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

You've got a point! Still I'm staying Ruger but maybe make that 7mm a leftie!

Atta boy, Brad! My 308 is a M70 FW SS in a McMillan FW stock with a Leupie 2x7, which for me is ideal. I do 95% of my hunting with it and have no serious ideas on how to improve on it.

I coulda saved myself a lot of time and money if I'd just gone to that in the beginning - but that statement could apply to a lot of things in life.

Very nice rifles, Brad - 308 is an easy pic nice Kimber. Interesting to see 223 listed numerous times.

Yes folks - did mean an all around centerfire for North America, and if you wish and hunt elsewhere, throw that in the mix.

That 257 above sure makes me re-think the Bob

No doubt - no bad choices as surely everyone picks based on their needs, what and where they hunt.

Interesting thread here, and nice to see a few using fixed powers. Not that there is anything wrong with a quality variable.

JB - nice touch re: irons - never know...

I have had the perfect rifle for a while, but had been too big of a bonehead to realize it. My Ruger 77 Ultralight in 257 Roberts topped of with a Leupold 1-4�20 has worked pretty good. I got side tracked for a while but have come back around. I recently found that it likes 100 grain core-lokts loaded by Wisconsin Cartridge Company. Time to seriously consider trimming the fat now.

If I were to start over I'd go with a Kimber Montana or Forbes in 243 Win with a Leupold 4x.

Dale

Cheesy, what a wonderful rifle!

Many years ago when I lived in Missouri for College and hunted WT deer from a stand, I did the bulk of it with a 250 Savage, 257 Rob and 308. All wood/blued.

Personally, were I back there now, there's no way I'd not have a rifle exactly like yours. No stainless/fiberglass wanted or needed. Give me a beautiful piece of walnut to enjoy while wiling away the hours on a deer stand...

John, you're preaching to this choir on all counts!

And yours is one of my all-time favorite rifles... have had 2 SS m70 Fwt's in 308 Win and still kicking myself for letting them go.

Hard to beat the 2-7x33 too... one of my all-time favorite scopes.

Now this is my idea of a working rifle. When you want to sell it contact me please!

Great picture too...

In reality it's hard to beat a .308 for an all-around rifle for anything other than large, dangerous game--which is why I always have one, and usually more than one.

Right now I have two, a Merkel K1 single-shot with really nice wood and game scenes on the receiver. The scope is in detachable mounts that take about 5 seconds to remove or replace, and the whole thing can be taken apart and put in a 30" take-down case--or even in a daypack. It weighs an ounce under 7 pounds with a Bausch & Lomb 3000 3-9x40, and shoots very well.

Took it apart and put it in a take-down case fore a trip to the Northwest Territories for caribou a few years ago, and when I got there put it back together again. The first 150-grain AccuBond landed two inches high, dead center, at 100 yards. I started to stand up from the make-shift bench, and the camp manager said, almost angrily, "One's not enough," so I sat down and put another right next to the first. When I stood up again he didn't say anything.

The other is a Ruger American that weighs 7 pounds 4 ounces with a 3-9x Burris Fullfield II, and it shoots even better than the Merkel!

Have used both for some hunting, but not enough, which is what happens when you have too damn many rifles.

I think my 7-08 Remington 700 Classic with a 3-9x40 Nikon Monarch
could be loaded up or down to let the air out of pretty much anything I could point at in the northern hemisphere, but I have to add that's todays choice. Tomorrow I'm sure I'll have a different combination.....

Thanks Brad but not for sale, although I could live with a straight swap with your Montana. Thats a nice rifle.

I've used a 30-06 for years, but always wanted something smaller. I think that is why I chose the 308 over the 7mm-08- I had a good supply of .308 dia bullets on hand. 150-165 grn hornady interlock for PA deer and bear, and speer 125 grn tnt for groundhogs. The 110 v-max is going to get a try this summer tho if I can tear myself away from the .22's.

If this were for hunting all over North America, and money were no object, probably either a worked-over, stainless, New Haven Winchester 70 (probably go with a Brown stock) OR a Remington 700 Ti with a slightly heavier barrel contour in 7mm Rem mag, although a 30-06 would be fine too. If confined to more localized stuff (meaning not big bears, elk, or moose), probably the same in 7-08. If on a budget, probably just a stainless Remington 700 in 7-08 or .243.

I'd use Talley lightweights and a Leupold 6-18X40 with a standard or maybe heavy Duplex regardless of the rifle chosen.

Smart feller. I wouldn't sell it either, but thought it was worth a try

Here's my 30-06 version of your rifle with sights and bansner stock:

John, I've always gravitated back to the 308... it does everything the 30-06 does and, while it may be just me, I notice a definite recoil difference between the two... plus, being a frugal Norwegian, 46 grains of powder is kinda nice

Winchester 70, 30-06, 4x Leupold scope

Brad,

Yeah, I notice the recoil difference too, even with 180's, which I don't use much in the .308 but have handloaded from time to time just to see what they'll do (along with some 200's). And being another frugal Norwegian, I like 46 grains myself!

Tikka LH 308. Fixed 6x Leupy.

God I would hate only having 1

A .223 is plenty for all the hunting I actually do (Texas whitetails, pronghorns, hogs, varmints, axis, blackbucks)

Just an old Mauser 98 in 7x57 with a 3x9 on it.

Rem LTR 308
Leupold 3.5-10 mil-dot

If I didn't own any centerfire rifles, I'd buy a Forbes in 6.5x55 and a fixed six leupy.