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hi guys I want to purchase a lever action and thought I wanted a 3030 until I read a post about someone loving their .357....
I pig hunt kaikoura once a year and am always put at the top of gullys to shoot stray pigs which I love but missed two pigs this year as they were to close for my 4-15 power scope.
so what caliber would you recommended
cheers
45/70 smacks them over. Little heavy in the shoulder but nothing drastic. Nothing wrong with any of the others either. But 3030 is a very good all rounder.
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I love the 44 mag , great range of projectiles and weights . Good variety of factory ammo and very effective on anything with a pulse.
Also I would recommend going to a peep rear sight or even a decent quality reflex type red dot. They really make levers quicker and easier to shoot.
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BLR in 308
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3030 is fine, as are any of the pistol calibres but unless you reload for them you are stuck with pistol powered factory ammo and potentially loose a lot of stopping power.
Open, ghost ring or even a red dot are your friends perfect for snap shooting and precise enough with the 3030 at least to deliver with sufficent accuracy to 100 or 150 yards if required.
But 38/55 and 45/70 have a bit of wow factor
30-30 is good to 150m or so, probably 200+m with the new pointed projectiles that are safe in tube mags (though my rifle doesn't seem to like them).
The non-tube mag options like the BLR give a lot more calibre options, I'd go 308 in one of those.
44mag, 300gr jhp hornadys.
no pig too big !
My first centre fire was a Marlin .44mag. The .44Mag kills way better than the paper stat's would suggest. My best morning was three pigs with three shots in under 10 seconds as they ran out of the scrub. I was so shocked at the time that I forgot to pull the trigger on the 4th pig in the mod and it ran past me and disappeared. I was only about 17yrs old. Recoil can be heavy if you push your handloads. Miss that gun.
Currently I have a Rossi stainless in .357 Mag. Haven't had a chance to shoot an animal with it yet. Factory ammo has good accuracy over open sights. Great light weight, slick action, fast handling.
Key as always is getting the right projectile. I have some custom made extra expansive projectiles to test but lockdown is a bitch.
.375 Mag has a lot less recoil than the .44Mag on full noise, and you can load it to subsonic with ease.
I had a Marlin Camp 9 prior to the confiscation that I trialled on goats but couldn't find a 9mm projectile that would expand on a goat's light weight body. Hoping that the custom projectiles perform better.
I would go .44mag or .375mag.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...140387e6f0.jpg
.357 is good. I will happily shoot to 100yards on deer or pigs.
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I would suggest that the pistol rounds while great over dogs (with silencer) are still very much a short range option.
30/30 hard to go past, and it's family mates the 38/55 or 375 win, or step across to the 35 Remington or it's modern clone the 35 legend.
Otherwise if your are wanting to get pigs out past 200 mtr you need to step up to the 308 family, 308, 338, 358.
Thats assuming you don't want to go the whole hog and go 45/70 or 444 etc.
Following question is are you reliant on shop ammo or reloading. If shop ammo in which ever town you are passing through on a Saturday morning then you are back to 30/30, 308, 45/70 as common.
If you have the coin it's hard to walk past a new BLR or pickup an old Sav99 and re-barrel. Probably work out to be a similar cost.
Scope wise I started with a 1-4x20 on my Sav 99 in 358 win. I recently upgraded this to a 1.5-6x42, as I was finding more shots where past 200 that I expected, it also deals with looking into deep shade under trees on the bush fringes really well at sun set etc.
NB Recoil can be an issue were fast followup shots are required. That's were the lighter 30/30 or large pistol would come into their own.
Zq
Quote:
Originally Posted by ZQLewis
awesome replies guys! I think I'm settled on the 30/30 I will buy factory for a couple of packets then reload with the brass ha, @Marty Henry great point on the ghost sights will definitely be buying.
I've been told to stay away from marlin and buy winchester but I don't have winchester money haha. will probably end up with a stainless marlin.
bloody legends
I also shoot a 3006 rem 700 which I use for long range and last light shots so sorted there
I think my brother shill has his stainless .450 for sale?
https://www.nzhuntingandshooting.co....e-450-a-64230/
Yeh as above, I’ve used and owned 30-30, 357 magnum and the .44 magnum. While they all have limiting factors which are highlighted as above my preference has always been the .44 over a dog or not. I have also taken plenty of deer with all of the three but as mentioned, within range.
Kaikoura is a favourite place of mine, back down soon to chase pigs and moose. Love it.
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yeah just having a gander at that what's the Recoil like?Quote:
Originally Posted by hotbarrels
Love my .44..
I have a Savage 99 in 308 I am considering rebarreling. Be interested in where you got yours done and how straight forward it is. I'm thinking 22-250 or 243, probably the latter.. I'd be after lower recoil for an old shoulder but still with a bit of reach on the small stuff and doing the biz on the rest at closer range.Quote:
Originally Posted by ZQLewis
Your answer is likely to be relevant to the OP also.
Cheers.J.
When we lived in Arnhem Land the local Aboriginals were basically stopped from getting Semi Autos so a lot used lever actions & pump rifles ,at the end of season we were responsible for cleaning up as many ferals on our designated blocks as possible so we shot 1000's of pigs & Jesus Taxis with various levers as ammo was supplied & we cleared using quads or cut down Suzi's & Air Boats.
I have owned 357mag,44mag,30/30,375 big bore, 444 &45/70 of all of them for here l would select 44mag for pigs & deer up close in the bush, a 30/30 for pigs & deer out to 150 with a 1x4 or good red dot if hunting is usually up close , my choice would be 444 for all round general out to 200 with a 1x4 or 2x7, to many over scope them .IMO the 444 is a really good set up for our hunting ,but absolutely nothing wrong with the dirty 30 just not as much punch in the thick stuff & there is plenty of them floating on the SH shelves in GC last l looked .
Not sure as I haven't actually shot it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Blisters
If you are into reloading, your world is your oyster. Powder and projectile selection will dictate felt recoil.
With my 44Mag hand loads they would rub the skin off your collar bone and the recoil was 'very snappy' due to fast for calibre powder because I was pushing it out to around 120-130m as a hunting round. Buy, I could also load it soft at the sacrifice of hunting range.
The 450 is no different.
45/70.
You can always load it down in power.
Can't load a 44 up to match.
Hi J, first one I did was just a straight barrel swap as my local smith had a new old barrel from a project that did not go ahead. The one I had, had a rust pit down from the muzzle and had already been shortened once due to crown damage. that was my Dad's 243.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jhon
Mine was a mid 1970's one 308win I picked up used for $500. Sent it to TrueFlite, and they put a 358 win on it for me. Took about 2 weeks and came back with several used cases to show that they had test fired it to double check head space etc.
Cost, I can't remember but they have prices on their web page. I'm guessing it was $1200, barrel, chamber, silencer thread, fit and test fire and they fixed up a stripped thread in a scope mount screw hole.
Zq
PS as your's is a 308 I would expect you would need to stay within the 308 family to ensure feeding, the feeding ramps lift it up on the shoulder. ie 243 fine but ask questions about the creedmoore family as the shoulders are further back. The 22-250 being based on the 250-3000 may also required the older shorter action Savage prior to the 308 family.
I have had issues with short pistol bullets as the cases can move forward in the mag and the bolt dose not pick up the rim. Not a problem if all loads are that level but if I have a full power 3000 ftlb load shot first over a short one.
might as well get a blr in 308, ammo choices unlimited and availableQuote:
Originally Posted by hamsav
I think I'm settled on the 3030 now to find one.. . I would like a stainless one
45/70 would be better just incase your ever in Fiordland and bump into a mooseQuote:
Originally Posted by Blisters
I live in papakura I've seen a few to many "mooses"...... ��haha ��Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve123
Sadly good ole 'Kura Mooseknuckle is something that can't be unseen. I wish to god it could beQuote:
Originally Posted by Blisters
very effective on deer sized deer .....just ask @thatguyQuote:
Originally Posted by 7mmwsm
I have shot pigs with 30 30 and 308 in lever guns
Not saying nothing else will work, just that they are the only lever guns I have.
Untill a certain member ......
I have 44 mag, 30-30 and 308 levers and for your described top of gully situation I would reach for the 308. More legs, more punch and easy to down load to 30-30 levels if you want. Mount a 2-7x 32 optic (+ or -) and your good to go.
I’d agree with that, a scope with a lower mag range on a 308 will do it all.
Yeah it’s fairly versatile because you can load 45colt, which is why I chose it over the .44 mag.Quote:
Originally Posted by scotty
My barrel is shortened to about 13.5inch and getting 2300fps, 240gr hornady XTP,
38gr Lil’ gun. More than enough when you need it.
I would however go for a Marlin instead of Rossi if I could do it over. Side eject makes it easier with optics
What about the Henry Long Ranger in 308?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXuWIYJqO20
Worse than a Warehouse camel toe?:PQuote:
Originally Posted by Steve123
lower power scope on what you have got.....you wont miss the extra top end and field of fiew at bottom is where its at...some of the newer options give you both....possibly cheaper than a new rifle that WONT do the longer stuff you have rifle for.
cheers but looking for a gun that does the opposite of what I have, and I think a lever action peep site fits the bill nicelyQuote:
Originally Posted by Micky Duck
yip I can relate to that.....had a BLR in .308 and foolishly swapped it for another rifle (since onsold) I miss that BLR ,got chance to use it again the other week and yip...it still fits the bill perfectly...low power scope fitted in low mounts and its just about perfect for closer range bush work and still capable out to 300...
Check out my listing of a few weeks back marlin dark camo with rail peep site and threaded as new for 1500 in 30/30Quote:
Originally Posted by Blisters
Should have asked this question earlier, but what sort of distance do you estimate most shots will be?