The perfect "Walking Rifle"

[mike7.62]

I have two walking rifles my short range Rossi 92 in .357mag. And my long range ( 200yds.-250yds. ) CZ 527 carbine in 7.62x39. Both light and short.

[TexAg]

I'll 3rd or 4th the Remington Model Seven. Mine is in 6mm with a 2-7 Leupold.

[LakeCruiser]

Was just thinking that Mini 14 might fit here too...easy handling.

[Malamute]

A decent centerfire rifle with light loads makes a fine small game gun, with obviously upwardly mobile usefulness, power and range wise. A couple have dismissed the idea out of hand because maybe it will shoot 2 counties over from the sight settings with light loads. I havent had that trouble. I just sight in with the regular laod, and shoot the light loads enough to know where to hold, it usually is a little off elevation wise, but once you figure it out, it isnt hard to make head shots on grouse. I guess some are content to give up before they ever get started, just because they dont know,....

I tend towards larger calibers where I am, because there are larger critters, but the 30-30 is hard to beat for a general purpose, all around gun. I've shot enough grouse, squirells and bunnies with light loads to be quite happy with it in that regard. With 3 grs Unique or Red Dot and a round ball, it makes about as much noise as a 22, and does about as much damage. Same goes for any centerfire rifle with similar loads. I also use a 348 and 45-70 with round balls, both work great. Other centerfires can use jacketed bullets, but need a little more power to be sure to get the bullet out the barrel. I use a different style bullet for light loads so they are instantly identifiable compared to the regular loads. The 33 cal 200 gr flat point bullets work fine in the 338 Win as light loads at about 1500 fps vel.

I owned a 357 carbine once, I didnt keep it, but did keep the 30-30, it just seems more useful to me, and has better range. It doesn't give up anything to the 357 in flexibility when you handload, and has better range capabilities. YMMV of course, just my 2c.

My perfect walking rifle has been tending towards the model 71 Winchester, model 1886 carbine, or a scoped bolt gun, often in '06 cal. I carry year round, whenever I'm out.

[trg42wraglefragle]

M1 carbine, lightweight decent enough round.
And was cool before tacticool was even thought of!

[Picher]

Here are a few options, from a walkabout kind of guy:

A CZ 455 American in .22WMR. Lower-powered rounds for squirrel, CCI V-Max for larger critters like coons, porkys, and if necessary (and legal in Maine) 40 grain Maxi-Mags for Deer out to 75 yards, with well-placed neck shot.

Another option would be a 12 gauge shotgun, either pump or semi-auto. Shot for squirrels, buckshot for larger critters and close-range deer (under 40 yards) and slugs with a red-dot or holographic sight for deer.

When I'm on a walk-about, I usually take my CZ .22 Mag, but if hunting coyotes, I'll take my scoped, Tikka T3, .243 Win. I like to shoot, so if I don't see any game or varmints, I don't mind shooting a few shots with the .22 Mag at cans or other items I find on the property. I even have steel silhouettes that are left in the fields or along woods roads to test me. The .243 doesn't get shot as much, due to cost, noise and need to handload ammo.

Another option is a Ruger MK II or III with a Bushnell micro-red dot sight. I carry that when just walking about, and sometimes carry it along with the .243 Win, mostly for plinking. Squirrels are dead meat out to 30 yards with the MKII.

I've used a few Savage O/Us and don't like the weight and relatively poor iron sights. Mounting a scope makes them more like an anchor. I'm happier toting a semi-auto shotgun with various loads.

[darkgael]

Thompson Contender carbine. 357 magnum. Less than six pounds. Carry a variety of .38/.357 loads in your pocket. Squirrel to deer no problem.

[BigD_in_FL]

For squirrels to deer, you might want to consider a combination gun or even a drilling......having different caliber/cartridges in one gun will cover your needs

[wooly booger]

I like to carry a .22 or .357 handgun while deer, bear, or elk hunting. Many times you get the opportunity to pop a squirrel or fool hen ( grouse ) for the camp pot.

[sunaj]

If I lived in thick brushy country, I would take my sxs in 12 gauge, with varied ammo you can hunt anything and have the best "assault" rifle (shhhh...) on the planet,
if I was walking in sparse woods or open plains I would take my 22-250, shoots a dime at 100yds, big enough to kill big game with shot placement and shoots straight out to 300 yds for the critterz that shoot back
sunaj

[johnwilliamson062]

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2...lding-shotgun/
What I have to fill this role. Polychoked and hard chromed are the long term plans.

[kutz]

Why not Ruger American in .270?

[Geo_Erudite]

Savage Model 16 in 6.5 Creedmoor. Has a 22 inch barrel, weighs under 8 lbs with a scope, and has minimal recoil. Load it with a 160 grain bullet which has a sectional density of 0.328 (you need a 220 grain .308 bullet, a 400 grain .416 bullet, or 500 grain .458 bullet to beat that sectional density) and you have a brush gun.

[Daekar]

... what wide variety of responses we've gotten. When you seen cartridges suggested from 22 LR to 30-06 class, you know there is more than one way to skin a cat! I love imagining how people use each rifle they suggest.

[claude783]

Get a good bolt action in 223. The Savage Models have some that come pre-scoped for under $500. Next, order a chamber adapter in 22lr from MCA Sports.

This will allow you to use it for both deer and rabbit...