Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Your First Big Game Rifle

Still have mine too, boy used it to kill several bucks, grandson will too

I bought a Savage 99 in 30-30 from an old machinest in 1967 and killed a whitetail or 2 (NY & VT) every year until I left for Alaska in 1977. I gave it to my Godson who used it until he killed himself on a motorcycle, his sisters and now their kids have all started with it!!

My next rifle will probably be a 77 in 257 Roberts. I dig the x57 case.

Still have it... a 1966 purchased Model 94 in 30/30, dad bought it at the base Rod and Gun Club before we left England...

shot first deer with in North Carolina at Ft Bragg, 1967.. shot second deer with dad's 1958 or so Model 870, with a deer slug...

M1917 of course. Next question please.

sporterized 303 smle. used one season, then sold.

A commercial Mauser action 30-06, rifle was called a Musketeer. My sister now has it, she wanted to start hunting and asked if she could have it.

Like Half the kids or better in Pa., a Remington 760 in 30-06.
Our house got robbed.
Basterds got the 760 and my Ithaca model 37
I replaced the 760 with a model six

I wish I still had it. Oh man do I wish! A Remington 760 Gamemaster 30-06 that my Dad gave me. About 6 years later my Dad guilted me into selling it to him for my younger brother. It was pissed away at some point after that.

Very Midwest Rem 700 30-06 with weaver 4x

Hank

A 1903 Springfield A1, nicely sporterized back in the 50's or 60's with a Redfield peep sight and a Lyman ramp and sourdough front sight. I was 16 years old when I got it

Killed a couple of 8 pointers in NY with it and retired it when I moved to Arizona at 19. It's still in the back of the gun safe somewhere and hasn't been shot in decades.

Dan

The first one I owned, after floundering around with shotguns for deer in the Peoples Republic of Maryland, was a Flaigs sporterized 98 in 7x57. Sold it like a dummy.

First one I used to actually shoot something was my pre-64 .270, a gray rat I paid $300 for, and eventually had reblued and later refinished the stock.

Still in the family; yesterday it put a couple of VA does down with my handloaded 160gr Partitions, a classic covey shot.

Sporterized Mauser in 30-06. Beaver tail forend and carved bear scene on the butt stock. Grandfather gave me a 4X red field for it and I was good. Never killed a thing with it, barrel was permanently copper fouled. Traded it for a new Marlin 22.

Still have it. Ruger 77R in 25-06 I bought in college. I was a big fan of Bob Milek and had to have it for all the western big game hunting I was going to do, despite living in Iowa where we could only use shotguns. I carried it in SD and on some IA late season doe hunts and I finally shot a couple of Antelope does with it 20 years later. Ruger put a heavier contour barrel on the 25-06 and it is a handful to pack around so I have many other options I prefer now.

My first was a pre'64 Winchester M/88 in .308, killed my biggest buck with that rifle.

Never completely latched on to the SS/Syn guns although they are nice in inclement weather and for just heading off through the brush. Nothing wrong with em.

Do have some synthetic but still love the look and feel of blued/wood.

My first was a Model 70 XTR 7mm Rem Mag Blued/plastic stock. Had a plain old 4x Redfield on it forever. I took my first moose, caribou, black bear and a pile of deer with it. Once I started elk hunting it hammered my first few elk as well. I ended up running a 7mm Mashburn reamer into it at the nudging of of BobinNH and then proceeded to kill a bunch more elk. My good buddy has it now but it’ll come home when he is done with it. Probably getting time for a rebarrel. Early on I used a pile of H870 and 140 Partitions. Shot woodchucks all summer and anything else that would hold still.

I was gifted a Marlin 336 RC in .30-30 when a great uncle passed when I was probably 12-ish. Still haven't hunted it, might have to make it a point to do so at some point this season. It shoots Remington core-loct 150's quite nicely with open sites.

H&R Topper 30-30. One mean kicking miserable to shoot 4" grouper! I traded it for a shotgun. It too was a mean kicking miserable to shoot 12ga. The next rifle was a Universal M1 Carbine. One miserable trigger jammomatic. Traded it for a saddle. Finally, with my own money, I bought a Winchester Model 94 Classic Carbine ( 1968) Beautiful. I could shoot the head off a squirrel at 30yds, hit a skoal can lid at 50m but had 6" group at 100! At 150 I shot at an empty antifreeze jug 5 times from a sitting position...nicked it on the edge one time! Looking at a fired case, it was bulged out on one side. Friday afternoon rifle I suspect! It worked up close though, which was fine as I hunted in the Big Thicket.

Ruger M77RS in.270 win.
Still have it and hunt with it every year.