overgunned???

[112Savage]

As I was sitting in my stand in SW Virginia the other day I had a thought. Framing the scene: I'm sitting in woods recently selectively logged so shots will generally be 50 to 70 yds with 150 being the absolute longest shot. However, entering and leaving the stand I could potentially take up to a 500 yard shot.

My thought given the extensive amount of time I have to sit and quietly think is why am I carrying an 11# 26" 25-06 with a 3-15X50 scope? I love this rifle, but I suddenly thought that maybe a 6.5# 30-30 win or 45-70 might be better suited to my range and quarry.

Has anybody else ever felt this way or have I just had too much time to myself?
I know this is a long range shooting website and 70yds isn't long range but in the East we hunt a little differently.

 

[Tikkamike]

over gunned is a make believe term. I think either would be cool.. smacking a deer with a 45-70 would be sweet, but you dont want to miss an opportunity at 500....maybe you should have 2 guns in your stand because the way I see it you are UNDERgunned

 

[Mike 338]

Hmmm, hunting from a stand doesn't imply covering long miles of difficult steep terrain where lugging a heavy rifle will be to much so the weight of your Savage isn't a deal breaker. Your scope is fine but you will probably keep it on 3 or 4X and won't need more than 7 or 9X. The extra power on the scope is good for target shooting and that's always fun. Having said that, I like lever guns very much and they carry better than just about anything else. The new Hornady FTX bullets provide a good BC for the longer shots and can be used in a tubular magazine.

Something in lever gun you might consider is the 308 Marlin Express. The concept is very good and some of the factory rifles have performed very well but for now, Marlin isn't making them or many of their other lever action rifles. This is actually a blessing because of the huge amount of defective lever guns they flooded the market with. It's possible they will get it sorted out but to date, Remington/Marlin has a very tarnished reputation. Poke around on the internet and you'll see what I mean. There's a library full of dissatisfied customers. The 30/30 has probably put more deer in the freezer than anything else.

If it was me, I'd keep using what I have and wait and see if anyone offers a lever action in the 308 Marlin Express. If you buy a Marlin, save you receipt.

 

[Buano]

I love a .25-06 & use it as my primary deer cartridge. The only difference between your rifle & mine is weight, and once you are in your stand that should make little difference. The big advantage of the .25-06 is that you can thread a bullet through a very small opening if need be. I once shot a deer at 265 yards in fairly thick woods when the deer was moving across my field of view & I picked a 2-3" opening to shoot through and waited for it to get to my "window". There is no way that shot would have happened with a 30-30 or 45-70. I would stick to the .25-06, or possibly a .243, but don't see any argument for a .30-30 or a 45-70 in your situation.

 

[Broz]

My thought given the extensive amount of time I have to sit and quietly think is why am I carrying an 11# 26" 25-06 with a 3-15X50 scope? I love this rifle, but I suddenly thought that maybe a 6.5# 30-30 win or 45-70 might be better suited to my range and quarry.
.

For your distances I think you have a very good choice. In fact, the 25-06 was what I carried when I hunted tree stands in Mo. a lot of the time. They are a great deer rifle both up close and 500 yards is sure an easily doable task too.

Jeff

 

[Willys46]

I had the same thought this year, in the morning I was sitting on a clear cut looking at shots out to 700. Then I headed off to hunt the timber and I went old school. Winchester model 94 30-30 with open sights!

Carrying a 13# gun with a 5-22 NF is not a handy gun in thick timber and 50 yrd shots.

At the end of the day I loved carrying that thing in the woods. Ended up getting a bear that day at 35 yards! A little too close for my comfort level, but the open sights point and shoot worked very well.

 

[Buano]

I had the same thought this year, in the morning I was sitting on a clear cut looking at shots out to 700. Then I headed off to hunt the timber and I went old school. Winchester model 94 30-30 with open sights!

Carrying a 13# gun with a 5-22 NF is not a handy gun in thick timber and 50 yrd shots.

At the end of the day I loved carrying that thing in the woods. Ended up getting a bear that day at 35 yards! A little too close for my comfort level, but the open sights point and shoot worked very well.

I agree that a light rifle is a huge advantage when walking through the timber but he said he would be sitting in his stand which is why I said the weight of his rifle shouldn't make much of a difference. As I do a lot of walking with my .25-06, mine is a light stainless Ruger that I painted with camp-paint.

 

[112Savage]

my thought wasn't that the caliber I had picked was too much or too little, but was thinking that maybe a long/heavy rifle was misapplied. I have a 30-30 in my safe for use, but always grab the 25-06 or 264 Win Mag because that's what I've always done.
The misapplication was the bullet chosen specifically for long distance shooting, the heavy 0.82" in diameter 26" long barrel, and the high magnification scope with EBX reticle for help on long shots.
In the stand the scope rarely leaves 3-5x and the gun is rested more than it is held; but with all this time to think I wondered if somehow I had misapplied it and maybe needed to grab one of the lever guns.

Thanks for your input, obviously I have way too much time to think even when I'm out of a stand. I'm sure other hunters can relate to how your mind can wander when you're trying to discern whether that footstep was a stinking fox squirrel or the largest darn deer you've ever seen.

 

[RDM416]

You know, when you are "overgunned" you sometimes kill those deer "too dead".......