Farm / work / ute rifle - pigs

[in2anity]

sounds ideal

dunno about the ease of cross border private sales ?

Anyway, thanks all for the replies. For the sort of shooting im envisaging I don't think reloading is an option - id never find the empty brass
cheers

Considering price of (factory) ammo is a significant factor here, it's gonna be real hard to go past a compact 308. If you were handloading, it'd be a different story; the 30/30 would be more appropriate. But the price of factory 30/30 these days brings a tear to my eye; I only buy it when I absolutely have to (to replace aged brass).

[wrenchman]

does 3030 cost alot it is one of the cheepest rifle calibers to shoot here just about every one that has a gun has a 3030 it is the fist center fire rifle i shot.
when i was growing up if you said deer hunt it was the gun every one thought about.

[in2anity]

does 3030 cost alot it is one of the cheepest rifle calibers to shoot here just about every one that has a gun has a 3030 it is the fist center fire rifle i shot.
when i was growing up if you said deer hunt it was the gun every one thought about.

Yeah it does - often close to $40AUD per 20 (in NSW at least), that's towards $30USD a box!! Sure you can get em cheaper if you buy bulk + shop around, but if you just rock up at any-old LGS and buy a box of 20, they'll sting you for it

[GLS_1956]

It is hard to beat a good lever gun, when semis are not an option. Marlin's 336 comes to mind, mine has a 1x-3.5x scope on it but a good receiver iron sight would work too. The SMLE is a great gun, I love my No4Mk1, and another bolt gun to think about would be a Mosin-Nagant. My M44 is handier than my M91/30.

[Wombat]

Actually Is a Semi an option? You may be able to get a license given your need and occupation. An Sks or Ruger Mini would be ideal.

[Gwion]

Here's one for you.
https://www.usedguns.com.au/Product.aspx?p=104691

And another... just get rid of the scope for red-dot or whathaveyou and ask the seller if they have the original stock to get rid of the ugly AR wannabe thing on it.
https://www.usedguns.com.au/Product.aspx?p=104296

[Gwion]

Or this: fit your sight of choice and get the barrel lopped and crowned down to 18", buy a spare mag..... choose which ever chambering is least expensive to feed for you locally.....
http://www.claytonfirearms.com.au/produ ... on-clayton

[bladeracer]

Here's one for you.
https://www.usedguns.com.au/Product.aspx?p=104691

And another... just get rid of the scope for red-dot or whathaveyou and ask the seller if they have the original stock to get rid of the ugly AR wannabe thing on it.
https://www.usedguns.com.au/Product.aspx?p=104296

Did you miss the bit about a "farmer's budget"?

[Farmer Roy]

Actually Is a Semi an option? You may be able to get a license given your need and occupation. An Sks or Ruger Mini would be ideal.

Yeah, that did cross my mind . . .
I suppose I just assumed any semis would be too expensive & all the cheap SKS etc went to scrap years ago . . .

[Farmer Roy]

Here's one for you.
https://www.usedguns.com.au/Product.aspx?p=104691

And another... just get rid of the scope for red-dot or whathaveyou and ask the seller if they have the original stock to get rid of the ugly AR wannabe thing on it.
https://www.usedguns.com.au/Product.aspx?p=104296

Did you miss the bit about a "farmer's budget"?

[Gwion]

Nope but what other choices are out there, realistically? Besides, i know quite a few farmers with pretty healthy budgets... it's just a matter of what they want to spend, not what they can afford.

OP seems to want high rate of fire, so lever or pump. Levers aren't really available in great cartridges for quick shooting at the 100m mark, so that leaves pumps. He wants something compact for easy storage and access and pointability, that leaves the Remington pump carbine/police.

Personally i'd get a howa sporter in 308 ( https://www.thebarn.net.au/Products/How ... 6pageno%3d ), cut the barrel down to 18" to stiffen the barrel and make it compact ($80-120), stick an Atlas worx DBM kit, a couple of 10 shot mags (or not if you are really working to the 'budget') and some sort of dot type optic/scope for a couple of hundred and you are away for $1000 or less (a lot less if you skip the Atlas Worx kit).

Buy a bulk load of OSA ammo (https://www.thebarn.net.au/Products/Buf ... o+Can+(480)/12099) .....

That's quite a few piggies.....

I may even be persuaded to part with my Atlas Worx kit and mag/s for a reasonable price.......

[Farmer Roy]

Here's one for you.
https://www.usedguns.com.au/Product.aspx?p=104691

And another... just get rid of the scope for red-dot or whathaveyou and ask the seller if they have the original stock to get rid of the ugly AR wannabe thing on it.
https://www.usedguns.com.au/Product.aspx?p=104296

Thanks for your research, but your link just takes me to their front page, not the actual item
I'll have a look through the site

[Jeff303]

303

[Gwion]

Here's one for you.
https://www.usedguns.com.au/Product.aspx?p=104691

And another... just get rid of the scope for red-dot or whathaveyou and ask the seller if they have the original stock to get rid of the ugly AR wannabe thing on it.
https://www.usedguns.com.au/Product.aspx?p=104296

Thanks for your research, but your link just takes me to their front page, not the actual item
I'll have a look through the site

Look under pump/semi... lower down the page there are a few Rem "police" pumps... short, fast, 308. Around $1400-1600 with either optics or spare mags.

[Gwion]

On usedguns....

Ruger scout 308 $850
Carl Gustave M98 308, customised carbine, bedded $900
Remington pump 308, 2 mags, $995 (get the barrel lopped at 18" it will be LOUD but handle quick fire without accuracy deteriorating so fast and handle better from an ATV or ute)
Browning A-bolt 308 $795, sell scope and replace with Vortex Strike Fire, get barrel lopped....
Ruger gunsite scout 308 $750 with 2 mags....

It oges on and on but i need to get something done now!


Good luck with it. Plenty of good piggy guns to be had.

[duncan61]

Am I being lazy by thinking that if I had a sporter in .243 and wished to have a fast multi open sight I would get one in .243.I am sure .243 with 80-100 pills would stop pigs

[duncan61]

I have 3 crew that do culling with me and we all run .243 reloads all the same.Just makes sense to me

[Gwion]

True.
The quickest, easiest way out would be to dock the 243 barrel to about 18", replace the scope with a dot sight and load it up with the heaviest bullets it will stabilise. You could fit a DBM to it but how often are you really going to get to squeeze off more than 5 shots before everything buggers off!?!
Still, a pump would be quicker and easier to hold on target simply due to ergonomics: ie, the fact that your hands do not have to change position at all during firing and reload.

[bigfellascott]

I reckon a 30/30 or similar LA with a Dot sight would be a good option.

[Wombat]

Actually Is a Semi an option? You may be able to get a license given your need and occupation. An Sks or Ruger Mini would be ideal.

Yeah, that did cross my mind . . .
I suppose I just assumed any semis would be too expensive & all the cheap SKS etc went to scrap years ago . . .

I have seen a few on usedguns that were not insanely priced. But with the current amnesty I reckon the secondhand stock of Semis will increase remarkably. A well known QLD shop has new AR's at quite reasonable prices at the moment.
https://www.usedguns.com.au/Product.aspx?p=103238

[Farmer Roy]

True.
The quickest, easiest way out would be to dock the 243 barrel to about 18", replace the scope with a dot sight and load it up with the heaviest bullets it will stabilise. You could fit a DBM to it but how often are you really going to get to squeeze off more than 5 shots before everything buggers off!?!
Still, a pump would be quicker and easier to hold on target simply due to ergonomics: ie, the fact that your hands do not have to change position at all during firing and reload.

Just out of interest, I took the scope off. Instantly it felt less "bulky", so maybe this is the quickest / cheapest / easiest way to go. Rifle also has a recoil pad that I've never liked - it adds about another 20mm or so & is wider than the butt, so taking it off would also help with the "feel".
Original iron sights have been removed, any recommendations on open sights or red dots?
By the way, it's a BSA on a Mauser action. A box magazine would be a great addition. Cutting the barrel down to 18" would also make a big difference.

Always good to get a variety of suggestions & opinions

Thanks

[Gwion]

Just be aware that with a short barrel it will be loud! On the plus side a short cylinder of the same profile is stiffer than a long one so the effects of barrel heating and wandering point of aim are somewhat mitigated.

No real experience with red dots but I've been looking at Vortex strike fire 2-4 with 2moa dot. Affordable and with the option to zoom in a touch it there is a longer shot to take.

[Gwion]

Ps: also on the plus side, 243 will have less lead and hold over than anything like a 30/30.

Not sure about where or if you can get a DBM for that rifle but how often will you be able to get more than 5 good shots off without everything making cover or bolting from reliable range???
You can alway just reload and continue on your way.

[bigfellascott]

Ps: also on the plus side, 243 will have less lead and hold over than anything like a 30/30.

Not sure about where or if you can get a DBM for that rifle but how often will you be able to get more than 5 good shots off without everything making cover or bolting from reliable range???
You can alway just reload and continue on your way.

Hold over at the ranges he's talking about?

[bigfellascott]

These things are brilliant for fast close action shooting at moving targets, should go alright for the types of shooting your talking about.

[Farmer Roy]

These things are brilliant for fast close action shooting at moving targets, should go alright for the types of shooting your talking about.

The Vortex sight ?

[Gwion]

Ps: also on the plus side, 243 will have less lead and hold over than anything like a 30/30.

Not sure about where or if you can get a DBM for that rifle but how often will you be able to get more than 5 good shots off without everything making cover or bolting from reliable range???
You can alway just reload and continue on your way.

Hold over at the ranges he's talking about?

Well, ok. At 100 yards it's not really an issue with a 30/30. Starts dropping pretty quick after 150, though. Still, faster is better; especially if you already have the rifle and a limited budget.

[bigfellascott]

Ps: also on the plus side, 243 will have less lead and hold over than anything like a 30/30.

Not sure about where or if you can get a DBM for that rifle but how often will you be able to get more than 5 good shots off without everything making cover or bolting from reliable range???
You can alway just reload and continue on your way.

Hold over at the ranges he's talking about?

Well, ok. At 100 yards it's not really an issue with a 30/30. Starts dropping pretty quick after 150, though. Still, faster is better; especially if you already have the rifle and a limited budget.

So in reality not an issue then.

[in2anity]

OP specifically asked for something cheap to run (considering he won't be reloading) - as said before, surely a 308 would be a cheaper option than the 30/30? I really don't see the point in arguing about the nuances of the 30/30 trajectory... and factory 243 is too expensive also. Don't overthink it - get a 308 and be done with it.

[bigfellascott]

OP specifically asked for something cheap to run (considering he won't be reloading) - as said before, surely a 308 would be a cheaper option than the 30/30? I really don't see the point in arguing about the nuances of the 30/30 trajectory... and factory 243 is too expensive also. Don't overthink it - get a 308 and be done with it.

$22 or there abouts for 30/30 from a quick research - pretty sure I pay more for my 308.