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

The short version:

I would be bored to tears if relegated to nothing but the kind of stuff you see on the "new" racks in gun shops. It may explain why I drive my pristine 1970 MGBGT every chance I get too. Life is too short...

Its a bit cold here(-40F downtown this morning) and I was thinking of what would be the requisite battery of rifles for a rifle loony. I am on the hunt for another Savage 99 300 Savage E model 50s manufacture and I was thinking did I have the right qualifiers. I know there are folks on here that would say TEEEKA in all calibers and be done with it but that doesn't show an appreciation of history or the reb requirements(black rifle) to make one a loony. However, if you have dies, brass and power to reload for more than 40 calibers, then you are automatically a rifle loony. Also if you have either more than 10 rifles in the same caliber or if you make your own rifles( ones that don't suck) you are a rifle loony. Or if you only own 1 high power rifle but its in a weird caliber like 7X64 or 9.3X57 then you are also a rifle loony. I have listed some elements below and you can cut them up the way you like. I am sitting by a hot wood stove burning green wood during the wood stove ban trying to speed up global warming so fire away.

Rimfire- at least one old Remington or Winchester rifle. one marlin or browning lever. and one 10/22.
One companion rifle like a Kimber, Savage 77/22, CZ' that is as big as a big game rifle.
Varmint- one to four small caliber rifles (17 hornet to 220 swift)
two or three bigger coyote or light deer rifles (243-6.5 caliber) rifles.
Light Duty big game- one to two (250-300 to 270 caliber rifles.)
Big Game-(7X57 to 338)
Three rifles with two loaners)
Cruiser rifles( 30-30 to 45-70) - probably leverguns that can come out of the truck or boat.
Big Gun- (350 Rem Mag to 458 Lott) Even if you don't plan to hunt Buf in Africa its always good to have a rifle that could if you won a trip.
Muzzleloader- 50-58 caliber rifle for the past.
Black rifle- an AR15 type rifle to piss off liberals.

A rifle loony should have at least 1 savage 99 of any denomination.
A rifle loony should have at least 1 old winchester lever gun(94s or 92s are given but others are acceptable)
A rifle loony should have at least 1 walking varmint rifle(L461 Vixen)
A rifle loony should have at least 1 varmint rifle(big heavy 22-250 or such)
A rifle loony should have at least 1 243 in some type and heavily resist 6.5 manbun.
A rifle loony should have at least 1 mauser sporter.
A rifle loony should have at least 1 custom rifle.
A rifle loony should have at least 1 remington 700.
A rifle loony should have at least 1 enfield
A rifle loony should have at least 1 pre64 winchester model 70.

Well I guess I am sadly not a loony. Just married 2 years ago, bought a house, teach school. That is 3 strikes against owning a lot of guns. But I do make sure I carry something different than most hunters, that has to count for something! Savage 340 chambered in 225 Winchester for groundhogs. 260 Rem for deer. 358 Winchester for deer and hopefully hogs this summer.

Well, here's a kind of rifle that is pretty loony--a Sauer drilling with two 16-gauge barrels over a 7x57R rifle barrel.

The 7x57R is the rimmed version of the legendary 7x57 Mauser, and while you can order ammo it's easier to handload, since all you need is standard 7x57 dies, some brass and a different shellholder. The scope is a 1.5-6x Zeiss with a slim-posted German No. 1 reticle, which means you can turn it down to 1.5x and still wingshoot birds if you happen to flush one while hunting big game. (If you're hunting birds, it's a little easier to take off the quick-detachable scope, and if a deer stands up in the pheasant cover, shoot it with the open sights.)

This one's a little lighter than many drillings, 7-1/2 pounds with scope, and 6 pounds 5 ounces with the scope removed.