How many purposes for your rifle?

[jtmoose]

I'm wondering what you think is a good span of purpose for a rifle. Does each rifle have a specific purpose or does one rifle full multiple roles for you?

 

[Schnyd112]

We, my dad and i, have a 25-06 with a thin barrel that is my go to deer rifle. It gets shot when we draw tags, I confirm my reloads, check zero, and shoot 10-20 rounds a week in the months leading up to deer season. Otherwise it stays in the safe.
Round count on that rifle is 400ish and we have had it since 2009.

My rifle is a .260 that was rebuilt off a .220 swift with over 3000 rounds through it. I got it back in March and the round count on the new barrel is 769 (I have kept pretty copious records). I shoot it for varmints, steel, paper and anything else I feel needs to be shot at. It's a little heavy to pack into the mountains where we hunt deer, weighing just over 14#, but I will have no qualms taking it after antelope when I draw.

 

[Tnwhip]

One gun can not do it all. Shooting is like golf. You need different clubs for certain shots. LOLgun)

 

[jtmoose]

One gun can not do it all. Shooting is like golf. You need different clubs for certain shots. LOLgun)

Funny you mention golf clubs. I actually took a bunch of clubs out of my bag to get more intimate with a few and my scores have gone down since. My driver and woods were just as likely to get me in trouble as take off long distance strokes. Now I only carry a 3i, 5i, 7i, 9i, SW, and putter.

 

[Tnwhip]

Yea I like my 22 K hornet don't really need my 223s, don't need my 22-250 cause I have my 220 swift. then jump to my 243. don't need my 25 wssm. or my 308 when I have my 280 ackley. Everything has it's place. I love them all. Some times I take the wrong rifle like when I had a coyote at 400 yds and had my 223 that I had never shot at anything over 200 yards didn't know where it would hit. If I had the swift,22-250 or the 243 or any of the other rifles, he would have been history.

 

[TXAoudadKlr]

Some of mine can and will fill multiple roles compared to a few that much more specialized to fill a very specific role.

 

[Plinker147]

I have rifles for each purpose. I even have some dedicated to a certain species and type of hunt. I have one that is strictly a elk gun when I hunt horseback. Another just for coues deer, building one for mule deer. A little over board I must admit, but gives me excuses to have more rifles.

For a long time when I didn't have money for specific task built rifles, I hunted everything with sporter style 25-06

 

[WildRose]

I'm wondering what you think is a good span of purpose for a rifle. Does each rifle have a specific purpose or does one rifle full multiple roles for you?

That is going to vary so much based on what each person's hunting and shooting consists of you'll probably get as many different answers as posters.

When I was growing up my dad's theory which he'd inherited from his dad who got it from granddad and so on was this.

Every man should have one "deer rifle" for deer, antelope etc, one .22 chambered for shorts, longs, and long rifle for varmints and predators around the house/farm/ranch etc and one shotgun for birds.

Today I have AR's and M1A's for self defense, varmints/predators, hogs etc.

I also have my dedicated varmint rifles chambered in .204 Ruger and .220 Swift mainly for coyotes and bobcats.

From there I have multiple rifles chambered in 7mm STW, 300wm, 300Rum, .375 Ruger and 45/70 to cover the wide, wide range of med-large game and for large/dangerous game for my trips to Africa and one of these days hopefully Alaska/Canada.

I have the larger centerfires all in different weights and grades so I can be as flexible as the conditions present and whether or not we're setting up in a blind or hide or having to hoof it a lot for a spot and stalk type hunt and/or for anything else that just pops up.

Most people I think could probably get along great with one rimfire, one .223/.224 for varmints and one .284 or larger caliber for medium and large game. Fortunately most of us live in a country where we don't need to try and do it all with one or two due to the cost, permits, taxes etc or strict limits imposed on shooters/hunters in other countries.

The only problem I have is that every time I'm dead sure I have more than I will ever need a new caliber pops up or I just come across a great deal on a rifle in a caliber I already have and they just seem to follow me home.

 

[WildRose]

I have rifles for each purpose. I even have some dedicated to a certain species and type of hunt. I have one that is strictly a elk gun when I hunt horseback. Another just for coues deer, building one for mule deer. A little over board I must admit, but gives me excuses to have more rifles.

For a long time when I didn't have money for specific task built rifles, I hunted everything with sporter style 25-06

I got hooked on a Ruger Number One in .25-06 and shot it for everything for most of a decade. Prairie dogs, coyotes, deer, and antelope, even a couple of hogs and wild turkeys fell to it over the years and it was just one really fine and fun gun to own and shoot.

 

[Greyfox]

My center fire rifles fall into two classes; hunting and target/competition. While I have several of each for different game, or target sports, I still try to stick with one rifle in each category that has the widest range of versatility. I believe that there is a lot to be said about mastering, and having complete confidence a particular rifle.

 

[tbrice23]

I own a ridiculous number of different cartridges.

I had this conversation a few years ago. After an hour and a half we both decided that the only cartridge that could fill every essential need ( in simplicity) would be a 30.06.

Although life would be a lot less interesting.

 

[engineer40]

Only 1 use for every single firearm in my arsenal... And that is having FUN!

(Disclaimer: Fun comes in many different varieties including but not limited to; shooting live animals, shooting steel at extended ranges, shooting tiny bugholes in paper, shooting very quickly IE mag-dumps, simply showing off to peers, making others jealous, shooting tiny animals, shooting flying animals, making big booms, making quiet booms, light recoiling shooting for my kids, etc...)




In reality the only firearm I have that really only has 1 purpose is my 12 gauge slug gun. Sabots are just too expensive to shoot. So that really is a hunting only firearm.

 

[Ron J]

One gun can not do it all. Shooting is like golf. You need different clubs for certain shots. LOLgun)

I would have to agree with Tnwhip on this one. Well said. Since a few years back I can't shoot 4 legged animals anymore..... not sure what happened. I'm not bragging but I switched from firearms to a bow because it was to easy to make a kill with the modern day rifles/scopes.

Well, after shooting with a bow (using a finger pull) I was hitting pretty much dead center, when a friend of mine turned me on to a 'release' and started knocking arrows within a few days.

So...... I like to stock up on "golf clubs" It gets pretty expensive purchasing clubs just to shoot in the woods, or range.... I prefer the woods. To many champions at the range with their smug attitudes.

Don't get me wrong, I have all the respect in the world for someone that stalks their prey and fills the freezer with all kinds of meat. I just can't do it anymore (unless I have to of course)

Best Regards,
RW

 

[Alaska2006]

You can do about anything with just one rifle if the correct one is selected. But why would you???? There are several good reasons to have more than one. A few reasons that come to mine 1- I like 'em. 2- I want 'em. 3- Because I can