What is your rifle of choice?

[WaterDog]

Mine is a .30-30 Marlin lever action open sites.

Since I only hunt deer in the Alsea, Stott, and Trask units it seems to work for me. It's a great brush gun. We work some clearcuts but mostly old skid roads or roads that are closed to vehilces. If the deer isn't within 25-50 yards, you aint gonna see it and shooting a sounds [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img] aint my way.

I also think the 30-30 damages less meat than a higher powered gun and is the primary reason I havent upgraded. I've been eyeing one of the Remington 30-06's with a 20" barrel for a long time tho'. I also want peep sights, just havent taken the time to get em'.

So what do you shoot?

[Rauly]

I have many rifles and favorites. Right now my favorite is a Ruger K77 7mm. I have come to love shooting this gun. It doesn't kick hard and is very accurate. The stainless action and barrel plus synthetic stock are a bonus in many of the conditions we hunt in the NW.
If I had to pick only one gun it would have to be my old Remington Model 721 30:06. I was given this rifle in 1972 by my dad who built the stock entirely from Birdseye Maple. The thing ways a ton! It is one of the most beautyful and accurate rifles I have ever shot. I have harvested more game with this rifle than anyone has a right to probably. It is my go to gun if I realy need to count on getting the game.

Rauly

[Firedog]

My favorite is my .280 rem. mountian rifle. It is light and acurate. killed many many animals with this gun and would buy another in a second. I hand load for it and have never been disapointed with this gun.

[MoJet Driver]

Model 94 Winchester 30-30, open sights. I too enjoy the challenge of getting them close. I'm just not fanatic enough to learn how to shoot sticks... nor do I have the time.

Does this mean I am a closet archery hunter? [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

[OneLastCast]

I have always hunted with an Interarms Mark X 30-06. Bought it used in the late '70's and it has been a great gun. Started having a few problems with it the last year or two (of course it's the guns fault) so the wife surprised me an bought me the first brand spankin new rifle I have ever owned. A Sako 300 win mag. This gun is sweet. It was so easy to sight in off of a bench rest because it kept putting the bullet in the previous bullet hole.
Now I just have to figure out how to carry the shooting table with me when I hunt.

OneLastCast

[Get Bit]

Hey Guys,
My rifle of choice is the Remington model 700
mountain rifle in a .270. Just really started getting into the big game hunting after a long layoff but its worked on the last couple of deer I've shot with tack driver accuracy. Gonna find out how it works on prairie goats this weekend.I sure like the
lightweight of the gun although I take quite a beating from the guys in camp about shooting a toy gun. They're just jealous!

[CAGEY]

7mm mag for Elk with a 3x9 and 308 with 3x9 for deer. Used to hunt elk with an 06 but i really like the 7mm mag. It reaches way out there and you dont have to chase your elk after you knock him down. A little overkill maybe but i sure do like it. The best litle deer rifle i ever saw was a 25 06. That little sucker was fast and hit like a mule kick. If i had a high paying city job like waterdog i could afford to own one. If you are going to upgrade check in to this as it is a real nice set up. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[ 08-31-2001: Message edited by: CAGEY ]

[DF]

My favorite is my Remington modle 700 ADL 30-06 With a Nikon Buckmaster 3x9 scope, Black matt synthetic stock all the goodies.
Its my first and only rifle
I LOVE IT
[img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Fish Hunter]

Drummer/Fisherman who are you and what have you done with Dustin! [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

I currently hunt with a Browning A-bolt in .338 Win mag. It will toss a 250 gr bullet as fast as my old 7mag which is plenty flat for the more open terrain I prefer. It has the tang safety that I like. The boss muzzle break tames the recoil very effectively. The only thing I would change about it is that it's so **** long when brush hunting. When my wife's not hunting with me for deer I use her [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] Remington model 7 in .308 Win. This is a sweet rifle to carry. The 2x7 Nikon on it is a great scope for the $ and fits the rifle well. She can hold it up easier than heavy rifles, I notice my offhand shots are better with my heavier rifle.

[Snapset]

Asking "What is your favorite gun?" is like asking Bill Clinton "Who is your favorite woman?"
Like Mr. Bill, my answer would be: "I have several and I intend to acquire a few more."
I have a Browning Eurobolt in 7 mag, does great for mulies and elk, but is too much energy for Blacktails. In addition Core-lokt's tend to splode when they hit an animal, so I like to use Partitions when I shoot it.

I have gone back to my marlin 30-30 for Blacktails, and it is still the best deerkiller I have for over here. I have lost more opportunities by trying to find a fast moving buck in a scope than I have gained by having the longer range and light gathering capacity of a scope, so I no longer use one on the wet side.
I have a BAR 30-06 for Special occasions and My son likes it for Elk Hunting. It is also my Back-Up gun for long trips. I have a Nikon Buckmaster on it and I will someday have this scope on all of my rifles that use one. My next gun wil be a BAR 243, followed by the same in a 25-06. I may pick up a 338 if I ever get the means to go after moose, but I think that this year most of my deer hunting will be done with a Shotgun.

[Osprey]

Way to go FireDog [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
I also hunt with 280 Rem.700-Mountain Rifle,2x7 Leupold,Syn.Stock.
Light weight shoots like dream.
bought mine the first year they came out.cartrige has been aroud awhile just never caught on I guess?
My uncle had one in pump years ago.

I also shoot a Rem.760 pump 30-06 Carbine 18-1/2in. barrel (had it for almost 25 years)It's a great brush gun ......taken a lot of elk.Very accurate Over 200 yards.

Love them Remington's [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Lone Survivor 2001-Idaho Grizzly Artificial Insemination Team [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]...Os :

[ 09-02-2001: Message edited by: Osprey ]

[Firedog]

Osprey, I also bought mine the year they came out. I have a 3x9 leopould on mine. One of the best rounds there is. With handloads you have so many options. Gotta love that Remington 700 action. [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img]

[mudsucker]

My choise is a 30-06 springfield with a synthetic stock and a 4-16x40 rangfinding scope.

[Row for Fish]

My top choice is a Remington 700 BDL -270 cal. I reload with 58 grains of Dupont 4831 and 130 gr noslers - it has killed elk, deer and antelope. Get bit - goes alittle lighter in his equipment using 57 grains of 4831. But we both have dust on the barrels this weekend - those prairie goats can sure run fast and are hard to hit. The score is 13 shots and 0 hits, but hunting with Get bit and Rauly is great fun and exciting. I did put the hurt on a coyote. Sure wish I had a shotgun for all the Doves that were flying. This weekend trip was like National Geographic - 12 Buck Deer (most 3 pt or more), 23 antelope, porchupine, Coyotes, doves, badger, and hundreds of doves. Where were we, Eastern oregon is great place to hunt and fish. Thanks again GB and R. Moderators - Good Luck - Shoot Straight

[ 09-03-2001: Message edited by: Rauly ]

[Dogfish]

For heavy brush, my little .44 mag Ruger Deerfield carbine. Load it up with 300 grain Hornady custom ammo and that is all you need for these little blacktails in the puckerbrush. The peepsight will do the job out further if you need it to. Got deer #13 last year at about 150 yards. If there are elk in them thar brushy woods, the Gibbs Quest Extreme in .308 Win comes out, a nickel plated Enfield 2A with a synthetic stock.

Clearcuts get the attention of my Ruger M77RS in .300 win mag. Leupold vari-x III, 3x9 tops it off. Seven deer so far with that rifle.

Open timber brings out my grandpa's old Remington 740 in .30-06. I restocked it with a Bell & Carlson synthetic stock and added a Williams peep sight. One deer so far by me, but gramps fed the family with that rifle.

This year though, I will probably leave all of my centerfire rifles in the safe, as I have a muzzleloader tag for deer, and a cow tag in a firearms restriction unit, so it will be my T/C Thunderhawk in .54 cal for deer, and maybe the elk as well. The effect of a BIG 425 grain maxiball is impressive at close range, although I may bring out the slug barrel on my Mossberg 835 for those cows.

Like I said before, "Guns are like golf clubs." Sure you can use just one for everything, but the right rifle for the right situation can make or break your hunt.

Best of luck to you folks this year, and BE SAFE OUT THERE!!!!

Andy

[ 09-04-2001: Message edited by: Dogfish ]

[DF]

Howdy Fish Hunter.
It seems were both from the same town [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
Shoot me an email, Mabey I have seen you before. [img]images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

[willierower]

My favorrite deer rifle is a old Mauser 98 in .257 Roberts. Its topped with a Leopould 3x9. The rifle has a custome made Walnut stock with Ebony on the forend and butt.
I just sold my elk rifle. It was a Minchester Model 70 stainless .300 Win. Mag. It had a camo composite stock and a Redfield 5 star 3x9. I didnt even get to hunt with the gun before I got rid of it. Im replacing it with another Model 70 stainless .300 Win. Mag. The new rifle is going to have the classic action.

[Bait O' Eggs]

I am a browning fan, and like the 300 win mag caliber.

If I had a cushy city job like waterdog I would have a browning rifle in each caliber. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] But since I have a real job [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img] I am limited in the number of rifles I can afford. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[CHUMSALMON]

my choice 338-378 custom, with 6.5-20 leupold, correction's on the stalk, and a millitary surplus range finder. Lookin for those extra loooooong shots!!!

[WaterDog]

If I had all the money you guys claim I have I wouldn’t be hunting with a Marlin 30 AS, the bottom of the line lever action Marlin makes. [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img] You guys have WAY more and nicer guns than I so we know who’s making the big bucks. Hell, the only other “hunting” gun I have is 20ga Mossberg! [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] Talk about quality, yeah right.

Cagey is still unable to kick that donut habit, all those years on the force trained him well. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] Maybe cut back a couple bakers dozen a week and you might get the rifle yet!
Bait a real job? And that's why he posts so much......ah uh......sure..... [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[Dogfish]

Waterdog,

My first deer was taken with a loaner Sprinfield '03. The next was with a Mossberg 500 12 ga shooting a foster slug through a regular shotgun barrel at 75 yards. I even got one with my little SKS, now that is a great blacktail rifle!

It isn't about the $ that you spend on the rifle, it is the shooter behind the gun that matters. That Marlin of yours is a good deer gun, providing that you keep your shots under 150, and the Mossberg 500 is my favorite shotgun for hunting. If I drop it, scratch it, or get saltwater on it, I don't cry. It just keeps on going, and I have owned 3 of those 500's and one 835. I have dropped some jaws at the trap line when I shot my only two perfect 25's with that little camo'd out gun. Paid all of $189 for it!

[Osprey]

I only have 2 rifles it's all I need one for brush one for open country [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
Like my pappy use to tell me "never get a shooting contest with a fellow who owns only one gun".......Os

Firedog :maybe we can exchage some reloading data? sure love that 280 rem.


Remington pro-Staff I wish [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]

[ 09-04-2001: Message edited by: Osprey ]

[Tilla]

My first and current love is a Ruger 7mm. Deer Elk Moose Antelope.no complaints. Had a 270 for awhile, but went on a business trip and my wife took it to the shop to adjust the trigger pullcut the stock to fit her so she could go Elk hunting too. [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]

[Zen Leecher aka Bill W]

My rifle of choice would be a Winchester featherweight in a .280 Remington. That would be my choice, but the one I hunt with is a Win Featherweight in a 7mm Mauser.

Bought the 7mm in the early 80's on a special deal. Thought I'd get it re-chambered in .280, but the more I shot it, the more I thought I could "make do" with it. That was then, now I don't feel I'm "making do" with it any more.

It's got a Leupold 3X9 compact on it to save weight. I shoot 140 gr Nosler BT's in it with 53.0 grains of IMR 4350. Chronographs in the 2980-3000 fps range depending on the day and that particular 5 shot test. Used to use the 140 gr Solid Bases until Nosler discontinued them. Those chrono'd 2980 fps and the BT's have a little less resistance to them and usually come up either just under or just over 3000 fps.

Supposedly 7mm Mausers aren't supposed to shoot that fast.

[Floater]

Tried the Win 307 lever, Browning 308 (I think)auto, various '06 rifles. Love my Rem 300 Win Mag. Covers everything from skunks to elk with one shot.

[OR Coast Range]

I've hunted with a '243 since I was 12. Too cheap to upgrade I guess. [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img] It doesn't pack a lot of punch, but it's more than OK for blacktail or coyote. I hunt it with open sites, but its actually got some range.

Its OK for now, but someday my wife'll let me upgrade. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[HOGTIDE]

Blacktail Country - Winchester Model 70 Carbine in .308 Win.

MuleDeer Country - Winchester Model 70 in 7mm Rem. Mag

Elky Woods and Cuts - Weatherby Mark V Stainless/ Synth. in .300 Wby Mag.

* All of these firearms a very accurate....if only I had a backpack big enough to bring my sand bags and benchrest with me [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

[Mr. Fisherman]

Well my favorite was my BAR 300 Winchester Mag. It can be loaded for anything that walks. I was particularly fond of the 180 grain Nossler balistic tip boat tail bullets [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img].

I need to get another one of those one day.

Now I am down to a 762x54R with synthetic sporter stock and 3x9 scope. My buddy says it's a Nagant...... Nagan't get an elk with it [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]

[ 09-09-2001: Message edited by: Candy Sniper ]

[ 09-09-2001: Message edited by: Hole Puncher ]

[ 09-09-2001: Message edited by: Mr. Fisherman ]

[Osprey]

Hey Leecher,that 7mm mauser is a fine cartridge,My first deer fell to sporterized version,it's almost a 280 Remington...pretty darn close.

Great topic [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
We all wish we had BOE's money [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]...........Os

[ 09-10-2001: Message edited by: Osprey ]

[Zen Leecher aka Bill W]

I think the 7MM Mauser is kinda like the .308. It doesn't get much respect and a person has to shoot one for a while before it starts to get appreciated.

I used to feel the same way about the .308 until I shot it for a period of years in state and limited international competition. It is an accurate rifle, but not much in the velocity category.

My first deer fell to multiple shots with a .30/40 Krag. I was more into firepower back then. Distance was 60 feet.

[Drifty]

I personaly like the .257 weatherby mag and my old standby 30-06 remington 7600 pump with a swift 3x9. They are bolth great guns.
Also two more .257 and .264 Roberts.

NUF SAID

[mtn300]

I thought maybe I could drag this up from the vault.

[Weatherby]

Sako .223 because of the hundreds of Rockchucks, and thousands of other varmits. Must be all the trigger time that gives me more memories than all the big game I've taken.
I hate packum so I dropum where I shootum

[bullslayer]

I've been shooting a Ruger 7mm mag since "86 and it has become a true part of me. Very rarely does it let me down. Big game animals just seem to die everytime I squeeze the trigger. I also shot a Rem. 760 pump for several years and killed may a deer with it. My boy's will enjoy that rifle when they are older. Shoot strait. Kris.

[hrbassin]

30-06 :grin:

Mark

[Weatherby]

yeah that...........My big game rifle of choice is a Mark 5 weatherby 7mm. I agrree 7 mags are very hard to beat small recoil for the power. Excelect performance with the correct controlled expantion bullet. Bar none.

I hate to packum so I dropum where I shootum

[Yamhillbilly]

remington 700 bdl in 300 win mag

[Yeti]

Why pick just one? It would make the others jealous.

Yeti

[FireCat]

Blacktail...243 for high country open alpine medows and 308 steyr Mannlicher full stock 20" for close quarters.

Muledeer...7mm mag custom sako action

ELK....340 Weatherby custom Sako action

[Blue Seaduction]

270 & 300 win mag Both Great guns.
Prefer 270 for all around shooting.

[Opportunist]

Winchester 1962 Model 70 Featherweight 30-06. I'll be living in the gutter eating catfood before I'd sell it!

[fishncliff]

I have a rem. 710, 30.06. It shoots real accurate( or is it me?).
I have a m96 mauser in 300 sav.. If I can find a bolt for it, I would like to resurrect it.
The wife has a new Marlin 30-30. I'm getting used to it.

[raptorschild]

Ruger M77 25.06 I like em flat shootin.

[jetjockey]

Love my kimber 8400 300wsm... Or I go with the rem 700 7mm... I love the way the kimber feels though, small gun that just feels right!!!

[grantfish]

250 Savage with a Black stock and a Silver matte finished barrel

[Stratocaster]

Tikka T-3 Lite stainless in .270 Winchester.

[scottishsetter]

I'm with Raptorschild; M-77 with a Timney trigger in 25-06.( I also like 30-06; 35-06)

[RoscoeP]

Ditto that!

[BrianMaguire]

If I could only keep one gun to live like a mountain man? I would take my Marlin 30-30. In todays hunting world - One of my Rem 30-06's.

[Channel rat]

My Mule deer/antelope rifle is a Ruger M77 stainless synthetic chambered for the 6.5-284 Winchester. The rifle was chambered as a 260 Remington. I took it to a gunsmith in Forest Grove and he rechambered it for less than a hundred bucks. Hornady makes dies for $30. Cheap way to shoot a great wildcat cartridge.
My elk whacker is a Rem 700 BDL chambered in the under appreciated 8mm Reminton mag. It hits hard on both ends. The guy I bought it from killed 8 elk with it and I have whacked 2 with it so far. Taking it to Northside this fall and I'll hopefully get #3.

[Ryan Pultz]

My go to all around is my Model 70 in 30.06 great gun and plenty accurate for me rp

[ehunter]

Winchester model 70A 30-06 great gun

[DAB]

If it boild down that I could keep only 1 of my rifles I would keep my Rem 700 BDL in 300 Win Mag,...
My favorite yote gun is a Win youth ranger in .243.
DAB

[Snakebite]

I'll keep forever my 03-A3. I don't think anything could render that gun unreliable. As for one I would want to hunt with exclusively, it would have to be my Browning BAR in 7mm Mag. Caribou to little forked horn blacktail, and everything in between seems to work for me.