Any truth to the statement 'Be careful of the hunter with only one rifle'?
 

What do you guys think?

I have severely reduced the number of hunting rifles I own.
I have it down to a few that I feel are essential and I'm starting to think along the lines of really working with those rifles and getting to know their load/trajectory combinations.

Seems like when I had multiple gun safes full I never got to do that before i was on to working up a load for another gun.

Actually,

"Beware the man who only has one gun. He probably knows how to use it!"

https://www.buckeyefirearms.org/quotations-clint-smith

Sometimes it has merit, sometimes it doesn't . I know a few people that own one rifle, and that have never shot a single animal, despite hunting for over ten years. Some of those people have gone years without even firing their rifle.

This reminds me of a thread from about a year ago about what males a rifleman a rifleman.

I think it doesn't matter if you have 1 gun or 10. Knowing a gun intimately does make a difference compared to passing familiarity.

I have a couple of plinking guns and a couple or a few hunting rifles but oddly the one gun I have carried the most and used the most is a fugly remington 870 express 'tactical'. Does that make me a rifleman? No. But I have confidence in my equipment and my ability to use it.

Colin

Knowing one gun and shooting it well certainly has merit but the ability to shoot several different cartridges and guns well speaks for itself. Neither one is better than the other when it comes to accurate shooting in a given situation IMHO

Fits my dad even at 93

Beware of the man who owns many firearms and knows how to use them all.

:fighting0007:

:)

I only have two hunting rifles, and I take great care and time knowing them well. Those guns are there to take an animals life and I owe it to them to do it right. But I have many fun (cowboy) and paper target guns and I am as good or as bad:scared0015: using them all. I have no problem owning many guns, the fun ones I don't need to know well, just have fun with.

I think so
 

My hunting partner is a mostly a meat hunter and owns only one rifle and one shotgun. A mossberg 500 and an old Parker hale 30-06. He has killed a fair amount of game with both. He is not so much a gun nut or target shooter. His perception of his guns is that they are just tools to feed his family. I think the statement is true as he is quite the hunter and does not partake in fancy new gear or gun trends. My bank account wishes I was as frugal as him :sign0176:

about as much as the golfer with one club - lol

Right....

I'd say "be careful of the hunter without binoculars".....:scared0018:

On the surface it makes sense.... a one gun hunter gets intimately familiar with that one rifle and how it shoots.... maybe. But frankly, my suspicion is that those with a wide array of guns probably just do a lot more shooting. Take the members here who live at the range and are obsessed with developing loads, practicing, honing their long range shooting skills. I doubt many own just one rifle.

Be careful alright he's a cheapskate, you take him hunting and he won't pitch for gas.

Well o e thing is for sure he is a great bs'er...find them at gun shows all the time!

Might be something to it... I've killed several hundred animals with a Browning B92 in 44 mag. If I'm going hunting, that gun comes as a backup at the very least.

Several Hundred? What were they and how old are you. You realize yotes and gophers don't count, right.

The old saying about beware someone with one gun, He probably knows how to use it, the important part is "knows how to use it". That you get from lots of practice, whether it is with one gun or many. All of the guys I know with only one gun don't shoot a lot. All the people I know that shoot a lot, even the real old timers, had more than one gun.

I can't speak for amosfella, but I'll bet you a dime he's referring to animals that he's had to dispatch for butchering.

1 rifle shooter
 

I use one rifle, Tikka t3 stainless 30-06 for hunting and summer shooting.
We fill are tags every year no problem. Mind you just white tails and mullies.
I keep it well oiled and clean after every use. I personally don't need every make and model rifle to fill tags and target shoot throughout the year.
If there's any wear or tare that jeopardizes my safety or accuracy I replace the parts.
This is my rifle and I take care of it and it takes care of me.

At the height of my Hunting and shooting life, I had a dozen rifles and 2 shotguns in the cabinet. Everytime I went big game hunting I always took the same Remington 7mm rem mag with me, and another Wiinchester 7mm rem mag with me. Always used the Remington to shoot big game.

Now I have it and 2 shotguns. I only hunt with the shotty now.

BW

The "saying" in the OP likely originated in a moose chat room...

Yep. Many under large corral or pasture conditions...

choices
 

Only if he practices

Fine within reason.
But you could extend it to anything...beware the person with only one car, he'll be an excellent driver in it.
Til he tries to take his Toyota Camry across a mud bog.
Different tools for different jobs is the mark of the expert.