First off this and the compact just plain look cool to me which may be enough to sell them. Being at the legal limit I can see how they would be very desireable in heavy brush. But do they hold any advantage over a compact lever gun? With the short barrels do the high intensity cartridges Ruger has chosen make any sense to you as opposed to the traditional carbine rounds. A bolt action usually has the advantage of better accuratecy for longer range shooting while giving up speed of a second shot to a lever, pump or auto. Will any of these work as a long range gun with a 16.5" barrel or are they just a louder brush gun with more blast for similar hunting effect? Why does someone need a long range bush gun anyway, are they meant for mountain hunting? I guess the 358 Win is a traditional carbine caliber and seems the most logical choice to me in these, but what should I make of the 243 or 7mm-08?

358! With it's expansion ratio it will not lose velocity like the 243 or 7-08 from a 16.5 inch bbl. Although the 358 is much more than a "brush" round, I beleive it is more at home in thick cover that the other two. Muzzle blast will probably pretty uncomfortable in any round. Lou

works fine for me...

Sweet! What caliber is it chambered in?

308. shooting 168 gr AMAX at 2450.
and its not that loud. people hunting near me said they only hear a pop and that it sounded like a pistol shot.

I like short rifles and have been pleasantly surprised with the accuracy of my Blaser R-93 Tracker in 308. The barrel on it is 19.75".

I love my ruger compact in 7mm 08. Light handy and shoots under an inch.

short barrels are only a disadvantage when using iron sights that the rear sight mounts on the barrel.
My 77 RSI w/ NECG peep shoots as accurate as i need for a unscoped carbine in the SC woods.

I like (liked) mine just fine as well, as does my grandson. It has enough horsepower to reach out a decent piece and has also has the benifit of reduced recoil factory loads or my reduced handloads.

Over the past couple of years the grandson has pretty much taken it over, and has dropped this and another feral boar

and this yote out at 150+yds,


I dropped several big hogs up close and personal and a couple out past 250yds with it and several have been take by a few friends who used it as well. I love it and am in the process of geting a few things take care of in order to possibly get another one.

I have a 18 inch 06 and a 17 inch 7x57 I really find no great advange to them over my 22 and 24 inch rifles. I have used a 24 in sav 99 for the past 10 years or so in thick cover for whitetails with out any trouble.

What I do find that I don't like is lots of noise and muzzle blast. of the short rifles.

That said Iam going on hog hunt and am taking the short barrel 06 why because I can. last time I used 24 inch 338wm with out trouble.

But you will bet that I will be wearing hearing protectors while I hunt.