Ruger "General" rifle Question... which one.

[blume357]

Too many different rifle options.....

So, say I wanted a general all round goto rifle made by Ruger.... Something that will drop a 100-300lb 'animal' out to say 300 yards... and is easy to carry through the woods. Can do MOH (minute of head) at say 200 yards with little work and iron sights... I'm not married to either semi-auto (even though that is my favorite) or bolt action.... but I would like to stay within my current ammo selections, really don't want to add another caliber to my inventor. so: .223, 7.62x39 or 30-6. (I'm not including 22lr or mag and I know the .223 is probably not practical either... ?) (I'd just rather shoot 30-6 over 308)

Go ahead and make suggestions.... I'd like to hear them as well as reasons for them.

 

[9x19]

Ruger American bolt rifle in .30/06?

I have two of the Ranch models in 5.56 and .300 Blackout, and I really like the rifle design.

 

[DGW1949]

The "MOH at 200 yds with a little work and iron sights" requirement aint so much "which rifle" as it is skill and practice.
On the other hand, of the caliber choices you gave, the "300 pound animal at 300 yards" requirement perty-much dictates the 30-06...which in turn means that if you are stuck on buying a Ruger, it's going to be a bolt gun.

DGW

 

[PebblePimp]

Blume357, the Mini 30 sounds like a perfect candidate, IMO. You seem to be describing a hog gun. I've heard of a lot of hog hunters that like that like using that round. It's cheap, has plenty of power, & has a vast selection of ammo choices. I have "ethical kill" issues with the .223/5.56 on animals over 120 lbs. People can talk about shot placement all day; but when you get down to brass casings, perfect shots are rare.

 

[DGW1949]

Uh....don't look now, but "good" 7.62X39 ammo aint cheap...unless you consider prices which approach a dollar a round (and up) to be cheap.
That, and there's a lot of difference in conventional hog hunting and cleanly taking down "a 300 pound animal at 300 yds". I for one wouldn't attempt that with a cartridge that don't even come up to a 30-30 in power....and especialy not if I was using a Mini-30.

But hey, what do I know.....I'm just a dumb ole country boy. :lol: .

DGW

 

[Leucoandro]

I agree with what others have said. Should be a 30-06. The open sight requirement means that it will probably need to be a guide rifle. Model 47118 should suit your needs.

Charlie

 

[Jimbo357mag]

Consider the 308 Ruger 'Scout rifle' with iron sights as optimum for what you want to do. Same size bullets as your 30-06. You just need a new set of dies. You'll like the extended mag and shorter barrel and options for glass. There are few rifles that compare except for the 'Guide rifle' in 30-06. 7 lbs for the Scout rifle' vs 8 lbs for the 'Guide rifle'.

 

[Big Old Boy]

Blume, I'm waiting on the new this year #1s in 30-06 it has sites and a 24" barrel should do what you want but will cost about $1200. I hope to bring it out to Ty's this fall.

 

[PebblePimp]

Meanwhile, in the real world, 7.62x39 starts of at $0.30/rnd & climbs up to $1.00/rnd. While, .30-06 starts off at just under $1.00/rnd & quickly moves to almost $3.00/rnd. Cheaper. All the while, the Russian retains more energy down range. Also, the OP stated TWO HUNDRED yards for a range, not 300. I wouldn't hesitate for a second to take an animal @ 200 yds with a 7.62x39. I do have personal issues with taking a .30-30 past 150 yds (I need to shoot mine more to get to know my Model '94 better). If he had said 300 yds, I'd agree with the '06.

 

[Texas629]

I have read numerous comparisons of the .30-30 vs. 7.62 X 39. Most comparisons aren't worth the paper they are printed on. The 7.62 is very capable of shooting accurately to 200 yards with enough energy to kill a hog and then some based on my own experience. Handloaded it's even better. I would consider a Mini Thirty with an Aim Point red dot sight. 4 moa is a bit more realistic unless you want to shoot the .308 or 30-06 IMHO.

 

[Buckeye Bill]

I would have to suggest the Ruger Scout as well. Has solid iron sights and lots of options for optics.

 

[RSIno1]

Lipsey's is having a run of No1 in 30-06 done. It's going to be a blue & walnut 1S which has iron sights.

 

[DGW1949]

Meanwhile, in the real world, 7.62x39 starts of at $0.30/rnd & climbs up to $1.00/rnd. While, .30-06 starts off at just under $1.00/rnd & quickly moves to almost $3.00/rnd. Cheaper. All the while, the Russian retains more energy down range. Also, the OP stated TWO HUNDRED yards for a range, not 300. I wouldn't hesitate for a second to take an animal @ 200 yds with a 7.62x39. I do have personal issues with taking a .30-30 past 150 yds (I need to shoot mine more to get to know my Model '94 better). If he had said 300 yds, I'd agree with the '06.

Uh....that "200 yds" the OP mentioned was for head shots....and yeah, he also mentioned 300 pound animals at 300 yards.

And BTW, "in the real world" most Mini-30's will not go bang every time when using the cheap, steel cased ammo you mention. They simply aint made for it, and even Ruger say's so......But even if that wasn't the case (which it is), are you really suggesting that one should use "the worlds most expensive plinker" in conjunction with junky Com-bloc ammo for hunting large animals at ranges of up to 300 yds and/or taking head shots at 200 yds?......really?

That's all I got to say about that.

DGW

 

[3DTESTIFY]

Find a used Ruger M77RLS carbine in .30-06.

 

[groberts]

Why Ruger? For what you want there are so many bettre rifles.

 

[308dave]

Leucoandro mentioned the Guide Gun in 30-06 - I second the motion: 20" barrel, iron sights, threaded barrel with several options.

 

[rgp375]

Lipsey's limited Ruger No. 1S in .30/06 which will be out later this year.

Stick on something like a 1.5-5x or 1-6x scope in QD rings and replace the sights with the shallow v/white bead sights Ruger puts on the .30/06 version of the Guide Gun.

 

[PebblePimp]

DGW1949,
That was a 200 yd "minute-of-head". As I take it, MOA +/- 6". Also, the few friends of mine with mini-30s shoot cheap steel cases all day long. Some may not.

Also, I never said he should use "junky com-bloc ammo". I stated a starting price of ammo. Perhaps, you need to read replies completely before trying to be a jackass.

That's all I have to say about that.

 

[Sagebrush Burns]

Get an M-1 Garand in 30-06 - best iron sights you can get on a rifle and a hell of a gun in its own right.

 

[wolfsong]

Use the right ammo delivered by the correct caliber rifle. Hunting big game is not plinking. 200 to 300 yard shots are not plinking. Clean kill shots are hunting. Proper weapon, proper ammo and proper shot placement is hunting, and is necessary.

You can pound a nail with a rock, but a hammer is the correct tool. Use the right combination of tools for the task at hand. Thirty cents per round vs. a dollar per round should not even be a factor.

200+ yard shots from a 30.30 are completely legit and perfectly doable and lethal. Know your gun, ammo and skills. Do not attempt to exceed any of those.

A bolt action is the best platform for the OP's situation. Brand type is irrelevant. There are many suitable bolt actions available in all price ranges.

That's all I have to say about that.