Best military rifle for hunting....as is!

[Mr. 16 gauge]

O.K., maybe this will spark some debate: What do you feel is the best military rifle out there, as is, for hunting? For the sake of argument, lets stick with whitetail sized critters (pronghorn, wild hog, black bear, mulies, ect.....no elk, moose, grizzlies, ect).
Stocks, sights, slings, ect must remain "as issued"; since most military rifles don't come with scope sights, I'm saying open sights only.
The ONLY modification I will allow is magazine capacity, in order to meet most states requirements. For those folks in states that have restrictions on semiauto rifles, imagine that your legislators had a golden moment of clarity and removed this restriction!
So....give me your thought as to what rifle(s) YOU think is best, and why.

I'm reserving my opinion until others have posted a few responses.....

Thanks.............

[Skinny Shooter]

That is tough.
I think the M1 Garand would be the perfect deer/black bear rifle for Penns Woods.
But I really like the No1Mk3 because auto rifles for hunting are verboten here. Its a tough and ugly yet likeable rifle.

[Gil Martin]

I would vote for the 1903A3 Springfield with issue aperture sights, followed by the British Enfield No. 4 Mark I with peep sights. In third place wound be the U.S. Model of 1917 which also has an issue aperture sight. These rifles are .30-06 Springfield or .303 British so getting ammo is not a problem. Good post. All the best...
Gil

[skeet]

As Gil said....03 Springfield to heck with the SMLE

[buckhunter]

I pick a M10 with a restricted magazine. 2nd would be a 03.

[Jack]

I would eliminate any of the rifles with the ladder type open sight in front of the receiver - those sights are not very good.
What came to mind, to me, first, was the Springfield 03A3, because of the peep sight. The 1917 and Lee Enfield models with peep sights would also be good candidates. So would the M1 Garand, anywhere but Penciltucky. For a compact woods rifle, the British jungle carbine might be a good pick.

[Larryjk]

If you hadn't put the kibosh to ladder sights ahead of the receiver, I would say there are a world of good mauser 98 type rifles out there that shoot 8mm mauser ammunition.

[Mr. 16 gauge]

Larry;
I didn't put the kibosh on ladder sights....that was someone else. If you want to go with the 98 Mauser, that's O.K. by me!

[T.R.]

Russian SKS carbines have toppled many deer. But beyond 150 yards or so, the standard sights cover much of the animal. This is not a handicap for the skilled woodsman and (or) the planned ambush hunter.

Some states such as Penssylvania prohibit semi-auto rifles for hunting. For this situation, any of the military bolt action rifles of yesteryear are adequate. My nephew has taken three whitetails with his 303 Enfield rifle. None got away from his 180 grain soft tip bullets.

TR

[T.R.]

This photo was sent to me by a buddy in Nebraska. But truthfully, I've never met the hunter in this photo. His rifle is a Soviet Mosin Nagant carbine and it got the job done!

TR

[Adam Helmer]

Mr. 16 gauge,

There are so many "best military rifles for hunting" currently available that you cannot EVER use them all in every deer season in the remaining years of your life. I like all the 7.5X55mm Swiss arms like the K31 and M1911s. All the 8x57mm Mausers are hard to beat. Toss in the 7x57mm M1893, M1895 and M98s for an encore. I like the MkIII (windage adjustable rear sight) .303 rifle and the Jungle Carbine. The tangent rear sights (ahead of the receiver) are fine for folks who like them. Millions of soldiers acquired the knack of using those sights. I almost forgot those wonderful 6.5x55mm Swedish M96 and M38 rifles. The peep sights of the P-17 and No.4 Mk1 are ok.

I never did determine which was best, so I carry a different "as issued" military rifle deer hunting each of the 12 days of our rifle deer season. Hope this helps.

Adam

[popplecop]

Lot of good ones mentioned. I would also like to add my 1884 Springfield Trapdoor in 45-70.

[Adam Helmer]

popplecop,

I have a M1884 .45/70 Trapdoor Rifle that shoots my cast bullet and IMR 4198 powder to the sights at 100 yards. The last time I took her out to hunt deer here in PA it was raining so I left her in the vault. I took a MkIII .303 and shot a deer in the hayfield. I will try again with the M1884 this year.

Adam

[Mr. 16 gauge]

Lots of good responses, so I'll add mine now......

while not a "true" military rifle, my pick is the M1A1 (M-14 copy). My reasoning is because 1.) it has good sights for a military rifle, 2.) it is chambered for the .308 Winchester, a popular and versatile round, and 3.) the gun handles well, almost like a shotgun, when tracking/swinging on moving targets. I shot a deer with mine and 2 out of 3 shots hit the vitals.

my #2 choice would have to be the SMLE in various configurations.....good sights, cartridge isn't too hard to find, and handles fairly well, even in it's full size variants.

my #3 choice is the Swedish M38 carbine....sights are better than most for a mauser (more on this in a minute), the Swedish mausers seem to have the best bores of all the military mausers I've looked at, and the round, while not overly popular, isn't all that difficult to find (its a lot more easier to find than it was 20 years ago).

When considering this, I discounted any of the guns chambered for hard to find (or hard to find in soft point) calibers, such as the 7.5x55 Swiss, the 8x60, 6.5 and 7.7 Jap, 7.65 Belgain, ect. I also discounted any gun chambered for the 7.62x39 or 30 carbine....I have used the 7.62 on deer and haven't been happy with the terminal performance; I personally don't consider it an effective deer round, or a long range round.
I also discounted most of the mausers, as I don't feel that the battle sights (or at least the ones I have handled) are adequate for game shooting, either at long distance or low light conditions.

I was wondering if anyone would mention the 'really oldies', such as the Krag or the Springfield....thanks popplecop.

I also must admit that I totally overlooked the Springfield 03A3 and the Garand......I feel like a dolt on that one!

Anyway, thanks to all for your opinions and participation.......

[Adam Helmer]

Mr. 16 gauge,

Great thread. I would point out that the Krag and M1884 Springfield have very fine sights, ladder sights ahead of the receiver, finer than, say, the M38 Swed 6.5 or my 98k. My favorite woods rifle is the M38 Swede with muzzlebrake/flash hider. The sights are large and easy to pick up. My second favorite woods rifle is a M1894 26-inch barrel .30/30 made in 1919.

In the late 1950s, many PA deer hunters retired their small game shotgun and "pumpkin balls" for deer for an "Army Rifle" and a box of huntin' loads. Back then a M1903A3 went for $25 and the M1903 for $29.00. A P-17 was about $25.00 and my first rifle, a M1938 7.35mm Carcano was $13.88. All my neighbors acquired "Army Rifles" and enjoyed more deer hunting success. Unfortunately, far too many of those folks "sporterized" (butchered) those old army guns. Rare is the "as issued" rifle in their gun racks today.

Adam