Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Thinning the gun herd strategies?

I was moving a bunch of ammo and shooting gear from a spare bedroom down into the basement. I had the TV on in the living room and it seemed like every time I walked by there was an ad on for hoarders or intervention.

Bb

BB: LMAO!

I have "thinned' a couple of times but the one left seem to be breedin in the safe.

Killing me!

I have the best strategy for you. You can send them to me

I've cleaned the safe once, now it's full again. I buy rifles, telling myself and my wife that I'll hand them down to the boys when they grow up.







I'm right handed and both of my boys are shooting my rifles left handed...

My timing is getting near........ soon the herd will prob get down to 3-4 centerfire rifles. Not looking fwd to it, but its prob gonna get done. Bob made just toooo much sense. My caliber choices are a lil different... but i agree with it in most aspects.

Until then..... good luck with any herd thining!

You could give me one....Dad

Easy..

Find out what bullets you want to shoot, and go from there.

I like 105 Scenar/Berger/Amax, 155 Scenars, 162 Amax, and 225gr - 250gr in 338. Might dabble a little in the 115 Berger to give the quarter bores a chance.

Think about the types of hunting you actually do, and have a rifle that fits each niche as perfectly as possible. Rather than buying a collection of rifles of varying calibres and cartridges. Say, a mountain rifle, a woods rifle, a varmint gun, and elk gun.

There is always room for another 7x57.........


Gus

My gun thinning goes like this. If I don't use it, it goes! And I never buy what I lust, just need......

That's the problem - I need them ALL!!!!

Gus

Bob, that shows some wisdom.

I'm not following your line of reasoning for the #2 rifle though. Why do you want or need it in between the other two? When would you ever pick #2 over #1 with good bullets?

My three slots would be 243, 30-06, 375 (though I have no need for a 375 at all with my current position in life).

DD: I mostly travel to hunt...around here in New England,it's a no brainer..I just grab #1 (270,280,30/06).On some hunts I take two rifles.

But my hunting seasons are frequently an open slate.I may go to Canada, or out West and grab an elk or moose license in Canada in addition to deer.

Much as I like the 243/257 category, that class of cartridge doesn't do anything for me that the #1 category doesn't do as well,or maybe better.And will handle the elk hunt also(I know the 243 class works on elk but I prefer a bit more bullet diameter and weight).

The #2 category,while more than I really need for deer,is where I might lean for an elk hunt,and yet will serve on a deer hunt as well.With it's heavier bullets, higher velocity than the #1,it is a tick up in authority as distances stretch, and animals get larger.

The differences might be in the type rifle (one shorter and a bit lighter),and the other for a magnum chambering and a bit heavier and longer.

In the event one goes out of commission,I am reasonably well served with the other...maybe not perfect, but I will be OK with either if I do my part. What I am really after in both rifles is general utility and not a great degree of specialization ,if you get my meaning.

my thinning is very similar to Bob's....

coyote/fox/groundhog hunting = 222Rem
open areas for deer/ antelope/ mulies etc = 6.5 Creedmoor
thick swamps/dense woods deer/bear = 35 Rem
target rifle/range competitions = 6.5Creedmoor#2
big game; elk and up = 375 Ruger

I've been slowly replacing rifles and calibers, and still have a few more to go, but that's my way of thinning the herd.
Having my open area rifle and target rifle in same cartridge also helps downstairs in the reloading room.

johnny

And if I do WANT, I will always sell off another to fund/make room.
I only need 3 Deer rifles MAX(go to, backup & 1 for the son), one .22LR, 410 shotgun(snakes) & a dedicated varmint round like the 17Rem

In fact. If laws came in that I could only own 5 rifles it would not worry me none. Actually, I could live with 3 without a stress.
Thinning is only mind deep. We think we NEED but only to discover it's 'WANT & LUST....'. On that note. I would be happy with a .22LR & 30-06

I had a similar strategy to "thin the herd," by eliminating cailbers. I'm not a "big bore going to Alaska for bears, or Africa for anything" kind of guy, so I don't need anything "big."

I sold off my 9.3 and 35 caliber rifles. I sold off "overlapping" usefulness calibers from my "standard" of .308 caliber (sold off 250 Savage, 257 Roberts, 7x57 -all Rem 700 classics, and a 270 win). I sold off my "long range" varminters (22-250), but kept one of my 222 Rems.

That leaves me with a "small" (.224), "medium" (.308), "large" (.45-70) approach. I have a 222 Remington Sako A1 (sold a Rem 700 varmint special). 30 caliber is my main rifle caliber (30-30, 30-06 and 308 Win). I have a 45-70 Marlin, and a few 22 LR rifles. I have multiple 30-06s and 308s, and may someday pair them down-but not now.

I also have a couple of nice flintlocks in .40, .45 and .50 calibers for competition/hunting, and pellet rifle/pistols for target practice-so I'm not without something to shoot. I'm not punishing myself by "thinning calibers", just simplifying.

Pistols: I shoot mostly 22 LR in conventional pistol competition (Mainly SW M41, but have a couple of tweaked Ruger Mark II's and a SW K22), 38 special/357 Mag, 45 acp (Sig 220, Springfield 1911 45 acp), and a 45 Colt Ruger Redhawk.

Shotguns: I have 12 and 20 gauge shotguns (multiples in each-pumps: Remington, Ithaca, Browning), and could live with one gauge if I had to (don't want to).

If I really wanted to "thin the herd", I'd go for the basic "one 30-06/308 Win bolt rifle, one 12 gauge pump, one 357 mag revolver, and one 22 LR" approach, and would be very happy.

Caliber elimination is a good place to start-if you have/want to. My shooting interests have changed in over 30 years, and my collection reflects that change. It's not for punishment or financial issues. It was done for simplicity. I shoot MORE now than I have in the past. I'm enjoying it more. I don't feel I have "lost" anything by parting with those "thinned out" firearms.

I'm still on the look out for certain things, but it's on a "want" not a "need" lookout( ie Marlin 1894 in 45 Colt).

I'm shooting more cast bullets now, and seem to be picking up a few more molds to test. I'm getting great satisfaction from casting/loading/shooting cast bullets from my stable of firearms.

Thin as you see fit. It all depends on what you needs are first (reality), then your desires secondly (emotional). But that's nothing new.

This topis got me thinking I don't know how many I actually have so I went and counted 23 Rifles 2 Shotguns and 8 handguns. All I can say is: "The one who dies with the most toys wins"

LOSERS

Shipster