Perfect woods lever gun

[firefuzz]

It's a pretty mellow Sunday morning and as I peruse (that's my new word for the day ) the gun auctions and magazines my mind has wondered back to what I would consider MY perfect woods elk and bear lever rifle. Now bear in mind that I've only hunted elk once 30 years ago and have never hunted bear so my direct knowledge of what's needed may be somewhat limited.

When the "Guide Gun" and "Scout Rifle" craze was going on I was looking for a combination of both, something very quick handling, hard hitting and accurate out to 400yds, and working with limited funds one winter built this:



It's an old model Remington 760 .30-'06 that I picked up for $150 at the local pawn shop. I shortened the stock and added a recoil pad, installed a Lyman peep sight you can't see in the pic, shortened the barrel to 20" (I was actually going to cut it shorter but the darn thing shoots sub-minute groups with both my reloads and factory ammo and I'm scared to death to touch it!!!) I installed a barrel-band type front sight that I had lying around from another project (it looks different but the sight radius is longer than the original and sight on the end of the barrel always snags on brush for me) and a older Bushnell Trophy 2x7 that's given me good service on a number of rifles. I call it my "Utility Rifle".

Guys this rifle is blazing fast, both in handling and follow-up shots, to the point I've built two other for buddies that shot it and wanted one. It's scary accurate for what it is, I've only shot it at 200yds but it was sub MOA at that range and I have no doubts in it's ability at twice that. It's pretty much my go-to deer rifle unless I'm hunting open plains and then I'll go to a bolt in the same caliber. But I want a short barreled, short range (250yds max), hard hitting lever gun that doesn't have a rainbow trajectory, peep sights only. And I'll have to be honest here...I like DIFFERENT, to a degree.

What I think I want is a '95 Winchester re-barreled to a .35 Whelen with a 20" barrel. I had a Whelen in a custom bolt gun that my first divorce seperated me from and found it to be a deadly killer on whitetail and my cousin killed a very nice elk with it with one shot. The Whelen will equal or better the old .35 Winchester round and is easy to find or make. It'll shoot flatter than a .405, with a lot less recoil, and hit harder than an '06 or .270 with a 250gr bullet.

The Browning '95s in .270 are fairly easy to find and cheap (respectively that is) and would seem to be a likely candidate for this project. Has anyone ever done or seen one of these? I'm not familiar with converting '95's, would this be a viable project or is there some problem, like the bullet guides, I'm not seeing?

Wadda think?

Rob

[76/444]

Can't go wrong,... with a ought6 Springfield, in my book,...ever!!!

[Malamute]

There's larger things than deer in the neighborhood here. I've been liking the 71 for a lever gun to carry. Better range than the 45-70, and more power than the 30WCF.

For actually "hunting", I mostly use a scoped bolt gun.


71 in a snowbank at about 10,000 ft elevation in July.

[Old Ironsights]

I like the 760/7600. Would love to find one like that for that price. I have some ideas I'd like to try...

[JerryB]

Malamute, is that a wolf or one of your dogs behind the rifle?

[AJMD429]

...but if it looks funny, how can it be COOL...?

Everyone KNOWS that unless a gun has been featured on Guns&Ammo as a 'cover-gun', or unless it has the word 'Tactical' in its name, that it is WORTHLESS...!

Just ask any gun-shop macho, or writer for a gun magazine - there's NO WAY you can actually kill a deer or coyote with a gun that doesn't sport the latest equipment, be chambered in the latest ultra-short Magnum round, and have combat optics on it.

If you've ever actually SHOT anything with that gun, you were dreaming, and if you thought it was killed, it was just playing dead.

I have the same problem with MY gun-that-looks-funny...



...but the varmints haven't survived long enough to voice any complaints...

[Malamute]

Malamute, is that a wolf or one of your dogs behind the rifle?

That's one of my dogs.

Here she is in Fearless Guard Dog mode.

[Kansas Ed]

hmm...pink snow...been several years since I've seen any of that....last time was backside of the Tetons in about 1990. Practically forgot about that.

Ed

[COSteve]

hmm...pink snow...been several years since I've seen any of that....last time was backside of the Tetons in about 1990. Practically forgot about that.

Ed

11 minutes from my home and I can be at 10,000ft and enjoying the grandeur of the Rockies. They are just about the best country on earth.

[1886]

Well spent $150.00. My 7600 in .35 Whelen is a winner. Now if I could just find a Hi cap. mag. for it. 1886.

[brucew44guns]

You want to be a little different in the woods and that's understandable enough. In all my years in Oregon, only one time did I walk up on another hunter who was carrying an original .348 Win. I had mine that day and the other guy was a little surprised as I was. If open sights still work for you, the Model 71 is pretty scarce compared to many that are in your line-up of choices. An elk just blinks once, and is on the ground, as I found it to be when I shot one with a 200 grain factory Silver Tip

[Charles]

IMHO the all around everyday rifle for me are a pair of Winchester 88s in .308 Winchester. One of them wears a an El Paso Weaver 1.5 to 4 X variable scope. The other wears a Lyman 57 rear peep and Redfield sourdough front. Someday I might replace the peep with some kind of red dot. It depends on how they eyes hold up.

99 % of the time, they are loaded with cast bullets. If and when I want to shoot those dreadful little yellow thingies, I have a supply of old original Remington 180 grain RN Core-Lokt bullets that I shoot at stout 30-40 Krag speeds. No native critter in Texas fairly hit with one of those will get away.

[Malamute]

You want to be a little different in the woods and that's understandable enough......

It's not about being different, just what works and what I like. I don't like carrying bolt guns in general, tho they have some definate advantages. I tried the 95 Browning/Winchesters, the pointy bullets and cartridges they use give much more usable range than most levers, but it only took carrying one a couple times to realize I didnt like carrying them. The 348 round has a pretty decent trajectory out to 300 yards, and decent power up close, and the 86/71 action, if a bit heavy, carrys very nicely in the hand.

The irons do OK for daytime use. I've used levers as off season carry guns for many many years, but over that time, I've also come to appreciate good bolts and good glass. I've found myself carrying bolts more as time goes on. This may border on heresy to some, but in that mythical "choose one gun" situation, I now find myself choosing the scoped bolt gun, as it just gives me so much more range and choices. Good glass borders on night vision compard to irons of any kind. Beyond that first gun, a good lever is next on my list.

[L_Kilkenny]

I like your gun firefuzz. Not so much the caliber and I could do without the iron sights and shave another inch or 2 off the barrel. But overall it looks to be a great carry gun.

But I too seem to gravitating more towards bolt guns for a bummin gun. I prefer carrying a lever and prefer working a pump but bolt guns are what I know. If they don't shoot as well as I like I know how to fix em. Too long, cut em down. Triggers are easier fixes for me. Etc., etc.. Better accuracy, more range fits my hunting better here in the open farm fields.

IMO, If you take guns of any action type, give them equal weights and barrel lengths and smallish optics, then there won't be much difference in how it handles or carries. Levers might carry a little better all things being equal and pumps may offer slightly faster for follow up shots, but a short, light, handy gun is gonna be short, light and handy no matter what action a person chooses. Now if we could just talk the gun makers into making more carbines and less bull barrels we'd all be happier.

LK

[El Chivo]

Nice guns, but I think the definition of woods gun would be large caliber, short range, fast handling, possibly scoped to deal with low light. And quick on the follow up shot, in case you get a second glimpse through the trees.

The large caliber would be to drop your target right there and also protect you if needed. So I think 30 calibers are too small. You don't need the trajectory, and should have a larger bullet.

These long range, smaller caliber guns are not so much for the woods as open areas.

I would think this is a job for 45/70, 44 mag, 35 Rem.

[L_Kilkenny]

Point well taken El Chivo. I guess when I read the title and the posts my mind gravitated towards a multifuntion gun. I saw woods in the title and thought "woods bummin" and my mind went right over the fact that this is to be a deer 'n' bear gun and the OP isn't nessesarily seeking multifunction gun. In my mind it will be hard to beat what he already has for his goal although I see your point about a larger, wider hunk of lead. Blame it on my Iowa upbringing.

BTW, IMO there is a difference between a "woods" gun and a "woods bummin" gun. To me "woods bummin" is a generic term kinda like Kleenex. I may call a gun a woods bummin gun but it I may be in the timber, in a pasture, in a picked crop field or all the above on any given day. "Woods bummin" gun = "I don't know what I'm gonna shoot today but I'm dang well gonna shoot something" gun.

LK

[Blaine]

IMO, the operative words are Light and Easy to carry. Any lever will do that, and most of them will handle anything you come across. On the other hand, a 180 JSP '06 will smash about anything, as well. I love that pump you made up, Sir......My Woods Bummin' Gun anymore is a 1911