Tikka T3 Lite Stainless. Monster rifle for the money.
.308 Carbine?
- Thread starter gigglemonk
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I have a BLR in .308 (not the take down version) and would concur that it's a great gun but if you're looking at a semi auto I'd look at the Saiga, that AK action is something else, though I heard that they kick a bit in that caliber. Any thoughts on a G3 or FN-FAL type weapon?
I'd really stay away from the Winchester 100's everyone I've ever seen in .308 was prone to jamming very easily.
I'd really stay away from the Winchester 100's everyone I've ever seen in .308 was prone to jamming very easily.
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I'd look at the Ruger Scout, keep a couple 5's for hunting and a spare 10rounder or three in case of trouble.
A .308's a bit light for moose, then again, people have killed them with .30-30s or smaller.
XS makes a full length rail which allows you to run a standard scope. You could also use LaRue QD mounts and keep an Aimpoint handy (or use the irons) for close in work.
A .308's a bit light for moose, then again, people have killed them with .30-30s or smaller.
XS makes a full length rail which allows you to run a standard scope. You could also use LaRue QD mounts and keep an Aimpoint handy (or use the irons) for close in work.
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- #24
Its looking more and more like the Ruger Scout. Still want to try out the Kimber Montana, at 5 1/4 lbs it must kick like a mule. The Scout just seems to be damn practical.
The Ruger's nice.
Do you have a choice of barrel length or are they only 16"?
Do you have a choice of barrel length or are they only 16"?
- Thread starter
- #26
The ruger is only available in the 16.5 inch barrel. Their Hawkeyes are available in other lengths
It's not a hunting rifle, and it's not what I'd call a prime backpacking rifle due to the weight, but I absolutely love my Bushmaster .308 rifle. I love it so much, I just listed my .223 locally today (so I can buy more straight razors and tools...)
I have a Ruger Scout Rifle. Shoots well, but an extended shooting session will remind you why it was purchased to fill the freezer and hunt zombies, and not punch paper.
Savage model 99 lever action.You may even be able to find one in a take down model.
I have one of those too (non takedown) Decent gun but it kicks like a mule. Also gave me a nice Scope Eye the first time I ever shot it! Quite accurate though and that rotary magazine is pretty neat. I've never seen the version that had a detachable magazine.
Remington 600 is pretty great if you can find one. I've been trying to buy one from a friend for over ten years now and have yet to find one in my limited looking.
What about a new Winchester Model 70 Featherweight in .308? 22" barrel, 6 lbs, 12 oz is a pretty good combination of compact and lightweight. Put some good glass and a sling on it, find the best round out there that it will shoot, and you're good to go. There's been tremendous strides in bullet design, so .308 on most of the heavy bodied mammals found in North America isn't too much of a stretch as long as you shoot the "best" bullet and stay within your abilities. Shot placement, shot placement, shot placement...I wouldn't want to face a charging grizzly with it, but that's related more to the rifle being bolt action and not to doubts about the round itselt.
Savage makes some decent rifles, too. Howa might fit the bill as would Tikka.
I'm not much on the Scout rifle concept for anything outside of Col Cooper's recommendations and established parameters for the rifle. It may have its place, but I'm not convinced that it offers any real advantages over a more conventional bolt action rifle. The .308 in an AR platform has its uses, too, but I would not consider anything other than LaRue. The Bushmaster and DPMS may hold up in limited use on the range and for hunting, but you're not going to be able to run them hard and also rely on them.
What about a new Winchester Model 70 Featherweight in .308? 22" barrel, 6 lbs, 12 oz is a pretty good combination of compact and lightweight. Put some good glass and a sling on it, find the best round out there that it will shoot, and you're good to go. There's been tremendous strides in bullet design, so .308 on most of the heavy bodied mammals found in North America isn't too much of a stretch as long as you shoot the "best" bullet and stay within your abilities. Shot placement, shot placement, shot placement...I wouldn't want to face a charging grizzly with it, but that's related more to the rifle being bolt action and not to doubts about the round itselt.
Savage makes some decent rifles, too. Howa might fit the bill as would Tikka.
I'm not much on the Scout rifle concept for anything outside of Col Cooper's recommendations and established parameters for the rifle. It may have its place, but I'm not convinced that it offers any real advantages over a more conventional bolt action rifle. The .308 in an AR platform has its uses, too, but I would not consider anything other than LaRue. The Bushmaster and DPMS may hold up in limited use on the range and for hunting, but you're not going to be able to run them hard and also rely on them.
Steyer Scout.
I was dissappointed in the Ruger Scout - it handled and shot well enough, but the bolt action was very rough.
I was dissappointed in the Ruger Scout - it handled and shot well enough, but the bolt action was very rough.
I only have a single Ruger bolt action. It's an early M77V in .220 Swift. Love the cartridge and this particular rifle is accurate but the action is not smooth, even after years of use. Ruger makes extensive use of castings for its major firearms components so probably can't produce a rifle with the smoothness of say a pre-64 Winchester Model 70. I've owned other Ruger M77 bolt-actions and they were all a bit rough. They were also turkeys in the accuracy department so they went away. I've seen others have accuracy issues with Ruger bolt-action centerfire rifles over the years so am not personally very impressed with them.
Now my brother-in-law got a little Ruger 77 .308 carbine a couple of years ago that he's become very fond of. I'm not up on my current Ruger models and variations but this one does shoot very well on the occasions I've been on hand to shoot it. It is more sensible in my view than that scout rifle variant with the extended magazine and the flash hider.
Here's a photo of it.
The .308 Winchester is a really good general purpose cartridge. The only .308 Winchester rifle kept around here is a Springfield Armory M1A. It's a fine, accurate rifle but doesn't fit the carbine requirement. I've used this one for high-power competition over the years. The Springfield Armory SOCOM versions are shorties and might make a handy .308 for someone wanting a compact yet powerful rifle. I appreciate all things having to do with rifles and love the big .30 caliber rifles better than the .223 AR 15s.
Now my brother-in-law got a little Ruger 77 .308 carbine a couple of years ago that he's become very fond of. I'm not up on my current Ruger models and variations but this one does shoot very well on the occasions I've been on hand to shoot it. It is more sensible in my view than that scout rifle variant with the extended magazine and the flash hider.
Here's a photo of it.
The .308 Winchester is a really good general purpose cartridge. The only .308 Winchester rifle kept around here is a Springfield Armory M1A. It's a fine, accurate rifle but doesn't fit the carbine requirement. I've used this one for high-power competition over the years. The Springfield Armory SOCOM versions are shorties and might make a handy .308 for someone wanting a compact yet powerful rifle. I appreciate all things having to do with rifles and love the big .30 caliber rifles better than the .223 AR 15s.
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"Carbines" are nice. The .308 Win. is a respectable cartridge, also known as the 7.62 x 51, or NATO .308. It was also called "the 500 yard" cartridge, when compared to the .30-06 (the 1000 yard cartridge), that it was replacing. (Which means it might be on Janet the Second's list of desirable contraband ammunition for the People.) I had a Savage 99A in .308. The rifle was too light for that caliber, IMHO. But, silly old me, I enjoyed traipsing around the high desert with a Lee-Enfield Mk I SMLE in .303, as a 'fun gun'. Punching holes on paper pictures of the Ayatolleh Khomeini at 200 yds. was how I defined fun, then. That crazy cross-eyed bearded fellow from the same country, gives more a challenge.)
Someone mentioned a lever action rifle. Why not a 'carbine length' lever action in the older 'service caliber', .45-70? There are a lot of 'guide gun' lever action rifles, that are not overly heavy for the day walk, do have the gumption and attitude to take down anything American, and would not 'break the bank'? I forgot, there are the newer .450 Alaskans, as well. It is a rifle design that has worked since the 1860's. They are as accurate, or better, than any a human's eye. The weight, no more than 7 pounds. For range, I would suggest looking at YouTube's favorite gun range shootist, hickok45, as he hits 240 yard shots with a 45-70 lever action. If I remember correctly, the .45-70 cartridge was designed for the West, and with the thought of putting down that angry AmerIndian's horse, at range. If someone cannot take game, at ranges out to 240 yards, open sights, with a 450 grain all lead flat nose bullet telling the respective game, that it's 'game over', than they might think differently where to do their day walking.
Or, you could go 'lean and mean', with a lever action rifle chambered in either .357 magnum, or .44 magnum. Choices of 16-inch, 20-inch, or 24-inch barrels. I have a 16-inch .357, with the John Wayne big loop lever, and it is more than sufficient for me. FWIW, ballistically, a 16-inch barrel is the optimum for tweaking every second of velocity and every foot-pound from a .357 magnum cartridge, with no gas leak from cylinder to forcing cone gaps.
Someone mentioned a lever action rifle. Why not a 'carbine length' lever action in the older 'service caliber', .45-70? There are a lot of 'guide gun' lever action rifles, that are not overly heavy for the day walk, do have the gumption and attitude to take down anything American, and would not 'break the bank'? I forgot, there are the newer .450 Alaskans, as well. It is a rifle design that has worked since the 1860's. They are as accurate, or better, than any a human's eye. The weight, no more than 7 pounds. For range, I would suggest looking at YouTube's favorite gun range shootist, hickok45, as he hits 240 yard shots with a 45-70 lever action. If I remember correctly, the .45-70 cartridge was designed for the West, and with the thought of putting down that angry AmerIndian's horse, at range. If someone cannot take game, at ranges out to 240 yards, open sights, with a 450 grain all lead flat nose bullet telling the respective game, that it's 'game over', than they might think differently where to do their day walking.
Or, you could go 'lean and mean', with a lever action rifle chambered in either .357 magnum, or .44 magnum. Choices of 16-inch, 20-inch, or 24-inch barrels. I have a 16-inch .357, with the John Wayne big loop lever, and it is more than sufficient for me. FWIW, ballistically, a 16-inch barrel is the optimum for tweaking every second of velocity and every foot-pound from a .357 magnum cartridge, with no gas leak from cylinder to forcing cone gaps.
While I like that combo, If I'm going to carry a rifle, I want a potent rifle cartridge to go with it. Hornady tube-mag ammo lets you get superior ballistic performance compared to standard tube-safe type ammo.
A browning box mag lets you get to the .270 WSM, and that is a sexy round.
Having said all that about pistol rounds, I'll be a hypocrite and say I would not mind carrying around a .30 carbine, even though that's not much more of a round than a high powered pistol.
Why do you specifically want a .308 Winchester caliber? If you are buying new and have the option of ordering a gun ok.
Otherwise there are plenty of other calibers in that general size, energy level area. One of my favorites is a Swedish M 38, one of their M 96 rifles cut down to what they call short rifle configuration, in 6.5x55 Mauser cartridge, the standard for Moose in northern Europe. They also have a true carbine, the M 94. I am talking old military rifles here. The caliber is excellent and can also be had in numerous commercial rifles and carbines. Another good old cartridge is the 7x57 Mauser.
Personally I use an old Win Mod 70 Featherweight in 30-06, not a true carbine, but with a 22"barrel, not a true rifle lenght either.
If you are into reloading and can find one one of the Swedish Husqvarna model 46 or 146 rifles in 9.3x57 can be had and cut down to carbine length. Standard bullet is 286 gr and will anchor anything on this continent quickly, and is rather mild to shoot, with a lower velocity and less recoil to me than the .308. Simpson's Ltd usually lists quite a few in their large stock of vintage guns.
Ruger makes a nice little carbine in their single shot #1 series, the 1A model they call a light rifle. The action is so short they can put a 22" rifle barrel on it and have a carbine length rifle. I have a very pretty one in 7x57 I picked up used at a gun show 10-12 years ago and it's a great size for carrying. It comes in a wide variety of calibers up to the 30-06 as the largest caliber, they do make in in the .308. Downside is that it is a bit costly. They also make another model called the International, that has a full stock, wood all the way to the muzzle, but a short 20"barrel that would make it very handy.
Otherwise there are plenty of other calibers in that general size, energy level area. One of my favorites is a Swedish M 38, one of their M 96 rifles cut down to what they call short rifle configuration, in 6.5x55 Mauser cartridge, the standard for Moose in northern Europe. They also have a true carbine, the M 94. I am talking old military rifles here. The caliber is excellent and can also be had in numerous commercial rifles and carbines. Another good old cartridge is the 7x57 Mauser.
Personally I use an old Win Mod 70 Featherweight in 30-06, not a true carbine, but with a 22"barrel, not a true rifle lenght either.
If you are into reloading and can find one one of the Swedish Husqvarna model 46 or 146 rifles in 9.3x57 can be had and cut down to carbine length. Standard bullet is 286 gr and will anchor anything on this continent quickly, and is rather mild to shoot, with a lower velocity and less recoil to me than the .308. Simpson's Ltd usually lists quite a few in their large stock of vintage guns.
Ruger makes a nice little carbine in their single shot #1 series, the 1A model they call a light rifle. The action is so short they can put a 22" rifle barrel on it and have a carbine length rifle. I have a very pretty one in 7x57 I picked up used at a gun show 10-12 years ago and it's a great size for carrying. It comes in a wide variety of calibers up to the 30-06 as the largest caliber, they do make in in the .308. Downside is that it is a bit costly. They also make another model called the International, that has a full stock, wood all the way to the muzzle, but a short 20"barrel that would make it very handy.
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I would hazard a guess and say cartridge availability. Part of the appeal of the carbine/scout is general availability of ammo. 308 is one probably one of the more common rounds, especially in.30 caliber. Some of those rounds you suggest are nice, but really are not sitting on shelves in most gun stores. 308, 270, 30-06, 5.56...pretty much available at Wal-Mart.
Brent.
