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

1951 made Marlin 336 in .30-30. It was hands down to me by my Grandpa, and it my most prized possession. I actually put a box of Hornadys through it today.

Rem 700XCR in 300 WM. Only thing that gun did well was recoil. Never shot anything with it and sent it down the road long ago.

Sporterized 03-A3.
Bought in '78 when $125 was a lot of money to a young family man making $5 an hour at a pretty good job.

Still have it, metal a nice green park and not cut.
Plan to restore it back to military some time, only thing will be the scope mount holes.

My first I used was my dad's 94 32 spl.. Killed whitetails, antelope & mt. lion with it.. Still in the safe. May shoot and antelope with it..

My grandfather passed when I was 12.. I was given his m.54 .30-06... I killed a bunch of deer and a bear with it.. Just used it this fall on my whitetail.. First deer since 2010... My wife took it for her rifle for years.. She killed moose, elk,antelope and maybe deer with it.. She used it til the early 90's when she took over my custom 7mm RM..

My first rifle I bought was a 700 ,300 WM.. I custom stocked it.. It is on its 3rd barrel and still is a great shooter... My most relied on rifle.. My 3 sheep were all taken with this one.. Plus a long list of game from Alaska to South Africa..

Remington 700 308 Winchester
Leupold “Gold Ring” 3-9 Vari-X II
2 bx Remington Core-Lokt 150 gr
Suede Leather Case
Leather Shoulder Strap

Total price $425 in 1977

Still shoots well, one hole groups with 155 Scenar’s at 2900 fps. The gun got a facelift in 2008: Cerakoted, composite UL stock, Timney trigger, Talley Screw Locks & bases & looks good as new.

Still have it, a 98K BCD code 1944 Mauser with it's original stepped 8mm barrel. Bishop stock. Paid $50 bucks to have a Redfield peep installed. About broke the bank, the rifle was $75. Bought it when I first got married. I have taken many northern MN Whitetails with that rifle. Paid for itself many times over. Best I can do with it now is about 3" at 100 yards. Still more than adequate for deer in the deep woods. Recently bought one of those Teslong bore scopes, and yes the barrel looks like a sewer pipe... Would love to hear what stories this rifle could tell if it could talk to me.

Sears Model 53(Winchester m70) 30 -06. Started out with a 4x, then a 4-12 . Nownsits naked in the safe. Though I'd really like to have a Williams receiver sight out on it and use it again

It accounted for my first buck and one of my biggest

Sold mine, had no attachment although it I killed my first whitetail.

Weatherby Vanguard 7mm Remington Magnum.

Mine was a Remington Mod. 721 in 30.06. It was used but in good condition and it had a recoil pad, something very necessary for a skinny 15-year-old kid. It was my second choice. I wanted a JC Higgins M51 in .270, but it cost over $100 . A lot of money in 1958. I got the 30.06 for $70. I wish I still had it. During my senior year at Fresno State I was forced to sell it for book money.

Remington 14 1/2 44/40

10 years old for Christmas, Winchester 94 30-30, Mom gave me a bag of cotton balls for ears plugs to go with it, I spent every dollar I could make buying ammunition from the local dry goods store, fun times!

My first “mine” deer rifle was a Browning A-Bolt Hunter in 7mm-08. Had it with me today. Got it in 2002 and it originally had a Burris Fullfield II on it. Now it wears a Zeiss Conquest. Very accurate.

Prior to that I borrowed my dads Rem 700 7mm Rem Mag

My first was a Win 94 in 25-35. Half octagon, half round barrel...

I got a used Westernfield 782 (Mossberg 800b) in .243 for Christmas when I was16. Killed a bunch of woodchucks and several whitetails including my first buck, which also happens to be my largest to date.

I still have it and I'm thinking about having the stock cut down and a pad installed for my teenage daughter next year. It could use a trigger job as well. By the time I get it to where I'd like it for her i could just buy a new economy rifle for a little more money and possibly have a better shooting rifle. Tough call.

Ruger M77 30/06, bought in 83. Killed tons of deer with it . Still got it but haven't used it in years.

Savage 110, 30-06. Still have it, but now it has a Shilen 6br barrel and a single shot follower and I forget what else. Basically I still have the receiver...

Still have the first rifle I ever hunted big game with..... A Kimber sporterized Swedish Mauser in 6.5x55 with a 3.5-10x Leupold. Hunted in northern NY State northern zone back in 1997 when western NY state was all shotgun / handgun for deer. Deer hunted western NY since the early 70's with shotgun, had centerfire varmint rifles, and lots of rimfires but couldn't use centerfire rifles for deer...... That's changed a lot since then with many counties open for rifle now. The "Swede" now sits in a B&C stock with an aftermarket trigger and I have lots of other centerfire stuff to choose from but that old Swede that I got in 1995 is still in the rotation.

Still have it: Model 70 in .30-06.

My Grandad’s Remington 721 in 30-06. Re-stocked it with a bdl stock, and it wears a Vintage leupold. Although it doesn’t get used a whole lot anymore, she stays sighted in and is ready to roll.

I’m thinking real hard about taking my M77 out next year. Sure, its a little heavy and kicks like a mule, but why not?