How Much Rifle Do You Need?

[Guest]

I bet Dubyam would like a full set of Weatherbys ( if he dont have them already )

I do not have them - yet. I do want a complete set of at least the original six. I have the 270 action in matte and the 300 in stainless, and only lack the B&C Medalist stocks to get them in the configuration I wanted. When/if I get the money, I'll get an Ultralightweight 257, a Euromark 7mm, an Accumark 340, and a Deluxe 375. The last one will have to be custom built, though, as I'd want it with a 26" barrel, I think, just because I like the longer tubes. I almost had the Accumark a couple of years ago for a great price, but was unable to muster the last couple hundred dollars for the big 340. The 375 could turn into a $3k rifle, but it will be exactly as I want it spec'd or I won't have it. That's the fun part about "wants" versus "needs." I bought my 30-30WCF because I needed a deer rifle for $200 and that was it (back in the early 80s). I bought my second deer rifle almost 20yrs later because it was what I found on sale that would meet my needs. It's a Rem700 Classic from 2004 in 8x57. Great rifle, pleasure to shoot, and about 1-1.25" accurate, which is acceptable for my use for that rifle. After that, I actually bought my 270'bee on a steal of a deal with the intention of turning it into a 257'bee. But, good sense prevailed and I found salvation in the best all-around North American chambering I think I've ever had the pleasure of firing. And, it will put three into less than half a minute on command, and occasionally three into a "sub-caliber" group, which is just astounding for a factory rifle in a tupperware stock. After that rifle, I started getting a lot more "purpose driven" about my rifle purchases, and am likely to remain so, as I feel I don't have anything lacking in the chamberings I have, in terms of being able to hunt anything on this continent except the great bears - and if I can afford a Griz hunt, I can afford a new rifle....

 

[PJGunner]

"what in hell am I doing with a .416 Rigby?"

Well, I did ask that question so I suppose I should give the answer. At the time I was collecting Ruger #1's in all their various forms. I even have a spare in 30-06 that is planned to be a donor for a .35 Whelen. 8) I have a .404 Jeffery for that very same reason.
In one of his books, the late great Elmer Keith once said, "I believe every man should scratch his own fleas in whatever manner he chooses." or words to that effect.
Every time I see a J.C. Higgins M50 on a table I try to negoiate a price I can live with so I have a few of those as well They mayke great donors although one I have will stay as is. It was given to me by a friend how passed from stomach cancer and although it's in it's second stock, I took a bad fall and the rifle's stock paid the price. Another M50 became my custom 7x57. I like that FN Mauser action. :grin:
Sure, I would love to have a custom rifle by Miller, Bieson or Echols. I would love to have a nice .275 Rigby by Rigby. Unless something unforeseen happens, that ain't gonna happen so I just stay content with what I am fortunate to have. and be grateful for whatever hunts I still have left in me.
Paul B.

 

[tjen]

I have never had a Leupold fail and some are over twenty old. VX2 & VX3 for th e most part one VX1 setting on a Omaga. I have sold a few fixed and VX2's that came on used guns for 100% profit which was 50% of new cost. And I just up graded to better leupolds.

If I trppled my income tomorrow I do not think I would buy any thing other than Leupolds because of the small size well designed and life time warrenty.

I was once asked if money was no issue which car would you buy. My reply was no car, but Taho, K1500, and a jeep would work for me very well. One for each perpose.

 

[Wapiti Slayer .270]

When my trip to Africa was given to me by my father, I ask A and another gentleman who lives in Argentina but was once a regular on a different forum before he became ill, for assistance. I had always had a keen interest in the 375 and 300 H & h calibers. Anyway during my correspondence with her, I found out her and her husband collect Holland and Holland rifles and that there was two 240s, 300s,375s,and 500s--one for double rifles and one for bolt rifles. plus a 244, 400, 465, 600, and 700. She suggested that I only buy the 300 and/or 375 however in the H & H.
I ask her if they had all of them and she said all but two and they are still looking for those two. I ask her why, and she said they just "want" a complete set of calibers H & H made over the years. I personally dont have a problem with that and I bet Dubyam would like a full set of Weatherbys ( if he dont have them already ) and Tom and Kelly would like a full set of Model 70 s, so to speak. Guns to some of us are like a priceless french painting to others. I also like what Scotty said, I like playing with different guns and loads. To each their own however and I dont judge anybody for their likes or dislikes

Sean,

Your trip to Africa must be fast approaching. I cannot wait to hear your hunt report. I know how much this trip means to you based off how it came to be. Pretty special. As to your rifles, you sure got some great advice and also bought some great rifles just for this trip.

Although I had all I needed long ago, I am not ashamed to want better and more equipment. I work hard, and I always thought the American Dream was to have the opportunity to work hard and make a better life for oneself and their family. Like alot of guys here I caught some heat for just that viewpoint not long ago. While left with somewhat of a bitter taste for some of my fellow man, I have since came to the conclusion of feeling sorry for them. The miss the point that all that matters is that we are happy within ourselves. Now that I got off tangent, I'll now post my reply back to Sean which is why I originally logged in.

I don't think I want a complete set of Pre-64 Mod. 70's anymore Sean. I think I'd be happy with the .270 that I have, a 7x57 and this will be the biggest shocker to anyone that knows me, a .375H&H............ :shock: :shock: :shock:

 

[Guest]

Although I had all I needed long ago, I am not ashamed to want better and more equipment. I work hard, and I always thought the American Dream was to have the opportunity to work hard and make a better life for oneself and their family. Like alot of guys here I caught some heat for just that viewpoint not long ago. While left with somewhat of a bitter taste for some of my fellow man, I have since came to the conclusion of feeling sorry for them. The miss the point that all that matters is that we are happy within ourselves. Now that I got off tangent, I'll now post my reply back to Sean which is why I originally logged in.

No apologies needed for that little bit of pure wisdom, Kelly. I couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[Idahotrophyhunter]

Idahotrophyhunter

Thank you, I was beginning to feel like a red headed step child being one of the few that likes and recommends Schmidt and Bender LOL BTW, if you get it you will not regret it and will be able to see the elk 15 minutes after sundown. Obviously there are other brands that could also provide what your looking for, but I had to comment, as I seem to be in the minority when discussing S & B

To my eye there is nothing better...I remember a hunt couple years ago, came across a guy with a schmidt bender scope....thing looked like it had gone through 2 world wars. He said he had put it on his rifle in 1981 and it had never failed him. I asked if I could look through it and when I did, it was like the light just beamed in and it was crystal clear, made my zeiss conquest look humble and this scope was nearly 30 years old.

 

[Ridge_Runner]

back in the days before caffiene, nicotiene, and alcahol took a toll on my motor skills yes I could do what I thought were amazing things with a rifle, now it seems my pulse runs a mile-a-minute, and I shake like a dog $hittin bones, so in that state how much of a rifle does it take to do this at 750 yards?

I'll take all I can afford!
RR

 

[Ridgerunner665]

About the "one gun" thing...

I'm all for everyone having all sorts of guns (I have 4 safes full myself...plus 2 gun cabinets, several propped up in various corners of the house, etc.)

But having one gun for hunting is something I've always thought was a good idea (same for CCW)...carry one that you are very familiar with and used to....For example, It would suck to be fumbling for the safety of your Remington 700 while you're trying shoot that 12 point buck with your brand new "Savage" ...thats all I'm trying to say.

And please....please...don't ask me how I know.

 

[Tnhunter]

About the "one gun" thing...

I'm all for everyone having all sorts of guns (I have 4 safes full myself...plus 2 gun cabinets, several propped up in various corners of the house, etc.)

But having one gun for hunting is something I've always thought was a good idea (same for CCW)...carry one that you are very familiar with and used to....For example, It would suck to be fumbling for the safety of your Remington 700 while you're trying shoot that 12 point buck with your brand new "Savage" ...thats all I'm trying to say.

And please....please...don't ask me how I know.

This happens to be a dilemma that I worried about for years, as my collection grew. Would I remember to lever in another cartridge when I shot at an animal with a L/A? Would a bolt gun feel funny to me? Would I simply freeze after I shot an animal with a single shot?

My first harvest with a lever gun had the comment that it could not have been me, because it must have been a semi-auto. The bolt deal was fine as a 2nd shot was made (missed, but dead deer from 1st shot) and the single shot gave me two deer out of one group, first at 225 yards(8 pnt).

All questions were answered and all make that ALL encounters were dealt with, properly. I practice with all rifles I hunt with (a lot!) and think that simply practicing dry-firing can be of great help. Of course, only one man's opinion.

 

[Oldtrader3]

I don't know about you guys but I can still shoot the right eye out of a squirrel offhand with a one-finger rest, at 25 yards with a rimfire and do it 19/20 tries and kill all 20 with a head shot. I am nearly 70, have had cancer twice (incl lungs), emphasema, bronchiectasis, heart stents, etc. etc. etc.

I think it all comes down to mind over matter, at least in my case and practice, practice, practice!

 

[Ridgerunner665]

I'm away from home 320+ days out of the year (heavy haul truck driver)...don't have as much time for shooting (practicing) as I once did. Just another thing to consider...

I still don't miss very often at all...not when there's fur in my crosshairs.

 

[Oldtrader3]

That is certainly true. I used to work over 300 days a year mostly overseas and got rusty shooting after 12 years of it. Fortunately, I have been retired now for 10 years and can shoot anytime I want. My wife even encourages it to get me out of the house. Working all the time interferes with a lot of stuff.

 

[onesonek]

All this talk about hunting with ONE or TWO rifles!! HA! I will leave that alone.

It is too much fun for me to do the load work, build drop cards, see what works, etc. I like to shoot and if I shot ONE rifle that much.. Well, I think I would get bored..

Scotty, I believe you and I are cut from the same cloth in this respect. My battery of rifles only lacks something in the "minimum caliber for Africa" category, and I don't really see that as a viable option right now. I've considered a 375 or larger, but every time I find myself thinking, "I'll get more justification and use, as well as cheaper components, from XYZ chambering..." (I know, that's almost heresy!) But up to now, smaller stuff has always prevailed and the urge to get a big bore hasn't caught me fully, yet. I do have an unexplained longing for a 9.3x62, though...

I generally buy rifles with a plan in mind in terms of the bullet weight range and setup I'd like to make from them, and how I'd use them in my own hunting situations. I even have a couple of rifles bought specifically for future hunts out west, so I guess my justification for a big bore just got easier, huh? :lol:

"I generally buy rifles with a plan in mind in terms of the bullet weight range and setup I'd like to make from them, and how I'd use them in my own hunting situations. I even have a couple of rifles bought specifically for future hunts out west, so I guess my justification for a big bore just got easier, huh?"

I do this as well. At this point I have some of the same caliber set up differently and some even of the same chambering, for specific use's in mind. Only 2 rigs, do I have multiple loadings. But even they came about for a primary purpose and loading in mind.

 

[tddeangelo]

Wow...finally sat and read this thread.

I can say I've conclusively learned from various internet fora that the only person's opinion that really matters, when it comes time for me to write a check dispensing money I earned, is mine. Well, and my wife's, but that's another story altogether, lol.

Some people like Weatherby's, some Winchesters, some Remingtons....in the end, who needs to be happy with what a person has? The owner.

I hunted with borrowed guns from my dad right through to my adult years, because, well, I just didn't have the money to buy myself a rifle. I had a wife, a mortgage, things to pay for that were more important than a hunting rifle. And I was fortunate to have a father who had rifles to spare and was happy to let me use them.

In fact, my first Winchester was actually my 2nd, lol. My dad decided to give me his dad's 257 Roberts. Then he decided he still wanted it, but he wasn't going to welch on the deal, so he bought me my M70 Classic in 30-06 and I traded him back the 257. Eventually he decided (for some very personal reasons not appropriate for this forum) that the 257 needed to go. I wanted it, and while I was putting money together for it, Christmas came and he just gave it to me.

In the last few years, my career has reached a point where I can start enjoying a few more things in my rifle battery. Some who know me know I have a penchant for old US military rifles, so I spent some time working on that collection. Now I am on hunting rifles. I'll swing back and forth, I'm sure.

I have caliber overlap like nobodies' business, lol, but I don't care. I love the rifles I have. I've sold some, and only regret a few sales, most I was happy with and remain so.

I have been lectured to, berated, insulted, and just in general disrespected on internet fora for my choices in gear. I've been called a snob, told I must take unethical shots because of the glass I use, and more. Told I am too inexperienced to know anything, told I that I'm an unskilled hunter because I've taken (and made) a few longer shots....and more. That's the nature of the internet. Put someone on the other side of a keyboard and internet connection and they say stuff they wouldn't if you were sitting at the table with them having a conversation. That's just a fact of life. Took me a long time to come to terms with that, but now, I sum all this up as this...

We get what is best for us at the time. No one has any right to tell someone what is best for their situation. Recommendations, ideas, moral support, etc....all good stuff. No one has any right to tell another "this is what you SHOULD have or you're WRONG."

I love this site because, as was mentioned, I never see ANYONE berate someone for their gear or taste in gear. EVER. All I see on here is support for everyone in their endeavors. When someone appears who runs against that grain, they don't last long. That makes this a great forum. I moderate a forum as well, and it's a very new, young forum with just a handful of members, but this forum is a model to me in how I want to run that one.

 

[Oldtrader3]

Tom, that is why this is the only shooting forum that I come to. This is for the same reasons that you cited. I also go to one coin collecting forum but it is getting to be like many other forums with many of today's younger adults, if you can call them that with their abuse of manners?

I have had people tear me a new one on other forums just because I am an engineer and have an education. I can not believe how insulting. tasteless, base and crass class warfare gets sometimes. What is funny about this is the fact that I spent my life savings on my children's college educations and don't have a dime now. All that money that I spent on children's education was saved out of income earned, every penny of it! I live on Social Security and a small pension. We spend very carefully and live just like everyone else with limited income. That is why I do not buy guns anymore!

 

[usmc 89]

How much rifle do you need? I guess that I could so everything I do with my 6.5-284. I don't have a ton of guns but I try to build the best case scenario out of the money I have. some of the guns I do have are over 4k to build but spending the money to make them as honest as possible is worth it to me. I can always rule out the rifle and place the blame on myself for poor performance.