Do any of you have a special rifle for just about each animal.
i.e.- one for black bear, one for sheep, one for moose, etc. etc.??

yup.....That's how I wound up with M-70s in almost every caliber.....

Now I'm trying to get to the fewest reasonable number as I've got way way way too much invested in rifles......oh..yea....and every gauge of shotgun as well.....

Yea that's the ticket one rifle for each animal.

OH my less I forget isn't 2 or 3 rifles per animal.

I knew there was a good reason to keep buying.

Jarrod, if you listen to me on this, and learn from my experience, you'll save yourself a lot of money, and you'll be able to do a lot more hunting. You'll have photos and trophies on the wall, rather than -- as so may guys do -- closets and safes full of rifles and gear that seldom get used, and hunting dreams that never get fulfilled because all of the huntable money goes into more rifles and junk.

When I was a kid, I used to think that I needed a specialized rifle for everything -- sort of like a golfer with a bag full of clubs, with the correct one instantly within reach for every possible situation.

Which led to what I call my "experimental years". I started with the one-rifle, "nothing more versatile than the 30-06 years", then on to the "wunder cartridge of the 1970's", the 7mm Rem. Mag, moving on to my happy O'Connor-inspired 270 Win. years. From there I came into my true experimental years, where I hunted with various 338 Win. Mags., a couple of 300 Wichesters, a 300 Weatherby, a 375 H&H, more 270s & '06s, a 308, et al.

And you know what the biggest lesson was that I learned during the "experimental years"? That I was wasting a tremendous amount of time and money messing with rifles and cartridges that mostly accomplished the same things. I was looking in the mirror and lying to myself. The major variables that needed to be addressed were not the cartridges I was using -- they all worked -- but the functional quality of the rifles themselves, and the structural quality of the bullets I was using. So I decided to stick with truly good bullets, and fewer rifles of higher quality, chambered for just a few cartridges. The big collection of mediocre factory rifles was going to go.

By that time, I'd starved and knocked myself out developing my career to the point where I could afford to hunt much more than our do-it-yourself mule deer and elk hunts here in Oregon and in Idaho, so I started planning other hunts out-of-state and out-of-country, and I wanted one good rifle to start it off with. So at an SCI convention, I hired a good custom riflemaker to build me a solid synthetic-stocked custom Model 70, and as sort of an afterthought, I ordered it in 300 Win. Mag. And that one rifle took in a lot of hunting, from Oregon to Texas, and from Alaska to Tanzania. I shot that rifle well, fed it good premium bullets, and it laid out everything from Dall's sheep to Cape buffalo stone-dead. No muss, no fuss, no complication.

My current active big-game rifle battery numbers just eight rifles. At one point, I had scores of them, and all at the same time. It was a money pit, a drain, a waste, and exercise, as Brad aptly puts it, in "mental gymnastics".

So I own one 270 Win., two 300 Win. Mags., two 338 Win. Mags., a 375 H&H, a 416 Rem. Mag., and now a 300 WSM. Mostly, I hunt with one of the 300 Win. Mags., one of the 338s, the 375, and the 416. I usually leave the 270 in the safe, and the other 300 and 338 are for back-up purposes only.

If someone said I could only have two rifles, I'd hunt the world with the just 300 and the 416.

So for me, to heck with the rifles anymore, and to heck with experimenting, fussing, fuming, and equipment collecting -- I'm going HUNTING.....

Jim Carmichel's word's need to be carved in stone: "THERE'S NO SHORTAGE OF ALL-PUPOSE RIFLES -- WHERE ARE THE ALL-PURPOSE HUNTERS?"

AD

quote:

So for me, to heck with the rifles anymore, and to heck with experimenting, fussing, fuming, and equipment collecting, I'm going HUNTING.....

AD

Well said!

If one were to hunt only North America (or African non-dangerous game), what would it be?

I've a .270 and shoot it well. If I were to add another, maybe a .338 Win. I know this has gone round and round on a number of threads, but I think that's the direction I would lean.

But that's a few years away, for sure!

good luck this fall,

friar

I think I got the worlds game covered with my junk!
-Mark Bansner .280 Rem.
-Mark Bansner .300 Win. Mag. "Sheep hunter" model
-Mark Bansner .338 Win. Mag.
-Marlin .450 Marlin "guide gun"
-Ruger #1 .416 Rem. Mag.
But I am looking at replacing the .416 with a custom bolt in .404 Dakota, or another .416 Rem Mag. The above list of chanberings gets good use for all intended game for which they were designed to do, but I would still like to experiment with other chamberings, and/or rifles.

Jarrod,

I use two rifles. Of those two, one gets used 90%+ of the time.

300 Win Mag
500 Jeffery Improved

I use the 500 Jeffery Improved for 90% or more of my hunting. I only use the 300 Win mag when I know that the vast majority of shots will be greater than 250 yards and I cannot with any degree of likelihood stalk closer than that.

The 500 kills far more authoritatively than the 300 (or the 9.3, 416, and even the 458), but I can only accurately shoot it to ~ 250 yards (if conditions were right I feel 300 yds is doable). After that the added accuracy potential of the little medium bore (300 Winnie) makes up for it's lack of "knock down power".

Size truly does matter, but then again so does bullet placement.

All my other rifles, and I have several, are just "toys" and only see range time. The exception being the 416 Rigby which has taken several head of game, but you would be hard pressed to see any advantage in it over the 300 Winnie. Actually the 416 Rigby doesn't really kill any quicker (wound channels size ie volume are very close to that of the "little" 300 Winnie) and kicks quite a bit harder so I think the 300 Winnie is better. I realize I will most likely get flamed for some of these comments, but the truth is the truth (and I have probably killed a far wider spectrum of big game with the big bores than my naysayers).

In the end, Allen has, for the most part anyway, the right of it.

ASS_CLOWN

Allen,
Well said.

Allen,
Well said. Now if you just had a big bore double in there somewhere.

I too went through those experimental years, I have hunted with many many different calibers.

As I look back I noticed a trend.
Durring the times I had the time to hunt, I did not buy near as many rifles, I just used what I had.
However durring the period I did not have the time to hunt, because of school or work I would buy rifles in anticipation of future hunts.
Also I grew up when Winchester had David Ommannay [sp?] running around Africa in a Safari car with one of every caliber Mod 70. The ads would say "OUR Man In Africa" and show a trophy taken with one of the newer calibers in the Mod 70.
So I to fell victim to the Golf bag approach.
I have thined my stuff down quite a bit.
Now I use the 223, 308, 300 Win Mag, the 375H&H,in Blasers and the 9,3x74R, 450/400 3 1/4", and the 450 No2 in doubles.
I still have my Ruger No1 in 45/70 and really enjoy hunting with my Blaser K 95 Stutzen in 308.

Better to have less guns and do more hunting.

quote:

Originally posted by Jarrod:
Do any of you have a special rifle for just about each animal.
i.e.- one for black bear, one for sheep, one for moose, etc. etc.??

I beleive that if your a rifle crank, you should own what you want. Regardless of whatever someone else told you. There is nothing nicer than owning a bunch or rifles.

I made my first African safari with a borrowed rifle, it soiled the experience.

If your a rifle crank, the rifle is such a big part of the hunt that you will never be happy with just a few of them.

Everyone will feed you their own line of BS about how many you need. Rifle companys will try and sell you rifles that don't do anything special every year because they have to do it to make a living.

Only you can decide what is right for you.

I like rifles, I own a bunch of them and will own even more as my life goes on ( I am 30).

I have friends that like to hunt, but aren't rifle cranks, my father is a pistol crank, but he likes rifles too.

Only you can figure out what that correct number is.

Allen, Yeah I personally dont really care about having a different rifle to hunt each different animal with myself. I find it to much of a hassle and like you say I would rather go hunting than have safes full of guns.

Just more or less wanted to see what the responses would be.

I guess I can say that I am working on it. I agree with Allan if the only reason you want a gun is to hunt spend your money on hunts. I like guns as much if not more than I like to hunt. I am thinking that I am about done though. Just three or four more!

Actually, preparing for hunt is half of the fun, and working up a good load is part of that fun. It has the added advantage of forcing me to the rifle range, that always pays off when the season rolls aroung.
I guess that is why I like the Encore. As much as I cuss it, I can always ebay the barrel for almost what I paid for it, and buy another barrel or two for the next year.

I've got rifles that would qualify as "ideal" for any North American hunting situation (never been anywhere else, yet). But, 90% of everything I hunt (excluding vermin) gets shot with the same old s/s Ruger 77 .300 Win. It ain't picky, it don't miss and it's already ugly so I don't worry none about mud or rain.

It all comes down to what you want to spend your money on. The older I get the fewer rifles I own. I just sold my last center-fire varmint rifle, or rather converted it into the trophy fee for a kudu. I had an old client of mine offer to sell me a 9.3x74 double a few years back, but I wanted to go to Africa more. If I could have done both I would have but I certainly don't regret my choise. I think about Africa almost every day, but I just remembered the rifle in the process of writing this.

When I was guiding I learned that any suitable big game caliber will kill any game in NA given that you put a good bullet (another subject) into the heart/lung area. The key is practice and familiarity. From what I've gathered on this website the same holds true for PG in Africa.

My 270 kills coyotes and marmots just as well as antelope and mule deer. Works on elk too. I've got a 35 Whelen that worked well in northeast Namibia and has worked well in the black timber here in SW Montana. I've just had a 9.3x62 made up and if it is satisfactory the 35 will go to help pay for the 9.3. (I learned to never get rid of a rifle that works well until you have had a bit of time with its replacement, stuff happens even with good gunsmiths. And there's the chance that you might just not like the rifle after you've had a bit of time in the field with it.)

I still have my "gun-of-the-year" rule. If I see something that I just can't resist, or I get a bug up my ass to try something. I buy it after I've played with it a while, I sell or trade it off for another "gun-of-the-year". If I really like it, it might replace my 270 or 35. My current 270, a Ruger No.1 came in as a replacement for a 308. Better caliber? not really, but I really liked the rifle much better than the 308, so the 308 went to a gunshow and went home with someone else.

If you have a bunch of rifles and have time to practice with all of them, then that would be great fun. If having a bunch of rifles means not having to forgo using them just to own them, even better.

Jarrod: Yes I do have specific Rifles for specific Game Animals!
IT has been great fun and very rewarding to gather each and every one of these accurate and specific objective Rifles!
I also take pride in owning and using each of them!
Someone above said something like "save money only go with one Rifle"! Well that IS one philosophy of life living - but - I hold nor see any merit in it!
Each of the "specific use" Rifles I have gathered I consider to be "investments" - money carefully spent on Rifles and scopes is certainly that - an investment.
I have as yet to "loose" any of the money I have carefully spent and invested in Big Game Rifles.
One of the first Big Game Rifles I "invested" in has more than quadrupled in worth since I bought it!
So saving money, I think, is not a valid reason - not to keep several "objective specific" Big Game Rifles around!
And by the way if my end should become clear or imminent I will sell that now quadrupled in value Rifle (and probably all my others) and the profits from them I believe I WILL NOT DECLARE to various levels of governmental agencies! In other words they will be profit realized and tax free - so to speak! Try to do that with your 1% passbook savings accounts!
Yeah I believe money spent on Big Game Rifles is money well invested and that just goes to enhance my pride of ownership in them!

In specific I have invested in the following listed "specific purpose" Rifles:

Antelope use: Custom pre-64 Model 70 Rifle in caliber 240 Weatherby with 27 Hart barrel and an exquisite wide forearmed Black Walnut stock!

Whitetailed Deer use: Winchester pre-64 Model 88 lever action Rifle in cailber 308 Winchester (this Rifle has tripled in value since I bought it!)

Mt. Goat use: Customized lightweight Remington Model 700 in caliber 308 Winchester.

Mule Deer (high plains use): Limited Edition Remington 700 Sendero in caliber 270 Winchester

Mule Deer (mountain use): Full custom pre-64 Winchester M-70 in caliber 280 Remington.

Mule Deer (multiple terrain use - now retired): pre-64 Winchester Model 70 standard Rifle in caliber 270 Winchester (this Rifle has more than quadrupled in value since I bought it!)

Spring Black Bear/Moose/Elk (now retired): pre-64 Wincester Model 70 standard Rifle in caliber 30 Govt. 06 - what a wonderful Rifle this is and has been!

Spring Black Bear/Fall Black Bear/Elk: Remington Model 700 Classic in 7mm Remington Magnum

I have many more Rifles that could, in a pinch, fill in for the above rigs but these are and were my main go to Rifles (investments).
I can not right off hand recall investing money carefully in a Rifle and then loosing money on it when I sold it, nor do I recall watching any of them decline in value when I kept them for a couple years plus!

Rifles forever!

Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I like the idea of dedicated rifles. The problem with the one rifle hunter is that certian loads work better for different situations. For instance, I would have no compunctions about using the same 30-06 for coyote hunting and for Bison, the catch is in matching the load to the game and it is very rare that one gun will place a multitude of loads in the same spot. Sooo! I dont use only one rifle for deer or one for Elk etc. But what I do try to do is dedicate a rifle to a specific load. I work up a load for each rifle and try to stick to it and then use the rifle/load combination that best suits my purpose. Once your there it is much eaysier to grab this gun or that one and go hunting than to constantly be developing loads and re-sighting in.

Through the evil influence of allen day and his ilk, I've cut back to a good pre-64 M-70 FWT in 308 and a 35 Whelen that's almost its twin. I'd add a 375 or 416 for Africa, but North America is covered. For me, the main benefit of this approach is that I have a lot more time to spend with my wife and kids, which gets me a lot more time to hunt.


Okie John

I like what Allen said, I have a lot of rifles and think I could get by with a Model 77 22-250,pre64 Model70 in .300H&H, Whitworth Mauser 375 H&H and spend the money on the 20-30 sold guns on hunting. Job pressures have done more to limit hunting than money and a new gun always seemed to ease the pain. But as I get older.............

All you need is a Blaser and 3 - 4 barrels.

.22-250/.223
.270
.30 cal something
.375/.416

You're all set.

Best part is it works the same no matter what caliber. Trigger pull is always the same. It's always got a very quick repeat shot should you need it, and they are ridiculously accurate.

i like "goin huntin" AND having a safe full of guns! it's true that i only hunt with a few...at a time. but in the off season i like to go to the range and just play around. also, there is the thrill of having one in the process of being built. then there is the sentimental value of all the rifles i used in my damn near forgotten youth. they get fondled pretty regular. then there is the warm feeling of passing some of these "not used anymore" guns down to a new generation that will use them and appreciate their history. dammit...i'm gettin all emotional!!!

each to his own of course but i have guns that i may never shoot again but i will never part with. silly but true

I think I've been prudent in buying guns. I hunted with my first high-powered rifle (.308 Win) for over twenty years then bought a 25.06 Rem. It took another fifteen years to find a need for a new rifle, a 300 WSM. I would not have bought another rifle had a 375 H&H not been the minimum for Cape Buffalo. I've never sold a rifle. (I can't imagine doing that.) I spend my money on hunts, my family and the stock market; not necessarily in that order.

I own 4 nice rifles and I feel fine
1) 22 lr
2) 6.5-06
3) 35 Whelen
4) 416 Rigby
All my other rifles are going to the
highest bidder.
Doug

I have two safes full of rifles.
I hunt with three rifles
Whitetails - Dakota in 7 X57
Anything else smaller than big game - 30-06 mod 70
big game 375 H&H I've used a krieghoff double and a Mod. 70 and am going to standardize on a mod 70.

I don't need the 7 X 57 but I just like it.

I guess if I only deer and elk hunt could get by with fewer rifles but I also like to varmint,target and just go shooting and the amount of my rifles reflects that involvement.

Living in KY, I don't get many big game opportunities. I have big dreams though! I'd like to have a rifle for every critter knowing full well that most any one would suffice for the majority of my hunting. I just like them. I like punching paper and finding the just right load.

The older I get, the more I like small game hunting. I like to share the experience. Sitting in a tree just gets old to me anymore. Seems that everyone wants to manage the herd...I have no beef with guys who do it. I say if it makes you happy go for it! For me though, I'd rather go to a range and shoot paper with four or five friends than sit in a tree waiting for an 18" 8 point whitetail to come along so I can shoot it and then have someone tell me "You should have let that one grow a year or two...he would have made a dandy!" Well, he just made a dandy hunt for me...I like to hear my rifle go off!!

born to hunt...i know what you're talking about. i love to hunt doves but i'll admit that i'm a sorry wing shot. when i go hunting with my buds and they give me $hit about missing birds i tell them, "hell man, i don't go dove hunting to kill doves... i go so i can shoot my shotgun at the sky!!" then they give me more $hit but that's the fun of hunting with friends and family as far as i'm concerned.

I prefer the idea of different rifles for different situations as opposed to different animals.

For example, hunting black bear and grey wolves over baits results in short shots, but wolves and bears are nasty, so I'd take a big bullet moving at a reasonable speed. Give me a fast-handling bolt action .338-06, .358 Winchester, .35 Whelen, or maybe a 9.3x62mm, or a lever action .450 Marlin or .45/70. Any of these rifles would double as a deep woods rifle for deer, moose, and elk in a heartbeat.

For open terrain or hunting from a treestand, I prefer long barreled rifles. Give me a long-reaching boomstick in 7mm Remington Magnum and I'd have no problems taking deer and caribou at long range. It'll also double as a long range elk and moose gun. A lot of folks think the 7 Mag doesn't have the pop, but those long, slender bullets slice into heavy elk and moose like no one's business. Just point and "click".

For mixed stuff, I'd either buy a new gun falling between the two above criteria or just take both and flip a coin. Standard "sporter" rifles in .30-06 Springfield should have almost the same MPBR as the 7 Mag, plus enough bullet heft to down big black bears.

Throw in a .22LR and a semi-auto 12 gauge and then my small game hunting and turkey/migratory/upland bird hunting is satisfied.

That about covers most of my hunting situations in Manitoba, and honestly, I have a lot of hunting to do here before I'm satisfied and looking to move on.

Here in the us I have a 12 gauge beretta extrema that I bought 2 years ago that has most of the factory cammo rubbed off from so much use, a rugger 10/22 converted to 17mach2 that I put together over 3 afternoons bored at the computer (ordering about $500 worth of parts stock and barrel) and a .270. Now at home in mexico, thats a totaly diferent story, I have 5 12 gauge shotguns 1 20 guage, 1 12 gauge with a 4 barrel set, about 20 pistols, a .300 win mag, 4 22lr, and about 15 machine guns (everything from an m16 to an uzi to an mp5 along with several old ww2 machinguns that my uncle let me have) and my father doesn't even like hunting

I own a lot of rifles and believe I might get through with,
2 – 3006 – 1 for hunting and one for Back-up
2 - .375 H&H – 1 for hunting and one for Back-up
And hunt everything on the planet from groundhogs to Elephant

Roland

I accumulate guns. I have picked up rifles as I have felt a need for them. ( or at least some justification in my mind)
I have purchsed only two that I can honestly say I just wanted them.
1. I got a .257 Roberts just because and was thrilled with it. It was my first dual purpose, long range/ open country coyote rifle.
2. A model 600 Remington in .308 for a carbine length rifle that would out-perform my 30-30. I like it for my beater. (jeep rides, banging around in the truck year round, leaving it under the seat)

I have since my last "need" purchase, aquired a few (raffle prizes)that I wanted and have used quite a bit. I won a .280 that I traded away that I never even shot. I thought the caliber combined with a synthetic stock and compact scope would be an ideal mountain rifle. I never followed through, and kept taking the 7mm RM in spite of the added weight. I have not doubled up on any caliber as a back up except .22lr, and 12ga but find I grab whatever rifle seams to fit the situation best. Caliber, scope, type of terrain, shot distance expected, and whatever else always plays a part in my choice.
One negative point is that you can't be as familiar with that many different rifles without lots of field time. I'm sure I don't shoot as well as I once did when I was using the Roberts for nearly everything, or had time to go shoot 100's of .22-250. But I shoot enough with nearly every rifle in my safe to feel confident with them. My "go to" had become my 7mm and I was quite happy with it. Lately I'm back to using the Quarter Bore rifles for the most part.

I did get a .338WM just for Elk hunting and thats what I've used it for. Part of that desicion was based on the idea that If I had the chance for coastal Griz, or some other hunt like that the rifle wouldn't be a concern.

My boys will need guns,(and are already shooting some of them and laying claim ) my wife hunts , and there will be guns that I give away to the boys that were "special" to me. Some of my rifles are a personal part of me and some are nothing more than a tool. Nate

My to go rifles are;
22lr, 222, 7mm-08 and a 9.3
Then there's my Sunday-going-to-shooting single shot in 7x57.

I could get by with the 22lr and the 7mm-08 but hey I could also get by with only one testicle, however, I like the way the two balance each other.