Best all round hunting rifle for Australia

[North East]

Yep…the Varmints are usually way to heavy for a walk about hunting rifle. Some people may disagree.

A light sporter type hunting rifle is easy off hand or leaning against a tree…but they can kick a bit in the bigger .30 cals…even the non magnums. But a bit of recoil will not kill you..

[Westy]

I'm surprised how good howa's shoot and look for a cheaper
rifle I'd recommend them to anyone although I'm a Tikka Tart myself!!!!
Really off American ( supposed ) made rifles at present. have bought 2 Remington's this year both were pieces of s**t, poorly made and 1 of them only lasted 5 weeks in my safe and the other has had a trigger replaced ,the stock replaced and a lot of hours spent on it to make it shoot and it's not yet a year old.

[MeccaOz]

Ya mates a bit of a d**khead for buying a Varmint rifle for a walkaround outfit in the first place! (made the same mistake myself as a newbie) Varmint rifles aren't designed to be shot off the shoulder, they're designed to be shot off some sort of rest. Mind you it didn't hinder me at all as I could handle the weight no dramas at all (young fit and healthy then) and would often carry a rifle/shotgun at any one time and still do on occasion.

My Howa 204 weighs 4.1kg with scope etc, so not overly heavy but not my idea of a carry round rifle for shooting off the shoulder, perfect for smacking varmints but. My lightest rifle Sako L461Ai 222 weighs 3.1kg with scope etc. Actually those weights don't include the bolt, so say another 200 -300g or there about to those weights.

All I can say is they are all light compared to humping the M60! - that thing weighed around 11kg plus belts of ammo, carry that 20k's and you know your alive

LOL a friend of mine said the advantage of carrying the big gun was that you didnt have to dig the dunnies when you setup camp at night .... But s**t, carrying all that really would let you know your alive.

[bigfellascott]

Yes not the most pleasant thing to cart around but it sure was fun

[Timb0]

Really off American ( supposed ) made rifles at present. have bought 2 Remington's this year both were pieces of s**t, poorly made and 1 of them only lasted 5 weeks in my safe and the other has had a trigger replaced ,the stock replaced and a lot of hours spent on it to make it shoot and it's not yet a year old.

What might they have been Westy ?

[Westy]

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a Rem 700 in 300 AAC keep this rifle but had to change the trigger ,stock and magazine floor plate. To Remington's credit they came up with the trigger and the stock and I added a Wild dog Magazine well and magazine's it now shoots like stink but it has been a effort.....

The second was a rifle that I'd wanted since a teenager a Remington 572 Field Master Pump in.22,this was the longest wait for the most disappointing rifle I've ever owned and I have owned a lot through the years!!!! Between bits falling off it and it only shoot 3" @ 50m it could of been mistaken for a Sterling not a $1000 plus gun, we tried a lot of different ammo and other things to get this monster to work in the end I flicked it as a trade on a Leopold Mark 4 8.5-25 scope for one of the Super varmints!!!
Yep I really had a soft spot for Remington's since my Sunday school teacher was the head rep in Oz for them way back in the Boustead days and he taught us guys to shoot and handed out a lot of freebies, but things Ain't what they used to be I guess

[bigfellascott]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
a Rem 700 in 300 AAC keep this rifle but had to change the trigger ,stock and magazine floor plate. To Remington's credit they came up with the trigger and the stock and I added a Wild dog Magazine well and magazine's it now shoots like stink but it has been a effort.....

The second was a rifle that I'd wanted since a teenager a Remington 572 Field Master Pump in.22,this was the longest wait for the most disappointing rifle I've ever owned and I have owned a lot through the years!!!! Between bits falling off it and it only shoot 3" @ 50m it could of been mistaken for a Sterling not a $1000 plus gun, we tried a lot of different ammo and other things to get this monster to work in the end I flicked it as a trade on a Leopold Mark 4 8.5-25 scope for one of the Super varmints!!!
Yep I really had a soft spot for Remington's since my Sunday school teacher was the head rep in Oz for them way back in the Boustead days and he taught us guys to shoot and handed out a lot of freebies, but things Ain't what they used to be I guess

That's the part that upsets most I reckon, they used to be excellent mass produced rifles once upon a time, sadly as you point out its now a game of "Remington Roulet" as to whether you get one that shoots well or not. I remember a fella who bought a brand new one and his first outing at the range and the bloody thing wouldn't fire a round or eject it! needless to say he was mighty pissed about it.

There is no way known I would bother buying a new Rem, older one's not a prob.

[Wes]

LOL a friend of mine said the advantage of carrying the big gun was that you didnt have to dig the dunnies when you setup camp at night .... But s**t, carrying all that really would let you know your alive.

Tell him he might have the strength left to do it at the end of the day if he wasn't lugging around a heavy pipe all day

[bigrich]

i see a lot of comments on rifle weight with this subject. from my own perspective light weight is good for a hike, but more weight is good for recoil and i find a weighty rifle is a bit steadier to aim. my own all rounder is a mod 70 winchester in 6.5x55. not heavy for me with a good sling. for my own uses i think this is spot-on .some of our grandfathers climbed mountains in new guinea with full wood 303 and brens. then again some peoples grandads woulda been hiking with k98's and mg42's in europe. i'm thinking my preference for a lightweight hunter would be a tikka t3 in 243. but a mod 70 featherweight does look nice. i think if i lived further north or west with the possibillity of buff or bull camels a 30-06 would be my go to in a mod 70

[marksman]

an old brno 30-06
because, I like them and they work
I dont care about the weight I eat weetbix for breaky
and if Oldbloke is listening I have a bag of cement
I dont need 10 mags I'm a good shot

[fxol]

Steyr Scout Ranger, 308.

2 x 10 shot mags, built in bipod, adj cheekpiece and butt, light and accurate.

[juststarting]

A freaking Blunderbuss. Shoot shot, slugs, pebbles, forks... I mean, really, this needs no explanation!

[bigrich]

i like the sound of ya brno, marksman. i think i might have to borrow some of ya cement if i was shooting it often but.lol i really like my 6.5 for my intended uses , however i also own a marlin 336 in 30-30 i have just started to play with. as a allrounder they gotta be considered. not a long range shooter for sure, but they are pretty handy within their limits. 30-30 has killed a lot of big scary stuff in america.

[Bigjobss]

A freaking Blunderbuss. Shoot shot, slugs, pebbles, forks... I mean, really, this needs no explanation!

This time of year I like to keep one next to the Chimney loaded with Xmas ornaments, tis the season

[juststarting]

Molten plastic and glass shrapnel, you monster!

[Daddybang]

A freaking Blunderbuss. Shoot shot, slugs, pebbles, forks... I mean, really, this needs no explanation!

This time of year I like to keep one next to the Chimney loaded with Xmas ornaments, tis the season

Wack a set of Arisaka anti aircraft sights on it!!!!. That sleigh ain't gonna get away!!

[juststarting]

I would like an Arisaka with anti-aircraft sights

[Daddybang]

I would like an Arisaka with anti-aircraft sights

Well ask santa nicely and don't shoot at his sleigh!!!

[juststarting]

I don't think Santa has a good condition Arisaka 99 in his sack lol

[Bigjobss]

Molten plastic and glass shrapnel, you monster!

Pretty sure I saw the same thing in Home Alone!

[Member-Deleted]

I don't think there is an all round hunting rifle for Australia but if one was close I would think a 243 but then you get into
bigger game like buffalo then I think 7mm or 300 cal although there are other calibers that will do the job hence there is no
exact caliber for hunting I think that you would need two rifles or even three a shot gun because i'd hate to try and shoot ducks out of
the sky with a 243 can be done but i'm not good enough

[juststarting]

You're forgetting legalities of minimum caliber. Blunderbuss!

[Member-Deleted]

Yeah juststarting your right and a blunderbuss might be the one
no shortage of ammo plenty of shot, sinkers , forks , coins, wire , nuts and bolts , there would be an item for every
animal in Australia
Cheers

[bigpete]

Sporterised smelly

[bigrich]

sporterized m38 6.5 mauser

[bigrich]

actually old millitary stuff is a good idea, if ya run outa bullets you can always bayonet stuff ! lol

[AZZA'S HJ47]

Myself personally i lile the idea of a rifle with the ability to top the mag up without removing the mag stainless and either a synthetic stock or laminate. I love my Sako 85 varmint it has proven itself many times pigs, foxes rabits 243 seems to do the job with ease.

Took the marlin 1895 sbl 45-70 loved the way it shouldered and enabled me to get those quick follow up shots when in the scrub.

Personally I dont have a issue with varmint rifles for hunting they never seen to bother me. However I am 6'6 and 125 kg. I do have a howa 1500 308 with a sporter barrel coming hopefully by the end of the week that will become my partner in crime for hunting.

[bigrich]

nice collection of rifles AZZA, how do you find recoil on marlin 45-70 , what sights do you use on it and whadya reckon it's usefull range is ? cheers

[AZZA'S HJ47]

nice collection of rifles AZZA, how do you find recoil on marlin 45-70 , what sights do you use on it and whadya reckon it's usefull range is ? cheers

I have a aimpoint red dot on the 45-70 recoil aint bad ive found that once youve reloaded a few the factory stuff feels like its half charged. My go to load is nosler 300gr bt on 55gr of ar2207 that kicks a tad. Absolute destroys anything it touches. I managed to smash a pig at probably 175m maybe 200 comes down to practice that was resting against a tree but can easily shoot out to 150m no dramas.

[bigrich]

howa 308 sounds like a good thing AZZA, be curious to hear how your howa checks out. looking at your rifle list it should fill out your collection nicely. not suprised about factory 45-70 being underloaded. 6.5 swede and 8x57 mauser are victims of that too. mate was there much left of the pig after being hit with 300 grain ? wouldn't mind a 45-70 myself