but they'll do for me. Here's a pic of my Win 70 Classics. The handsome gent on the left is a 338 WM and the pretty little number on the right is a 270 Win . The 338 is sporting a McMillan Supergrade stock which is what the 270 will also be sporting ASAP. They're both topped with Leupold 3.5-10x40mm peeps craddled in Talley lightweights. These may not be long range rifles to some, but they are to me. They can out-shoot my ability any day (at least for now). As far as power goes, I'd hate to be the furry focus of either one within a 1/4 mile.....



So what's your non-ultimate combo???

I'm downsizing my battery to just those two cartriges plus a .22-250. I'm I gotten or getting rid of a .375 H&H, .300Wby Mag, , 30-06, .308 Win, 7mm Mauser. I'm planning on the 2.5 - 8 VX 3. That size scope just looks right sitting atop a medium/light sporter.

Nebraska, they are pretty for sure, but they would be perfect if you replaced the .270 w/ a .280 & VXIII2.5x8 on both.

7mm mag, 375 ICL, a 12ga and my 10mm, and I'm set

No .22 RF?

I have always had some rifles that would shoot well. When I was a kid I lugged a sporterized P-17 around that was quite accurate on game and varmints.

Now I am on a lightweight kick.

I may not have the budget of djpaintless or Allen but I am spending. I like to do most of the work myself.

I have a lot of rifles, not because I need them, but, because I have this severe mental disorder........



BUT, for one combo for North American hunting, this is perfect, IMHO. I have five .338s and a pair of .270s and with a .22lr and a predator rifle such as my .243 or a .22-250, I have it covered.



Of course, I have and love a .280 and am about to get another, but, the .270-.338 combo is IT!

I think that's a great big game combination. Of course it would have to expand if you chased something that could stomp you to pulp, but for 99% of the world's hunting, you have it nailed. My own big game combination is a M70 Classic stainless (in walnut) .388 and a Sako L691 in 6.5X55. The little Swede may not be quite as hot as the .270, but it kills just as good as far as I can shoot.

Now if I can just convince Mama that I need to hunt cape buffalo I'll have a reason to match my .338 with a M70 Safari in .416 Rem Mag...

Nebraska, I think you are wrong when you say that that battery isn't the ultimate big game combo. In reality, you don't need anything else. On this continent anyway. Great looking rifles! Upgrade them (ie the McMillan, extractor, maybe bottom metal blah, blah, blah) as the budget allows to keep things interesting, and you're set forever.

Chuck

Nebraska,

I've pretty much done the same thing. I've sold every rifle I had but 2, a 338win and a 30-06. These two will handle anything I plan on hunting in the next few years and I plan to do a LOT of hunting in the next few years

I think that is a great combo! I really need a 338 to fill the gap between 30 and 35cal. In reality all I really NEED is a 22 centerfire so I can get into larger varmints or longer range varmints. I know where there is a 224 clark for sale, that is 7x57 necked down for those who don't know it.

Almost all mine sport fixed power scopes though, I prefer them.

Red

Well...It seems that you have the perfect North America hunting combination.

If you ever want to add two more rifles, it would be as follows:

.22LR such as Ruger's 10/22. Since there are a great number of after market parts of it, you can transform a 10/22 into a tack driver that is fun and cheap to shoot. The next one has to be one of the .416's, but of CRF only. This rifle would only be used for special hunts such a brown bears, and maybe African large game.
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I only have one big game rifle, a Ruger stainless, CRF, .338WM, and those others I talked about are in my wish list. I would probably use my .338 for most of my hunting, the .22LR and the .270 every now and then, and the .416 rarely.

I am in the process of putting togethor a two rifle battery for hunting big game in North America. It will consist of two rifles based on LH CM Model 70 Classic actions. They will feature custom action work, custom CM barrels, Williams 2pc bottom metal, Wisner extractors, McMillan Supergrade stocks, custom bases for Talley rings, Leupold VX III scopes, and will be chambered for the 7MM Rem Mag and the 338 Win Mag respectively. The 7MM is almost complete, and hopefully construction of the 338 will get under way shortly.



Chuck

Brad, you couldn't be more right. LESS is indeed MORE when it comes to hunting rifles! And of course, and basic combo of a .338 Win. Mag. teamed with a .270 Win. is an ideal N. American hunting battery, and will do for all of the world's big game except for rhino, elephant, and African or Asian buffalo.

Solid hunting experience is a whole lot harder to come by and much more meaningful than a rack full of rifles that are seldom used. I know guys right here in Oregon who are equipment junkies, and I've hunted with some of these guys for over twenty years. They keep adding rifle after rifle to their collections in addition to other gear, yet the way Oregon's miserable drawing system works, they're lucky if they get to hunt mule deer and elk every other year, and for various reasons they refuse to hunt out of state to make up the difference. But they sure have plenty of money for more rifles!

If you want to see what can be done with a simple battery, read Jack Atcheson's superb book, "Hunting Adventures Worldwide", as well as J.Y. Jones' "One Man, One Rifle, One Land". Atcheson has hunted mostly with a push-feed Model 70 .338 Win. Mag., plus a .270 and a .458 Win. Mag., and he's surely one of the most experienced hunters who has ever lived.

Jones has taken ALL species of N. American game with a Remington 700 ADL .30-06!

In my eyes, rifles like Atcheson's .338 and Jones' .30-06 are priceless guns, and I'd much rather spend hours looking at one of those rifles than some fancy, cosmetically-inspired custom job that's never been to the range -- let alone hunting.

AD

That 338 looks familiar

I'm sure it does!! Thanks again for the great deal! That was the beginning of the end for the majority of my collection...

I guess I have to ask. Whay would anyone want to cut back to only two rifles?

Actually, all I have and use is one rifle for all my hunting in Alaska, a .338WM. The rest of my wish list probably won't happen.

Sometimes people need to cut back due to money. Two centerfire rifles are enough but one is not in my opinion. Things break or go haywire and a back up makes so much sense.

There's an elegance and freedom in simplicity... sometimes, yes, *gasp*, less really is more!

browningguy,

Allen pretty much hit it on the head. At one time I had a safe FULL of rifles, I had several rifles setup for several hunts I'd always planned to take. Then one day I woke-up and decided I had a lot of guns but I wasn't going hunting. So, I sold all but the 30-06, I just bought the 338 last fall and only then because it was such a GOOD deal. I took some of the the money I got from selling the guns I had and went hunting and stop dreaming about it, in the last year I've been to Namibia and New Brunswick plus hunted deer here in Alabama, I've taken 11 animals with my 06, and couldn't be happier!! This year I'm headed to South Africa in August and Idaho in June, and in truth I could get by nicely with the 06.

Savage: For all my hunting in Alaska all I want is one rifle, from a .30-06 to a .375 H&H. Long ago I decided that the .338WM would be the perfect cartridge for me, and so it has been for several years. I can afford having more rifles, but they would be collecting dust in the closet.

At the same time, I recognize that a perfect gun battery would be as follows: .22LR, .270 (or .280), .338WM, and .416.

I am very practical when it comes to rifles. For example, a dream rifle would be a D'Arcy Echols "Legend" in .338WM. This, just like the Ruger I now use, would be my "all around" hunting rifle. I could afford buying a $6,000 Legend, but my cheap Ruger is doing just fine. Now, if I had several guns like some of the folks here, I would sell them all, and buy one rifle for all my hunting in Alaska, and this rifle would be a "Legend." Why? Because if I already had several rifles, already paid for, I could sell them and use the money to buy the Legend without having to get additional cash out of the bank.

browningguy,



Here's my reasons:



1) If I spend the same amount of time practicing I know I can be much more proficient with 2 good rifles than with 10+ "ideal" rifles.



2) I'm making sure my priorities are in check. Cutting back was the right thing to do (for all the right reasons). I would pick up guns with dreams of having the ideal gun for every hunt I wanted to take but didn't have any dream hunts on the horizon. In addtion, I have two young children and unlike some of the members here, I'm a small fish in the economic pond. My family is my "cake" and hunting/shooting is the "icing" and I want my time and money to be a reflection of that. My cutting back on guns is a sign that my life's too full as opposed to a sign that my safe's too empty. I've cut back from 20+ hunting guns to 14 guns and will keep going until I'm sitting on just my 338, 270, 223, 22lr, and 12ga for hunting. That way I can apply my limited resources (time, money, practice) where they'll do the most good.



BTW - It's nice to not have it feel like an "event" when I want to shoot a rifle that's not in the front of the safe (anybody ever take out a gun and then not be able to figure out how you had them all fit in there before? ).

Ive been working on two Mausers for a couple years that are finally coming together. Definatly not the ultimate combo, but sufficent for anything Im likley to ever encounter.

I began with an M-98 and had it rebarrelled to 257 AI, recently added dual set triggers and a lightweight Oberndorf style stock. Then I added a Yugo in 8X57 which now wears a 2.5-7X Weaver steel tube, bold trigger and a classic style Claro Walnut stock. With the 257 producing 3100 fs with a 115 grn bullet and a 195 grn bullet @ 2500 fs from the 8mm, that pair isnt as far from the touted 270/338 combo as some might think and they are a pure pleasure to shoot.

If I had it to do over again I would have made the M-48 the 257 and the M-98 would be a 8mm-06 AI, but its done now.

I use my 416 rem mag for my brush gun and the 338-378 weatherby as my long range gun.I can hunt any thing in the world with these two.I also use my plain old Ruger 338 win mag for deer and such.It aint failed me so far never will hopefully.This is for Alaska ,Africa or all over the world .

That IS the perfect combo, and would be my first choice too. In european rounds I would take a 6.5X55 and a 9.3X64

Since I handload all my ammo, I am OK with my current 270 and 338 RUM combo, but that's just because ammo availability is not an issue for me and most of my 338 loads duplicate the 338 winnie anyway.

NOW, with that said we are all glossing over the fact that the 270 and 338 WM overlap a lot in the power and trajectory department. So, if I had to pitch one, it would be the 270. The 338s 180 gr ballistic tips at 3160 fps are just a 130 gr 270 on steriods and great for thin skinned game way out yonder. That's the majic of 338 caliber...you can shoot with a 270 trajectory using bullets appropriate for thin skinned big game at long range and still work with 250 to 300 grainers in close at velocities that are perfect for expansion and penetration on tough critters.