Gone are the days when hunters wanted long-barreled cannons for downing game at long ranges. With modern cartridges and firearms technology, you can get plenty of accuracy and hitting power out of much more compact and portable rifles with the advantage that the smaller form factor is easier to carry through the woods, easier to transport in your vehicle, easier to stash in an ATV top box, easier to use in a treestand or tent blind, and easier for a younger hunter (or smaller adult) to shoot accurately. Here’s a look at 10 top choices to choose from, if you’re looking to get outfitted with something this year.
Ruger American Generation II Ranch
This rifle is an even smaller package than the Ruger American Compact; the current-production Ranch has a 16.1-inch barrel in every caliber except the 350 Legend version, which has a 16.4-inch barrel. The Ranch can shrug off foul weather, thanks to a Cerakote finish. An adjustable stock means it fits a wide range of shooters, and there’s also a wide range of calibers available, from bear-busting big-bores like 450 Bushmaster to long-range smackdown specialists like .308 Winchester or 6.5 Creedmoor. Or you can go for something like .223 or 7.63×39 for affordable, low-recoil shooting in high volume. A rifle that beginners or experts alike can appreciate, with MSRP of $729. See more here.
Browning SA-22
The Browning SA-22 first hit production more than a century ago. Back then, sportsmen wanted compact takedown guns to easily store in their luggage, for train rides into the hunting grounds beyond city limits. The SA-22 is a lightweight and handy rifle when assembled, but the tool-less takedown feature means it’s even easier to transport. A rare example of a heritage design that is still affordable and still made to the fine standards of the original. Just the thing for bringing to deer camp, to fill the pot with ditch chickens and snowshoe hares when the deer hunting is off for the day. See more here.
Savage 110 Magpul Scout
Savage has a handful of compact/lightweight rifles built off its 110 action; this Scout rifle with Magpul furniture can do double duty, as a homestead defense firearm as well as a game-getter. That Picatinny rail makes it easy to mount an optic, or you can just use the adjustable irons, including an AR-style adjustable front post. The Magpul furniture does drive up the price, but it gives you adjustable LOP, and M-LOK slots allow easy accessory attachment. The action is factory blue-printed, and this version of the 110 action takes AICS-pattern detachable mags. Available in a wide range of short-action calibers, from light-recoiling rounds like .223 to harder-hitting .308—but don’t worry, that muzzle brake will help tame the recoil of this compact cannon. MSRP is $1,099; more details here.
Henry Single Shot Youth Rifle
Henry’s single-shot rifles are lightweight, quality firearms that bring back memories of years gone by, where reliability and simplicity were valued as much as features and gadgetry. These might be the last US-built rifles made to the pattern laid out by early gunsmiths like Frank Wesson, carried on by rifles like the Savage 219 and then the H&R Pardner series before it was discontinued. The Youth Rifle is chambered in .243 for easy recoil management, and comes with iron sights but can easily mount a scope. A 13-inch LOP and 36.5-inch OAL, not to mention a 6.95-pound weight unloaded, means a smaller shooter can handle this rifle with ease. MSRP is $597; see more here.
Rossi R92
Lever-action carbines are some of the best-carrying rifles on the market. Rossi still makes Model 1892-pattern carbines in a wide range of barrel lengths, including the 16-inch R92. In an era where everybody wants the latest and greatest straight-wall innovation to circumnavigate game laws, why not go with the classic, a rifle that would look at home in an old Western flick, an Alaskan bush pilot’s plane… or in your hands, as you push through the bush snow-tracking a late-season 12-pointer? Available in a variety of calibers and finishes, but most shooters want the stainless model in .44 Magnum, it seems—MSRP, $886.99. More info here.
Winchester Ranger
While we’re on the subject of lever guns, let’s give a shout-out to the Winchester Ranger. This rimfire looks and feels like an old Model 94, the best-loved deer rifle of all time, but without the recoil or expense of shooting .30-30. Sadly, the Ranger isn’t made in New Haven, Connecticut, like the old deer guns were; it’s made in Turkey. But like many classic made-in-America rimfires, it has a takedown feature, making it easier to pack away in a bag for that trip out to the camp for deer season. MSRP is a modest $419.99; more details here.
BCL TRX Bronco Howitzer
And now for something completely different. The Howitzer looks a lot like a tactical semi-auto, but it’s actually a bolt-action built on BCL’s TRX three-lug, 60-degree-throw short action. Made as a backcountry survival arm for people who need big hitting power in a small package, but could also work as a hunting rifle in the right circumstances. Other BCL rifles offer longer barrels, if you want that, but the Howitzer is offered in either 9.5-inch or 12.5-inch barrel lengths. Comes in .308 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor or 7.62 NATO, which is a lot of jam for a 5.5-pound rifle with a folding stock. MSRP for the longer Bronco models is $1,500ish, but you’ll have to look hard to find the short-barreled Howitzer in the U.S. market. See more here.
Howa Mini-Action
The Howa Superlite is an excellent choice for big game hunting in a small package, but the MiniAction is the rifle you want if you’re after lighter recoil and planning to shoot shorter distances. The MiniAction comes chambered in 6MM ARC, .223, 6.5 Grendel or 7.62×39 with a 20-inch threaded barrel, or 350 Legend with a 16.25-inch threaded barrel. Carefully built in Japan to last your lifetime, with a promise of sub-MOA groups at 100 yards. Users report actual rifle weights as low as sub-4 pounds after replacing their stocks, but out of the box, it seems the MiniAction weighs around 5.6 pounds before adding a scope, with most reviews seemingly overjoyed with the rifle’s handling and accuracy. Maybe one of the best .223 rifles you can buy, if you want accuracy but not a tactical look. More info here.
Kel-Tec SU16A
The SU-16 flips the bird at traditional semi-auto design. The action itself is a fairly normal piston-operated layout, but variants of this rifle offer folding stocks, a forend that folds down into a bipod, and other oddities that just aren’t common. The SU16A variant folds down to 26.4 OAL, and weighs only 5 pounds unloaded. Don’t expect the same accuracy as a tricked-out AR, but the SU16A is more than enough gun for a lot of hunting, especially with a 1:7 twist that stabilizes heavier .223 bullets. See more info here.
Chiappa Double Badger
The ultimate all-rounder, a camp gun that can fill the pot with small game thanks to a .22LR barrel for longer shots, and a .410 barrel for blasting game that’s on the move. Combo guns don’t get enough love; they’re the Swiss Army Knife of the hunting firearm world, and with the Double Badger’s folding design, it’s easy to stow in your car trunk or other tight space to haul it out for a weekend of camping. Even if you don’t fold it down, the 19-inch barrels and compact break action design make this a very handy firearm in the tight stuff. And the integrated Picatinny rail now makes it easy to mount a red dot or other optic, giving you little excuse to not bring home a few partridge for dinner. More info here.
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