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Bolt action recommendations- 223 too weak, .30-06 too strong

8K views 160 replies 83 participants last post by  Kbheiner 
#1 ·
Looking for a bolt action that gives me more confidence than .223 for hunting, but doesn't cause me to forget where I am for half a second every time I pull the trigger like a Rem700 .30-06 I have does. Main prey would be deer AND pig.

I want my cake and eat it too, I want more confidence than .223 but still want it to be light enough to be fun to shoot. Anyone know where I'm coming from and have experience with some suggestions?
 
#131 · (Edited)
I'm just saying in the unlikely event a 400 lb. hog is coming at me I want more than a .243, hard to shoot them in the ear at that angle.

My solution to the OP question is a 6.5x55, hardly any more recoil than a .243 but can push a 156 gr. bullet which is less likely to break up on bone.
 
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#132 ·
Oh, hell, why don't i throw this in the mix; .257 Roberts.

Back in the day i used to convert to 'halftones' (so they could be printed with ink) all the photos that were sent in to "Western Outdoor News"... all the big fishies... and all the big critters that people got during whatever season.

Seriously, i saw more pictures of hunters in Northern California with big fat trophy wild boars taken with a ".257 Roberts".

When i looked it up i was shocked to find how lightweight of a load it was... but... that, OBVIOUSLY it "worked".

Today, it appears, it's been replaced by the .243.

Me? I'm still going with my BAR in 30.06 with at LEAST a 180 grain pill. For larger pigs... 200 grain... jacketed soft point... or a solid copper. I've got some Black Talons in 180 grain that are pretty solid performers... accurate, too.

Well, either that or i'll just use my G20 with 180's at 1300... jacked soft points... i can reliably take down Godzilla with that combo... although, of course, i'll have to be sure of my backstop so i don't overpenetrate the 600 pound monster pig and kill some little kid clear on the other side of the planet after going through the pig and 18 apartment complex walls.
 
#133 ·
38-55 used to be considered acceptible elk medicine; 6.5x55 Swede; 7.5x55 Swiss; there's a whole world of pleasant effective .25 caliber choices many of which have been named; 257 Roberts Improved has fans....older fans....

45-70 with the Holy Black in a single shot such as Browning Traditional Hunter is right handy, effective, magnificent accuracy, easy to reload....
 
#134 ·
45-70 is an awesome round. It'll take an American Bison down.
 
#136 ·
"45-70 is an awesome round. It'll take an American Bison down."
so will 30-06.....or bow & arrow....depending on POI....

The single most fun rifle ever for me was 45-70 & the Holy Black.
So will a 10mm. I'm a bow hunter. I hunt elk. .30-06 used to be considered an "elephant gun".

Life is all about shot placement. And you can quote me on that.

What bothers me about these "Gee, what's the lightest recoiling gun/caliber combination i can hunt successfully with?" conversations is the fact that all the combos suggested assume the shooter can really place a shot. Some can, of course, but i wonder how many are "flinchers" and are going to flinch and so miss regardless. I also wonder about what point i might get so old it might hurt too much to shoot the better calibers. Well, i guess that's what getting old is about. But it appears to me that this somewhat minimalist approach brings down the bar too low for the average person out there and it causes them to buy "too little gun" and the animals to suffer far more unnecessarily... and in the case of defensive use; the attacker doesn't stop with a fairly well placed shot. And the problem is not just with guns. I see it with guns, all of them, for hunting as well as defense, rifles, pistols, shotguns... bows, knives, hell, CARS AND TRUCKS.

On the flip side; it does make all these different products "better". So i guess the question is; does the user become more successful?

I always say; Pick the right tool for the job and learn how to use it. This is a principle that, i think, never changes... for those who want to be successful.
 
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#137 ·
7.62x39 has a lot going for it, both ballistically and availability/cost. The Wolf Military Classic gets good reviews for wound cavity scores, unlike many of the surplus ammo choices. "Wolf Military Classic HP is loaded with the 8m3 effect bullet. Unlike other Russian 7.62x39 HP, the 8m3 effect bullet works and works well. Due to its comparatively large mass and energetic fragmentation at ranges out to 100 yards or more with reliable tumbling at ranges far beyond that, this is probably the single most effective bullet for this caliber that is commonly available. Don't go paying any ridiculous premiums for this stuff as it isn't really a specialty load and the bullet is available in a few other products, but if you have the option to buy the Wolf Military Classic Hollow Point I'd choose it over all the other loads in common circulation out there right now."
 
#139 ·
Nope.... you are exactly correct; 7.62x39 is, for all practical purposes, the same. This dog will hunt.
 
#141 ·
Yuuuuup! Only problem is that it's "Russian"... like the AK... hahaha... never did get to meet Kalashnikov... would have liked to... but i did get to meet and do some work for Stoner. ~:-{D}
 
#144 ·
Didn't see this, before. An ear shot is a harvest or cull shot. It's not where you'll likely hit a pig should it charge you. Also, good luck with using a bolt action rifle on a charging hog.
And the reason I've always said if I'm in a stand, probably would use my .308. If I'm on the ground, AK for the additional capacity.
 
#146 ·
Also, good luck with using a bolt action rifle on a charging hog.
As good as he is, he misses a couple times. I'd rather have a good AR in .308 if I was going to shoot at pigs while they're running. Also, shooting pigs is harder than you think when they are running. Many shooters out there; not many that can shoot moving targets like that.
 
#150 ·
I would not give up on the 30-06.

There a mild recoil factory rounds....

Limbsaver pads....

The small amount of shooting done with my REM 700 makes reloading appealing, especially when you can reload 30-06 from mild varmint to big game.

I would rather spend $50 and get a Lee Precision Rifle Loader and cook up my own loads.
 
#160 · (Edited)
As good as he is, he misses a couple times. I'd rather have a good AR in .308 if I was going to shoot at pigs while they're running. Also, shooting pigs is harder than you think when they are running. Many shooters out there; not many that can shoot moving targets like that.
I don't know, ... I'd cut the guy a break. He's young and he did some pretty decent shooting with that bolt-gun. Not sure he'll get to do as much hog-hunting, or any hunting, after he's married. Depends on how attitudinal his Memsahib is.

That said, I agree with you about using a .30-cal SEMI-AUTO on a running group of hogs. My first choice would be my LMT 16" 7.62 LM8, suppressed.

Second choice would be my .300BLK - again, suppressed.



For a general "brush carbine," for use on such hogs as I might stumble across while ATV-ing or hiking, it would be my 7.62 Mini-G.

 
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