AusVarmint

i am hoping to gain an apprenticeship at the end of the year. with this i will have more funds for shooting and am thinking of a new rifle but am having trouble deciding which one. i am getting a reloading kit for christmas so factory ammo price wont be a problem. i have so many ideas but am limiting myself to 1 rifle(at the moment) have been thinking and saving for a 270 wsm for a while now but have realised that i only go hunting 8-9 times a year and only 3-4 of the properties i go on would be able to handle a 270wsm so it wouldnt get used all that much.Then there was the thought of a 22-250 or 17rem or a dedicated varmint rifle and i thought well whats the difference between that and my .223 so that ruled out that. now my idea is a rossi 357mag/38sp with the 16" barrel for a light carry round gun for goats and pigs. cheaper option then the rest , able to use it more, better barrel life and funner.
has anyone used one of these?are they up to scratch? or are there any ideas or opinions on what i should get?
cheers
tikka

I would skip the 357 and go straight to the 44mag personaly, bit more thump for those 100m shots. Lever guns make great close range hunting rifles IMHO.

If your reloading ... just get a 45/70. You can load down with Cowboy loads or load up to the point where your shoulder gives up. A bog-standard 308Win is also a pretty useful piece of equipment.
Cheers...
Con

Looking at the rifles and guns you already own a 308 might be a good choice.

With your .22 RF, 223, 12G and by adding a 308 you have got all bases covered . With those 4 there is not a critter in this country you can't hunt.

Regards

Chris Thomas

i agree the 308 would be a great, but i still wouldnt be able to use it as the property's we go on are relitively small or have livestock on them. i do a bit of range work and thats with my .223 and thats doing me fine for now. i mainly hunt rabbits, foxes, pigs and goats but am hoping to get a chance at some deer so a bigger caliber is needed, and the 357 wouldnt be suitable. maybe just get the 270wsm or 308 and use it for range work also?
cheers
tikka

I have the same problem(small property and stock in paddocks) and that's what lead me to get the HMR for a start. turned out to be not enough gun so in came the .223. Long term I will also be looking at a bigger gun for goat and other medium game in W NSW. Thing is the the rifle will hardly ever be used at home so you need to leave that out when making a decision. You have a .223 for you home so be happy with that. You need to think what would be suit you best for the bigger game and the range. What sort of range are you looking at taking these pigs,goats etc from? Maybe you could get away with using heavy pills game with the .223 if you are close in..... For something that hardly gets used, you could maybe get a second hand cannon for outback fun.

If you want a 270WSM buy one , but get it a Savage as then you can swap the barrel out to another cal easy. The tools to do it are easy available from the US and the barrels can be got from any smith here . You could get one screwed and chambered for the 223WSSM or 243WSSM, all your hunting would be covered.

I actually agree with the 45-70 suggestion (if you want a lever action) provided you can cop the extra cost of ammo/reloading components. My youngest brother (16) shoots his Marlin 1895 45-70 with no problems as long as the loads are low to medium.

Other than that a 357mag or 44 would be good close range scrub guns.

Rath

A good .30/30 is better than both the .357 & .44 Mags - unless you are going to use the new Hornady lever action bullets in the .44 Mag, then the 44 and 30/30 are about equal. Only advantage the .44 would have over a .30/30 is maybe more ammo in the mag, depending on what rifle you get.

HiWall wrote:A good .30/30 is better than both the .357 & .44 Mags - unless you are going to use the new Hornady lever action bullets in the .44 Mag, then the 44 and 30/30 are about equal. Only advantage the .44 would have over a .30/30 is maybe more ammo in the mag, depending on what rifle you get.

+1

I did the research this time last year and bought the 30/30 over the 44. With a decent sight (I went for XS Ghost Ring) the 30/30 is actually capable out to 200m. The 44 is out of puff at 120m.

Within 60m the 44 may have it due to diameter, but not energy. HPGS had a really good deal on the Mossberg 30/30 recently - $550 or thereabouts.

i think im going to get the rossi 44 magnum, after seeing the damage on pigs and how highly fenring rates his 44mag. Most of the pigs i get on to are within 50 meters so the 44 mag would seem a good choice. if i do get into deer hunting then i will buy 308 or 270wsm, but for now what i am doing the 44 mag seems a better option and more fun.
cheers
tikka

Probably the most fun lever action I have ever had was a Rossi Puma a few years ago. It was a lovely bit of gear, copy of the Winchester '92 a much smoother and all round sweeter action than the '94, but only chambered in pistol calibres. My Rossi had a half length octagonal barrel, tapered to round, 24" long with a full length magazine which held from memory 15 x .44/40 rounds. Not as powerful as the .44 Mag of course, mainly due to thin brass in the cases but it sure bowled over pigs when loaded with not to hard lead bullets. Nothing quite like having a slick action and a load of bullets when you get into a mob of pigs. Am really sorry I sold that rifle, would buy another tomorrow if they were still being made.

i have a stainless rossi puma .357 mag and its great. I run 38 special ammo through it when shooting rabbits and its opens them right up like the .223 does Being so small they are a great scrub gun and iv taken a few deer using .357 mag ammo. The fallow deer i shot was a head shot around 50 meters and it just about took its head off. Same thing with head shooting roo's. I highly recommend getting one, so much more fun blasting critters with it than my scoped .308.