Do you bring a backup rifle?

[hicountry1]

When hunting in PA, I usually take 2 rifles.

My late father's Pre-64 model 70, and a nice light carry rifle if I decide to do some serious walking

 

[Poor Knight]

Is it a mistake to head into hunting season owning just one big game rifle? Do you think it’s important to have a second big game caliber rifle as a backup in case of an issue with either your primary rifle or primary optic?

I did not take a backup rifle on my elk hunt last year - my scope mount broke (airline baggage handler) and it ruined the hunt. I ended up with a borrowed rifle and on the last day, with a 300+ class bull elk in my crosshairs 225 yards away, it went click not bang. Never again!

 

[Mtnmilsurp]

My kid’s rifle is my backup and my rifle is his backup.


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[Professor]

I do, and it saved a hunt. My Ruger Hawkeye misfired on a bear hunt when the temperature dropped into the teens. I had to send it in for warranty work. I missed out on that bear but only had to hike two miles to the truck to get my Tikka t3x .270. I was almost 4 hours from home and it was the first day of a five day hunt. If you only own one gun, then you have a lot of exciting purchases to look forward to.

 

[FLATHEAD]

Locally, No.
Trips, Yes.

 

[mtnlomo]

Absolutely if I am out of state or alone, unless I am hunting with a buddy and have confidence in their gun should mine fail.

 

[Jr4]

Yes, always and unfortunately I needed it this last season, had a gun stolen not mine but my dads so the backup gun saved the trip

 

[Nykki]

When I had a hunting partner we had a spare and had to use it two or three times in the forty years we hunted together. I hunt solo now and still take a backup, I hunt an eight hour drive from home.

 

[oldillini]

Hunting local ... No backup. Can always be home in 1-2 hours.
Hunting out of state ... Definitely a backup. Mine stays in the truck, which means it is accessible within a few hours. Don't have 2 of the same caliber, but the backup is always ready and capable.

 

[WCB]

There is never a time whether I'm predator hunting, bird hunting, or big game hunting I have less than 3 guns with me.

I ALWAYS have one of my predator/varmint guns with me. I also ALWAYS have an actual backup in the truck or if waterfowl hunting, I ALWAYS have a spare gun in the case in the boat or laying next to my blind.

The 1 time I didn't have an extra gun with me I was actually guiding and the client had a circumferential separation while trying to make a follow up shot on a deer he hit. There was no way to get the neck and shoulder part of the cartridge out of the chamber. We ran back to the truck to grab a back up rifle (I ALWAYS kept one of my guns in my guide vehicle just in case). Well I had cleaned out the truck that morning and decided not to bring it. Luckily another guide was with clients on another part of the ranch and had a rifle and 2 rounds in his truck. We beat feet across the ranch grabbed the rifle finished off the buck before he disappeared. Otherwise it would have been a 25mile round trip or if a guy was just on a DIY trip....what would you have done?

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

No.

Extra food, dry clothes, minor supplies, and boots in the truck as backup and that’s it.

 

[mainbeam pursuit2]

I’ve always taken an extra rifle to camp. Only had one time it was needed and that was by someone else in camp.

 

[EdP]

On out of state hunts I do. Also, I have never flown to hunt, always driven. I've never need to use it but did loan it this past fall to a fellow hunter who was having trouble getting his rifle to fire. He was from Florida and we were in Wy. He had never had a problem before but was getting light firing pin strikes. I think he may have had oil in the firing pin channel that had thickened in the cold, but I never heard for sure.

 

[long hunter]

I hunt deer within an hour from home so for deer hunting no, when I head west I as well as my hunting partner both take back ups and am familiar with each other's rifles. And always take way too much ammunition for the four guns. That way we are covered all around no matter what situation we encounter. If in a camp situation as to storage of spare rifles have a built-in metal box bolted to the rear compartment floor of the truck with two security hasp locks and large eye bolts contained in the metal box with cable locks That go through the actions, the bolts are also secured with in a separate locked box in the main rifle storage box also bolted fast in like manner. If in premium lodging (hotel) just use a lockable rifle case and leave in closet in the room.

 

[FLShooter293]

It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a spare rifle. I take 2 on elk trips only because I’m coming from Florida to Colorad and I own 2 300 WSM’s and I’m driving so it makes sense to bring a spare