Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Pick one caliber and rifle for everything

Remington Mountain Rifle in .30-06 caliber.

If I only have one rifle then I can't afford to go to Africa or Alaska right?
I have a 25-06 on FN Mauser action with some XXX fancy California Claro Walnut that is hand checkered by Larry Ahlman.
That should kill what I can afford to hunt. I can sit and look at the checkering when I'm bored.
whelennut

300 Win Mag in a Model 70..shooting a 180 at 3100fps....with a 3.5-10X Leupold on top it will work for everything.....

I could very easily make due with a short, light, .350 Remington Magnum...

Would prefer it to be stainless, 18.5-20" barrel, lightweight synthetic stock, matte finish with some sort of black or camo covering the metal and stock.

I have a Ruger 77MKII All-Weather that is a great shooter but at almost 9# just too heavy. The Remington 600 is a just a beautifully balanced gun but not stainless. Have a M7 KS coming in this week but it also isn't stainless but I am hoping will be "just right" in every other way.

One gun that will shoot pistol bullets for small game and varmints to 250s for anything that walks...

Bob

One Rifle? YOu've got to be kidding me! Merely the thought gives me the heebie-jeebies. Why on God's green Earth would anyone want to limit themselves to just one rifle?

He!!! Realistically I'd just like to get down to fifty! Even tho' I only hunt deer... I just might make another trip out west Elk hunting... And then, I've always wanted to spend a week or two shooting Prarie Dogs... That activity alone would necessitate 3-5 rifles...

And then, of course, one needs several .22 rifles for just plain fun! If for no more reason than plinking cans...

But then; I regress...

Wow only one....I would go with my 300 Weatherby Mag as I know this gun the best and can shoot it pretty well.

My Sauer S202 in 9.3x62 and S&B scope with illuminated reticle.

It be my .270 Win. SS Mod.70, Hart barrel, H&S stock, and a 6X Leupold. I'd need a supply of 150gr. Nosler Partitions and a ton of H4831. Be good enough for any cud chewer.

My choice for a "do all" rifle would actually be one that I already have. It is a Blaser R-93 Professional 9.3x62 Tracker, and I have a Swarovski Z6i 1.7-10 sighted in as well as the open sights.

Practically, all of my hunting has been in the west, elk, mule deer, whitetail and pronghorn. Setting that as the basis I'd have to go with my Winchester 70 Classic Stainless Featherweight in 7mm Mag topped with a Leupold Vari-XII 3-9x42. It may not be the ideal rifle for every situation, but there's no situation I can think of where it wouldn't work. Light enough to pack in the mountains, shoots heavy enough with 175's for elk and big mulies, shoots flat enough with 140's for pronghorn. It's the rifle that I take on a hunt no matter what, if it's not my primary, it's my backup rifle.

It originally started as a non-catalogued item from Winchester in stainless with a walnut stock. After a couple of hunts, I got scared of scratching up my walnut stock and replaced it with the Featherweight synthetic stock that I ordered from Winchester. The trigger was worked over by a gunsmith and is perfection in a hunting rifle. There's also sentimental value to it in that it was the first hunting rifle that I had bought for myself.

If going to Alaska or Africa, I'd definately want to step up in cartridges. For but all my "practical" purposes, I can't think of a better rifle.

Im gonna have to go with ol jack o'connor, my .270 win remington 700 ADL with Nikon buckmasters 3x9x40

If I had the means to hunt everything from pronghorn to elephant and everything in between and HAD to do it with one rifle, the one rifle in my safe that could do it all and do it reasonably well is a Mauser 99 in 9.3x64. Certainly too much for the small stuff and not overpowering on the pachyderms but with the right bullet it would do it all.

The best all-around rifle I ever owned was a M70 classic stainless 26" factory 300Wby in a Brown stock with a 3.5-10X40 Leupold on top. Whether I used a 165XLC at 3370, a 200 A-Frame at 3050 or anything in between, it was a death ray.

But I wouldn't choose it. I would take my '59 M70 fwt 30-06 with english stock and the VX-III 1.75-6X32 on board in low Conetrols. I would need to get a Hunters Edge for rough hunting. The only load I would need is its standard load of the 150TSX at an easy 2950 fps with 59 grains of H4350 S/C.

8mm Remington Magnum built off a Sako L 61 R.

Growing up in Indiana, we didn't have a CF rifle in the house. But, on graduating college, my dad got me a SS/Lam Ruger in 338 Win Mag. He was far from a Loony and wanted to get me something that would likely cover anything I'd likely hunt. So far, pronghorns to elk it hasn't not worked. That, and loosing my father last year at only 58yo it'd be the last one I'll get rid of. Still got lots of memories to make with that rifle.

I would have to go with either the 7mm RM or 308 win. I can't think of anything on this continent that one of these couldn't handle.

.280ai

Being as we are talking rifles here my bunny through birds habit is covered by my shotgun so.....I am going to be well served by my 35 Whelen. Older Ruger 77 with a 21 inch barrel, open sights topped by an FX II 4X as back up. Crisp 3 lb trigger, it sits in a B&C stock I have pillar bedded and has a 12 1/2 inch LOP.
Fits me really well and suits my style of hunting perfectly.

Actually I was thinking that spending money on only ONE rifle, or selling all the others, would allow one to go to Africa or Alaska with the saved money. That's kinda the point.
When I think of all the cash I could have saved, that I've spent on guns in the past 45 years or so, I could go on one hell of a nice African safari. . . . . . .

I think you'll remember the hunt more as well!!