I know there have been countless threads on here regarding what folks would get if they were looking for one do it all rifle. I sort of did the one rifle thing for years out of necessity (poverty) and got along nicely with a Ruger Mk II in .30/06. I love that rifle, still use it, and it will be my last rifle to leave if I have to part with some. My question, however, is what to buy for my son. He has for several seasons shot a Winchester FW Classic in .257 Roberts and has had good success on whitetails. We are hoping to add pronghorn this fall. He enjoys hunting but is simply not as into rifles like I am (yes, I bought the Roberts because it is pretty and I think it is cool - he never gives that a thought). Unless his interests change, he will probably be the guy who goes out and buys a box or two of factory ammo, checks zero and goes hunting. He is a teenager now and big enough that I don’t worry about recoil and am thinking it is time to buy him a “bigger” rifle. I am thinking about his “do it all” rifle. Sure, he will have access to stuff in my safe, but a man needs his own rifle(s).
I am very partial to my old Ruger and have thought about finding him one of those. I also have considered another Winchester FW so he will basically have a set. Sometimes I think the smarter choice would be something stainless and synthetic. I have pretty much decided .30/06 is the way to go. I know there are plenty of great all around cartridges, but for a multi-purpose big game rifle that is likely to see lots of factory ammo, I think the old /06 is hard to beat.
So, I have plenty of time on this. I am thinking this rifle will be for Christmas next year and I plan to take my time looking. I am, however, trying to think this through before I start looking. I am curious what the folks on The Fire think. Ruger, Winchester, wood, synthetic . . . what would you be looking for?
