n these days of new and improved wonder cartridges and their ever-promising ballistics and performances, I’d like to respectfully offer a few thoughts.

Debating ballistics…our favorite “new” cartridges…there’s no doubt we have better products and choices today. ON PAPER…newer shows better BC’s… trajectories…external and terminal ballistics for (questionable) shooting game at long range. Another perspective on terminal ballistics? On game performances? Truths? Old school works. And works and works. 7x57…6.5x55…270 Win…7 Rem Mag…308…30-06…foolish to argue with history in the game fields.

So I'm not misunderstood here…like you may be doing now...for almost 7 decades, I’ve been down the road of passionately pursuing the latest and greatest. Been there...done that! Have read a literal library of good books and countless articles, vicariously standing beside each Author whose stories I was damn sure never lied or exaggerated. Strictly off the record…quietly now...I’ve spent untold dollars on those “totally necessary rifle purchases…” hopefully to remain unknown to you know who. Which is to say, seriously now, I’m 100% with you on why we rifle Loonies do what we do. Grab the rifle / cartridge you like best and invite me to join you. My gear is waiting in the truck.

Now, almost 80 y/o and all to keenly aware of the time I have left to hunt, I’ve chosen to downsize my battery. Good rifles gone, each leaving behind (but not forgotten) memories of GREAT times afield. And now, I’m down to three “do all” rifles in my safe.

If you have a moment, here’s a range report on one of those rifles. Not to recommend anything. Just some honest reporting on a good day at the bench.

The rifle is a Tikka, Laminated stainless in 30-06. Nothing fancy. Don’t care about that. Reasonably close to weatherproof. That matters. Other than taking the trigger down to the lightest allowable, there have been no modifications. None. The rifle wears a carefully chosen Leupold VX-5HD – 3x15x44 - SFP. Meets all the owner’s very-demanding expectations. For hunting, this combination is admittedly a bit on the heavy side which I prefer. That little extra weight makes for a very stable platform and offers a noticeable reduction in “felt” recoil. Very usable advantages, at least in my book. If a bit of extra weight bothers you, consider a gym membership.

Great post. I also have not gotten into all the new stuff (mostly fast twist, longer bullets, more powder).
Nothing against those that chase these newer offerings. But I really don’t care about bullet drop beyond 400 or so yards. My 300wm, 7Rem mag, and 25/06 pretty much works for my big game hunting.

As we get older

Life changes.

Ideas change.

At one time every thing was a new idea. All depends on when one started their life.

Change is always with us.

Some times good, some times bad but it happens.

I'm a fair bit younger than you and completely agree on your points. Enjoy your time in the field.

At 84 my hunting hunting days are behind. And looking back I realize the 30-06 (ok .308) will take most game in North America. Notable exceptions bison, bears, and Alaska.

That knowledge never did deter my trying a lot of rifles/cartridges over the years. Like a lot of us, what I read about in magazines became must haves, that came and went. A life well spent.

Mike

There have been a few weird calibres in my life and I've still got most of them. When travelling it pays to carry one easy to replace ammo for, though. I probably won't bother paring back the collection, however, with three of the kids (incl. one of the girls) jockeying for a share in it.

Gentlemen,

I was asked by the poster to delete this post, as he said only half what he wanted to say was posted.

As there have been answers on it, I am leaving it on, and he can add to it himself.

I'm retired and starting to slow down and everyone has an opinion. And, I agree with most of them.

I still have a 308 (LH Remington 788) that I bought as my first deer rifle in 1977, and I have an AR-10 also chambered in 308.

I used a Ruger No.1 chambered in 7x57 to take my buck this year and continued hunting with the last gun that I built, an AR-15 in 350 Legend.

I just ran down the basement 20 minutes ago when I saw a coyote trotting across the back pasture and grabbed my MRC 6.5x284 with a 27", gain twist barrel because he was about 400 yards from the basement door. (Couldn't get there in time, as I said, I'm starting to slow down.)

The next gun that I purchase will probably be a single shot, break open pistol chambered in some new whiz-bang rifle cartridge.

Old classic guns and cartridges are great and the new wizzbang guns and cartridges are also great!

quote:

Originally posted by df06:
Great post. I also have not gotten into all the new stuff (mostly fast twist, longer bullets, more powder).
Nothing against those that chase these newer offerings. But I really don’t care about bullet drop beyond 400 or so yards. My 300wm, 7Rem mag, and 25/06 pretty much works for my big game hunting.

This pretty much sums up my feelings as well.

Nothing against all the new cartridges, but I have spent a lot of money building up my own battery of rifles, and I have them in calibers that covers all of my hunting needs just fine. None of them are chambered in any of the newer cartridges, and I do not feel under gunned at all. Like the poster above, I am not interested in shooting big game over 400 yds (my longest being 371 yds), so cartridges from the last century are just fine with me.

I own, and have hunted with many different cartridges, but at 73 years old, I have decided I can hunt everything in NA with my 25-06 and 35 Whelen. I can hunt everything in Africa (12 safaris so far) with a 7mmRM, 9.3x62 (or ‘66) and my 404 Jeffery.

I have hunted big game with all of those above, plus 6.5x55, 280 Rem., 30-06, 338WM, 375H&H, and 458Lott. I own rifles in many other cartridges that I have not hunted with yet.

But if I had to sell all of my rifles tomorrow, I know the original (5) I posted above would be my choices to keep/hunt.

Rifles/cartridges I own but have not hunted with yet, and hope to do so some day, are my 338-06, 358 Norma Mag., 375 Ruger, 416 Ruger, 416 Rigby, 45-70, & 470 Capstick. So many cartridges, so little time!

An opposing viewpoint:

I suspect anyone living anywhere in the world can do all he or she has to do hunting-wise with a battery of about 4 weapons. What those are exactly will vary depending on where that person lives and what's available to hunt there.

Probably all of those weapons can be in calibers designed before that person was born, and the impact on performance would be minimal if at all.

But it is in our best interests that the rifle and ammo makers continue to prosper. And they do that better if they can convince us to replace gear that is still 100% functional...

So let them have at it. If they can persuade you to buy something you don't really need, good for them, and perversely, good for you too.

Im 90 and my taste in guns has not changed one damn bit, I love the Mauser, pre 64 Win, 94 Win, 63 Win, Riihimaki Sako, L-461 Sakos. Early Savage 99s, superposed Browning shotguns, Col single action, 1911s, and S&W combat mag..

Too date I have seen nothing but the older guns that have class and workmanship, the newbies are a pile of shortcuts to screw the dimwits! Ha!

"A pile of shortcuts to screw the dimwits". Ray, you truly are a man of words.

Maybe taste in guns is a bit like our taste in music. Having been a teen in the '60s, I think popular music has mostly been going downhill since.

And though I'm not as far into 'time on' as Ray, the guns I like are much like his - but I prefer Beretta shotguns.

They are the poor man's (Woodward) Purdey. The shallower action is easier than Browning's to clean and the selector is more reliable. I just wish I'd bought one with double triggers when young - using selectors of any kind when hunting is a mug's game.

If your rifle doesn't look like it was made from a salvaged automobile chassis using an Erector Set, it isn't chambered for a cartridge that was not available last year, the magazine doesn't hold at least 30 rounds, and your scope is not larger than your rifle, then you're just not cool.

Being perennially uncool, I'll stick with wood and deeply blued steel -- and it seems that I rarely use more than one shot on any given head of big game.

I am well into my fifth decade of guiding hunters in Alaska and every year get to see more and more field results of all these modern, gee whiz calibers chambered in heavy chassis stocked rifles with carbon fiber barrels adorned with expensive and massive optical marvels.

The equipment works. No doubt about it.

Unfortunately it’s an example of people with money, but little or no real hunting experience , attempting to purchase competency

Sort of the tail wagging the dog.

I see an appalling number of “hunters” who are fully capable of reliability ringing a steel gong at 1000 yards, but are incapable of hitting a basketball offhand at 100.

I visit the rifle range about twice a week in decent weather and I would guesstimate that 98% of the shooters are shooting BLACK RIFLES !!!

Hip

Some of the comments above agree with my preferences as well concerning rifle scopes.

I see some rifle scopes these days with huge objective lens and a handful of knobs and dials. I think they’re just fine, but I don’t care for heavy/bulky armament when hunting, especially Africa, where I may carry a rifle for 8 hrs. or more a day (particularly Buffalo hunting).

I use only two scopes for all my rifles; 375 and smaller get a Leupold 2.5-8 variable. Any caliber rifle larger than that, gets a Leupold fixed 2.5 power. I have never felt under power scoped for any shots I’ve taken. Again, as stated in my previous post, 400 yds. is my self imposed limit for taking any shot. If my quarry was any further away than that, I just hunted longer getting within my range to shoot.

I guess the places I hunt have never required a shot beyond 371 yds., the longest being Pronghorn Antelope in Wyoming. In (12) safaris in Africa, I’ve never shot any animal that far away yet (Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia & South Africa). I’m guessing in Africa that 99% of my shots have been under 250 yds., mostly a lot closer than that.

I give thought from time to time about selling off some of mine.

But I don't because they are too much fun!

To be completely honest, I think it's also because I don't own them; they own me!

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Robinson:
I give thought from time to time about selling off some of mine.

But I don't because they are too much fun!

To be completely honest, I think it's also because I don't own them; they own me!

Ditto to everything Michael just said!

quote:

I see an appalling number of “hunters” who are fully capable of reliability ringing a steel gong at 1000 yards, but are incapable of hitting a basketball offhand at 100.

I my favorite Wis. deer rifle is a sav. 99 in 300sav with a 1.5 to 5x.

I saw a fellow walk out of the woods with a long barreled big scoped rifle.

Where you might get a hundred yard shot.

I would bit he never shot a running deer at 50 yards.

A skill in this area far more important then hitting something at a 1000.

The Savage 99 EG or later F, brings back memories galore! I have a 30-30, 300, and a 250-3000 in the older 99s, and a later 308 99F. I shoot at least a couple of Texas whitetail deer every year with one of them. the 250 takedown is my favorite and shoots under an inch, not to shabby for a takedown rifle. good for a cow elk in the house pasture at a friends farm..