Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Your Ideal Hunting Rifle

I'll post up a few I guess. Like old70 said I like my pre 64 fwt too (30-06) as it weighs right at 8 pounds all up (loaded and ready to go). It's my fair weather rifle though:



When the weather turns to chit I like using something like my extreme weather (also a 30-06). Weighs in around 7.5 pounds all up:

I'm still looking, though the closest is maybe a 700 Classic, either a .25-06 or .35 Whelen. But I've been looking at a ton of rifles lately, trying to find one better. A Kimber .325, three or four M70s, a boatload of 700s, a Howa 7 WSM. I need to spend more time with them... I'm out of town on work way too much.

I am interested in trying out a Montana .280 AI, maybe getting a different stock for my M70 EW, or finding a Remington Mountain Rifle.

My favorite this past few months�..

Rem 700
McMillan HTG
21" Pac Nor in .308 win

Here in Kentucky all one really needs is a 257 Roberts. I had a Model 70 in that caliber but lost it in a house fire. My best friend gave me the M7 custom shop Mannlicher and I mounted a Leupold 1/75x6 and added a latigo sling to it. It will put three 100 grain bullets under and inch. Anything heavier spreads to about 1 1/2 inches. I have owned it about 12 years and taken at least 25 deer with it. I took this little eight point this past season within 200 yards of my back door.

I like dis one too�.270 win


Its my "Pussycat" rifle

Favorite ML rifle

Windage is correct, the .257 Roberts is just about perfect for deer in Kentucky.

That being said, I no longer own the perfect hunting rifle for me. It was a floorplate model, Remington 700 Mountain Rifle. It was chambered for 7mm/08.

It seemed that rifle would shoot anything I loaded in 7/08 cases. My favorite load was a 140 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip with 42.0 grains of Hodgdon BL-C2. Lordy, deer got sick and died quick when I shot them with that recipe.

I also used 130 Grain Speer BT's and HotCor's to good effect, as well as 140 Grain Sierra Gamekings.

I lost it in the fallout from a divorce about 5 years ago, but one of these days I'll find another. It was worth that much to me.

I think I might have finally found my ideal hunting rifle. I was at a local gunshow last summer and I picked up a Ruger 77 RLS Ultralight in .30-06.

Now I generally like all things Ruger. They aren't all things to everyone but there are rugged and reliable. This one has worked out well in several ways.

- I love the tang safety

- Rugers scope mounting is a big plus for me as are the open sights

- It is a .30-06 which, as Townsend Whelen said, is never a mistake.

- It weighs 7.3 lbs scoped with a Leupold 1-4x20 heavy duplex

- Only 39" long

- It is a reliable 3/4" rifle with 180 grain handloads doing a hair over 2700 fps even from its 18.5" barrel

- The first shot from a clean cold bore goes where it is supposed to.

- It is completely reliable

- I like the looks of it too

This is one of those happy purchases where I got much more than I expected out of a rifle. It is definitely on my "never sell" list.

My most often carried hunting rifle is a Winchester Model 70 Featherweight in 7x57. It is scoped with a Leupold VX II 3x9x40 in Leupold mounts. It wears a Super Sling II and shoots my 140 grain Nosler Partition handloads into a bit less that one inch at 100 yards. I don't need a better deer rifle.

I think you'd have a hard time finding a better deer rifle.

My Model 7 243.
2x7 nikon
18 1/2 in barrel
6.5 pounds over all

NULA M24 action with engraved and checkered bolt handle by Steve Heilmann. 270 Win Bartlien 1-9.25 twist 22.75". One of a kind synthetic stock. Scope 3x9 Leupold Ultralight. Weight 6 lb 5 oz. Moves 130's at 3100 which go into about .5". It is within six feet of me just now.

Dang ingwe,you shoot more than just DINKS!!! to me id say the ideal hunting rifle,if i just had one would be a remington 700 or winchester mdl70 w/synthetic stocks in 30-06 toped with 3x9 leupolds. not much you couldnt do in america with that.

Just got it, haven't put a round through it yet or mounted a scope. Savage 99C with in 358 win. Its not a collector being a clip feed and its been rebored but its the project gun I've been waiting to put together for a number of years. I'm going to end up doing some work on the stock but I've got less than 650 into it so not too worried about it.

God Bless,

MM

Tikka T3 lite stainless in 300win mag with a good 3-9x40 scope and a limb saver recoil pad fitted.

If I had to liquidate my entire collection and hunt with only one rifle, it would be one I have only borrowed, not owned. A Blaser R93 in 30-06. I borrowed one from my German buddy while hunting with him in Germany for wild boar and Roe deer. I was very, very impressed! Accurate, ergonomic, smooth operation, good looking ( to me!) I love the cock/decock feature and the ability to hunt safely with a round in the chamber, and the Blaser QD scope mounts were perfect when switching between a nice Zeiss variable scope for stand hunting and an Aim Point red dot sight for driven game. By adding a varmint caliber barrel, that's all I'd ever really need.

Most of you are describing the cartridge and saying very little about the rifle it's in.

In cover I would want a compact rifle with a short action and 22" max barrel, better a 20" barrel. For sight's a 2-7x scope max. I have a 1-4x Redfield on a rifle I just got. In open country I'd want a long action with a 24" barrel min. I don't like the plastic stocks at all, to me they are ugly. And I don't like stainless steel, I like blued metal. In the open I could live nicely with a 2-7x min scope and max a 3-9x. I don't care for a scope that looks like it's wearing a rifle. Actually I do have some 3-9x scopes, I have never shot one on over 6x and then only to sight in.

I prefer Swarovski Z6i rifle scope which uses state of the art technology that has revolutionized the practical benefit of a rifle scope. The larger zoom range and the greater eye relief allow for more flexibility, greater precision and increased safety when hunting.Swarovski Z6i Rifle Scope 1-6x24 4-I - 59138
Illuminated 4-I Reticle - 30mm Tube59138 is the perfect companion for large caliber rifles, with sufficient magnification capacity.

Winchester Model 70 Stainless, 23" #1 Pacnor, Echols McMillan Edge, Talley LW Ex. Low. Leupold 3.5x10x40
Probably in 30-06.
Cerakoted Matte Black,Dark Brown with a red pad.

275 Rigby
Mauser 98 action
22" Barrel
plain English Walnut stock
Leupold M8 4X scope

Fits me like a pocket on a shirt. Very accurate and performs far above what it reasonably should. A delight to shoot and carry in the field.