Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 5 guns I plan on buying for all my needs for any hunting. Tell me what you think

Remington CDL in 308
Benelli M2 12gauge
RRA Preditor Pursuit 5.56
Smith 686 .357mag
Your choice of 1911

"5 guns I plan on buying for all my needs for any hunting. Tell me what you think"


A fool and his money are soon parted....have a nice life.

Huh? What is this supposed to mean?

99Guy. Nails it in his post

fixitquick79, OP
Nice list! could the 308 pull double duty with reloading 110s instead of the 25-06?

This is what I have been working on, handguns and long guns
While thinning my S&W collection

S&W 629 4" 44 mag.
S&W model 640 38spl for ccw.
10/22 22 LR slicked up 16 1/4" Heavy Barrel
Weatherby MK V 308 synthetic.
stevens 311 20ga
I need to add a heavy which will put me at 6
and then add a 22 handgun 7

99guy you are correct my dad had just 3 a 25colt, stevens 311 and a win 94
3 would be a cz 452 stevens 311 and a NULA 30-06?

gotcha, it probably could but I am not necessarily going totally bare bones. There may be minor overlap esp between the 308 and the 25-06 in use but not enough that I am unwilling to spend the 600 extra for a 25-06 with a decent Nikon or some other good scope. The 25-06 will be a nicer gun I am thinking but I do want a 308 being I like it for most things and I won't worry much about dinging up the 308 sliding down scree slopes etc, will probably just put a $100-150 class scope on the 308. Nothing too cheap but also nothing I will be too upset to replace.

Maybe fewer rifles with better optics if the budget is that tight.

Not at all. As I mentioned I would be putting better scopes on the others. I mentioned the $100-150 because I would not worry over much on babying the one on the 308 and would not be bothered if I dinged it up crawling up and down the mountains here and had to replace it. Nowadays you can get a pretty good 3-9x40 Nikon prostaff or vortex in that range.

That was my point. You wouldn't have to settle for just "pretty good" if you didn't plan on having so many redundant chamberings. You could then afford to install "great" optics.

You might want to cover 1 and 2 with a 7 mag.
Keep 3 or go to 375 H&H
One good AR (soon)
10/22 takedown is very nice
and, I'd go to a 12 gauge something.

Have fun.

You are missing my point. I don't want an expensive optic on a gun I am going to bang around. I would feel as though I had to baby a gun with a multiple hundred dollar optic. I never said necessarily that I couldn't afford to put a better optic on it, just that i had reasons for NOT putting one on it.

I have a new Ruger American .308, and several good .30/06 bolt guns, so that is covered.
I use a custom Mauser 7x57 Ackley for longer range things. I also have a couple of nice .270 rifles, Mannlicher Schoenauer and Remington.
No need for anything larger, as I hunt in Florida, Ga, SC and VA. I have owned such things as a .416 Remington, .458 Winchester, .338 Winchester, .358 and .45-70 though.
I have multiple .22 rifles, both semi automatic and bolt. .22 mag as well.
I have a number of shotguns, so that is covered as well.

Guess I am set.

Yeah, but they're fun.

Don't need a walk in gun safe. Just need a few to cover the basics.
12 ga Win pump
12 ga Benelli auto
Win 70 SS Classic .30-06
Tikka SS .243
Next purchase will be a .22lr to round it off.

Times have truly changed for the better. we are indeed fortunate. In my dad's day when he was old enough to hunt he was given a 12 gauge pump which he had to use on everything. He said his friends at school all used either 12 or 16 gauge shotguns for all their hunting too. In his grandfathers day almost everyone around used a 12 or 16 gauge single or double for all around hunting. He said it was rare to know anybody who owned a rifle bigger than .22 caliber. Now we have threads about what five guns are needed for all around work. We are privileged indeed!

This has been a very good thread.

End of January I will be getting my .308 I have decided to go with a Weatherby Vanguard S2 instead of the Ruger American. I held the American and the stock was just too narrow for comfort for me. The Weatherby is a step up without too much more money. About another $100 here. Was gonna get it sooner but bought a Kahr P45 instead.:)Tax return time in a couple months or so will be the other 2 rifles. The 25-06 Vanguard S2 and the CZ 550 9.3x62. Was gonna buy a BCM Recce AR upper with the tax return but I am hearing they still will be out possibly then. So I will move that along to later. Should have everything including the 10/22 by end of July and possibly a glock 29 sf 10mm and a Kahr PM9 to the mix. Should be set then for a good while. Just a little update.

5 guns.

1. You can't go wrong with a .308 Winchester. I would advise you to buy a Remington or other manufacturer with a round Mauser style receiver and bolt. They are easier to work on, tune up, and every gunsmith out there learned on them. I had a vanguard. I think it had 16 locking lugs? Good luck lapping that! I'll take two! Well, all my bolt action rifles have round receivers and two lugs: Remington, Winchester, Nesika Bay, Borden... It makes going to the gunsmith a more pleasurable experience. I like stainless hardware and synthetic stocks. I have one wood stock blue metal hunting rifle, and it was my first. A Finbear Classic in .30-06.

2. Your long range open country rifle. I'd give the same advice as above as to the style of rifle. The caliber is fine. We don't long range hunt anything here, but I spent 20 years shooting deer in crop fields in North Carolina with a .30-.338, which has the basic ballistics of the .300 Win Mag. It did a lot of damage, and a lighter caliber would have done the job.

3. Big Game, I like the .338 Win for availability over a metric. Ammo costs less, and there are better bullet choices. I had one for a year, shot 2 deer with it, and sold it to a "big game" hunter. It hurt my shoulder bad in a little A Bolt rifle. I'd put it in a big stock with a recoil reducer, recoil pad, and possibly a muzzle brake. I'd try it with the pad and reducer before doubling the muzzle blast! If you want a CZ, and it has a round receiver and two locking lugs... Carry on.

4. Ruger take down is fine. I've had a traditional one since I was 12 years old, and I still shoot it. I've also had a 39A Mountie (Marlin .22 lever gun) almost as long and still shoot that too! Can't go wrong.

5. Affordable O/U 20 gauge. Also, can't go wrong. I dreamed the dream though and spent a good decade looking for a Belgian Browning Superposed 20 gauge. I got mine. Unfired in the box, for $2,000. It has spent the last 15 years in the box too! I went out and bought an Ultra to shoot. It's ported and has choke tubes. Way more versatile, shoots well, and is beautiful. Another $2K gun though. The "affordable" gun would be the Citori. A nice condition 2nd hand gun with tubes would be good too. Your NIB CZ is a good idea though.

Thanks for the feedback.

About number 3, I chose the 9.3x62 because it does have only moderate recoil. Slightly more than a 30-06 depending on the gun. Nothing even close to the 338 win mag.

Rob P,

I suspect you're thinking of the Weatherby Mark V action. The Vanguard is built on the Howa action, which has two locking lugs. It's considered just as easy to work on as a Remington 700, and also one of the most accurate actions made.

The Mark V usually doesn't need any accurizing work, due to the multiple lugs all around the bolt. Most will be seated firmly when the rifle is new, and the rest tend to seat after some shooting.