Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Your Ideal Hunting Rifle

I would like to hear about your what you consider to be your ideal hunting rifle. I have one rifle that is really close to being my ideal hunting rifle and I will share it with you. This rifle is not a "custom" rifle, but I have customized it a little. Also, in order for a rifle to be ideal for me, it must be something I can actually afford. Spending $15,000 on a rifle is not ideal for me. If it is for you, I would love to hear about what configuration you would choose.

My ideal hunting rifle is a Ruger M77 in 30-06. It is built of solid construction, and it has proven to be durable and reliable. I chose the 30-06 because I use this rifle to hunt deer and elk, and it is probably my favorite cartridge for that. On top of the rifle is a leupold 2-7x33, which is my all time favorite hunting scope. I much prefer this scope to any 3-9x40 scope. Some of the other features that I consider ideal are:
Wood stock with floated barrel
3.25 pound trigger
Decelerator recoil pad
Tang Safety
Hinged Floorplate (with button inside trigger guard)
Mauser Extractor
Brownell's Latigo Sling

In the future I would like to replace the standard sling swivel studs with the inletted 2-screw type. I also want to replace the aluminum bottom metal with steel bottom metal.

That's a tough one, given so many good choices.

I'll have to say my M7, 7Saum. The reason being it's lighter weight, and it shoots the 162 amax and the 120 tsx extremely well.

It's got:

Stainless Steel
22" Barrel
McM Edge Stock- Classic Pattern
Jewel Trigger
G-Tan Firing Pin
DNZ Mounts
Leupold 6x42 w/M1 turret

7.5lbs

Shoots 120gr TSX at 3350 with RL15 (can't remember the charge) and the 162 Amax at 2950. (63.5gr of RL22)

I reckon a guy could pretty much do whatever needed to be done slumming that pile of gear right there Calvin.

That would be my main rifle.....an FN Mauser 98 in .30-06. This rifle is the result of years of experementation and modification until it is almost a part of my body.

I know it is "impossible" now days to start with a military action and build a custom rifle at a reasonable price, but that wasn't as true in the late 1970's and I was fortunate enough to be able to do all of the work myself.....a little at a time.

In 1976 I obtained the barreled action from a gunsmith friend for the paltry cost of $20....selected from an actual barrel of "junk" actions in his store room. He taight me and looked over my shoulder as I contoured the action (with files, no less), drilled and tapped, and cut off and rewelded the bolt (which was then shaped with files to the shape that looked and felt right.

I fully intended to rebarrel this action as it still carried the original "stepped" military barrel, but when test fired this barrel produced 5-shot groups that "averaged" under 1/2". I was afraid I'd never get back to where I already was.....so it still has that stepped barrel, even though it has been filed and shaped a bit. I later learned through research that this particular action was part of a "special run" chosen for high power rifle competition in the 1950's....chosen for extreem accuracy. Guess I got lucky.

He taught me to inlet a walnut board I'd obtained from a local saw mill with hand tools and chisels until the action fit like a glove. I "thought" I had the shape right, but over the next 10 years or so I continued to trim, sand, shape and adjust as I gained more experience and learned what I liked in a stock style.

The final result is a stock that is VERY thin in the action area, trim, and thin in the grip and narrow all over....it fits. The forend is very short, similar to the old British "express" rifles. A barrel band swivel is mounted in front of this forend about 6". The buttstock has a bit more drop that most prefer, but it fits the way I hold and shoot a rifle....with my head more upright than most.

The walnut stock has nice, but not exhibition grade, figure. I taught myself to checker and it now has a 20 line-per-inch pattern of my own design.....simple, but attractive.

Mounted in a Redfield one piece base is a Leupold 2-7x33mm scope that it has carried since completed. The safety is a Bueller-style that some consider inferior. However I have tried both side safeties and Model 70 style safeties and find the old Beuller style to feel better to me.

This rifle is sort of semi-retired now as the accuracy has began to slip a bit after shooting more than 8000 rounds over theyears. It will still keep 5 shots in an inch, but is obviously going down hill. I may rebarrel, but I really like it the way it's always been....setimental I guess. I have taken more than 200 head of big game with this rifle including 71 bucks (whitetail) and the best 5 trophies on my wall.

I've taken a lot of game with a lot of other rifles, but this one is special. I own (and many others own) rifles that are a lot prettier and fancier, but I'd not trade this rifle for a dozen high-dollar custom built guns.

I'll take a pre 64 or Classic M70 FW in 270,280,or 30/06,stick it in a McMillan,Brown,or Bansner stock and go hunting.These come in at bit under 7# to a bit over,scoped.

If I want a bigger case, higher velocity round,basically the same formula with a #2 tube of 24" chambered for a 7 mag of some sort.I have had the same things in 300 mags,338's and 375H&H,with #3 or #4 barrels.All weigh around 8 pounds,scoped.

I have not been anywhere on the continent that these have not worked well on anything.

Pretty much the same things in a wood stocked rifle.

Amos. Ive got the same rifle and scope the only difference is I ordered mine with iron sights.I've had it since about 1982 and after probably thousands of rounds the action is silky smooth.I've refinished it ,floated the barrel and had the trigger adjusted a little.It looks great and its a great shooter !
BUT all up it weighs over 9 lbs so it mostly lives in my safe and I use my 308 Montana that comes in at about 6 lbs. with four rounds in it
Tim

I have two that I would consider ideal hunting rifles and actually they are quite similar.
First is my older Remington Mtn Rifle in 270 it wears a 3-9 vari xII and is reasonably light and powerful enough for anything I will ever ask it to do.

Second is my tang safety Ruger 77 in 257 Roberts. A local stock maker trimmed down the factory stock to dimensions more like the cdl stock added a ebony forend tip and recheckered it. It wears a 2-7 vari xII and is much like the cdl or a kimber in feel. Both are my idea of a classic hunting rifle.

i've got a Model 70 Winchester that was a basket case when it came from the (New Haven) factory as a 30-06... I ordered a .257, 1/10", FW contour barrel from Pac-Nor, and sent the whole package to Redneck...
The rifle came home as a 25-06, and i have been tickled with it's performance ever since... it is routinely superb, shooting the 75 Vmax, or a 100 BT, or Partition...

it's got a walnut stock, with the action bedded...
got a leupy 2-7x33m in leu. DD R&M...
~3 lb original M70 trigger
factory recoil pad
Model 70 bolt, with NR extractor, 3 pos. (firing pin blocking) safety, and tool free dis-assembly...
and it usually wears an leather military shooting sling...

For now the NULA wins.

Thought I would never change from the pre 64 FWT, however change is constant.

However, I would prefer the Mod 70 trigger.

This one...a push-feed ( Horrors!! ) Win M70 Fwt. in 7x57..

M700 in 308
Douglas #2 finished at 21"
Sheilen trigger
Mcswirrly classic
Action worked
Leupold 3.5 x 10

Not overly light, perfect for stand northern MN whitetails.

Mine is my original, pre J Lock Remington Ti in 30-06. Shoots great, light to carry, it just works. I have a Leupy 3x9x40 on mine, but agree the 2x7 is great and have one on my 7600 in 30-06.
I need to take some cool fence post pics when I get a chance. Ruger is a solid gun as stated and I have one in 223 that makes clovers every day!

For all around deer hunting in Minnesota, I need a quality glass in the 1.5-6 or 2-7 magnification range sitting on a decent rifle. If the rifle shoots into an inch, and the glass gives me a lot of light, clarity and preferably a First Focal Plane I am happy.

I have rifles that meet those requirements in 30-06, 300 WM, 270, .223 and .243. A couple are Remington pumps. Several are Remington 700s. A couple are different makes of Bolt actions.

The common factors among the ones I would be happy to use by itself for the rest of my days are moderate weight, not overly heavy and not so light, excellent glass and accuracy.

I have several in my safe, but this one probably is the most versatile. It's a Winnie M70 Classic with a Mike Rock barrel and a Brown precision stock, cerakoted and with Talley lightweight mounts. It usually has a Conquest 3-9 on it, but currently wears a Leupie FX3 6X. Oh yeah, its' chambered in 270 Win....



My current most favorite to carry/shoot and generally have fun with is a Weatherby Fibermark in 25-06. Nothing exotic, but shoots everything from 80gr TTSX to 117gr Sierra BTSP into tiny groups, doesn't weigh much and handles like a dream for me....

Sako AII in 308 Winchester. Topped with a VariX-II 2x7x33. Does everything I need at this point in my life. I will say that I have been playing with my Marlin 336 in 35 Remington and it is growing on me.

I don,t really have a favorite. Loved my old M660 in 308. Had a military sling and 2 3/4x Redfield Widefield w/4plex cch. My sone has it now and didn't like the scope so gave it back.
Another I like as well is a Mod 70 FW in 6.5x55. It has a 2-7x Leupold/Redfield in it. Recently got another 308 in Mod 788. I've had several of these in the past and have no idea how I let them get away. This one has an 18" barrel and a very old 1-4x Redfield scope.



Ideal for me is a rifle that handles well in any cover and carries well but not to light. Cartridge doesn't make a whole lot of difference but I tend to really favor the 308, 7x57 and 6.5x55. I am not really intrested in shooting magnum's any more but do like a cartridge that will adjust to a 6" target and give me something over 250 yds of MPBR. I don't generally like higher power scope's and for hunting certainly nothing ove 3-9x. I don't like cluttered up reticules, I like dew plex, four plex and plain cross wires.

I use a 60s m700 30-06, a m700 CDL .243, a m700 221 FB, and a Tikka T3 lite .243.

Out of all those I found the tikka to be the lightest, handiest, smoothest, and it shoots just as well as the others, maybe a tad better.

If I tell ya' my ideal rifle, then everyone else would want them and there would be no more for me and the price would go up. That's like telling folks about my favorite public land hunting spots. No thanks.

I pretty much got ir right the first time for the type of hunting I do. When I was 15, my Dad bought me a pre-64 model 70 FWT in .308 with a fixed 4x. A couple years later, I put a 1.5-6x on it, and haven't changed it in the last 24 years. I've tried other guns, but haven;t found better yet for whitetails in timber and swamps. Liked it so much I took it's name for my handle.

-Old70.

I like that, don't be affraid to post some pictures of the ol girl now....