jamie said:

I may just start all over again because a lot I thought was true just ain't.

Perhaps looking for a used 308 bolt gun and the saiga in 308 or 223 might be better in the long run.

There is no real rush on getting a rifle as I'm in town and the shotgun and pistols are adequete for the ranges I'm looking at having to use them. But if I want to do any hunting or have to bugout to country my site lines are going to get a hell of a lot longer and a lot more open.

I wasn't trying to talk you out of the Mosin jamie just throwing some facts out for anyone interested. I think the Mosin is a great buy and a great investment. Last year you could buy a Moslin around here for about seventy five bucks, now they are $100 and up. My advice (for what it's worth) would be to buy the Moslin and later if you find something you like better you can sell or trade the Moslin if you need to. In the mean time if the SHTF you have a high power rifle.

PM97 said

Jamie- Even if you were to bug out to the country where your site lines are longer and more open, what are you gonna hunt? With a .308 I'd imagine a deer, or some other large game? At the distance you'd be shooting them, do you have the capacity to physically go a retreive the animal? Actually going thru the brush to get it? I mean no offence but could you actually drag the animal home? Or drag it far enough to lift it into/onto your POV and get it home?

She already lives in high desert country where shots tend to be long. There are many ways to retrieve an animal other than dragging it out whole. I've shot elk where I had to haul them out one chunk at a time in a pack on my back. We also built us a cart with bicycle wheels to haul deer with. It looked like a stretcher with a bicycle wheel in the middle. One person would get on each end and the wheel carried most of the weight. With only one wheel in the center you could navigate it though the sage brush with ease. Then there is the tried and true method of getting some one else to do it for you. I once shared a deer I had shot and then ran into a deep canyon before dying, with a couple of Colorado kids for dragging it back to the top for me. I also shot a huge buck once that was in the middle of a jeep trail…..but I was 500 yards up the side of the mountain. He dropped in his tracks and after retrieving the jeep I was able to drive right to him.  

One last point ….just because a rifle is capable of killing game at a long distance doesn't mean you have to take those shots. 

jamie said:

Mw  I love the sentiment. I know you got my back and when how I think life should go you are always ready with a little tough love. I thought I knew what I was doing, it turns out I was wrong. Blaming you guys would be like me blaming water cause it's wet. My concept on the Mosin/Nagant was wrong. You never declared the rifle bad, my concept was wrong, and you showed me how it was wrong. I don't hate folks showing I'm wrong.

It's cool and all I need to do is rethink all I thought I knew and I have no problem with that! I'm as arrogant as they come but if someone tells me about a good gun or to buy junk silver and I get a great deal I sure will not attack them for pointing out a few glitches in my plan.

Now druid don't get excited I think your premise is wrong.

I think the Idea was great, but what I chose as a rifle was less than optimal caliber. Heck why do share my ideas with you guys? I want you to troubleshoot me. I may not agree with you but you sure make me think.

You guys have filled me with knowledge and I'll walk into the gun show with a ton more confidence.  I ain't hurting and I will get a good deal cause I can afford to walk away.

Great post jamie, I too have had some of my ideas shot down on this forum and in my opinion that far is more helpful than everyone signing on just to be polite. I still think the Mosin was a pretty good idea, maybe just not the best for you. Good luck at the gun show.  

Post edited 5:45 am – February 12, 2012 by Jarhead

I like the 243 and as the 270 it has the advantage of your being able to re-size commonly available  military type brass, the 308.That in my opinion is a big plus for a hand loader. The 243 like the 270 has less recoil than their parent cartridges do are both very actuate and are both popular enough to find shells every where. I also like the 7-08 too, maybe a little better than the other two, but shells aren't as common. 

My experience with gun shows, at least around my area, is that they have higher prices than the box stores and significantly higher than online shops. 

Same here, but the art of dickering is alive and well in local gun shows. Very few pay the asking price, they mark the prices up to give themselves room for trade…..an old used car salesman trick. With no trade in and the price comes down before the real dickering even begins.