Thread: Bush rifles

Hi All,

I'm currently planning a bush rifle, but , as a novice hunter, the more I look into it the more questions I have. I thought it would be cool to see what bush rifles setup other members have, so please post them in the thread below along. Would be great if member cover:
- Brand;
- Calibre;
- Barrel length;
- Scope + brand (does anyone use red dot sights, or does that not provide enough power?);
- Zerod distance;
- Mag type + shots (I've seen some Bergara Takedowns going for a good price, but they only offer single shot);
- Anything else you think might be useful?

Cheers

Just buy any all rounder in a howa / t3 / etc and get hunting

Guns are fun and its great to deep dive into them but just getting anything and getting into the hills is far more important

Tikka T3 308win, 16" bbl, Hardy suppressor. Steiner 1-4x illuminated. Zeroed 106 yards.

All you will ever need in the bush.

For a true bush rifle, I don't think you can go past the Bergara single shot rifles for quality and value. You get a very short if surprisingly heavy package. I don't think the single shot factor has ever cost me an animal, although I mainly hunt goats which are much easier to stalk than deer. Calibre is going to be a point of debate as always! I have a 300BLK which is a little outside the mainstream, but it suits my needs. Standard answer is always .308. Scope is a 1.5-5x which is perfect. I zero at 50 metres. Don't think I've ever shot this particular rifle further. Most shots are 20 metres or less.

I definitely agree - there aren't really many bad bolt-actions out there that can't be cycled quickly.

Having said that, I had a Miroku lever rifle in .243 that I adored. 20" barrel, a 4-round magazine, and a 1-4 Vortex optic made it a real joy to use in the Queensland scrub. Very quick to shoulder, get a good sight picture, and reload if necessary without losing track of the target (or targets).

Really the only critical thing I'd be looking at is a scope with good low magnification - way more important than high-end. 2x is great, 1x is amazing, 3x is the highest I would consider. I think just about every brand has a 1-4 or 2-7 so you've got options at every price poiny.

As above, any rifle, scope, cartridge combination will work.

See if you can find a used Tikka or Howa in any of cartridge you can buy ammo for (anything from 30-06 to 450 Bushmaster will be suitable).
Scope wise, again any 2-7, 3-9, 1-4, type scope will work.
Shorter barrels are better in tight bush, if you want a suppressor then you definitely need a shorter barrel.

Theres a few Howa and Tikka packages on Trademe at the moment between $1000-$2000.

Not to push the OP in one direction or the other, but as you can see I own both a Bergara BA-13 and a Tikka and look at the difference in overall length. The barrel on the Bergara is 0.5 inch longer than the Tikka!

Kimber hunter, leupold vx3 2.5-8x36, 308 cut to 16 inches, suppressed, all up weighs 6 pounds. Beautifully light, cheap to shoot, no frills and not to expensive you have to worry about beating it up.

If you want cheap, Norinco Bushmaster 7.62x39. Cheap as chips ammo, usual barrel twist is relatively fast in the scheme of things so can be used for relatively heavy subs and did I mention cheap? These things can be had set up with a decent scope for under a grand, and if you look around can be had second hand with a decent low mag scope for under half that. Will probably need a bit of a polish around the action as finishing is usually rubbish to finished by foot, and likely a bedding job but once that's done they are pretty good.

Mine holds about 1" to 1.5" at 100m after all is done, and is perfectly acceptable for deer out to 150m which as noted above is a LONG shot for your average bush rifle.

If your just starting out hunting, perhaps consider a suppressed, bolt action rifle with a compact 3x scope. There will be plenty of great suggestions, doesn't need to be new, could be second hand. Something in 308, plenty of choice and consistency of supply in ammo. Also a great platform for subsonic if the barrel twist rate allows - super nice if you are shooting over a dog.

Bush hunting can be super fun and addictive, but it also can get pretty wearing, particularly when you are starting out, concentrating all day, stumbling around looking at green jungle and not seeing a thing. You can get a little "cooked" on it, and crave a more open/tops hunting adventure, so a bolt action rifle will be a lot more versatile option than a single shot/lever action set up. Lever actions are gonna be heavier given the action weight.

I've got a Browning BLR Lightweight Takedown in 223, shortened barrel suppressed (think it's like 14"), with a red dot. Most shots shooting over a dog in the bush are 5-15m, with a handful out to 30m. I zero to 25m. Sorry to the above Bergara users, I had a look at one, but heavy at around 3.1kg from memory for a single shot - same weight as the Browning which has a 4-5 round magazine depending on calibre choice. Meant I could buy standard factory ammo for a lever action. And take a couple of animals when presented with the opportunity. Love it!

bush hunting is great fun but dont make the mistake of limiting yourself in range so I would rule out the short range stuff 300 blackout 7.62x39 - short barrel 308 suppressor get condident with it and 300 meters very doable and those kind of shots present themselves in the bush across a gully onto a slip shame to miss out on animals because you have sacrificed range - wide choice of calibers I have always been un ashamed blow a decent hole hunter - makes blood trailing a lot easier if you have to - 308 7mm08 270 all good but allow some range capability if a mate invites you down to a farm you are capable

Can of worms. In the past I've owned (and foolishly sold) two rifles that were just about perfect. The BLR as snapper ator has shown above but in .308 fitted with low weavers and low power scope was fanfarkintastic. Family issues saw it rehomed. The other was norinco 7.62x39mm suppressed with low power scope....that got sold because I had a
.308 too and very very occasionally that 300 yard shot comes up. Funnily enough it hasn't occured since I on sold it. Really light to carry and killed well. My single bakail is just as short but heavier.

short barrel .308.dont get a single shot for bush hunting, learning youll most definitely need to send more than 1 shot quite often id say.and you should learn to start shooting as soon as safety is confirmed,alot of missed animals due to waiting for a clean shot-just let em have it.

If I could turn the JW103 into a take down, same length and weight it would be fanfarkentastic as MD describes. Take down, into the pack at the end of an unsuccessful hunt and wander past the twig and tweeters and through the carpark with them non the wiser. Plus, going in to the bush at the start and no dramas there either. Couple of areas where crown land runs past rural schools that would be mint as the local mums are still pissy with the 'look' of it even though it's legally fine.

The best thing to do is get people used to seeing hunters carrying rifles (where they are allowed to). Make it normal and not something to get all anxious about.