.
Thank you, you reminded me I have a 722 in 222 Magnum, haven’t fired it in years. Always thought it too heavy for the cartridge.
Kevin
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It is indeed a barrel nut. The 340 was a pretty innovative design Savage set up to use up .30 caliber machine gun barrels they made during WWII. That barrel nut system is very similar to the system they use on the Model 110 to this day.
Barry, I have that same rifle, mine is a Stevens 322, I like the butter knife bolt handle and it's a good shooter with cast. One of my favorite squirrel rifles, though I like my 219 for such things a little better.
Attachment 249744
Howa Mini. Mine is a 20" 6.5 Grendel. It weights slightly under 5 lbs as you see it here. I built the stock with the goal of making it as light as possible.
They also come in .223 and 300 BO. Brownells has barreled actions and Whittaker has a great deal on the 6.5 Grendel with two stocks.
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...-tXmHCmr-L.jpg
One 222 Rem 600 , one 47 gr J word, 3350 fps, one coyote, one hundred yards, one hard to locate entry hole, flipped the coyote over and there were three fifty cents sized exit wounds three inch centers, with the jacket mark along the skin underneath back to the hip bone.
Hey, how about that well done rifle in #44 by KLR! Really like the dip cut in the lock area. like the stock cutout as well, but the dip cut really shines as spectacular design.
Unless you are dead set on having something that can be reloaded, a bolt or lever action .22 WMR would be (and is) my first choice for a "walking around rifle." They are typically smaller and lighter than a center-fire rifle, and the .22 WMR is an effective coyote round out to ~150yds or so. I have shot just about every flavor of .22 WMR ammo out there, and the 30 gr Vmax from Hornady is by far the best, IMO.
Yes Rich. I just love this rifle. Squirrel, turkey, pig, yota dogs, prairie dogs. So many hunting classes are covered and so light and handy. Right up there with the best of my hunting purchases.
I like your Fox squirrel too. Nice bushy tail there.
Yes, I agree not always needed to take the nut eaters, and I usually use my Stevens "GILL" gun for squirrels or one of my shotguns.
I have called my Contender carbine in 9mm Lugar my "walking around" rifle for 20 years. It does exactly what it is supposed to do with iron sights including minute-of-popcan out to 125 yards and makes a very satisfying thump when it hits a coyote at any range.
it depends. its either a 20 vartarg in tc encore with a 23" MGM barrel or my 35/30 win in win m94 with williams fp peep sight. the 20vt and 34gr midway/midsouth hp with rel7 will kill a 'yote, groundhog, foxes and any small game out to 347 yards(furthest i killed a groundhog/laser range finder).
my m94 used to be a 30/30 till i sent to JES and it came back a 35/30!!! i killed alot of deer with my 30/30 but i didn't care for the caliber. so i put her away. 25+ years later, i take her out and send it to jesse. the 35/30 is a dream!!! i shot a couple of groundhogs(80+/- yards) but it is fast becoming "my rifle". i use a 200gr fngc and 20.0gr of 2400/dacron (1726fps) and its like a nudge on my shoulder. can't wait to try it out on deer.
Contender G2, Composite Youth Stock, 16" MGM Medium Tapered barrel (Super 14 forend) chambered for .357 Maximum, topped with a Trijicon RMR. Pretty handy.
One of my favorite “critter getters” is my 30 carbine it’s light, fast and I can hold 15 or 30 rounds
Nothing in NE KY is going to like a 130grn hollow point at 2200fps
I know a guy who worked over one of those howa minis:
https://i.postimg.cc/3wY9HH1H/spitfield.jpg
He's made it work with a double-stack .30 carbine magazine and runs in a .22 Spitfire reamer in short. He calls it a ".22 spitwad" and it has similar performance to a .22 K-hornet. Seems to be working real well for him and since he did most of the work himself it was not very costly.
https://i.postimg.cc/tT8xjGc1/spitwad-Ammo.jpg
I have several but only 1 bolt gun. A Savage 25 in 25/20. I also have a TC contender carbine in 223, Savage 219 in 22H, H&R in 22KH, M92 Win in 32/20, a M92 Puma in 454 Casull and my favorite a M92 Win in 25/20. I have had a few 22Mags but the ammo is quite a bit more expensive than shooting cast. I think you would like the 6x45 in a light bolt gun.
i like the Ruger American Ranch for that role light weight, 16 inch barrel, great accuracy. takes AR 15 mags. but my favirite is a Marlin 336 CS 30-30 shortened to 16 inch barrel. short and handy. Can carry it by the pistol grip and not worry about the muzzel touching the ground.
What a beautiful job!!! Some talent there for sure.
The caliber conversion is interesting....but with the cost of .30 carbine brass, keeping the gun in .223 and downloading it would be more practical. And keeping it in .223 offers a greater range of loads if ever desired. Any small savings in powder are quickly consumed by the cost of the conversion.
Most wildcats make little sense but I still admire the talent and craftsmanship.
I went with a Savage Axis combo with the scope in 223, then got a Shaw 6X47 barrel to screw on it. Would of went with 6X45 and used 223 brass but I had 1100 new 222mag brass to
play with.
Aaron
Both those rifles were iron-sighted single shots.
A bolt-action adds weight as well as making the OAL longer than a single shot. It's also not in keeping with the classic 'Woods-Walking' rifle concept which was based on a single-shot falling block action.Quote:
I would like to get an American version, lightweight bolt action, with a cartridge based on 222/223 brass, capable of taking turkey and coyote. I will probably get either a Savage 25 or the CZ527. I don’t care if it is factory or wildcat as long as it can be formed from 223 brass.
The English 'Rook'/'Rabbit' rifle was a light-weight affair, chambered for a small bore cartridge, and in concept the modern .223 cartridge fits that program just fine. The Rook & Rabbit rifles were dedicated for the hunting of small game, upland and forest birds, and no doubt plinking at targets of opportunity. Usually zeroed for one load and bullet-weight, they were always shot with the irons.
Single-shot candidates today which might fill the old Rook Rifle role might be one of Ruger's small-bore #1s chambered in, say, .223 or .22 Hornet (if you can still find them), or perhaps one of the new single shots from Henry Repeating Arms in a similar small-bore caliber (.223; .243). Even a single-shot .22 rimfire could be adapted to the Rook/Rabbit 'Walking Rifle' role, being easily carried over hill and dale and through glen and forest.
No doubt the Ruger #1 will be waaay spendier than a Henry single-shot in the same caliber. And it's too bad CZ doesn't offer a line of single shot rifles built along the classic lines of the old Farquarsen. I'm sure their accuracy would be much better than the Ruger #1s I've had and eventually sold off.
The single-shot "Bunny Guns" which John Taylor has made for me on the pre-WW2 H&R .44/.410 shotgun frames weigh 4 to 5 pounds, depending upon their caliber and barrel length.
My 20" barrel .32 S&W Long and .44-40 each weigh 4 pounds and are 34-1/2" overall.
Attachment 250135Attachment 250136
The .38 Special with 26-inch, skinny, tapered barrel weighs 4-1/2 pounds and is 37 inches long.
Attachment 250134
The .455 Eley/.45 ACP with full 1 inch diameter bull barrel 20 inches long weighs 5 pounds.
Attachment 250137
I'm pretty much done buying rifles. I have a CZ527 American in 221 Fireball for vermin, a Howa 1500 mini in 6.5 Grendel for deer. I've got an Encore in 500 S&W with peeps that's nice and light that work on Moose if they where to invade Tennessee. There is a draw back with the Encore in that it kills on the front, and maims on the rear! :o
Considering the single-shot woods rifle conversions, which action is the most suitable? I had seen some conversions but they were limited to .38 Spl. Having A break-action capable of higher pressure chamberings would be the place to start, IMHO. Anyone want to comment?
Indeed!! I had a Contender in the original skinny 6" octo barrel in .44 Mag. Punishing. I expect that .500 S&W would need a serious compensator to tame it.Quote:
. . . Encore in 500 S&W with peeps that's nice and light . . . . kills on the front, and maims on the rear!
All I can say is, "the heart wants what the heart wants." He wanted .22 Hornet performance with 30 round mag capacity in a tiny bolt gun, what's pictured is his solution. Cost was not really a consideration but it wasn't much. Basicially some time on a mill and the cost of the reamer. The factory Howa barrel was just set-back. There are undoubtedly different ways to achieve the same result. ;)
https://www.classicfirearms.com/cz-u...c-carbine-185/
I bought one of these last month. Very happy with it so far. I’ll be adding an NECG Ghost ring rear sight.
Here's a slightly different take on this subject.
How about a Kel Tec SU16CA?
My rifle weighs 6 lbs with the optic and two loaded 10 round magazines stored in the buttstock!
The gun is a Semi-Auto chambered in .223/5.56
I realize this is different than the OP's version of a "Walking Around Rifle," however it is also Less Expensive and way more Versatile Solution that can be used for other things including a Full on Assault if needed.
It takes AR magazines from 10- ??? rounds, it is nearly MOA accurate, has a Chrome Lined Barrel and it folds in half.
But the real selling point is that this gun is light. In stock form they weigh in at 4.7 lbs unloaded. I added the Bushnell TRS-25 Red Dot, a side mounted sling and loaded the extra mags. 6.0 lbs on the nose and ready with 20 rounds + whatever you're carrying on your body. Definitely a "grab and go proposition"
The gun lays flat on my back when slung, or can be carried Cross Body for quick deployment. If you need to go incognito it can be folded in half and stuffed into most medium sized backpacks.
Don't let the plastic fool you my gun easily has 5,000+ rounds thru it. It doesn't have the AR problems with dirt either as the operating system is more like an AK.
If I had to run,,, this would be the gun I chose to go with me.
Something to think about?
Randy
I'll cut to the chase....I have a CZ527 Full stock (Mannlicher) in 223rem and I absolutely love it.
Super light weight. It's my walking riflexible just likeep you are asking for. I have even made 3 loads for it I keep on hand while walking around.
A full bore load at 3000fps
A 22 mag-is load at 2100fps
A 22Lr type load at 1100fps
All use the Hornady 55gr spire point, and all three loads shoot MOA or better.
This rifle is my 345 days a year rifle. When it's not gun season for deer this is what I carry. I really can't say enough good things about it.
If your interested I can go into more detail.
Much of the above could be said for the Kel-Tec RDB in various flavors. Light, short, ambidexterous, semi auto .223, AR-mag fed, 1:7 twist, short-stroke piston operation, $710 and equally pretty as the SU16CA.
I have a Rem. Model 7 in 223. Pretty handy, I will have to weigh it.
I have a stainless Rossi 92 in .357 mag with a 16" bbl and a 2x BSA pistol scope on it that carries well. I can go from very light .38s to .357 with the 180 grain RD NNFP loaded to go through both shoulders of a 250# hog. I also have the same setup with a 20" bbl, but the 16" just carries better. GF
I have a few favorite walking rifles, to stick with the original thought of using a .223 based case it would be hard to beat a 25-45 Sharps. I built one on a Ruger 77 ultralight, load it from light 25-20 wcf to almost 250 savage speeds. Plenty of bullet options and free cases laying around everywhere, one step forming, just run them through the resizing die and you are done. I am also pretty partial to handy bolt action in 7.62x39, especially for cast bullets, I have two of the Zastva mini mausers, a ruger 77 compact along with a Ruger american ranch rifle and all of them are pretty darn handy. For the ultimate in handiness and joy to carry it is pretty hard to beat my Marlin Classic in 25-20.
My Model 7 in 223 is 7lbs 4 oz with a 2x7 Leupold.
Once you're past 7lbs, you've left 'Woods Walking gun' territory - again, in terms of the old English Rook/Rabbit rifle, a thin-barreled, iron-sighted single shot - and have crossed into carbine or short-rifle territory.
My Grandad's old 30-40 Krag sporter, a custom job from waaay back in the day, is just a tad over 7lbs. But the cartridge is hardly compatible with the concept of the Rook/Rabbit rifles of old. Those were chambered for smaller, milder calibers.
Thank you all for your responses. While I will continue to look for an appropriate action o use for a build, I will also start looking for a Rook and Rabbit rifle for sale.
Kevin
If you can find one, the Zastava M85 fits the bill nicely. Century imports them occasionally. The M85 has a really nice walnut stock and is almost entirely made of blued steel, for about the same price as a Savage/Remington/Ruger budget rifle with plastic stock.
I have a little double rifle in 300 Sherwood, I like the 300 sherwood so I had an old Brno fox 222 re barrelled to 300 sherwood great little rifle.
You might take a look at the TC Compass. I don't have one but when looking at them in the store, it seemed awfully light. It's got a 18.5 barrel if I remember right.