Thread: Short range, short length bush rifle?

Originally Posted by ZQLewis

ok so
not reloading don't want a suppressor, short barrel.
means it has to be small volume case so it's not all wasted in a huge muzzle blast.
Also has to have OK ammo availability.
My first pick would be something like the 300 blackout. Easy on ears, can be had in both subsonic and fast loads.

Thanks. My first thought was 300 blackout, either supersonic with a suppressor, or subsonic without. What's held me back is that there have been quite a few comments on the forum about the subsonic rounds not being up to the job for live animals and that precise shot placement is important (i.e. head/neck shots). In the situations I'm thinking about, this is probably not going to be possible .

Originally Posted by Bill999

Iv ordered 2 boxes a few months back that I'm still waiting for, muzzle breaks make a gun louder and more obnoxious.
I prefer my gun wears the suppressor than me wearing ear protection.
The muzzle break on the ruger is about 2 inches long so only two inches more for a suppressor.
Tinnitus never goes away

Thanks Bill. If I went down the unsuppressed 450BM route, I would only use it with subsonics. Do you think it would still be an issue?

It will be quieter than with supers
It will sound like a 410

There's no issue with running it like that. I just "think" you should put a suppressor on it
Totally personal preference on my part that's all

You will still need to place the shots carefully with 450bm subs
Subs kill great just hit something that's important

Subs without a suppressor is hard for me to get my head around why you would want to do that
If length is an issue shorten the barrel 4 inches, with subs it really doesn't matter because you are not chasing max velocity

Originally Posted by Bill999

You will still need to place the shots carefully with 450bm subs
Subs kill great just hit something that's important

Subs without a suppressor is hard for me to get my head around why you would want to do that
If length is an issue shorten the barrel 4 inches, with subs it really doesn't matter because you are not chasing max velocity

Fair comments. I could manage a classic heart/lung shot, but not a head shot in some of these situations. Understand what you're saying about subs and suppressors. Just thinking about overall gun length. You're right though, could get the barrel chopped. Maybe I should stop over-thinking it and get something .308 or .300BLK with a 16 inch barrel and plan to shoot supersonic with a suppressor.

send me a pm mate come have a shot with what I have, I'm up north as well
I think that will quickly get you to where you need to be

30 30. Lever. But I am biased.
Check out
https://www.americanhunter.org/artic...nchester-ammo/

300 bulk outs with the right ammo would be another
Choice as ZQlewis said.

Originally Posted by Bill999

send me a pm mate come have a shot with what I have, I'm up north as well
I think that will quickly get you to where you need to be

Thanks mate. That's awesome. I'll send you a PM.

A .357 lever action should work well. You can run .38 special in it to quiet it down, short and handy in the bush with quick follow up shots.

I have the Ruger American 300BLK, with a DPT can and a Nikon 2-8x32 Monarch 3.

It is very light and nice and short. Accuracy is excellent.

I use 125grain American Gunner supers, and 220grain American Eagle Subs.

On the Nikon I am zero'd to 100m for the supers, and if I dial my vertical dial on the Nikon to 6 that gives me a zero for the subs @ 50m. This allows me to swap between supers and subs on the fly.

I've shot many fallow with the supers between 150-250m typically. One shot drops them. Previously I used a Howa 243 Ranch, I found with the 300BLK the wound is bigger but there is less meat damage.

I'd only use the subs up to 150m max (maybe even keep it to 100m).

The Nikon scope has their BDC reticle, I use that with Stelok to calculate drops (when I go hunting I write the range drops in sharpie on my arm) against the Nikon BDC reticle.

After a while I sold my 243 as I couldn't see myself using it again given the Rugers performance.

Originally Posted by vulcannz

I have the Ruger American 300BLK, with a DPT can and a Nikon 2-8x32 Monarch 3.

It is very light and nice and short. Accuracy is excellent.

I use 125grain American Gunner supers, and 220grain American Eagle Subs.

On the Nikon I am zero'd to 100m for the supers, and if I dial my vertical dial on the Nikon to 6 that gives me a zero for the subs @ 50m. This allows me to swap between supers and subs on the fly.

I've shot many fallow with the supers between 150-250m typically. One shot drops them. Previously I used a Howa 243 Ranch, I found with the 300BLK the wound is bigger but there is less meat damage.

I'd only use the subs up to 150m max (maybe even keep it to 100m).

The Nikon scope has their BDC reticle, I use that with Stelok to calculate drops (when I go hunting I write the range drops in sharpie on my arm) against the Nikon BDC reticle.

After a while I sold my 243 as I couldn't see myself using it again given the Rugers performance.

Thanks for the info. I've had a hankering for a 300BLK bolt gun for bush work for sometime. A setup like yours would tick a lot of boxes for me. Downside is that the Ruger Ranch in 300BLK is only about 10cm shorter than my Tikka in 7mm08.

Thanks for the input mimms

That won't be happening. I would get a barrel chopped if I had to. No gunsmith in Northland. DPT did a good job for me in the past, but shipping rifles is such a headache now, I'd rather avoid it.

Originally Posted by MB

Thanks for the info. I've had a hankering for a 300BLK bolt gun for bush work for sometime. A setup like yours would tick a lot of boxes for me. Downside is that the Ruger Ranch in 300BLK is only about 10cm shorter than my Tikka in 7mm08.

Mine has the 16" barrel, factory threaded?

If your primary quarry is Goats at ranges of 50 yrds then get a 22 Mag rifle either bolt or lever action .
Light , simple , effective, cheap and not very loud .
Thousands of Goats have been shot with 22 Mag in conditions and distances you mentioned and it does the job perfectly well .

Originally Posted by vulcannz

Mine has the 16" barrel, factory threaded?

Ruger Ranch 300BLK 16 inch barrel total length = 91.44cm

Tikka T3x 7mm08 20 inch barrel total length = 102.2cm

More or less the same length guns on paper. The additional 10cm on the Tikka is all barrel.