 35 Rem used ,358 dia bullets so it will use bullets designed for the 357 mag .. problem is they are not designed to operate at higher velocity..
The 358 Win is a necked up 308

-And the .30 Rem is basically a rimless .30-30 Win.

 

[Cornhusker77]

How about an SKS?

 

[tubeshooter]

I like the SKS suggestion. Just two things...

• Mine doesn't balance/carry particularly well (bone stock). A sling helps a lot here.
• Steel cased ammo isn't as cheap anymore and may never be again.

 

[Choctaw]

I just need something capable of whacking hogs and this AK is quickly becoming my favorite rifle.

 

[Cornhusker77]

I love my AKs, even though I'm not a big fan of pistol grips.

 

[Nuclear]

For just walking about with a carbine, I really like an M1 carbine. Light, low recoil, and effective at 100 yards in.

 

[Buckeye63]

How about an SKS?
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View attachment 1155767

I own two a like new Norinco and another paratrooper model that is used & unabused
probably 3,000 rounds of ammo ..
Big fan of a SKS