I'm back to my Model 700 in 30/06. Gun I bought back in 71 from money I earned delivering newspapers 7 days a week. I've bought several 99's, 7mags, 300 win mag over the years----I've sold them all. I've got a 375 Ruger that i used in AK on a grizzly hunt----I've still got that one hoping to use it on a Aussie or Cape buffalo hunt. In hind sight I should have used the 30/06 with 200 grain partitions on the bear hunt. I had a 100 yards shot from a good rest----a chip shot for the Model 700. I've got a Tikka 30/06 as a backup rifle.
Dad was right way back when. Told me all I "really" need was a 30/06, 12 gauge and 22 rifle. The only shotgun I hunt with is my 870 that I bought back in 1970, again for money earned on the paper route. I use it for everything from ducks, pheasants, grouse and turkeys. Nothing a 2 3/4" 12 gauge can't do. I do have a Browning BT-99 for trap shooting. The 22lr is perfect for prairie dogs & marmots.
Only thing I can say is that broke about even on buying & selling guns. But Dad was right, forget guns & spend the money on more hunts & adventures.
Bob
FYI---And he was right about reloading. You can buy 30/06, 12 gauge & 22's on sale cheaper than reloading. I've been killing critters with Core-lokts & power-points dead for years. But i still got all that reloading stuff because Dad couldn't be right.
It just took you a little longer to figure it out Bob..
Some guys never will. I still tinker loading because I like the possibilities I get with different bullet weights. Plus, about 3 times in my life I have had close friends or their relatives die and the widows have asked me to sell off the reloading equipment and supplies but keep what ever I could use. I have not bought any rifle powder, brass or primers for long time.
I'm in the same boat. I've had a chance to try out a lot of fun cartridges and rifles, and I'm also back to the 30-06. It always gets the job done, regardless of how big or small the critter. I'm also back to the same type of rifle I started out on when I was 12 years old: m1917. Nothing works better for me...
Gravitated to that as well. Back to 3 .270's, a 7mm Mauser Win. BACO SG and a Win. AK. 375 H&H. Just have one more NIB 7mm Mauser BACO SG to sell. No shotguns - cause there are no birds.
I finally bought a 30-06 about two years ago. Never owned one, though have absolutely nothing against them! Over the past 40 years I've loaded for friends and relatives. But, I started out with a Win. Model 88 .308 Win. when I was 13 or 14, so I had a good 30 cal. Went to a .375 around 1981, and stayed there. But, when I had a chance at an '06 at a good price...I got one. Now....I not such a "social outcast"! memtb
You got to have a 30-06 or you will be accused of being a commie at the deer lease.
You got to have a 30-06 or you will be accused of being a commie at the deer lease.
Or just plain stupid..:)
I'm back to my Model 700 in 30/06. Gun I bought back in 71 from money I earned delivering newspapers 7 days a week. I've bought several 99's, 7mags, 300 win mag over the years----I've sold them all. I've got a 375 Ruger that i used in AK on a grizzly hunt----I've still got that one hoping to use it on a Aussie or Cape buffalo hunt. In hind sight I should have used the 30/06 with 200 grain partitions on the bear hunt. I had a 100 yards shot from a good rest----a chip shot for the Model 700. I've got a Tikka 30/06 as a backup rifle.
Dad was right way back when. Told me all I "really" need was a 30/06, 12 gauge and 22 rifle. The only shotgun I hunt with is my 870 that I bought back in 1970, again for money earned on the paper route. I use it for everything from ducks, pheasants, grouse and turkeys. Nothing a 2 3/4" 12 gauge can't do. I do have a Browning BT-99 for trap shooting. The 22lr is perfect for prairie dogs & marmots.
Only thing I can say is that broke about even on buying & selling guns. But Dad was right, forget guns & spend the money on more hunts & adventures.
Bob
FYI---And he was right about reloading. You can buy 30/06, 12 gauge & 22's on sale cheaper than reloading. I've been killing critters with Core-lokts & power-points dead for years. But i still got all that reloading stuff because Dad couldn't be right.
Dads have that bad habit of being right about a lot of stuff. My Dad has always told me that guns were just tools. I've started to pare mine down to just the ones I use, came out a few bucks ahead on the ones I sold, and feel pretty good about it.(But if you hunt with an 8x57, and I mainly do, you really should reload)
The rifle I bought in 70 was a .300 Win. still have it, still the number one big game rifle if I am after something serious.. I bought a 700 06 this summer, will probably use it when I hunt cow elk.. Plus many others have passed though my hands.. Still have quite a few rifles also.. My first serious game rifle was a custom model 54 .30-06.. If I only hunted with it, I would have quit 20 years ago. I enjoy using different rifles, handguns and shotguns. I guess if you are happy with one gun fine.. Not me.. I have made all the hunts I really want to make, and now with birds, varmints, big game , I have as much hunting as I can enjoy.. Still I make a couple out of state hunts most years.. I never look at my guns as tools, each has a fond memories that I enjoy when I handle them.. My late wife went from a .250, to my 06, to her favorite a custom 7mm RM.. Still have all three.. They are pretty important to me.. As far as making hunting trips, Ihave been grouse hunting the last couple days, and will be chasing game til mid Feb. After that I need a bit of a rest til varmint shooting opens in the spring...
Less is more when it comes to guns. I believe in having enough to cover your bases but I don't believe in having more than you can use, enjoy, and appreciate. My late FIL had over 100 guns in his collection and 99% of them were just a big waste.
Less is more when it comes to guns. I believe in having enough to cover your bases but I don't believe in having more than you can use, enjoy, and appreciate. My late FIL had over 100 guns in his collection and 99% of them were just a big waste.
But I bet if he offered one of them to you or your kids, you wouldn't turn it down...
Sometimes acquiring unique pieces is just for the satisfaction of passing it on to the next generation.
Less is more when it comes to guns. I believe in having enough to cover your bases but I don't believe in having more than you can use, enjoy, and appreciate. My late FIL had over 100 guns in his collection and 99% of them were just a big waste.
Evidently not to him....
I'm in the same boat, well almost. I've been an extreme rifle nut for years, and had 125 rifles at my zenith. And they weren't junkers either....HS Precisions, Rifles Inc, Jarretts, GAPs, etc. Whwn reality set in several years ago, I started to trim thh arsenal. I'll probably be down to 12-15 shortly.
Bob...I can empathize. I started hunting with a Rem 700 in .243 and Hornady 100 gr. bullets. Shot literal tons of game with it. Since then Ive farted around with damn near everything caliber and brand wise. Now that Im winding down in my golden years I just 'built' a Rem .243 and its favorite load is.......you guessed it...100 grain Hornadys.
Gonna take it Axis hunting next month.
You know I like smaller guns..but I can force myself to use the .243again!
Just like old times....
Makes a lot of sense if you're only interest is hunting, but for me guns, especially rifles, are an enthusiasm, not just a means of acquiring meat and antlers. Once that wears off, I may start handing some more down or selling, but not yet. I've been tweaking the herd a bit, adding stuff I've hankered after for a while, but am just about done, I think. From now on, mostly I'll be shooting, loading, and maybe upgrading glass here and there, or adding optional glass to one or two.
Now is apparently a bad time for selling anyway. Changing tastes and cheap, good rifles, plus the Trump effect maybe, have played hob with the traditional market, I'm thinking.
My late FIL had over 100 guns in his collection and 99% of them were just a big waste.
Probably not to whomever inherited them all.
Makes a lot of sense if you're only interest is hunting, but for me guns, especially rifles, are an enthusiasm, not just a means of acquiring meat and antlers....
THIS ^^^^^^ is the the boat I'm in and have been for a while.
The last 2 rifles I acquired are 6.5X55 which I never owned before but it's a 70 FTWT probably my fav rifle over all.
The other is a 284 Win in a 98 Mauser, also never owned either before.
IF I went back where I - LIKED - early on it would have to be a 700 , 270 Win. I 'could' have done all my hunting with a good 270 all
these years. But I've had a whole lot of fun experimenting and owning many diff rifles and cartridges.
I have a good 06 and am keeping it but for MY hunting a 270 W is more than enuf and easy on the shoulder.
That said, this year I 'intend' to bloody the 284 and use DIFF bullets in the Swede.
If I lived in another area with larger game I could gladly use a 7 RM or 300 WM. I have both and enjoy shooting/hunting them.
Different Strokes. We all have diff personalities.
Jerry
Makes a lot of sense if you're only interest is hunting, but for me guns, especially rifles, are an enthusiasm, not just a means of acquiring meat and antlers....
THIS ^^^^^^ is the the boat I'm in and have been for a while.
The last 2 rifles I acquired are 6.5X55 which I never owned before but it's a 70 FTWT probably my fav rifle over all.
The other is a 284 Win in a 98 Mauser, also never owned either before.
IF I went back where I - LIKED - early on it would have to be a 700 , 270 Win. I 'could' have done all my hunting with a good 270 all
these years. But I've had a whole lot of fun experimenting and owning many diff rifles and cartridges.
I have a good 06 and am keeping it but for MY hunting a 270 W is more than enuf and easy on the shoulder.
That said, this year I 'intend' to bloody the 284 and use DIFF bullets in the Swede.
If I lived in another area with larger game I could gladly use a 7 RM or 300 WM. I have both and enjoy shooting/hunting them.
Different Strokes. We all have diff personalities.
Jerry
Jerry, you & Pappy are probable right. A rifle to is something to hunt with. I'm not into punching paper. A 1" group to me is just fine for elk hunting these past 30 years. My love is trap shooting. I shoot a basic BT-99. It's a fixed full with a non adjustable stock. I use the KISS method. Keep my head down & I'll shoot well. I give the big boys a run for their money. To me it's not the gun but the puff of black smoke when you whack that clay pigeon.
Those clay pigeons don't eat worth a damn, Bob.
Seriously though, congratulations on finding your way back to where you came from.
See you in March!
Bob, bring some pics of your grizzly hunt in March! That was a gorgeous bear!
Less is more when it comes to guns. I believe in having enough to cover your bases but I don't believe in having more than you can use, enjoy, and appreciate. My late FIL had over 100 guns in his collection and 99% of them were just a big waste.
Different folks, different strokes.
I believe that every individual should do as he/she pleases, as long as it is legal and doesn't interfere with anyone else.
Heck, I bought five rifles in August and have three more due in this week, all of them are redundant to rifles that I already have, but they were all good deals and will be given away or sold after I'm done with them, nothing will be wasted.
I've been up and down the scale, different models, different calibers, stock and custom, until I discovered one that suits me in power and accuracy. I can't explain why it's better than any other, but of the two I've had built and one bought here on the board every one inspires confidence that I can kill anything I shoot at.
It may be foolish but a 338-06 is all I'll ever use from now on. I'm slowly giving away all the others to the grand kids as they grow up.
Less is more when it comes to guns. I believe in having enough to cover your bases but I don't believe in having more than you can use, enjoy, and appreciate. My late FIL had over 100 guns in his collection and 99% of them were just a big waste.
Don't have a 100, but what I do have, I am sure my son is going to pretty much have the same attitude
when its my time to hang it up, or I just disappear in the middle of the night.
Bob, bring some pics of your grizzly hunt in March! That was a gorgeous bear!
I will. I've got a big photo of her in my office at work. You are correct---She is gorgeous!
Full circle is a funny thing. Same here except it's an old trusty 270. I'm sure everyone has one like it. You know the one that sits on your safe and gets dragged out a coupla times a year. Pop off a few groups and shake your head. Pack it up and waste a lot of time and effort monkeying with a better mouse trap. The handloading, tinkering, monkeying around with this and that. Then get the new "holy grail" bloody with a shot that "old reliable" would have easily made with a $20 box Corlokts.
Different strokes I guess.....
I keep cutting back, but somehow end up with more.
My first big game hunting rifle that was mine was a 270, and if it's been a while since I've had a particular type of license (deer, elk, antelope) that's the rifle that gets first dibs. A 22 LR, the 222 Rem, 270 Win, 35 Whelen are all the rifles I really NEED. I suppose if I narrowed it down to these 4 it wouldn't take so long to decide what I wanted to shoot, what loads to work up for what purpose, what optics to switch around, etc. But then again, that's half the fun...besides that it keeps me outta the bar.
I'm back to my Model 700 in 30/06. Gun I bought back in 71 from money I earned delivering newspapers 7 days a week. I've bought several 99's, 7mags, 300 win mag over the years----I've sold them all. I've got a 375 Ruger that i used in AK on a grizzly hunt----I've still got that one hoping to use it on a Aussie or Cape buffalo hunt. In hind sight I should have used the 30/06 with 200 grain partitions on the bear hunt. I had a 100 yards shot from a good rest----a chip shot for the Model 700. I've got a Tikka 30/06 as a backup rifle.
Dad was right way back when. Told me all I "really" need was a 30/06, 12 gauge and 22 rifle. The only shotgun I hunt with is my 870 that I bought back in 1970, again for money earned on the paper route. I use it for everything from ducks, pheasants, grouse and turkeys. Nothing a 2 3/4" 12 gauge can't do. I do have a Browning BT-99 for trap shooting. The 22lr is perfect for prairie dogs & marmots.
Only thing I can say is that broke about even on buying & selling guns. But Dad was right, forget guns & spend the money on more hunts & adventures.
Bob
FYI---And he was right about reloading. You can buy 30/06, 12 gauge & 22's on sale cheaper than reloading. I've been killing critters with Core-lokts & power-points dead for years. But i still got all that reloading stuff because Dad couldn't be right.
Seems like I recall a very similar thread several months back. Here it is:
30-06, am I crazy? Dad was right! 1st post of that thread, minus the pictures:
More than 50 years ago, when I was a kid, Dad told me I only needed a .22 rimfire and a .30-06 for hunting. Last year I selected my 30-06 Rem 700 CDL for all my hunting. Umm... It worked... So, do I really need any of the others? Why not sell 'em all except the 30-06, and fund another hunt or two?
Well? I dunno. I do LIKE the heck out of several other rifles, but dang... Only tag I didn't fill was cougar, because I didn't see one. Pretty sure the 30-06 could have handled that as well.
I'm thinking that some of us, me included, have several more rifles than needed... Not wanted, needed.
Regards, Guy
Less is more when it comes to guns. I believe in having enough to cover your bases but I don't believe in having more than you can use, enjoy, and appreciate. My late FIL had over 100 guns in his collection and 99% of them were just a big waste.
What are the specifics of the one gun that was not a waste?
Less is more when it comes to guns. I believe in having enough to cover your bases but I don't believe in having more than you can use, enjoy, and appreciate.
Mike, I don't mean to beat you up.
I don't have 100 but if I did, I'd 'enjoy' and 'appreciate' every one of them. I have more than I can hunt in any season BUT...
If I didn't appreciate each one... I wouldn't have it.
Jerry