Just spent time reading this entire thread.... a lot of good memories from those days, told by other campfire members.
No one has mentioned it, but its amazing of how often the 30/30 from multiple manufacturers is mentioned... then the old 870 Remington Shotgun. Seems we were also able to make real cheap scopes ( by today's campfire standards) work, often mentioning Tascos, in 4 power, or the 3 x 9 x 32. Heck I've bought the 4 power Tasco for like $25 to $29 in the last 10 to 15 years, and the 3 x 9 x 32 for $39 to $49 in the same time period....
First scope I ever bought on my own, I put on a 30/06 in a Rem 700 ADL with a gloss wood stock, a 3 x 9 x 32 tasco. I thought I was styling after using open sites on a 30/30 before that time. This would have been 1980. I think I paid $179 for the Model 700 in 06, at Sears in the Twin Cities. And the Tasco was probably $25 or so., then the rings like $5.00 a set back then. It still worked just fine in Northern MN north of the Iron Range were I hunted with my wife's family... at least until I breathed on the scope's glass and it instantly iced over for the rest of the day... So I beat that problem by going to see thru mounts., and later changed to hinged mount, I could push over to the left and go to open sites.
The first two deer I ever shot were in 1966 at Ft Bragg... Model 94 and then my younger brother got to use that, and I was stuck with the 870 Remington 12 gauge.. still have both of those.
We all sure got by with a lot of inexpensive stuff in your youth....that most of us wouldn't even admit owning these days, much less paying for something that inexpensive. Funny tho, we seemed to make do with what we had in those days... so why not these days?
As for myself, I use to think the bigger caliber I had the bigger badass hunter that made me. Nowadays, a good old 22.250, or a 6 x 45, or a 6.5 Grendal is more than "all I need"....My favorite scope use to be a 2 x 7... nowadays, I have quite a few 4.5 x 14s on rifles...but then I can shoot stuff at much further distances than I could in my youth. Hell in those days in my world, a 200 yd shot being successful, is what I'd consider a 900 to 1000 yd shot being successful in today's world.
The thread, after reading the entire thing today.... Times sure have changed in our minds for many of us, compared to what we thought was the best option in your younger days....
I think the third rifle I ever bought, was my 444 Marlin... that thing was a cannon! I still have that rifle also... but I handload it, and it kills just as well, but a lot less recoil than factory fodder.. yet only gives up about 10 to 15 yds point blank range... with the right scope reticle on it, it doesn't give up ANY PBR. It usually has a 1.5 x 4.5 shotgun scope on top these days...with a Circle X reticle. Most than " all ya need".
But I'm sure there are others on here also... but the time has come, that I need to start passing these treasures on to younger folks....who can use and enjoy them... but I hesitate due to giving away other rifles to someone, who used them once and then sold them for a cheap price, just to blow it on something stupid like a couple cases of beer.. or probably some dope ( common around here )
