A bolt action carbine, simple scope, varied handloads, good for everything.

[Mustangs Rule]

At the range in town a young fat fellow had a long, long range rifle. The case seemed enough for skis. It had a 26” barrel and a recoil suppressor. In the gun rack with a Star Trekking Scope and bi pod, it looked like a launching derrick to send a rocket in orbit. Even with my ear muffs over foam plugs the noise was awful. I packed up for home.

A few times a week I hike a huge NF wilderness canyon near my home. I saw a grouse running in the bushes, easy shot for a light lead load in my 308. Saw a rabbit, also easy. On the flats there are whitetails. Shots are close, quick. Nice to have a short light carbine using my downloaded Barnes 30-30 bullets. A model 94 is a ½ pound heavier than my Sako Finnlight.

The mule deer like the rough canyon sides. It took fiddling with many powders to get all these bullets shooting close enough to the same POI. The 165 gr. TSX for mule deer and in the dark timber for elk,170 gr RN Lapua Naturalis work well.

I will never again draw a bighorn tag and have no interest in a Billy Goat. So curious. If I sit down on an open mountain side, they come closer. If I did hunt them or antelope, I have factory fast and flat 150 gr Barnes TTSX. No need for more gun.

Such are the musings of a skinny old man.

MR

 

[Don Fischer]

My favorite hunting rifle ever was a Rem 660 in 308 Win with 2 3/4x Denver Redfield 4 plex CCH scope. My son has it now!

 

[Mustangs Rule]

My favorite hunting rifle ever was a Rem 660 in 308 Win with 2 3/4x Denver Redfield 4 plex CCH scope. My son has it now!

Those 660's and 600 Remington's are going for some really big $ on the internet right now.

Newly produced carbines are rare. Savage makes some and of course Sako.

So much of what is being made and sold now are those long barrelled rifles with noisy/ugly recoil suppressers. "Copy that sniper specials".

I do not know if the 660's and 600's shared that flawed trigger of the Model 721's 722's and 700's. I would check.

I always thought those 660's and 600's were ahead of their time. Many especially, in the 350 Rem mags were highly valued by bush folks in Alaska.

Fast, light maneuverable in the brush. great carbines. I think they were victims of an addiction to getting that last bit of velocity from longer barrels.

In times past European hunters going after Chamois in steep alpine mountains favored Mannlicher carbines in 6.5. Those hunters valued stalking skills.

Thanks for your response.

 

[OntarioHunter]

I'm not into short light guns. My daughter's significant other shoots a Ruger Scout in .308. They made it in gray (tactical) laminate to add some weight (and it is surprisingly heavy for a short rifle) but muzzle jump and report are terrible. I don't get the logic in that combination. I'm sure adding a suppressor would tame some of those issues but then the portability and "quick draw" benefits just went out the window. May as well use a "normal" rifle. Porting that stumpy thing would create a muzzle blast sure to render the shooter and anyone within a city block radius senseless. I hunt with a spruced up 26" barrel WWII 30-06 that weighs about nine pounds. I've carried it over the continental divide many times. It's manageable ... but then again I don't load my daypack up for Armageddon. And no "backup" sidearm. I don't understand guys who go to great lengths scrimping on rifle weight but then feel they must have a cannon on their hip plus two days of grub, 1,001 piece first-aid kit, and sat phone in their packs "just in case" their daytrip goes haywire.

 

[elkduds]

I'm still practicing to learn to shoot my 7# rifle as well as the 9 pounder shoots for me. Carrywise, Gimme the little guy every time. Mine is in 270 win, another cartridge w a wide range of capabilities. Even w a 22" barrel I consider it my carbine.

 

[Mustangs Rule]

I'm not into short light guns. My daughter's significant other shoots a Ruger Scout in .308. They made it in gray (tactical) laminate to add some weight (and it is surprisingly heavy for a short rifle) but muzzle jump and report are terrible. I don't get the logic in that combination. I'm sure adding a suppressor would tame some of those issues but then the portability and "quick draw" benefits just went out the window. May as well use a "normal" rifle. Porting that stumpy thing would create a muzzle blast sure to render the shooter and anyone within a city block radius senseless. I hunt with a spruced up 26" barrel WWII 30-06 that weighs about nine pounds. I've carried it over the continental divide many times. It's manageable ... but then again I don't load my daypack up for Armageddon. And no "backup" sidearm. I don't understand guys who go to great lengths scrimping on rifle weight but then feel they must have a cannon on their hip plus two days of grub, 1,001 piece first-aid kit, and sat phone in their packs "just in case" their daytrip goes haywire.

As always, I hold your life hunting experience and loyalty to your Springfield in high regards. Often, I pick up my Browning 30-06 and think about hunting with it again, and again. I just won't take it out in sloppy weather anymore. That would require taking it apart to dry out and there goes my security with my zero staying the same.

An excuse for a lighter stainless synthetic rifle, that too.

What is happening in my hunting life right now and what rifle I take is "draw" dependent. More and more I can see for me to have any real hunting privacy I need to climb, either up or down and also cross cold fast running water. I enjoy doing all this, with the added benefit that I get to have a reason not to succumb to what Jack O'Conner called overuse of fork and spoon,,,getting fat.

Right now I am getting rid of the extra weight I put in after having Covid.

I drew a great prairie elk tag. Much of that prairie will almost be vertical, and a mid November to mid December hunt will be cold wet frozen at times. My Kimber 280AI will fit the bill.

What also rules my hunts are old injuries, which at 74 are many and I do needs to heed their messages. I do my yoga religiously, I swim, if my belly needs an extra notch in my belt, diet and extra exercise are in order.

Still there are some beasts I must bow to. like arthritis here and there, knees and back. Going light is wise. Allowing an injury to bloom when it could be avoided by trimming down wherever possible will keep me hunting longer.

My deer fall hunt will be STEEP, climbing required. I like that too. I put in for it. Watch out what we wish for.

I have gotten quite comfortable with my Sako Finnlight. Have been doing great on selected moving shots. The 20 inch match grade barrel gives impressive velocity. The stock length of pull is 14 1/4 " not a youth model carbine stock. All is well.

I will not fire one shot without tightly fitting ear plugs so the noise from the shorter barrel is not a concern.

Lastly regarding barrel length maybe, you might recall Jack O'Connor describing his first desert sheep hunts where he went out with a 24 or maybe even a 26 inch long barrel.

He got stuck with it climbing a cliff and almost became a ghost. upon return he had it cut down ASAP.

That story was in his rifle book.

As I have aged, I have gotten " more sneaky" as a hunter. I don't go in as far, but I climb trees, climb and sit in nooks on ledges, cut out little nests in brush too.

My light carbine has become a handy tool. It eats up less of my energy and leaves more for hunting.

All that matters is that we are still out hunting.

Thanks for your resposne OH

 

[T.R.]

I've had very good luck across the decades with my 660 carbine in .308 topped with 2-7X scope. This big forky was taken within the Black Hills Nat'l Forest of western South Dakota.

 

[Mustangs Rule]

I've had very good luck across the decades with my 660 carbine in .308 topped with 2-7X scope. This big forky was taken within the Black Hills Nat'l Forest of western South Dakota.

View attachment 233004

I could hunt anywhere for anything non dangerous with your rifle

 

[Don Fischer]

I'm not into short light guns. My daughter's significant other shoots a Ruger Scout in .308. They made it in gray (tactical) laminate to add some weight (and it is surprisingly heavy for a short rifle) but muzzle jump and report are terrible. I don't get the logic in that combination. I'm sure adding a suppressor would tame some of those issues but then the portability and "quick draw" benefits just went out the window. May as well use a "normal" rifle. Porting that stumpy thing would create a muzzle blast sure to render the shooter and anyone within a city block radius senseless. I hunt with a spruced up 26" barrel WWII 30-06 that weighs about nine pounds. I've carried it over the continental divide many times. It's manageable ... but then again I don't load my daypack up for Armageddon. And no "backup" sidearm. I don't understand guys who go to great lengths scrimping on rifle weight but then feel they must have a cannon on their hip plus two days of grub, 1,001 piece first-aid kit, and sat phone in their packs "just in case" their daytrip goes haywire.

One of the tings I led abot my 660 is it was not a slimed down lighr weithe rifle. I t wasn't heaavy by any meand but seem's today about all that matters is light weight. Light weight recoils more! It makes me wonder why prople spend the money they do fot light weight the add a heavy scope, susspors and rexoil pads to control the recoil.

 

[elkhnter]

A 673 in 300 saum is my grab and go rifle. A vx3i 3.5-10x40 sits on top. Rifle points like a shotgun and handles like a dream.
Thanks to component storage, I played with 168 TSX and Varget. Found a load that shots 3/4” or less.
It’s the one rifle I’ll never part with.

 

[Salmonchaser]

A thoughtful report. I find myself drawn more toward lower powered, and more compact. my favorite “old” scope is a Leupold 2x7 on just about anything. 18 to 20 inch bbls have much appeal.
Couple of days ago we went up on top in the blues. Check out winter damage to our hunting campsite, pick some huckleberries, look for black bear and elk, bear is open. I took the Winchester 73. We watched a Pretty good bear for a while, chip shot for one of the “rocket Launchers.” She said “ glad you didn’t bring one of the big guns, I don’t like bear that much anyway”

 

[Gunner46]

OK, I'll pitch in on the Rem 600/660 bandwagon. Got my 600 .308 for my 16th BD, still have it. My #1 tag filler to date (by a wide margin).