Mrs.Thumbcocker wants a rifle

T

Thumbcocker

Active Member
Title says it all. Requirements are:

bolt action

moderate recoil

accurate

powerful enough for deer and hogs etc..

cast friendly

We are talking. 260 or 7mm-08 but I have no experience with them.


Rifle should be ergonomic for a shooter 5' 7" 150 lbs.

Suggestions appreciated.
 
M

MW65

Wetside, Oregon
Maybe one of the ruger American series.... ranch? Compact? A little more compact, easy to use...
 
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Rick H

Rick H

Well-Known Member
If I was starting over today, I would buy a 7-08. Either a Ruger American or a Savage. Not a big change. My first new Hi powered rifle was my 788 Remington in .308W. I still have it, still use it, and killed a little buck with it this year.
 
P

popper

Well-Known Member
Obviously, 30/30 would be best choice. Easier to cast 30 cal and larger with good results. How many here cast smaller bore? BO/x39/357 would work also, heavier bullet can be run almost 30/30. Longer distance, 308. Friend's wife tried bolt action on hogs, couldn't get second shot off fast enough. She changed to ar15 and yes she CAN shot. On a youth hunt few years ago, several kids got 350# plus hogs with 243 bolt , shooting from deer stand, guide gave one bullet.
 
StrawHat

StrawHat

Well-Known Member
Okay, bolt action, cast friendly and a deer and hog killer! With no distances mentioned I would start it the 35 Remington in something like the Remington 600. Step it up a notch brings you to the 358 Winchester. Need more oomph, the 350 Remington Magnum, funny, all of these were offered in the 600 or 650 or Model 7. More horsepower? How about the 35 Whelen, here you need a long action. Not much in a bolt action for 40 caliber except the 400 Brown/Scovill/Whelen and really, that is all you need. Handloded it can be as docile as the 40-72 WCF or horsed up to equal the 405 WCF or even up to the British 400 cartridges.

Over 41-42 caliber it starts getting into teeth jarring range.

Kevin
 
fiver

fiver

Well-Known Member
get her a 7-08.
they shoot light, and they handle cast well.
easy to load for too, throw the 139gr. Hornady interlock down the pipe at 27-2750 fps and keep the deer within 200-250yds.
no problems.
you can throw RCBS 145gr. silhouette cast bullets out of one at about 18-1900 fps all day long, but they'll have about 7-8"s at 100 in height difference from the jacketed load.
 
Glaciers

Glaciers

Alaska Land of the Midnight Sun
Well Kevin I would love a Remington 600 or 660 in 35 Remington.

But a 308 would get my vote to fill your bill. Lots of selection at reasonable prices. Load it mild or load it wild. 1-12 twist is cast friendly as well.
 
Ian

Ian

Notorious member
I have to disagree on the 7mm-08 and .243. Both are often touted as wimmen and kids calibers but just like the 20-gauge, they really don't feel like they kick much less than a .308 or 12-gauge, at least to me.

Buy a good bolt-action chambered in .308 Winchester and if necessary, load it like a .30-30 with cast ir jacketed. In fact, use Sierra 150-grain .30-30 flat nose hollow points loaded to about 2200 fps and never look back.
 
fiver

fiver

Well-Known Member
the 7-08 is just an easy to find 7x57 that has to work harder to get there... LOL

i wouldn't call either one a kids or ladies caliber, i have used my X57 ICL to pretty much shoot everything from bunnies to literally Moose, with the slightly larger than a mouse occasional chipmunk, and a few grouse for good measure.
yeah there were some Elk in there too.
IMO there isn't a more perfect deer rifle out to around 250yds. and you can see if you hit or not through the scope.
 
fiver

fiver

Well-Known Member
it'll throw a 139 out at 3-K without even trying too hard.
i keep it more like 2880ish with RL-19 and the interlock,, it just gets the job done, i tried the interbond at the above mentioned 3-K and it just tears stuff up [shoots dead flat to 300 though]
backing it down a notch allows me to take an off side shoulder shot without all the drama but i can still rely on good penetration if i have to put one in the back ribs.
best part is i just keep on neck sizing and shooting, which is good since all i have is a regular Ackley die set, and it takes some serious ooomph to push all that case down to size in it.

it does have a little more recoil than my 25-06, but not enough to make a difference considering the 40gr. bullet weight difference.


to tell the truth if i really, really needed a light recoiling rifle that was both a deer and varmint rig, i'd probably opt for the 257 Roberts and just shoot the 100gr. Speer hot core boat tail [i've taken some coyotes and umm other stuff with it] or the 86gr Sierra for varmints.
if i were drug along on an Elk hunt i'd use the hornady 120gr. hollow point.
the biggest deer i've ever shot [160+, a year past it, 300 lb. mule deer] fell to the Bob and a hornady 120 in my Win featherweight rifle.

the oldest Girl takes my 250 avAckley when she deer hunts with the 100gr Hornady interlock,[which i also like in the 25-06] i have no doubt about it doing the job if she ever hits one.
probably hard to find a rifle in the 250, probably not too hard to re-barrel to one though.
 
RBHarter

RBHarter

West Central AR
I cast 22,25,26,27,28,30,31,32/8mm ,35/38/9mm , 36/375 , 40 , 45454/458 , 50 and a .690 .

I'll buck the trend a little and sprinkle a little heresy on it .
I love the 7×57 , but like the 6.5s there aren't many slow twist barrels around unless you dumb luck into a 1-11 7mm which is plenty of the 150 gr class bullets they are just to fast to get the most out of them unless you use all of the twist ........the old Mt Molds software ran the 8.5" 7mm out to a 250 gr bullet still stable .........

The 270 cal swings the other way with lots of 10&11" twists which is why the 270 Win only goes to 150 gr . I have a Savage barrel made by AR performance in 5r at 20" for the 6.8 SPCII the NOE 279-124 at 75/25 WW-20-1 and .5 soaked up copper with checks seated at .280 over 23.3 H322 gives 2250+ fps MV and carries just over 1000 ftlb past 100 yd . FC brass with CCI 450 of #41 . Recoil is low , barrels come in 1-10 and 1-11" . The down side is the bolt face . It's the same as 30 Rem , a x39 or 35 Rem might work well enough , but there is another way . Use 22 Nosler brass , it's the same case with a 223 rim .

I like the 257 Roberts , 7×57 but they don't fit in a short action . If you have a spare 95 Mauser laying around your hooked up though for a nice little grocery getter .

I don't know what it is about the 243/6mm I just can't warm up to them .

308 , 300 Sav 1-12" 150 - 175 gr RNFP about 2200 fps or a 1-10" and a 230 about 1900 fps and you're there at the 1000#@100 . Light short action should be pretty docile to shoot . A youth Axis is about $200 , but the stocks suck .

The old 325 and 340 Savages shoot well and come in 30-30 . A case full of 4350 and you have a 150-170 gr bullet at 2100+ fps

I do like the 358 Win although I'd have rather it were a 9×57 . A 35-250 or 358-200 can be run full jacket speeds in the 358 and while it's a little much for pronghorn , but elk , moose , or bear should die just fine with a 2100 fps 250 which a lot more comfortable in a 8.5-9# 98 Mauser that a 7.5# 1895 . You can of course shot 95-158 gr pistol designs as well .

If you have the 260 Rem in your wish book , I can't believe it saying this , the 6.5 CM will be easier to find most likely has a slower twist like a 1-10 , the 265-140 NOE should work well . I think it's just a necked 250/300 Sav . Form and trim from 308 .
 
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