Choosing a deer/boar hunting rifle and optic

[koren044]

Hello everyone, I am considering starting a new hunting rifle project and I was hoping to hear some of your thoughts. The purpose is for hunting deer and potentially boars. My questions are:

1. Bolt action vs. lever action: I know bolt action are generally more robust, but I was wondering if there are any benefits for a lever action (e.g. faster rate of cycling through shots).

2. For the optic, a scope or a red dot? Scope is the traditional way to go but I was wondering if some people hear have any experience with using red dots.

Thanks

 

[Jaybird1980]

Hello everyone, I am considering starting a new hunting rifle project and I was hoping to hear some of your thoughts. The purpose is for hunting deer and potentially boars. My questions are:

1. Bolt action vs. lever action: I know bolt action are generally more robust, but I was wondering if there are any benefits for a lever action (e.g. faster rate of cycling through shots).

2. For the optic, a scope or a red dot? Scope is the traditional way to go but I was wondering if some people hear have any experience with using red dots.

Thanks

To me a lever action in 30-30, 35 Remington, 45-70, or 44 mag. Makes the best deer, hog, bear general hunting gun. Could also throw in 32 special, but ammo availability can suck.

Optics kind of depend on the environment and time of day for me, but a reflex or red dot is pretty versatile.

Of course if your hunting distances are generally 125 yards and out I would go with a bolt gun.

 

[JEBland]

You know the advantages of a lever/pump/semi: speed. Bolts can be made pretty accurate for pretty cheap - for a budget gun that is new, it's hard to beat a bolt, IMO. I know I'm the least accurate part of my hunting rig when walking in the woods.

Where will you be hunting... Typical distances? Got an astigmatism? There's a lot of personal choice for optics. When I was a teenager I wanted a 4-12x scope and the like. Now I rarely turn up to 4x on an LPVO or even from my 3-9x. Got a scope you already like or have used? What do you want to do differently? Red dots star pattern badly for me, and my UH-1 has some bleeding of the image, too. Certainly some folks who like red dots / holographics on lever guns on INGO.

There's lots of discussion on the forum about it.
Red dots and some discussion of holographic/prisms
LPVOs
Just general scope

AAOptics is a site supporter and has good pricing and shipping if interested in Vortex optics (they've also added thermal and recently game cameras).

Welcome to INGO.

 

[woodsie57]

Hello everyone, I am considering starting a new hunting rifle project and I was hoping to hear some of your thoughts. The purpose is for hunting deer and potentially boars. My questions are:

1. Bolt action vs. lever action: I know bolt action are generally more robust, but I was wondering if there are any benefits for a lever action (e.g. faster rate of cycling through shots).

2. For the optic, a scope or a red dot? Scope is the traditional way to go but I was wondering if some people hear have any experience with using red dots.

Thanks

Unless you plan on long range "out west" type hunting, a 30-30 with a peep or low power scope will do it. You can get fancier and more expensive, for sure. Red dots work well, also

 

[Ruger_Ronin]

My favorite woodland game setup is a JM Marlin 30-30 with a Romeo5. I get accuracy, speed, and lightweight all in one go. Not the best for open field hunting (where I'd prefer a bolt in 30-06), but a great woods gun. Anything under 150 is easy money.

 

[Bigtanker]

A little more info about how/where (distance) you'll use it and a budget you're looking to spend will help the members give you better advice.

 

[Ruger_Ronin]

Additionally, I've always found that tracking a moving target with a magnified optic at <200 yards is not conducive to successful harvesting. YMMV.

 

[Rookie]

6.5 grendel in an AR-15 platform with a LPVO.

 

[koren044]

You know the advantages of a lever/pump/semi: speed. Bolts can be made pretty accurate for pretty cheap - for a budget gun that is new, it's hard to beat a bolt, IMO. I know I'm the least accurate part of my hunting rig when walking in the woods.

Where will you be hunting... Typical distances? Got an astigmatism? There's a lot of personal choice for optics. When I was a teenager I wanted a 4-12x scope and the like. Now I rarely turn up to 4x on an LPVO or even from my 3-9x. Got a scope you already like or have used? What do you want to do differently? Red dots star pattern badly for me, and my UH-1 has some bleeding of the image, too. Certainly some folks who like red dots / holographics on lever guns on INGO.

There's lots of discussion on the forum about it.
Red dots and some discussion of holographic/prisms
LPVOs
Just general scope

AAOptics is a site supporter and has good pricing and shipping if interested in Vortex optics (they've also added thermal and recently game cameras).

Welcome to INGO.

Thanks for the info and the welcome. I plan mostly on hunting in the woods not far from my house so we’re talking distances of no more than 100 yards. No astigmatism.

 

[koren044]

For those who like/use lever actions, are there any reliability concerns compared with a bolt action mechanism or an ar platform?

 

[JEBland]

Thanks for the info and the welcome. I plan mostly on hunting in the woods not far from my house so we’re talking distances of no more than 100 yards. No astigmatism.

For 100 yd and in with no astigmatism, I'd probably go with red dot if I weren't defective - having an astigmatism I couldn't give you good advice on it. If going red dot... I dunno, talk to one of the red dot folks.

Could also play with prisms/holographics if you want a reticle.

Holographics are kinda cool. I've just played with the Vortex UH-1 ("Huey"). I get a little streaking with my right eye, but it's great with my left. I'll probably eventually give/sell it to my brother whose wife thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. AAOptics sells the UH-1 and occasionally gets one in their refurbished batched (same lifetime warranty for any function issues as brand new). Lots of EoTech fans out there, too.

Prism if you want an etched reticle or higher than 1x magnification (not needed, but some people want a 2 or 3x at 100 yd out of habit with old 3-9x scopes). If going prism/scope, having the optic mounted so that when you bring the gun up it's aligned with your eye is imo the most important part of having a hunting rig. If you haven't played with mounting, watch some YouTube videos on it. I've just got a Vortex Spitfire 1x, but I'm interested in expanding beyond that.

 

[1nderbeard]

6.5 grendel in an AR-15 platform with a LPVO.

This is what I'd suggest also. If you're boar hunting sometimes follow up shots are necessary in rapid succession. Faster than you can throw the lever or pull the bolt. Recoil is also lighter than just about every deer rifle in lever or bolt.

I'd go with as nice an optic as you can afford, with no more than 3-9 zoom. Probably 2-5 would be plenty for IN.

 

[snapping turtle]

my hog gun is 45-70 marlin circle JM guide gun with a 1-4 Nikon scope. I think they called it an African big game scope. I don’t use the real heavy loaded rounds but I do use over the Springfield powder puff rounds. In case I find a swamp Bigfoot I am good to go also. I normally hunt hogs In swamp environments so I don’t mind not traveling far after the shot to trail it.

My deer Gun is a marlin 44 mag with scout scope. JM circle marlin. Works I still hunt mainly and I can snap shoot with this very well.

Hogs can be a little harder to take so the 45-70 comes out but it is most likely not needed.

Scopes are for hunting red dots are for PCC’s and AR’s. Maybe that’s my ”I have always done it this way”mentally.

Why the lever action over the bolt. “I have always done it this way?” If I need distance I have a browning BLR or Savage 99 in 308 that stil let me go lever action.

 

[patience0830]

AR10 in .35 Remington. With a low powered variable optic. Perfect medicine for any trouble including 2 legged out to 300 yds, possibly farther.

 

[koren044]

Great, thanks everyone who commented for the information, really much appreciated.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Are the woods by your house private land or public? That will dictate your caliber choices.

 

[Mgderf]

I'm partial to the lever guns myself.
I've got two that I have used to take " doubles".
That is, I've taken two deer in one setting with two very quick consecutive shots.
Boom, lever, boom...two deer down.

Like I said, I've done this twice.
Once with a Marlin 336 in .35Remington and the other was a Mossberg 464 in .30-30.

I've also used a Marlin 1895 in .45-70 and a Marlin 1894 in .44mag to take more deer than I can count.

I like bolt guns, and own several, but anything under 150 yards, I'm carrying a lever gun

The most fun you can have in the woods with your clothes on.

Btw- Any of the above listed calibers would be more than sufficient for deer or hogs.

 

[koren044]

Are the woods by your house private land or public? That will dictate your caliber choices.

Public.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Public.

Okay, then most of the calibers suggested above aren't an option for deer. 44 magnum and 357 magnum are good to go (for deer at least, and I'm guessing 44 magnum would be okay for boar), and if you reload, 35 Remington can be trimmed down to be legal. I don't know if there are any caliber restrictions on boar hunting, since that's not all that common in Indiana. I guess worst case, you might have an excuse to get two rifles.

 

[1nderbeard]

Public.

450 bushmaster or 350 legend might be better choices for public land. Personally I took a nice buck at 160 yards with a 450 this past year. He only went about 20 feet.

Both are also available in ar15 uppers.