Rifle minimalists

[Kimber7man]

The nice thing about having numerous guns is the good odds you’ll find some ammo that works in at least one of your rifles if you need to buy some...

 

[Elkdreamer]

The nice thing about having numerous guns is the good odds you’ll find some ammo that works in at least one of your rifles if you need to buy some...

This and can you really own to many guns?

 

[hodgeman]

I'm something of a rifle minimalist. I've done almost all of my hunting since 2006 with a 300WSM. The few times I've shot a critter with something else, I really wished I'd had my .300 instead.

I still have some other rifles for target work or sentimental reasons...but I seldom take them after game.

 

[Drenalin]

I'm a minimalist, but I'm working on it. I don't need more guns, but I'm sure more would make me happier.

 

[Fatcamp]

Ughhh, no.

I don't appreciate you talking like this in front of my wife.

 

[Reburn]

I got more shotguns then my wife has purses. Your gonna be hard pressed to rationalize with me that 1 would be better. And before the guys come along that tell me they can do everything with their 870 12 gauge. Yea you can, but you cant hunt some quail ranches becuase they only allow double barrels. Good luck if you get invited on a dove hunt thats 20 gauges only. Or a pheasant hunt that is 28 gauge double barrels only.

 

[rayporter]

ok i know i wont win but i am trying real hard, because he who finishes with the most toys wins.
there was a time i could not participate in the game when i was young but now i choose to play, why? because i can.

 

[Elkdreamer]

ok i know i wont win but i am trying real hard, because he who finishes with the most toys wins.
there was a time i could not participate in the game when i was young but now i choose to play, why? because i can.

Only way I`m going to be remembered as I leave for the afterlife is by the pile of junk that I leave behind.

I should have set my goals higher. LOL

 

[Dos Perros]

I got more shotguns then my wife has purses. Your gonna be hard pressed to rationalize with me that 1 would be better. And before the guys come along that tell me they can do everything with their 870 12 gauge. Yea you can, but you cant hunt some quail ranches becuase they only allow double barrels. Good luck if you get invited on a dove hunt thats 20 gauges only. Or a pheasant hunt that is 28 gauge double barrels only.

I would be all too happy to decline a 28ga only pheasant hunt invitation.

 

[EmperorMA]

I would be all too happy to decline a 28ga only pheasant hunt invitation.

I'll take your place!

 

[Reburn]

I would be all too happy to decline a 28ga only pheasant hunt invitation.

I was pretty happy to go to south dakota and do that hunt. Shot a bunch of birds. Had a great time.

 

[CCH]

To each their own. For some, guns themselves are the thing. For a long time I was like that, and grew up planning my golf bag of rifles for all seasons. I never quite filled it out, but at a certain point I looked at minimizing in general. I thought my guns were a good place to start. When it comes to hunting rifles, I'm down to my main SS 70 Featherweight .308 in a McMillan Edge and it's back up, a Ruger GSR. I don't varmint hunt, so don't really feel the need for a different caliber although I do have an AR. I firmly believe you should have two hunting rifles for reasons already mentioned. I'm a teacher, and frankly my ability to go on a lot of distant hunts for varied animals is limited. Spending money on more rifles won't help in that regard. I also prefer practicing with one rather messing than with many. I don't fault anyone who is into guns and wants a variety. However, I've become more about the activities I use guns for than the guns themselves.

 

[EastHumboldt]

I don’t know if I’m really a minimalist but I don’t find your values unusual at all. There probably tons of one gun hunters out there who don’t care about hunting enough to participate in a forum so you wont hear from them.

I have two 30-06 Tikka T3 and my old old remington 700 (1962) has become my backup. 30-30 lever gun just because. inexpensive pump shotgun for home defense. 357 mag S&W used to be my truck gun but upgraded to a 9mm. So the only extra i have is the 30-30 and the 357 is for sale.

 

[Newtosavage]

For most of my hunting life, I've been a bowhunter first and rifle hunter second. In fact, for about 10-12 years, I didn't even own a hunting rifle. Just shotguns. But when I moved back to Texas I wanted to start rifle hunting again (and could, unlike in Illinois) so I got my trusty old 30-30 back from a friend. Then about 8-9 years ago I bought my very first bolt-action rifle, a Savage .308. That rifle rekindled a boyhood interest in hunting rifles. Joining a local gun club with access to a 300 yard range and a deer lease and planning trips to Colorado resulted in even more rifles, plus I just enjoy shooting most of the year.

That said, I have a small gun safe and keep my collection to what that gun safe can hold. So if I want a new rifle, it has to replace something I already have or I won't buy it. That's been a good way to limit my spending in this hobby, and weed through what I really want vs. just what I'm interested in on any particular day. I can't tell you how many interesting guns I've come close to buying, but I couldn't decide which rifle they would replace in my safe, so I passed on them. Only a few times have I regretted that.

I'm to the point now where 4-5 of those guns have been in my safe quite a while, and there is less and less opportunity for a new one to make it in. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's easy to overspend on guns.

 

[grizz_bait]

I own a .22LR and a 30-06. What else does a guy need?

 

[Trapperkid]

To each their own. For some, guns themselves are the thing. For a long time I was like that, and grew up planning my golf bag of rifles for all seasons. I never quite filled it out, but at a certain point I looked at minimizing in general. I thought my guns were a good place to start. When it comes to hunting rifles, I'm down to my main SS 70 Featherweight .308 in a McMillan Edge and it's back up, a Ruger GSR. I don't varmint hunt, so don't really feel the need for a different caliber although I do have an AR. I firmly believe you should have two hunting rifles for reasons already mentioned. I'm a teacher, and frankly my ability to go on a lot of distant hunts for varied animals is limited. Spending money on more rifles won't help in that regard. I also prefer practicing with one rather messing than with many. I don't fault anyone who is into guns and wants a variety. However, I've become more about the activities I use guns for than the guns themselves.

Plus then you can always have a darn good looking gun to go on those hunts with too

 

[hereinaz]

Quality over quantity, I sold a bunch of rifles and love what couple I have built. Shooting is enjoyable with better rifles. I frequently resist the urge for new and shiny though.

 

[Nitroexpress]

I've got a lot of guns. I can hunt anything from Mice to Elephant. I just love bolt actions rifles. I have a pretty good selections of shotguns, none too fancy. I enjoy bird hunting and clay shooting, but I don't have the romance with scatterguns that I do with accurate rifles. Inexplicably, I have a fair selection of pistols, but don't really view them as anything much more than a tool. Perhaps like a set of sockets - you need a selection of sizes.

With all that being said, I have been paring down some guns and making some weak attempt at minimizing, or more like not acquiring. At some stage the care, feeding and storage becomes a burden.

 

[WestKyHunt]

Being a younger guy on a budget I dont have much choice but to be a firearm minimalist.

I have 2 centerfire rifles. A JC Penney Marlin 30-30 (worked a whole summer in middle school for it) and a Vanguard in 7 rem mag I purchased last year.
I believe I can take any game ill ever have the opportunity to chase in North America with one of these..... though if I ever get to go on a moose hunt I might have to tell the wife I need a 375H&H

 

[barrister]

I fall mainly in the minimalist camp. I enjoy shooting, but I shoot to prepare for hunting as opposed to hobby shooting. I have a 30-06 I love, it has great glass, it shoots a factory load very well, not too heavy to carry, have had success with it and I plan to use it for antelope to moose here on out. For me, those hunts are trips that would occur once per year or once every other year. Per species, it may be a one-time opportunity. I want to maximize my chance for success on those hunts by being 100% confident and familiar with my setup.

I use a couple 12 gauges for specific purposes and the rest of my shotguns are heirlooms.

That said, I do currently have 3 rifles that definitely overlap in function for my more frequent eastern whitetail hunts. I have my dad's old Marlin 30-30 lever action , plus a Marlin 45-70 lever action and a CVA Cascade 350 Legend I just bought. I'll never get rid of my dad's gun and I do use it in wooded places like northern Michigan or West Virginia. I can't use the 30-30 in my home state of Ohio, so I purchased the 45-70. The 45-70 would be enough for my needs in Ohio. However, I couldn't help myself with what I have been hearing about the 350 Legend and I liked the look of the new Cascade bolt action. I rationalized it as being my bolt gun backup and practice alternative to the 30-06.