Open Sights hunting rifles - what do you like?

[jayquiver]

Looking at picking up another hunting rifle. Mainly for Deer in close quarters/bush with open sights.

Ideally it would be…
-wood and blued
-short action
-barrel length 20-22”.
-Nice carry/off hand shooter/well balanced

May put a 1-4 scope on it down the road incase my eyes get worse.lol


I know Sako makes a few models with open sights, Black Bear, Bavarian etc.
What other brands should I look at? I am open to a lever action also. Price would be under $2500.

Currently I own

-Cooper Jackson Hunter, 338-06, 22” barrel (close to mid range moose/elk gun)
-Nula, 280ai, 24” barrel (my "all a-rounder" do everything lightweight rifle)
-Rem 700 action with wildcat stock and KS arms barrel, 25-06, 22” barrel (open country deer rifle)

Currently Selling - SAKO Finnlight 75 in 6.5x55 Swede. This could be traded for the above.

[Dean2]

Since your are a lefty too, give some thought to a lever gun for that kind of use. Hard to beat a Marlin Guide gun for short, handy and come in wood and blue. I have a Winchester 94 in 375 Win and one in 38-55 that are also great open sight, close quarter rifles.

[jayquiver]

I'm a righty. lol
But thanks the recommendations Dean!

[lone wolf]

Recently picked up a Tikka Battue. Very light and handy, hi viz open sights and a 20" barrel. Comes in a variety of calibers up to and including 9.3x62 which is what I have ~ perfect close quarters gun for moose and bear. The Battue models come standard with synthetic furniture, however all the Tikka stocks are interchangeable.

[Bushleague]

Honestly, IMO, if the rifle is only ever to be used with iron sights it may as well be a Lee Enfield. A sporterised No1 weighs in at about 7.5 lbs without a scope which compares pretty favorably to your average 45-70. The sights are good and practically bomb proof.

Although the barrel is longer than ideal, because the action and stock are short the OAL is about the same as your average 22" bbl sporter. If the mag sticking out bothers you while carrying just flip it over and carry it upside down, while this does make it slightly slower to get into action it has the added benefit of keeping snow out of the sights.

[Attilathecanuk]

You need a 45-70 or .444 large loop levergun

[Dean2]

Originally Posted by jayquiver

I'm a righty. lol
But thanks the recommendations Dean!

I mistook the comment about off hand shooting. You apparently meant shooting off hand. None the less, it is hard to beat a lever, blr, savage 99, angle eject 94 or Marlin if you may want to eventually scope it. Levers are a great gun for fast handling and they look nice too.

[fordtruckin]

Marlin lever gun in 30-30 or better yet.35 Remington! If you ever think you may want to use it on moose look at a 45/70 too.

[catnthehat]

I really like the NECG express sights on my i had installed on my single shot They are fast and rock solid!
A single shot falling block is never a bad thing when it comes to lighter weight and super short overall length!
Cat

[jayquiver]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

I really like the NECG express sights on my i had installed on my single shot They are fast and rock solid!
A single shot falling block is never a bad thing when it comes to lighter weight and super short overall length!
Cat

Shouldering yours the other day is what started this, thanks, haha... beautiful rifle Cat!
Just not sure about the single shots, I like the idea of a quick follow up shot if needed.

[Coiloil37]

Close quarters bush gun for deer screams a marlin 1894 in 44 mag. I don’t think there’s a sweeter handling lever on the market. They make the 336 feel porky.




If I wanted a little more I would take something like this .35 rem on the right or the 45-70 on the left although a 444 wouldn’t be a bad choice either.

[obsessed1]

Lots of options. I love the levers....45-70 ,444, 30-30, 35rem...take your pic.. I also have a shortened mk4no1 that does great at tight bush hunting. Then I have a 20" mauser in 308 and a 22" Midland mauser cross in 30-06. Both wear open sights and low powered scopes. Iirc husky made a 20" barrel rifle with open sights as well in a few chamberings.

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by obsessed1

Lots of options. I love the levers....45-70 ,444, 30-30, 35rem...take your pic.. I also have a shortened mk4no1 that does great at tight bush hunting. Then I have a 20" mauser in 308 and a 22" Midland mauser cross in 30-06. Both wear open sights and low powered scopes. Iirc husky made a 20" barrel rifle with open sights as well in a few chamberings.

I have two of those Huskys, neither of mine have irons on them anymore, but they are light and nicely balanced. I pretty much only hunt bush, my typical shot distances range from 15 to 100 yards, average would probably be around 40. Although mine wear low power scopes they are great for this purpose, to the point that while I keep shopping around for a new rifle I always end up deciding that there really is nothing else out there that I'd rather be hunting with.


DSCF1244 by , on Flickr

DSCF1216 by , on Flickr

PA080253 by , on Flickr

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by jayquiver

Shouldering yours the other day is what started this, thanks, haha... beautiful rifle Cat!
Just not sure about the single shots, I like the idea of a quick follow up shot if needed.

Too bad you didn't try out my Highwall 1885 in 260 Remington !
Cat

[Dean2]

If you want to stick to a bolt gun the Ruger Guide Gun is a good option. I have one in 375 Ruger and it is a great shooting rifle, open sights work great and easy to mount a Quick Detach scope. The 20" barrel makes it easy handling and they come in 30-06 to 416 Taylor.


https://www.ruger.com/products/guideGun/models.html

[Iron Brew]

For a bush gun, hard to beat a heavy, slow bullet (I like 350 to 450gr bullets, travelling in the 1100 to 1400fps range). Recoil is mild and follow up relatively easy. And stops darn near anything. I like the 45-70. Ideally with a ghost ring on it. Recently been looking at Ranger Point Precisions fiberoptic cloverleaf on a picatinny as an option for my new Henry 45-70. The stock fiberoptics are nice, but I just think ghosts are faster (practice both eyes open. Hard to break the habit of a lifetime).

One of the big things ( I have a rant elsewhere) is fitting the rifle. In general (and some of the others like Cat etc. will probably correct me cause I'm not as experienced) a slightly too short LOP will be faster to the shoulder, and will take into account for clothing. A long LOP I find catches on clothes and slows the whole process down. Several different theories on how to get the correct LOP.

[HVA7mm]

CZ 557 LUX in 8X57 (Not exactly short action, but there's also .308 Win)

Browning BLR .358 Win

[huntinstuff]

I used to carry a .444 Marlin

Now I carry a Parker Hale 300 win mag with open sights, sighted in dead on at 100yds. It has the adjustable rear sight but I level the top of the rear sight with the tip of the front sight as my sight pic in case the adjustable part gets mucked up

Its light enough. 24" barrel

[leo]

If you intend for shots to be under 100 yards, don’t underestimate a slugged barrel shotgun. I have an old 870 Wingmaster with rifled barrel, and high vis open sights. Sited dead on for 50 yards. I occasionally alternate every second round to 00Buck too. For close quarters, or moments to make your arse pucker, it’s perfect.

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by Dean2

If you want to stick to a bolt gun the Ruger Guide Gun is a good option. I have one in 375 Ruger and it is a great shooting rifle, open sights work great and easy to mount a Quick Detach scope. The 20" barrel makes it easy handling and they come in 30-06 to 416 Taylor.


https://www.ruger.com/products/guideGun/models.html

None too light though.

[Dean2]

Originally Posted by Bushleague

None too light though.

With a scope it is the perfect weight for a 375 Ruger or 416 Taylor. Very tolerable and controllable recoil. Light and 375 is bad mojo. If u want light and handy I would stick to 7x57, 308, 280 or even a 45-70 using factory rem 405 or 1500 fps handloads.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Iron Brew

One of the big things ( I have a rant elsewhere) is fitting the rifle. In general (and some of the others like Cat etc. will probably correct me cause I'm not as experienced) a slightly too short LOP will be faster to the shoulder, and will take into account for clothing. A long LOP I find catches on clothes and slows the whole process down. Several different theories on how to get the correct LOP.

No argument here !! Far better to be a bit short than a bit long on LOP for sure especially when it bones to snap shooting with irons !
Cat

[catnthehat]

double tap!
Cat

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by Dean2

With a scope it is the perfect weight for a 375 Ruger or 416 Taylor. Very tolerable and controllable recoil. Light and 375 is bad mojo. If u want light and handy I would stick to 7x57, 308, 280 or even a 45-70 using factory rem 405 or 1500 fps handloads.

True that, the OP never specified whether he wanted a light rifle. To me thats more of a concern than barrel length or chambering in a bush rifle, since IMO that rifle should stay in your hand all day rather than be slung. But others may feel differently.

[catnthehat]

You could always go for an Enfield with irons and be happy!
or you could always shoot an O/U for two quick shots.

I still like my single shot fallling blocks though!

Cat

[Cory]

Browning BLR in .308 with either a Ghost Ring or Skinner aperture rear sight.

[jayquiver]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Going to look into some levers and bolt actions 20” or shorter, once hunting season is over.

With a bit a internet research/discoveries I moved some existing stuff around today. I am going to try this set up for this season.

Cooper 338-06 with a 22” barrel
Leupold VX3i 1.5-5x20.
Loaded up with Hornady Interlock in either 250gr Round Nose (.291 BC) or 250 SP-RP (.431BC) over Varget. Should get around 2500 ft/sec. Big, slower bullet should be good for the bush.

Only need to pick up the bullets, the rest I own already!

Any other load suggestions for a bush basher?







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[Redneck 7]

My main deer rifle is a .243 Remington 7600 with a Leupold freedom 1.25-4x20. Works flawlessly, I also have quick detach rings from Leupold to use the iron sights. Scope just pops off and the irons are in plain view.

Last night I just put a Leupold VX-R 1.25-4x25 on my 7600 30-06. I think I’ll be using that set up this year for my moose draw. It’s a nice handling rifle, just have normal rings for it but the rifle still sports iron sights.

[HVA7mm]

Originally Posted by Redneck 7

My main deer rifle is a .243 Remington 7600 with a Leupold freedom 1.25-4x20. Works flawlessly, I also have quick detach rings from Leupold to use the iron sights. Scope just pops off and the irons are in plain view.

Last night I just put a Leupold VX-R 1.25-4x25 on my 7600 30-06. I think I’ll be using that set up this year for my moose draw. It’s a nice handling rifle, just have normal rings for it but the rifle still sports iron sights.

Pump actions rifles weren't mentioned, but I had a 760 in .35 Rem and a 7600 in .270 Win. at one point. They both shot well and carried well, but felt "different" than a bolt or lever. If I were a die hard bird hunter used to shooting a 870, one of the Remington pumps would probably be a natural choice. A .35 Whelen in a pump would be a candidate as well.

To the OP. I do like the look of that .338-06. You probably just answered your own question and came up with a perfect solution

[3blade]

I was gonna ask what’s wrong with the NULA...but I guess you sorted it out. Being familiar and confident with your rifle is far more important than a couple inches of barrel one way or the other.

Could get another nula built in 308 or 338 federal with sights. That would be unique and fit the bill (other than the wood/blued part)