Just a rifle question..

I know a lot of you guys own several rifles and thats cool,after all rifles are fun..
However I've been shooting the same winchester model 70 in .30-06 for over 30 years.It has served me well and I never had a need for something else.I've shot everything from snowshoes up to moose with it.When I die I want old Betsy to be buried with me...lol...nah...I'll give it to my son.
So anyway....What am I missing out on by not owning several different rifles??

Nothing....you've got it all in a M70 30-06...

Nothing....you've got it all in a M70 30-06...

That's what I was thinking..I did own a Remington mohawk 600 in .243 and the only thing I shot with it was a fox..
Holy Smokes.....did it ever lay him open..

Second question...If you were only allowed one rifle what would it be??

I truly enjoy shooting several different rifles and learning the capabilities of different calibers and experimenting with new calibres but as Rack said, a .30-06 will do it all.

My one calibre would be a .300 Win Mag.

Yes I would agree the 30-06 is all you need. But you don’t need me to tell you that. You have had it for 30 years!
Though I haven’t had a great many guns and I tend to keep it to 1 at a time. (Other than my growing collection of shotguns)
This is how it worked for me.
Dad gave me a Pre 64 Mod 70 30-06. I was young and stupid, I sold that for $900 and bought a used 7MM Mag.
I couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn with that gun, So I sold it and bought a used 270 off a guy in the parking lot of Canadian tire. That was a nice gun, but I thought I was a little underguned for Moose and Elk, so I sold it. I then bought my present gun and had it tricked out. Its a 300RUM I put on a VX2 and I have a great gun. Now I think Its to big and am trying to buy back my 270... (This is over 20 years of hunting)
:rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin :rollin

I guess I should have kept the 30-06.

Jamie

what are you missing?
Spending money, that's all.
I guess admitting one has a problem is the first step to recovery...................not a chance.
Your '06 is the ultimate in compromise, it does it all, a bit big for smaller stuff, and maybe a tad small for big stuff, but it always gets the job done.
Don't sweat it because us gun cranks own many, like I said earlier it's a bit of an afliction.
If you get the hankering for smomething else just so you can shoot a bit cheaper consider a quality 22 RF, or for a bit more bang consider a .223.
But like you said you probably will take 'ol betsy to the grave with you, and really there is'nt a problem with that either.

Winchester70, by our similar board names we seem to have an attachment to the same model. I've got a few different makes of rifles but they are all in "standard" calibres. 270, 30-06, 223, 30-30.... Each gun in my cabinet has a little story to it and I enjoy going out with something different. I tend to be a little bit more picky with the shotgun I hunt with because stock dimensions are more of an issue when hunting birds. But once again I've got more than one of these as well.

I've sold off a few guns as well and I regret it. For the money or uniqueness I lost on the guns, I should have just kept them. But when the registration came in, I also adopted a few guns from people that wanted to get rid of them.

All in all, I've got a few and I'll probably get a few more.

Hello my name is Huntnut and I'm a gunaholic.


Seriously though I just like buying, shooting, tinkering etc. with guns. Some people collect stamps-I buy guns-(much to my wife's dismay) Some I use for hunting and some are just for shooting. Each one has a specific use-(in my own mind anyhow) and I just like to see what a certain caliber will do differant than another caliber.


If I had to pick just 1 I would probably go with my 300 ultra mag.

So anyway....What am I missing out on by not owning several different rifles??

Debt. :\

Winchester 70
Are you talking about just big game hunting?????

To me if one is talking about a gun or guns for ALL types of hunting, you really need more than just one.

.22 rime fire, Everyone needs one. Rabbits and "gofers" and grouse (head shots) and plinking and target shooting. The more you shoot your .22, the better a shot you will be with any other gun as well. Practise with aiming, trigger squeesing and such.

If you hunt ducks, gees, and upland birds you'll need at least one shotgun. One 12. ga.(with an ajustable choke system) would do but a 12 for migratory birds and a 20 or 16 for upland would be nice. A shotgun can be used for close range varmint shooting, crows to fox and coyotes. With a slug barrel a 12. ga. can be used for big game within its limitations.

You can use any big game type rifle to shoot coyotes and fox, but if you want something more fur friendly and something a little easier to shoot lots, you may want a "varming rifle" in a varmint cartridge. like a .222 or .223 or .204 or .22/250.

Then there is the "Big Game" rifle. Your M70 in 30/06 is a great allrounder. Some guys like a "deer/antelope/sheep" rifle in a light carrying, milder recoiling cartridge. Then they have a more powerful gun for moose, elk and bear. Some guys use one rifle for hunting in the bush where shots arefast, closer and a follow up shot may be important. A handy leveraction, pump or semiauto, works. Then they like a heavier, long barreled bolt action for open country, plains and mountain shooting. Where one can usually take your time and get set up for one very accurate long shot.

Alberta presently does not have much for additional opportunity for muzzleloader hunting. But there is some and some people like to own a muzzleloader and use it just for fun.

I never knew my wife was such a deep thinker until she asked the philisophical question "How many guns does one man need???"

Robin in Rocky

I agree that 30.06 is all you need. My wife has an .06 and loves it to death. I am one of those guys that do hunt with two different rifles however. I use a 7 mm Rem Mag Bolt for everything except bears. For bears I use a .358 Lever Action Savage. I like the .358 stopping power (I have never needed to track a bear more then 15 feet that I shot). But it is strictly an over the bait can kind of gun. Too much drop over distance. The 7 mm has done everything else for me, small like Antelope to big like Moose- no problems. My grandfather willed me a .280 Rem semi-auto a bunch of years ago- I liked the caliber, but hated the semi-auto! Based on what we've seen out of my wife's gun- if I ever had my 7 mm trashed- I would be more than confident using her 30.06 for anything. I guess it's been around 101 years for a reason!?

The 30-06 just turned 100 for a reason.....it works!
It may not be ballistically flashy, but one thing is for sure...you probably can find a box of shells for it at Old Navy if you look hard enough.

I think the 30-06 is great for deer/caribou sized animals, but when you get into elk/moose/grizzle and the shot can be over 250+ yards, I would go with a bigger caliber.
Remember you can't kill these animals too dead!

I have a .300 Win mag & a .338 Win mag, that pretty much covers anything I will hunt in North America.

My brother is a collector/connoisseur of fine wines. He has an extensive collection with many bottles worth in excess of $1,000. He has been good enough to share a few bottles and while they were great, I did not see a huge difference between his $750 bottle and my $25 bottle. He blames my unrefined palette. I am grateful that I have an unrefined palette... it saves me a lot of money that I can spend on rifles.

I am envious of the man that can find satisfaction in owning only one or two firearms. For me it is an obsession... I can’t stop buying. I have sold very few firearms in the past and a few weeks ago went through my gun room and decided to cull 7 rifles that I was not shooting and did not plan to shoot in the near future. My wife was shocked that I was actually getting rid of a few. I took them down to a local gun shop to sell on consignment when I noticed a new Sako that I had to have... and a new 870 Marine Mag... and, well you get the story (my wife didn’t).

I have over 25 different chamberings (and many duplicates) and have convinced myself that every single rifle suits a particular hunting or shooting situation. Consideration has been carefully made for long-range, short-range, open fields, bush, wind, rain, extreme humidity, large game, small game, lunar eclipses, alien invasions, etc.

And honey (if you are reading this)... if a guy calls up wondering about the balance due on a custom 280 Ackley Improved, please hang up immediately and disregard the call as some sort of crank telemarketing scheme. Why in the world would I need a 280 Ackley Improved when I have a couple of 280 Remingtons and a couple of 7mm Remington mags already? Really, what would be the point?

It’s a sickness.

Happy, “one gun” owners... lucky buggers. Regards, Mike

The 30-06 will certainly do the job for an all around big game cartridge.The 7mmremmag,300wsm, 300win mag as well as other cartridges will also do the job as an all around big game cartridge just as well or better than the 30-06.

Are you talking about just big game hunting?????

Yup...just centerfire rifles.Yes a .22 and a 12 guage scattergun is a must have.
If I couldn't have a .30-06 I think I'd go with a .300 wm.

I love my Remington 700 Classic in 7mm. I feels good when I'm shooting it and it does the job. The only complaint I have is that It does tend to get heavy towards the end of the day. I will have this gun until I die and my offsprings will get it. I do own several other rifles and handguns, but the tried and true always come out of the safe during the hunting season.

30-06 is just fine.... most rifles in that mid range will do what you need them for in North America. Yeah, throw out the animals at either end... the coyotes and grizzlies, and it seems like anything from 270 on up has claimed its share of animals, ethically. I understand the urge to have more that many of us here are afflicted with. I was at a gun show in Edmonton two weeks ago and it felt like I just HAD to buy a muzzleloader! LOL I fought it though. I think you CAN comptently hunt almost anything in this province with one gun (and most of us don't hunt everything in the province anyway). There is a difference between need and want.