Nomercy

A buddy and I were talking recently about what gun should find a home in our safes next, and a lot of advice of action type related to hunting style came about. He already has/has had a 6.5x55swede, 7mm mauser, and a .308 in a mauser, and is considering purchasing an 8mm mauser to add in. The problem is, recently he sold a couple guns of different action types (i.e. now all he has is mausers), so adding this arm wouldn' t be changing his hunts at all (which is the primary reason of the purchase). He also has his eyes on a .30-30win Marlin or Winchester 1894, and I recommended he get it over the mauser, even though it is under-powered when compared, the difference in the hunt style is worth it in my eyes (bout killed me to recommend anyone buy a .30-30!!)

I' m considering adding a lever action .45-70 (a cartridge and action type I already have, but not together), so I can have a compact rifle Marlin 1895GS in a stout round to reach out to deer a ways off with a brush buster. Won' t glass it so it will be a very different hunt than with any bolt gun I have, nor can any of my levers reach out like that. My other .45-70' s are 15ft long (seems like it sometimes) and single shots, so it will be different from them as well.

BOTTOM LINE:
When making a purchase of a new hunting tool, do you consider the cartridge and action components into how you will hunt with it?? Which action+cartridge combination yeilded hunt is your favorite?

My favorite right now, oddly enough, is my SKS (don' t tell my .30-06), it' s incredibly compact, moreso than my levers via the folding stock, and glassed it is very accurate for a semiauto, let alone an SKS. Whenever I hunt it, I don' t reach out like I would with my 06, and I am much more picky about my shots. It lends itself greatly to the brush, fast handling and a great snap shooter (via practice). For added enjoyment, I often carry one of my .44mag revolvers along with it as well, just to make things more interesting if a shot presented itself.

stubblejumper

I base my choice of action and cartridge totally on what is most suitable for my hunting conditions.Popularity,availability of factory loads,number of guns chambered in that cartridge and history are never considered as none of them have any effect on the performance of the gun or cartridge.I currently use four custom rifles built on 700 actions for all of my hunting.Two are chambered in 7mmstw for all of my deer,sheep and pronghorn hunting and two in 300 ultramag for my moose,elk and bear hunting.

NE Hunter

For me it' s the ..trying something new catagory. Most of my action types are single shot with a couple of bolts and levers thrown in. Next purchase will be a NEF 7mm-08 when they come out. At about $ 225.00 for a new rifle my wife wont have kittens when I briing it home. With the money saved I could get her one too.

eldeguello

Get a Ruger No. 1 action, and fit it with a 1A style light barrel chambered for the 8X57mm Improved....

woodseye

I have four bolt actions in 22-250,243,7mm-08,and 300WSM that covers all my rifle hunting from varmints to Moose and Bear.I do have one lever action in 308 that serves as a back up deer gun for stillhunting.

woods

recoiljunky

I absolutely match the firearm with the intended hunting technique.

My two favorite combos:

Remington Sendero SF in 300 Ultramag with a 4.5x14 Leupold for long-range shooting.

Freedom Arms 454 Casull with 7.5" barrel and iron sights for close range stuff.

Quilly

i base my selection on many of things..

since i don' t handload. can i get the rounds for my gun? but mostly i don' t go by actions. i base the gun on what i have in the past and have not had problems with. but if i am gonna buy a gun and caliber for stalking and hunting in the swamps i look for a gun that will be reliable and will be easy to " snap " to my shoulder. like a BAR or a smaller lightweight rifle with iron sights ( peep ).
actions don' t really come into mind. mostly what other calibers i can get into my safe without geting yelled at by my girlfriend
like this couple of months i been eyeing a ruger compact in 260rem.

James B

I lost my right eye in an accident and had to learn to shoot left handed. Now my left shoulder has gone to hell and I have to bring the lefty bolt down below my belt to work the action. I can however work a pump really well so thats will be my next purchase. I have had a 270 Remmington pump before and also a 30-06 pump in the carbine lenght. These were two of the most accurate rifles I ever had. Partly because they have a free floated barrel and the rotary locking bolt. I just can,t decide which caliber to get but I am leaning toward the 270. I saw a used 280 and a used 35 Whelen a couple weeks ago as well as a used 257 Roberts pump. I feel the pump will handle all my hunting needs well.

halcon

I think the thing that influences me more than anything is the caliber first and the action second . Then the feel of the gun has a lot to do with whether I keep it or try something else . I also like to collect some guns , but those are not for hunting or even shooting .
My favorite action is a bolt and right now my latest toy is a 6mm Rem in a Ruger 77R . I' m considering a Browning pump ,Safari in a 243 win which could be my next toy .

Vapodog

For me it' s a bolt action or a semi auto.....

I own severasl bolts and never once felt handicapped because of it......