Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Only one gun..What would it be??

30-06, 280, or 7 Rem Mag. Not too much, not too little. Plus they arent too big and brutal for my older years.

Own an '06 already so Im set

North America, left hand bolt 35 Whelen

Worldwide, left hand bolt 404 Jeffery

+1 on the 300H&H

Well i maybe a bit eccentric. id go with a 8mm Rem Mag. I live in Alaska. Ive taken sheep,caribou,moose and bear with it. Ive also taken it to wyoming for mule deer. 180 grain nosler BT at 3300 ft per second, 200 grain swift A frame at 3100 ft per second,250 grain custom bullets at 2800 ft per second.
A bit overkill in lower 48 maybe but great all round round for alaska.Just not popular.

If you mean one rifle, it becomes a very different question from one gun. Assuming I could also have my 1911, then the rifle would be a good Mauser 98 in a sporting configuration in .30-06. Alternatively, a pre-64 Winchester 70 in the same caliber.

Drilling-12x12x308. BMT

weatherby MARK V in stainless/synthetic #3 barrel contour,muzzle brake,caliber 340 wby , with a bedding job and trigger job,....why?/ well I have 3 now like that that my sons and I use and they perform flawlessly, they are accurate,shoot flat enought for a on hair hold out to 350 yards when sighted in correctly, they blow thru ELK and DEER from any reasonable angle or range,its hard to see where any combo would work better than a 250 grain bullet at 2900fps, and they hit like THORS HAMMER!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> and I TOTALLY TRUST THE RIFLE

Right now, it would be my Remington 700 LH 270, lightened and all that stuff, 6.5 lbs scoped. Loaded to the hilt with Nosler partitions, it has never failed me in the field.

Accurate, and dependable. If I fire it, I'm generally getting out the knives.

280 improved
or 7mm wsm

Well, I already use one rifle for everything. I have been doing so for the past ten years with "The Alaskan," except that the rifle is a Ruger instead of Winchester. The rifle is a M77 MK-II, in .338WM caliber, topped with a Leupold Vary-X III 2.5-8x.

NULA 30-06 with Leupold 2.5-8 with the B&C reticle would probably take care of anything I would be after.

Lots of interesting answers here. Considering the type and scope of hunting that I have done, and what I will ever do in the future, I'd propbably have to decide whether it would be a .308 Win. or 30-06. The late jack O'Connor was once asked what he would choose if asked the, "Only one gun, what would it be." and he answered without hesitation the 30-06. The late Col. Townsend Whelen also once said, The 30-06 is never a mistake." That's powerful talk from two gentlemen who knew they way around guns.
based on my own hunting though, I could probably get away with the .308 Win., but I think I'll listen to what the late greats had to say.
For an action, I'd go with a good solid FN action. I like Mausers and they can be made to shoot very accurately. Barrel length would be 24", 1 in 12" twist. I'll probably never shoot 220 gr. bullets at anything anyway, but a 1 in 12" will stabilize a 220 gr. round nose to at leats 100 yards, and I doubt I'd be shooting at anything that required that heavy a bullet much fartgher than 100 yards.
Just as a side though, I have loaded 220 gr. Sierra round nose bullet to 2300 FPS in a 1 in 12" Winchester M70 in .308. groups at 100 yards ranged from .375" to .75" depending on the shooter (me) doing things right. I probably could push 2500 to 2550 FPS with that bulelt from a 1 in 12" 30-06.
Paul B.

Winchester pre-'64 action, .30-06, 22"-24" #3 contour stainless bbl, 1:10" twist, McMillan stock, glass/pillar bedded ... Leupold 3.5-10x40 w/ Premier #4 reticle and an elevation turret. Not too heavy, not too light, capable of being loaded up close to .300WM velocities, able to be loaded down to a recoil level that should be suitable for anyone capable of hunting North American big game ... bullet weight ranges from 110gr to 220gr in all shapes, sizes and styles ...

Yah, ... that would be it ... for someone that mainly deer hunts, but would like to hunt elk or moose at some point, as well as shoot at some of the smaller creatures ... not sure how that could be out-done if I HAD to have only one rifle ...

700 remington 7mm saum with 140 or 160 gr. noslers.

Only ONE!!! Hmmmm .... The leverguns are fun and MUCH more than their naysayers realize. .22's are chap, light and will suffice for most of the stuff I hunt, really, but it comes up short for much stuff. The .270 and '06 and .308 have much merit. The .45/70 is WAY more versatile than most would ever give it credit for, shooting everything from light round ball loads for squirrels to moose and bear loads, and even a pachyderm if one HAD to.

I think though, that I'd hold onto that Whelen. Fast enough for at least 300, and maybe 400, light and quick enough for close fast shots, and will shoot .38 pistol bullets or round balls for squirrel to coyote sized stuff. Yeah. I think it'd have to be the Whelen. Do I HAVE to give up the .45/70's though? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

Yes ... you must give up the .45/70 so PM me your addy and I'll send an FFL so you can ship me the rifle. BTW, since I'm feeling generous, I'll split the shipping 50-50 with you. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Marlin 30-30

for the Lower 48, Remington CDL in 7mm-08, 120g BT for deer, 150g partition for Elk

for Alaska, Remington CDL, rebarreled to 338-06, 180g for deer, 225g partitions for everything else.

Sycamore

If I could only have one gun it would have to be something big enough for me to shoot myself with! What a horrible thing to suggest! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

I love Chrome's suggestion because I love the caliber. Of the guns that I currently own I would take my Pre'64 Model 70 in, dramatic pause, 30-06. If I get to buy a new one then I'd take a Thompson Encore with 5 barrels in 22lr, 223, 257 AI, 338 Win Mag, and 12 GA.

It would be my Winchester Model 70 Classic Super Grade 30-06 with 3.5x10x40 Leupold. I would sure miss the rest but that is the one I would keep. I can forsee circumstances where I would trade or sell any other rifle I own but not that one.