Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles WHAT RIFLE SET UP.... One Man, One Rifle, One Land

I was saddened immensely after reading this book back in Australia. The reason for my sadness was that the ammo he used was loaded in the 1970's by a deceased friend.

That was not the part that saddened me, though I understandthe sentiment, it was the statement that the MTM box of mixed partition containing 150, 165 and 200 grain partitions was all that was necessary to cover his next 25 years of hunting.

After burning 25-30 pounds of powder a year, it was a shock.

JW

After shooting deer with several common and not so common calibers, I've all but made up my mind to settle on a couple of decent loads in my 30-06 that can be used for just about anything within reason.
I have a new Hawkeye in 257Rob that will be my light rifle that can also be my wifes rifle if she chooses to hunt.
I keep dinking with different calibers and rifles each year, spending money that could go for a hunt. I guess I'm also a little tired of shooting groups trying to get something workable. I would rather get in some field practice along with shooting for fun. Time is precious.
This all may be born out of having to work harder than I think a guy should to get rifles to shoot in recent years.
Looking back in notes and from memory I did not have to work this hard to get rifles to shoot well years back and that was before I messed with triggers, bedding and had cheap scopes on everything.
I don't expect my rifles to shoot bug holes, but getting 1 1/2 MOA from the get go should not be to much to ask.

Seems to me that some of the best hunters I know hunt with one or two rifles for everything they do.
Just my .02

This thread is HERESY! And something I think about doing all the time:

1. Clean up and sell just about every firearm I currently own.
2. Take the proceeds and build a modest collection of hunting and defense arms in standard calibers.
3. Spend the rest of my days hunting at every opportunity.

My good ol' 700 Mountain Rifle .270 purchased at a yard sale in 1988-89 is sitting scopeless, got a 6x36 Leupy sitting in a closet. And can get Talleys at Bass Pro in Nashville...

Yeah, a .22-250, .270 and a .375 really could do it all for hunting...

Just clicked on CMG's link, and Holy Moley! That issue of SI was printed the day after I was born!

Too bad my dad was reading Jack O'Connor and Elmer Keith in those days...

Also noticed he didn't kill a single animal in North America east of the Mississippi...

I am sort of going in that same direction. I am looking at the .204Ruger, .270 Win. and the 375 H&H. Of course "loonyism" could show up at any given time.

cmg,
Thanks for the link. Its printed and in my folder.

Yes, without a moment of hesitation. The .270Win from 130's to 160's can get it done.

For a one-rifle-rifle I'd do a Kimber 84L 30-06 cut to 22 or 23" with a Leupold of some sort on top in detachable Talley's with backup open sights installed. I'd just stick with 180 Partitions for everything. A Kimber 308M Montana would work equally well no doubt.

cmg,
Now use your skills to find and link the August 1973 Sports Afield story by John Jobson on the 7x57.

I followed Fitzs' reference back to the SI of 091657. There, Ed Zern gives the reader his opinion on a 10 gun battery including handguns, rifles and shotguns. Pretty interesting.

I met him a few years back.He was on Vancouver Island hunting elk.Y.J was using a new Remington rifle chambered in 7mm Remington Ultra Mag.

now isnt then and then is when he wrote the book...

I've been on that road for a few years. I've already sold (two-7mm-08, 338WM, 7mmRM Ti, and 243) I'm down to: Kampfeld 250 Savage Ackley, CDLSF Thirty-06, DG 375HH. I only have two left to sell VS 223, and Savage 99 EG 300. I'm finding it hard to get rid of them.

I know Bigwhoop has move his fair share of Kimber, because I purchased one for my dad.

Doesn't include 77/17HMR and SS 10/22 Mannlicher.

Yes I have moved a bit of "iron". I went into the archives of that Fitz article and you can open the pages of that issue.
His rifle was a Rem. 30 with a rear peep setup that allowed you to site under the scope rings and line up on a specially built front site. Pretty ingenious setup.

168 TSX in front of 57 gr of H414 out of my 1978 Tikka will drop deer, bear and moose wihout a hitch. If I had to, perhaps a 200 gr accubomb for everything else that was bigger than a moose. If I were buying new glass for it, it would be a 2.5-8x36 Leupy VX-III. Right now it wears a Mueller 3-10 TAC-II.

jones "retired" his adl 30-06 after he took that last animal needed to complete his quest (with that one rifle). i read in a gun rag a few years ago that he has moved on to use other semi-custom and custom rifles. he has the coin to afford any rifle he wants.

I'm betting the memories of the hunts will last longer and be looked upon more later in life than any rifle you could own. I know when I was sitting with my dad, whom had less than 2mos to live, we didn't talk about the things we'd had, but we did talks lots about the things we did.

Pointer,

that post of yours carries a wisdom and the makings for a sigline.

Any man could do worse than following the advice of minding more the thing he did vs the things he has.

Bigwhoop,

I can not find that Jobson article either. I have looked for it for so time now.

I am in the middle of having this basic idea of a rifle built. I was lucky enough to buy it all here online at the campfire. Once complete I will call it my campfire rifle! Remington 700 ADL with iron sights '06 in a take off stock from a Remington Ti. X Mark trigger installed and currently have the rifle bedded at the smith. Also got a Leupy FXII 6x36 with post/duplex installed and will sit in QR rings for if and when the irons need to be used.

Plan to work up a 165gr Sierra hpbt load and a 180gr partition load.

I made the descission to get this gun setup that way and learn it like the back of my hand. Range time will be a commitment and then hunt the dog out of it.

Sound Wisdom. Just don't tell the CRF addicts.

JW