I think I am not the only one on here who has had recurring thoughts about how neat it would be to own one of these. Well, now I do, and have for 6 weeks.
Back then I wrote a review here. After shooting my Winchester Ranger Compact a bit more, the only thing I can say is:
The General Purpose Defense/Hunting Carbine (The Always With Me Rifle) has been found. I have dubbed mine the "Winny 30". I have all but forgotten my lust for a Ruger Mini 30 now.
People are seriously under-rating the 30-30 Carbine, in my view. Sure, it's not an AR, it only has a 5-round capacity, and it's not even semi-automatic. It only shoots a medium-powered/range cartridge.
To my surprise, these are POSITIVE traits.
1. I HATE the looks/handling of AR's. Also, I could buy 3 30/30's for the cost of one AR. And mine shoots about as well as an AR, with better stopping power too. Also, it's more compact and handy, which can matter if it's a truck gun.
2. Anything more than 5 rounds in the gun is just gratuitous ammo-carrying. I prefer no sling on my carbine, since when I walk through the woods, it's always in my hands. Weight is crucial in this circumstance. Also, having to scrounge 30-round clips sucks.
3. Not being semi-auto RULES if you reload. Now I can always find my brass. Now I can reload to different power levels. And if your reloads are slightly out-of-spec, a manual gun can still eat them and just grin. Also, I can shoot this gun about as fast as I could my AK (which may just say I was a crappy shot with the semi). The closest gas gun I know of is still bigger/heavier than the Ranger Compact. And my carbine is more accurate, too. And in the back of my mind, I think not being semi-auto would keep me from "spraying and praying" in combat. And lastly, I'm thinking that a loose ol' lever gun would be better functioning in the freezing cold winters here.
4. The 30/30 is a "just good enough" caliber. It's not overly powerful and it won't shoot that far. So WHO CARES? I'm not a would-be-sniper and I can't spot a deer much past 200 yds. around here. But inside that range, and critters better watch out. And as for defense, most vets seem to respect the 7.62 x 39 mm, and to my thinking the exposed lead of the 30-30 ought to make it even better.
But most importantly, THE 30/30 DOESN'T KICK THE CRAP OUT OF ME. I'll gladly take it over my .308 for fun practice, which means I'll practice more and get better with it.
Now, to update my earlier review: The dicey action problems noted in my earlier review seem to have disappeared with use and my increasing familiarity with the gun. Additionally, I have engineered some better handloads, and now feeding seems to be perfectly reliable. Still, no matter what I do to my dies, a finished shell, when slipped into the chamber, still sticks a little. Since the gun's working fine, I guess it's ok.
Accuracy is still marvelous, about 1" - 1 1/4" at 100 yds. with 3 different types of loads tested, a little bigger than I previously reported, but hey, now I've got a ruler. I still cannot believe this, having been told 2"-3" was good for a 16" barrel. And guess what? I never did ANY barrel break in, and don't even clean my rifle every time I shoot it. All I do is make sure to use a brass muzzle guard when cleaning. And my reloads? I am using the first load I tried, 31 grains of IMR 3031 - it doesn't get any better than this.
I'm sure 2"-3" groups ARE common with the absolutely crappy open sights though. I took off the Trashco and put on a 4-12x Bushnell.
Sole complaint: heavy trigger, which is not that noticeable off sandbags, but offhand takes some getting used to. I plan to talk to the gunsmith about this.
Conclusions: I think people must be judging these rifles without the benefit of using a scope. Or maybe I just got the one good one. Total satisfaction on my part is rare, so that says a lot.
Back then I wrote a review here. After shooting my Winchester Ranger Compact a bit more, the only thing I can say is:
The General Purpose Defense/Hunting Carbine (The Always With Me Rifle) has been found. I have dubbed mine the "Winny 30". I have all but forgotten my lust for a Ruger Mini 30 now.
People are seriously under-rating the 30-30 Carbine, in my view. Sure, it's not an AR, it only has a 5-round capacity, and it's not even semi-automatic. It only shoots a medium-powered/range cartridge.
To my surprise, these are POSITIVE traits.
1. I HATE the looks/handling of AR's. Also, I could buy 3 30/30's for the cost of one AR. And mine shoots about as well as an AR, with better stopping power too. Also, it's more compact and handy, which can matter if it's a truck gun.
2. Anything more than 5 rounds in the gun is just gratuitous ammo-carrying. I prefer no sling on my carbine, since when I walk through the woods, it's always in my hands. Weight is crucial in this circumstance. Also, having to scrounge 30-round clips sucks.
3. Not being semi-auto RULES if you reload. Now I can always find my brass. Now I can reload to different power levels. And if your reloads are slightly out-of-spec, a manual gun can still eat them and just grin. Also, I can shoot this gun about as fast as I could my AK (which may just say I was a crappy shot with the semi). The closest gas gun I know of is still bigger/heavier than the Ranger Compact. And my carbine is more accurate, too. And in the back of my mind, I think not being semi-auto would keep me from "spraying and praying" in combat. And lastly, I'm thinking that a loose ol' lever gun would be better functioning in the freezing cold winters here.
4. The 30/30 is a "just good enough" caliber. It's not overly powerful and it won't shoot that far. So WHO CARES? I'm not a would-be-sniper and I can't spot a deer much past 200 yds. around here. But inside that range, and critters better watch out. And as for defense, most vets seem to respect the 7.62 x 39 mm, and to my thinking the exposed lead of the 30-30 ought to make it even better.
But most importantly, THE 30/30 DOESN'T KICK THE CRAP OUT OF ME. I'll gladly take it over my .308 for fun practice, which means I'll practice more and get better with it.
Now, to update my earlier review: The dicey action problems noted in my earlier review seem to have disappeared with use and my increasing familiarity with the gun. Additionally, I have engineered some better handloads, and now feeding seems to be perfectly reliable. Still, no matter what I do to my dies, a finished shell, when slipped into the chamber, still sticks a little. Since the gun's working fine, I guess it's ok.
Accuracy is still marvelous, about 1" - 1 1/4" at 100 yds. with 3 different types of loads tested, a little bigger than I previously reported, but hey, now I've got a ruler. I still cannot believe this, having been told 2"-3" was good for a 16" barrel. And guess what? I never did ANY barrel break in, and don't even clean my rifle every time I shoot it. All I do is make sure to use a brass muzzle guard when cleaning. And my reloads? I am using the first load I tried, 31 grains of IMR 3031 - it doesn't get any better than this.
I'm sure 2"-3" groups ARE common with the absolutely crappy open sights though. I took off the Trashco and put on a 4-12x Bushnell.
Sole complaint: heavy trigger, which is not that noticeable off sandbags, but offhand takes some getting used to. I plan to talk to the gunsmith about this.
Conclusions: I think people must be judging these rifles without the benefit of using a scope. Or maybe I just got the one good one. Total satisfaction on my part is rare, so that says a lot.
) but I do have two of them and it is one of my favorite rifle. I enjoy reloading the cartridge and shooting it and while it is not a tack driver, I can usually shoot 2" at 100 yards which is good enough for most situations. My wife enjoys shooting it too when loaded with mild cast bullets loads.
) or when going canoe/camping trips.