Well, this thread took on a life of its own wwhile I was working... Never intended to twist panties in knots, guys.
I see lots of pics with dead animals and smiling hunters, which usually means the rifle worked fine. Seems like most brands are well represented, too. I have owned Wichesters, and Remingtons. No Savages, because I find them unattractive and HATE a trigger on a rifle having a lever in the middle of it. No Tikkas, either, because I just haven’t. I had a Winchester Classic Featherweight in 6.5 Swede that would not feed reliably at all sold it to a guy who wantd it bad enough to try to fix it. I had a Remington Mountain Light that left because it was too light. I had a 700 KS in ‘06 that killed a bunch of stuff, and was sold to finance other stuff. Had a Remington Model 7 Laminated in .243, sold it because it was the most butt-heavy rifle I have seen, and the wife didn’t care for it. Had a Pre-64 70 in ‘06, killed a bunch of stuff with it, too. Put two deer in the truck at the same time more often than not. Traded it on a Hawkeye AW in .308, because I hunt rough, and didn’t want to bang up the beautiful pre-64. Looking at reborimg the Ruger to .358, maybe.
Said all that to say, I have hunted hard with both Remington and Winchester, in weather that kept most at the the house, and never had an issue with either brand as a result. The featherweight was a basket case from day one, never hunted it. The Remingtons all worked fine, two were sold due to not being a good fit for me, the KS would still be here if I was as wise then as I am now. Loved the pre-64, but it really was too nice to hunt my way. So I have the Ruger for the thickets, thorns, mud, rain, and snow. I am looking to put together an open country tool that will do as well as the Ruger does in the weather and mud, but reach out further for those longer shots sometimes presented in open areas. I like the CDL-SF, the 70 EW, and the stainless featherweight. I place a high premium on the locking bolt, but the safety can be returned to that configuration on the 700 if I wanted, Any of these will be getting a McMillan, because wood and I don’t work well together. I am going to handle all three before I make a final decision, and appreciate all the input.
