I started hunting as a late teenager and hunted archery for a few years before ever buying a deer rifle. In my mid 20s I bought a Remington 700 BDL in 30-06 and put a Leupold scope on it. I figured I was set. It seemed like a lot of money at the time. I subscribed to the theory that you only need one big game rifle. I used that 30-06 for years and shot quite a few deer with it. I had a shotgun and a 22 LR too so all of my bases were covered. I stayed that way for about 15 years.
A few years ago I started getting curious about other calibers/cartridges. In the past 5 years I have added a bunch of other rifles: 22 WMR, a couple 223s, 25-06, 6.5 Creedmoor, a couple 308s. I decided to hunt with my Creedmoor this year and shot a buck a few days ago but didn’t recover it. It was standing in sone brush that my bullet may have clipped. I followed the blood trail bug it petered out over a few hundred yards. I was on the mountain the next day obsessing over the shot. When I realized that I had cell service, I went on gunbroker and ordered a 338 Federal. It is supposed to be delivered tomorrow. After my long and boring post, does anyone have experience with one? What can I expect.
As an aside. A couple days later I took a doe with the Creedmoor that dropped 10 feet after the hit. I was thinking I needed a brush buster. I know a 308 or 30-06 would do anything I needed to but I think buying guns is a sickness.
Last edited by Theeck; 12/12/19.
