Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles What's Your "Basic" Rifle?

[bleep] that was a wet week.

yeah it was.... hell, that was the dry day!

How do you know, I was the one waiting in the [bleep] for you whilst you was back at the Cove drinking Mimosas

#4MK1 Lee Enfield 5 shot magazine JCHiggens sporterised with a Trashco 2x7. I traded a box of 308 reloads for it. This is my loaner as I have $5.00 invested and it is safe and reliable.

My personal go to no frills is a Ruger tang 77 in 338Winmag Ruger that has been my everything from rabbit to big bear rifle. I took it to Africa as a back up in case my 3006 pooched on me. Once the hunt started I used it exclusively because I shot it instinctually very well.

I did use the Tikka 06 for a deer last fall and a bear this fall, so it is getting a little game time.

I had windows.....

TFF

Pretty much all of my big game rifles are �basic� rifles. Eight came to me gently used, three were purchased new. Plus one custom and one in process, which I guess would be the only ones that qualify as something other than �basic�.

Here�s my .30-06�s, top to bottom:

Ruger .30-06 M77 w/ slide safety (used)
Ruger MKII stainless/laminate (used)
Remington M700 �Special Purpose Wood� (new)



Here�s the stainless Ruger .30-06 after I put it I a �boat paddle� stock:



The action in the bottom is a Ruger MKII long action with a magnum bolt face. The stock is off the stainless .30-60. Polished up the trigger last night, probably won�t order the barrel until after Christmas. It will definitely fall in the �not-so-basic� category when done.

A pair of tang safety Ruger M77's. One a first year edition and one a last year. Both are just like they rolled out of the factory with wood stocks. Both wear a Leupold scope bought at the same time as the rifle. My dad bought the early one and I bought the late one off the rack new.

Neither has let me down and just get it done every time rain or shine even tho I own rifles that I paid considerably more for.

I bought my brother a 30-06; he was in college and broke, I was flush at the time. DAMN I miss being flush <g>!!

I set him up with a M700 30-06 in a plastic stock, 22" barrel (it was the "cheap" M700 before the SPS came out), blued, with a Leupold 2-7 in Leupold DD rings. I did a trigger job on it but that was it. That's a pretty basic setup.

My '06 is a bit fancier (that's it on the bottom) but it's the same idea... Pac-Nor sporter weight barrel in an opened-up Mountain LSS stock... bedded and floated, trigger worked over. Honestly I've looked in my safe and I could do just fine with my first two big game rifles, which were that 30-06, and my M7 .358 which used to be a 7mm-08.

Boy that was confusing. I mean I'd be fine with my '06 and .358.

30-06 is about as basic as it gets... along with .270 and .308 and 30-30...

My Remmy M700 mountain rifle in 308. I put it into a laminated MR stock and that's it - still has the pressure point in the barrel channel and hasn't been bedded. Shoots 150 and 165 gr handloads great.

Base, loaner, truck guns:

Marlin XS-7 in 243. All factory, except for the Krylon.
Mossberg 472 in 30-30. All factory, except for the Uncle Mike's QD studs.
Savage 24F in 223/20.
Winchester/USRA 70 Super Shadow in 25 WSSM.

Jeff

Well I think now it will be a Gander Mtn Mountain Guide, stainless 243Win I picked up here on the campfire. I had the stock painted and Kampfeld fluted the bolt, been bedded also but other than putting a FXII 6x36 with LR dotz on it its all stock. Shoots great, will be a nice all around rifle

That would be this Ruger M77 RS 35 Whelen. Mods are a bead blast and blue, a #1 sling swivel band, a fixed rear sight blade with a sourdough front filed in for a 200 yard zero. I fitted it into a used and abused Basner stock I found in a junk bin. A Leuppy VXII 2-7X in low Leuplod mounts tops it. A fairly lightweight thumper. About anyone is more than welcome to use it. Give a shout and it will be in the mail.

Sako AV Fiberclass 6.5x55 with Leupold 6x42.

My basic rifle is very similar to yours, it's a Ruger Hawkeye Ultra Light Stainless (they only made it one year) in 30.06....it's light, handles well, shoots pretty accurate, MOA with a cool barrel and is tough as nails, I have a Leupold VX II 3-9x40 wide duplex matte finish scope on it, I can't think of a better all around rig..................Hillbilly.

This 1945 99EG would be my basic rifle. Be happy to loan it out as long as I weren't using it, would give me an excuse to take out my other 99's.

Works for me...




And my son...

Calhoun, that's a nice couple o bucks.

I wish I had a computer. I can't figure out how to put pictures on here with this Droid phone. At least it gets me on the fire.

My basic rifle is explained in my signature. I've took several deer, my first coyote, a big nice bobcat(146 steps, 180 grain Norma oryx, in and out, no damage, waitin to get him back from taxidermist.), and I plan on carryin it on many more hunts in the future. I can't imagine a better all around gun, at least for north America.

Mine is an Argentine Model 98 Mauser in 7x57. No frills, it just shoots better than expected for an old military. D&T for scope mounting and new bolt handle. I cut down the military stock forened to make it look like a real rifle... Glass bedded it too. Does about 1 1/2" groups for 3 shots at 100 yards. GREAT swamp rifle in the rain.

A pre 64 M70 FW in 270 Winchester with a 4X scope.

Husqvarna .30-06, it was my grand fathers.

When in doubt, it is the one that goes out.