# Firearms and Shooting > Firearms, Optics and Accessories >  What would your ultimate Bush Pig rifle build be and what NZ gunsmith would you use?

## bunji

I am looking at the option of building a true dedicated NZ bush rifle as a one off keep for a life time type rifle,mainly for Sika as well as other deer in the bush,so l am looking from input especially from you blokes who have tried a few different options over the years and have had things work and things that did not work.I am now semi retired so am finally going to be able to do some extended back country hunts and extended rafting hunts etc so the rifle needs to be able to take the knocks.I am looking at basically a accurate work gun capable of handling everything from 10mtrs to 300 which is about as long a shot as we have where l bush hunt and what l have encountered over the last 15yrs hunting where l do in the south isle.

So l am leaning towards having a good handling gun, that points well off hand and has been blue printed/free floated/pillar bedded etc,in my own mind l am looking at a stainless SA in 7/08 or 308 with a 16 inch barrel and recommendations on a good quality suppressor that will take the knocks. l am not really fussed on looks more the functioning and handing (so not sure on bolt fluting etc), my favorite go to guns for this type of work over the years have been a Rem 600 Mohawk in 308 a model 7 243 (both now sold)and my current 30/06 rem mountain rifle in stainless/laminated which has basically been my go to NZ rife for 7 years now.I have never had much to do with a NZ gunsmiths and have not had a suppressor on the 06 for the last 7 yrs so am not up on the latest suppressors designs(definitely need one that can handle bush bashing etc)so recommendations on who to do the build,fitting etc would help as well,l have been bitten hard by the Sika bug so l imagine the gun will mainly be used for hunting them for the most part and my 06MR and  my old Sako 270 will handle the other hunts.So come on you blokes who have set up specific bush pig rifles over the years what would you build now from lessons you have learnt?.TIA  :Thumbsup:

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## MassiveAttack

One of these.  Similar weight as a AR15, 30 cal goodness.

New Zealand Repeating Arms Co Ltd | DPMS GII 308 Hunter, Rifles

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## 7mmsaum

T3 in 308

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## Friwi

As above , factory t3 in 308, cut at 15 or 16" suppressed .
If you had kept your Mohawk rifle, then getting it blue printed and rebarrelled in 308 would have made sense.
But buying  a second hand Remington seven, doing all the custom work and rebareling is going to bring you between 2000 and $2500 at least. It will be good gun.
Other option could a a sako or kimber factory, cut down and suppressed. But again, you are looking at the above figures or more.
Maybe get to your local gunshop, and have a feel of the different rifles to see what you like best. And there might be some good buggers on the forum living nearby that could let you shoot their rifle?

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## Shearer

I have a 16" T3 suppressed 308 and find it hard to fault as a "bush pig". If I could improve it in any way to make it my ideal bush pig, I would go for the same thing in .338 fedral.

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## 6x47

They may be common and boring but the std 7-08 or .308 T3 Bushpig will fit your bill perfectly. I'd be doing a DPT can now rather than the Hardy.

Helmet on and awaiting incoming...

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## Micky Duck

dedicated bush rifle.....SxS Bakail in .45/70    get one barrel to shoot a hot load to known points of impact at range for the very odd long shot and have 2nd barrel with a big soft lead slug shooting mild enough to happily use.
no scope to knock/fog/crap out and anything with a .45 cal hole in it isnt going far.
thats the fairy tale 
reality is a cheap as chinese made 7.62x39mm with a gunworks can right up hard against stock with 2" taken off that and a fixed 4 power loopy scope....now wearing my classic old 3x9x40mm gold crown (the best field of view of any scope Ive tried)
it goes bang with supersoniC and phiit with subs and animals seem to just give up and fall over LOL

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## craigc

> They may be common and boring but the std 7-08 or .308 T3 Bushpig will fit your bill perfectly. I'd be doing a DPT can now rather than the Hardy.
> 
> Helmet on and awaiting incoming...


Nah you are bang on there mate.

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## deer243

99 % of all my hunting is bushstalking. Ive never found the need to do a "bushpig build"" as such. Using a standard 22 inch barrel in a 243 has been my go to rifle since i started out and its been great. People chop their rifles, suppressor them and chop as much weight of them as they can. They also  tend to want to go to a bigger Cal . Its their choice, and thats all fine.Nothing wrong with it, i handled mates rifles that are deemed "bushpigs"but does nothing for me.
I find the longer barrel length no problem what so ever, even my back up 308 is 24 inches and i use that often in the bush and again no problem. Getting a lighter stock prob makes sense if you really want save weight, bolt fluting etc is just a look thing and waste of money. The 243 is awesome in the bush, esp for those ranges, underrated in my opinon. Certainly doesnt lack any fire power at all for the bush.  Still, if you want go the Custom "bushpig way"" others on here will be able to help you out. Everyman and his dog has a "bushpig"if a bush hunter, i just find theres no real need if you cant be bothered.
Just going a standard 22 or 20 inch, maybe a light weight stock and use a light weight scope and you good to go.
No need to go 308 or bigger, something lighter is find but you not going wrong thou using a cannon lol instead of a "ratgun"like me. Theres always times where a longer shot in some country comes up, hence why i have a 308 as well, as the 243 is darm awesome but i limit it to 250 tops so the 308 has more options and works well if its chopped  so its the popular choice

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## Rock river arms hunter

Zastava M85 Stainless 308 and 16" Trueflight and Zeiss Terra 2-7 or.... Weatherby 16" Trueflight, Fluted, DPT and Vortex Diamond Back 2-7. It sounds like we're in similar situations for the intended use of a bush pig so relating is easy. I've actually gone for a Marlin 336 30-30 and popped the diamond back as above on it for a pig but I am limiting myself to 220 as opposed to your 300

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## tikka

For me it would be a Sako 75 .223rem rebarreled with a 12" 1:7 twist carbon or fluted stainless barrel, a Stug or simular carbon stock with a Nightforce NXS Compact 2.5-10x42 scope and a ODL can.

Oh yes and calibre: 300aac blackout, I know it works as I have the Tikka T3 version accounted for dozens of deer and pigs or maybe a Sako 75 .308win with same specs as above, I don't need long barrel to get to 300m.

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## deer243

> For me it would be a Sako 75 .223rem rebarreled with a 12" 1:7 twist carbon or fluted stainless barrel, a Stug or simular carbon stock with a Nightforce NXS Compact 2.5-10x42 scope and a ODL can.
> 
> Oh yes and calibre: 300aac blackout, I know it works as I have the Tikka T3 version accounted for dozens of deer and pigs or maybe a Sako 75 .308win with same specs as above, I don't need long barrel to get to 300m.


Nice sounds boar from the looks?

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## tikka

Yeah sounds boar at 800m asl.

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## gundoc

Just go and buy a Ruger American Ranch rifle in .300 Blackout!  It is the right length (16.5" barrel) and already factory threaded.  Get a trigger job, a bolt polish, a good suppressor, and a Leupold 1-4x20 VX-Hog, and you will be good to go for under $2,000.  You don't need to be spending big $$ on a custom rifle that is going to be hacked around in the bush, and it would only shoot as well as the Ruger in the end anyway.

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## jackson21

You could save quite a bit of cash and buy a Ruger American Predator 308
18" and threaded from factory ready for a suppressor. Don't let the reasonable price fool you, very good rifles. Maybe throw an aftermarket timmney trigger, but factory one is ok for short to medium shooting.

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## jackson21

Simular answer above mine but I'm just not fully sold on the 300 blk yet...

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## Danny

Nice pig
We have a Ruger .44mag in bolt action. It's handy as. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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## systolic

> One of these.  Similar weight as a AR15, 30 cal goodness.
> 
> New Zealand Repeating Arms Co Ltd | DPMS GII 308 Hunter, Rifles


He said he wanted something to last a lifetime, not just until the cops get the government to change the law and all semi-autos are banned.

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## Tommy

> He said he wanted something to last a lifetime, not just until the cops get the government to change the law and all semi-autos are banned.


Get back under your bridge

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## 300_BLK

I'd use Tiffen or Trail.

Tikka T3
223 1-8 twist (run the 77 TMK)
12" barrel, fluted No 3 contour
ODL Can
Sandblasted metalwork to get rid of the 'shine'
Carbon fibre stock from Ken H or Kiwi Comp
Primary arms 1-8 ACSS scope from @Digit

Job Done...

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## Friwi

If you are running a 223 why bother with the weight of a long action tikka??? Use a Cz ,zastava or similar micro action.
If a 55 gr of the right construction is not going to do the job, then neither a 77 gr will.

A Remington 7, a kimber / Forbes or a sako is the next size action that come to my mind if you step up in caliber and want to go from 243 to 338 fed.( savage and ruger American if smaller budget).

The tikka , although available in a great selection of calibers, and of reasonably nice weight for its size might be better served by a6.5x55 or 30-06 family type of cartridge .

I like efficiency when I go in the bush , specially when I climb the steep hills of the west kaimais!

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## rossi.45

> If you are running a 223 why bother with the weight of a long action tikka??? Use a Cz ,zastava or similar micro action.
> If a 55 gr of the right construction is not going to do the job, then neither a 77 gr will.
> 
> A Remington 7, a kimber / Forbes or a sako is the next size action that come to my mind if you step up in caliber and want to go from 243 to 338 fed.( savage and ruger American if smaller budget).
> 
> The tikka , although available in a great selection of calibers, and of reasonably nice weight for its size might be better served by a6.5x55 or 30-06 family type of cartridge .
> 
> I like efficiency when I go in the bush , specially when I climb the steep hills of the west kaimais!


maybe 300-BLK just likes Tikkas  . . . maybe he likes all the after market bolt ons , not to many CZ, Zastava after market parts out there . . maybe he just doesnt like liddle micro rifles, he wants a full sized rifle, that if he chooses to can open up the bolt to a .308 sized cartridge later


my mate uses a model 7  .308 15inch barrel with a Gunworks, 2-7 khales on top - i use a 15inch barreled Brno .308 with a DPT, 3.5-10 Leupold with M1 dials ( i shoot a bit further than him ) . . . completely different rifles, ones plastic and stainless with a  junky alloy floor plate, the other wood and all blued steel with a traditional mauser extractor with the right wieght n balance for good offhand shooting ( for me ) . . long story short, it doesnt matter what other people use, half the fun is finding out what works for you, it takes some time and fckn about but rather that than soemone elses idea of the perfect rifle / car / woman or whatever.

good luck and enjoy the journey  . .. R

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## MassiveAttack

> He said he wanted something to last a lifetime, not just until the cops get the government to change the law and all semi-autos are banned.


Trump is in charge now and he is going to make gun laws great again.

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## gadgetman

Hmm. I'd go for a Zastava M85 (roughly a mini Mauser action) rebarreled in 6.5 and chambered in 6.5 Grendel if there was room in the mag.

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## mawzer308

Mate my 5c worth, if 300 is the max, you can get away with round nose bullets. More frontal area transfers more energy upon impacts etc. 

For calibre I'm going to be the guy to suggest something different: 9.3x62, 35 Whelen, 338 Federal. All these calibres are good to 300 and aren't easily deflected by the thick bush and really knock the deer down well especially 9.3x62 from personal experience. Downside is ammo availability and rifles chambered for them. 

For a base rifle a tikka or howa would be hard to beat.

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## Markgibsonr25

> Just go and buy a Ruger American Ranch rifle in .300 Blackout!  It is the right length (16.5" barrel) and already factory threaded.  Get a trigger job, a bolt polish, a good suppressor, and a Leupold 1-4x20 VX-Hog, and you will be good to go for under $2,000.  You don't need to be spending big $$ on a custom rifle that is going to be hacked around in the bush, and it would only shoot as well as the Ruger in the end anyway.


Just shot a mates 300 AAC yesterday with a leupold Vx hog scope.They have a really coarse cross hair which I hated,It made it very hard to align the scope in the same place as the cross hairs obscured most of where you wanted to aim.I much prefer the leupold dedicated blackout scope on mine

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## matto1234

Not sure why people are suggesting 223 as a bush pig cal. My ideal bush pig is going to be complete soon , 308 savage hunter lightweight 308 14inch barrel and dpt can

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## Micky Duck

you have missed the whole point of that type of scope....quick aiming in poor lighting. once upon a time every man and his dog just used a 3 or 4 power fixed scope and still shot out to 300.

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## zimmer

> you have missed the whole point of that type of scope....quick aiming in poor lighting. once upon a time every man and his dog just used a 3 or 4 power fixed scope and still shot out to 300.


Yeh, MD it's amazing where it has all come to (sounding like the old bugger now that I am) - my bush rifle (never called it a pig, them were the things being shot at) was my trusty 308 Sako Forester with 3x Leupold. Brilliant scope. Used to chase dogs chasing pigs with it as well (open sights) and it was a tad long somtimes when rushing thru gorse and shit. My tops rifle was believe it or not my same Sako Forester with a 4x scope on board. Left my share of dead animals with it up the Godley. Never felt disadvantaged with a 4x scope although long shots were 250 yards at most. Now everyone anguishes whether or not they are "under scoped" and the whole process of what gun to use is like a woman looking at clothing (a la my eldest daughter) where most of the enjoyment they get is the pre sale process and the sale closure is only a formailty.  :Have A Nice Day:

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## 6x47

Zimmer, Zimmer, don't you know it's all in the journey, not the destination?  

And however long we take deciding, it won't be a small fraction of the time many wives take to "shop" (as in windowshop). I was once dragged along shopping in Richmond (Melbourne) - 3 hrs in 30+C and kilometres of ---solid-- women's clothing and shoe shops with not a single real shop. Suicide was appealing by the end of it. Never again.

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## Micky Duck

thanks Zimmer......somethings still work just as well today as they always have....... they just arent trendy anymore
mercator pocket knives
buller gumboots
frame packs
sugar bag pikau
and last but not least...fishing with worms LOL

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## 7mmwsm

> thanks Zimmer......somethings still work just as well today as they always have....... they just arent trendy anymore
> mercator pocket knives
> buller gumboots
> frame packs
> sugar bag pikau
> and last but not least...fishing with worms LOL


Huhu grubs are better than worms. But I agree with you on all the others.

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## Gibo

Fished with worms onnthe Murrey river last year, was so funny going and buying them from the gas station :Grin:

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## turner nz

16 inches suppressed and good old 308, optic a 2-7 vortex so when it shits itself at-least you got the vip warranty . what rifle/suppressor you buy is your decision. personally tikka/dpt

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## JonP

> 16 inches suppressed and good old 308, optic a 2-7 vortex so when it shits itself at-least you got the vip warranty . what rifle/suppressor you buy is your decision. personally tikka/dpt


This. Mine: Remington/Leupold VX2/DPT.

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## Marty Henry

This works for me, 308 russian cut to 18 inches, ati stocked with timney trigger and long eye relief scope. It doesn't seem to rust, and to 200m is deadly, after that guessing the drop makes it interesting.

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## Shootm

I must be boring my bush rifle is a Sako AII in 308 with 4x Burris. I like because of the positive half cock and handy weight.

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## nor-west

> 16 inches suppressed and good old 308, optic a 2-7 vortex so when it shits itself at-least you got the vip warranty . what rifle/suppressor you buy is your decision. personally tikka/dpt


This would be ideal and I would use Allen Carr just down the road in Paraparaumu

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## gadgetman

Do you really need something with a massive pill for short range bush hunting? My experience level with this is zero. I would have thought that for close range work pretty much anything would have enough wallop, the main thing is to put the lead sleeping pill in the right place?

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## Marty Henry

Alan did my 308 russian off a 1943 mosin nagant bloody good job on a relic, i like it more than my remington.

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## GWH

> Do you really need something with a massive pill for short range bush hunting? My experience level with this is zero. I would have thought that for close range work pretty much anything would have enough wallop, the main thing is to put the lead sleeping pill in the right place?


I believe the advantage of a heavy pill is less deflection off twigs/small branches etc that you often end up shooting through when bush hunting.

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## gadgetman

> I believe the advantage of a heavy pill is less deflection off twigs/small branches etc that you often end up shooting through when bush hunting.


I believe that was tested and completely debunked a few years back.

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## Sidney

Yep.... but how fangible a projectile is will make a difference...

And while the debunking was conclusive if I remember, basic physics would suggest that the deviation caused by projectiles at the same speed, but with different masses should vary...  I have always been puzzled by that.  Perhaps it is why the idea persists?

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## Double Shot

> 99 % of all my hunting is bushstalking. Ive never found the need to do a "bushpig build"" as such. Using a standard 22 inch barrel in a 243 has been my go to rifle since i started out and its been great. People chop their rifles, suppressor them and chop as much weight of them as they can. They also  tend to want to go to a bigger Cal . Its their choice, and thats all fine.Nothing wrong with it, i handled mates rifles that are deemed "bushpigs"but does nothing for me.
> I find the longer barrel length no problem what so ever, even my back up 308 is 24 inches and i use that often in the bush and again no problem. Getting a lighter stock prob makes sense if you really want save weight, bolt fluting etc is just a look thing and waste of money. The 243 is awesome in the bush, esp for those ranges, underrated in my opinon. Certainly doesnt lack any fire power at all for the bush.  Still, if you want go the Custom "bushpig way"" others on here will be able to help you out. Everyman and his dog has a "bushpig"if a bush hunter, i just find theres no real need if you cant be bothered.
> Just going a standard 22 or 20 inch, maybe a light weight stock and use a light weight scope and you good to go.
> No need to go 308 or bigger, something lighter is find but you not going wrong thou using a cannon lol instead of a "ratgun"like me. Theres always times where a longer shot in some country comes up, hence why i have a 308 as well, as the 243 is darm awesome but i limit it to 250 tops so the 308 has more options and works well if its chopped  so its the popular choice


What he said,

Run a .243 with 22in barrel and the Sierra 85g HPBT have such good hydrostatic shock nothing has walked away. Have considered chopping it but just can't justify it...

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## Sidney

It seems like everyone is missing the point...   the bush pig thing is only an issue if you want a can, and don't want the extra length and weight on the end of your barrel that a good can creates.

If you don't want a can, good luck to you and your increasing deafness.... or your fumbling for something to stuff in your ears...

If you do want to use a suppressor; personally I don't like putting cans on anything over 20 inches in length, and preferably about 16" so that the extra 4-5" forwards make it a total about back to where we started.  People who started doing this soon worked out that a small amount of velocity loss made little difference to the thing you point it at, and in fact if you reloaded, using faster powders still got you back to almost the same velocities as what you are buying in factory boxes with the original length barrel.

Now there are 2 reasons, why you might not want to chop....  you have a nice original rifle or you don't want a suppressor.  Don't chop if you don't want a supressor.  Its almost all minuses.  If you can live with an original length rifle and a suppressor, good luck to you also... some do just because they don't want to chop a nice rifle.

Outside of that, for me at least it's purely pragmatic....  I've already lost as much hearing as I want to and I don't want to cart a telephone pole around in the bush.

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## sneeze

I have no problem with standard length barrel and a light can. I mostly use  a 23" barreled  .243 and 85gr  tsx. I have a nice Carbon fiber  can which i dont really notice  the weight or length. I dont mind using it without the can for the odd shot either. 
 Hearing is just a part of your overall health and we all sacrifice our health in some way or another, prolonged loud music, smoking, alcohol, sugar, overweight.

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## gadgetman

> Yep.... but how fangible a projectile is will make a difference...
> 
> And while the debunking was conclusive if I remember, basic physics would suggest that the deviation caused by projectiles at the same speed, but with different masses should vary...  I have always been puzzled by that.  Perhaps it is why the idea persists?


I think the main advantage with a larger calibre is that it lends itself to a short barrel where an overbore round struggles.

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## mikee

> I think the main advantage with a larger calibre is that it lends itself to a short barrel where an overbore round struggles.


I bloody hope so or I might have a bit of egg on my face!!

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## gadgetman

> I bloody hope so or I might have a bit of egg on my face!!


Egg on the face to go with the bruise on the shoulder?

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## Spudattack

Modern mono and bonded premium projectiles have changed the playing field.

In the past slow and heavy was considered the way for close quarters due to the fragile nature of projectiles, slower impact velocity meant less likelihood of bullet failure, meat damage and wounding due to poor penetration.

Larger bore also meant that expansion was less of a concern as big bullets make big holes!

I suspect this is largely why the .270 got its reputation as a wounder, poor bullet construction.

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## mikee

> Egg on the face to go with the bruise on the shoulder?


probably not too mention a wee wee. I'm gonna try 407gn Cast bullet at 1050fps as well

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## gadgetman

> probably not too mention a wee wee. I'm gonna try 407gn Cast bullet at 1050fps as well


The hammer of Thor.

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## Friwi

No, the hammer of Quickley.

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## bumblefoot

I remember reading a Nick Harvey article in an ancient mag (Sporting Shooter I think) when i was a kid around about 1978-ish. Harvey was testing a number of rounds and bullet types for deflection through scrub and he reckoned the 358 Win with a round nose pill worked the best.... I remember being young and impressionable and dreamed of getting a Miroku lever in 358 Win (what he used).... I saved a ton of money by buying an old 8x57 Mauser as my first centrefire instead.....

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## LOC

> I believe that was tested and completely debunked a few years back.


yeah it probably has been debunked, but the best result in believing your 'heavier bullet' (or whatever bullet) doesn't get deflected is just getting on with taking the shot at the right time and not worrying about branches and twigs that may make you miss that best opportunity

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## deer243

> It seems like everyone is missing the point...   the bush pig thing is only an issue if you want a can, and don't want the extra length and weight on the end of your barrel that a good can creates.
> 
> If you don't want a can, good luck to you and your increasing deafness.... or your fumbling for something to stuff in your ears...
> 
> If you do want to use a suppressor; personally I don't like putting cans on anything over 20 inches in length, and preferably about 16" so that the extra 4-5" forwards make it a total about back to where we started.  People who started doing this soon worked out that a small amount of velocity loss made little difference to the thing you point it at, and in fact if you reloaded, using faster powders still got you back to almost the same velocities as what you are buying in factory boxes with the original length barrel.
> 
> Now there are 2 reasons, why you might not want to chop....  you have a nice original rifle or you don't want a suppressor.  Don't chop if you don't want a supressor.  Its almost all minuses.  If you can live with an original length rifle and a suppressor, good luck to you also... some do just because they don't want to chop a nice rifle.
> 
> Outside of that, for me at least it's purely pragmatic....  I've already lost as much hearing as I want to and I don't want to cart a telephone pole around in the bush.


Yeah.i get your point but heres the thing. Shooting at the range or sighting in etc you use ear protection. If you shooting long range or have plenty of time to set up and  shoot you use ear protection. If you goat shooting etc you use ear protection, not a problem. if you bush stalking and  see a animal one shot should do the business and one shot here and their doesnt totally stuff your hearing. My hearings fine, and ive use no suppressor for years . I know many old time shooters and alot of their hearing is fine,but those ones  that  arent  told me they used to fire untold shots without hearing protection and often sighted in whereever without hearing protection and still arnt   stone deaf.  Using a suppressor is clearly a good choice for your hearing no doubt and should be encouraged .
But not using one isnt the end of your hearing if you use protection when you can and a shot here and there doesnt seem to do alot from what ive seen and heard from long time shooters

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## mawzer308

www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5dve7vAY9I

While not the most scientific a good practical demonstration. 

Most of my hunting 75% is Bush and I can indeed say large slow moving calibres are very good in this area. I have had 223, and 308 Ballistic tip projectiles be deflected by small branches missing out on animals. On the other hand I have had my 45-70 and 9.3x62 go through rather large branches (wrist size in diameter) and they have reached the animal and poleaxed them.

They of course have their downsides which is low BC.s and lower velocities particularly in the 45-70 which is really at max a 200yd gun. But when most of it is in the bush or small slips and clearings I can live with this. 

No one calibre or configuration is perfect for everything and The bog standard 16 inch 308 bush pig will do well. But the larger calibres shine in this area and are great and fun to shoot!

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## Proudkiwi

> Yeah.i get your point but heres the thing. Shooting at the range or sighting in etc you use ear protection. If you shooting long range or have plenty of time to set up and  shoot you use ear protection. If you goat shooting etc you use ear protection, not a problem. if you bush stalking and  see a animal one shot should do the business and one shot here and their doesnt totally stuff your hearing. My hearings fine, and ive use no suppressor for years . I know many old time shooters and alot of their hearing is fine,but those ones  that  arent  told me they used to fire untold shots without hearing protection and often sighted in whereever without hearing protection and still arnt   stone deaf.  Using a suppressor is clearly a good choice for your hearing no doubt and should be encouraged .
> But not using one isnt the end of your hearing if you use protection when you can and a shot here and there doesnt seem to do alot from what ive seen and heard from long time shooters


Maybe you should ask an audiologist their opinion rather than rely on the opinions of these 'long time shooters'. I suspect you will find every shot fired without some form of protection does compounding damage.

But hey, they are your ears to wreck I suppose.

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## sneeze

An audiologist will tell you that loud noise will damage your hearing but what they cant tell you is to what degree as there are far to many variables.  A dentist will tell you to brush twice a day and floss, an optometrist will tell you to wear safety glasses at all times, a dietitian will not like you eating bacon, a dermatologist will have you out of the sun.  All of which would make for a pretty depressing hunting trip. 
I wonder how many  audiologists have bad teeth and eat bacon.

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## hotbarrels



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## Rock river arms hunter

> Do you really need something with a massive pill for short range bush hunting? My experience level with this is zero. I would have thought that for close range work pretty much anything would have enough wallop, the main thing is to put the lead sleeping pill in the right place?


I know exactly what you mean! I took my mutt out last night with a borrowed BSA Majestic 243 wearing a 2-7 vx1 and taped suppressor and man did it feel like the business! And in terms of energy well the humble 223 has well over that magical 1000 ft-lbs and I know numerous people who use the 223 religiously but I just don't shoot enough to place the bullet perfect every time.

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## 6x47

> ... I know many old time shooters and alot of their hearing is fine,but those ones  that  arent  told me they used to fire untold shots without hearing protection and often sighted in whereever without hearing protection and still arnt   stone deaf. ..


The trouble with those observations is that casually talking to a person face-to-face doesn't give an accurate indication of what their hearing is like less-than-ideal situations , especially in background noise. I would say well over half of my patients who wear their hearing aids -all- the time can still hear me fact-to-face without their aids . But they are hopeless at distance, with any quieter/female voices and most particularly if there is -any- background noise about. They often avoid social events because they know they will be reduced to guessing what's being said and making embarrassing mistakes from guessing.

If someone is obviously "deaf", their loss would be making their life and all those around them miserable. I can tell you shooting does your hearing no favours and adding age to that is inevitable.

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## von tempsky fan

Tikka t3 in 308 or Kimber montana in 308 depending on budget ,shortened and suppressed with a decent can , get a decent half cock fitted - essential for Sika stalking and as for Gunsmiths try Dean Maisey in Tauranga.

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## outdoorlad

> Tikka t3 in 308 or Kimber montana in 308 depending on budget ,shortened and suppressed with a decent can , get a decent half cock fitted - essential for Sika stalking and as for Gunsmiths try Dean Maisey in Tauranga.


What this man said, go & see which one fits you the best, either 308 or 7-08 & reload for it, you have the option with the T3 of putting a carbon stock on it, you wouldn't need to bother with the Kimber

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## MSL

If you are going to carbon stock a tikka you may aswell start with the kimber

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## Friwi

+1 on that one.

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## Sasquatch

My Bush Rifle or at least in my mind a Scout Rifle

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## Gibo

> My Bush Rifle or at least in my mind a Scout Rifle
> 
> Attachment 60495Attachment 60496Attachment 60497Attachment 60498


That would be awesome in the dense suplejack  :Grin:

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## Timmay

Just bought another 6.5CM reason being short powder stack so it doesn't mind short barrels. THinking I'll cut it to 17" and DPT can it.

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## fetchfire

> For me it would be a Sako 75 .223rem rebarreled with a 12" 1:7 twist carbon or fluted stainless barrel, a Stug or simular carbon stock with a Nightforce NXS Compact 2.5-10x42 scope and a ODL can.
> 
> Oh yes and calibre: 300aac blackout, I know it works as I have the Tikka T3 version accounted for dozens of deer and pigs or maybe a Sako 75 .308win with same specs as above, I don't need long barrel to get to 300m.


Hey tikka, do you mind if I ask how much that rebarrelling set you back? What was involved? I've got a 223 browning xbolt and I'm trying to decide whether to rebarrel or sell and buy a ruger ranch rifle. The ruger is very cheap in comparison but just doesn't look to be as nice of a rifle.

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## tikka

> Hey tikka, do you mind if I ask how much that rebarrelling set you back? What was involved? I've got a 223 browning xbolt and I'm trying to decide whether to rebarrel or sell and buy a ruger ranch rifle. The ruger is very cheap in comparison but just doesn't look to be as nice of a rifle.


If the browning xbolt is stainless it would be the better gun to rebarrel ( easier to keep clean ). I've shot a few rugers ranch rifles in 308,7mm-08,223 they are ok but don't feel right for me.

I think it was $1100 to make a 1:7 300blk, tread both ends of barrel, swap out barrels and fit the ODL suppressor easy as that. I also had the bolt half cock safety done too. Top workmanship from Hardyrifle engineering.

I wanted to flute and paint but ran out of funds.

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## 300_BLK

Parker hale deluxe 303 with a leupold 2-7x33

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## northdude

Dedicated bush gun would be a 94 Winchester with or without a low power scope mind you the good old Enfield was used for long enough

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