Being so unbelievabily dull I felt compelled to write.
I work and I hunt. Period. I don't have any other distractions. My wife and girls hunt as well.
I don't boat, ski, Hot rod, Motorcycle, snowmobile, drink, smoke, hike, scuba, etc..........
I HUNT, PERIOD.
So consequently I don't spend alot of time worring about my armement. Years ago I was caught short with out an apporpraite rifle for a Elk hunt. As a rifle builder I had all of my own junk apart, broken, stolen from, etc... And at 2 weeks til I leave I have a 14lbs 25'06 and a .458 that are together. I ended up buying a used 7mmMag for the hunt. When I returned home I repaired and sold every gun I owned.
From there I built a pair of Mark X mausers in .30'06 and .375. I have since added a .223 and I built a .50cal in-line on a M-98 raw forging.
They are stocked the same, triggered the same, scoped the same and weight approximately the same.

I use the '06 with a 165gr on everything up to and including Elk. The .375 is used on Elk on up. The .50 is for those urban bucks I find myself chasing.

Sure they are comprimises, but the money I don't have tied up in 20 different rifles and there maintainence is used to hunt. I am of very modest means and with this pragmatic way of living I have hunted very extensively.

I am covered from Ground Squirrels to Elephants. I think it works out fine.

ED

I don�t consider myself dull. I�ve lived life my way and have had a lot of adventures. I retired at age 48. That was 9 years ago. I hunt, but I also fish. That fills the time between hunting seasons. A bachelor for many years, I married five years ago. My wife laughs at my hunting and pokes fun at me. She told me last year that she thinks that my preparation for the hunting season is almost as important as hunting itself. I told her it was actually more important.

Last year I decided to go with the new WSM rifles. I got, loaded and sighted in a 300 WSM. It�s a honey putting three shot groups into a half inch out of a cold, clean barrel. It got so that I didn�t want to shoot the rifle. Each shot wears it a bit. So I got a 270 WSM. Once I get it sighted in and get a load developed, I will use that this year for elk and Mule Deer in Colorado, and to fill 4 deer tags here in North Dakota. It�s stainless. I pulled the plastic stock and replaced it with a factory wood. I finished fitting and bedding yesterday.

To keep my 300 WSM virgin as long as possible, I got a second 300, this one in stainless. This one will also wear a factory wood stock, when I get around to fitting one. Time will be short this year.

I hunt and fish at will, but I also make time for other things. Water foul. Upland game. I hunted dives until cold went weather drove them out.

ED,

I have several hundred rifles. They range from 12 caliber wildcats all the way to a .700 NE bolt action rifle.

What do I use for my hunting?

That depends on the country, and animals. When I go to Zimbabwe or Tanzania for buffalo, elephant and lion. In addition to all teh plains game, I take two identical rifles, both chambered for my own 375/404.

With these I have shot everything from duikers to elephants.

Once I went to South Africa, and experienced some of the relatively long range shooting one has to do there, I built myself another rifle solely for this purpose. I took my 375/404 case and necked down to 30 caliber. This rifle gives me a comfortable 3450 fps with 180 grain bullets.

I keep this one when I am going on a plains game hunt - no buffalo or elephant.

The 375/404 are built on a Dakota 76 action. One has a Shilen barrel and one has a Dan Lilja barrel. Both shoot under an inch.

The 30/404 I built on a Sako 75 action. It also has a Dan Lilja barrel, and shoots under an inch.

EO,

I'm a different type of pragmatist. I've owned hundreds of rifles, and I'm an unrepentant gun trader. I fall in love with a new rifle weekly.

My goal is to own every rifle type, and caliber before I die.

There are hunter and there are shooters.

Hunters view their firearms as tools in which to go hunting. You are in that class, and there is nothing wrong with that view.

I'm a shooter, and hunting is one of activity that can be accomplished with a rifle, besides, collecting, tinkering, reloading et al.

My safe has room for 16 long arms, when it's full, it time to trade one for another.

Work in progress:

MRC short (still waiting for the action) in .250 Savage. Have a AAA Claro blank ready to be carved and it will have a 24" Octagon barrel from Montana Rifleman.

Conversion (rebore)of a Ruger #1 from 218 Bee to 9.3X74 is @ Hamilton Bowens. Another AAA claro 2 piece Blank is waiting in the wings for this one.

A LNIB sako A1 in .222 Rem will be rebarreled to 6mmx45. When it's delivered it will go to Pac-Nor for the work.

Older Rem 700 ADL 270 Winny, for conversion to 3200 Hawk (never owned an 8mm), McMillan/Remington Custom shop KS stock is in hand, and I just got a quote from Z-Hat to do this conversion.

See it's contagious. Hope you don't catch it.

Regards,

Bob

Ed, I'm with you... Over the last 40 years I have had quite a number of rifles. Over the last couple of years I have "come full circle".. Currently I have a swift, a .30-06, and a .375H&H.
And I feel prepared for anything I might encounter. I think you've done well with your choices. Maybe even better than I have !!!

My first gun I bought was a stirling .22mag, thats the only factory rifle I have bought. The rest are military mausers either full wood or sporterised. I don't have the money to buy the latest superduper REMSAUMWSM and I don't need it! My 6.5x55 will kill any pig/goat/deer in Australia. I am getting a .416 (for buff/scrub bulls you understand ) made but thats on a M17 action.

Bakes

bakes, does the 6.5x55mm work well for sambar, or is that what the .416 is going to be for?

i would think that a 160-grain bullet in 6.5x55 would be more than adequate, but have no experience in that area.

Hey Guys,

Thanks for the replies. I love reading this stuff. I love all the opinions. I am not opposed to owning more rifles and I do have a "few" others, but these are the for real, don't f*** with group that are always assembled and ready for action. We have some properties in different locals and each 1 has its own .308 bolt and .45ACP stashed with a redneck door stop.
(A redneck doorstop is a 200rd infantry pack of 7.62) There is always a ebbing and flowing river of hornets around as well. I am in the process of buying my 1st ever 1903 MS carbine as well. There is a 1950 M-94 30/30 and some very valuable front stuffers also. Seems to be a G3 that snuck in here as well. Looks Guatamalan to me.

I will be out of communicato for the season. Leaving for Wyo. in the A.M. will report in around Dec. 1st.

ED

I started hunting late, shortly after my retirement at the age of 46 in 1994. I decided then to ask lots of questions in relation to what sort of cartridge would be a good choice for hunting in Alaska, and a few months later, I bought a stainless rifle with a synthetic stock, in .338 Winchester Magnum. I have been so pleased with its performance on Alaska game, that I haven't even thought about another cartridge for my type of hunting. The .338WM simply works up here, and it seems that almost every hunter has one in his or her arsenal.

I am a "one gun" hunter who is only interested in hunting for meat. I see my gun as a very efficient tool to gather meat, and understand that I must keep it in good shape and clean to avoid failure. The scope on it is a very reliable Leupold Vary-X III, 2.5-8x, that like the rifle has not failed me once.

Tasunkawitko
The 6.5 is illegal to use on Sambar in Victroia, where most sambar hunting takes place. The .270 130gr bullet is the minimum. Sambar are spreading to NSW but you can't hunt on public land there. I think a 6.5 would kill any sambar with the right bullet and a well placed shot(good enough for moose ), but thats just my opinion as I've never shot one.(Looking at a trip to hunt them next year). I don't get the ruling at all. You can hunt them with a 30-30 but not with a 6.5x55/6.5-284/6.5winmag etc, that would produce more energy and penitration

The .416 is getting made for buff and scrub bull and because I had this big action laying around and thought "bugger it, I'll make something big!"

Bakes

My Dad is on a life long quest to find one rifle that will do everything he ever wanted.

It must be short, attain high MV, lightwieght, not kick hard, accurate and supply a quick follow up shot(semi-auto or double).

The caliber of choice is not clear although he is fairly loyal to the .30-06 or .270win.

He has been through a whole bunch of rifles that had one or more of the above characteristics, but as well all know you won't get everything out of one.

My Dad is not a gun-nut, so he doesn't brainstorm over it.

He did however come up with a solution he likes and which works pretty well;
A sweet little Beretta U/O in .30-06.

I just gave him a Ruger 44mag carbine for his scrub hunting. That's the type of hunting he does most so I thought it would be more appropriate.
(The work on the stock and peep sights cost me double what I paid for the bloody rifle to begin with!)