I hunt squirrels, rabbits, groundhogs, and deer. I also plan to punch some paper and make some trips out west for mule deer, elk, and antelope. If it was your rifle battery, what would you change, and why? Would you leave it alone? Add to it?
I'd keep the 22 LR and the 223. I'd sell the rest and get a 30-06. I know that you had one before, but I think you'd be able to manage the recoil if you do four things:
1. Get one that's a little heavier than the typical Campfire flyweight (say about 8 1/2 pounds scoped and ready to hunt).
2. Put a really good recoil pad on it, like a Pachmayr Decelerator.
3. Shoot ammo with lighter bullet weights, like the 130- and 150-grain Barnes TTSX.
4. Make it a point to shoot this rifle every time you go to the range, as your recoil tolerance can drop off if you don't shoot that often.
A 270 with 110-grain TTSX ammo would fill the same niche if a 30-06 is completely out of the question.
One reason for thinning the herd is to take the money and spend it on some hunts.
I'm going through the same thing. In addition to watching recoil, I also want rifles chambered for ammo I can get in any big-box store, especially if airline travel is involved, as it's just a matter of time until they lose either your rifle or your ammo. That rules out a lot of things, but it rules IN cartridges like the 308, 270, and 30-06. You may not be able to find the exact 308/270/30-06 load you want, but almost any load you do find will clobber the game you're thinking of hunting. Start looking at ammo selection in every single place you visit that sells ammo and you'll see what I mean. Some stuff is a LOT more available than other stuff...
I've also learned that from there, you have to adjust how you think about all of this stuff. There's a big difference between hunting trips and range trips--for one thing, there are no do-overs on game. If you're on an expensive hunt, then you want to score if you get the opportunity. You'll have some serious coin if you thin the herd like you're talking about, so I'd invest in Leupold scopes with the CDS system for any centerfire rifles you end up keeping, plus a pair of Leica binoculars and a Leica rangefinder. Then I'd get out into the field and start making sure that I could run the optics in a way that lets me find game, then range it and hit it quickly.
Finally, buy yourself the best boots you can find. Hunting trips suck if you cripple yourself with boots that aren't exactly right and you have trouble walking by Day 2.
Don't ask me how I know that.
Okie John
