Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters If you could Start ALL over - and ONLY own 1 Rifle + Scope ???

If you mean now, like everything lost in a fire, it would be a LH Tikka .243 with a Leupold 6x36 in Tikka mounts but with better screws.

If you mean go back in time and start again, being lefthanded, I'd give great thought to a Remington 760 in .30-06 with a Leupold M8 6x36 if they made them 40 years ago, otherwise it would be an M8 4X. Probably use Weaver mounts.

I think I might be building right now,

Model 70 SS classic action, #2 Pacnor 23", PT&G Aluminum Oberndorf bottom metal, Echols Edge stock, Talley lightweights.

I have not decided on optics yet.
VX3 2.5-8
VX3 3.5-10
or
VX6 2-12

Oh yeah, caliber is going to be 300 H&H.

Hmmmmm, only one rifle for everything (big game I assume). I would have a FN made Winchester Model 70 in a Sporter chambered in 30.06. I would top it with a VX3 3.5-10.

There are two ways to interpret the question:

1) What rifle would have worked on every animal you've killed already? I killed my first big game animal in 1966, and have killed a wide variety since. Despite some of them being considered large and dangerous and close up, and some being much smaller at ranges out to 500 yards, every one could have been taken with a .30-06 and 180-grain Nosler Partitions.

But hindsight is always 20/20. There might have been SOME situation where that might not have worked--though so far there hasn't been.

2) Might use the .375 H&H instead, just for emergencies--but it wouldn't have been near as pleasant to shoot, especially when shooting a lot of animals. I have, however, used one to cull a bunch of springbok that didn't weigh over 100 pounds--and anything that can be killed with a .30-06 and 180's can be killed with a .375 and 260-270 grain bullets.

Would probably choose a fixed 6x in detachable mounts, probably Talleys with an aperture sight on the rear base, and a rugged front fiber-optic front sight.

If I have only one, it would have to be a custom. Something along a traditional English rifle or early Griffin & Howe built on a commercial mauser or springfield action but with a more modern stock designed for scope use. Caliber would have to be 30-06. I don't have an '06 now, but if limited to one gun I think that would do me. Leupold VX3 2.5-8 in very nice steel mounts similar to Conetrol.

It would have to have nice wood, hand checkered, inlayed swivels, very basic engraving, color casehardened action, high luster blued finish.

Sounds expensive, but if I added up what I currently had I could have easily paid for it. A Rigby or Westley-Richards would be nice in a modern stock as well.

Ruger 77 All Weather with Leupold VX3 3.5x10-40 in 30-06. Kind of basic I know.

Some sort of bolt action 223 with a fast twist. Leupold fixed power scope.

Well I was thinking those parameters when I bought this rifle, I was looking for a 7mm-08 but when it came time to plunk the money down I changed my mind and went with this 308. Not sure why I went 308 over 7mm-08 but don't regret it. It wears a m8 4x in weavers. Only thing I would add is sights.

New Haven mod 70 classic stainless .308

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My first rifle was a Winchester M70 Featherweight in .243 win. It now wears a Leupold Rifleman 3-9x40. There isn't much I couldn't have done with it over the years.

I like the way you think!!

My Win 70, 300 would do equally well. I PREFER your scope choice too.


ONE rifle for everything?? Why?

I know it would be NOTHING less than an 06.

Were close here. I would take my NULA, 223, 1-8" twist but would use a VX-3 2.5-8X36...

I can't think of a better rifle than my M70 Fwt 30-06 in a Brown Precision kevlar Pound'r with the Leupold 6X36 matte LR on top.

This one:
35 Whelen
Rem 700 SPS action
24" SS barrel 1 in 12 twist
Mcmillan Edge
Leupold 6x36

A stainless action would have been nice but the SPS action is fine, the Manners lightweight stocks they would get a serious look from me and I would have the LR reticle instead of the Duplex.



These bullets could easily handle anything I would want to hunt close or far big or small, the 200 gr Accubond, 250 gr Speer, 275 Woodleigh. One load would work if it came to that, the 225 gr Accubond.

This is an interesting concept, and a viable one if I was never to hunt buffalo ( cape) or big bears.


There ARE limits to which I will take the cf .22s

I'm gathering parts for what I intend to be my last big game rifle now. I'm 35, so we'll see how this "last rifle" really works out for the next (hopefully) 45 or 50 years.

Winchester Model 70 action. Unfortunately, pre-64s carry a higher than actually worth price tag, so mine is an FN. Timney trigger, which I actually prefer to the old style Win trigger.

#2 barrel. I ordered a Bartlein, but many would work fine.

Wood stock. Claro straight grain with fiddleback, ebony tip, red recoil pad. Not too obnoxious, but nice enough to keep me interested when there are no deer or elk about.

Talley standard rings and bases. Leupold 6x42 with LRD.

Oh yeah, 30-06.

First: resurrect Monty Kennedy, find a perfect stick of true French, action/CM Rem clone ( modified rear tang ) but with floating bolt head ala Savage, titanium bottom metal and mounts, no iron sights, lightly engraved, Bartlien 1-9 22.75" barrel CM, hot dip blued using Burgess process, Henriksen reamer, 7RM, weight at 7.25# with 3x9, 145 Barnes LRX at 3100 fps.

VZ24 action, forged bolt handle, m70 safety, ER Shaw 24" #2 1/2, hinged floor plate(release in bow), Timney featherweight trigger. nice piece of checkered walnut, FX3 6x42...in 8x57.

Remington 700 bdl 7mm rem mag with a leupold vxii 4-12x40 on top.

Limits!!!

For North America it would be a left handed model 70, 35 Whelen, 24 inch barrel and a Leupold 2x-7x. Beautiful stick of French walnut, barrel band swivel and NECG front sight (patridge style blade). It would be drilled and tapped for a Lyman 48 receiver sight as an open sight option.

If Africa was an option it would be the same rifle but chambered for 400 Whelen.

Mart