One Game-Hunting Rifle -- What Would It Be?

[std7mag]

I just got a chubby!!

That says something for this to happen with Bc'z!!
We've all drooled over some of his stocks!

 

[Bc'z]

That says something for this to happen with Bc'z!!
We've all drooled over some of his stocks!

It's the blued steel on a gorgeous piece of wood, and the checkering brings it all together. Topping it off it's a 30-06!!
It just gets my juices flowing.

A lil back story.
As young teenagers in Wright Wyoming, we hunted with a Winchester 30-06 of my
ol mans. Mom had bought it for him when we were kids living in southern Pennsylvania. Dad had only shot a half box of shells through that rifle in its life.
Anyway dad bought himself a new Browning in 30-06 while in Wyoming so my brother n me had a rifle to share....
The Winchester became ours to hunt with.
My brother wound up cracking the butt up in the Bighorns on a mule deer hunt.
That rifle has been in the case ever since.
And I freakin want it!! Pops knows it to!
Round count on that rifle is in the neighborhood of 30-35.
Now I'm gonna take another look at Gary's
06' and go rub some Hoppes#9 into something.

 

[Field_2_Fork]

Seems like the popular vote here is for a .30-06. After finally loading for and hunting with 1 of mine for the first time this year, I think I agree.

Tikka M65 Deluxe, the bottom 2 in the picture are .30-06

. The one with the McMillan stock is the one I finally used.

 

[Anon331717]

You are allowed one rifle to hunt deer size game with for the rest of your life. It has to be a factory rifle of whatever chambering and factory configuration you want from whatever time period you want. What is it?
if you could go custom what would change?
I apologize (sort of...) for time out of your life you will never get back

Christensen Ridgeline 30-06

 

[CaptainMal]

The issue I see with a 30-06 is recoil. One of the most vicious rifles I ever owned was a 30-06 Remington 721. It was violent when shot. More so than my current 338 and on a par with my 375.

Now I do have a carbine 760 Remington pump in 30-06 that has a bit of the same problem. The recoil is sharp and nasty but manageable. Some 06's, like my old 721, are flat out violent.

A 130 gr. bullet out of a 270 just always seemed more manageable. Of course, you could shoot something like that out of an '06. Also, the 308 case and small diameter variants are way more manageable than the '06 and its' variants.

 

[jmkasza]

My current hunting rifle; Tikka T3 Lite stainless in 308. Factory options are limited for left handers, but this one suits me well for all my current (and likely any future) needs.

 

[jr600yd]

CaptMal your right!
But There’s just something about that 06......

 

[Baron23]

Think the most obvious answer from anyone over the age of thirty-five would be a older Rem 700 , in .308 . It ain't broke . Stop trying to re-invent it . And .308 has proven to be the most versatile caliber created in 150 years .

I'm with you....one rifle, deer size animals....700 in .308.

I have a 5R in .308 that I hunt with. I'm 68 so elevated box blinds are my speed these days so while a bit heavy for some types of hunting, it also is very nice and well behaved at the range and the barrel will stay good for a lot of rounds.

Its not an older Rem...wish it was....but I seemed to have lucked out and gotten a decent barrel. Jewell trigger and skim bedding the action into the HS stock's aluminum block seemed to help quite a bit.

I'm very happy with this as a reasonable cost factory rifle.

 

[Bc'z]

^^^^ Tradition^^^^ @jr600yd
I'd also like to add taking a shot at game with adrenaline running through you.
The shots report sounds like a pop with no earplugs, and recoil is seldom felt.

 

[john 800]

^^^^ Tradition^^^^ @jr600yd
I'd also like to add taking a shot at game with adrenaline running through you.
The shots report sounds like a pop with no earplugs, and recoil is seldom felt.

I have heard that, and while it is a true statement, one think that gets lost between the range and a deer stand is body position off a bench vs off hand out of a stand, will take a bit of bite out of the recoil. I have said many times most benches are too low and seats are too high at many ranges. Sometimes people look confused when i take my adjustable stool out of the trunk with it set low enough to sit up a little more at the range

 

[TC260]

It would be a toss up. Either a NULA model 20 in 6.5x47 or a Blaser k95 in 6.5x55 but would lean towards the Blaser. Most of my hunting is already with single shot, not sure I'd want to go without one permanently.

 

[whatwind?]

338 WM, can go from 160ttsx-275swaf gr bullets for everything in the world, except elephant

 

[MagnumManiac]

If I had to choose from the 30+ rifles I have, it would have to be my Kimber 8400 Select in 300WM, or maybe my Super America in 300WM, or my Winchester Model 70 EW in 338WM or, or, or.....Oh I can’t decide. Lol.

Cheers.

 

[handlebar]

Boss and co 303 double rifle

Rigby 275 bolt

Or Holland and Holland 375h&h double or takedown bolt rifle

they are almost factory.

 

[Hemihal]

You are allowed one rifle to hunt deer size game with for the rest of your life. It has to be a factory rifle of whatever chambering and factory configuration you want from whatever time period you want. What is it?
if you could go custom what would change?
I apologize (sort of...) for time out of your life you will never get back

Depending on where I hunt and how I hunt would greatly influence my choice. Hunting on bean, wheat, peanut etc. fields in GA & SC in fixed stands, my choice is a 220 Swift using a 40-55 gr Nosler BT boat tail moving at 4000 + fps. Scope would be a 4-20 x 50mm Leupold. Ruger M-77 bolt will work. When I wore it out made a 22- 284 out of it and used a 80 gr. Sierra HPBT.
No shoulder problems after 40 years of shooting.

 

[Tommie]

My gun is the best.

 

[Bill K]

One gun, for deer sized game. Plenty to choose from, but for all around choice of bullet weights, from say 110 to 220's to cover so much, hard to beat the old war horse 30-06. It can do it all, and has done so for years.

 

[nakneker]

Hard question. Ask me today and I’ll give you one answer, ask me next month and it will probably change. I asked my cousin, who was a womanizer when we were growing up , which woman did you like the most. After putting a bunch of thought he said “you know, I loved them all” And got a far away look in his eyes. That’s kinda where I am at with rifles. My first was a Remington 700 classic in 270 that I saved up and bought when they came out after reading a Jack O Conner article, mounted a Leupold vari X III In 3.5-10 and used that for many years, didn’t have enough money to own more then one, I eventually sold it when the barrel was shot out. Then I used a Remington 25-06, then a Tikka 25-06, then.......... I’ve been lucky enough to try quite a few and I’m kinda of like my cousin, I loved/love them all. Make me pick one though and it’s gonna be my Sako 6.5x55.

 

[Supersparks]

25/06 perfect for a one gun hunter. Minimal recoil with 120gr and goes down to 75gr for varmint. Little hard on barrels if you get crazy varmint hunting but still a great gun.

 

[300_whisper]

Remington 700 Gen II 5R, .308 Winchester, upgrade trigger to timney Calvin elite, add detachable box mag, add a can, bushnell LRTS 4-18x44mm.