Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Rifles that give you confidence

A Remington 760 or 7600.

Any rifle in my hands is a lucky rifle.

My confidence rifle is my bolt action .358. It was put together with inexpensive components: Stevens 200 action, Adams & Bennett barrel (mag contour), Rifle Basix trigger. I opened up the channel on the original Stevens stock, sanded down the seam lines, filled the hollow butt, and Duracoated the stock and barrelled action. It wears a Burris Signature 1.5-6X. It shoots 5/8" groups with a couple of different loads. It's heavy, but for hunting from a blind or stand, it works great. It just feels, handles, and shoots right for me. It's my primary whitetail rifle.

Both Kimbers (7-08 and 325) and an abolt 243.

They all zeroed quickly with factory ammo when first shot and have never moved. Almost 10 years on the Kimbers. Everything they have aimed at has died except one coyote with the 7-08 and it was 100% my fault.

To me, they give confidence past their accuracy because they fit well. As tools, they will forever be more accurate than my ability as a shooter. The 7-08 has a compact 32mm scope, the 325 has a larger 50mm, and the abolt has a standard 3-9x40. Fitting the right size scope to the overall gun is very important to me. I mounted them all myself after a long time adjusting the relief, shouldering, adjust, shoulder, etc....

I have done everything within my control and ability to make them the best I know how. If I had to pick one it would be the 7-08

Had an old ADL in 270 that was my first centerfire. Killed everything I fired at with that rifle, from crows to varmints to deer and elk. My son has it now and it does the same thing for him. I replaced that rifle with a M77 in 270, but I've missed more than I should have with it. Nothing wrong with the rifle, it just doesn't have that hunting Ju Ju the old ADL has.

When I've got my CZ-550(270), every animal I've ever pulled the trigger on has just dropped over without much fuss. That's what I grab if it absolutely, positively, has to be in the freezer tonight...

My Husqvarna H5000 .30-06 was that rifle for me. Until I shot it out that is. I didn't want a different barrel because Huskies have the serial # on the barrel so I checked with JES about turning it into a 8mm-06 or .338-06 via reboring. But they don't rebore Huskies because the steel is too hard and doesn't always cut right. So I sold it. Shouldn't have, but I did.

Simple, have it built for you. I am constantly amazed at how much people will spend on different rifles and not think to get the ones they have fit to them. I have 2, a M700 30-06 and a M70 in 375H&H. Both have syn stocks that were fitted to me. With either when I mount them the reticule is centered where I am looking and they both shoot bugholes.
It's really not that expensive.

Simple. Get it fitted to you. I am constantly amazed at people who spend more and more money on rifles and not get the ones they have fitted. It's not that expensive and will pay huge dividends.
I have 2, a M700 in 30-06 and a M70 in 375H&H. Both feel like part of me, are fast, light and when I mount them the reticule is always centered right where I am looking.

My first rifle. Sporterized Springfield 1903a3. 30-06. Still holds a good group at 200. reliable and comfortable. never have had to worry about it. uses a handload with 180 nosler BT for everything. recently took the old weaver 4x scope off, and replaced with a modern leupold. after season just clean it, rub some linseed into the wood and put her away. Thought about replacing it with a new FN model 70. Bought one, and it just didn't have the feel of the old springfield. it went down the road.

Currently, I own five big game rifles that feel like they were "built for me." As fate would have it, I had to build three of them, and, oddly enough, I found one already custom built for someone else.
I don't recommend building a "dream rifle," if you can help it. I did that three times. They cost me alot of money. Two of them, I ended up having the metal work redone to save weight. The other, I ended up changing a few things and correcting a few things that were not done as they should have been done. But, in the end, I did get complete satisfaction.
My 5th big game rifle is not a full custom. But it is now on it's 3rd stock. Both of the custom stocks cost me almost as much as the original rifle did. It has also had three scopes as well to get it "just right."
Last of all, the one wildcat chambered rifle I had built is now up for sale. Why ? Because it no longer meets my needs. When I no longwer ahve any real use for a rifle, I sell it. I am not getting anything like the money I put into it, BTW.
So, my advice to anyone who wants to know is find a factory rifle you like the feel of. It should handle and carry like it was made for you. Keep in mind that stocks can be adjusted for lenth of pull which can help alot. Ruger's Gunsight Scout, their Guide Gun and a couple of their Hawlkeye Predator Rifles come with adjustable stocks. That's a good place to start.
Keep also in mind that where and how the rifle's scope is mounted also goes a long way in how well the rifle handles, particularly when one is in a hurry to shoot. So don't be afraid to try different ring heights and the scope positions, fore and aft, in those rings.
Any rifle needs a good trigger. Rifles used for precision shooting need the very best. Keep that in mind as well.
On top of all the above, the rifle needs to work when you really need it to. Some simple modifications can do wonders for actions like the Remington 700.
So, good luck on your search. I've been buying and selling rifles for a mere 52 yrs. I'm about to do it again as a matter of fact. E

Varmints my old .22-250, now on its third barrel..
It has killed thousands of varmints and not a little big game..

medium big game: my .25-06

all big game: my .300 Win. built in 1970 it has traveled all over the country with me.. a close second could be my wife's 7mm mag. and a distant third would be my grandfathers old .30-06 that I had restocked and scoped.. I thought this would be the only rifle I needed when I had it reworked when I was 16.. That Idea only lasted a year or so..

I bought my late wife a Remington 722 with a 308 barrel on it. She was born in 1960 and the rifle was 1960 manufacture.

She took it to Africa and killed everything she pointed it at, and I'm 12 for 13 attempts with that rifle.

I have others that I hunt with now, including g custom this and custom that. My son has claimed his mother's rifle. But, if I had to shoot only one for all of time, it would be that one.

I think Mule Deer calls them "honest rifles."

I do , too.

No particular rifle gives me confidence.

I gain confidence after spending a good amount of primers with a rifle/ammo/optic combo.

Remington 700 Classic, 270 Win. (purchased new in 1981) is my go to rifle for PA and NY whitetail bucks....many other options, but I cannot leave it home as it has NEVER let me down.

My Ruger M77 in 300 winny in a Mickey stock. Always works.

It'll look like this

Word -

Kinda like saying what's your favorite hammer that gives you confidence is hammering the nail hoe. Umm, all of them?

If I own a rifle, it's set up for killing. The rest is up to me making my own luck -

For me, the Winchester Model 70 Featherweight chambered for 7x57 is a well proven hunting rifle. I have come to prefer it to any other rifle I have ever used.

I have one "Go to" gun I have used off and on for years. It is a Type 99 action with a 7x57 barrel. I bought the barrel surplus. It was in the white and had a 98 Mauser configuration. From the markings , I believe it was made in Israel. At 100 yards, on a bench, it is accurate beyond what common sense says it should be. I aquired a Type 38 stock/handguard left over from Chinese production either during or after WWII. All the sheetmetal and everything else I could, is made of 7075 aluminum or titanium. The scope base is one piece 7075. You can see the baked on finish on the aluminum is starting to wear off, but it has really seen some abuse hunting. I never weighed it, but anyone that picks it up is amazed at how light it is.