I like to dream...

Kifaru Arms Rambling Rifle



I would probably get a Kimber 84M before I spend an extra $4K to to shave that last 1 lb though.

Is pricing out yet? 4K for a lb? $250 an ounce.....I usually think anything over $10 an ounce to cut weight is getting pricey.

That is mighty light though.

A thread on the Kifaru forums is saying about $6800 - eeeeeek!

Looks like an awesome rifle to me, but I can't afford it. A NULA is about as spendy as I could ever envision buying. I'm not so sure that a rifle nearly a pound lighter than a NULA is a step in the right direction anyway.

It is a fascinating concept and one that could really be mega-useful in a wilderness living scenario, where all of your supplies, etc, must come to you by heli-supply and you are thus faced with weight issues to a greater than average degree.

Some years ago, I asked Patrick Smith, the owner of Kifaru, if he would/could consider building one on a short, stainless Classic Mod. 70 action to give me the CRF I tend to prefer. He stated that this was possible, but, then there developed some production issues,as I understand it, with Kifaru's building these and they were discontinued.

Recently, having aged, etc, I obtained a custom Classic Mod. 70 sts..308Win, built in the Martini Gunworks shop and with all the features, except irons, I like in my bush rifles. It weighs 6.5 lbs, scoped and ready to rock, that is "perfect" for ME and it has a 22" bbl.

Then, last Christmas, seeking an even lighter "mountain rifle" I bought a custom Remmy Mod. 7 in 7-08, also all sts. This was built by one of the "outworkers" for Ralf Martini and is of VERY high quality, it weighs 6lbs with Talley Lights. It was a $3700.00 project and I paid much less than that, so, am pretty well equipped for ultra/light rifles and happy with what I have as these are maybe the best option for we old "geezer" mountain hunters.

But, if my wife and I were still working and with our former income, I have to admit, I would be quite tempted by one of these and I am, again, VERY impressed with the thought and care that went into them and the practical aspects of so light a rifle in remote wilderness uses. YMMV, of course.

I am too much of a traditionalist to accept something like that. Besides, its not full length bedded!

Damn Kimber Montana's are still the best bang for your buck.

Mine sure as hell wasn't. They don't call it kimber roulette for nothing.

Wow.. $6800. That'll really attact those "mountain men"! haha

C'mon Cal, sell a couple of Ti's and you won't even miss the money.

What's with the two bolts and one barrel thing?

Likely two different bolt faces for .308 or wsm bolt faces with only one barrel around to photo? A set up with a .223 BF and .308 BF with barrels in .223, 6.5 creedmoore, and .358 win would be perfect. More useless thinking for me though since I can't afford the thing.

It's just crazy what hunting is evolving into. If a guy got geared up with the latest and greatest gear, I'm curious what it would cost him.

Hmm including that rifle for a sheep hunter around 17 grand

Makes me feel really good about my $1400 under-six-pound HS PHL in magnum trim...

That's, um...expensive. And my last rifle purchase was a GAP!

That is an extreme amount of money! Heck, wonder if they give you the rest of the stock just to make you feel better?

Calvin,

I agree with you about how costs have gone up, if you bought a top of the line Backpack Hunt outfit that with something like the Rambling Rifle Gen II, the best in optics, packs, shelters etc, you would likely have 20k invested. But if you compare even that extreme to something like a water skiing boat it doesn't seem quite as excessive Heck even a downhill ski outfit can set you back 2k and then you have to pay $70+ per day for lift tickets.

Some of us are pretty luck where we live, in that hunting is still affordable.

'Top of the line' prices for guns and optics seem to keep climbing, and quickly. However some mid level stuff is getting pretty good...

Yup, that's mostly what I what I have.

I think what Calvin has found most expensive is "marriage", it do cut into some extra-curriculars.

It is kind of funny the prices we'll pay for gear. I don't regret the money I've paid for good optics, packs, bags or tents. I do regret the amount of money I've spent on sub-par crap that breaks when I need it to work.

If I thought that goat [bleep] was worth half the money they are asking, you'd be able to follow a trail of stuff for sale on the classifieds while I looked for a way to afford it. Oddly enough, I'm not in the market for a half-stock switch barrel, switch bolt rifle with a rail bolted to the only place you could put your hand...

Just stumbled on this forum on a google search for Rambling Rifle and I figured I could shed some light after talking to Josh at Kifaru today. I'm in the market for an ultralight rig so I've been debating buying a riflesinc ti strata $6050:
http://www.riflesinc.com/riflesinstock.html

or the new Kifaru Rambling Rifle G2 $5750 without the rail etc:
http://www.kifaruarms.com/index.php/rambling-rifle/

He said they have a few left of the first 10 that they are trying to sell for a promotional price in exchange for some pictures of these in use in the field. I asked him why the price went up so much compared to the gen1 and he told me that a large part of it is liability insurance is ridiculous right now for custom gun makers. Also, he said that since most firearms machine shops and gunsmiths take forever on custom builds that they are using some machinists in the aerospace and medical industry which I'm sure adds up but gives them an edge in turn around time. He gave me the example of getting a carbon wrapped barrel could take upwards of a year in most cases while they can have an entire build in (supposedly)3 months with a carbon wrapped barrel. I will believe it when I see it. Josh said that last time the Rambling Rifles were built they ran into a situation where one of the gunsmiths was taking too long on builds and the owner of Kifaru decided to call it quits. Apparently they are trying to avoid this situation again. He said they are very accurate for their weight and switch caliber capabilities. He claims that the owner of Kifarru shot a 5/16" group with their first build in a 308 and said that something that's machined that tight doesn't come cheap. Josh was a nice guy with lots of information to share but still a very steep price. Not sure what to do? Any of you out there ever use a Rambling Rifle? Or a Rifles Inc?? I'm gonna call Lex tomorrow and pick his brain on the Strata which looks like awesome. However, the Kifaru comes in 300 RCM which is quickly getting my attention. Another reason I'm leaning to the Kifaru is because I can get a standard bolt or different barrel down the road in a few years if I want without doing a whole different build. This money is burning a hole in my pocket but want to make sure I'm getting my dream rifle.

Well, different strokes for different folks they say.
I'm open-minded, but one couldn't give me a carbon-wrapped setup--just to save a few ounces.

Buy a NULA, H.S. Precision or Montana ascent and have yourself a 5.5lbs magnum rifle for a fraction of this thing. And these guns won't cost you a fortune should they be dropped or unexpectedly hurt.
Take the extra dough and buy a top of the line spotter or something...

What a load of crap that thing is! I love Kifaru, I do, but 6800 bucks for that? Come on! Something machined that tight drives up the cost? Sure, but really. My 6 PPC full-blown Benchrest rifle built on a Farley action was mighty tight, yet could be had for 3000 bucks. This rambling rifle might look cool hanging from my mirror in my jeep, a trinket if you will.

Brent

You'd be surprised at the guys that will buy these things...
The same ones who have to have the $1200 Sitka-gear rain suits complete with $50 beanie.

one word, ugly.

Whoa, guys, it is simply an addition to the lineup of available tools of our sport and,as such, it adds to the level of interest in and enjoyment of hunting as a whole. If, some consider it "ugly", fine, others may well like it's appearance and find it a very useful tool for THEIR particular hunting style.

I am a rather strict "classicist" or "traditionalist" where guns are concerned and every one of my currently 35 rifles, except four are classic Mauser-type CRF models. I prefer a Bansner-stocked Brno 21H, re-chambered to .280 Rem., 60mm barrel, modded stock and one of my 3x9 Zeiss Conquest, 2.5x8 VX3 Leupy or Z3-3x9 Swaros in Tally screwlock QD rings for 80+ % of MY hunting here in BC, but, lots of successful guys use many different rifles.cartridges with perfect results, so.....

Would I PAY the asking price for one of these? Welllll, I have sufficient custom gun experience, that I know how much a really good custom piece costs and 6Gs in today's gun world ain't that much, relatively speaking. However, if I were an American, looking for my "dream" mountain rifle/all-around rifle, I would now have Gene Simillion, build me a full house pair on Dakota 76 actions, Micky handles and sts tubes from Lilja, Hart or one of the other top tube turners.

I would want the actions modded and Echol's mags in both, Burgess-style rings and a custom "ghost and post" iron sight setup, the .280 Rem. to weigh about 7.5 all up and the .338WM about 8.25 complete. Them's MY parameters, but, LOTS of others would work as well, eh.

I do agree on the $1200.00 suits of clothing point, but, again, if guys want to spend their coin this way and it keeps the hunting industry alive, well, I think that we ALL benefit to some degree as more hunters spending more money gives the whole industry/sport a stronger economic and thus "social" base.

Believe me, here in one of big game huntings true "meccas", B.C., hunting is NOT very popular and only about 100.000 of our 4.5 million residents buy licences. To that, add about 6,000 non-res. visitors every year and that relatively tiny group is continually under the attacks of the "antis", a minority of whom are genuinely decent, but, mislead people and most are just [bleep] blowhard azzholes.

So, if, in a jurisdiction such as this with it's long hunting tradition/heritage, such a situation exists, I feel quite strongly that ANY honest activity anywhere in North America, will tend to strengthen our position as hunters. JMHO, maybe I am mistaken, but, after almost a half century of this, it is how I feel.

Kute, I agree with your thesis, somewhat. Products like this rifle make me shake my head though. While there is an argument that it forwards our sport, there is a flipside that I subscribe to where the goal isn't to BUY STUFF that is constantly being manufactured and promoted as critical to make you a better hunter.

Sooner or later, I would like the outdoor industry and culture to realize that our sport isn't about wearing more camo in the grocery store, or driving a bigger truck to your kid's sport practice. Those things only alienate the "antis" and promote stereotypes of hunters - things detrimental to our way of life. To me, hunting is about spending time outside in pursuit of meat and a connection with nature while being a responsible steward of lands and waters. This ideal isn't based on consuming the latest and greatest gadgets. It is what has drawn me to backpack hunting. While we are a gear obsessed lot, at least the goal is LESS gear.

But, people will spend money how they see fit. Just wish more people thought money was better spent on getting themselves outside more, or making their homes more energy efficient, or giving a youngster a head start in this crazy world. And not seeing who can own the lightest rifle.

[bleep] the "antis". The big-tire, big-dick theory is for morons, I agree, but stupid is as stupid does, it is their money, and if they wanna buy Ramblin' Rifles ( I ain't, I'm saving for a NULA) more power to 'em. Also, I'm helping my own kids out. One daughter has made it to grad school and one to go yet.

as much as these are expensive if you have followed the sale of the original models on line, usually with 2 barrels people have been paying $4000+ so there is an appetite for these. Those that want to copy this idea can look at the original rifles that Patrick Smith built on 600 actions.

I've been doing a lot of research lately about these in my quest to find my "sweetheart" rifle. I found a well used 3 barrel Rambling Rifle 1st gen set that sold at a Cabelas fine gun room for over $6800. After looking into Rifles Inc, used Kifarus, Jarrets, Red Rocks, and some others I find that the price is about right even though it's definitely expensive. I will admit that I never thought I would be able to afford a rifle like this but God willing I have been fortunate enough in my endeavours to put myself in a position where I can enjoy it. There seems to be a lot of complaining happening on here but I have no problem spending money on something that gets me deeper into the back country and is more fun while doing so. Sure I can go buy a Kimber or NULA but why would I want to settle for a V6 Mustang when I really want a Ferrari? I'm not saying that these rambling Rifles or Rifles Inc Stratas are the end all be all but when I look at them, they pull at me and I want to take it for a test drive atleast. At first the goofy looking fore-end of the Rambling Rifle stock weirded me out but it's starting to grow on me. I will let you fine folks know what I end up with and report back about its performance if I decide to "pull the trigger" on something before season rolls around.

There aren't a whole lot of people who settle for a NULA. A NULA may not turn your crank, but it certainly isn't a V6 Mustang to anyone's Ferrari in the world of lightweight hunting rifles.

When these things first came out about 4 years ago a friend bought one. .308 & a .358 barrel. I fired it quite a bit and tried different loads since he didn't handload. The best we could get out of it was about 1 1/2" It was to me ackward at best. To shoot off bags it was unsteady, and worked ok off hand once you got used to. The whole thing to me was sorta a cluster. He ended up taking a sheep with it. Continues to use it today only because he cant sell it and possibly recover his money. I never warmed up to it. I beleive his was made on a model 7 action heavily milled and modified.

lefty C

-the short forend does 3 things
-makes the stock lighter
-you can hold the rifle down better offhand in recoil and in the larger calibers these do recoil
-they make the rifle fit in a smaller package when taken down in this instance they come with a case that is 10"x26" and will hold the scoped stock/action and 4 barrels up to 24" long
-in firing off the bench I had no issues other than stock placement on the bag is limited, the real issue is they are so light as to be hard to control at the bench in the field you have to hold onto them

Interesting, I found that these came out about 10 or 11 years ago and haven't been available for about the last 5 or 6 years. Also, talked to a guy who said the owner of Kifaru was doing warranties for anyone who wasn't shooting 1 MOA when they were in production. If your friend wants to sell his I would be interested in buying it from him. PM me if interested. Depending on condition I would pay around $3000 which is close to original price I believe.

And sorry to relate a NULA to a V6 Mustang. You are absolutely right, I've actually met Mr. Forbes and have nothing but respect for his rifles and what he has offered the sport. I do realize they are definitely outstanding rifles.

Good description of the rifle. I have shot a couple Ramblers and they were plenty accurate. I really wanted one at one time and if I had $6800 I really didn't need, I might be tempted to get one now.
The one thing I don't like about the Rambler's is that you can't really shoot slinged up.
They certainly aren't for everyone but IMO, they are a pretty cool rifle.

a good source of used Kifaru rifles is their own web site in the Trading Post where a lot of backpack hunting gear is sold but they never last long almost regardless of price, also the place for Kifaru tipis and packs

If you are interested in an original Rambler, PM me as a friend of mine has one with three barrels, 260, 308, & 358. He was asking $5000 and had quit a few extras with it.

Besides which, who's to say that this particular rifle, with no track record, machined by machinists who don't build rifles, is a Ferrari in the first place?

And then there's always this, the point of diminishing returns:



For the price, you could get two top-end custom rifles from established shops that have been turning out high-quality accurate rifles for years, with a track record.

If they can sell those rifles at that price, more power to 'em.

THAT, is EXACTLY the point, on two or three levels.

This rifle is obviously a "niche" item and will never be produced in large quantities, or, will most hunters even know it is available. It is designed and built for a very specific small group among the overall hunting fraternity and from all I have seen, is VERY popular among many serious, backpacking, backcountry hunters. So, again, if THEY WANT ONE, why should they not be able to spend their money for it as they wish?

The next and to my mind, most important issue, is the ...diminishing returns... aspect of this. I find a rifle this light to be just lighter than what I have found best, FOR ME, for the almost 50 years I have packed guns in northern and western Canada....BUT, another guy might find it absolutely "ideal" for HIM.

The third point is that, again, ANY legitimate activity in developing new products WILL strengthen the hunting industry and thus our sport. If, we all just stick with the cast-off military clothing, crudely "sporterized" Lee-Enfield, Springfield and Mauser rifles a la 1950s and ignore the real benefits of much of the techno. developments of the past two-three decades in guns, optics, bullets, clothing and so on, we WILL decline and become extinct as fewer young people enter and remain in our sport.

One does not "have to" buy and use every new gear item that is offered by the highend/boutique hunting gear makers and I certainly do not, but, I will say that, having spent years hauling meat and supplies with "Trapper Nelson" packboards in both my employment in the BC wilderness and recreationally, there IS a HUGE benefit to the new ways and new gear.

In short, I will never go back from my Mystery Ranch and Dana Designs packs, my eVent, Gore-Tex and Neoshell clothing/tents and my synthetic stocked rifles with their highend scopes to the old junk I started with and I doubt that any younger hunter would consider doing so, either.

Choices, boys, it is all about "freedom" and each of us will have different priorities in this regard.

Rocky Mtn Hi Sent you a pm

Looks like an expensive solution in search of a problem to me...

I'll change the subject slightly, in my neck of B.C. the younger(20-35) age group hunters seem to be obsessing on long range hunting. When they talk about spending thousands on custom rifles, the first priority is LONG range accuracy and then light weight. One of our popular builders in northern B.C. is making garauntees of 700 and 900 yard accuracy on these custom builds. If you ask me this is a bigger threat to the image of hunting than ultra-lighweight gear that will still function. I've seen a couple hunting programs that show people decked out in the latest camo gear walk 200yds from their vehicle to set up on a ridge to try and shoot animals out to 900yds without even the attempt of getting closer. Thats because the goal is becoming the shot not the hunt. Long range target practice at living targets. Makes me a little sick personally. I do carry a customized ultralight rifle roughly moddeled after the gen1 and others that I did myself and I love carrying it for everything I hunt.

Looky there, Rckymnthgh....Your "ramblin rifle" google search is paying off bigtime!
Three posts here and you're getting the love in spades...

No disrespect, but that's a load of crap.

The hunting "industry(s)" survival is far more predicated on hunter involvement in the political, social and biological arena.

Take a kid hunting, spend $350 on him (her) for a Savage rifle and truly help save our way of life.
While this isn't directly aimed at Kifaru, if anything, companies like Sitka gear (now Chinese made) direct our hard-earned American dollars away from this country to China where one can't even own a f*ck*ng gun.

There are other and far superior builders in B.C., who are much more realistic in terms of their rifles. I do agree about the younger hunters, but, even in the small northern and Kootenay towns I grew up and worked in resource management in for some decades, the younger people are largely "urbanized" and that is a major aspect of the problem, IMHO.

Given, what will happen in May, and the situation with the "natural conservationists", I rather doubt that we will be worrying about rifle weight soon and our hunting will be just a bit"different".

Who said ultra-lightweight gear was a threat to the image of hunting?

Kute, what's happening in May??

This May, we shall have a Provincial General Election,here in B.C. and the very strong odds are that my current Member of the Legislative Assembly of B.C., The Honourable, The Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition, will form the next government of this magnificent, wonderful and grossly mismanaged place.

Adrian Dix, his name is a HARDLEFT "social democrat", an urbanite and married to an east indian woman. His party is anti-gun, especially handguns and "black" guns, VERY pro-aboriginal special rights and extremely multicultural.

Mr Dix, was largely responsible for allowing the blockade by B.C. fishing boats of an Alaskan State Ferry, in Victoria, harbour, as an administrative assistant to a former N.D,P. premier.This, embarrassed many, even extremely nationalist B.C. people, like me, but, this sort of "statist" and "neo-Marxist" is a rigid ideologue who is ALWAYS RIGHT......sorta like that Kenyan, you folks have as POTUS.

I have seen this coming for several years and we hunters WILL take a beating, the "non-res" and especially "non-res. alien" hunting will be severely impacted, maybe even banned and guns will be even more vilified than has been the case in Canada.

For people here, like my wife and I, his government will be much better than the past two administrations as he suffers from "Diabetes Melitus" and will improve our faltering health care system as well as boosting pensions.

But, all in all, I think that the hunting in BC will suffer and thus a concern over the weight of one's "mountain rifle" will be of lesser importance to we hunters than the political climate we live in.

At my age, I no longer really care very much, I intend to hunt as much and as long as I can and then just dump the guns and gear and pursue other interests.

Now that's a poignant statement.
Probaby true in most all countries and soon our own.

The comment was'nt aimed exactly at ultra-light gear, but on page three the comment was how now you see people wearing full camo in the grocery stores, and that this type of thing tends to further alienate us from the anti-hunters in our population. I agree with the comment but I take it a step further and think that the new craze of long range "hunting" is going to be more damaging to our images as hunters. We have hunting programs that promote this stuff. So now not only do we have people wearing the latest and greatest camo patterns so they can drive around in their trucks and on their quads looking for something to shoot at, but now its getting popular to shoot at animals from as far away as possible and our industry is marketing all the camo and custom rifles that will make it possible for us to back up another couple hundred yards and see if we can do it. Try explaining that to an anti-hunting population. We all know that the anti-hunters far out number us and its not the radicals that will be the problem, its all the moderates that dont care enough to even get educated about hunting. I am a backpack hunter exclusively, I havent gotten to a kill with a vehicle in years and I will not buy a single piece of clothing with a camo pattern on it for just the reasons I mentioned. JMHO

Damn, sorry to hear all that, I was totally unaware of the politics up there, sounds like it's happening all over. But if you're serious about dumping the guns............PM sent

Well, if you really want to debate this point, you should go over to the long range hunting forum where it's the primary focus and you'll get more of a response.

But since you posted it here........I disagree with what you've written above. I italicized the parts of your post I disagree with most, I hope you don't mind.

First, I'm a backpack hunter myself, and it's been years since I was able to get a vehicle to a kill site. I do most of my hunting with a short-range weapon, a muzzleloader. But that doesn't make me more "ethical" than a long-range hunter. I also enjoy getting away from the road, but that doesn't make me more "ethical" than a hunter who doesn't or can't. It's taken me a some time and some reflection to realize that. Because it's easy to feel superior when you hunt up close and haul your kill out a few miles on your back; not everyone can do that.

I do wear some camo gear, as long as it's good quality and does what I need it to do. And I'll be damned if I'll change it before I go into a grocery store or restaurant because I'm worried about what someone might think, especially an anti-hunter. I'm proud to be a hunter and I believe people need to see hunters in stores and restaurants more often so it's not such an oddity when they do.

And I could really care less what "anti-hunters" think because as we all know, 90% of anti-hunters are so mis-informed as to be laughable and know diddly-squat about nature. Why should I worry about what these people think? The plain fact is, there is nothing I can do/not do that will change their opinion of hunting because their opinions are based on emotion and are totally illogical. Appealing to reason or logic does no good with these people, so why bother, and why worry about what they think.

Anti-hunters do not far outnumber us, their percentage of the population is roughly the same as the percentage of hunters. It's the people in the middle, the ones who are neither strongly anti- nor pro-hunting, that are the ones we need to concern ourselves with because they are the majority of voters.

So I feel no need and see no benefit to worrying about what anti-hunters think, and I won't waste my time trying to explain myself to them or change their minds. They can't change mine, and I know I can't change theirs.

As to your point on long-range hunting, if done right it's no more or less ethical than hunting at short ranges. There are some who don't do it "right," just as there are slob bowhunters. The longest shot any hunter should take is the one he's confident will result in a clean kill, and that varies not only with the weapon and skill but also with the conditions. Beyond that it's just a matter of personal preference or personal ethic.

I don't hunt long-range very much, but I have the right gear and enough rounds down-range to be confident to take long-range shots under the right conditions. I'm much more confident in a clean kill at 400 yards with my most accurate rifle and a good rest than 25 yards with my longbow, so for me the 400 yard shot is more ethical.

There is nothing inherently "un-ethical" about long-range hunting if it's done right and if you take the time to consider all the angles and think about it logically, setting emotion aside. It may not be your cup of tea, but that's your personal ethic, not be confused with "un-ethical."

If we really want to educate the non-hunting public (not anti-hunters) and get them on our side, we'll take the time to explain that to them, not throw other hunters under the bus just because they hunt in a way that doesn't appeal to us personally.

First off I want to say that I don't think the gear has anything to do with the hunter. One of the best elk hunters I ever knew didn't even own a pair of binoculars and most of his other gear would be thrift shop stuff at best, but he always got his elk.

I do however find it interesting how sometimes people; especially on the internet equate ethics with a dollar value, on both ends of the spectrum. From you can't possibly be a real hunter unless you own such and such gear, to if you drive the big diesel rig and have a custom rifle you are somewhat less of a man.

I, like most here probably fall into the middle ground. If I could afford a Rambling Rifle, or a fine English shotgun, I would possibly lay down the cash, but the reality is, I can't. But, I can hunt just as well with the gear I own and appreciate the fact that I have what I do have.

I also say more power to those that can and do buy the high end gear. We are all hunters and as long as a hunter doesn't violate the law, it make no difference to me what they drive, what they shoot, what pack they own or whether they wear camo.

The two preceding posts, are among the BEST comments on hunting that I have ever read on any 'net forum, in the nine years I have been on the internet and participated in several forums. I am VERY much in agreement with Phil, (Smokepole) and Ed, in all respects of their wise comments.

I own and use highend gear for one simple reason, it just works better for longer for me. I do not own and have never had most of the electronic gadgets or ATVs which, it seems, are now considered "manadatory" for most and I very probably never will. I do think that quality of function is worth paying big $$$$$ for, but, do not and have never purchased due to "cool factor" and am somewhat of an iconoclast in that respect.

So, at this point in my 66+ years, I could buy a Rambling Rifle, but, I want to spend every dime I can on further explorations of and hunts/fishing in Canada's wilderness and so I won't get one.

However, I still think that these and much of the other "cutting edge" gear DO promote sportsmanlike, conservation-oriented and socially responsible hunting, in ways that will benefit all hunters. JMHO and maybe I am wrong, but, that is how I see it.

Rky,
I will look him up and see if he wants to sell it. It was 4 or 5 years ago that I was messing with it. I only shot the .308 bbl. He lives near Pueblo, Co.

lefty

Very true. I'll be the first to admit that I own rifles and gear that are much more than I need to go out and kill an animal, mostly because I want these things, not that I need them. So if someone wants to make a $6,000 rifle and someone else wants to buy it, that shouldn't matter to me.

I just think it's very interesting how expensive things have become, to make the hunter more comfortable. My depression era grandparents would turn over in their graves if they knew how much some of this hunting "gear" costs. We spend gobs of money on boots so our feet don't hurt, the perfect fitting packs so our backs don't hurt, clothing so that (heaven forbid) we don't feel our own sweat, rain gear so we don't ment from the rain, super lighweight rifles so we don't carry an extra 2lbs, super-duper bags so we don't shiver a bit at night, pads so we feel like we are sleeping in a bed, alpha glass so we don't have to sneak closer, expensive lightweight tents to keep from making a shelter out of a tarp, etc etc etc. A guy almost needs to make a 100k a year to afford the stuff, and still be able to fund his kids college fund and not be in debt. Not to mention what gas, out of state tags, etc are now going for. And I ain't judging, I'm the biggest sinner of them all!

Exactly. It also depends on where you are in your career. When I look back at the gear that was available when I first started out, and then pare that back to the gear I could afford, it wasn't much and I scoffed at guys who had all the latest stuff. I'm sure the young me would have had a good laugh at the expense of the current version if we'd somehow crossed paths.

The young me used a Marlin .30-30 I got at K-Mart for $150 new. And that smart-assed little bastard used it to kill my best whitetail to date, the one that hangs over my mantle.

C'mon Calvin, you have some of the world's finest deer and black bear hunting literally out your back door, and you can hunt AK as a resident, and you are complaining about what it costs? Sell some of those 700 TI's, I'll make you an offer on one.