OK, since it's the off-season and we all need something to fill the time......let's discuss the "perfect" rifle to fill out my arsenal (I have more than 3 rifles, so it HAS to be an arsenal).
Currently the safe is filled with the .22 LR (lots of them), .22 Mag., .223, .243, .25-20, .250-3000, .25-06, .270, .7mm Rem. Mag., .30-30, .300 Savage, .308, .30-06, .338 Win. Mag., .35 Rem., .358, .375 Win., .44 Mag., and .45-70.
I have come into a Sears Model 53 (post-64 Winchester Model 70 built for Sears) in .30-06. It's been restocked in a Winchester Featherweight stock and is great.....however, since I have 5 .30-06 rifles in the safes, it begs to be rebarreled to something more interesting.
Here are my thoughts.....looking at the current line-up, the .22 Hornet comes to mind, but the long .30-06 action seems a waste and ther modififations to the head and feed rails could be a nightmare (a Ruger 77/22 seems better suited and less trouble than getting the long action to work with a Hornet).
Could go with a .22-250 (still too short for a full length action) or better yet a .220 Swift. I always loved the idea of a Swift, but I'm really not a "varmit" guy and it's not that far from the .243. Still, there is just something sexy about the Swift.
Another seldom seen, but intriguing round is the .240 Weatherby. Basically a .24-06 with a belt. Neat, but not so much better than the .243 (and .25-06) to really make me jump on it.
The .25's are pretty well covered (I really like the .257 Weatherby, but already have a .25-06) but there is a "glaring" gap between the .25-06 and the .270.......called the 6.5mm. A neat 6.5x55mm would work well, but if your going to run....why not run fast!! The .264 Mag. would fit in very well......although it's really not so much of an improvement over the .270 and 7mm Mag. I've always like it though.
The 7's are weak, but with the 7mm Mag. a smaller 7x57mm or even .280 seems kind of silly in a full length action since the Mag. can cover that ground. If this were a shorter action the 7x57 would sing, but why carry full weight to shoot a weaker round.
I'm really leaning toward a .300 Magnum (either Winchester or Weatherby). I know it requires work to the bolt head and feed rails, but that's really not a major problem. The .30-06 will mostly do anything the Magnums will, but not quite everything. To me, a Magnum is NOT about more velosity, but being able to throw a heavier bullet at the same velosity as a smaller round. A 200 grain Nosler at 2850-2900 fps seems a small but significant step up from the '06.
Bigger is always better to me, but it's really hard to think of a round that would be superior to the .338 Mag. for North America or the .358 if ranges are more modest. That said, there is the option of a .35 Whelen or maybe a 9.3x62mm. Both would fit the action so well with minimal work.......but am I really gaining anything over my beloved Savage 99 in .358??
Since BIG is better......I could go with the .375 H&H (I know the Ruger .375 looks good, but I like "classics") or maybe all the way up to a .416 or .458. I really like the idea of a true "big-bore", but honestly......what on the North American continent requires more than a .338 Magnum with 250 grain bullets? I still dream of Africa, but can always get a "stopper" if that becomes reality (one more reason to buy a new gun!!).
OK, that's the thoughts here.......convince me what "new" rifle I need. Maybe I'm overlooking something. I really don't want to go with an exotic "wildcat"......adding more "letters" doesn't impress me (as in AI, TTSX, or any other alphabet garbage). Would be nice to just rebarrel without work on the head or feed rails, but I'm not opposed to doing this if the result is truely useful.
Yes, I know.....I don't really have a "gap" to fill, but this is the off-season and riflr nuts need exercise for the brain!!
