quote:

Originally posted by Snellstrom:

quote:

My hunting style is in very close. Most groundhog shots around here are in the 100 to 200 yard range. My last 2 were at 1 yard and 12 yards.Last deer were 17 yards and 12 yards. I move very slowly and deliberately, very close to the game I am hunting. I want a rifle that is compact and light.

Win Mod 94 in 30/30

other than the fact that i would use a marlin m336, that's the perfect suggestion for your situation.

243 is plenty for deer.

There are many light rfiles to consider, X-bolt, Tikka T3....

Lots of choices--

if you like the 6.5--


6.5x54 (my favorite)
256 Newton (a close 2nd)
or

256 Mannlicher(aka 6.5x53R)(or 6.5 Dutch)
6.5 Japanese
6.5 Carcano
6.5X55 Swede
6.5 AAR
.260 Creedmoor
.260 Rem
.264 Baer
6.5 Grendel
6.5x57
6.5x58
6.5/06
6.5 Krag AI

etc
etc

Realistically,
if you want off the shelf ammo-
6.5x55 is hard to beat

The nice thing about 6.5x55 is that it is so versatile and brass, bullets, etc. are all pretty common. With Barnes or other proper bullets it will kill even moose or elk (even if not the best choice), and with light bullets is not so incredibly oversized for most varmints. Ballistic Coefficiants in 6.5 are wonderful. Just can't hardly beat it. 6mm or 243 is great too, better for varmint, but a bit more limited when you go to big game.

quote:

Originally posted by frank4570:
That bullberry would be the gun,that or the 6.5 jdj, I even have 2 contender frames. But the package is a bit more than I would like to spend.

I do reload.

Thanks for the great suggestions.

I can't imagine the barrels mentioned above costing more than what you are planning to do.

quote:

Originally posted by frank4570: I talked to my gunsmith friend. I think what we are going to do is get a mauser action and build a nice accurate 6.5x55 in a carbine type configuration, with a short barrel and light stock.

I just don't see how you can build a decent Mauser rifle for less money than a barrel for a Contender. My prefrence would be for the Mauser as well, but if money was tight I know I could find a T/C barrel cheaper. Even if I had to buy a new one for around $300.

I think the 6.5x55 was / is a great choice...although a 257 Roberts would've handled the deer just fine with a 117 grain bullet (classic whitetail load), and could've been loaded with lightweight frangibles (75-85 grain) for 'chucks, and not been as big of a ricochet risk around the farms while 'chuck hunting due to the frangible varmint bullets breaking up on impact with the ground, a rock, a 'chuck, etc...

Still, it's hard to go wrong with that 6.5...best of luck to you on your project!

frank4570

I have just realized that I didn't really offer anything to your request for suggestions about a rifle to shoot white tails and woodchucks with. That's a pretty wide range of game! Many white tails are shot as the deer flashes his south end - while going north. This is where calibers like the 243 will inevitably fail -because they simply don't have the power to drive north to the "boiler room" and thus drop the deer. Either use a 30-06 (180 gr.)or a 7mm Mauser (7x57), the latter with a 154 gr. bullet. Just my opinion,of course.

Forgot to add that the 110 gr.30-06 will kill woodchucks very respectably out to 300 yards anyways (Beyond that you should think about a 220 Swift or similar HV 22s)

sounds like you want a #1 or a hi-wall in either .243 or .257Roberts,,,after all that is the kind of shootin, the ""BOB "" was intended for originally.As for the reference to the under loading of the .257,,for the sake of all the '93 & '95 mausers that were built for it,,my '95 loads from an old NRA loading book push 75's @ 3550 +- from a 24 " and 120's@2800+,,,all within the pressure limits of those small ring mausers,,,mine being a 1924 spanish short rifle action,,so the old BOB is still up to the job if you are.For the kind of shootin' you are talkin',AND you reload for it,,,,the .257 is my choice!

gerrypeters,,your comment about 110's in the 06 got me rememberin' a customer in texas years ago that had me get him some winchester 06 in 110 gr. for shootin'coyotes and deer on his ranch in south Texas,,said it killed both like lightnin' and neither ever needed a second shot.Now I know south Texas country well and I doubt he ever shot past 100 if that,,and well under is the norm,,but I always was curious as to how well they worked out at 2 or 3 hundred,,have you shot them at this distance?,I used to think they weren't areodynamic enough for long shootin',,but have read several writers with exper. say if the barrel is good and the bullet is good,,they shoot pretty well in the '06.