Need Help Picking a Rifle- Deer and Hogs in East TN

D

DubV

Inactive
I am a new hunter, and I am looking for advice. This year, I bought a used marlin 60 (.22LR) and have going out to the range. I’ve been having a great time shooting, and now I am ready to upgrade to a used rifle in good condition that is suitable for hunting bigger game. After doing research (mostly on the Hawks site), I’ve narrowed my choices. To give you some background I want to hunt whitetail deer and hogs (possibly black bear down the road), and I will be hunting in the mountains of East Tennessee/Western North Carolina. Here are the rifles I’ve narrowed my choice down to:

1. Marlin 336 in 30-30. Pros- plentiful on the used market, cheap, short, fast action, reliable. Con- some people say it lacks pop (especially in regards to hogs and bears)

2. Browning BLR in .308. Pros- fast action, higher intensity cartridge, short, reliable. Cons- Expensive (even used), light (heavier recoil).

3. Remington 7600 in 308- Pros- fast action, higher intensity cartridge. Cons- 2.5 inches longer than the BLR and 4 inches longer than the marlin, some don’t like the trigger.

4. Savage 14 in 308- Pros- from what I hear, a great bolt action for the money; shorter than most other bolt actions. Cons- slower repeat shots (some folks have told me that can be a problem when hunting hogs), longer than the lever actions.

That is my thinking up to this point. If you guys could weigh in and lend me some of your wisdom on the subject, I would appreciate it.
 
Both 308 and 30/30 are excellent choices in my opinion.

I'm sure there will be alot of different responses but I prefer 30/30. ( I'm assuming shorter ranges? ) No reason in particular, I just like them better. More old-timey I guess. It has plenty of knock down for anything.

The 308 would give you more range, flatter shooting, and a bigger variety of bullets to chose from tho. Since you can be choosy, just pick one that fits you the best
 
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If sub 200 yard shots will be the norm or if the terrain is predominately thicker cover, I would opt for the 336c (c stands for carbine and will be the real walnut stocks with the "bullseye" in the bottom of the rear stock unless it got removed by bubba who thought it was there to plug the rear sling hole. The w in the 336w stands for walnut colored birch or other lesser hardwood) as it handles like a dream, recoil is not heavy at all, and the .30-30 will drop animals quite well. One key aspect of hog hunting is to realize the different anatomy. The heart is lower, the diaphragm is further forward and the shield on the larger specimens is quite thick and dense and is very hard to penetrate.
This rendition shows it pretty well...
hogkillzone.JPG


This link has a photo sequence showing the actual organ layout...
CAUTION!!! The following link has graphic images!!!
http://www.texasboars.com/anatomy.html
Hope this helps you choose the rifle and taking of hogs;):)
Brent
 
Rem 7600

I think the Remington 7600 is one of the best hunting riffles ever made. My 30-06 is great, it's very accurate and fast handleing. I do love the 30-30 as well, but if you are going to have one rifle right now, then a 308 is perfect. Ammo is dirt cheap as well, you'll likely be able to shoot as much as your shoulder can stand.
 
I like a short handy bolt rifle with a low powered scope. A Marlin XS-7, or Stevens 200 in 308 will work just fine. They will be less expensive and lighter in weight than any of your other choices. The Savage 14 will do the same thing for a little more money if you want the walnut stock.

Take the time to put in a little dry fire practice and you will find you can work the bolt just as fast as a levergun and almost as fast as a pump if repeat shots are a concern.
 
Choose any rifle in the 270-308-30-06 calibers and you are good to go for anything in Tennessee or the Appalachians in general.

Check the rifle out to make sure it functions okay prior to buying. You should easily be able to find something to your liking in one of those calibers between now and June. The Spring gun shows tend to have a lot of hunting rifles for sale as folks buy them for hunting in the fall or sell around Christmas to raise funds.
 
I have hunted hogs in East Tennessee with my 308 BLR. Works great. I have a 1.5 X 5 scope on it. Great for fast moving hogs breaking cover and great for a 200 yard shoot out of a deer stand. If I think I might have a longer shot, I will usually go with a different gun (just because of the scope ... the gun will shoot MOA). The Savage with a 2 X 8 scope would be good there, but you would loose the advantage on close/moving shots. Note the glass IMO is at least as important a consideration as the gun.
 
30-30's take more skill than a .22 can teach. It might be your best option. The larger calibers can teach you bad habits like flinching. Also since your experience lies with a .22 the 30-30 or the .308 in semi-auto will have less recoil. Just make sure you spend a few bucks on good bullets and learn what they do before you wound an animal.
 
Same situation

I have the same situation. I live in WNC and have been reading up on this very question myself. I only have a smooth bore 12 ga. at the moment. I can control it well enough to put 5 foster slugs in a paper plate at 50 yrds. (I say control because you don't really "aim" a smooth bore with a bead.) I was invited to hunt in SC last fall, so I took my 12 ga and sat and cried as deer picked on newly sprouted wheat 200 yrds away. I have always wanted a 30-30 lever action, my dad had one, my grand father had one, all the men I grew up around had one. It was a lever action 30-30, usually a marlin, a breech loading savage 12 ga, and a smith and wesson revolver in .38 cal. Seeing those deer at 200 yrds made me wonder if a .308 or a .30-06 might not suit me better. I'm leaning toward the .308. I'll still prolly buy a 30-30 lever action, it just won't be the first one.
 
I'd go with the 7600

Four inches in about the length of a middle finger. The 308 will generate more recoil and a lot more muzzle blast out of the BLR. You can put a synthetic stock with a fat recoil pad on the 7600 for under a hundred. The trigger is rough, but the rifle handles just like an 870. The 308 is at least 600fps faster than the 30-30 with 150gr bullets. If you're going to run into hogs more than 200#, a 165 or 180 Nosler Partition in Federal Premium Ammo will take care of them nicely.
 
Of your choices, I'd go with the BLR. It's a sweet handling, accurate and solid little gun built around the .308 cartridge. Might cost a little more but won't lose any value either.
 
If you want to save money and get a great rifle, the Marlin 336 is the one to buy. A 30-30 will do everything you will be asking of it.
 
If money is no obsticle then the BLR is a fine and accurate gun. But I wouldn't use up all my money on the BLR and have to skimp on a scope. If money is a consideration then the 7600 is a good option that can be found fairly cheap especially if you can locate a good used one.

A lot of people let their negative opinions of the Remington model 7400 bleed over onto the model 7600 but that's a mistake. The model 7600 has never had the bad jamming problems that some have experienced with the semi-auto 7400. Yes it doesn't have the greatest trigger in the world and you won't see anyone using a model 7600 at a benchrest competetion but they are usually more accurate than their model 7400 cousin and more than accurate enough for hunting. Most I've shot would print 1 1/2 inch groups with factory ammo. Some better than that. The pump action of a 7600 is faster to me than a lever gun and in my opinion allows one to stay on target a little better when working the action.

I think a 308 caliber in the 7600 would be a good deer and hog gun for your area. A 30-30 is okay if your shots won't be farther than 150 yards but it runs out of steam and drops like the proverbial rock past that distance. A 308 despite being a short action packs a little more thump yet doesn't kick too bad either.
 
.30-06 All The Way

In my opinion... The venerable .30-06 is still around for good reason. It works. Really well. Won us a couple of wars too. Available in a huge selection of bullet weights and types, even light magnum loads, it has better ballistics than the .308, is way less expensive than .300 mag, and forget the WSM - they're too expensive to shoot. Plus, the .30-06 has been around forever and everyone makes one so the used market is chock-full and you'll get a good deal. Your 'ought6 is good from varmints through elk, moose and bear. Shot placement is always the key - a .30-06 shot well will get you much more game than a .338 Federal that makes you flinch in anticipation of the punishing recoil. With good ammo you can cut out the X-ring at 100 yards and not make any other holes in the target.

Looking new? Marlin XL7 gets rave reviews, for under $ 300. Even Weatherby makes a $ 399 model. But used? I picked up a Winchester Model 70, from the 1970's just a few months ago with Bushnell 4x scope (which i've since replaced, but still...) for $ 250. The best factory trigger ever made, until the Accu-Triggers came along.

Ignore this if you're not new to guns.
Buying a used gun, you absolutely need must have gotta get a bore light. All other things considered, the condition of the muzzle crown (no dings, dents, or discoloration) and the bore condition are what matters. Open the action, (did i say make sure it's unloaded?) reomve the bolt, and shine the light in from the breech while looking straight down from the crown. It should shine like a mirror. The lands should be perfect, no scratching. The grooves should be pronounced, perfect little spirals.

If it's dirty, ask the owner why. Maybe he just shot yesterday and didn't get to cleaning yet. If he lets you run a couple cleaning patches and it comes spotless clean, ok. If he doesn't have a cleaning kit or the right jags/brushes and the bore is dirty, walk away.

A clean bore and a clean, slick, but not goopy with oil, bolt and firing pin, are definite signs the gun has been taken care of. The bolt also has to lock into place nice and tight. The rest are cosmetics (well, check the action, of course, to be sure it functions) . Its nice to have perfect bluing and clean wood, but both can be restored if they're not 100%. Once the crown is marred or the bore scratched up, the gun won't belong to me.

I've now purchased 4 used guns in the past 2 years (2 pistols and 2 rifles) and couldn't be happier with them.

Good Luck! Be Safe! And have fun.
 
ps

I love my Marlin 336, fun to shoot and all, really bad-ass on cans, bottles and milk jugs (lol) but it's not really a modern hunting rifle, even with Hornady LeverEvolution ammo.
 
East Tennessee woods rifle

There is nothing wrong with the 30-30 it would be my first choice.Hunting here in east Tennessee most shots are at close range with in 75 yards so no large caliber flat shooting magnum is needed.Deer here are small compared to what some of these guys are used to and shot placement will always trump power in my book.So as a start I would look at a 30-30 or a 35 Rem. in a lever action.You can always move up in power if you want.What ever you get practice,practice,practice until you are proficient with it,and hit where you aim.Lots of luck and welcome to the forum from another east Tennessean!
 
Get what you want. Try out other's guns if you get a chance. I prefer a 30-30 for the first gun, and it looks like alot of guys share that opinion. It kicks little compared to most guns, and this is more important than what you might think. Its more important to make an accurate shot than a wildly place powerful shot. Cutting your teeth with a 30-30 or other minimally recoiling gun can help you with your shooting technique, rather than develop bad shooting habits.
 
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