Again, the "only one rifle" issue?

[AzDak42]

This entire line of reasoning makes me wonder what we are really talking about? In this reality, do I need to pinch myself because I am no longer real? Does one really need a .35 Whelen to kill a deer? Am I going to wake up any minute screaming that I was having a bad dream in which people were telling me that my 40 years run (of 3 or 4 kills per year) one shot deer with my .270 Winchester was nothing but a mad figment of my imagination and that I would have done better with a .338-06? Is (40) one-shot kill years not good enough? Is dead not dead?

I can tell, you all are going to ignore me again because you can't answer this question and this site is in reality some alter-geist reflection of Madison Avenue turned upside down and according to some here, the only thing that will kill deer is 6mm Rem's, .25-06's, .35 Whelen's and .270 WSM's/Weatherby's. Of course this is nonsense as is the often advanced proposition around here that .270 Winchesters somehow can't possibly kill deer.

Someone call me when you 30-somethings have figured all this out! I would hate to keep killing deer one bullet at a time with a caliber that can't possibly get it done but strangely has since 1925 and for me since 1966, when I bought my first .270 Winchester and killed my first Texas whitetail with it, with one shot! I still have the horns BTW nailed to wall in my garage, at least I think that they are real?

Say now mate.. don't let practical wisdom and long term experience, get in the way of a good internet debate.

Seems to me that what we're seeing here is the DMZ between hunters and rifle nuts. A hunter can be a rifle nut, and a rifle nut a hunter, but they are not necessarily overlapping. This threatd appears to be just the internet hijinx of gun nuts thinking through a purely philosophical question, which, more than likely, just appears like crazy talk to anyone who is more hunter than gun nut. A virtual dorm room bull session...

We also are debating something with little real world application. 'one rifle' is fun to talk about, but it's also gets absurd in the extremes. Sure, a 300 WM can probably hunt the big bears or zap a ground hog... A .223 could do a fine job on a coyote and then drop an Elk with a solid neck/head shot... But why? I wouldn't pound in taper pins on an AR with a sledge hammer or try and frame a house with a ball peen hammer either.

In the sport of hunting today, the rifle can actually be an inconsequential cost. For ~$500 you can buy a fine rifle, that will put in a lifetime of service in the field with no issues. Stacked against the cost of ammo, gas, tags, guides, bourbon, cigars, camp gear, and 4x4 vehicle, it's literally nothing. $25/year in rifle costs over two decades?

For someone to buy a single rifle with the idea of using it for literally everything on the continent is just nutty. Hell, if I ever get lucky enough to get to go take a big Kodiak, the rifle is the least of my costs.. but I sure as hell am going to take the right rifle for that hunt, even if I have a few sticks in the safe that could handle the task.

A slightly more practical and realistic discussion, is what is the 2 or 3 gun battery that would serve someone well on the NA continent.

 

[Rigbymauser]

One rifle only!! Hypothetical brainfart!! :grin:

Hypothetically my .416rigby does it. Bullets from 240grain to 500grain bricks..
hypothetically my .378Bee does it all.Bullets from 200grain to 380grain nails.
hypothetically my .333jeffery does it all.Bullets from 300grain to 300grain soft or solids.
Hypothetically my 8x57Mauser does it all. Bullets from 150grain to 250grain slugs.
hypothetically my .300H&H does it all with bullets from 110grain speedsters til 240grain.
Hypothetically my .270Bee does it all with bullets from 100 to 180grain.
Not realistic. my new .240Bee can´t do it all but some.
Very realistic. my 12bore Rigby ball&shot gun.
Can´t do much. My 10bore doublerifle.

 

[Oldtrader3]

DrMike, I would also go nuts if I have to live with the Obamaworld consequence of owning only one rifle as well. However it may come to that. In fact my wife suggested last night that I "might sell all of my extra guns" before the Obama campaign to take them away gains any more public purchase. We have only been married for (6) years and she gave me a really strange look when I said that: "I have already sold all of my extra guns and am down to about my lower limit of tolerance as regards gun ownership"! I have (7) centerfire rifles, (2) .22's and a shotgun, this compared to the 20+ long guns that I had 10 years ago. However, I do still have (8) handguns.

Aleena, I agree with you wholeheartedly and since the .270 and .30-06 share a common case and the .30-06 came before the .270, I could just as surely have used a .30-06 all of my life with the exact same outcome and no inconvenience. The .270 just happened to be my first weapon of choice, it easily could have gone the other way. Actually, my first centerfire, adult rifle was a 7mm Rem Mag which I used exclusively betweeen 1962 and 1972. In reality, my favorite all around caliber may be the .340 Weatherby as Jerry suggested. It is between that and the .375 H&H. However, for North America, the .340 does just fine for all practical hunting, including brown bear.

The answer that I am looking for I guess is: what ever suits you and gets done what you wish to accomplish. Most of us have more than one or two rifles and that is probably the way it was meant to be. I was just being philosophical this morning. I also get just a little tired of certain people running down the .270 Winchester as being the gun of the unknowing and unsophisticated! My .270 Winchester was an ongoing project using a hand picked Super Grade 1949, Winchester Model 70 with one of the country's best stockmakers to give me a gun that I have used with complete satisfaction deerhunting for 40 years!

 

[Dr. Vette]

Charlie,

Don't tell anyone, but one of my most accurate rifles is a Weatherby Vanguard in 270. I took it out for deer last year and don't think I didn't consider it for elk as well. If I was left with only 1 rifle of the ones I own that one would be on the short list to keep.

When I was 14 I purchased a Rem 7400 in 30-06. I picked it over the 270 at the time and never thought I'd own another rifle. Now I hardly use it but I still consider the 30-06 an excellent caliber as well.

Patrick

 

[Oldtrader3]

Patrick, that is what happened to me. I bought (2) .270 rifles (a Mannlicher Schoenauer and a H&R 300 Ultra) at about the same time (1967?) and both of them were dead nuts accurate. This was in the 1960's when the chances of buying an accurate gun off the shelf, as accurate as these two rifles were, was about as great as my chances for becoming an astronaut! I was amazed by these two rifles. I think that they were the basis for my decision to go with the Model 70 .270 as a custom project gun as much as any other factor.

 

[Thankful Otter]

Hi Charlie, like another gentleman the other day I think you thought my post was from Africa huntress. Believe me charlie I wish I was tall and thin like Aleena and Lori ( Scottys Wife ) but unfortunately I am shorter and heavier and live in a much colder climate. The only positive for me is I do live where there is a lot of good hunting in my back yard (-; I think if Aleena had answered this thread she would have probably chosen the 375 H & H, but considering where she lives, possibly the 416 Rigby, she likes them both. I can guarantee you if she could choose two it would be her 300 H & H and the 416 Rigby.

Also remember that my love for the 30-06 came from the fact that it was the only rifle I had for years and of course the fact that it worked so well for me for so many years, but I have branched out now and realize that we most have a least on caliber for each species of game we hunt (-; I am right about this, am I not guys

 

[DrMike]

Remember that my love for the 30-06 came from the fact that it was the only rifle I had for years and of course the fact that it worked so well for me for so many years, but I have branched out now and realize that we most have a least on caliber for each species of game we hunt (-; I am right about this, am I not guys

Spot on, YH.

 

[joelkdouglas]

I did fine with just a 30-06 for about 8 years. Then I decided to get her a new barrel, and that took longer than I expected, so I had to use a different rifle for one season.

I think one rifle is fine, and I'll have mine in 30-06. Many other chamberings would also be suitable, but less interesting to me.

However, when my Rock 25 cal barrel is done I'll have a second rifle. Had I started with a higher quality rifle to begin with, I would have never seen the need for a backup.

 

[Oldtrader3]

YH, I answered your post very early this morning and juxtaposed you with Aleena, forgive me. It was unintentional and had I had my brain turned on I would have recognized the you are the .30-06 lady and Aleena is not. Because of illness, I often get up at 4 AM or a little after. I have ritual morning migraines and can beat them out sometimes if I wake early enough to take my meds before they hit.

Anyhow, you make a solid point and as I mentioned in an earlier post today, I started out in my late 20's with two good .270's and that set me on the path for putting together a custom .270 Winchester Model 70 build which I have used for 40 years. Had it been two .30-06's that I had bought, the outcome might have been the same only for the .30-06? I have a Model 70 .30-06 which when I do my part will give me <1/4 inch groups fairly regularly. When I was in my 20's, the caliber choice was much different than it is now and that is why I chose .270's, .300 H&H's and .375 H&H's as my pet rifles.

 

[Guest]

One gun and stuck in your area, I would choose a 30-06 due to versatility and bullet choices. If you don't hand load, over the counter Factory Loads are plentiful that include premium bullets.

Bullet choices start at 125 grain up to 220 grain. Take your pick.

Don

 

[DrMike]

One gun and stuck in your area, I would choose a 30-06 due to versatility and bullet choices. If you don't hand load, over the counter Factory Loads are plentiful that include premium bullets.

Bullet choices start at 125 grain up to 220 grain. Take your pick.

Don

And even 240 grain bullets from Woodleigh! :shock:

http://www.woodleighbullets.com.au/info-a-reference/loading-tips#65G

 

[Oldtrader3]

I realise that many shooters pass over the .270's as being bullet weight restricted. However, I have never had any trouble killing any deer that I shot at with either a 130 PT or a 140 gr. premium bullets. I am one of these people who normally chooses one good bullet (Partition normally) per caliber and just go up (or down) the caliber ladder if more/or less horsepower is required. I believe that many here subscribe to the same formula.

 

[RiverRider]

It's all just personal preference, isn't it? There were men who traversed the continent 170 years ago with muzzleloaders, for Pete's sake, and kept themselves alive and fed using them. I see no need to get wrapped around the axle over opinions. We could probably all do quite well with .270s or .257 Bobs for all purposes...but we all would rather enjoy the choices we DO have. Nuthin' wrong with that!

 

[Oldtrader3]

Nuthin' wrong with that and difference of opinion keeps the world spinning on its axis.

 

[DrMike]

Nuthin' wrong with that and difference of opinion keeps the world spinning on its axis.

That's why we have chocolate and vanilla (and butterscotch :grin: ).

 

[BigBoreDan]

I did it all with "one rifle" for the first 25 or so years of my hunting life. Every animal I took during that time was with a 270 Winchester. It was a marvel but I am at heart a gun nut and when I had a little extra money I started adding to the collection. A .257 Weatherby, .350 Remington Magnum, a .340 Weatherby Magnum and a Marlin 45-70 and most recently a 444 followed. I could with the right bullet use any of them with the possible exception of the .257 as my "one gun", but I am glad I don't have to make that decision!!! :grin:

 

[CMBTshooter]

There's a handful of rifles that have never let me down in any situation. I'll admit that I've not shot enough game to make the greatest call on what hunting caliber, but for the all around use, I'd go with the.308 Winchester. I love that little cartridge! Light recoil, very accurate, and an enormous bullet selection to cover just about anything.

 

[Oldtrader3]

I did it all with "one rifle" for the first 25 or so years of my hunting life. Every animal I took during that time was with a 270 Winchester. It was a marvel but I am at heart a gun nut and when I had a little extra money I started adding to the collection. A .257 Weatherby, .350 Remington Magnum, a .340 Weatherby Magnum and a Marlin 45-70 and most recently a 444 followed. I could with the right bullet use any of them with the possible exception of the .257 as my "one gun", but I am glad I don't have to make that decision!!! :grin:

Hi Dan, it has been awhile since you and I have conversed. I hope that you are doing well and prospering. I started out in 1957 with a wildly inaccurate .303 SMLE, Number 1, Mark IV and traded it for a .32 Win Model 94 as soon as I had the funds to do so. I just gave that .32 WS to my son last Christmas.

I did the same thing with a 7mm mag, Husqvarna, one bolt gun, battery for 10 years from 1962 until 1972, and then a .270 custom for 40 years as my main deer gun but along the way, I added 20+ other guns, now trimmed down to (7) CF rifles in old age. I replaced the .340 Bee with a 9.3x64R as more my speed for a Roosevelt Jungle Ambushing rifle. That along with my rescoped .338 Federal.

 

[Vince]

If I could only use one rifle, I'd probably go into a nursing home, curl up in the fetal position and wait for the care aides to bring me my milk and cookies.

Like wives, what's the fun in one? :grin:

 

[BigBoreDan]

I did it all with "one rifle" for the first 25 or so years of my hunting life. Every animal I took during that time was with a 270 Winchester. It was a marvel but I am at heart a gun nut and when I had a little extra money I started adding to the collection. A .257 Weatherby, .350 Remington Magnum, a .340 Weatherby Magnum and a Marlin 45-70 and most recently a 444 followed. I could with the right bullet use any of them with the possible exception of the .257 as my "one gun", but I am glad I don't have to make that decision!!! :grin:

Hi Dan, it has been awhile since you and I have conversed. I hope that you are doing well and prospering. I started out in 1957 with a wildly inaccurate .303 SMLE, Number 1, Mark IV and traded it for a .32 Win Model 94 as soon as I had the funds to do so. I just gave that .32 WS to my son last Christmas.

I did the same thing with a 7mm mag, Husqvarna, one bolt gun, battery for 10 years from 1962 until 1972, and then a .270 custom for 40 years as my main deer gun but along the way, I added 20+ other guns, now trimmed down to (7) CF rifles in old age. I replaced the .340 Bee with a 9.3x64R as more my speed for a Roosevelt Jungle Ambushing rifle. That along with my rescoped .338 Federal.

That 9.3 and 338 Federal are two fine cartridges and should serve you well. I have been thinking of rebarreling a Weatherby Mark V 30-06 to 9.3x62 Mauser when funds will allow. I think it would make a fine all around combo.