What happened to the good old hunting rifle?

[Chadp82]

I know this will open Pandora's box......

but what happened to the good 'ol dad or grandpas hunting rifle?

I realize machining "may" be better (subjective here), things are lighter, and some "new" cartridges have great ballistics.

My teaching was practice, trigger time, and reloading adjustments got us dialed in. I don't think that has changed, just new age rifles. I am under 40, barely, but under 40.

I have 2 rifles that run neck and neck, one is a 80's model REM 700 30-06 that I got for Christmas the first yet I could hunt. Did a lot of load development and can stack shots (on a good range day) at 200 yds. Also have a browning a bolt that is a great shooter also. I hunt more with the A Bolt due to weight, but I shoot the Remington a few times a year and am confident it will get the job done as it has many times while hunting.

I have looked at swapping to a newer rifle, but don't see the need. I recognize, personal opinion.

I also have a couple of inherited rifles that are older that just plain shoot. Mostly as a result of load development, for which I have the recipes also. They are heavy wood stocks, but how do they differ from a heavy barrel modern gun?

let the popcorn come out

 

[codyadams]

Nothing happened to the good ol hunting rifle, they are still there. This is just a long range hunting forum, so you aren't going to see them as much, because the newer custom builds do the job (generally) a little more consistently. As you said, on a good range day you could stack shots at 200. A well built custom gun properly fitted to the shooter will pretty much do that on any range day, for 3 rounds, or 20, doesn't matter much, because they are generally just more consistent. Also, where a factory rifle might take a little work to get a good acceptable load, and a bad load may shoot 2-3" at 100, my semi custom .260 ai for instance, has never shot a group over about 1" at 100, in fireforming and load development.

Now, I'm not saying at all that the good ol rifles aren't capable of outstanding consistency and accuracy. I recently got done working on a rifle for a buddy, a Remington 700 BDL in 7mm rem mag made back in the 70's. I pillar bedded the action, tuned the trigger, floated the barrel, bedded a Leupold VX6 HD 3-18 in a one piece base, and worked up a load for it with quality components. When I stretched it out, it consistently held .4-.7 MOA out to 980 yards, plenty acceptable for long range hunting. On the same note, I shot my .260 AI and put down a couple groups that were .3-.4 MOA without much effort. Would the extra accuracy be necessary for hunting at those ranges? Nope. All the shots landed within a kill zone sized target. But if I was going to pick one of those two rifles for taking a 900 yard shot on a pronghorn, it's not gonna be the factory rifle.

It just comes down to using the right tool for the job. I sometimes will grab my fathers Winchester model 1895 in 30-06 for timber elk hunting, but if I'm going to the high country for cross canyon elk hunting, I'm not gonna take that rifle. Also, if I wasn't in a financial situation to be able to save up $2000+ for a semi or full custom rifle, I could make it work with a factory rifle and some good load tuning and thoughtful budget friendly modifications, because that is what I used to do, and nothing is wrong with that.

 

[Deleted member 115360]

There is much mental masturbation in many rifle decisions, and I'm right in the middle of it. Most of my hunting opportunities are well inside of 200y, as are most opportunities in general. Those shots would work with a 4moa rifle, but I want one that shoots .2 moa. Sometimes I drag a 30" barrel rifle into the woods to spots where I will sit in a stand where I can't see anything beyond 100y. How accurate are you standing offhand, or on a pile of packs? Not enough that you can honestly justify that $6k custom rifle that makes bugholes. Now, none of that will dictate my purchases, because maybe tomorrow is the day when I get that 1,000y trophy of a lifetime opportunity, (but probably not). I'm 40 for a few more days, and a short 30 years ago, when I began my obsession with killing whitetail deer, putting 3 shots in a paper plate at a distance that was kinda probably close to 100y, give or take 30y or so, and you were ready to hit the woods. Sure the machining is better, but so is the technology, ammo, and distribution of ballistic understanding.

However, If you want to apply practicality to my hunting rifles, then we cannot be friends.

 

[Recon$$]

I got the good old boy's and my children will shoot em too. However my 50 year old woods master in 30-06 just ain't cutting the mustard at 800 yards. My kids will have some real nice hand me downs, I know that...

 

[bdlesh]

They have gone the way of 3x9 scopes, Buck knives, Browning boots, Coleman lanterns and igloo coolers as top of the line. They all get laughed at these days. If you dont have a $5000+ custom rifle in 6.5 cm, a scope of at least 24x, camo everything and $25000 utv you might as well stay home.

 

[Deleted member 115360]

They have gone the way of 3x9 scopes, Buck knives, Browning boots, Coleman lanterns and igloo coolers as top of the line. They all get laughed at these days. If you dont have a $5000+ custom rifle in 6.5 cm, a scope of at least 24x, camo everything and $25000 utv you might as well stay home.

6.5cm?

Did you write that comment in 1987?

 

[bdlesh]

I had to get my jab in on creedmore....and it would fit nicely in 1987. ....so would I

 

[Deleted member 115360]

I had to get my jab in on creedmore....and it would fit nicely in 1987. ....so would I

I was sort of furthering your point of course, since the 6.5cm was the hot new cartridge about a half dozen hot new cartridges ago.

 

[QuietTexan]

Well what about the whipper snappers today whose good old granddad was a piker who used a 308 because he wasn't man enough to shoot a 30-06 like his daddy did in the war? Every old man gun was a new fangled man bun gun at one point.

10,000 years ago some old guy was cussing a young guy because he put a rock on the end of his pointy stick, Fudds gonna Fudd every generation.

 

[CMP70306]

I still have them and carry them in hunting season but these days I greatly prefer to shoot and hunt with a suppressed rifle and none of the older guns have the barrel thickness to accept suppressor threads. The only way to get them is to rebarrel at which point they become custom and are no longer the regular old school rifles of yesteryear.

That being said last year I hunted with a Pre-War Model 70 in 30-06, a Winchester 1873 in .45 Colt, my grandfather's Remington 760 in .30-06 in addition to the custom rifle that I built and primarily hunted with.

 

[Aoudad shooter1975]

I try to take one of my hunting rifles every year--this year I hunted with a Browning BLR 358 with a NECG receiver sight. Didnt kill anything with it--but had an opportunity. I agree with Codyadams this site usually is just focused on the LR aspect.

 

[bullet man]

I'm in the same spot I have a 270 adl made in the 80's that will shoot like house of fire, but i just bought a custom 270 put together in salt lake city from a guy that had a shoulder problem after he built it, I'm jacked its got all the bells and whistles mag custom barrel etc. didn't need it but it got me excited shoot any better ? maybe will have to see

 

[bdlesh]

The latest greatest man bun choice of the day better than an 50 year old gun? I see here almost daily how the new cnc carbon barreled fairy dusted products of the day have issues out of the box. I know these days if you don't hunt your game at over 1000 yards, you might as well not hunt. So the 24x+ scopes are needed. Not long ago a mile was a unheard of shot. Now you have to ve able to shoot 2 miles to even be considered a long range hunter. If that's what gives you a movement in your shorts power to you. I am to old to walk that far to retrieve my game.......hell anything over 100 yards is to far for this old fat man. Btw I do own a couple latest greatest, sontake it easy in me with the bashing....lol

 

[rustyshackleford]

They still make them and there is still an appreciation for classic designs