Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Do you still own/use your first big game rifle?

I have my first rifle. Grandpa bought me a Remington 788 in 30-30. I also have my first .22 that mom and dad bought me for Christmas 1980 and my 12ga pump that grandpa bought me as well as grandpas .22 revolver. My dad isn’t an outdoorsman but he supported my passion and my grandpa was my best friend…..those guns will NEVER be sold. Everything else I own could go away and I can replace them but those 3 guns are priceless to me.

Yes I do. It is a Remington 700 BDL chambered in 243. Got if for Christmas when I was about 10 years old and will never get rid of it for anything. Me and my wife both have killed our first deer and first bucks with it and i hope that my 7 year old son can maybe kill his first deer with it this coming up year.

I sold my first two big game rifles, an early Ruger 77 in 30/06 and a few years later a Remington 700 that had been rebarreled to 25/06 back when that cartridge was still a wildcat, before ever using them in the field. I bought them to use in the rifle zone but lost the opportunity before the season so stuck with my shotgun and slugs.

First rifle I used was a Yugo Mauser rebarreled to 6mm Rem. I picked it up in the mid80s and still have it. It has taken many whitetails plus a few mulies and pronghorns. It shot factory 100 gr Remington Core-Lokts very well but nothing else very well. I've run out of the Core-Lokts so have been trying to work up something that is acceptable.

Yep it still gets used.

I got a Model 700 BDL chambered in 270 Winchester and still has the original trigger.

Not to worry for some the trigger gets cleaned every year before it gets shot at targets,for deer season.

PS.the bolt handle is still attached.

Yes, a 30-30.

Yep, 1969 Remington 760 in .308 Win. Now wears a B&C stock set because the original forend split in half. Plan to take a deer with it this coming fall.

No, but I still own my second one.

Sadly, no, I don't still have the Mohawk 600 I started with.

But I do still have the .410 and the .22 my dad gave me.

I don't, but both of them are still in my family. My oldest brother's sons have my Savage 340 30-30 and my Remington 700 7 Mag. Wish I had kept the 7 Mag... I also had a Rem 700 ADL 30-06 that my youngest brother's son now owns and he shot his first elk with it the first year he owned it.... one of the most accurate rifles I've ever owned but it was just excess to my needs and sat in the back of my safe. At least now it is getting used pretty regularly..

I do.

It belonged first to my father and I will pass it on to my son.

It is a Weatherby Europa in 8x68S made by Sauer which my father bought in 1964 I think. It wears an old Zeiss 1.5-6x36 in claw mounts.

I still hunt with it occasionally. This picture is from February this year.

I have a rifle I owned since I was 19-20 it started out as a 8mm-06 then I had it rechambered to a 323 Hollis (308 Norma mag necked up to 8mm) I haven’t shot it years a gunsmith out of Forrest Grove did the chamber work. I need to dig it out and go shoot it. I should have it rebored to 358 Norma mag

Yep , need to refurbish it .
Been setting for 50 yrs or more .
7x57 Spanish Mauser , rear sight was dovetailed into barrel and somehow through the years got bumped off I guess .
Some old aftermarket stock .
Back in the day it was quart oil can accurate at 100yds .
Corelokts
Never shot it on paper .
Kenneth

Nope, foolishly traded it ( a new Mod 94 Classic Carbine in 1969) for a war time Walther P38 a Vet picked up off the battle field in North Africa ('79). It shot fine, later sold it for $180 ('80 ) bought a Leupold VXIII 2.5x8 with it. Was already Looney at 16, what hope was there for me 10 yrs later? lol

Win 94 30-30 pre 64 Grad gift from my dad he asked if i wanted a new one or old one, got one almost as old as me!

First was a Western Auto version of a Marlin 336 in 30-30. Bought it from a friend who needed money. I never hunted with it before I traded it for something else. First that I bought and hunted with was a Rem 710 in 30-06. Killed a few deer with it before I won a Ruger M77 in a raffle. Once I discovered what a nice rifle was, the 710 got traded off as well and I've never missed it. Gave the Ruger to my Dad for Christmas a few years back, so it's still in the family.

No, I sold it. It was a Remington Woodsmaster 742 in 30 06. Got it back in the early 70's. Killed several deer with it. I moved to an area that was shotgun only so I sold it and bought some fishing gear. I already had a couple of Rem 1100 12ga shotguns so I was good to go.

No, I don't have my original rifle. I bought it when I was 16 with ranch wages. It is a Winchester 670 in 30-06. Man that rifle was accurate. I sold it to my cousin for one reason. I had other rifles that just sat in the safe because I would always just grab the 670. I figured I should sell it so I would start using the others. This worked almost too well since now I have enough that I go through them thinking what will I use this year. I tried to buy the 670 back last year but my cousin butchered it up so bad I couldn't bring myself to do it. The cost wanted for it was double what I sold it for. Regrets.

Yes, a sako finnbear '06. I wanted to buy a rifle that would last.Think I did good, as it's been about 45 years and I'm sure will out live me. It did get a new scope a couple times though.

Yep still gets hunted now and then. 98 Mauser sporterized in 8x57 and wears a 2x7 Leupold. It were Moms hunting rifle at onetime.

You made a good first choice. I wish my first one was a Sako. It took me awhile to figure that out.