Whats your pistol cal. brush beater/Hunting rifle

[.356luger]

What does every one else use that maybe i havent seen or thought about yet. The make, action, etc doesnt matter to me. Im just looking for a reliable, accurate gun, with parts readily available and optics easily installed. I've been looking at IMI timberwolfs and i like what i've seen so far on them. I also looked at the taurus thunderbolt series and their pumas. Really this is the first day back in civilization after a week in deer camp and i rolled alot of ideas around in the stand. So all I am looking for is what works for others because im no longer happy with my lever. keep in mind the gun has to be tough enough to take a full house hand load in what ever caliber it is. Include pictures if possible as every one loves to see guns.

 

[baldguy637]

Ruger All Weather 77/44
4 round rotary mag, hair over 6lbs with scope
2.5lb trigger job by Darrels Custom firearms
Nikon Monarch 2-8x32mm BDC Reticle

I've taken two deer with it so far this year and i LOVE it.

 

[x10]

+1 on the 77/44 but I have a Burris Fastfire 2 on the rifle and I use the Hornady leverevolution ammo I got 2 deer with it last year and 3 this year.

its short light quick handling, One of these days I'll have to have it painted or someting to do away with the big shiny barrel but right now duct tape is doing the job

 

[snapping turtle]

Un standard 44 mag lever here.

44 mag 16 inch barrel 2.5 power scout scope with peep backup (came in handy yesterday in the fog). This is my still hunting gun.

What are you unhappy about in a lever?

 

[x10]

I myself cannot get comfortable shooting a lever gun, It just doesn't fit, never found a scope mount that I was happy with on my marlin or my puma scout rifle,

Simply not my cup of tea, while a bolt gun fits is much faster to aim and I can work the bolt as fast as I can a lever and stay in better position I understand that people like certain types of guns but you have to admit that the lever gun is around for more romantic reasons than practical reasons but that is fine

 

[gunwh]

I myself cannot get comfortable shooting a lever gun, It just doesn't fit, never found a scope mount that I was happy with on my marlin or my puma scout rifle,

Simply not my cup of tea, while a bolt gun fits is much faster to aim and I can work the bolt as fast as I can a lever and stay in better position I understand that people like certain types of guns but you have to admit that the lever gun is around for more romantic reasons than practical reasons but that is fine

there are side mounts available for the Rossi and puma we just got one in stock that my gun smith highly recomended and the plus side is its a drop in. If you need more info on the mount I can get it for you.

 

[JUMBO]

I hunt with a Marlin 1894 chambered in 41mag. I love it and it does the job easily @ 100yds (iron sights). I couldnt find a scope that would hold zero for under 250.00 so i gave up on scoping it.

356 luger: if you want to sell or trade that lever gun send me a pm. My dad is looking to convert from a shotgun to a leveraction

 

[JUMBO]

 

[jdavis1]

Those lever actions are awesome brush guns

 

[Jack Ryan]

 

[.356luger]

What are you unhappy about in a lever?

Oh i love levers im just not happy with mine anymore.

 

[x10]

What are you unhappy about in a lever?

Oh i love levers im just not happy with mine anymore.

Specically in my OPINION (which means it not a knock to anybody its the way I roll)

the guns are too tall without a scope and you throw a scope on it they get just unbalanced and easy to can't.

The stock angles never made it easy for me to use Iron sights (too low) and with a scope they are way too high, the best setup I had was a puma scout rifle, it put the scope out over the barrel and I never really got comfortable with it and I tried, I forced myself to put 500 rounds through the puma before season and just never was happy, I killed 2 deer with it that season so I'm not saying it didn't work, I didn't like the feel, I always was fighting the top heavyness of the rifle and with the scope so far out in front of me rain and moisture made light bouning off the forward mounted scope. The scope I had didn't have very much overhang over the lenses and due to the size of the scope I wan't able to find butler creeks for it

The actions are spongy on the 1894 and the screws were always backing out, I tried blue loctite but din't want to go to red. On the marlin scope were just way up high and got your head out of position.

The Marlin would never shoot up to par I've talked to people who said thiers shot like a laser but the days they show up to the range they weren't shooting like they always did and I never saw a Marlin laser gun. Funny how actual paper makes guns shoot worse and milk jugs make a gun shoot tiny groups

The Puma outshot the Marlin by far but it was still a 4 inch gun at 100, good enough for hunting but not good enough to make me happy. Benching lever guns is an art, with the junk hanging off of th ebottom of the barrel you have to know how to bench and sight in a lever gun,

The inherent over use of parts in a lever gun always had a little voice in my head saying "when is this thing going to break" Both the Marlin and the Puma I had wanted to be operated at a certian speed or they would bind in some fasion.

At the end of the day the Lever's were not for me, I wasn't willing to put up with thier personalities to shoot deer. the Ruger 77/44 was the answer to my questions.

BTW I shoot a Savage Muzzleloader because I don't care if the Hawkins was the greatest muzzleloader in the 1800's and the top of the game its still not the best tool available to me in Indiana. so in other words I don't care about asthetics, history, heritige, ect. I care about putting a well formed hunk of metal through the go go parts of a deer so that it don't go go no more

 

[snapping turtle]

I have the marlin 1894. Mine is a 16 inch barrel version and with the scout scope is balances well. Yes marlins need low mounted scopes. Mine is mainly a still hunting gun setup for fast shots on a aware but still not spooked deer. It works in the stands as long as we are not talking bean or corn fields. I will come to the range and shoot it for you. The longest i get to shoot it at my home range is 90 yards but it does not open up much more in 10 added yards, I can get nice 2 inch groups but the scout scope limits that group size at 100. At 50 i can get em to touch.

I also have a bean/corn field gun. TC contender in 357 max. good to go at 200 but I don;t think I have ever shot a deer much over 150 and that was with a contender pistol.

If your lever is a pre safety let me know when you want to sell it.

 

[builder_one]

I've got a Ruger 77/44 with a Burris Short Mag 3-9x scope and just took this doe on Friday afternoon using Winchester White Box 240gr JSP ammo, absolutely love this rig!

 

[Claddagh]

My two favorite CF woods bumming companions are both in .357/.38 Spl.: a much-beloved IMI Timberwolf purchased nearly twenty years ago and a Rossi M92 Trapper with 16" barrel and a Lyman 66A receiver sight installed.

I very seldom go deer hunting anymore and back when I did I had to go out-of-state to use anything but a shotgun and slugs or a muzzle loader anyway. The .357 seemed the most practical and economical choice for the things I do most often during the year, such as plinking and wandering around in the fields and wood lots under the pretense of "hunting" whatever small game is in season. Mostly, I'm really just enjoying loafing around in the woods digging on the day. But if I tell people (my long-suffering wife, for instance) that "I'm going [blank] hunting", then I'm not just 'wasting' the day farting around in the woods like a kid

I mostly use my standard GP handload of whatever 158 gr. LSWC is least expensive this month over 4.7 gr. of "new" Unique in .357 cases in all of my .357's. It's quite nicely accurate, pleasant to shoot, inexpensive and has more than enough power to handle the small game and occasional varmint up to and including coyote-size I most often run across out to 50 yds or so.

 

[schoolmaster]

I am shooting a .358 BFG custom McGowen barreled Savage Weather Warrior. This is the wildcat based on the .25 WSSM parent cartridge to meet Indiana pistol cartridge regs. This rifle shoots 2 inches at 200 yards and I have only begun to do any load developement. It is stainless with black synthetic stock and a has a 4.5x14 Leupold VXIII with B&C crosshairs on it. I have taken two deer with this set up. One at 32 yards and one at 256. It will take a beating, handle rough weather and still reach out and touch them.