Thread: What would your ultimate Bush Pig rifle build be and what NZ gunsmith would you use?

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

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


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Originally Posted by MassiveAttack

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.

Originally Posted by systolic

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

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...

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!

Originally Posted by 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!

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

Originally Posted by systolic

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.

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.

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.

Originally Posted by 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.

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

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

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.

Originally Posted by 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.

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.

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.