Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles why do hunters get talked into ........

on all the hunting sites i see so many hunters that get talked into buying very high priced guns ,scopes ,mounts and so on. when all most need is practice or the right ammo for the gun they have.


a low end gun and scope will shoot better groups with the right ammo then most hunters will ever need.

people say you need a 1500.00 gun, 1000.00 scope and 150.00 set of rings are just plain crazy.

how many of you shoot the cheap stuff every hunting season and always get your game ,i know i average 7-10 whitetails a season with rifles that cost less then 500.00 ,scopes that are under 150.00 and rings that cost less then 25.00. i do load my own ammo ....

seeing that I have on order a $15,000 Heym double I may not be the best to comment but here goes:

For years I had two brownings as my primary rifles (a .338 and a .270) both had a boss and I tuned them out of college with Federal ammo. Both were factory orginal (Except I cut the Boss off the .338 soon after) and have Leupy Vari-X II scopes. Even though I begain reloading soon after college, I never bothered to change those two rifles (as you can guess, my collection grew with my income ) A good home bedding job and a little tweaking can in fact turn the vast majority of factory rifles into real shooters - some don't even need that.

The fact is though, that most people who post on sites like this are truly nuts (see first line of my post ) and are always experimenting.

The one exception I make is in optics. You can never see too well !! I came to Leica Ultravids through painful experience and wasted money.

I bet the average poster shoots those cheaper rifles too. I have taken elk and deer every year except last year( broken ribs) for about 20 yrs. My four rifles are;

Model 88 Winchester .308, bought in 64 for $147 wears a Weaver V-7 scope that was $49 I beleive

Swede 96 Sportorized 6.5, wears 6x Leopld scope. I have about $130 in the scope and less than $200 in the gun.

Marlin44 mag Mdel 94. Paid about $275 for it.

Win Model 70, feather weight .06. made in 52. Was my father in law's and I have the reciept he paid $100 for it. He left it inhis camper trailer onetime and the camper leaked. It wws covered in rust, we had to hammer the bolt open. Stock was completely shot, I order a used barel from Numrich for it,and made a new stock. Polished up the reciever the best I could and had it reblued. Barrel was $60, bluing was $35. It had 4 x Glenfield scope onit which I replaced with another Weaver V-7 I had around. A friend gave me a new Leupold 2-8x scope which it wears now. When I put the new scope on it , the gun looked like a cow pie with crutons on it,so I refinished the stock last winter.
Those two V-7's have accounted for more deer and elk than most hunters kill .

That is less than $1000 for all 4 rifles and scopes

If I could talk anyone into doing something they didn't already want to do, I'd be working in politics insted of hanging around on a internet site with a bunch of rifle loonies.

can I get an AMEN ?!?!?!

It don't take much talking, to get a guy convinced there are better options than a NEF. Even if it costs more........Don

+1

A lot of people are afraid of what others will think if they show up with a common vanilla Model 700, Savage, or some brand no one recognizes, like Howa, Tikka, etc.

I grew up on a large plantation that had a club and was around bird hunters every Saturday, from dove season in September to duck, to quail through March. A lot of these were older businessmen, and a few young up-and-comers. The young studs all had the nicest Browning and Beretta doubles they could buy. The old guys (and richest) who had the respect for shooting ability, carried old Foxes and Model 12s.

But I am all for buying a nice rifle and enjoying it, especially one made just for you and your hunting style. Better to have one custom Mauser or a slick Model 71 Winchester than to run through a dozen rack rifles that just don't turn you on.

I buy what I like and can afford, and don't really worry about what others guys have.

sometimes the NEF IS the better option..

may not have made it clear in the original post but those two brownings are still primary hunting rifles for me and I've killed more game with those two than all the others combined
shot 'em both today as a matter of fact!

Hunt with your cheap $hit...what do I care? What do you care what I hunt with and how much it costs?

I tend to agree with you. IMHO a stock M700 with a tuned trigger and bedded is capable of MOA. I've never owned a true custom but have tweaked just about every rifle I've owned. Most shoot MOA or a tad better.

For example: this past fall/winter I decided I needed all synthetic/SS rifles as my primary rifles. I sold 3 wood stocked rifles, bought 4 M 700's (25-06, 30-06, 7 RM, 300 SAUM). Overlooking the overlap, I have less then $2000 in these 4 (~ $500 out of pocket). I've tuned the triggers on all (3-3.5 lbs), replaced 2 bolt shrouds ($80), bought 3 sets of Talleys (~ $125), re-used the Leupie VX II 3-9x40 on the 3 wood stocked rifles. I'm putting at least 3 of them in Bansners next year. Strongly suspect I'll be out the door on all 4 rifles for less than $3000. They'll last the rest of my life and shoot MOA or a bit better every day.

I don't see the need for 0.5 MOA and/or alot more cash outlay. I'm spending my money on tags............

Having a rough day there Jim?.........

Casey

nah, just wondering how it would play if I came on and asked the same question but using the opposite analogy..."why do some hunters think they can get by with cheap $hit?" Post like his make me chuckle! "I take 7-10 deer a year with stuff that costs xx number of dollars" Translation: "I buy the best I can afford to hunt with and thought I'd come here and take a poke at people that desire and can afford something more expensive.".

+1

+ 2

you guys probably scared him away now

Is that a bad thing?

I wanted him to trash me about the Heym