I hope it's not me, but I honestly feel that I'm not the only one out there with "character" rifles in the safe. These are rifles that have been there/done that and have gotten bloody many times over. They've had some serious rounds down their tubes and fit your hands like an old pair of work gloves. I mean rifles with soul, rifles that just flat out get it done for you. I have two such in the safe and no, they'll never be for sale .

Savage M110 in 243. This rifle has shot 70-100gr handloads into very tight groups and just flat out gets in done. It killed my first deer ever in 1991 and a deer this past season. It goes out every year because it's an old friend, I know it like the inside of my well used pick up truck, and it just delivers. It's bedded in a laminate stock now (versus the injection molded factory one) and man this guy is a serious shooter. Deer hate it, shooters love it.

Remington M760 in 30-06. Dad bought this rifle the same year the stork brought me (1977). It's fallen a good number of deer by both him and myself. It points like a dove gun, shoots darn fine, and just screams "let's go hunting" when I pick it up. I can hold the muzzle straight up and hit the slide release and the slide comes down about 3/4 the way down. It's been shot probably alot more than your average 760, but still runs an 1" at 100 yards with handloads. Matter of fact, the only one hole group I ever shot with a big game rifle at 100 yards was with this gun. I put three 165gr Nosler BTs fueled by 55gr of IMR 4350 into a one holer. I couldn't do this again for all the bourbon in Kentucky, but it's nice to know that the gun can!

Both of these souls have seen rain, snow, 90+ degree temps, sand, dirt, mud, and of course...blood. I love 'em. Let's hear about yours.

I have a few. My favorite is a '46 vintage Savage 99 in .300 Savage. It has been on many a hunt with me, and is just... well, I guess the word is comfortable. It shoots well, and is easy to carry. Another one is my sporterized swedish mauser. I saved it from the scrap heap long ago, after some bubba had really mangled it. It is nothing to look at with it's synthetic stock and stuff, but I took my first buck with it. It'll get passed on to the kids one of these days.

-Mb

My grandpa and a couple uncles, not very wealthy ones at that, scraped up to get me a brand new Marlin 336T for my 14th Christmas. Not only has that little rifle been all over the place with me but when my best friend broke the stock on his rifle he killed his first ever buck with it. I swear I would shoot a man in the back that was running off with that thing. It is WAAY more than just metal and wood to me.

I have two, An M94 in .30-30 I bought when I was 13, and a Savage 110 .30-06 I bought in High school. The Savage has been through a lot of scopes, a couple of barrels, and now has a synthetic stock, but it is a shooter. The M94 has only had a Williams FP added. Both are used every year. I do own and use other rifles, but those are the hands-down sentimental favorites.

mine is prolly a ruger 77 mk 2 in 22-250, its never missed a called coyote, there is something to being confident about the gun your shooting.

I prefer some character in my deer rifles, which is why most of them are very old, yet still accurate and reliable enough to put venison in the freezer each year. They just feel better in the hand while hunting, than some shiny new Wonder Gun.

All bets are off when it comes to varmint hunting, although most of the choices there also have plenty of character and age to 'em.

I even like "me" better, now that I've got some patina myself.

Mine's an old Rem 700 BDL bbled action in 35 Whelen that I bedded in an old walnut rem mountain rifle stock. It fits perfectly, carries like an old friend, and shoots better than anything else in the safe. Most of the others never a get a chance during a bull hunt.

That's some good stuff fellas. Thanks for posting. Keep 'em coming!

My youngest son now hunts with a 6mm Rem 700 BDL that Dad gave me in 1974. It's a great old rifle. Sudden death on rockchucks, coyotes and mule deer. I refinished the stock about 1986 or so with Tru-Oil. It still looks good. The lad did ask that I update the scope, so it's topped with a 3.5-10x Leupold now and still shoots 2.5" groups at 300 yards with deer loads.

I like to haul out the ol' 1917 .30-06 for a hunt now and again. It's been through the mill a time or three.

Regards, Guy

It is a thrill to me find an older "wood and blue steel" firearm for sale in the used gun rack if it has the right kind of wear, what I would call "honest" wear, worn blueing under the receiver where it has been carried and shinny metal showing thru on the edges. If the woods' finish is worn evenly without too many scratches and maybe just a little oil soaked. It seems that I find this a lot on firearms manufactured from the late forties to the late fifties. Most any Winchester of that peroid, Remington 721 and 722 rifles, Model 99 Savage, even the Sears Roebuck Model 50 and 51 rifles of that peroid can have that experienced look I like. I have found these guns in pawn shops often and I imagine that their original owner probably used it and cherished it and left it to some one who let it go for a $25 or $50 loan that they never repaid.
My first rifle purchase about 40 years ago was a Winchester 670 in 30-06. It wasn't long before I traded it or sold it to get something newer, better, faster and I have had scores of rifles since then. Looking back now I think I would have been just fine if that had been only rifle for 98% of my hunting. Last year I purchased a pretty decent Model 670 and I think I am going to spend the next decade or so of hunting I have left imparting some character on this rifle. Or at least until something newer, better, faster comes along.

Tarheel

I have a Rem. 7600 that's coming along.

Yeah but my Rem. 760 was "pre-mojo'd" before I bought it (grin). He's not near retirement age either...just so you know.

My character rifle is a Marlin 336CS in 30-30 that my dad gave me for my 12th Christamas. He helped me break it down, smoothed the action and taught me to shoot. I've owned alot of guns since then(27 yrs and counting) but this one will never be sold. During tough financial times I sold alot of guns and then rebuilt but not this one. It killed my first deer and eventhough I've made the swing from leverguns to bolt actions its one that always gets packed for a deer hunt and usually goes out at least one day while there. It is like an extension of my arm, shoots 1" groups all day and probably has 800-1000 rounds down the barrel.

Dad left for the happy hunting grounds 15 yrs ago but carrying that rifle in november while hunting alway brings back memories for me.

Man that's what I mean...a rifle with soul and purpose. Thanks for sharing!

I took my little wad of lawn mowing money to Dad and told him I wanted a thutty thutty. Dad said let me see how much ya got. He counted my money and said, " close enough I guess".

He took me to town on Saturday and we came home with a shiney new 1967 Marlin 336 RC/ straight stock and 5 boxes of ammo.

That was my first centerfire. It still shoots great after thousands of rounds. I used to buy reloads in .50 cal. ammo cans and shot 'em like .22's. The bluing is all gone, it's been re-crowned 3 times and the wood is on about the 4th Tru Oil refinish.
It's worn a Williams peep/Firesight combo for many years.
I can't remember the last time I missed anything bigger than a rabbit inside of 200 yds. with the old girl.

Now, I just want one of my grandsons to ask for this rifle, so I can have a good reason not to have it stuck in the casket when I go.

My Remington 721 in .270. It was my grandfathers, then my fathers now mine. The gun has taken damn near everything in North America. My late grandfather hunted all over, Alaska, Canada, Michigan etc etc etc. And killed near every animal you can think of! My dad took his first whitetail, mule deer, and elk. I took my first mountain lion with it. The gun is beat to hell, scratched nicks and dings every where but that thing will shoot lights out! Im talking 1/2 inch everytime with factory ammo!

Mine I still use its a old model 06, 70 push feed bought when I was 13 took me a year to pay it off. That gun has killed a ton of deer and some elk. I have thought many times of replacing it but I will never part with it. I broke the butt of the stock on a shale hill side a back country hunt in Idaho with part of the stock missing I shot a nice buck. Got home and we fitted a piece of dowl in the corner where I chipped that stock. The stock has marks all over and it is heavier than crap but I love that gun there are so many memories. Every time I pick it up I think I need a new stock but I will never change it. The gun just seems lucky. I will be in Wy this fall for deer and it is going as a back up but if things don't go right I am going to pick it up again.

I hate to be the one to break it to you, but a stork had nothin' to "due" with your arrival. I know it's hard to imagine and you probably wish you'd go blind when you do, but your parents partook in the ritual of mating.

My FIL has a Ruger tang 77 in 280 with a heavy barrel that is a joy to shoot and can thread needles. I've taken many a deer with that rifle.

Most of my rifles are still too new to have earned much character, but there is one that has it in spades. It is an 03-A3 Springer that somebody sporterized years ago. The barrel is stamped 1942. The stock is original but has been modified with a add-on pistol grip and black forend cap. The buttplate says Herters. The trigger is a Timney. The rear sight is a Lyman 57SME. I installed a new Marbles front bead to bring the POI inline with my chosen loads. This fourth of July all my buddies brought their favorite fun guns over for the annual shoot. Of all the guns there, my son favored my old Springfield the most. He was thrilled with the peep sight and light trigger, and how well he could hit with that rifle. It was one of those cherished moments when one's son finally realizes that dad was right all along. He was so pleased with it that he wants to use it for deer hunting this fall, even though he has taken possession of dad's trick stainless/synthetic 300 RUM - the type of gun that seems to be all the rage these days, especially with younger shooters.

Second in line for character points is my tang safety Ruger M77 in 7x57. It's just a good old friend of a rifle, and the caliber wreaks of character. It wears a Leupold 2-7x33, which is one of my all time favorite hunting scopes.

-

I started out with a 336 Marlin in .35 Remington. Sorry I ever sold it. Had to buy a then new 7 mm Rem magnum. After my 2nd 7mm Mag, I bought a tang safety Ruger in 7X57. Carried it for many years. Liked it better as I used it. It wore a simple 4X B&L. My other rifle, a Weatherby Magnum wore first a 2.5-8X B&L, then a 6.5-20AO. It, and all of my other magnums, are long gone. Once I discovered how deadly the premium bullets, like the Nosler Partition, can make a standard round, I've never gone back to them.
Guess what ? I still have the Ruger. It is now a .280, wearing a McMillian stock, a Pac-Nor barrel, and a 6X42. But it still has the soul of my old 7X57. Why ? It puts almost any load in the same group at 100 yds. And it does not change zero, just like my old 7X57.
I've got another. Bought in 1996. It's an M70 Fwt. in .308. Another 4X, a Leupold. It's on it's third stock. Finally got one which will allow me to shoot the same POI with a shooting sling. Again, does not change zero. Tweaked factory trigger that can't be believed.
Both are well used and have been tweaked a good bit. But still the same reliable rifle. Lots of dings. The Ruger has been repainted and lightend since I redid it to .280. Feels even better than it ever did. A little lighter too. Both balance on the front guard screw.
I'm of the belief that no rifle can be really relied upon unless it has some time under it. Unless it's been carried and shot alot. These two fit that requirement. I have a third and soon a fourth that will join them. Each is a little different. But they all do very much the same jobs. I've found it's a mistake to specialize much in big game/large varmit rifles. E

Thanks for posting fellas. There's just something about a rifle that has a lot of stories behind it and the memories made carrying it.

I have a 1961 Marlin 336RC in 35 Rem that wears an old Weaver K 2.5 w/post reticle that has tons of character. It shoots lights out too and carries like a dream. The action is as slick as glass and the trigger is the best I have ever seen on a Marlin levergun. It has scattered dings and bluing wear from being carried in the woods, but I would not trade it for 10 brand new ones. It is as close to perfection in a woods rifle as I am ever going to find.

Yep. Any time I stop at my favorite rural gunshop, always head for the used gun racks. Have snatched several old veterans out of that place over the years, plus a few more from other shops.

Doesn't do much for me to head over to the dozens and dozens of new rifles in that section of the shop, although I did once get mildly excited over a matte/laminated M7 Remington when they came out. It quickly passed and I left empty handed. ;o)

Anytime I find an old rifle that catches my eye, first thing I think about after looking it over carefully, is what tales that thing might tell, if only it could talk. Fortunately, I know the history of a few of my favorite old boys, so that makes them even more of a treasure to me.

Already told my son which firearms I'd like him to keep, when I keel over. For some reason, the same ones I fancy, also caught his attention years ago, so no worries. He can take him a vacation on the ones that are just so-so, once I'm gone.

I never used to be a 243 win. fan and I stumbled onto an ol ruger 77 RS about six years back that is just Hell on wheels,every animal I have ever hit with it just drops in their trax,No fuss no Muss,No Bull S**t,Id go after an Elk with this rifle and Id bet Id deliver it to camp.............

My stainless model 70 375 H&H has a lot of character. I actually carry, shoot and hunt with this rifle a lot, and I don't believe there is any factory bead blast finish left on any of the metal. The metal on the rifle actually looks like the shiny stainless on the mark II Ruger rifles.

The McMillan swirly stock is the only thing keeping it 'pretty'.

I have a couple myself. When I was 11 I told dad I wanted a deer rifle, because I was already hooked by that age. One thing I appreciate about dad is that he wanted me to earn things with hard work. Well, dad said my idea was "great", to my surprise. He found me a job at an icehouse bagging ice for sale. I worked for a month or so that summer, and dad prompltly loaded me up and we went gun shopping. I walked out of the store as the proudest 11 year old in history, with a brand new $89 marlin 30-30! Dad was proud too, as he paid $30 for the Weaver K4 that still sits on it to this day! My son shot his first deer with it just like I did. How cool is that?

High Brass, this thread was a great idea. I'm really enjoying everyone's stories. I can almost feel the feelings of the authors.

Mr. High Brass;
I believe that your post subject is one of the more intriguing aspects of rifle ownership. Over the years I�ve owned a few 100 + year old rifles that I often wished could talk to me.

I suppose my most personal �character rifle� is a Browning BBR in .30-06 that I bought new a long time ago. While it didn�t shoot my first deer, or even my first big game animal, it was along to shoot my first mule deer, the first black bear, my one and only sheep and many deer after that. While I used it a fair bit for a decade or so, they were kind of a heavy rifle even for that time, so it hasn�t seen much use the last few years.

Last winter, our eldest daughter decided she wanted to try for a black bear, and she will use the 100+ year old 6.5x55, �96 Mauser that I remodeled for my late father, who gave it to her before he passed on.

In the event she finds a bear and in case things need to be sorted out after the fact, I have loaded the old BBR with 200gr. Partitions and replaced the 4X Leupold that was on it with a 2.5 Leupold Compact. A couple trips to the range were like a good visit with an old friend, as it still fits me just fine!

Thanks for the interesting thread and thanks to all who responded.

Regards,
Dwayne

My 88 Classic Whelen carries a perfect deep half moon gouge in the stock.

I fell asleep in the stand and it slid onto a nail.

oiled her up and we're good. My friends freaked out but I told them it's character.

The Whelen always gets brought up every deer season about the first time it erupted in the woods.

The guy who was closest to me says he's never heard anything like that before.

After that it was nicknamed "The Cannon". The flame out the end is always a good crowd pleaser too......

One of the best deer seasons I ever had was the first year with that rifle.

Character...hmmm, that would be the Ruger 10/22 that my Dad gave me about 30 years ago. I've probably put 10,000-plus rounds through it as a kid, trying to pop a squirrel, blackbird, whatever... it was a mean machine. I let it sit for about 15 years with no action then picked it up again when my own kids got to that age.

A couple of years ago I looked it over and thought it could benefit from a new stock. I bought one, it was delivered, and I looked it over. Nice new stock. But looking over the original there was no comparison.

All of those stock dings riding around in Dad's Ford through the fields. The burned up factory clips and the firing pin that misses about ever fifth round or so. That's what I got left and it's alright. Great memories of a youth growing up with a good pa that gave me more than a gun...but a lot of good advice and lessons along the way.

Well it isnt a centerfire but I have 2 guns that would fall into this category.

When I was 7-8 years old, I wanted a .22 in the worst way. Not a borrowed 22 but MY OWN 22. The deal was that I earned $80 durring summer vacation an dad would fill in the rest of the cash. Did more Bullshit jobs that summer than you could shake a stick at until grandpa got tired of it an hired me to clean some guns of his that were allready clean, at the sum of $10 per gun Mom is still pissed about that lil stunt.

Anyways I wanted a lever action. So sitting in the corner now is my beloved winchester 94/22. The blueing is wore off the bottom of the action and is slowly creeping up the sides and down the barrel. Pulled it out the other day and was amazed at how many dings, and scratches were on that lil gun. Odd thing was, that they looked...well, they looked right on it.

Its the gun that got me in trouble one summer vacation when dad discovered that his 21,000 rounds of 22 ammo were completely gone

I remember that bottomless pit feeling when I totaled my BroncoII a few years back. I rolled it an then it flipped end over end down a ditch coming to rest on the lid. When I crawled out of the wreckage I noticed the rear of a gun case underneath the truck. forgot all about the truck, but was in a panic to find out the condition of that 22lr. Im happy to say that only the back sight was bent and a few dents were added to the wood, and its now back to slaying digger squirrels.


The other is a Smith&Wesson M3000 12gauge. Times were tough one particular christmas and Santa brought me dads shotgun. It was virtually new condition then. That was a while back, now the blueing on it is fading away and the thick finish on the wood isnt so thick anymore. lotsa quail an grouse have fallen to that full choked gun, its also humbled more than a few skeet shooters.

Most of mine are gone because I have this bad habit of shooting the crap out of my hunting rifles,and after rebarreling a couple of times I move onto something else.A favorite 7 mag that I cooked the barrel on was rebarreled, but the smith did not follow my instructions on the contour,so was sold;and another that I used extensively was gotten rid of due to a cracked stock and a burned out barrel. Both rifles had been hunted a great deal; ditto a pre 64 M70 in 300 win mag that took a lot of game in my hands and those of many others who liked to borrow it for their hunts.It took whitetail, mule deer, elk, caribou, bison, black bear,antelope,and god knows what else.

But there is a pre64 M70 FW 270 with a Brown Precision stock in the safe that is on its' second barrel and that has been around for maybe 12-15 years now.The first barrel went about 3 years ago,and was replaced. I've used it in Canada and the West pretty extensively and have no idea how many animals I've taken with it.But just through circumstance more than deliberate intent,a lot of the animals taken have been hightailing it for other parts and were on the move. The rifle fits and handles so well, that it can be rapidly brought into action and seems to pretty much have a mind of its' own.

Another is a similar 8.5 lb 375 with two brown bear to its credit.It also wears a Brown Precision stock and Kreiger barrel.

I will never get down to one rifle,as I believe a guy needs at least a 270 and a 375; these will never go anywhere..

This has been a good post to follow. The 7600 I mentioned before was given to me by High Brass so it's the most special I've owned. The only firearm I now have with "character" is an 870 16ga. I had a Remington 760 30-06, a Remington 572 .22 pump, and a stainless Ruger .22 pistol. They are now in High Brass' safe. That's where I want them to be. That's where they should be. When I get to visit him we take my old friends to the range and catch up on old times.

I've got a 35 Whelen I had done on an military FN 98 action. Has an old and nicely-figured Bishop stock on it which fits me like a second skin. Got it topped off with a Leupie 2.5 X 8 and it seems to shoot where I'm thinking. A few scratches and shallow gouges on it now, and they are staying there.

It doesn't yet have the memories attached that many have related here, just a few hogs. But it is going with me to Botswana next year where it will build it's "resume."

Yeah you knew what you were doing when you had your old guns back in your hands when you were down. I figured you wouldn't mind shooting them (grin).

I appreciate everyone's posts. Glad to see that you fellas appreciate rifles with "character". There are so many well used (but not abused) great rifles out there that just beg to go out. I've heard way too many guys tell me "the gun might be nice, but it has scratches on it and some bluiing wear". I try to tell them but some folks just don't get it. I guess it's like the new truck vs. well used truck syndrome.

Shame it don't transcend to women, then again maybe it ain't a shame.........