Alright... I tried to resist but the post-hunting season boredom has struck. So here's a fun twist on the "one rifle" polls:

You are going to be warped into the plot of Jeremiah Johnson. You need ONE rifle to hunt and do all of the Indian fighting he does in the movie. The rifle does NOT have to be period correct. Carrying ammo or ammo availability in the mid-19th century is not something you have to consider -- it's a movie, after all! -- but you only get to take ONE kind of ammo and you have to declare it upfront.

What are you taking with you? (And, no, you don't get to also find Hatchet Jack's Hawken. This is your one and only rifle until Paints His Shirt Red decides you're a friendly again.)


I would take my JM Marlin 336 in 30-30 with the Barnes 150 grain TSX. Not the biggest cartridge in the safe but he shoots almost everything in the movie from 25 yards or less and within 100 yards the .308 TSX is pretty nasty.

Mosin-nagant or any other battle proven rifle.
We are surviving in the mountains, wilderness ect. not killing zombies by the thousands.

charlee

Pre 64 Winchester 70 in 30-06 and 180 grain Nosler Partition.

I am going to go against the grain a bit here, but I am taking a Daniel Defense M4A1 with a crap-load of Black Hills 77 grain TMK ammo.

My 1955 Marlin SC chambered in 35 Remington with the williams peep on it.

Ha. I like where your heads at. I guess I’d go easy with a lightweight AR10 in 308 myself. Kinda covers it.

If not that, a good 45-70 lever gun.

Great choice. My first thought was not DD but it would certainly do nicely. Not sure there's a better choice.

Some kind of bolt action in 7mm-08 or .308 with irons.
I'll think about it more after I have my coffee.

Ruger Scout rifle, or something similar in 308.

M14

FN Mauser in 30-06 lots of 180 partitions

Are y'all trying to tell me 308 isn't going to bounce off grizz?! 😇😂 (Where has the usual logic of this forum gone?!?!)

The sentimental side of me says that a bolt action 308 or even a 30-30 lever gun. The practical side says to pick an AR, because a 30 round mag would been just the ticket against a screaming hoard of Blackfeet injuns.

Can't decide....maybe one of these?



...or...





...this?

“Mountain’s got it’s own ways, pilgrim.” Choose an autoloader.308. Must admit, though, Digital Dan’s first choice might be the way to go. 🤔

Tikka T3X Arctic

I want one sooo bad!

Jeremiah's Hawken was really a small caliber. Sad. I'd just slum this one in 58. I know this isn't in the spirit of the thread but I love hunting with this one.

Either a '54 Marlin 336RC in 35 Rem, with the same receiver sight as @jeeper, or a '55 Savage 99F in 300 Sav.

That’s a DANDY rifle. I’d like one of those myself. Always look forward to seeing a picture of it over a pack or buck.

Based on the parameters as laid out by the OP, this is actually the first thing that popped in to my head. Heck, I only own one AR15 and one AR10 and I never even hunt with either. However, screw that fighting with Indians by knives, hatchets and single shot rifles which eventually need to be used as clubs. Man JJ looked tired after all that. Give me the AR and the unlimited ammo.

If Custer had 10 guys with AR15 rifles, history would be rewritten. I'd just have an ar15 with heavies per OP question.

Remington 760 carbine with a Leupold 1-4 and 180gr round nose CL.

"Huh? What trouble?"

Guess that might depend on which ten. Not all men are created equal.

Yep…a good, light AR and a chit ton of 77gr OTMs. They seemed to work pretty good in other big mountain country against swarms of natives.

>> THIS <<

One of the great lines CW7.

Custer watching an episode of Daniel Tiger -- "stop, think, and make a good choice" -- might also have changed a bunch 😂😇😂😇😂

If Custer would have had walkie talkies, it would have been much different. It is hard to communicate with bugles, similar colored horses and guidons...

SWEET!

Communications win battles.

Yup. The Hell with fighting injuns. Just hammer away at that until they come and scalp me. Die with a smile.

Model 94 Winchester 30-30

Mother Gue disapproves! 😂

my custom built Savage 38-55

Winchester 94 30-30

I was gonna say win 70 270 but paints his shirts would Probly scalp my ass

He'd Paint Your Ass Red

Shrap … Problem is that the Indians would have them too. They had the best guns that they could obtain at the time.

M1A with a Trijicon 1-4x24 and lots of 150 grain Accubond ammo. Indians, buffalo, elk, no problem.

Tikka T3X compact in .308

A Ruger Mini 30 with an unlimited supply of Federal Fusion ammo and 20 round magazines would get me through.

7600 Police .308, plenty of magazines, & a 1-4x optic of some sort. Probably a leupold.

Mini-14. If Eskimos can take down polar bears with a 222, a 223 with 1/7-1/9 twist would be plenty 😆

A .54, half a horn of 3f, handfull of roundball, and a good sparkyrock.

Colt M4 A1
Topped with a Nightforce 2.5-10 and an RMR piggybacked.

Plus a bunch of mags of 77 grain TMK/SMK, whatever.

Easy.

I have used a Colt in sub zero temps and in temps over 130 degrees.
No problem if you know how to maintain a weapon.
In fact I was just talking to Ken Hackathorn about this 2 days ago. We were discussing a training we did at his place when it was 17 below zero a few years back. Observing the issues people had with themselves and equipment. It was a great learning experience, though not for the weak.

This ^^^

I have a sporterized Springfield 1903 with iron sights but of course, it is not a stainless rifle. Count me in as well.

kwg

Benelli sbe with an extra slug barrel and ammo for both.

Either that or a M1 Garand. 🤠

Been watching a bunch of Hal Blood tracking vids. 760 30.06 carbine seems to work well for those big woods guys. They appear to earn their kill

You obviously don’t know Indians…

This one with 70gr VLDs.



Day or night with more reach than anything in that period.

The plot of the film is late enough (1840s) that Indians had long ago lost their best suppliers of western arms (that pipeline closes quite a bit after Frances loses the Seven Years War and they can't play the French and English against each other). Indians were actually much better gunsmiths than they typically get credit for but they couldn't produce their own lead or gunpowder... so once they adopt that new tech, they're always beholden to a "dealer" or plunder in small measures.

30338;
Good afternoon sir, I hope that life in your part of Denver is going acceptably and you're all well.

Thanks for the photo of your very fine looking rifle, it looks to be about perfect.

When I got into muzzle loading back in the very early '80's, I worked for a Metis chap who was "really, REALLY" into his heritage and had a couple complete period appropriate kits made up to match custom made rifles. One was what he called a Canadian Plains rifle if I'm not mistaken and I recall it as quite similar to a Hawken but with some subtle differences.

Anyways, perhaps you or someone out there can answer a question I've had regarding that movie line where Robert Redford's character says he bought a .30 caliber Hawken - when we see the bore it's obviously at least .45 or .50 - but did the Hawken brothers make anything as small as a .30?

For awhile in my collection I had a Parker Hale Musktetoon which was made in Great Britain and really quite a nice piece, but somehow life got in the way and I never fired it once. It was a .577 with the same bore as the originals which I want to say was tapered with a slight gain twist? I may be wrong about the gain twist part.

As to the OP's question, I've had a fair few Lee Enfield rifles over the years that likely a nice Jungle Carbine with 250rds of what the Canadian Rangers used to be issued for ammo which was 180gr soft points of some description would be it.

All the best to you in 2023.

Dwayne

Good Q…let me think as I type…as much as I’d enjoy an AR of any variety, the Indian fighting would likely be a one time contact after the single survivor goes back to tell the tribe about this magic weapon. The next contact would be peace offerings & statues.

So obviously we need an AR to achieve God status with the locals but also use for normal sustainment (I’d also have night vision mounted and take the fight straight to their Tipi cuz being scalped in your sleep wound really stink & survival hunting at night is way more productive)*

I want to say an AR 6.5 Grendel and a massive supply of 115gr Barnes VOR-TX might be my ticket on all counts.

(I really really wanted to say 12ga but one type of ammo things sure hinders the utility)

*Minus Indian fighting I’d have a different answer but still night vision.

Dwayne, Happy New Years to you! Your posts always bring a smile to my face. Life in Denver anytime these days is somewhat rough. My location is in a small town outside of Denver of about 3500 people. Much better after I moved out.

As far as a 30 caliber Hawken, that always struck me as oddly small. That said someone like Kaywoodie here would be far more knowledgeable than myself on the matter. I know the ones I have read about and seen pictures of seemed to always be 45 caliber or larger but they were in business many years and I imagine all manner of fine rifles in smaller bores were made by them.

I've had very good luck with .530 and .570 roundballs on a variety of animals but have also been around some that took .45 cal balls and died just fine.

All the best to you and your family in 2023. Kurt

Hawken made a .38 but it was a model produced later than what could have accurately been in the film. That said, long rifles in .30 obviously had existed way before the mountain man era.

I've read elsewhere that it was referring to gauge (30)... but that wouldn't make sense when talking about the .50.

More likely just an author with limited knowledge of muzzleloader rifles. Nobody on the frontier West would have carried a 30 cal M/L. The rest of the story is good enough to overlook that one glaring error. At least Hatchet Jack knew better. 😁

Are you saying 30 cal M/L was the 6.5cm of the 1840s?!

No matter, there weren’t no grizz left anyhow.

Careful or PETA will cut you crotch to eyeball with a rusty deer antler for saying that!

If not period correct at all. An AR with 1-6 optic. Whatever it would give up on big game hunting it would easily make up for in spades Indian fighting.

SKS with about 2500 rounds.
Or a mini 30 with 20 round mags.
Thermal would be nice.

30 gauge wold be .538"

Remington 870 with 00 buck.

Since we're talking fantasy & unlimited ammo of choice, I'd like an M1A chambered in 358Win please.

PintsofCraft has claimed dibs on my other first choice.

.340 Wby loaded with 250 grain Nosler Partitions.

I know you said rifle, but I could go with a 12ga auto loader, #1 Buck please......

Rem 660 308 in a Brown Stock, 165gr Partitions.
The gun sits 20' away, it uses Ballistic Tips bit a swap might be in order.

JJ did fine with a freaking muzzle loader.
Pretty sure my outfit can match it.

Winchester Model 54 Carbine in .30 Gov't 06 with 180gr Nosler Partitions!

Ferguson Breach loading muzzle loader

50 cal with a fitted cap lock instead of the flint lock.

No worry about ammo or components.

faster loading and shooting behind cover than with any thing else at the time.

plus it's 50 cal

I was thinking this as well. However, I’d like to have something without a removeable magazine. So, if I’m picking something I already have, either my my Winchester 94 in 30-30 or Marlin 45-70. If I can pick one up before I go, I would pick a levergun in a caliber between 30-30 and 45-70. I really liked the idea of a 338 Marlin express.

Given the stated parameters, one rifle, no ammo consideration, and Indian fighting only, it'd be a top-drawer AR with MK-262 rounds.

Now, if'n you gonna skin grizz, pilgrim, it'd be my .45-70 lever, 420 or so grain LBT LFN GC at 1650 fps or thereabouts. I like obi Wan's idea, something starting at .30-30 and up to .45-70.

Parameters are *everything* he does in movie... all the animals and hunting are fair game.

I was trying to find an article in a resent American rifleman. It was about a guy that went to Alaska to live off the land. He took a 30-06 and 357 revolver.

Bring a parts kit. My experience with the mini 14 and mini 30 is you need a whole spare gun for parts.

mildly sporterized m-96 swede with scout scope and good irons, and a big sackful of 6.5x55 ammo in 140- and 160-grain soft points ...
oh, and 40 years off my age of 71 ...

That was the pair that Dick Proenneke took along but it wasn’t recent. No two legged hostiles to worry about for him. Just food and the occasional grizz.

I did read about a guy who intended to mostly live off the land in AK for a summer. IIRC, he had a camp with some food as well as a canoe, firearm and fishing gear. Darn near starved. He had to call in a resupply flight. I think it’s harder than we think.

By resupply, you mean he stayed with Bear Claw for a few weeks?

When Proenneke took the 357, it was still considered a wonder round and had a big head start on the 44 mag. (Dirty Harry hadn't crowned it yet.) Funny that today guys on forums would think Proenneke was a fool for taking anything less than a 44 into the Alaskan bush... after all, he only lived alone in the cabin for three decades 😂😇.

I'm on board with this 100%

That's why it makes it hard to be comfortable with just a 5.56. Good fighting rifle, just not up to defending oneself against the grizzlies. That changes things a bit.

Louis L’Amour fan? The Ferguson Rifle was a great book!I seem to remember a scene in Alone in the Wilderness where Proenneke was going hunting for his winters meat, sheep or goat was his target I believe, and he had a Savage 99. I need to watch that movie again, it’s been years.

Yep, plenty for game ( remember, JJ could shoot!) and perfect round for all those half-naked Indians in the hills! Can't imagine anything better for the job!

you read my mind bro. i'd add one with iron sights just in case the optic went tits up.
Big Ed

M-1 Garand, plenty clips and ammo

My Winchester 1886 in 45-90 takedown. Also my reloads of Barnes 300 gr TSX at 2300 fps.

Dang! That is a Dandy!

Thanks Scott.

That’s a tough one.
My first instinct would be pre 64 70 fw with 180-200 bullets.
But thinking maybe somthing shooting cast bullets may be the ticket maybe a 71 maybe a 38-55 40-82

Sign me up with the shotgun crowd. Mossburg 590a1. All the #4 birdshot, #4 buck and 1 oz slugs I could carry.

Todd

I don't think in the entire human history anyone has lost a fight with a grizzly when armed with an AR in 5.56mm.

Even 9mm handguns have a great track record fighting grizzlies.

You don't know my luck

I still ain't comfortable with it. In an AR, I'll use my .458 SOCOM. It'll chuck a 405 grain WFN along at a usable speed.

Pistol-wise, I use either a .45 Super with a 255 LBT, .460 Rowland with the same bullet or Hunter's Supply 275, or last choice, a .44 mag with 300 grain WFNs. Though not as "powerful" as the .44 mag, the firepower advantage is real.

I also find no record of anyone failing to stop a charging tiger with a 7-30 Waters. So there’s that.

Garand a couple bandoliers of 150 grain Core-Lokt...

AK47 with a few extra magazines

Phil, at least Bear Claw wouldn't have to ask if you know how to skin grizz

I keep referring to my M1A with an 18" barrel & synthetic stock. The OP said ammo quantity & hauling wasn't an issue.

Or, a good AR. Or... A Scout? Or...

A do everything gun is not without tradeoffs.

270 Winchester

6x36LR



Anything running around inside of 400 yards is in serious trouble.