Just curious about others hunting enviornments. Whats the make and caliber of your "go-to" rifle? The one you take out most in a season. The one you could never sell if they are all one in the same.
My FN Mauser 98 in 7X57 with a 1980's era Redfield 3-9X. I'm good for deer, elk, antelope, bear and if I can ever draw a moose tag, I'll hunt that with the 7x57 too. I have a great load with 160 grain Partitions and 47 grains of H4350. It shoots lights out.
The one with the most use lately is a .300 Weatherby Mark V, but the one with most tags filled is a Remington 700 .35 Whelen and it will never go down the road until I do. Happy Trails
Life Member NRA, RMEF, American Legion, MAGA. Not necessarily in that order.
I have several I could use and be happy with as the "one". But I'm easily distracted by beautiful and functional rifles that are a little exotic. I just purchased this one today from Ralf Martini, and if it works out as I hope & expect, it will be the "one" that will serve well for Saskatchewan Whitetail, Mule deer, Pronghorn, Elk, Moose and Bear. - A Gleschow Custom Model 98 in 7x64mm.
I have rifles for LR shooting and for bigger critters, but for local hunting WT's and hogs, it's hard to beat my 7-08. It's a Bobby Hart built 700 in a Hunters Edge, 3-9x40 Conquest with elevation turret added later. I've ordered a ballistic tape for my current fav load, the 140 SGK HPBT. It's the most accurate and is a bit more expansive than the 120 NBT, my other fav bullet. We chest shoot our deer and the more expansive bullet should put them down a bit faster. I've killed deer with both bullets; they all died.
Matty99669, My wife and I were just this morning having a discussion along these lines..... calibers, cartridges, recoil, ect., she loves her .338 WM. She uses it for all of her big game hunting, and occasionally for coyotes.....though we rarely go out for coyotes! One rifle, one load, one zero for everything we hunt. If I were starting over, and knew that I’d never make an African hunt.....I’d probably step-down to a .338 WM. memtb
Last edited by memtb; 01/16/20.
You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel
“I’d like to be a good rifleman…..but, I prefer to be a good hunter”! memtb 2024
Starting from a Sako .222 all the way up to a Weatherby Mark V .460 Wby.
460 for them humongous, vicious NM Jackwabbits...
Takes major firepower to anchor one in full attack mode, trying to eat ya..... .
DF
Of course,I value my skin.
A wise choice for “jacks”......they’re classified as “predators” here in Wyoming. They must be treated with respect! memtb
You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel
“I’d like to be a good rifleman…..but, I prefer to be a good hunter”! memtb 2024
The government plans these shootings by targeting kids from kindergarten that the government thinks they can control with drugs until the appropriate time--DerbyDude
Whatever. Tell the oompa loompa's hey for me. [/quote]. LtPPowell
The government plans these shootings by targeting kids from kindergarten that the government thinks they can control with drugs until the appropriate time--DerbyDude
Whatever. Tell the oompa loompa's hey for me. [/quote]. LtPPowell
I love to hunt with old fashioned guns and mostly with iron sights. But if the guns were to be judged on the ballistic merits of their power range, accuracy and the trajectory that most closely matched the ability to make hunting easier, the 2 I would choose are:
#1 My 270 Winchester for open ground hunting of deer elk and antelope. (I seldom do this on the 1st one because it makes the hunts too easy and fast. With my 270 hits to 550 yards are quite easy, and getting inside of 550 yards is very very easy )
#2 My 9.3X62 or my 375H&H for brush and timber hunting where we have a lot of elk, some moose and a lot of grizzlies. (I do use these rifles quite a lot because they are both classic Mausers and I like them a lot, but also because the number of Grizzles make me feel a bit better in heavy brush when I have a "bigger club" in my hands to hit with)
The last two years has been my Barrett Fi.ldcraft in 6,5 X55 with a Swaro Z3. I'm pretty scatter brained about what rifle I take so it could be anything. For about 25 years my go to rifle was my Remington 700 Ti in 7RSAUM with a Zeiss Conquest 3-10 and 140 gr. TTSX handloads. Her name is Thumper!
The lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part!
My favorite is my Howa 1500 .308 LW. Shots here can be from powder-burn (The vast majority are short range) to several hundred yards. After hunting with it for several years without too many mods, it's in the process of a few changes.
It will be pillar-bedded, new 20" SS aftermarket barrel of slightly heavier contour, and the VX-3i 2.5-8X36 in Talley LWs will be replaced by a NF SHV 3-10X42 in NF rings and rail. It already had an aftermarket trigger. This project should come together in the next couple of weeks, then we'll start shakedown...
The small weight increase will be well worth the increase in confidence, I hope.
With an overall length slightly longer than a 94 Winchester, it handles good, and a little more weight out front will help it balance better. Being muzzle-light always irritated me a little, so I decided to do something about it.
Before I started...there's just a pile of parts in the shop right now.
Back when I was a "one rifle for everything" guy here in southwestern New Mexico, it was a semi-custom pre-64 Model 70 in .270 Winchester. I still think that it's not a bad choice for an "all around" rifle in the southern U.S.
I am kind of heading back that way these days and I have my sights set on a 6.5 PRC in a controlled-round feed bolt action--probably an MRC.
Ben
Some days it takes most of the day for me to do practically nothing...
I had a Winchester Mod 670 in 30-06 that just fit me. I bought it when I was 16 from summer wages working at a ranch we hunted on. I rarely if ever missed with it and made some of my best shots with it. Than I got a pre 64 Mod 70 in .300 H&H. It kind of languished in the safe because I had little time to hunt and would always grab the trusted 30-06. To get myself to use the H&H I ended up selling my 30-06 to a cousin. Now even though I have several rifles, I usually grab the .300 H&H. I have to make an argument with myself not to use it sometimes when there are others as good for the purpose in the safe.
Rem 700 bdl in 25-06 with leupold vari-x III 3.5-10. Local gunsmith bedded it in the factory wood stock, trued the action and did a trigger job. Bought it when I was still in college and have long since lost count of the number of rounds fired and game it has taken. All but one of my kids used it as their first rifle along with several of my friends kids. It is known as the meat gun for a reason. It has never failed to disappoint.
After hunting North American big game (never hunted Brown or Grizzly bears} with an assortment of rifles and cartridges, I have settled on a Savage 99-A 250-3000 for Whitetails and Ruger 77 7x57 for everything else.
Weatherby Vanguard 2, stainless .30-06, Leupold VX-R 4X12 illuminated for hunting. AR15 5.56/.223 PSA lower, Blackhole Weapory 20 inch 1X8 barrel scoped with a Burris FF 4.5X14 for riding and looking for pigs and predators.
Patriotism (and religion) is the last refuge of a scoundrel.
I have hunted long enough, and with enough cartridges to know this:
Many things will work. By that, I mean this: I could kill every single game animal I will ever put in the freezer with my Christensen Arms Ridgeline, chambered for 270 WCF.
But the current golden child, 6.5 Creedmoor, out of a 20 inch Christensen Arms Ridgeline will work for whitetails, hogs and black bears, just as well.
That said; my favorite hunting cartridge of all time is the 7mm/08. If I had a 20 inch Christensen Arms chambered for that, I'd skinny down my arsenal. 140 grain Nosler Partitions and 43 grains of Varget would fill my freezer till my toes turn up.
"The number one problem with America is, a whole lot of people need shot, and nobody is shooting them." -Master Chief Hershel Davis
How about a Browning BLR takedown? I always wanted a takedown rifle and this fits the bill. Better than I expected. It is lever operated bolt action, works well in a .270 wcf, Slips in an out of a saddle scabbard. Easy to clean and in a storm it goes into a dry pack. Believe it or not but I bore sight the thing with the scout scope arrangement on it. I now have 3
Since we live in a strait wall only state I am limited. I use a re-bored glenfield 30 in .375 Winchester with a peep sight for walking. And I was gifted a ruger #3 in 44mag from wife’s grandpa. It wears a 4x Bushnell shotgun scope and throws Winchester white box 240s and federal 240 hollow points in same group at 125 yards. And some home cast lead bullets to the crosshairs at 50 when it’s really thick. High velocity would be nice but these are fun and both carry well.
I only wish Ark would allow rifles for Turkey hunting.
I hunted SW Miss in the 80s and both Rifles & Handguns were legal then. I've killed turkeys with several rifles of diff cartridges.
Jerry
I carry a a rifle much more than a shotgun now. It’s weird, but I always seemed to kill just as many either way. I hunt mostly in the mountains, seems like if they’re coming in, they’ll keep coming as long as you don’t move.
I wouldn’t like the idea of not having the option of carrying a rifle though.
I catch a little crap over it by some, but I could care less.
Where I hunt, 50 yards would be on the long side for a shot at deer, unless I choose to watch some smaller pastures and hayfields from time to time. Then 200 would be a good poke.
Even though I have quite a few bolt actions, I end up grabbing a peep sighted lever action most of the time. If I had to pick one, well, I guess it’d be one of my 30/30’s.
Southern MIchigan: Ruger 77/44 with low power scope. Northern Michigan: Ruger #1A 7 x 57 and backup Mexican Mauser with a Douglas XX .308 barrel and a third hand 'glass stock scoped with 2x7 Leupold.
Works just fine on our Midwest whitetails. Hell on coyotes too but none killed wit it in the last 5 years or so since i am back to using 20 and 22 caliber cartridges for em.
Been using a 95 grain Partition for the last few years but really cant see that it works any better than the 85 grain Sierra SP, or any of the 100 grain SP stuff I have used over the years.
Last edited by 10gaugemag; 01/17/20.
The last time that bear ate a lawyer he had the runs for 33 days!
260 Rem has been used 95% of the time since 03. But, I have a 358 Win that I just got built, so I am pretty sure the 260 will get used less, unless I loan it out to a kid. Yea, who needs a 358 for Pa whitetail, but ought to be fun. For a few years I used a 45-70 with 420 grain cast bullets at 1500 Fps. That was fun to!
......the occasional hunter wielding a hopelessly inaccurate rifle, living by the fantastical rule that this cartridge can deliver the goods, regardless of shot placement or rifle accuracy. The correct term for this is minute of ego.
Green County in Oklahoma-Winchester M-70 Classic, blue with ugly grey unknown synthetic stock, Khales 3x9 scope w/German #4, 30.06. My shots can be nearly contact range to beyond 400 yards depending on whether I hunt a small wooded parcel behind a friend's house, watch a creek crossing on my lease or hunt bean or winter wheat fields on a friends farm. The later can be shots to and a bit beyond 400 yards. The only ammo I have ever used on critters is factory Hornady 165 grain Interbonds. I have killed hogs, turkeys, antelope, coyotes, bobcats and a truck load of deer with this gun.
Works just fine on our Midwest whitetails. Hell on coyotes too but none killed wit it in the last 5 years or so since i am back to using 20 and 22 caliber cartridges for em.
Been using a 95 grain Partition for the last few years but really cant see that it works any better than the 85 grain Sierra SP, or any of the 100 grain SP stuff I have used over the years.
ya got it sighted in high unless you was one of them 30 foot up a tree guys. LOL
We can keep Larry Root and all his idiotic blabber and user names on here, but we can't get Ralph back..... Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over....
Works just fine on our Midwest whitetails. Hell on coyotes too but none killed wit it in the last 5 years or so since i am back to using 20 and 22 caliber cartridges for em.
Been using a 95 grain Partition for the last few years but really cant see that it works any better than the 85 grain Sierra SP, or any of the 100 grain SP stuff I have used over the years.
ya got it sighted in high unless you was one of them 30 foot up a tree guys. LOL
Neither. Was aiming about 8" farther forward for a DRT high shoulder shot. He started to walk just as I tripped the trigger.
The last time that bear ate a lawyer he had the runs for 33 days!
Quote: Neither. Was aiming about 8" farther forward for a DRT high shoulder shot. He started to walk just as I tripped the trigger.
This is an issue that I have with the “extreme long range” crowd that contends that this doesn’t happen! And if” the animal moves, it’s the shooters fault for the bad shot placement.....as the hunter was supposed to “read the animals mind”! memtb
Last edited by memtb; 01/17/20.
You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel
“I’d like to be a good rifleman…..but, I prefer to be a good hunter”! memtb 2024
Quote: Neither. Was aiming about 8" farther forward for a DRT high shoulder shot. He started to walk just as I tripped the trigger.
This is an issue that I have with the “extreme long range” crowd that contends that this doesn’t happen! And i”if” the animal moves as the shot is taken.....it’s the shooters fault!!! memtb
I get what you are saying. He was at the long range of about 25 yards. There could have been a bobble at the same time as I had to twist to my right to get him killed. Total time from when I saw him until I had a bullet in him may have been 5 seconds.
The last time that bear ate a lawyer he had the runs for 33 days!
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
The vast majority of my hunting is in the Northeast. There are a few I really enjoy carrying the last few years including some '50s Savage 99F Featherweights in 308 and 250 Sav or a couple of Kimber Montanas in 7-08 and 257 Rob, just because they're all so light and handy.
But, the last one to go would be, Ol' Reliable, the Rem 742 '06 my dad gave me for my 15th Christmas. It has put a lot of game on the table since then. I've refinished the stock and retired it. But, if I was down to just one gun, that old girl is going back to work!
And for the record, despite their reputation, neither mine nor my dad's has ever jammed or had any other hiccups.
Last edited by eaglemountainman; 01/17/20.
My heart's in the mountains, my heart is not here. My heart's in the mountains, chasing the deer.
But, the last one to go would be, Ol' Reliable, the Rem 742 '06 my dad gave me for my 15th Christmas. It has put a lot of game on the table since then.
And for the record, despite their reputation, neither mine nor my dad's has ever jammed or had any other hiccups.
I'll back you up on that. Neither has ANY of the ones I've been around. Makes a guy wonder
My region includes Nv., Id.,Wy. and Mt. from desert to alpine. Currently my Tikka T3 Lite 308w w/ a SS 3-9 HD is always around. I can,t say I wouldn't get rid of it, I fondled a Tikka T3x Superlight in 6.5 C yesterday and was tempted. Tikka did a good job w/ those rifles. I will keep the SS scope however, it really works as advertised.
mike r
Don't wish it were easier Wish you were better
Stab them in the taint, you can't put a tourniquet on that. Craig Douglas ECQC
Marlin 336 30-30. My kids love them. Long shots are 150yds max. Tikka T3 25-06 Tikka T3 6.5cm. Testing the water with this new addition. To be continued....
Just curious about others hunting enviornments. Whats the make and caliber of your "go-to" rifle? The one you take out most in a season. The one you could never sell if they are all one in the same.
The ones I grew up with: Old and heavy yes, but damn reliable and accurate. Never let me down:
All the other stuff is fluff and for having fun...
Originally Posted by raybass
I try to stick with the basics, they do so well. Nothing fancy mind you, just plain jane will get it done with style.
Originally Posted by Pharmseller
You want to see an animal drop right now? Shoot him in the ear hole.
Just curious about others hunting enviornments. Whats the make and caliber of your "go-to" rifle? The one you take out most in a season. The one you could never sell if they are all one in the same.
My go anywhere, do any thing rifle is a Winchester model 70 push feed in .30-'06. If I have to explain why, the explanation wouldn't help.
Brushbuster: "Is this thread about the dear heard or there Jeans?" Plugger: "If you cant be safe at strip club in Detroit at 2am is anywhere safe?" Deer are somewhere all the time To report a post you disagree with, please push Alt + F4. Thank You.
Holston - Have you lost your mind? Everyone knows that you can't kill anything with a .243. Except the stuff you killed with it.....
Are you kidding? Everyone here knows the 243 is a magic death ray.
Brushbuster: "Is this thread about the dear heard or there Jeans?" Plugger: "If you cant be safe at strip club in Detroit at 2am is anywhere safe?" Deer are somewhere all the time To report a post you disagree with, please push Alt + F4. Thank You.
Holston - Have you lost your mind? Everyone knows that you can't kill anything with a .243. Except the stuff you killed with it.....
Are you kidding? Everyone here knows the 243 is a magic death ray.
read the thread in the deer hunting forum. crazy.
as to the OP
Savage 308 with a fluted barrel, fully customized with a titanium suppressor. second go to I just built is a 338-06 with similar characteristics to the 308. this year I opted for the trusty 243 just because it had been a while since we whacked a deer with it. ended up getting several between friends and family with that rifle. furthest was 438 yards. so I'd say it depends on the day what the best rifle for my region is. could be hunting anything from turkeys to elk. the 243 will do it all though, and has for me.
Beware of any old man in a profession where one usually dies young.
I guess I'm not naive enough! I been thinking the same thing!
WARNING: SOAP BOX AHEAD!!!
"This is an issue that I have with the “extreme long range” crowd that contends that this doesn’t happen! And if” the animal moves, it’s the shooters fault for the bad shot placement.....as the hunter was supposed to “read the animals mind”! memtb [/quote] "
I guess I'm just not naive enough. I've been thinking the same thing every since the "long range movement" started! None of the shows I know of have shown, or ever will show, the one that bolted as the trigger broke and was gut shot. You don't see the one where there was a puff of wind somewhere in the valley they were shooting across and the animal is gut shot. I watched those shows in awe when I first saw them but quickly thought about it and decided that for me, I respect the game too much to play those odds. I always thought the object was to see how close I could get not how far I can shoot. Sorry to OP. I didn't mean to high jack the thread.
I am in love with lever action rifles and thankfully I hunt where I can use them without sacrificing range. My records indicate that my average shot is only about 60 yards. In these situations my Marlin 336 chambered for the lowly 35Remington cartridge ( or 375Win, 45/70, 38/55, 41 mag, 356Win, 30/30....) is no handicap at all. One of the most difficult to let go would be my steel frame BLR-81 in 358Win. Topped with a Leupold VX 3 2.5-8x gives me a bit more reach. I just can't boil it down to one!
Last edited by Goat; 01/18/20.
"I know you believe that you understand what you think that I said... But I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant." ( A quote of my Father)
Encore 450 Bushmaster 26” MGM barrel with a VX 6 2-12 FireDot. We are in shotgun zone that allows straight wall cartridge up to 1.8” case length. Running a 250 Gr. Shockwave Bonded at 2580 FPS. One ragged hole at a 100. Haven’t found a bullet yet. Every thing shot has made 2 holes. Thinking I’m gonna take it on my moose hunt this fall in Maine.
Remington 700 xcr ii 270 win in a Mc Milan classic edge with a VX 3 3.5-10x40 scope mounted on warne rings and mounts. Pretty close to perfect for my needs.
My hunting needs in Oregon could be easily handled by a good.270..... OR any of the .26 - .28 calibers..... going to .30+ just isn’t necessary and pushes the recoil equation up... That said, I’m really digging my Kimbers Hunters in .6.5 and 7-08 for egros and light weight. Scopes are usually Leupold 2.5x8’s, but I’m starting to work with the SS 6x MQ- we’ll see how that goes. Big game for me is deer, antelope and elk. Long range for is pretty much anything over 200. I passed on a cow elk the other day @ 350-ish yards. The rifle and load are good for it and I could dial for drop. But she was at a hard angle uphill, I couldn’t get a solid rest and my gut just said “don’t do it”. I’ll wait for a better opportunity another day...
BT53 "Where do they find young men like this?" Reporter Savidge, Iraq Elk, it's what's for dinner....
Hope it never comes to that. I'd have to pick the small block Chevy of hunting rifles. .30-06 tang safety Ruger round top, 3x9 Leupold mounted as low as possible. Been working fine for over 40 years. Better rifles out there, probably, but this is my mine.
I've got a lot that follow the same basic pattern.....stainless, sporter/#2 barrel, lightweight stock. I like them coated but not an absolute. A wide array of short action chamberings. For an over the counter rifle, I can't find anything I like better for the way I use one...Fieldcraft special run, #2 barrel, coated, 6.5 CM:
I've been looking for a long time and have drawn the following conclusions: .30 WCF (.30-30) Win. M64. Handy, but short range and no scope. .300 WM Win. M70. Way too big, heavy, recoil and loud. 12 Ga. Rem. M1100 slug. Required for the county then and short range only. .30-06 Win M70. Heavy, recoil, long action. 7mm RM Rem. M700 custom. Nice out west, recoil, too long, too powerful. .35 Rem. M141 Rem. Heavy, well made, short range only, slide rattle, too long a barrel. .257 Roberts M760 Rem. Light recoil, slide rattle, accurate, stamped parts. .308 Win M100 carbine. Bad trigger, good cartridge, handy length. .308 Rem. M742 carbine. Bad trigger, stamped parts, too short. .300 Savage M99F. Good cartridge, points well, accurate, carries well, lever is in the way for crook of the arm carry, back up gun. And the winner is...Scoped 7mm-08 Ruger SS M77 Mk ll custom. Great cartridge, light weight, accurate.
My other auto is a .45
The bitterness of poor quality is remembered long after the sweetness of low price has faded from memory
I do not have just one, but I could get by with a Model 70 classic in Mcmillan Edge stock blueprint. 270 Win and 338-06 would be my cartridges of choice.
Have and use both of the above, depending on game and mood.
With the exception of Elephant, Buffalo, and Rhino, I would be comfortable hunting anything.
Hope it never comes to that. I'd have to pick the small block Chevy of hunting rifles. .30-06 tang safety Ruger round top, 3x9 Leupold mounted as low as possible. Been working fine for over 40 years. Better rifles out there, probably, but this is my mine.
I hunted with that same rifle for two decades. I do have rifles I like better but they where all judged off of my old ruger tanger 30-06.
Given the spectrum of animals from antelope to moose in this region, as well as the opportunities for pretty long shots, I am voting for 7mm Rem Mag. Part of it is that there are more .284" bullets that I like than in either .277" or .308". There are other candidates (like the 7 WSM or Wby or .280 AI) but they are fringier.
Im surprised how many of you guys shoot 7-08's. Ive never seen one at the range. I dont personally know any body that has one. It kinda makes me want one...
For my region- 12 ga Beretta 391 with rifled barrel. Half my deer hunting season is in a shotgun zone and the other half in a rifle zone where shots are under 100 yards.
Last rifle I would sell is a toss up between a Rem 700 Classic in 300 Savage, a Savage 16 in 7mm/08, and a Browning A-Bolt in 300 Win mag. The 700 is most likely to be last but the other two push pretty hard.
For me, it's my Wby. Mk.V. .257. Works for everything from coyotes to elk, and everything in between, including 4 species of North American sheep, caribou, antelope, mule and whitetail deer. Currently wears a Mcmillan Edge stock, and 3.5-10x Leupold.
I'd rather be a free man in my grave, than living as a puppet or a slave....
I guess it all depends on where you do most of your hunting. Where I live, a 30-30 will kill everything that walks and unless you have access to a pipeline or highline, where you can see more than 150-200 yds, it will reach out farther than you can see.
Now go 100 miles west or 50 miles east and you have some flat crop land. There you can see farther than you can shoot.
I deer and hog hunt with my Marlin 30-30 or Win 270. Varmint hunt with a .223 or .204
Old Turd- Deplorable- Unrepentant Murderer- Domestic Violent Extremist
Just curious about others hunting enviornments. Whats the make and caliber of your "go-to" rifle? The one you take out most in a season. The one you could never sell if they are all one in the same.
My goto is a White ML in 45. Its all I use now, pretty much.
Bow is becoming massively popular here, with over half of the deer taken in NJ coming from bow.
I'd honestly say the most popular rifle will be a crossbow in a couple years.
Originally Posted by Archerhunter
Quit giving in inch by inch then looking back to lament the mile behind ya and wonder how to preserve those few feet left in front of ya. They'll never stop until they're stopped. That's a fact.
Here in Minnesota I could live with any one of the rifles in the safe from .223 to 300 WM and hardly inconvenience me much at all. Any one of the 1.5-6x42 scopes that I have would be just fine as well if it came to it. If worse came to worst then even my crossbow would still work just fine for killing all the stuff I need to before I die. I it came down to it, any one of the 22 lr target rifles would also kill everything I need to kill yet. As long as it remained legal to use anything I have, I could manage it.
In FL and SC, I have taken more deer the past 10 years with a 7mm-08. These states are my "region".
25-06 has taken a few and I like it too but is a Ruger #1 Stainless and it just doesn't get used as much as the 7mm-08s.
Also taken a few with 7mm Rem Mag (trophy rifle for paid hunts), 6.8SPC bolt gun (pleasure to shoot), various 22 centerfires in bolt and AR platforms, and a 257 WBY Accumark.
I had a 280 AI built on a Ti action that I thought would be my main go-to but the 7mm-08 just keeps performing too well, shoots like a dream, and is pleasant on the shoulder in both recoil and long walks.
.308 Win Montana Rifle Company with a Nightforce NXS 2.5-10x42 with a 130 or 150 grain Barnes TTSX is what I use most lately hunting in the South Texas brush country.
When I was growing up most people hunted with a 30-30 . Rem 742 or BAR in 30-06 or 270. Now the men use bolt 30-06 270, , 308, 300 or 7 mag. Women use 243s.
Action: Surgeon LA modified to use Talley rings with remainder of rail removed and otherwise lightened. Barrel: Benchmark 1-9 SS 22” Stock: one of a kind carbon fiber Scope: either Leupold UL 3-9 or Nightforce 2.5-10x24 Trigger: Triggertech Diamond Chamber: 270 Win throated to 3.45” oal
Will do everything worldwide until a 375 H&H is warranted.
Last edited by RinB; 01/20/20.
“Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away”. Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Posted by Brad.
Remington 700 ADL in 243. Older rifle topped off with a Leupold Vari-X III in 4.5 -14 x 40. The rifle shoots bugholes with 85 gn. Sierras and Varget. It has a little more range than I need here in southern Indiana but the accuracy is superb and it’s killed everything I’ve shot at from coyotes to deer. I have better rifles and larger caliber rifles but this one has been with me for years and it just plain works.
I like too many of my rifles to narrow it down to just one, as I hunt carbines in some spots and 24" barreled magnums in others. I did acquire one new rifle last year with the intent of a "whatever, wherever, whenever" kind of rig. It's a magnum-weight Ruger Hawkeye Predator in .308, shooting the 150NAB at 2,880fps. Flat enough to work with the long range duplex reticle, easy-shooting, and I've never had problems with the terminal effects of the .308win. With the rough SS finish and laminate handle, it's also one I don't worry about actually using.
Action: Surgeon LA modified to use Talley rings with remainder of rail removed and otherwise lightened. Barrel: Benchmark 1-9 SS 22” Stock: one of a kind carbon fiber Scope: either Leupold UL 3-9 or Nightforce 2.5-10x24 Trigger: Triggertech Diamond Chamber: 270 Win throated to 3.45” oal
"Jack O'C had it figured out in the 60's !"
I quoted your sig line............... and he sure did but some keep trying to reinvent the wheel.
I have several Winchester Featherweights, any of them is fine for anything I can find in the bush. Still love the feel of old Sako's or Mark V's though.
OP did say "rifle" not cartridge........
When truth is ignored, it does not change an untruth from remaining a lie.
Where i hunt my ruger 77/44 does everything I really need. But if i could only keep one rifle I own to do it all i'd keep my M70 classic stainless 375 H&H
When something has to die, my 338RUM gets the nod. Rem 700 action blueprinted and mated to a bartlein 3b barrel. McMillan stock and currently leupold vx6 2-12 scope. Loaded with 210 swift sciroccos to unrealistic velocities. It's an absolute death ray. After a neck injury at work, the recoil was getting to me, so I had a muzzle brake added and that has helped a lot. Very easy to shoot now.
I am getting more fond of my 6.5 PRC. Have to do some long range target work yet with it. But it's a lazer so far.
I also grab a 3030, and 450 bushy depending on where I'm hunting.
Mid 80’s manufactured 700 ADL 30-06 everything is factory but worked the trigger and bedded it in a Holland laminated stock. Bushnell 4200 3-9x40. Shooting handloads with 165 ballistic tips. Overkill for white tails in NY and PA but this rifle is very consistent in shooting 1/2” groups. Also, I can put it away after the season and take one shot to confirm it’s still sighted in and it is always right on the money. For some reason, a lot of my other rifles seem to be off a few clicks if they sit for awhile. I use many rifles 35, 308, 7mm-08, 30-30 but the 30-06 would get the nod for my go to.
My old as dirt 257 WBY. Built on a 700 action, pac-nor barrel, sits in a rimrock stock. It’s pretty light, and with 100 grain ttsx’s has killed everything I’ve pointed at it.
I’m somewhat surprised but delighted to see that the 30-30 has quite the following! Last September we went to Maine on vacation and stopped at LL Bean. I asked what was the most popular caliber and rifle there. The answer surprised me, the reply, the model 94 Winchester 30/30. Having said that, here in the west I hunt with several rifles but if push came to shove, my pre-64 Bansner stocked 270 is clearly my favorite.
I’m from Oklahoma and live there. I’m a big fan of the .30-06, but there is nothing here you couldn’t kill with a .243 unless you are one of the lucky few that draw an elk tag. And the .243 would still work on elk if you took care.
Expat
"There are no dangerous weapons. There are only dangerous men." - Robert Heinlein
I've got some good deer rifles but the go to is my 1966 model 70 Push feed chambered in .270 Winchester. When I first bought it in August 1966 I had a brand new Redfield 4X scope mounted on it in Weaver mounts with 2 piece bases. It has since gone through 3 other scopes and killed a couple of 18 wheelers full of deer (Not all by me) in the 53 years I've hunted with it, this November will make 54. It now has a 4 year old Leupold VX-2 with adjustable Objective for paralax, that I like.
After I bought it and had it for a couple months I took it to a range in preparation of a hunt put on for the Boy Scouts to sight in. There was an old man there that my family knew who was sort of a guru with guns. I was feeling so proud of my new shiny toy until he raked it over the coals telling me what a crap job Winchester did to the Model 70 in 1964. Hell, I didn't know any better, I was an 18 year old kid. I went home with my tail between my legs, never mind that ratty old push feed probably out shot his custom Mauser that day.
I found through the years it wasn't so bad a gun. It's probably more accurate than most pre 64s and I have found out that it's actually considered by most in the know a stronger action. Anyway, aesthetically he had me but practically I had him. Whatever, it's still my go to hunter out of 12 other nice rifles 53 years later.
Last edited by Filaman; 02/12/20.
What goes up must come down, what goes around comes around, there's no free lunch. Trump's comin' back, get over it!
I'm in NC with lots of big crop fields and power lines and the majority of my hunting is deer and coyotes. I have been shooting a 25.06 for about 35yrs and it has been excellent and served me well for my type hunting. The 25.06 is no doubt my favorite caliber and one that I can't see myself ever not having.
I hunt in the Trans-Bluegrass region of Kentucky, between the Licking and the Ohio Rivers.
Whitetail bucks can grow to over 300 lbs liveweight. Doe can go 170+.
The old-timers mostly shot 30-30 levers. These were also the guys that were fond of emptying their magazines into a fleeing herd. We hear a lot less of that now.
All of us at camp have at least one 30-06 bolt gun. That seems to do the trick, although I would be the first to say it isn't a minimum requirement. Here is my current favorite:
For a decade, I took at least a deer a year with a Rem 7600 in 35 Whelen. I finally retired it. An '06 does just as well with less sound and fury.
My GOTO gun for treestands since 2003 has been a Savage 99 in 308 WIN. I download it to 300 Savage levels.
I have inherited 2 guns from now-departed hunting buddies. One is a custom Mauser in 25-06 and another is a Ruger Model 44.
I've got glamor shots of the camp's whole deer battery here:
I hunt in the Trans-Bluegrass region of Kentucky, between the Licking and the Ohio Rivers.
Whitetail bucks can grow to over 300 lbs liveweight. Doe can go 170+.
The old-timers mostly shot 30-30 levers. These were also the guys that were fond of emptying their magazines into a fleeing herd. We hear a lot less of that now.
All of us at camp have at least one 30-06 bolt gun. That seems to do the trick, although I would be the first to say it isn't a minimum requirement. Here is my current favorite:
For a decade, I took at least a deer a year with a Rem 7600 in 35 Whelen. I finally retired it. An '06 does just as well with less sound and fury.
My GOTO gun for treestands since 2003 has been a Savage 99 in 308 WIN. I download it to 300 Savage levels.
I have inherited 2 guns from now-departed hunting buddies. One is a custom Mauser in 25-06 and another is a Ruger Model 44.
I've got glamor shots of the camp's whole deer battery here:
Rem 700 Action .308 Win 16.5” Krieger w/8T *> ? McRees Folding Stock 3-18x Leupold Mark 6 w/ Tremor 2 Reticle Timney Trigger Surefire 7.62 Mini Suppressor 168gr ELD-Match
Just a right handy rifle for pigs and deer in my area. I have many more.......but this one gets grabbed more often than not.
Simple curiosity. Why 8 twist on 16.5” bll. ? (beside that you wanted it, understood)
Jerry
1. It was available at a discounted price (Ordered from Krieger and not picked up by customer.) 😁 2. It has stabilized the full spectrum of bullet weights (110-175gr), proven very accurate with them, and seems to regain some velocity lost by the shorter barrel.
Todd Hodnett at Accuracy First turned me on to the 8T concept for .30cals after a lot of testing and the concept seems to be working. So, when this barrel came available me, I jumped on it.
Matty99669, My wife and I were just this morning having a discussion along these lines..... calibers, cartridges, recoil, ect., she loves her .338 WM. She uses it for all of her big game hunting, and occasionally for coyotes.....though we rarely go out for coyotes! One rifle, one load, one zero for everything we hunt. If I were starting over, and knew that I’d never make an African hunt.....I’d probably step-down to a .338 WM. memtb
This is a sentence I am quite sure I will never utter in my lifetime. You are a very lucky man.
To answer the OP, a Ruger 77 RL tang safety in .308.
My heart's in the mountains, my heart is not here. My heart's in the mountains, chasing the deer.
I have two of those. A custom 30-06 1903 and a Win Mod 70 Featherweight in 6.5x55. That's right now though it could change. There are a ton of rifle's suitable for any area of the country. A mod 95, or similar, would work well anywhere in the country. It all depends on ho it's used. How it's use seem's to me in a very much ignore subject. If your hunting Cours deer in S Arizona actually that old 30-30 still has it the question is dos the user have it. I think there are people around that hunt them with a bow! Yet what we red about mostly is the custom long range rifle in some super long range cartridge to make 500 yd shot's with. We pretty much read the same about a cartridge for western hunting but if that was true, how did Indians survive with just a bow?
After I bought it and had it for a couple months I took it to a range in preparation of a hunt put on for the Boy Scouts to sight in. There was an old man there that my family knew who was sort of a guru with guns. I was feeling so proud of my new shiny toy until he raked it over the coals telling me what a crap job Winchester did to the Model 70 in 1964.
In the Spring of 1975, I bought a slightly used 1974 Model 70 PF 30-06. I too was very proud of my "Mod 70", and I had a Wide View 2x7 on it. I located a a gent in the nearby town who handloaded. He loaded me up some "accuracy loads" from the Sierra manual, with the 165 SGK. It was one accurate old rifle! I shot many sub MOA groups with it, and "every Self-appointed Expert" also ragged on me ( unsolicited too, can you imagine that? ha) what a POC it was. I knew it was not a "Pre 64", but it felt good in my hands. I liked it. About that time I got heavy into my "Bowhunting Phase" and sold it buy equipment.
I use a bolt rifle almost exclusively, no matter where I hunt, but especially out West here. I have killed a lot of deer/hogs in E. Texas growing up with a Mod 94 Classic 30-30. I didn't use a scope until I was 22, ha. My last Mule Deer was shot with a Marlin 1894 Cowboy in 45 Colt. A very fine woods rifle. But now I'm sticking with a flat shooter scoped bolt rifle. I prefer the "Mountain Rifle style" now. Kimber 84L/270 and a Mesa 6.5 Creedmoor. The Creed is being set up for my Grand Daughter as an heirloom/target rifle, maybe she will hunt with it later. She is only 10 now and I will let my Marine SIL fight with my overprotective daughter to teach her to shoot, ha. The rest of my Grandkids could care less, so be it. BUT watch out for those "Experts"! ha
When I started hunting (in Colorado) the only rifle that I had was a Model U-9 .30-06 from Herter's. I hunted everything with it: 125 grain bullets for prairie dogs, 150 grain bullets for deer and antelope, and 180 grain bullets for elk.
About 10 years later I had it re-chambered to .30 Gibbs and for the next 20+ years that rifle shooting 180 grain Nosler Partition bullets put 20+ elk and 2 moose in my freezer.
When I re-chambered the .30-06 I also built a .257 Ackley and a .22-250. The .257 Ackley was built on a Mauser Mark X action and shooting 115-120 grain bullets is still my "go to" rifle for deer and antelope, and was for all of my mountain sheep hunting.
The .22-250 still is my dedicated varmint rifle, although it also put several deer and antelope into my freezer.
About 10 years ago I finally fulfilled a life long dream and bought a .300 Weatherby. I mainly built it for elk, but it fast became my favorite rifle, and I have used it on a number if international hunts. I currently only hunt with 180 grain Barnes TTSX bullets in it for hunting.
Since I put about 100 hours of work into each of the Fancy walnut stocks of most of my other hunting rifles, I have a SS plastic stocked Rem 700 in 7 mm Rem mag for my foul weather rifle. My hunting bullet for it is 160 grain Nosler Accubonds, and I have also taken it on a number of international hunts.
For the biggest and baddest critters I have a .375 RUM in a SS Rem 700 and with a laminated stock. It likes both Barnes 270 and 300 grain TSX bullets, and I have taken it to Africa twice shooting critters varying from 25 to over 1500 pounds.
You wouldn't play a round of golf with one club, so why would you limit yourself to one rifle if you face different hunting situations?
There is a place in my bag for a driver, when I want to hit long, and a pitching wedge, when I need to shoot short.
There is a place in my rack for both long range bolt guns and short range lever, pump, and semi-autos.
My primary elk rifles are both 270s, both using the same load,, a CLR for deliberate shots in open areas and a 760 for jump shooting in the timber.
When I retire back in NH, I'll probably over-watch with a stainless Ruger Hawkeye in 6.5 Creedmoor and still-hunt through the woods with my 50-something 44 International.
I have always favored the 3006. I have a small shop in Kaunakakai, HI and sell guns n ammo. By far the best selling ammo is 270 win., followed by 308 and 3006. The younger generation all seen to be into 6.5 creed, 22 hornet, 22 250 and a few into 338 lapua. It is rare for me to sell 3030 ammo. Most hunting here is for subsistence. There is some reloading but shipping is difficult and expensive.h Mel
Just curious about others hunting enviornments. Whats the make and caliber of your "go-to" rifle? The one you take out most in a season. The one you could never sell if they are all one in the same.
We mostly only get to hunt deer here. For that, I've been mostly using a 700 faux TI in 257 Roberts, but a similar custom 700 in 280 punched my tag this past year.
If I did get drawn for moose, I'd probably use the 700 3oo H&H frankenrifle.
Texas...Bolt Action Country....is where we are, depending on the length of the sendero / a cut lane bull dozed and pushed out, you can have one 2 miles long to hunt on...this is normal. That means you have some long shots that can and do happen almost all of the time. We do have game close if the feeders are set up near your blind, but a great deal of the game walks a long way off from those feeders just grazing and moving in their daily push to the evening bed down spots scattered all over. Lots, and I mean lots of Texas brush Mesquite / cactus country where a fence line will be not too far and you want that game down...NOW. So what does all this mean..... a FLAT shooting rifle for the "whatever" distance that pops up is always needed not so much a want. So that leans, damn near everybody here, to FAST, 'high step'n" loads for .270's, .22-250's, 7 RM's , 257 Weatherby's ( 2 in our group) , .243 win / wssm's and 130 grain FAST loads for .3006/.308...all are proven killers over and over again from many of our good friends.
I am the only one out of all of us that handloads...yeah I know. So when "scope checks" (lots of beer ...very cold Keystone and fun) before the season begins are needed, my chronograph gets a workout by all there. Since that has happened they want accuracy with speed...so they choose the most accurate choice (factory) that also has the highest speed and set their scope accordingly. Usually thats 2 1/2 "s high at 100. Our Weatherby shooters and 7 RM gals and guys are at 3" high at 100. As far as brand names of rifles.....no one gives a chit.....its flatness is what they want. Accurate tracking/zero holding scopes and flat/fast bullets are all that matter here.
For me the .243 Winchester is my rifle most of the time, as it is "on the button" at 270 yds. My recent "discovery" of the 7mm Remington Magnum in a Savage 24" Texas truck gun will change that....with speer 145 grain btsp's at 3000 something fps once its all set up the way I want it.
Been shooting this one mainly for the last 35 years........Model 70 30Gov't06.
But, last year picked up a Bergara Woodsman in 6.5 Creedmoor. Must say I really like that rifle also. Beautiful stock, about a pound lighter than the M70, less recoil, super accurate, a hammer on mule deer - but does not have the class of the M70.
A true sportsman counts his achievements in proportion to the effort involved and fairness of the sport. - S. Pope
I hunt mostly in GA and Browning bolt actions are quite popular here, almost every truck has a Browning sticker in the window. A generation ago, they Remington 742 semi-autos and Marlin / Winchester lever actions were very popular but a new generation of hunters are mostly using bolt actions in common chamberings (270, 30-06, 7mm rem mag, 308, etc...). 20+ years ago, I settled on Win 70s only in various chamberings but lately I've added a couple of CA Ridgelines. Rem 700s are very popluar in most deer camps in the south. As much as people like to talk about long shots on beanfields, most hunt in planted pines with limited distance. We have lots of farm land but mature bucks don't seem to stand around in cotton fields in daylight and make it past opening day.
Mossberg 30-30 with 2-7X scope. This handy carbine performs excellent for deer and wild hogs within reasonable shooting distances. Ammo is affordable and found anywhere.
" So what does all this mean..... a FLAT shooting rifle for the "whatever" distance that pops up is always needed not so much a want. So that leans, damn near everybody here, to FAST, 'high step'n" loads for .270's, .22-250's, 7 RM's , 257 Weatherby's ( 2 in our group) , .243 win / wssm's and 130 grain FAST loads for .3006/.308...all are proven killers over and over again from many of our good friends. "
Also "so they choose the most accurate choice (factory) that also has the highest speed and set their scope accordingly. Usually thats 2 1/2 "s high at 100. Our Weatherby shooters and 7 RM gals and guys are at 3" high at 100. As far as brand names of rifles.....no one gives a chit.....its flatness is what they want. "
WELL ! Seems that I have more company in my CHOICES than I even thot. Wonder why ? (sarcasm)
Simple curiosity. Why 8 twist on 16.5” bll. ? (beside that you wanted it, understood)
1. It was available at a discounted price (Ordered from Krieger and not picked up by customer.) 😁 2. It has stabilized the full spectrum of bullet weights (110-175gr), proven very accurate with them, and seems to regain some velocity lost by the shorter barrel.
Todd Hodnett at Accuracy First turned me on to the 8T concept for .30cals after a lot of testing and the concept seems to be working. So, when this barrel came available me, I jumped on it. [/quote]
Thnx Zulu, I should have focused my ? on 16.5" bll. and I think you answered that as well. Thnx.
My region was the world. With the stock market crash.......my region is getting much smaller! memtb
You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel
“I’d like to be a good rifleman…..but, I prefer to be a good hunter”! memtb 2024
REDUX I like it so much, I had to read it again. grin
[quote=jwall]Heavy Dove said above ^^^^^^^
" So what does all this mean..... a FLAT shooting rifle for the "whatever" distance that pops up is always needed not so much a want. So that leans, damn near everybody here, to FAST, 'high step'n" loads for .270's, .22-250's, 7 RM's , 257 Weatherby's ( 2 in our group) , .243 win / wssm's and 130 grain FAST loads for .3006/.308...all are proven killers over and over again from many of our good friends. "
Also "so they choose the most accurate choice (factory) that also has the highest speed and set their scope accordingly. Usually thats 2 1/2 "s high at 100. Our Weatherby shooters and 7 RM gals and guys are at 3" high at 100. As far as brand names of rifles.....no one gives a chit.....its flatness is what they want. "
WELL ! Seems that I have more company in my CHOICES than I even thot. Wonder why ? (sarcasm)
I have tried MANY times to get some of them to handload for their rifles. All the while explaining they could make their trajectory even flatter. Considering they use factory ammo I showed them my sight in was less in height, it therefore shot "flatter". Fell on deaf ears but I try every year anyway..
I like to hand load and try different combinations all the time. The crowd I am with wants to get it done and not mess with a bunch of powders and bullets. I think they shy away from the unknown.
I like my Ruger Mk II stainless, 30-06 with the Zytel stock and Leupold VX 3 2.5-8 X 36. It's a do anything, in any weather set up.
NRA LIFE MEMBER GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS ESPECIALLY THE SNIPERS! "Suppose you were an idiot And suppose you were a member of Congress... But I repeat myself." -Mark Twain
Here in SW MO, not much more than a 243 or similar is needed. Thinking of going that way myself. Have used the 30-06 pretty extensively in a pre64 Model 70. Before that, in the poor times, hunted everything with a Winchester 94 in .45 Colt because that is what I had. Wasn’t much of a handicap, really. Went good with that Cimarron in the same caliber. This year, looking into a .243, as the vast majority of my shots will be under 300 yards anyway. I don’t hunt anything an 80 TTSX or a 95 NBT won’t handle. I guess if the zoos let out the bigger stuff, I’ll break out the FN FAL!
Matty99669: I'll share ONE of my favorite/most used Rifles for my region and for some of the game I use it for. I killed my latest Whitetail Deer, my latest Antelope and my latest Mule Deer with the Rifle I'll describe to you. It is, of course, in caliber 270 Winchester. The Rifle and scope are as follows: Remington 700 Sendero (26" heavy barrel with fiberglass factory stock) with a Leupold 6.5x20x40mm variable scope (this one has a 30mm tube!) with fine Du-Plex reticle. This Remington Sendero is what I describe as an "extremely accurate" Rifle. I use this Rifle for Whitetails, as where I Hunt the ranges are ALWAYS long - 350 yards minimum (on out to my furthest kill at 510 lasered yards). This all factory stock Rifle has an excellent trigger and its mass is very helpful afield when I am shooting under improvised conditions. Knock on wood - I have killed my last 7 (seven) Whitetail Bucks with this Rifle firing a total of 7 (seven!) shots. Again knock on wood! Patience, a heavy, accurate Rifle with a top quality scope and a good bi-pod and this makes for a pleasing and humane outcome. Hold into the wind VarmintGuy
Dirtfarmer explained it perfectly. Remington 760 pumps are extremely popular here in my area of Pennsylvania. First part of my hunting history was a 760 308. I really enjoy my 700 mountain rifles now. Depends on if we're pushing deer or stillhunting.
The one that I consider my do-all rifle is a Ruger Mark II stainless, bead blasted, with a Timney trigger, Pacific Research stock, 338 Winchester, presently with a 30mm Kahles 1.5-6x42 scope.
But I like different rifles and the 375 and 416 cartridges. I usually moose hunt with either a Ruger stainless in 375 or 416 Ruger, with McMillan stocks. I play musical scopes with these so it varies from 1.1-4x24's, 1-6x24, 1.5-6x42, 1.5-8x42.
I have rifles other than Rugers, but the Ruger stainless rifles are usually what I use.
Originally Posted by Matty99669
Just curious about others hunting enviornments. Whats the make and caliber of your "go-to" rifle? The one you take out most in a season. The one you could never sell if they are all one in the same.
My go to boom stick is a rattly old scratched up dented up wooden stocked .270 Winchester Made in 1966 model 70 push feed Winchester. I bought it when I was a dumb kid of 18 new in the box, oh and I was so proud of it all new and shiny (The young are usually mpressed with shiny). I didn't realize that back then those in the know thought of it as a blasfumous creation held as an abomination of God and Elmer Keith and Jack O'Connor. But looking back over the 54 years I've owned and hunted with it I now realize that it wasn't all that bad of a choice. The action is probably stronger than a pre-64 and its a sub MOA 5 shot grouper with my pet load and when I'm really on my game, and the proof in the pudding is that it's taken over 70 deer in the last 54 years and that's been while in the company of several other nice rifles I own. The last hog and the last deer I killed were both done with that ratty old Push Feed model 70 and they were both DRT..
Last edited by Filaman; 04/02/20.
What goes up must come down, what goes around comes around, there's no free lunch. Trump's comin' back, get over it!
Filaman, That post 64 M70 of yours wasn't an abomination to Elmer Kieth, at least how he wrote it up back in 1965 when I was reading every word he wrote in G&A magazine. I had scraped together $125.00 apple picking and lawn mowing and just knew that I needed a .30-06 and an Elmer recommended post 64 M70. That rifle kicked me out from under my hat and bruised my cheek with every shot. It had a free floated channel that was huge and pressed slick varnished over "checkering" that was terrible and worse than nothing at all. Elmer did me wrong and I've held it against him ever since. It was a post 64 and it handled like a post too. What an absolute bone that thing was. Insult to injury, my neighbor Frank was a aging gun guy and as a kid I would go over to his house and clean his firearms and listen to his hunting stories. Knowing that I had been saving for a new deer rifle, Frank offered me his mint condition pre-war M70 .30-06 for that same $125.00 and as an ignorant kid, I declined. Winchester might have gotten their act together some time after 1965, but they sure missed the mark with that new "improved" M70.
My other auto is a .45
The bitterness of poor quality is remembered long after the sweetness of low price has faded from memory
Well I don't think much of " if you could only have one bullshit whatevers" because this the US and I should have whatever I can afford too own. Sounds like rational that you gotta ask your wife or something.. in the spirit of Region anything I have will work and nothing will work any better than my collection of Model 1903 & 1903A3 bolt guns some with irons and rec sights some with scopes 30-06 load down to 30-30 and 300 Sav levels across to 308 Win. Std 30-06 loads or use the best powders and bullets in the long barreled ones to approach 300 mag levels. I got one in 308 Norma mag and one in 300 Win mag so I'm coverd there too.Whatever it's the best and [bleep] the rest. The 1903 Springfield is just about one of the only things that the turds who spend our tax dollars got right on the first go around. They [bleep] up the 06 1st go around but got it right on the second. Everything else the tax spending turds has gone downhill since. The way I see it. MB
" Cheapest velocity in the world comes from a long barrel and I sure do like them. MB "
I haven’t decided yet. Either my 6.5 Creedmoor Barrett Fieldcraft, or my semi-custom M700 7mm-08. Or maybe my Ruger M77 Mk II in 308. All are stainless and all shoot well. So.........
If we live long enough, we all have regrets. But the ones that nag at us the most are the ones in which we know we had a choice.
CZ 550 Standard in .308. This model was never sold in the US but was their bread and butter in Europe, Africa, and AU. It looks like an old Brno 602. Its basically the cz version of the Winchester 54. It has all steel express sights and more drop at the comb to accommodate them and a very slender forend. Also have 3 position safteys. Very much a turn of the century sporting mauser in appearance
A bunch popped up last summer when a distributor imported a pile from the AU distributor (winchester iirc) as they stoped importing them into AU and had a pile on hand. They sold out fast...i picked up 2 more for a total of 3. All have ridiculously good walnut. I called CZ USA about the rifles and they had no idea what they were and couldn't tell me anything about them based on serial number. Matter of fact they thought they were pistols based on the serial lol. Based on the date codes by the proof marks mine were all made in the early 00s
My brother was jealous but by the time he pulled his wallet out the distributer was sold out and he had to pay over 1k on gun broker for the only one available.
Its funny...every time a mauser fan sees mine they are always like...what in the hell is that and is it for sale?
Up until the early '70's, I'd bet every other rifle in my region was the 99 Savage, mostly in .300 with later a fair number of .308's. After that, it seems the bolt guns took over in popularity, but in such a wild selection of cartridges it would be difficult to catalog them. The "killers" went to the 7mag, the 300 mags, the meat hunters with all manner of milder cartridges, and always that core of old guys who would never be parted from their '06's. I can honestly say I have never seen a single man afield with an AR style weapon around here. Other than myself, I have never seen anybody hunting with iron sights either, for the last 30 years.
Well this is a fine pickle we're in, should'a listened to Joe McCarthy and George Orwell I guess.
Just curious about others hunting enviornments. Whats the make and caliber of your "go-to" rifle? The one you take out most in a season. The one you could never sell if they are all one in the same.
My 1982 Ruger M77 has hunted elk and deer more years than all my other rifles combined, but in the last few years my .Ruger MKII 300WM and MKII .338WM have seen more use, in part because thy both have synthetic (boat paddle) stocks rather than wood and the .338 is stainless as well.
When it comes to antelope, my 1989 Ruger M77 has seen far more use than all my other rifles combined. It has been used by two of my daughters and two nephews as well as myself. About three years ago I used it to take down an antelope on the run at 500 yards with a 110g AB @ 3163fps M.V., one and done. That rifle is my favorite for lots of reasons.
As an all-around rifle it would be hard to beat my stainless Ruger MKII .30-06. It came to me with a nutmeg laminate handle which quickly swapped out for a Ruger boat-paddle. I've had it out to the range a couple times lately, shooting steel at 600 yards, and have killed clay pigeons on the berm with it at that range.
Left to right: Ruger MKII .300WM, MKII .30-06, MKII .338WM
Last edited by Coyote_Hunter; 04/05/20.
Coyote Hunter - NRA Patriot Life, NRA Whittington Center Life, GOA, DAD - and I VOTE!
No, I'm not a Ruger bigot - just an unabashed fan of their revolvers, M77's and #1's.
I am not sure but I have some 308 based shooters that will get the nod. .308 and .358 seem to be my main choices. I can't decide for sure. I like the Scout rifle from Steyr but also like the 358 Winchester in Savage 99, Remington 7600, and BLR. So I would have to make a decision here. My 358 whitetail kills have been DRTs. Some of the .308s were as well. For a choice I like all of the above. The cases are readily available and so are bullets. I can cast the 180 gr WFN for the revolver AND the 358 Winchesters. All good for a whitetail here in Misery. Never had to take a shot farther than 100 yards and most were less than 50. If the shot is longer get closer. And never pass on a close shot when the deer says "Shoot me!". Be Well, Rustyzipper.
Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy. Its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery. Winston Churchill.
I am not sure but I have some 308 based shooters that will get the nod. .308 and .358 seem to be my main choices. I can't decide for sure. I like the Scout rifle from Steyr but also like the 358 Winchester in Savage 99, Remington 7600, and BLR. So I would have to make a decision here. My 358 whitetail kills have been DRTs. Some of the .308s were as well. For a choice I like all of the above. The cases are readily available and so are bullets. I can cast the 180 gr WFN for the revolver AND the 358 Winchesters. All good for a whitetail here in Misery. Never had to take a shot farther than 100 yards and most were less than 50. If the shot is longer get closer. And never pass on a close shot when the deer says "Shoot me!". Be Well, Rustyzipper.
It’s pretty darn hard to beat a .35 caliber for versatility.....if you hand load! I always thought that a .350 Griffin and Howe Magnum or a .358 STA may be the near perfect cartridge. Though, not really practical for foreign hunts! memtb
Last edited by memtb; 04/05/20.
You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel
“I’d like to be a good rifleman…..but, I prefer to be a good hunter”! memtb 2024
.
![[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]](https://live.staticflickr.com/1916/44818136232_3d76086c5b_z.jpg)
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/ywR8R0K.jpg)
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/H61uZrl.jpg)
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/eZ2TiJI.jpg)
![[Linked Image]](https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/gallery/80/full/102782.jpg)
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/16AInuq.jpg)
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/2aM3IuX.jpg)
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/S6du1kC.jpg)
![[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]](https://i.postimg.cc/2yTBx7vz/20191123-093437.jpg)
![[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]](https://i.postimg.cc/fRM5f899/IMG-20181110-120528650.jpg)
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/rGgsb6l.jpg)
![[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]](https://i.postimg.cc/W4fnd5PJ/05511629-20-FD-4215-9-AE2-869-F216-B0-CF2.jpg)
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/RiXjYD0.jpg)
![[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48438890682_cd88b4165b_k.jpg)
![[Linked Image from live.staticflickr.com]](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48438742381_77cb4ccd07_k.jpg)
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/QJ8cvoM.jpg)
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/rcwdcHG.jpg)
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/0i5DJYQ.jpg)
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/jAKo5BP.jpg)
![[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]](https://i.postimg.cc/MGdXNDS1/M77-6pt.jpg)
![[Linked Image]](https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/gallery/80/full/83611.jpg)
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/FtTQjNZ.jpg)
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/cevYfEb.jpg)
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/I60wN7Y.jpg)
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/bVr8K7n.jpg)
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/XUnyaHQ.jpg)
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/dmjvzKv.jpg)
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/AXtaxV0.jpg)
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/JMEKxCN.jpg)
![[Linked Image from genesis9.angzva.com]](https://genesis9.angzva.com/wp-content/uploads/wppa/83.jpg)
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/IvzsPZZ.jpg)
![[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]](https://i.imgur.com/Kt2NlyW.jpg)
(sarcasm)
![[Linked Image]](https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/gallery/80/full/87752.jpg)