If you are actively stalking or hunting hogs and not sitting in a blind then I would say the AR15 is a better choice over the 3030. A brush gun needs a short barrel so a 16 inch AR is that. Another quality needed is quick acquisition and quick follow up shots. Again the AR will be better on both accounts. With 5000 different types of optics and set ups available you can set it up anyway you want and not so with a 3030

75 years ago the 3030 was the ticket but the AR beats it in every category today

Plus with an AR you have your choice of multiple calibers

Honestly there is no debate

Now the 416/6mmBR had near zero shoulder. This has plenty comparatively.
I can tell you this. Nothing runs off when you shoot it with this round.

As a rifle builder, I tend to tinker with fun rounds. This one had one goal. To put a very stout 416 round in a Remington 7. Mission accomplished. First few rounds were a beating. Put a cool looking brake on it, added 8#s of lead to the stock and I had a 20" Texas Elephant Repeating Rifle.

The next wildcat was way more challenging and required a long DBM to get the 109.5 grain capacity case in the remington 700 long action with 7mm 195 VLD's. More difficult but a success none the less.

Except every caliber in an AR is marginal for deer and big hogs.

Yeah especially 6.5 Grendel and 458 Socom.

And the 7.62 x 39, which probably packs more punch than the .30-30

I figured a numbers-crunching guy such as yourself would know better than that. Hodgdon shows a 7.62x39 pushing a 150 at 2192fps out of a 24" barrel, while a 30-30 runs 2512 under the same parameters.

I'll agree that a 450 or 458 in an AR is plenty for deer. I wasn't thinking about those.

Remington 750 Carbine in 308 caliber.... the ultimate brush gun, short, light, punch, and big game capable cartridge... very reliable, good hunting accuracy, very durable.

I humbly disagree. In fact, I would have reversed the guns if I were to make the post above. There is no comparison between stalking with a levergun and clunky AR. The levergun is so easy to carry you hardly notice it. An AR is about as ergonomic as sack of bricks.

And there are far more thumper calibers available in leverguns than ARs.

I think the AR has an edge for some kinds of varmint hunting, pigs for example, where there is a good chance that you are going to be addressing multiple targets.

For most big game hunting though, the 'AR edge' only exists in the mind of the AR enthusiast.

If an AR is all that you've got though, and it's chambered for something that isn't too marginal for the task at hand, there certainly isn't any reason to stay home and miss out on the hunt.

Would I hunt deer with an AR in preference over a good lever gun though? Not in this lifetime, no way. - I caught enough flak from the guys in camp the time I showed up with an M1A.

Tones came alive in the ceiling right after that post, preventing me from crunching any numbers.

We arent talking what is old school opinion we are just comparing the 2.

Not sure why you are saying the ergonomics on an AR is not that good when you can configure the grip in several ways to fit anyones style or size hand. Not to mention the 100 different stocks that are available. Or the 10 or 20 round clip if needed. Lever gun was it in the 50's but the capabilities of the AR as a hunting platform is hard to beat. And because of its modularity there is nothing that cant be done with it.

FIFY

I agree.

The capability to swap optics and add a light make it a better brush gun. A very fast platform if a person doesn't get carried away.

Everybody knows that it takes a 45/70 to kill a pig, with their armor plating toughness.


This would be the only animal that I've taken with a rifle in last 10 years.

Honestly a .44 Ruger SBH is the perfect brush gun. If you are a rifle hunter a Marlin 1894 in .44 mag is all you need.

I've been out with both. The lever gun has a definite edge in handling qualities, and there's no hollow plastic to make noise (and feel cheap) when you are in the brush.

Then there is the 'purdy' factor. Many times while hunting, there's not much going on and it is nice to take some time to simply admire your weapon. As I mentioned before, I've hunted with both - and walnut with blued steel is more 'purdy' than plastic and flat black by several orders of magnitude.

Old school? - Perhaps because the best has lasting value, and I am one who appreciates the better things that life has to offer.

I wouldn't skip the hunt if an AR were all that I had on hand, assuming that it is not chambered for a marginal cartridge. - But I do my best to avoid that kind of situation.

Same reason that I will ride a rice-burner if that's my only option - but I avoid that kind of situation by keeping my Harley in good operating condition.

Agree 100% and I don't even like a 308.