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Deep Woods Rifle

pitweiler

By pitweiler,
in Rifle and Gun Hunting

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pitweiler Newbie

pitweiler

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I found a new spot to hunt this year and it's deep woods with hills, ridges and lots of trees. It's moderately thick, but not too thick and there are good sight lines throughout the area. When I scouted it I was thinking about which rifle I'd use for the area and I'm bouncing a couple ideas around. I typically use a Ruger 77 in .243 that wears a 3-9x scope. I don't think a scope will be a good fit in this area. The terrain is physically demanding to trek through and the average shot there only would be ~45 yards.

Other than my Ruger 77, I have a Marlin .30/30 and Ruger Mini-14 in 5.56mm to choose from. My Marlin is a pre-Remington 336 and shoots true with a fairly heavy, but decently crisp 7lb or so trigger. It wears the standard semi buckhorn sights which I don't really like. I shoot Federal Power Shok 150gr or Fusion out of this rifle. 

The Mini is a 581 serial prefix so it has all the "Ranch Rifle" upgrades from the previous version. It wears the standard front blade and aperture rear. I find this rifle accurate, handy and reliable. I shoot this rifle 3x more than any other rifle and am confident with it. I have some Winchester RA556B (64gr Nosler Bonded Solid Base) for it if I decide to use the Mini. 

I'm leaning toward the Mini. it has a better trigger, I shoot it more often and I'm confident with the performance of RA556B at the ranges I'm going to encounter. Curious what input this forum might have.

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airedale Grand Master

airedale

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Ultimately it is always about shot placement and when you have a gun you shoot well and have confidence in that is a tough combo to beat.  Many moons ago I killed my first Buck with a 222 Remington, you do your part and I am sure those Noslers will do theirs.

Al

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Buckmaster7600 Mentor

Buckmaster7600

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The 223 will kill just fine as long as you are willing to pass anything but broadside shots. I have killed a ton of deer with a 223 while i was stationed down south.

I hunt deep woods in the Adirondacks and have found that a scope is a necessity. A quality 1-4 scope or fixed 2x scope is all you need but helps immensely when trying to thread one through the bushes or in low light conditions. The only time I don't carry a gun with a scope is when it is snowing or raining hard. While still hunting and tracking it is impossible to keep a scope clean and dry.




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pitweiler Newbie

pitweiler

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5 minutes ago, Buckmaster7600 said:

The 223 will kill just fine as long as you are willing to pass anything but broadside shots. I have killed a ton of deer with a 223 while i was stationed down south.

I hunt deep woods in the Adirondacks and have found that a scope is a necessity. A quality 1-4 scope or fixed 2x scope is all you need but helps immensely when trying to thread one through the bushes or in low light conditions. The only time I don't carry a gun with a scope is when it is snowing or raining hard. While still hunting and tracking it is impossible to keep a scope clean and dry.




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I don't have a 2x scope and I don't have the funds for one. Next year I might set the Mini up with a fixed 2-4x scout scope.

I think the Nosler Bonded Solid Base is a major improvement for .224 bullets. It was designed as a barrier blind bullet for law enforcement/military use. Those jokers punch straight lines through things and don't break apart. When I was an LEO I was issued this round after we had dismal performance from 55gr Ballistic Silvertips. I think a quartering shot would be acceptable inside 80-100 yards. 

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Buckmaster7600 Mentor

Buckmaster7600

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I don't have a 2x scope and I don't have the funds for one. Next year I might set the Mini up with a fixed 2-4x scout scope.
I think the Nosler Bonded Solid Base is a major improvement for .224 bullets. It was designed as a barrier blind bullet for law enforcement/military use. Those jokers punch straight lines through things and don't break apart. When I was an LEO I was issued this round after we had dismal performance from 55gr Ballistic Silvertips. I think a quartering shot would be acceptable inside 80-100 yards. 

I would be worried about expansion, the best bullets I used were 70gn tsx Barnes they expanded great and had 99% weight retention. Probably killed 35 deer with that load and never got an exit hole and that was shooting deer that averaged 80lbs. I would not take a quartering shot with them. 223 is a round that you need expansion if you want any kind of blood trails. I can't imagine the bowlers will expand better than the Barnes but very well could penetrate better. I used what I had but would never pick a 223 today for deer if I had other options.


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pitweiler Newbie

pitweiler

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19 minutes ago, Buckmaster7600 said:


I would be worried about expansion, the best bullets I used were 70gn tsx Barnes they expanded great and had 99% weight retention. Probably killed 35 deer with that load and never got an exit hole and that was shooting deer that averaged 80lbs. I would not take a quartering shot with them. 223 is a round that you need expansion if you want any kind of blood trails. I can't imagine the bowlers will expand better than the Barnes but very well could penetrate better. I used what I had but would never pick a 223 today for deer if I had other options.


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The Nosler BSB isn't going to win any awards for expansion. lol

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pitweiler Newbie

pitweiler

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My 336 is pretty handy. It has a 20 in barrel. I'm going to swap the sights out for some Skinners sometime. It's been a project on my mind for a few years and I haven't completed it. The 243 is definitely an option. Its a 20in ultralight so it carries easily. I'm just not sure I want a scope in this area. I might put both in the truck and see what the conditions are like when I get there.

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stubborn1VT Proficient

stubborn1VT

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I would shoot the Mini with the heaviest soft point bullet I could find in .223.  I know a number of people who use Federal Power-Shoks.  I agree the .223 wouldn't be my choice for deer, but accuracy plays a big part.  The 30-30 is a better sized bullet, but I think your familiarity and confidence in the Mini makes it a better option.

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Daveboone Proficient

Daveboone

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The Marlin is well proven as a woods gun for....jeeesh, many decades. If you put a peep on it and sight It properly, you have the same potential accuracy as a low power scope. The .30 cal. will be far more reliable under varying conditions, and expand / do its job much better than the other two. For smaller southern deer, the other two may have its place. For NY deer, you have an appropriate round and gun...use it. 

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pitweiler Newbie

pitweiler

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10 minutes ago, Daveboone said:

The Marlin is well proven as a woods gun for....jeeesh, many decades. If you put a peep on it and sight It properly, you have the same potential accuracy as a low power scope. The .30 cal. will be far more reliable under varying conditions, and expand / do its job much better than the other two. For smaller southern deer, the other two may have its place. For NY deer, you have an appropriate round and gun...use it. 

When I can afford to put Skinners on it I plan on doing just that. Skinner winged front and rear, Beartooth Mercantile safety delete and a Wild West Guns trigger would really make the 336 a sweet woods rifle. Might even replace the hardwood stocks with some Boyd's laminate stocks. 

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Buckmaster7600 Mentor

Buckmaster7600

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When I can afford to put Skinners on it I plan on doing just that. Skinner winged front and rear, Beartooth Mercantile safety delete and a Wild West Guns trigger would really make the 336 a sweet woods rifle. Might even replace the hardwood stocks with some Boyd's laminate stocks. 

Why not a 35$ Williams peep? They are a great product.


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Pygmy Experienced

Pygmy

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Not a bad option, either...

I can no longer function well with traditional open sights due to my old eyes..

However, I still can shoot pretty well with a tang mounted peep sight and a front bead on my early 1970's vintage TC Hawken... Actually, I seem to shoot better offhand with that sighting system than most other sighting systems....

 

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