Hind sight being 20/20?

[jtmoose]

I just started hunting deer, Elk, and bear; have a small budget; and an almost empty safe after selling some things I never used or was the wrong tool for the jobs I needed it for. From what i gather, no one rifle will do it all so I'm developing ing my acquisition plan rather than buy, regret, buy, regret, but, trade, etc...

I was hoping I could get some experienced enthusiasts to provide some lessons learned along your journey of creating a battery of arms. For example, I had a 7-08 but could never find ammo locally. Lesson learned was professionals talk logistics. another lesson I learned was that stainless actions are desirable in the PNW and a heavy gun sucks in the mountains.

What are some of the lessons you've learned over the years and what rifles, cartridges, etc. would you recommend if you had to do it all over? What is the lowest number of guns you could get by with?

 

[Korhil78]

A bunch of things would have to be decided in me choosing just one rifle. But to keep it simple:

If long range shots out to 1000 yards were planned then I would go with a 300 Win Mag.

If everything was going to be kept under 700 yards, I would go with a 7mm Rem Mag. (and yes, I know that game can be taken with this cartridge further than that)

And lastly, if I was never even going to think about taking a shot over 500 yards, I would go with a 30-06.

But I am not a one gun type of person.

 

[geo4061]

If I could only have one it would be a 300 Win Mag. You could hunt almost anything in the world and find ammo in any Walmart, hardware, or sporting goods store.

 

[MudRunner2005]

What are some of the lessons you've learned over the years and what rifles, cartridges, etc. would you recommend if you had to do it all over??

There is a lot more info we need to help you make a choice like that. Also, keep in mind that there is no such unicorn as "1 perfect gun/caliber for all situations".

What is the lowest number of guns you could get by with?

I'm sorry I don't follow... Less? This is not a term I am familiar with when discussing guns or ammunition.

 

[snox801]

I agree if you had to have one 300 win mag. That being said who wants just one? I have ran into this a lot while helping friends who are getting into hunting. After making lots of mistakes myself this is what I tell them. I could get by with 3 guns.

Small caliber .223 for clear reasons
Mid caliber .243
Large .300 win mag.
I feel with those three you can cover anything you wanna hunt.
Also make sure you buy a quality firearm that allows you to build on it as you grow as a shooter or learn what you want.

 

[Plinker147]

Like most I've bought and sold most calibers and styles of guns imaginable, always looking for MR. perfect. I now believe there is no perfect because wants always get in the way. But I have settled on 3 calibers that I use the most and fit all situations.

.223 for varmits- obvious reasons
6.5 for deer sized game and plinking- I personally like the 6.5-06 Easy to shoot, cheap to reload, and good long range
.338 cuz everyone has to have one big gun, if for nothing else to hear it go BOOM. Best long range caliber out there IMO. Lots of bullet options, and energy to kill whatever

So now instead of 10 different calibers, I have 10 guns in the same three calibers. The wants never ends, its a sickness I suppose.

 

[royinidaho]

OT,

I was a one gun fella for 40 years. Everything from chucks to moose with the same rig. Never let me down though the one shot on the moose at 60 yards, heart shot, too about 5 minutes to reach a conclusion. :roll eyes:

That rig was a 270 Winchester shooting 90 grain Sierras for the small stuff and 130 grain sierras for the big stuff. Much, much better bullet selection.

I've now graduated to more than one rig. I have 3, the 270 Win, a 375 AM and a gas gun for general purposes.

Pick one, learn to use it. It'll serve you well.

 

[jtmoose]

Great points so far. I also want to clarify that the intent isn't to find a one gun solution, just a plan to accomplish the most with the least and avoid pains on the way such as the most expensive tool being the one just a hair too small to do the job.

Another thing I've learned so far is that starting with a long action enables re barrelling to almost anything rather than starting with a short action to later find your dream rebarrell chamber requires a long action.

I've considered attempting to stick with 30 calibers (i.e., 300blk, 308, 300 Win Mag) for logistics purposes but not being a reloader at this point hasn't shown if that is a legitimate concern.

I've also noticed in other pursuits that custom hasn't always provide benefits that outweigh the costs. Is it better to KISS or value the semi-custom route for the journey not the destination.

 

[bowhunter020]

22-250
25-06
300 RUM

Or two

243
300 RUM

 

[engineer40]

Lowest number of firearms I would ever own?
Ruger 10/22
Remington 870 12 gauge with both Smooth and Rifled barrels.
Savage or Remington 700 in 300 Win Mag.

All of those are well supported products you could build off from if you ever wanted down the road. They are well understood in the industry if you ever have a problem. They are easily found for great prices at pawn shops. And the combination of arms will kill about anything that you could want to.

If you ever got into target shooting, you'll probably want to have something in 6.5mm/264 caliber. A lightweight hunting 300 Win Mag will beat you up for much target shooting.

 

[nateisw]

I do all of my hunting with either a 7mm rem mag or a .44 mag carbine. I am currently looking to buy either a .243 or 7mm-08.

I think you could get a lot of mileage by just having:
Ruger 10/22
30-30 for short range
.243
7mm rem mag or 300 wm.

 

[COBrad]

I've whittled it down to a few rifles that cover it all for me, a .22, a 22-250 for prairie dogs, a .270 WSM for a walking varmint and elk rifle, a 7 mag for long range, an AR15 because no flippin' jackass politician is going to tell me I can't have one. The .22 and 22-250 are Coopers, the 270 and 7mm are customs, the AR is a Colt. Aside from the AR the others shoot half-minute or better. I sold a number of rifles to put these together because I decided I wanted a few wicked accurate rifles instead of a bunch of rifles that hardly ever got shot.

Now, if I had to limit it to one rifle, and my budget didn't allow for a custom, it would be a Cooper Excalibur in 7 mag, preferably with a 9 twist barrel. Big enough to shoot anything I'll ever shoot, the 9 twist barrel will stabilize the 180 gr Berger VLD's. ( My 7 mag shoots this bullet and did a fine job on a bull at 1098 yds this year). I am tired of hard recoiling rifles and the 7 mag is easy on my shoulder. I would put on a top end scope, preferably a 3-12 Schmidt Bender Klassic from Darrel Holland with his ART reticle.
If I were to add another rifle it would be a .22. From there I would end up with the same rifles I already have.

 

[WildRose]

I just started hunting deer, Elk, and bear; have a small budget; and an almost empty safe after selling some things I never used or was the wrong tool for the jobs I needed it for. From what i gather, no one rifle will do it all so I'm developing ing my acquisition plan rather than buy, regret, buy, regret, but, trade, etc...

I was hoping I could get some experienced enthusiasts to provide some lessons learned along your journey of creating a battery of arms. For example, I had a 7-08 but could never find ammo locally. Lesson learned was professionals talk logistics. another lesson I learned was that stainless actions are desirable in the PNW and a heavy gun sucks in the mountains.

What are some of the lessons you've learned over the years and what rifles, cartridges, etc. would you recommend if you had to do it all over? What is the lowest number of guns you could get by with?

7mm STW is and probably always will be my favorite but I've spent 20 years plus saving and buying brass. Factory ammo for it is generally no more than 24-48hrs away as long as I have internet access.

For your needs though I'd say 300wm. It's plenty to get the job done and you'll never have a problem getting factory ammo or brass for reloading.

If I could only have two rifles (which I did for many years) and I were starting today I'd have a 220 swift for small stuff and a 300wm for the rest.

 

[WildRose]

Great points so far. I also want to clarify that the intent isn't to find a one gun solution, just a plan to accomplish the most with the least and avoid pains on the way such as the most expensive tool being the one just a hair too small to do the job.

Another thing I've learned so far is that starting with a long action enables re barrelling to almost anything rather than starting with a short action to later find your dream rebarrell chamber requires a long action.

I've considered attempting to stick with 30 calibers (i.e., 300blk, 308, 300 Win Mag) for logistics purposes but not being a reloader at this point hasn't shown if that is a legitimate concern.

I've also noticed in other pursuits that custom hasn't always provide benefits that outweigh the costs. Is it better to KISS or value the semi-custom route for the journey not the destination.

You can get buy with a quality factory rifle but it's a crap shoot.

If you only want to do it once go with a custom or semi custom.

I noticed PT&G has blue printed 700 actions right now for around 500.00. That would get you off to a great start.