Why not stick with our first rifle?

[nvbroncrider]

My first was my M70 XTR 7mm Rem Mag. It took a ton of woodchucks, a moose, caribou, black bear and a bunch of deer. All with a 4x Redfield on top. The same rifle is alive and well today as a 7mm Mashburn Super Magnum. I love it more than ever, but I did upgrade the scope to a FX3 6X with an M1 dial!

I agree with you though. There hasn't been anything I've hunted since that rifle wouldn't have taken care of.

...well, my 1st rifle was a hand-me-down Model of 1895 .30-06, steel butt plate & all that was as tall as I was & weighed damnnear as much. First one I bought for myself (this is weird) was a Mod. 70 XTR 7mm RM w/ a Redfield 4X Widefield scope. Never shot a caribou w/ it, but I've shot moose, bear, elk, & deer w/ it & a few other 7's, ending w/ my current SS A-Bolt. Now I've got more rifles than I can shoot, each w/ it own suppossed little niche, but not as many as I really, truly need, because, well, just 'because'....

Great minds run on the same track! :lol:

Yep severe case of tinkeritis still got the 280.

 

[SJB358]

Well..... Never had a 280......

 

[Rigbymauser]

Well..why didn´t I stick to my first rifle(s)?.

My first rifle was a target rifle in .22lr. I got that one when I was 10. Later at 14years of age I got a .30-30 M94. The first one was accurate but lacked power and the second had power but lacked accuracy.
I soon later dicovered power and accuracy must go hand-in-hand.

 

[Elkman]

Even though I killed a number of deer and elk with my first rifle I felt I needed more power at longer ranges. It was in 1970 that I switched to the 300 WM. It has done all that I have ever asked of it. I still have my first rifle, a 1956 , 721 Remington that has been re-barreled to 35 Whelen.

 

[roysclockgun]

Elkman wrote: "Even though I killed a number of deer and elk with my first rifle I felt I needed more power at longer ranges."

Yes, I agree. If most of us had stuck with our first rifle, we would likely be undergunned for longer shots that we have taken. Had there been no alternative to our first rifles, we would just have to be more diligent and get closer to the game before taking them under fire.
Question: By what I wrote above, can we conclude that a man using a bow to kill big game, must develop greater hunting skills than the man using a high powered rifle?

 

[Elkman]

Roy
By what I wrote above, can we conclude that a man using a bow to kill big game, must develop greater hunting skills than the man using a high powered rifle?

As I hunt with both I would say, "yes". However to kill a large mature bull, archers because of their ability to hunt in general season hunts during the rut, have a greater "opportunity" than rifle hunters, whom generally have to draw a special tag to hunt in the same time frame. But opportunity does not necessarily equate to success. Statistics show that as a population archers have a a success ratio, less than half that of rifle hunters, but that statistic is flawed because in many states residents can hunt with both archery and rifle, as well as early season and late. Wayne Van Swoll's research shows that that the average rifle hunter kills an elk once every 7 years. Other data shows a similar success ratio for archers.

 

[nvbroncrider]

Roy
By what I wrote above, can we conclude that a man using a bow to kill big game, must develop greater hunting skills than the man using a high powered rifle?

As I hunt with both I would say, "yes". However to kill a large mature bull, archers because of their ability to hunt in general season hunts during the rut, have a greater "opportunity" than rifle hunters, whom generally have to draw a special tag to hunt in the same time frame. But opportunity does not necessarily equate to success. Statistics show that as a population archers have a a success ratio, less than half that of rifle hunters, but that statistic is flawed because in many states residents can hunt with both archery and rifle, as well as early season and late. Wayne Van Swoll's research shows that that the average rifle hunter kills an elk once every 7 years. Other data shows a similar success ratio for archers.

I guess your above average Bill!

 

[roysclockgun]

There are limits to any sport. A few years back, I read of some men who bought a military artillery range finder. They then mounted a .50 sniper rifle to the bed of a pickup, complete with shooting bench. Finding a bull elk, lying in the snow at around one mile, they ranged the rifle on snow patches, in the same direction as the reclining elk and at the same range. After dialing in the scope for range and wind, they shifted the scope onto the elk and killed him.
Being aware that all of us "blood sports" people need to stick together; do you believe that taking a bull elk in this manner is ethical?

 

[Anonymous]

Yes, I agree. If most of us had stuck with our first rifle, we would likely be undergunned for longer shots that we have taken. Had there been no alternative to our first rifles, we would just have to be more diligent and get closer to the game before taking them under fire.
Question: By what I wrote above, can we conclude that a man using a bow to kill big game, must develop greater hunting skills than the man using a high powered rifle?

I'd offer that it's not "better" hunting skills, but a different set of requirements.

I'd also offer that in some regions, archery hunters have significant advantages over rifle hunters. For instance, in much of the East- whitetail archery guys get first crack in terrain that isn't really conducive to rifle range shooting anyway...I've taken a number of whitetails with a rifle at well within bow range simply because you can't see any further. A lot of my friends there have went to the compound bow exclusively as just more effective given the terrain and ease of permission to find a place to hunt. The early and long season is just more opportunity.

Rifle hunters don't get to go until well into November and the deer are skittish and much tougher to hunt.

When you go West, into open or mountainous terrain, the situation isn't nearly as weighted in favor of the bow and in much of AK the bow is a distinct disadvantage since we have so little archery only areas and fewer special tags for archers.

 

[Polaris]

My first deer rifle was a Rem 788 in .308 that I painted a few hockey rinks in my 14th summer to afford. I had planned on a Rem 700 in .30-06, but the 788 just showed up at the right time. I loved that rifle, learned centerfire reloading with it, took many deer with it and burned a whole lot of 7.62 NATO surplus back when it was cheap honing my skills. I got rid of it because I wore it out. Groups with proven loads were getting progressively bigger and numerous small parts in the action were getting worn and unreliable. I sold it to an F-class guy for a build.

I'm now working on my second deer rifle, a Mauser 98 barreled in .280 rem with a somewhat extravagant piece of walnut furniture. I've gone through a few scopes finding "the one", but the rifle is here to stay even if I have to rebuild it from trigger to muzzle. It fits me like none other, kills what I point it at and it has a lot of blood sweat and tears (and sheets of sandpaper, and oily rags) into it as well as a long and growing list of happy memories.

I have a couple of niche rifles for special situations or loaning to friends and relatives that come up from shotgun zone or have technical difficulties with their arms, but this is my main rig, capable of handling any game in North America to reasonable ranges. And it's nice to look at. I've found my perfection. I will hunt with it until I hunt no more.

 

[bbearhntr]

Luckily I still have my first centerfire rifle. My father helped me buy it for a graduation gift back in high school. It is a Browning Abolt in 30-06. Just the plain stalker version with the tupperware stock. I've only sold 3 rifles I've ever owned and regretted it each time. I'd sure like to have them back. I swore to myself I'd never do it again but I'm pondering it again with a rifle I've never bloodied to acquire something I covet more. My first rifle holds a special place in my life and I'll never part with it. I've got to many special memories with it to send it down the road.