well i couldn't help myself. i bought another toy
iv'e bin searching for a scrub/ute gun, something compact , quick to point with good firepower.i've tried lever guns by marlin and winchester in 30-30, a CVA break-action scout in 45-70 and they weren't quite the versatile all-rounder i was looking for (i still regret selling my 1974 made model '94 but ), but i think i've finally found it. i got a second hand ruger gunsite in 308 win. straight up it reminds me of a 303 jungle carbine. mine has the 18 inch barrel (no flash hider ), after removing the front site (it's held in place by a roll pin) it seems to shoot a bit tighter. i bought a 5 shot poly mag in place of the steel 10 round mag. the main reason i did this is remembering 10 shot mags on 22's i had years ago used to catch on stuff, branches seat belts and such. as it's 308 win, i didn't want to under scope it with the 1.5-4x20 scope i had off my 45-70, so i did some trading for a 2-7x33 leupold. at 4 power the feild of vision is the same as the smaller scope. if i go that low in magnification in a scope again i'll get a leupold vx-5 with a red dot in it. the trigger on this rifle has already been tweaked and the scout scope rail removed and screw holes plugged. i got some ammo in the deal with my local gun shop, federal 130 gr eagle hp's. at the range this rifle had great trigger feel and good accuracy as the pics show. it's very pointable , the laminate stock is heavier than a plastic one,although it's 6.6 pound without scope, but in combination with the good recoil pad, it's got pleasant kick for what it is. i had the gun shop add a spacer to increase length of pull for me. this is a great feature on this rifle. with the solid s/steel ruger made controled feed mauser action and barrel, i reckon i've got the "one rifle" for just about every situation. reloads with 180 gr could prove interesting
would absolutely recommend one of these rugers