Naturally, there is a lot of talk about the latest and greatest rifles and cartridges on the board. As I was reading some threads, it got me thinking about my first BG rifle. Despite all the new stuff that's come along, I still use a 303. I shot the barrel out of an ancient WW1 No1 Mk 3. It was replaced with another surplus 303 which I still own and use.

Does anyone still use and reload their first rifle as their primary?

Nope. It was a Ruger M77 7mm Mag I bought new in 1976. I replaced it with a Ruger UL 308 Win.

Nope. I don't have any of the centerfires I had 20 years ago. Always been a bit of a wheeler dealer with guns. I either don't get them to shoot and trade them off, or I do get them to shoot and get bored after a while, and trade them off. Not near to the extent that I used to, though.

I took my first few rifle deer with a Ruger 96/44. It kicked like a mule compared to any other 44 rifle I've shot before or since, and it was about a pie tin shooter at 100yds, so I moved onto better things after a couple seasons hunting with it.

My first deer rifle was a No.4 Mk.1, 303 British, given to me in 1970 by my new bride. I used it for a few years and then bought a Marlin 336 in 35 Rem. The 35 i still have, the 303 is long gone. However, my first "real" deer rifle, the one I've killed more deer with than all others combined, is a Remington 700 Classic 270 Winchester. I still have it too.

Yes!
Remington 700 Enhanced SS DM 25-06. I don’t use it exclusively, but I end up taking it a few days a year. It is on its third different stock and 6th (I think?) scope now. It has been a tack driver since o bought it.

My first game rifle no longer had rifling for maybe 4” in front of the chamber. I traded in for a rifle I still have.

Own, Yes. Use, rarely, but that will change. 1952 Winchester 70 FWT in .308. It's very accurate, but has a slow barrel. I've killed a good number of deer with that rifle, and it's got a lot of sentimental value. Won't ever sell it, took my screen name from it.

Old70

Yes I still hunt with mine, but it's not my primary hunting rifle. My Pop bought the 32 win special used 1914 and gave it to me when I was 8. Been killing deer regularly since then with it.

Yes, my Remington 700 BDL LH in 270 Winchester made in 1977. Now has a B&C stock, Timney trigger, Leupold 4.5x14 scope in Talleys. Stock has been bedded, barrel free floated, and muzzle recrowned.

It shoots well with 110 grn TTSX's with H4350 at 3250 fps, and 150 grn Partitions with RL-26 at 2950 fps.

Sorta! I bought a Win. Model 88, 308 Win when I was 14 (1967). I had it until a few years ago, when I gave it to my son! I hadn’t used it since 1982, when I retired it! memtb

I bought my first rifle, a pre-war Model 70 .30-06 in 1964 when I was fifteen. It had a bore somewhat speckled, probably from shooting corrosive ammo and not being cleaned properly. It nevertheless shot fairly well, but in 1965 I had it rebarreled with a Douglas 26" heavy sporter barrel for the then popular .25-06 wildcat. It was the only hunting rifle I had for about ten years and it was fired a good bit. I continue to shoot it occasionally. After at least a couple of thousand rounds and some throat wear, it's still accurate.

I still have them both. I rarely use them. I did take my pre64 3006 to Canada but i won't fly with it

No. First was an eighteen dollar 303. It's gone. Second was a new in box Model 600 Rem in 6mm about 1964. Still have that one.

Yes, the ol' 270. 700 BDL I bought in 1972. The last 15 years or so it has carried a Pac-Nor barrel in a B&C Alaskan stock. Haven't used it as much in a while since getting on a 250 and 257 kick. I did take a doe with it last fall just to keep it from getting too depressed.

Still have but haven't shot in years. M94 30-30 made in the late 20's. My grandfather gave it to me around 1963 when I started deer hunting.

Pay no attention to that Garand.

Sure do. Rem 721 30-06 first deer & many many hogs.

Yes, it is a Stevens double 12 gauge. I killed a half dozen deer and doves with it. I bought it at a Globe store on North Shepard Drive in Houston, 1969. I’ll dig it out, get a pic of the old thing. I still shoot crows with it. I paid 60.00 new. Ain’t a rifle, but it was my first gun.

No but my nephew has it. Marlin 30-30. I still have and use my second acquired a year later at 15, Remington 760 30-06.

Some. My first was my dad's 32. But at that time I only borrowed it. My first rifle of my own was a .30-06 that was my grandfathers. A model 54. I have both and use them from time to time.

Yes.

A 1970 M94 Winchester in .30-30 that I'd saved paper route money for. It'll see a couple days a year afield and seems to bring good luck.

Yep. A 1974 700 BDL .30-06 that I bought brand new for $135.00 Going to take it on my first Elk hunt this year. Going full circle with it!

Yep - mostly anyhow. 1985 Rem 700 BDL in 300 win mag. Bought it new for $300 at Jerry’s Sporting Goods with my paper route money. shot the you know what out if it as a teen hunting deer, jackrabbits, elk. Shot at boulders across the canyon, beer bottles. It’s one of the few guns I have shot the barrel out of. I finally had it rebarreled about five years ago but I just don’t shoot the big boomers much these days as I have a few varmint calibers these days that are much more pleasant to shoot.

Still have it, sits in back corner of safe. Back in 1981 my dad bought an old sporterized 98 Mauser in 7 x 57 from my uncle. It had went through his house fire, Dad gave him a few bucks for it, cleaned it up, had our local gunsmith check it out. He deemed it good to go, re-blued it, Dad refinished the stock and I’ve had it ever since. Stopped using it when I bought my Ruger 77 Liberty model .257 Bob about 10 years later. Lots of great memories dragging that ol Mauser around the woods! Great thread!

Doc_Holidude

Yep, a Remington 700 BDL DM .280 Rem. I killed my largest whitetail with it when we lived in MT. It used to love factory loaded 140 gr NOS BT’s, but I haven’t found any since we moved to AK. I just hope I can repeat the factory accuracy with a hand load soon.

Mine was a Marlin 336 30-30 but i only kept it one year until i bought me a brand new Ruger 77 (tang safety) 7mm Mag, it wore a Weaver 3-9. I killed My first Whitetail with this rifle in 1984 a three point but these rifles are since long gone. I wish I still had the Marlin.....Hb

Very cool! ...Good luck 👍....Hb

i use to go to jerry's all the time for reloading stuff

Yes, a Rem 700 adl 270 Win. in 1978.
At the time I was a young man with a wife and baby on the way. I couldn’t really afford hunting and fishing equipment without severely cutting into the family budget so I took a second job nights and weekends at Sunset Sports in Salt Lake City.
They offered a generous employee discount and pretty much all of my earnings went to acquiring that rifle, a couple of 870 Wingmasters, a Ruger Single Six convertible, a 12 ga. Ponsness Warren press, and various other reloading and fishing related kit.
Still have all the guns and most of the rest. Those were the days.

Yes sir---It's a Remington 700 LH 30/06 that I bought in 71. It's been everywhere with me. It's the only rifle I use except for the 375 Ruger that I had to use for cape buffalo. That 06 has taken hogs in TX, moose in WY, elk--deer--bighorn sheep--mtn goat--mtn lion--antelope---blk bear in CO & grizzly & blk bear in AK. Every nick, gouge & scratch in that walnut stock is a precious memory. Bob

We are are close. I bought my 88 in .308 back in 1964. Paid $125 for it. I was 21 at the time. I have not used it for awhile. If center fire, it is usually my pre 64 Model 70 in .06 that was my FIL's or my 6.5 Swede Mauser. Last two years it has been my muzzle loader. I had to give up the rifles as I couldn't do the cold anymore.

Still have my trusty Remington 700 BDL 30/06 I purchased in Aberdeen SD in March of 1980. Have shot many deer in SD, MT, and WI with it. However, over the years, particularly more recent years, I've accumulated more rifles in 30/06, 7x57, 32Spl and 35 Whelan. So I rotate through those, and that first 700 BDL doesn't get the love it used to. I will say, the last whitetail buck I shot was with that trusty rifle and a 150gr Speer Hot-Cor.

1963...It's long gone, it was an NRA sale '03-A3 Springfield. I wanna say I think it was only 20 or 30 bucks. But I was a firefighter and only got 320 a month with board and room. You can imagine the sporterizing job an 18 yr old did. But it was the first with totally my own money. I do remember, that I thought that it didn't kick any harder than that damn .30-30 my parents bought me years earlier.

Honestly don't remember my first big game rifle. Probably a 1903 30/06 or maybe a 303 Jungle carbine. Definitely don't have either one.

still have my 1964 rem.700,bdl in 7mm. serial # in the 45000

I think it's great that some of you still have your first CF. As I said, my first rifle went away. It was a tired, worn out WWI surplus rifle. This one I got in the early 1980s. It is on its third barrel. the first two were 303 scrounge. The third is a Shilen barrel blank, contoured and chambered in 30-303. I kept the chamber, but used a 308 barrel.



This is the rifle after I swapped out the original barrel. It was a Long Branch Arsenal barrel, lightly used.

The rifle below is the latest. Shilen 308. I reworked the wood and metal because it was showing its age. So the barrel isn't original, and the rest is restored. My grandkids can have it when I'm done with it.

Nope. My first one is long gone and good riddance. M1916 Spanish Mauser with a horrible bore. Used it one year, 1967, and was mighty glad to have it but truth be told I was cock-a-hoop about actually deer hunting for the first time and would've been happy carrying a sling shot. The second rifle is the one I actually wish I had back - an original M1896 Krag cavalry carbine, which was the first that I bought with my own money, $30.

Yep, although it’s not my primary. Rem model 7 in .260. I’ve been getting it ready for my son to use this year. Just put in a triggertech and a better scope, and my dad tested out the 100gr BT reduced load on a doe this fall.

Yes, I still have my first rifle. It is a Winchester model 94 30.30. I killed my first deer with it in 1954, I was just shy of my 12th birthday.

No! It went into a lake in interior Alaska, in May of 1979. Stepped out of a canoe onto lake ice and in I went. Rifle went too. Tried twice in the next year to find it but never did. LH savage 110 in 30-06.

My first rifle was a Ruger .243. I shot everything with it for a couple of years then started aquiring other rifles. When I got my first Roberts the .243 was doomed. It sat for over 10 years in my safe. I was going to give it to my nephew when he got his licence but he met a girl and that was the end of that. A mate wanted to buy iy for his son but somehow I just didn't want to get rid of it, even though I didn't use it. In the end I had it rebarreled to 6.5CM a couple of years ago and it now gets a bit of a run again.

Yes, I still hunt with it . M70 30.06 got it in 1977, still has the Redfield 2-7 wide view scope that came on it.

Yes I still own it and use it. I'll never sell it. Purchased new by my parents for me when I was in high school. Blued, wood stocked ADL 700. It now resides in an ADL edge stock with TrigerTech trigger, burris xtb bases, APA low rings, and an NXS 2.5-10x32. It's very accurate and I really like the blue print/setup for an all around hunting rifle.

No, it's not my primary. Mainly because I like to hunt/use a lot of rifles, it's more gun than I need for most of my hunting, and it's not stainless. It could certainly work for everything I hunt and I need to use it more.

No.

It was a Savage 99C in .308 Win

It sucked.

Replaced it with a Model 70 Lightweight Carbine .308 Win.

It was SUPERB.

Yep. Rem 742 30-06 that I received for Christmas in '71. I refinished it about 5 years ago and retired it. It just got to be too heavy anymore. It killed a lot of deer for 45 years or so....and no, it never jammed.

Yep. Remington BDL in 270 Win. It’s retired now. Have moved on my 25’s.
GreggH

No. regretfully. Upon my exit from the Navy in 1986, I bought a 1903 Springfield that had been professionally sporterized. It was really nicely done with a simple yet very nice stock, complete with ebony fore end. It was not drilled and tapped but did have a nice set of sights on it. I didn't need a scope, I could see back then.
Sold it to pay out of pocket for a minor auto accident instead of turning it in on my insurance. Major mistake on my part. I learned that lesson...

No, it was stolen over 35 years ago.

Yes. I am younger, my 1st was a M77 MKII chambered in 260 Rem. Dad got it for me in 2003. That has been my primary deer gun ever since. Have others, just have a hard time not reaching for the 260. Have taken probably 25+ deer with it, no fuss. Also shot my largest buck with it which was a 129 1\2. Not big by many standards, but big for me. That one was taken at 80 yards, 11:30 on the last day of season. Was quartered hard away, slipped a 140 accubond right in front of the hindquarter and it traveled the length of the deer and exited. Deer only went 30 yards. My theory is "Why mess with what works?" Vut there is a very high chance I will take my 358 Win this year. May loan out the 260 just so it still gets used!

Yep. My grandfather bought me and my brother both Win 1894s in 30-30 when I was 9 and my brother was 10. Still have the rifle and still shoot it and take it into the field. The first rifle I ever bought for myself was a rem 700 ADL in 7mm Rem Mag that I bought with lawn mowing money at the age of 13 which would have been 1977. It is till my go to rifle and has taken a huge number of game animals in the USA, Canada and Africa.

I still own it, but I don’t use it. It’s a model 700 is 308, that I bought new in 1969.

This Model 94 was under the Christmas tree long ago when I was 13 years old. I'm 62 now and took it to Montana with me last year for my whitetail B-Tag. Our friend and host enacted a new ranch rule that only iron sighted lever actions could be used for our B-Tags. Only too happy to oblige!
Rex

Steve Redgewell: Indeed I do still have/own the "family Deer Rifle" from my youth.
I shot my first Mule Deer with the family Rifle in 1959 at age 12 with this Rifle (Wolf Canyon - Okanogan area taxington).
It is a slightly sporterized (stock only?) Winchester Model of 1917 in caliber 30/06.
Later that year I taught myself to reload ammo for it using a Lee Loader type tool.
Thank goodness I still have all my fingers and eyes.
Our family was poor and used the one Rifle for many years.
My father eventually gave it to me late in his life - I cherish that humble gun.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
P.S.: Just realized that the Mule Deer I harvested with that gun was 62 (sixty two) plus years ago.
Times flies.

1974 Remington 788 243 Winchester. Still have it. Haven't shot it in years.

Ron

I do! A mid-80's 70 Featherweight PF in .270Win. Haven't shot it in years.

Marlin 336 Centennial (coin thing in stock) 30-30, first rifle.

Weatherby Vanguard (before there was more than one model) 243
first rifor I bought.

Have them both, haven't been fired this century.

Late 60's Marlin 336 .35 and many of my friends shot deer with it over the years. It goes to camp every year. Quality.

Yes

Kind of... 1974 Remington 700 in 6mm Remington. New to me in 1974.

These days my youngest son uses it, though I still load for it and put a few shots through it now and then.

His bigger rifle is a 30-06 Model or 1917 "sporterized" by my Dad when he got home from WWII and a few more years in the late 1940's.

A good rifle, decently cared for, can last several generations.

Regards, Guy

marlin 336 /35 remington use it twice a year when we do our annual deer/bear hunt in ny & maine

Also a Marlin 336/35. Was a gift back in 1975? Shot my first deer with it. Still take it out occasionally.

I have my first rifle. Grandpa bought me a Remington 788 in 30-30. I also have my first .22 that mom and dad bought me for Christmas 1980 and my 12ga pump that grandpa bought me as well as grandpas .22 revolver. My dad isn’t an outdoorsman but he supported my passion and my grandpa was my best friend…..those guns will NEVER be sold. Everything else I own could go away and I can replace them but those 3 guns are priceless to me.

Yes I do. It is a Remington 700 BDL chambered in 243. Got if for Christmas when I was about 10 years old and will never get rid of it for anything. Me and my wife both have killed our first deer and first bucks with it and i hope that my 7 year old son can maybe kill his first deer with it this coming up year.

I sold my first two big game rifles, an early Ruger 77 in 30/06 and a few years later a Remington 700 that had been rebarreled to 25/06 back when that cartridge was still a wildcat, before ever using them in the field. I bought them to use in the rifle zone but lost the opportunity before the season so stuck with my shotgun and slugs.

First rifle I used was a Yugo Mauser rebarreled to 6mm Rem. I picked it up in the mid80s and still have it. It has taken many whitetails plus a few mulies and pronghorns. It shot factory 100 gr Remington Core-Lokts very well but nothing else very well. I've run out of the Core-Lokts so have been trying to work up something that is acceptable.

Yep it still gets used.

I got a Model 700 BDL chambered in 270 Winchester and still has the original trigger.

Not to worry for some the trigger gets cleaned every year before it gets shot at targets,for deer season.

PS.the bolt handle is still attached.

Yes, a 30-30.

Yep, 1969 Remington 760 in .308 Win. Now wears a B&C stock set because the original forend split in half. Plan to take a deer with it this coming fall.

No, but I still own my second one.

Sadly, no, I don't still have the Mohawk 600 I started with.

But I do still have the .410 and the .22 my dad gave me.

I don't, but both of them are still in my family. My oldest brother's sons have my Savage 340 30-30 and my Remington 700 7 Mag. Wish I had kept the 7 Mag... I also had a Rem 700 ADL 30-06 that my youngest brother's son now owns and he shot his first elk with it the first year he owned it.... one of the most accurate rifles I've ever owned but it was just excess to my needs and sat in the back of my safe. At least now it is getting used pretty regularly..

I do.

It belonged first to my father and I will pass it on to my son.

It is a Weatherby Europa in 8x68S made by Sauer which my father bought in 1964 I think. It wears an old Zeiss 1.5-6x36 in claw mounts.

I still hunt with it occasionally. This picture is from February this year.

I have a rifle I owned since I was 19-20 it started out as a 8mm-06 then I had it rechambered to a 323 Hollis (308 Norma mag necked up to 8mm) I haven’t shot it years a gunsmith out of Forrest Grove did the chamber work. I need to dig it out and go shoot it. I should have it rebored to 358 Norma mag

Yep , need to refurbish it .
Been setting for 50 yrs or more .
7x57 Spanish Mauser , rear sight was dovetailed into barrel and somehow through the years got bumped off I guess .
Some old aftermarket stock .
Back in the day it was quart oil can accurate at 100yds .
Corelokts
Never shot it on paper .
Kenneth

Nope, foolishly traded it ( a new Mod 94 Classic Carbine in 1969) for a war time Walther P38 a Vet picked up off the battle field in North Africa ('79). It shot fine, later sold it for $180 ('80 ) bought a Leupold VXIII 2.5x8 with it. Was already Looney at 16, what hope was there for me 10 yrs later? lol

Win 94 30-30 pre 64 Grad gift from my dad he asked if i wanted a new one or old one, got one almost as old as me!

First was a Western Auto version of a Marlin 336 in 30-30. Bought it from a friend who needed money. I never hunted with it before I traded it for something else. First that I bought and hunted with was a Rem 710 in 30-06. Killed a few deer with it before I won a Ruger M77 in a raffle. Once I discovered what a nice rifle was, the 710 got traded off as well and I've never missed it. Gave the Ruger to my Dad for Christmas a few years back, so it's still in the family.

No, I sold it. It was a Remington Woodsmaster 742 in 30 06. Got it back in the early 70's. Killed several deer with it. I moved to an area that was shotgun only so I sold it and bought some fishing gear. I already had a couple of Rem 1100 12ga shotguns so I was good to go.

No, I don't have my original rifle. I bought it when I was 16 with ranch wages. It is a Winchester 670 in 30-06. Man that rifle was accurate. I sold it to my cousin for one reason. I had other rifles that just sat in the safe because I would always just grab the 670. I figured I should sell it so I would start using the others. This worked almost too well since now I have enough that I go through them thinking what will I use this year. I tried to buy the 670 back last year but my cousin butchered it up so bad I couldn't bring myself to do it. The cost wanted for it was double what I sold it for. Regrets.

Yes, a sako finnbear '06. I wanted to buy a rifle that would last.Think I did good, as it's been about 45 years and I'm sure will out live me. It did get a new scope a couple times though.

Yep still gets hunted now and then. 98 Mauser sporterized in 8x57 and wears a 2x7 Leupold. It were Moms hunting rifle at onetime.

You made a good first choice. I wish my first one was a Sako. It took me awhile to figure that out.

Yes. Bought both near 40 years ago and don't remember which was 1st or 2nd. One was Remington BDL .25-06 and the other a Remington BDL 7mm Rem Mag. Both good shooters if I do my part. Ready to pass them on to kids though.

Yep first official big game rifle was/is a Remington 700 Classic in .270. I studied long and hard and would have bought a .280 if they had chambered it at that time as that was before the limited runs. I was all over the '06 cased cartridges at that point .25-06, .270, .280, and of course the parent. It shot well then and now and never regretted it. Even though it gets taken out less, I still have ultimate confidence when shooting it a game at any reasonable range.

Yes. It's a Savage 340 in 30-30 I used sparingly as it's a family heirloom. My regular hunting rifle back then was a S&W i-bolt in .270. I took a lot of deer with that rifle. My daughter took her first deer with it. My son now hunts with it.

My old 03A3 Springfield is still in use, only now it is a re-bored 338-06. Has a two position wing safety, a Talley bolt handle and a Boyds stock.

A good tough battle proven Alaskan hunting rifle that my grandson can pass on to his kids.

yep, Model 70 in 30-06. it's worn a few different scopes since I've had it but now it wears a Williams reciever sight and shoots 200 Grain partitons over about 54 gr. of IMR 4350

My first born grandson has it. A FN Actioned 300 WBY. made at the Weatherby shot in Soutgate for one of my uncles.

My Dad, my brother, me and a friend purchased 4 Rem. 788 308 18.5 " barrels consecutive serial numbers in Mar 1981. I still have mine and my late Dads.
Killed a lot if critters with it but as others have said, I haven't shot it lately. Made up my mind the next deer or hog hunt I will carry it.

Have, yes
Use, no
Savage 170 pump in 30-30
Been gathering dust for decades. Need to find a deserving youth and give it to him/her.

My first was also a 303, No4 Mk1* lend lease manufactured by Savage. It was kitchen counter kustumized in the '60s with handguards removed and the barrel shortened to 20" or so. I don't have it, but my friends daughter does. I helped her drag a stonking HUGE bambi out of the woods last gun deer season. The younglings do iron sights way better than an old fart in their 50s can manage.

As for my first proper manufactured as a hunting rifle non-rimfire bit of gear, that's a tanger 25-06. It goes out second weekend of gun deer season in WI (AKA South Canada) most years. There's an 1895 Winchester in 303 that might go into the woods with me once in a while as well.

Yes I still have mine, win M70 in 30-06.

I took it elk hunting last year, it was a very wet and cold elk season and I decided I'm only going to take it out on nice dry days from now on. I love that rifle. I'll be handing it down to my daughter when I feel she is old enough to handle that hog.

Yep! Still my primary elk rifle. It started out as a m70 featherweight classic in 280 rem. Killed everything I shot with it. 3 years ago, I had Matt Stewart put a new Kreiger barrel on it and I forgot which stock, and rechamber it for 35 whelen. It’s an unbelievable hunting rifle and crushes the elk. He does great work if you are looking for work like this by the way. He used to work for surgeon rifles for years before he started up his own biz.

Sort of...

My big brother was just out of the Air Force and gave my a 700 BDL in .30-06 for Christmas. I think I was 12 years old. With that rifle, I killed my first deer (whitetail), my biggest whitetail, my biggest mule deer, and the most deer. (The first kill was a red squirrel on Christmas day.)

I swapped out the original stock (which I wish I still had, because nostalgia is a funny thing) in the mid-1980s for a black plastic thing with a built-in sling. Butler Creek, maybe? In the early 1990s I shot that rifle a lot with handloads, to include cast bullet loads. By "a lot", I mean in the neighborhood of a 100 rounds a week, on a pretty regular basis. Sometime around then the rifle went into a HS Precision stock, which it still wears, with my nifty paint job.

By the mid-2000s, the rifle would still hold one MOA for five shots with loads it liked, but I had to seat bullets so far out that I was worried about running out of mag box. It went to PacNor for a stainless tube with factory contour. Around the same time, Brownells had Timney triggers on sale. One of those went on the gun.

I won't even try to guess the different bases/mounts/scopes the rifle has worn. I know the first scope was a Redfield 2-7x. Probably used a Leupold 2.5-8x. Now it wears a Kahles 3.5-10x in Talley Lightweights.

I think all this counts as still owning my first big game rifle.

Yes. A Ruger M77 tang safety chambered in 7x57.

I took my first deer with my grandfather's Win. M94 30-30 when I was fifteen. My dad inherited it when his father passed. I inherited it at the age of 20 when my dad passed.

I still have it and in the forty years I've had it, continue to use it infrequently if for no other reason than sentiment and to remember the men who owned it before me. My grandson will inherit it.