Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Jeremiah Johnson rifle survey

M1A with a Trijicon 1-4x24 and lots of 150 grain Accubond ammo. Indians, buffalo, elk, no problem.

Tikka T3X compact in .308

A Ruger Mini 30 with an unlimited supply of Federal Fusion ammo and 20 round magazines would get me through.

7600 Police .308, plenty of magazines, & a 1-4x optic of some sort. Probably a leupold.

Mini-14. If Eskimos can take down polar bears with a 222, a 223 with 1/7-1/9 twist would be plenty 😆

A .54, half a horn of 3f, handfull of roundball, and a good sparkyrock.

Colt M4 A1
Topped with a Nightforce 2.5-10 and an RMR piggybacked.

Plus a bunch of mags of 77 grain TMK/SMK, whatever.

Easy.

I have used a Colt in sub zero temps and in temps over 130 degrees.
No problem if you know how to maintain a weapon.
In fact I was just talking to Ken Hackathorn about this 2 days ago. We were discussing a training we did at his place when it was 17 below zero a few years back. Observing the issues people had with themselves and equipment. It was a great learning experience, though not for the weak.

This ^^^

I have a sporterized Springfield 1903 with iron sights but of course, it is not a stainless rifle. Count me in as well.

kwg

Benelli sbe with an extra slug barrel and ammo for both.

Either that or a M1 Garand. 🤠

Been watching a bunch of Hal Blood tracking vids. 760 30.06 carbine seems to work well for those big woods guys. They appear to earn their kill

You obviously don’t know Indians…

This one with 70gr VLDs.



Day or night with more reach than anything in that period.

The plot of the film is late enough (1840s) that Indians had long ago lost their best suppliers of western arms (that pipeline closes quite a bit after Frances loses the Seven Years War and they can't play the French and English against each other). Indians were actually much better gunsmiths than they typically get credit for but they couldn't produce their own lead or gunpowder... so once they adopt that new tech, they're always beholden to a "dealer" or plunder in small measures.

30338;
Good afternoon sir, I hope that life in your part of Denver is going acceptably and you're all well.

Thanks for the photo of your very fine looking rifle, it looks to be about perfect.

When I got into muzzle loading back in the very early '80's, I worked for a Metis chap who was "really, REALLY" into his heritage and had a couple complete period appropriate kits made up to match custom made rifles. One was what he called a Canadian Plains rifle if I'm not mistaken and I recall it as quite similar to a Hawken but with some subtle differences.

Anyways, perhaps you or someone out there can answer a question I've had regarding that movie line where Robert Redford's character says he bought a .30 caliber Hawken - when we see the bore it's obviously at least .45 or .50 - but did the Hawken brothers make anything as small as a .30?

For awhile in my collection I had a Parker Hale Musktetoon which was made in Great Britain and really quite a nice piece, but somehow life got in the way and I never fired it once. It was a .577 with the same bore as the originals which I want to say was tapered with a slight gain twist? I may be wrong about the gain twist part.

As to the OP's question, I've had a fair few Lee Enfield rifles over the years that likely a nice Jungle Carbine with 250rds of what the Canadian Rangers used to be issued for ammo which was 180gr soft points of some description would be it.

All the best to you in 2023.

Dwayne

Good Q…let me think as I type…as much as I’d enjoy an AR of any variety, the Indian fighting would likely be a one time contact after the single survivor goes back to tell the tribe about this magic weapon. The next contact would be peace offerings & statues.

So obviously we need an AR to achieve God status with the locals but also use for normal sustainment (I’d also have night vision mounted and take the fight straight to their Tipi cuz being scalped in your sleep wound really stink & survival hunting at night is way more productive)*

I want to say an AR 6.5 Grendel and a massive supply of 115gr Barnes VOR-TX might be my ticket on all counts.

(I really really wanted to say 12ga but one type of ammo things sure hinders the utility)

*Minus Indian fighting I’d have a different answer but still night vision.

Dwayne, Happy New Years to you! Your posts always bring a smile to my face. Life in Denver anytime these days is somewhat rough. My location is in a small town outside of Denver of about 3500 people. Much better after I moved out.

As far as a 30 caliber Hawken, that always struck me as oddly small. That said someone like Kaywoodie here would be far more knowledgeable than myself on the matter. I know the ones I have read about and seen pictures of seemed to always be 45 caliber or larger but they were in business many years and I imagine all manner of fine rifles in smaller bores were made by them.

I've had very good luck with .530 and .570 roundballs on a variety of animals but have also been around some that took .45 cal balls and died just fine.

All the best to you and your family in 2023. Kurt

Hawken made a .38 but it was a model produced later than what could have accurately been in the film. That said, long rifles in .30 obviously had existed way before the mountain man era.

I've read elsewhere that it was referring to gauge (30)... but that wouldn't make sense when talking about the .50.

More likely just an author with limited knowledge of muzzleloader rifles. Nobody on the frontier West would have carried a 30 cal M/L. The rest of the story is good enough to overlook that one glaring error. At least Hatchet Jack knew better. 😁

Are you saying 30 cal M/L was the 6.5cm of the 1840s?!