What is your favorite Rifle?

Tikkamike

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Joined
Dec 26, 2009
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5,476
Location
Big Horn Basin, Wyoming
I want to know which one of your rifles is your favorite. Why is it your favorite with maybe a little back story on it and what scope is on it. I want to see a picture and anything else you would like to share about it.

I will post pics of mine tomorrow but it is a Remington 700 CDL Boone and Crockett Edition. It has a Leupold VX-III 4.5-14 40mm with a Boone and Crockett Reticle. in a 300 Win. The reason I picked this rifle is when This rifle first came out I always thought it would look sweet with a Boone and Crockett Leupold on it and have a nice little Bonne and Crockett set. It is completely stock other than I floated the Barrel but Pillar Bedding is in the future. Nothing super fancy but I love it.
 
my favorite rifle is always my next one:D

But out of the ones i have right now it is my Weatherby Mark V in 7mm STW with a Leupold 8.5-25X50 Long range scope.

Jonathansguns011.jpg
 
For big game hunting my custom 338-378 wby on a mk 5 action with a 28 " Hart barrel on it. I have built and shot about everything out there from wildcats to standard stuff over the past forty years. I found that the 338 caliber with the quality high BC bullets now available is the best long range killer. I have built and tested most all the big 338's out there and all the popular ones talked about on this forum. I have yet to find anything that beats the 338-378 wby on performance in a hunting weight rifle. I tried the 338-416 Rigby IMP and got maybe 50 fps more velocity but the trouble of reloading wasn't worth it to me. Nothing else out there can compete with the power of the 338-378 wby. If there was I would be shooting it. I have over 150 rifles. There is a noticeable difference with it shooting in the wind at long range and the effects of the bullet striking game. I just feel more confident with the extra horsepower and get all I can get. I like my 340 wby and 338-300 ultramag on standard magnum actions and are a good choice if you don't have a action that can handle the 378 case. But they are no match for the power of the big guns off the huge 378 case. The 338 Lapua improved comes close to it but why settle for close when you can have a 338-378 wby. My pet 338-378 can shoot a 300 grain smk up to 3100 fps and my accuracy load hits around 3060 fps. My accuracy loads with a 200 grain bullet go over 3600 fps, the 225 accubond at near 3500 fps and the 250 grain at over 3300 fps. I have never been able to match that with the smaller lapua and ultramag cases.

I have about everything out there and love shooting them all. They all have a purpose and are fun to shoot. But you asked what is my best and favorite pet and why. So there it is. I have shot numerous animals at incredible ranges with it and have killed everything I ever shot at with it. The last three elk I killed with it were trivial shots in the 650-914 yard range.
 
At the moment it would be my Remington model 700 BDL 7mm rem mag but im pretty sure it will shortly become a Browning A-Bolt Medallion 300. WSM
 
Long Time Long Ranger would you mind sharing a little more information about your 338-378 wby custom? I'm always interested to hear your opinions and preferences based on you experience hunting elk. I'd be interested in what work may have been required on your Mark V action, what stock you are using, muzzle brake or not and optics. A pic would be great as well. Thanks
 
I have a couple favorites.
1) Marlin 39A Golden 22 LR. My Grandpa gave it to my about a week before he passed away. It sounds weird but I can still smell him in it. I was in the 5th grade when he gave it to me and it has killed more jack rabbits than I would even want to speculate on. My 6th grade year I put ~1000 rounds a week through it.

2) A Ruger M77 heavy barreled 22-250. Given to me by my Dad and I killed my first whitetail buck with it. He was huge...or at least he looked that way in the scope. I think he was about... let's just say he was huge for my first buck. Since that day it has killed everything from gophers to deer. And at one point it even shot a cow that we were going to butcher.


Everything else that I have owned or do own is just a rifle.
 
I live and hunt white tail deer in Alabama.
My favorite is my light weight Custom 7mm Rem. Mag.
Remington 700 action
Hart 26" fluted barrel with muzzle brake
140gr Accubonds
Swarovski 3x10x42
 
The rifle that goes to the field with me the most is my .223 CZ527 sporter with the VX-III 4.5-14x40AO on it. It just seems to jump out of the safe into my hand every time I head out for ground hogs, coyotes, or any other varmint. I shoot mostly 40g NBT and it shoots bugholes at 100 yards.

223CZ527Stock-1CRS.jpg


My second favorite rifle is this Savage that started life as a M10 package rifle chambered in .243Win 4 years ago. It didn't shoot worth pooh. I discovered the problem was the barrel after owning it for a year. I bought a used 1:10 twist A&B stainless barrel chambered in 6mmBR for $40.00 thinking it would be a good "practice" barrel while I learned to chamber rifle barrels. I sawed the chamber off, rechambered it in .243Win, trued the action, bedded it, replaced the scope with a 6-24x40AO Bushnell Banner and it turned into a tackdriver with 55g NBT, 75g V-Max, and 95g NBT. I love it when that happens!

SavageModel10AnBbarrel-1CRS.jpg


I am keeping my eyes open for an irresistable deal on another one of these low end shor action wood stocked rifles to turn into a .338 Federal.

Fitch
 
My browser will not allow me to upload pictures. It has a kdf brake on it same diameter as the barreland just looks like holes drilled in the end of the barrel. The stock is quite a few years old. It is an old Bell and carlson synthetic sporter with complete action bedded and barrel freefloated. It has a Burris Black Diamond 4-16 mil dot scope on it which is all I need for well beyond 1000 yards. The action started out a 7mm wby mag. I opened the bolt face and got a 378 magazine box from weatherby. The slot in the bottom of the bolt was lengthened to allow for ejection of the long 378 case from the short 7 mag case. Any mk 5 action above the 240 wby can easily be made to shoot the 378 case. They are all the same actions from 257 wby on up.

Any of the big 338's will take elk further than most anyone could hit one. I shot mine this year with a light remington 700 in 338 ultramag at 740 yards. I didn't feel I was undergunned a bit with that rifle. But once you get accustomed to the power of that big 378 case that is always the one I'm going with when all the marbles are on the table. 132 grains of powder will get your attention.
 
LTLR - Thanks for the extra information on your rifle, sounds like a dandy. When I went from 78 grains in my .300 Win Mag to 94 grains in the .300 RUM I thought that was a quantum leap. It is hard to imagine 132 grains of powder - WOW! You've really got me thinking about the .338s. My favorite rifle right now is a Tikka T3 stainless synthetic in .300 WM w/ Leupold 4.5x14x40. I like the accuracy, smooth bolt, intergal scope base, and clip system. Although the accuracy is there, I think a heavier rifle would be easier to shoot at longer distance, so I am trying to decide on details of a new build, but I'll save that for another post. Keep your favorites comming!
 
NWdan, you have a very nice rifle. The 300 win mag is an excellent cartridge and I love the tikka t3 lights. I have 2 of them right now. Great carry hunting rifle with top accuracy. I am shooting great groups out to 700 yards with mine. The 132 grains of powder is my accuracy load with a 200 grain bullet at about 3650 fps. I have killed elk and caribou with that load over 900 yards. It does a very nice job.
 
Ha!!! LTLR you had me stumped there for a minute.

I was reading your post RE: the 300 Win Mag and when you said you were running 130+ grains of powder. I was thinking that must be a *seriously* (impossibly?!?) compressed load!!! Then read up a bit and found you had been takling about your 338/378 Roy - that kinda cleared it all up for me.. :rolleyes:

My fav rifle (only rifle now) is my old Rem700 ADL in 7mm RM (HS grad present). However, i think she's gonna get a new pipe and some cosmetic surgery ala Manners MCS-GAT, but remain a 7mmRM. It was good 27 years ago and i suspect will still be good medicine for another 27years!
 
My all time favorite was a Browning A-bolt Stainless Stalker 300 win mag named Thumper. It wears a Leupold VXIII 2.5x8 scope mounted in a leupold rings and a one piece leupold base. I shot many deer with it in several different states. I gave the gun to my oldest son on his 16th birthday. My gun of choice for the last 5 years now has been a Rem 700 in 300 win. That gun is currently at Center Shot Rifles for a complete make over - #4 brux 26" fluted barrel, bedded into a B+c stock, new firing pin assembly gettin rid of the j lock, blue print action, trigger job, and wyatts box. She will be topped off with leupold dual dovetail rings an a Zeiss conquest 4.5x14x44 scope with a Rapid Z-800 reticule.
 
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