What is your favorite rifle in your arsenal?

[Buffalobwana]

Have a couple favorites for different jobs.

Christensen Ridgeline FFT 6.5 PRC. For most things smaller than Elk.

Rem 700 375 H&H out of Remmys custom shop.

Bought in a hardware store in Naples FL in 1996 It was an accident order on their part.

They had two guns for sale. A 22 LR and this. I convinced the owner that a $1200 375 would never sell in this town, in this store.

He agreed and we came to $650 as the price.

It's a 1/2" gun and I love it.

 

[johngibbs222]

Old Browning BLR 81 in 308 topped with a slightly younger Zeiss Diavari 1.5x6 on Talley one piece rings, usurps my 94 win 30/30 as it's nearly as light and quicker to unload at the end of the day.
It's stock, not touched a thing on it except to remove the fore-end bracket and free float the barrel.
It shoots way better than me and the only downside is it's so dang noisy due to the 20" barrel and powder I use.
Full power, I load up speer 165 grn btsp ahead of 43 grns Vit N-150 for about 2500 fps for deer and barnes tsx 130 grn at about 3000+ fps for pigs. I won't put the powder or load as it's not one from the barnes website.
I've just started developing a load for the Hornady 110 grn CX, that is so flat shooting and it's getting over 3200 fps at the start at load using the barnes 110 grn ttsx data.
But it's mostly fed a diet of cast boolits, gas checked in a range of weights from 120 grn to 185 grns all pretty hard cast and I try to keep them below 2000 fps mv using them for plinking, rabbits and range work out to 200 yards.
Barrel looks pretty much as it would of done in 1982 and it'll stay that way if I keep using cast boolits most the time.
It sure dislikes milsurp 7.62 ammo but loves Federal brass.

 

[marksman1941]

View attachment 558551

Old Browning BLR 81 in 308 topped with a slightly younger Zeiss Diavari 1.5x6 on Talley one piece rings, usurps my 94 win 30/30 as it's nearly as light and quicker to unload at the end of the day.
It's stock, not touched a thing on it except to remove the fore-end bracket and free float the barrel.
It shoots way better than me and the only downside is it's so dang noisy due to the 20" barrel and powder I use.
Full power, I load up speer 165 grn btsp ahead of 43 grns Vit N-150 for about 2500 fps for deer and barnes tsx 130 grn at about 3000+ fps for pigs. I won't put the powder or load as it's not one from the barnes website.
I've just started developing a load for the Hornady 110 grn CX, that is so flat shooting and it's getting over 3200 fps at the start at load using the barnes 110 grn ttsx data.
But it's mostly fed a diet of cast boolits, gas checked in a range of weights from 120 grn to 185 grns all pretty hard cast and I try to keep them below 2000 fps mv using them for plinking, rabbits and range work out to 200 yards.
Barrel looks pretty much as it would of done in 1982 and it'll stay that way if I keep using cast boolits most the time.
It sure dislikes milsurp 7.62 ammo but loves Federal brass.

I have piles of federal GMM brass if you need some more

 

[johngibbs222]

I have piles of federal GMM brass if you need some more

Thanks for the offer, I'm in the UK, I reckon Uncle Sam would get a twist in his knickers if you tried to export that

 

[marksman1941]

Thanks for the offer, I'm in the UK, I reckon Uncle Sam would get a twist in his knickers if you tried to export that

You may have a point there! At minimum it would likely be cost prohibitive to ship brass that far

 

[johngibbs222]

I reckon you're right. As it happens I bummed 10 starline srp cases from a mate and loaded them up with speer 168 grn match bthp which I'll try shortly.
I had a bad experience with starline brass in both 357 mag and 223 and haven't used them since but my buddy swears by them, says they are second only to Scandinavians palma brass so I'll keep an open mind. If they are ok I'll be pleased as (1) I have nearly 5000 srp and only 2500 lrp and (2) the military brass is difficult to completely size down the base to saami minimum spec so the old smokepole hangs up on about one round in 10 and needs external persuasion to get the case out. (3) they work out at about £70 per100 ($85?) whereas scandinavian palma brass is nearly twice that, as is the Petersen palma product.
Sorry to mods for sidetracking the thread.

 

[THE SHADOW]

My hunting rifles are like tools they each have a purpose. For long range a Mcwhorter 7STW also a Jarrett 280 ackley imp that I have
hunted with for over 30 years and it always gets the job done.

 

[Paladin300]

Sako TRG in 308. That said she is for sale on here if anyone is interested. I got a daughter getting married and need the funds. My number two is my custom 6.5x284. It was hard to decide who to let go of but the 6.5x284 is irreplaceable (bottom top) and I want to step up to a 300 win mag in a TRG eventually, but it may be a while. I own several 308s.

 

[marksman1941]

I reckon you're right. As it happens I bummed 10 starline srp cases from a mate and loaded them up with speer 168 grn match bthp which I'll try shortly.
I had a bad experience with starline brass in both 357 mag and 223 and haven't used them since but my buddy swears by them, says they are second only to Scandinavians palma brass so I'll keep an open mind. If they are ok I'll be pleased as (1) I have nearly 5000 srp and only 2500 lrp and (2) the military brass is difficult to completely size down the base to saami minimum spec so the old smokepole hangs up on about one round in 10 and needs external persuasion to get the case out. (3) they work out at about £70 per100 ($85?) whereas scandinavian palma brass is nearly twice that, as is the Petersen palma product.
Sorry to mods for sidetracking the thread.

Starline is thicker than most anything out there. Typically you'll want to reduce your load a bit, as you'll hit pressure sooner than other brass. Aside from that, Starline is quality brass. Just treat it like a separate load than anything else.

 

[lyle2231]

So I always go thru rifles, like a bunch. I shoot them and move them to try new stuff. However, I have one rifle that I have had now for like 5 years. It was a gift from my wife for Christmas. She is a Barrett 98b 338 lapua name Lindsay Lohan! Name is fitting cause she looks good from a little ways off but once u get close u can see she is a little dirty and well used!! What is u guys one gun, that is your go to?
View attachment 148461 View attachment 148462

Mine is a Winchester model 70 LA in .280 Remington. Shoots 150 grain SMK into the X-ring @ 600 yards. Parts build rifle..

 

[skipglo]

300 bee Mark V!

 

[dgr416]

In Alaska it was my Weatherby accumark made by Seco. THAT rifle is 1/2 or better all day at 100 yards and I have shot a few 1 inch groups at 300 yards. IT shot a .25 inch group at 100 yards 3 times with nosler partitions 250 grain going 3100 fps .That was my best load so far with that rifle .My lower 48 favorite rifle is my old Ruger 77 338 win mag that I used 35 years and shot a ton of deer with from 3 yards to 425 yards .It shot many clover leaf groups at 100 yards and 3/4 inch ar 200 yards with factory win 200 grain power points .
My up and coming favorite is a savage model 10 in 260 Ren. ITS super accurate clover leaf groups at 100 yards .I have used it the last 4 years lots of fun to shoot .It kicks way less than the 338 win mag

 

[Haymaker]

Current favorite to shoot is my 6.5 cm. It's an impact action, 18" bartlein with a TT diamond sitting in a manners LRH with a tract toric 4-20. Nomad 30 with e-brake

 

[johngibbs222]

MM1941, the problem I had was cracking round the case mouth when I ran the 357s through an M die and similar on the 223 and 30/30 iirc.
I started annealing the rifle cases and have had no more issues but short of buying a machine to do the pistol cases ( I use my fingers as a temperature indicator) I went with ppu and S&B and had no more issues.
I suspect the problem was age hardening as the cases must have been laying dormant for years.