Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Required rifles for Loony status.

I don't think that counts an Loony. It seems more like common sense. There is nothing worse than taking a new to me rifle home only to have to wait to gather components up to go and shoot. I had been gathering 348 Winchester components for years and just bought a browning 71 this past summer. I had preliminary hand loads worked up before I had the rifle. Just so I was ready when I finally found the 71 I couldn't walk away from. I am not doing the same thing for 264 WM, 9.3x74, and 405 Winchester. I have very specific rifles in each caliber I am after, but not in a hurry to buy them until I find the right rifle. I doesn't hurt to be prepared though.

Daaaym, I only checked one box in the “rifle looney” list......”walking around” varmint rifle! memtb

I started making half-jacket bullets for my 303 British when I was fifteen years old. This should qualify me as a budding looney at that time. I also had read and re-read Ackleys handbooks and had Dupont ballistic charts on my wall. I refinished my first stock at thirteen.
Over the years, I have owned and used a 6.5 Jap (Type I), a half dozen 45/70's, and 3 different Savage 99's. I have also rechambered a Savage 219 in 30/30 to 30/40 Krag. Speaking of 30/40's, I have, in addition to the Savage, had another half dozen of them. I have owned some 94 Winchesters and have had 30/30's in several different rifles. I currently have hunting rifles in 257 Roberts, 256 Newton, 6.5x55, 7x57, 30/40, 35 whelen, and 45/70, among others. I have at least five 308's, only one 30/06. I do have a Creedmoor but wear a disguise when I shoot it. I own two muzzle loaders and a couple revolvers. I have dies for several cartridges for which I don't have rifles. The stack of magzines and old Gun Digests takes up 25% of the available floor space in the bathroom. Bolt Action Rifles is still exciting reading.
The question is; am I now certifiable as a looney? GD

To be certifiable should include rimfire rifles as well, but it didn't appear in the initial post. Every rifle looney I've ever known has rimfire rifles. I have several but fall short of the initial requirements on centerfires. There's no Savage 99 here; maybe someday. No Winchester lever gun although there's a marlin 30-30 lever and a Henry .22 lever. No walking varminter, but a heavy barrel varminter. Never owned a 243 but always liked them. A Mauser sporter is one of my favorites, ( Mod. 96 Swede in 6.5x55) . No custom rifle, One Rem Mod. 700, Only one Enfield if you count Lee-Enfields, ( there was two until I started downsizing). No pre-64 Mod. 70's. I was surprised that a single shot didn't make the list..... There's a Henry single shot in .308 here. Along with other stuff chambered in .25-06, .257 Weatherby, 7x57, 7mm-08, 8x57, 7.62 x 54R, and an M1-A (.308) and an M-1 Garand (30-06). What are the minimum requirements for certification?

The first rule should be, does every gun show in 200 miles and occasional ones outside that limit. 2nd rule is buy dies for cartridges you don't load for....so you have an excuse to pick up brass and bullets for the same. Rationalize the purchase of the rifle that fits the ammo because after all you all ready have dies, brass and bullets for it. Owning and shooting Shiloh Sharps rifles with black powder and paper patch bullets out of an original style tight chamber for a original Sharps chambering auto qualifies you
" looney " status. Simply believing that your 2nd amendment rights entitles you to all you can afford or want. MB

Buying a rifle cause someone else has one!

How many of you loonies have a rifle chambered for .22 shorts?

C'mon, I can't hear you!

By MD’s definition I’m reasonably safe from the asylum.

By the OP’s I have a foot in the door.

Most mental health professionals would say I have some type of obsessive/compulsive gun buying disorder.

Idk that one has to necessarily have a list of certain rifles to qualify, maybe just some extremes you’ve gone to find that “one”. Like volunteering to go to the grocery store on Christmas Eve Eve because that gun shop that’s reasonably close (let’s say 30 miles) had posted a pic of their racks on Facebook and if you blew it up you were reasonably sure you saw a Model 70 Classic Stainless 30-06 hanging out in the back that looked like it might be a 5 digit serial number when you blew it up even more. But I’ve never done that.

DigitalDan,

I have a .22 short rifle....

We also have two smoothbore .22 rimfires., thanks to what was apparently a special run of Savage Mark 1 single-shot bolt rifles from Whittaker Guns (www.whittakerguns.com), the great gunstore just outside Owensboro, Kentucky. They're very handy for pre-season practice on the giant August grasshoppers endemic to Montana.

I fill most of the OP's criteria...……. Enough to be 85%-90% looney just on the test. But I may get extra credit points........

TWO 5mm Rem Rim Mags
A Flobert
An Iver Johnson in .44XL

Yoder,

Well done!

I would say the two 5mm's deserve some serious bonus points. GD

I had a friend that bought several Echols Legends in different calibers, due to their being the pinnacle of reliability. He then had D'Arcy make him a second, identical Legend in multiple calibers in case the first one broke.

That is ninja level loony.

Having said that, a Legend (or six) is good for a Loony to have.

You should be obligated to own a 220 swift and a Ruger #3 in an obscure caliber.

A rifle loony should have at least 1 savage 99 of any denomination.1926 EG takedown .300 Savage
A rifle loony should have at least 1 old winchester lever gun(94s or 92s are given but others are acceptable)Miroku 1886 .45-70
A rifle loony should have at least 1 walking varmint rifle(L461 Vixen)Parts to build Remage in 7 twist .223, waiting on deer season to end and winter to arrive, going to be 70 degrees Saturday!!--Interarms Mark X .22-250
A rifle loony should have at least 1 varmint rifle(big heavy 22-250 or such)700 SPS Varmint .223
A rifle loony should have at least 1 243 in some type and heavily resist 6.5 manbun.Win Mod 70 Ranger in a Featherweight stock
A rifle loony should have at least 1 mauser sporter.VZ-24 in .35 Whelen only gun I've hunted with this deer season, BRNO barreled action .270, Interarms Mark X .22-250
A rifle loony should have at least 1 custom rifle.Stevens 200 in Mcmillan Mtn Rifle stock in .338-06 done by Roger Ferell
A rifle loony should have at least 1 remington 700.2-3 laying around
A rifle loony should have at least 1 enfield.bought and sold it here on the fire, had to finance another gun need
A rifle loony should have at least 1 pre64 winchester model 70.got a few Mod 70's but all post 64
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I have 1. Rem 541 (?) in very good condition & accurate.
I had forgotten I have it.

Jerry

Just finished my grail 22LR, a BSA Martini International MKIII, traded a very nice Kimber 82G for a Lyman Super Targetspot 20X. I now have my "old school" target 22. It must be a Loony thing, a 16# 22LR? From the range, if I do my thing it will hang with the Annie's. About the only thing I haven't had or do have on the list is a Lever action. Don't even want to start in Pistols. I am sure I would be certifiable.

5.5mm Velo Dog
R2 Lovell and .22 Maximum Lovell
5.6x35R Vierling
.310 Cadet
.297/.250 Rook

Add to them a couple more prosaic "new" factory rifles: Ruger#1 6.5x55 & .250-3000 and a not so new Winchester M54 .30-30 bolt gun (and its little sister M54 .22K-Hornet), and you have a few of my Loony Qualifiers

I have a few "mass market" hunting rifles but they aren't half the fun of the odd-ducks I own.

If that doesn't convince you, let me introduce you to the not one, not two, not three, but four Savage .22 High Powers I cherish.

I would also suggest a long-time rifle loony should have (or have owned) the following scopes:

Pre-internal adjustment B&L's, Lymans, Untertls, Weavers or whatever. Or those older scopes that only have internal elevation adjustments, since the rear mount was expected to adjust windage. Enough OLD K-model Weavers to experience the joys of internal fogging, or uncoated lenses.

They should also have dealt with the off-center mounting holes, whether gunsmithed or factory.

Which is why I love many newer scopes, especially Nightforce, but have enough experience to know the scope is still the weak link in rifle accuracy.....

The Lyman gives a whole new meaning to the term eye relief... If it was anything more than 22LR I would get a black eye every time I shot it.