How many big game rifles do you have?

[dirtytough]

I counted into the teens a few months ago. But a lot of them I don’t use. I’ve got 3 Rem 700 Ti’s that sit in the safe. I’ve got a tikka 270 wsm I was going to build on. I haven’t shot it because I’m sure it’ll shoot as good as my customs. I’ve got a 30-378 that I’ve killed a lot of elk with that hasn’t seen daylight in a couple of years.

I’ve really been thinking of getting rid of some of these rifles that I doubt I will ever use or use again.

 

[wyosam]

30-30- still hunt with it occasionally
Sporterized 03-a3- same, both of these have sentimental value.
Model 7 compact in .243- one of my favorites. Handy as can be and shoots great with 18” tube.
6.5cm in AB3 compact- wife’s gun
6.5cm in T3X that is my new go-to
.50 Inline ML

Recently sold a couple that didn’t have sentimental value, and no longer excited me (700BDL 300WM that I hadn’t fired in years, and a model 70 in ‘06 that had groups opening up- I bought it well used and put thousands down the tube over a couple decades)



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[unclericco]

Guns, fly rods...

Tents, packs...

I ain’t sayin’ nothin’!

How much trouble are you trying to get people into?!?

This stuff lasts on the internet forever.

Haha I figured we were all safe, with the fake names and wut not on here... man I don’t want to add up all the money I’ve spent on this hobby but you only live once

 

[bummer7580]

Once when I mentioned that I was thinking of getting another rifle my wife said you must have 10 already. I told her it looks like I'm about half way to enough then.

 

[TauPhi111]

I definitely have more than i need. I tend to have guns that fill a certain niche, and i make up a lot of niches. 30-06, 35 Whelen, 358 Win, 260 AI, 250 Savage, 300 Blackout. Of those, the 30-06, 358 Win, and 250 Savage see the most use.

 

[Catahoula]

3

 

[orionsbrother]

Haha I figured we were all safe, with the fake names and wut not on here... man I don’t want to add up all the money I’ve spent on this hobby but you only live once

It’s not like she’d begrudge me for spending some money that I earn on some gear that I want...

It’s more like she’s mean and might smother me in my sleep and use my gear as bait for the future boyfriend.

I want that gear to go to my kids.

 

[Sled]

Okay so I’ve held off as long as I could stand to but I’m starting to build a new rifle again. I do have some guilt because I don’t need it at all lol. I was hoping some of my fellow roksliders share the same illness as me and also that some of you have more than I do so I can make myself feel better

So how many do you guys have anyway?

more than i'll ever need. they are an investment. i shoot 2-6 of them with some regularity. all the others just sit in the safe.

 

[Justin Crossley]

Not enough.

 

[jmez]

More than I need, not as many as I want.

And I don't rifle hunt!

Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk

 

[mcseal2]

Two that get used on my antlered big game hunts:

Custom 264 win mag M70 Winchester for flatter land hunts, slightly heavier rifle and easier to shoot in wind
Custom 300 win mag M70 Winchester for a mountain or AK gun. Lighter build but also shoots great.

Antlerless season I have used a variety. It usually ends up being my 243 win with an 85-90gr Sierra or Accubond, or my other custom M70 in 25-06. I got a great shooting 100gr Sierra Gameking load and better scope for the 25-06 last year, it will likely be handling all the antlerless duties in the near future.

Past that as "niche" guns I have a Ruger Scout rifle in 308 that I'll take when tracking a wounded buck or when I want a short handy gun with just a little reach. I also have a Marlin 30-30 with an 18" barrel that works for this same stuff. Neither gets used much except when one of my color blind buddies calls me for help recovering a deer.

I have a Remington 7600 in 30-06 that is my back-up rifle on a lot of out of state hunts. It's the cheapest thing I have that I still trust and has no sentimental value to me. If I'm going to leave one in the truck in case of a failure on my primary gun, this is usually the one. It's more expendable than the others if a thief does strike.

 

[desertcj]

More than I need, not as many as I want...

 

[wind gypsy]

More rifles than I’ve ever had tags in a given year.

 

[duckhunter175]

I've been trying to thin the herd to what is useful but I seem to find a 'use' for all of them.

Currently set up for big game is a 6.5cm, .257wby (soon to be rebarreled with Proof 1-7.5), and a 300wm.... have a 338wm in pieces... that I am undecided on.

 

[Wmmichael20]

270,308win,308marlin express,444marlin,45-70,243win,44mag,2 223's the rest are shotguns and rimfire.

 

[westsloper]

I have two. A 270 Win weatherby Vanguard and a 30-06 Tikka stainless synthetic. Not in love with either of them. I’ve gone synthetic both times and find myself wishing I had at least one rifle with a little more character.

I like the Vanguard better, mostly because I don’t really like the Tikka. I get that a rifle is a tool and it’s pointless to be sentimental about them, but if I’m gonna drop over $500 on anything I might as well like the way it looks. This isn’t a diss on tikka, just how I feel, but a Tikka feels like a really well done cheap rifle. The Vanguard seems like a cheaper version of a nice rifle.

Also, I wasn’t really thinking when I picked up the 30-06 as my second big game rifle. Seems to me that the two calibers overlap pretty substantially and there’s not much one can do that the other can’t.

 

[CApighunter]

More than a few. 280ai and 300 win see the most use.
30-30 and a pre 64 30-06 for the fair weather day hunts. 35 whelen if I’ll be busting brush for black bears. Having a 264 win mag spun up on a pre 64 thatll probably push the 300 win to the backup/loaner category. I’ll be playing around with a 270wsm proof barreled tikka this winter for the girlfriend to learn on and hunt with. I enjoy project guns and handloading so I’m always on the lookout for cool stuff. An ultralight in 6.5 creed or 7-08 is on the shortlist.

 

[Jimbob]

30-06 Tikka
.308 Rem 700 (Dad's gun for when he comes to visit/hunt with me)
7mm-08 Ruger American compact (12 yr old sons gun)

 

[NaturalJon]

I had 12 at one time. Most bought on a whim. I kind of got tired of having too many projects and not really having any go to rifles with that many, I widdled it back down to 3. I'm going to add one more that I've wanted for awhile and redo one of the current 3 then I'm content. That is until my young children start shooting... haha

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[OXN939]

Interesting replies and thread. Certainly worth giving thought to.

I think it's a Goldilocks situation. If you have "just one rifle that you love," it can be a dangerous game. Say you draw a coveted elk tag, and during your last range day prior to the hunt you have a catastrophic malfunction. Or, someone knocks your rifle over and damages the crown. Wondering what your next best option is rather than just picking a replacement out of the safe is a bad day.

But, if you have so many rifles that none of them ever gets enough range time for you to know it *really* well, that's just as bad. Also, I personally made myself promise that I'm buying nothing else until I have enough saved to put together my exact dream rifle. Owning 4 guns that are only close to your perfect build because you were too "thrifty" to spend what was needed to get it right does you no good when the same bull from the aforementioned tag gives you a brief 350 yard broadside opportunity.

A quiver of four or five primaries spanning the caliber spectrum is probably close to where I'd prefer to stay as a thoroughly addicted outdoorsman.