Nope....it's in isle 4...beside the Unicorn Dust and Pixie Farts with the primers!
One Gun?
- Thread starter 65Jeffrey
- Start date
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You simply say you want another gun....what's to justify?
I just love to read these "just one gun threads"!!!! I think that you left something out, just what (make/model/year) is that "very good 30-06" that you wrote so fondly about??? For the game you want to hunt for, elk/moose, I think that the 30-06 is more than an adequate cartridge for both species. My absolute, go to gun is a Remington 700 ADL <<----nothing fancy, in 30-06. I bought this rifle for my father back in 1969, it has a Leupold VariX IIII, 2.5-8 scope set into Weaver rings and bases. I glass bedded the rifle and put a Pachmyr Decelerator recoil pad on it like thirty-years ago. That's it, nothing fancy!!! I had my first black bear hunt come up out of now where ten year ago. The story goes that while at a family barbecue, it went from, "Boy I'm gonna go on a bear hunt some day", to, "I'm not going to be sitting in a rocking chair of a nursing home and saying that I wish I had gone on that bear hunt!!!" I made the call from the barbecue party to the outfitter and was packing to go on a bear hunt in three weeks. I had rifles, but knew that the Remington 700 in "06" was (1) a reliable rifle, that (2) I knew had enough knock-down to get the job done, (3) I was very familiar with the rifle and could shoot it well. I hadn't shot that rifle in many, many years, but....I knew the rifle and always considered it to be the "go-to-rifle" for such an occasion!!! I developed a load with some 180gr Barnes TSX and was ready to go. Since that time the rifle has been sitting in the safe, and still is the go to rifle that never gets messed with or changed in any way. It probably will never get used again in its capacity as the go to rifle again, but....it's still the go to rifle!!!
This could turn into a dissertation quite easily. You did not mention if you are a reloader or not? If you are a reloader the options are immeasurable for you. You can go to all of the new, fastest, greatest, hardest hitting, two-mile one shot T Rex destroyer designer cartridges out there, but no matter what in my the 30-06 is still a tough one to beat. Yup you can go to those, but these designer cartridges come at a price to include price $$$, availability/access to ammunition or components like brass (@$3 a pop) and with a whole lot of recoil to name but a few!! Also (for me) as far age goes, seventy-six times around the sun, what I have found is that along with those orbits comes a bit more sensitivity to recoil than in previous years. So...those magnums are not so much fun to shoot as they were a number of years ago. A few years back I purchased a 338 WinMag because I'd read so much about how good they were. Five rounds through that rifle and I was done, never shot it again!!! After that range time I had to make a visit to the dentist to see if my back molars needed to be glued back into place.
My thoughts are that if you have a rifle that you are fond of, as in "I HAVE a VERY good 30-06", then....why not build yourself another VERY good "custom" 30-06 using that same platform. When it comes to hunting rifles there's nothing more exciting than to build a hunting rifle based upon what you have decided to build, the components you plan to use to do that build and who is going to build that rifle for you. Although the go-to-rifle is a Remington 700ADL, I am fond of Ruger 77s and have built a number of semi-custom rifles in various cartridges. By semi-custom I mean using the Ruger 77 platform, blueprinting the action, rebarrel (contoured Lilja 26 inch 1:10 barrel), trigger job, free-float and glass bed and pillar bed the stock; and it is in 30-06. I could have gone with a new glass stock of some kind, however I prefer the vintage looks of the existing stock; see attachment. With the blueprinted receiver and rebarrel the gun shoots cloverleafs at 100 yards, and presently far better than I can shoot it. As for those 500+ yard shots, I am not so sure of how realistic they are gong to be for me at this age, and perhaps how realistic they will be for many hunters who are reading articles in this forum if they are honest with themselves? I was going to end this with, "This is just my .02c worth, probably more accurate with my $200.00 worth. I'd like to suggest one more thing, "Remember this isn't a dress rehearsal, if you want it get it and have no regrets!!!!" Life should be the only word for a reason to purchase a new rifle. Good luck with whatever you decide upon getting for a new rifle.
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Ronald W Schaefer
Well-Known Member
First off, ONE GUN??? The heresy!!!
. There are a lot of blingy new do it all calibers out there, but you are never dressed wrong at the party with a reliable 30-06.
. There are a lot of blingy new do it all calibers out there, but you are never dressed wrong at the party with a reliable 30-06.
What in the world is wrong with a 30.06 that is in your own words, "very good"? You can easily take elk or moose with it. To answer your inquiry, you dont "need" a new gun. Stay safe and have fun.
But to afford ammo, he'll need the tractorConsider this…a new Blaser is a lot cheaper than new tires for your tractor!.
That was close to a dissertation in itself but with many good points. The biggest take aways for me is that the main thing is if you have a rifle in a flexible caliber such as the 06, 7mmRM or 338WM that you can shoot consistently well you have it made. The other big reveal is the fact that it is absolutely true that 500+ yard shots are in most cases unnecessary unless you choose to hunt that way for some reason. That said if that is your thing, skill level, practice and more practice is far more important than the rifle you use. As far as my two cents when it comes to firearms why just have a Cresent Wrench when you could have a full set of spanners from 1/4 " to 2" plus. LOL
In my old age, I've tried to simplify. I reload just one caliber (7mm). I use one rifle to do almost all of my hunting. A 7mm WSM Browning Mountain Ti (weighs 6.5 lbs ready to hunt) and one bullet 168 gr. Berger VLD. Works on everyting from javelina, aoudad, deer, ibex, bear and elk I still hunt javelina with my Contender carbine 7mm TCU, just because it is fun to shoot and a joy to carry since it is even lighter than the WSM. I still have a bunch of guns in the safe, but I don't really need more than one, with maybe one as a backup. The older I get, the more I appreciate a light weight rifle.
In all honesty the majority of us could sell all our centerfire guns besides one a do well for everything up to grizz and plains game with what we have in our safe.
It's the way our fathers and grand dads did it and they made out just fine.
Of course, one needs a good scattergun and a rimfire for birds and small game if so inclined.
It's the way our fathers and grand dads did it and they made out just fine.
Of course, one needs a good scattergun and a rimfire for birds and small game if so inclined.
Would like to clarify something. I didn't say that I had "one rifle to do everything', no that is not the case at all. I "do" have more than a Cresent wrench in the corral. What I posted was in response to the OP's question and my opinion on "one" go to rifle. I have a number of rifles, built on the same platform, but each one is chambered in a specific cartridge for specific game that I intend to hunt. The toolbox is outfitted quite well.
Claw Extractor
New Member
I disagree. It should read "Beware the man with one gun, for he is a newbie."
sierracharlie338
Well-Known Member
RockyMtnUT
Well-Known Member
22 rimfire. I've seen plenty of big animals fall to it.
Next would be 6.5 Creedmoor with my proprietary mix of powder to achieve max velocity with Berger 140 since other bullets haven't held up. A lot of fps and rpm but a stone cold killer.
Next would be 6.5 Creedmoor with my proprietary mix of powder to achieve max velocity with Berger 140 since other bullets haven't held up. A lot of fps and rpm but a stone cold killer.
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memtb
Well-Known Member
That was my plan when I put mine together 33 years ago. It's done everything that I could want or expect! memtb
