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| One of Us |
Here's a thought to ponder? What kind of shot...how good a hunter would you be if all your life you could only have ONE gun? AND you could only use ONE load in that gun? Example: You could only have a .308 and you could only shoot a 150 gr SP. And it must always be loaded the same  (You can scratch out the .308 and 150 gr and substitute anything you like...so long as you only have one.) What would your hunting career have been like under these rules? Would you be a better shot? A better hunter? Have killed more game or less? Here's where I'm coming from on this. Over my shooting career I've shot and hunted with most of the rifles that go bang. Unfortunately I never got to hunt all the game animals out there, but at least I've had one hell of a variety of weapons. What's this done for me? In my opinion, it's HAMPERED my ability as a shooter. I've hopped around with too many guns and fiddled with way too many crazy loads and bullet weights until the end result has basically been that I never knew what the hell I was shooting or what to expect. Often when I think of trajectory for a difficult shot, my head just spins as I try to calculate which rifle, which load, which bullet am I'm shooting today! Don't get me wrong, it's great fun...but I don't think it's the best way to create a fine marksman. About the best I can ever claim for myself is "fairly good." Some days a little better. Some a little worse. I blame a lot of this on my own "firearms greed." Anyone else feel this way? Anyone want to step in with the exact opposite point of view? Please tell us why, whichever way you think. ------------------ | ||
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| <Paladin> |
Pecos, don't be subversive..... | ||
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| One of Us |
quote: Hahaha, we are only talking THEORY here, Paladin. Heaven forbid this kooky idea of mine should ever come to pass! ------------------ | |||
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| One of Us |
Fuzz, I think your Dad is a slight variation of the theme I have tried to set forth here. He is essentially a one gun shooter. He's got the 22 for one world of shooting, the shotgun for another, and the 35 for all his big game. That is ALMOST my stated rule for this post. But you see the results? Quality marksmanship! ------------------ | |||
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| Moderator |
I guess in my own way I have subscribed to this theory. I have always preferred high velocity calibers such as the 270, 300mag, etc. All of them have very similar trajectories to 350yds with the loads I have used. Makes life easy knowing that whatever rifle I'm currently using has the same POI at various ranges as the others! | |||
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| one of us |
I have one big game rifle,.338WM. I would not mind having another .338, but since this one has done so well I will use it for a long time before I buy another. I use 225 to 250-grain bullets for hunting. I will reload a few rounds with 275-grain A-Frames just in case my hunting partners get the "bear fever." | |||
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| one of us |
I subscribe to the gun of the month club theory. I have a bunch of them. IMHO once you can shoot one and have the basics down, you can shoot them all. I've taken lots of animals over the years and other than my two African hunts I used all sorts of rifles and pistols. Know how to shoot , get a good weapon, know the cartridges capabilities and they all work. FN | |||
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| One of Us |
quote: What you're saying is true, Frank. I'm capable enough with these rifles, but I always feel like I could have been a lot BETTER if I'd stuck closer to one gun. Don't you ever feel that way? Does anyone parhaps remember how good they were with 22 rimfires before the day they moved up to big bores? With the little .22 its the same thing over and over and over. These little rifles often became almost a part of us and within their range, we could do some scary stuff. Right? Why? One gun. One load. And it really wasn't that boring was it? ------------------ | |||
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| one of us |
45, I have found through many years and many rifles (and a lot of money) if the gun fits me then I can shoot it about as well as the next. Most of my shots are under a 100 yards so it matters little which rifle I am using. Bryan | |||
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| One of Us |
I have to agree that before I had a number of rifles I was a better shot. I had my Brno Model 2 .22 rimfire and shot thousands of rounds through it. I was a much better shot then I think than I am now. To be honest I do not shoot as much now as when I was a kid, just have not got the time. ------------------ | |||
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| One of Us |
Over the years I have tended to mostly have more than one rifle in both the same caliber and brand. Most of my shooting has been done with the 270, 308, 300 Win and 375. For whatever reason (and I have my "theories") I think my "hits to shots fired ratio" has been better with the 308 and 375 than it has with the 270 and 300 Winchester. As a follow on to that, I think my most successful time in terms of hits to shots fired came with a pair of Model 70 458s both loaded to 2100 f/s with 400 grain Speer flat points. The exceptions has been on birds and rabbits at longer ranges when using bench rest rifles in 270. Mike [This message has been edited by Mike375 (edited 05-19-2002).] | |||
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| <hornblower> |
Just to avoid I might be suspected subversive : I insist in my right to own as many rifles as I want ( got 5 ) , but I admit my limited skills as well . As for me personally , it makes sense to shoot with the ONE rifle I�m used to for the longest time and which I can handle best . I know I can rely on it and that makes me shoot better , I think . I dare to make shots ( good ones ) at distances I would not shoot at with rifles I�m less familiar with . And I only have one load for all game from red deer down to roe . | ||
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| <Crawfish> |
I am a more than one gun kind of guy. Has to do with my 20 years as a USN Armorer. I was surrounded by guns all day every day. BUT my guns are usually used differently. I mostly(99.9%)hunt with something in .41 caliber for big game and everything else is used to punch paper or steel. Since 1989 I can recall only two animals that were hunted/killed with something other than a .41, one with a 7X30 Waters and the other with a 30-30, both Contenders. Now this doesn't mean that my "other" handguns don't get used, they do and a bunch. I shoot all my handguns at least 50 rounds(execpt for the 45-70) a month, some more than others. I usually shoot every day that I don't work and usually have a marathon shoot on Saturday and Sunday with family and friends. Shooting is my way of relaxing. Every bullet down range carries a bit of my stress with it.  So classify me as a more than one gun guy that hunts with only one caliber.------------------ | ||
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| one of us |
Pecos, The number if long-guns I have is directly related to the number of them I can squeeze into my gun cabinet. I have two rifles for big game hunting, one is a M700 30-06 with a 1-4 Leopold that I carry on bluebird days, the other is a rem 660 in 308 with a Williams FP peep and Brown Precision fiberglass stock that I carry in the rain & snow. I much prefer to carry that rifle, since I like my rifle in my hand while hunting. If I could choose just one of them... I guess I'd have to keep the 660. Tough choice though. It boils down to shooting often enough with all of them. In my case that�s just two, for someone with 10... better get loadin' | |||
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| one of us |
Frank is right once you get to be a good shot you can shoot about anything. Does not take a lot of paractice to get good with another gun once you know how. I find most people with only one gun most of the time do not shoot much. If they are really into shooting and ect. They well end up with more then one. | |||
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| one of us |
I've found that it takes me 2 full hunting seasons to become proficient with a new favorite rifle. By this I mean confidence in shots at running deer and the ability to shoot accurately and quickly without thinking. I have used a Rem Classic 35 Whelen almost exclusively for the last 6 years and it is like an extension of my arm. I beleive staying with the same low profile scope is important. Also I hunt in thick swamp amd brush. In more open area I don't believe it hurts proficiency to use different rifles when you have more time to shoot. | |||
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one of us |
Pecos: I think you bring up an interesting point. I also enjoy buying, trading and building lots of guns and experimenting with various loads. I have shot most of the ones I still own (about 50) but generally I select from only 5 or 6 when I go hunting or shooting (about twice a month, I live and work in a large city). These 5 or 6 are not my finest or best guns but are among those which I am most confident and familiar with. Of the ones I shoot a lot, I have settled on one load for each gun, except in the case of my larger bores for which I have two loads (a heavy hunting load and a reduced load for plinking). | |||
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| <allen day> |
I could have gone with a .300 Winchester or a .338 Winchester for all of my hunting years ago and been well served except for a few isolated episodes. I'll never be strictly a one-gun hunter, but I have gotten my big game battery down rifles chambered in .270 Win., .300 Win., .338 Win., .375 H&H, .416 Rem., and .458 Win. I don't plan on adding any new calibers, nor do I plan to get rid of any. Most of the hunting gets done with the .300 Winchester, though........ AD | ||
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| one of us |
I have been a one rifle hunter for about 12 years if you don't count the muzzle loader. That rifle is a .300 Win. mag. Used it for ground hogs all summer and deer in the deer season. I became very proficient with it. Like mentioned it became like the old .22 when I was a kid. Just last year i broke down and bought a .308 as the .300 is jusy too cumbersome in the woods the way I have it set up. The last few years I have been hunting with friends and when it comes my turn to put on a drive the .300 is a pain in the arse. ------------------ | |||
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one of us |
While I have owned and reloaded for many rifles and cartridges, when it came to hunting I just have three; 303 Brit that I bought when I was 12 thru the mail, a 7MM RM I used for years, and an 8MM RM. Worked up one good load with my best guess as to bullet for each one, hunted with nothing else. The Brit thru my teens, the 7MM (shot the barrel out of this one) thru my 20/30s, the 8MM from then on. At one time I had about 25/30 die sets, for the various carts and guns, but hunting, just these three, just one load each. That doesn't count black powder, 54 Renegade, but that is more fun to shoot not necessarily hunt with. ------------------ [This message has been edited by 8MM OR MORE (edited 05-19-2002).] | |||
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one of us |
Interesting self-inventory for myself. I own a boat load of handguns, but have full ownership of only one centerfire rifle (joint ownership of a boatfull  ). That one rifle has never failed me and I know it so well I guess I've just never gotten around to replacing it for primary use, it's never given me a reason too. I've toyed with the idea for years of getting a new lighter all weather rifle(or using one of the other rifles) but never have. Lately I've been thinking about retiring this rifle to pass it down. That may be the only way I get a new full time use rifle. There are several hunters in my group that have a different rifle just about every year and they seem to be very successful (they shoot em too). One has started buying more rifles, while another is just working his way through all the guns he's aquired over the years. One big buck was taken with a Winchester 1886 40-65! I'm all for the boatload approach, but somehow haven't gotten there......yet.------------------ | |||
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| One of Us |
OK, guys, good comments all and thank you for your thoughts! Let me set the record straight, Pecos45 is in NO WAY advocating we all reduce our batteries down to ONE GUN. Heaven forbid such a terrible thing. This would be like saying you can have one bottle of beer in your life. From your comments I have noticed another issue I hadn't thought of much before. Many of you remarked that the multi-gun situation didn't bother you because all of your shots were in heavy woods etc and never over 100 yds. I can see this would greatly reduce any confusion over guns. If one is limited by range so severely, the problem becomes more one of sight picture and trigger pull. Do these correctly and go home a hero. But my hunting has all been in New Mexico and Texas where we have a VERY different situation. New Mexico especially! The distance people shoot at things in New Mexico is basically limited only by how far away they can spot the game and whether or not they are crazy enough to try the shot! I've glassed hillsides and probably identified bucks almost 1/2 mile away. NO, I wasn't dumb enough to shoot at them, but I think it's obvious that at extreme ranges of let's say 300 plus yards... or even 250 plus...this is when our familiarity with the rifle in our hands really becomes important. The trajectory of almost ALL our guns really starts to get problematic beyond 225, 250 and 300 yds...depending on what rifle you have. Perhaps 300 yds is the "accuracy barrier" for real hunting situations. I know guys shoot target out much further, but that is very different situation than hunting. Anyway, just thinking aloud here. Thank you again one and all for your thoughts. ------------------ | |||
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| one of us |
I realized a few weeks ago, after mounting a $700 scope on my newest rifle project, that constantly working on one project rifle or another is limiting the amount of hunting that I am able to do. By the time you add a scope and mounts, buy reloading dies and supplies to a new rifle you can easily spens a good portion of the cost of a hunting trip. In this respect the one rifle idea sounds good, but I think now I'll just concentrate on shooting and hunting with the rifles that I have and spend some of the extra time/effort/money refining my skills and building experience as a hunter. | |||
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| <Ol' Sarge> |
How does that old saying go? "Beware the man with only one gun, he likely knows how to use it."? Semi, sorta true, I suspect. By far the best shot I've ever seen was an old guy back in the Ozark hills. He had an old Winchester bolt single shot. I used to run into him toting squirrels home, every one shot thru the eye. I once saw him shoot one hundred straight asprins outa the air. He shot that rifle faster than most people could shoot a shotgun. The butt would hit his shoulder it would fire. You almost couldn't believe he had time to aim. Between my dad and him, I had some pretty darn good coaching. I had only one gun for over 10 years and got pretty good with it. Now I can use a different gun each week of the year and I'm probably an even better shot, but that's probably because I have more excuses to shoot more. Practice, practice, practice. ------------------ [This message has been edited by Ol' Sarge (edited 05-19-2002).] | ||
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| <waldog> |
Pecos45, Your post has a lot of reality for me. You see, as a teenager I knew I could afford exactly one centerfire rifle. Furthermore, I quickly found that changing loads and sighting in and resighting in was a luxury of both time and money I couldn't afford. So for many, many years the one gun, one bullet scenario WAS my reality! Varmints to antelope to deer, I slayed them all with a 25-06 and a 100gr NBT. (Elk were the only exception.) I feel like all those countless long shots at pd's really honed my marksmanship and confidence in the weapon. Now 15 years later, I'm finally getting around to trying differnt rifles. Mostly to add variety I think, because that .25 works so damn well. Gonna be real interesting this fall hunting with a 338-06! Can't wait! | ||
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| one of us |
Shooting is kinda like roping, if one can rope then he can catch with a well rope...If one can shoot then he can shoot anything.. The one gun man is on welfare or isn't into hunting/shooting very much, or just plain nuts! Never met a one gun man that can shoot as good as I can... ------------------ | |||
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one of us |
I think I'm going to call "balderdash" on this one. I have my main big game rifles. They are sighted in with my high $ handloads, with brass tuned to the N'th degree, super premium bullets, etc, etc. I can't afford to shoot that configuration for practice. Besides, who is going to let 100 or 200 full power rounds rip from a 7mag or a 35 Whelen on a sunny afternoon? Just for fun? I learned to shoot with an air rifle, like many people in the U.S. learn to shoot with a 22. The muscle memory translated just fine to rimfire and centerfire rifles. I still prefer my 22 to my 223 or PPC rifles. After a couple of hundred rounds, even those get to be obnoxious. In the end, I don't buy it that someone who has one rifle, and not worn out the barrel every couple of years, is going to be as good a shot as I am, when I burn a brick or 2 of 22's a month. JMO, Dutch. | |||
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One of Us |
Heya Dutch, that's a good post. I learned to shoot with an air-rifle then a 22lr... those went with me everywhere when I was a kid, and ultimately did translate into proficiency with the bigger stuff. Had the fun of watching the process all over again through my son's eyes. We went out yesterday and warmed-up grandpa's 22... an old Remington with open sites he got at age six in 1935. Anyway, after getting him proficient on pop-cans, he spotted a fat gopher and drilled him straight through with the first shot... neat! Brad | |||
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| <Ol' Sarge> |
Hey Dutch, When I first moved to Missouri about eight years ago, I went into the local sporting goods store and asked them to order me three cases of .22 shells. A week later when I went back in, he handed me three bricks of shells. He just gave me a blank stare when I asked him where the rest of them were. In thirty years in business he'd never once had anyone buy a case at a time. My wife, daughter, two sons and I go thru over 10 cases a year. ------------------ | ||
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| one of us |
Pecos, I'd have to say that probably no one here could say fer shure whether owning more than one gun has hurt their shooting--they can only speculate, including me. "Hampered" can mean "less than perfect" right? I'm with most here, I shoot many guns well, and it don't take long to get more than adequate with something new. I hope your scenario never comes to pass. | |||
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| <Steve H> |
Hi Guys I hunt nearly every day and use a lotta ammo. If I was restricted to only one gun it would need rebuilding about every three months (can't afford that) How ever if I was ever restricted to one rifle (as they tried to do to us in New Zealand some years ago)I would probably take my .270 BAR. There is no dangerous animals in New Zealand apart from a cornered or aggressive pig but another shot from the BAR normally settles them down anyway so a .270 is entirely adequate. I own 9 BARS in various calibers and a shit load of other rifles as well in various calibers. God forbid if someone tried to take any from me Steve H | ||
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| one of us |
Steve, doesn't New Zealand have one of the lowest crime rates involving guns in the world?! And, they're still trying to take them?! | |||
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| One of Us |
Ok, gang, I've read all your thoughtful posts on this subject and it seems my "theory" is in the minority. I won't waste your time and mine trying to convince anyone I'm right...cause I may be wrong!  Maybe the truth on this issue is just something I've never really wanted to admit to myself.........that I'm as good as I'm ever gonna get whether I have one gun or fifty. At least I still enjoy shooting and think I always will. ------------------ | |||
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| <Steve H> |
Parshal You are right in that we do have a low gun crime rate in NZ and it is a fact that most gun crime comes from unregistered users. Here in NZ the owner is registered and may own as many firearms of the type allowed by the licence type. It is nearly impossible to get a Licence to own and use a handgun. Must join a pistol club which really sucks as they are few and far between and having to go to a club cuts down on my hunting time. Steve H | ||
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One of Us |
One gun and one bullet type eh? EASY! 300 Weatherby Magnum with 180gr Barnes X bullet. IF the 300 Weatherby was good enough for Elgin Gates world-wide, it's good enough for me! and he didn't have the luxury of the new Super Premiums. jorge | |||
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| one of us |
I'm fortunate as I'm able to shoot in my back yard. I have a 100, 200 and 300 yd range set up with 10" steel plates at those distances. Many of the locals will come over the weekend before big game opener and sight in their rifles. Many of them are "one gun" hunters. Half are that way due to lack of interest the other half due to lack of funds. There is not a ONE of them that would scare me at 300 yds. The majority are poor shots, with the rest just lucky if they can hit even the 200 yd plate much less the usually untouched 300 plate. The one gun hunter is generally either disinterested in other weapons, or can't afford them. Hunting to most of these guys is just "gathering" or filling the freezer with little sport involved. A lot like cutting firewood. Though I do know a few hunters here who are very good shots, as they use their pickup rifle for everything, from varmints to big game. They know its trajectory and can be quite deadly. they are far from the norm though. Frank N. | |||
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one of us |
I don't know what caused it, but it seems I shoot the rifle that I have in my hands best, what ever it is. But I must admit I have probably 30 rifles that I haven't fired it at least ten years, and the ones I shoot most will be under ten rifles, and two shotguns, and two pistols. By the way I just bought a new Ruger No1H .458 Win Mag, 02/21/02, to re-chamber to 450#2 NE to match a double rifle, of the same chambering. Hope I can shoot it! ------------------ [This message has been edited by MacD37 (edited 05-22-2002).] [This message has been edited by MacD37 (edited 05-22-2002).] | |||
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| one of us |
well i feel great because yesterday i was hitting 8 inch plates yesterday at 200 yds with a holosite on my ar-15 shorty, a couple of years ago i couldn't have hit a barn if i was on the inside of it | |||
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| one of us |
I think I would have shot more game because I pratted around less with loading etc. I also think I would have a bad flinch unless I had a 22rf. If it all got burnt down I'd get one centre fire rifle and a 22rf and leave it at that. It would be a nice one and I'd use factory ammunition. My wife would allow me an extra weeks holiday to go stalking! | |||
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<Big Sigh> In fact, I'm not even as good as I once was!