The general purpose rifle

[grfox92]

IMO, no way are magnums (Especially 300 WinMag) "general purpose." While I agree, they KILL every NA big game animal, it's not your buy one-and-only gun.

IMO, 223, (270), 308, and 30-06 are "general purpose" guns. But that's just me. I can almost guaranteed, most all hunters have (or had) one of these.

(now I'll see posts from the three people who don't) LOL

Magnums are obsolete for general use hunting rifles. I will get attacked for saying this because people are incapable of adapting and embracing change but with modern bullets it's true. People are entitled to shoot whatever they want. Its a free country. However there is no defensible or logical reason to hunt North American big game with a huge magnum other than just admitting that you want to.

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[Thegman]

In this age of specialized rigs for every niche...does anyone out there still pursue the idea of a general purpose rifle? Something that's not perfect but will work for most of the hunting you do, or that you drag along as you go about your daily life.

I also think where people live has an affect on what features they want.

Well, this question is right up my alley; I've been trying to perfect this idea for years...

The last point above in your post is important. There are so many different situations for different people, there's going to be a lot of different "general purpose" rifles.

For me:
Lightweight and handy enough to be grabbed and carried out the door, walking, riding, hiking, whatever, often multiple times per day, whether specifically hunting, or not. If needed it's there, if not, it's still there, and not a bother to carry.

Small game capable with small game handloads.

Big game capable out to 350 - 400 yards.

Durable and relatively "weatherproof".

These, in sub-3lb, 223 versions are about as close as I've come to a "general purpose" rifle, for me.


Before these, it was my Kimber Montana in 308, which would be significantly better as a "gp" rifle if it was 16" - 20" 223 with a 1:7 twist ultralight barrel in a 16 oz Stockys stock.

 

[Moose83]

Well, this question is right up my alley; I've been trying to perfect this idea for years...

The last point above in your post is important. There are so many different situations for different people, there's going to be a lot of different "general purpose" rifles.

For me:
Lightweight and handy enough to be grabbed and carried out the door, walking, riding, hiking, whatever, often multiple times per day, whether specifically hunting, or not. If needed it's there, if not, it's still there, and not a bother to carry.

Small game capable with small game handloads.

Big game capable out to 350 - 400 yards.

Durable and relatively "weatherproof".

These, in sub-3lb, 223 versions are about as close as I've come to a "general purpose" rifle, for me.
View attachment 1036261

Before these, it was my Kimber Montana in 308, which would be significantly better as a "gp" rifle if it was 16" - 20" 223 with a 1:7 twist ultralight barrel in a 16 oz Stockys stock.

Thanks for weighing in. I've been following the ulul thread for a while and can totally see the utility of your set up. If the political climate in Canada were different I'd definitely be building something similar.

 

[KHntr]

My Kimber Montana 223AI/LRHS 3-12/88ELDm combo goes everywhere with in general.

It’s the one I grab when I’m out fishing with the kids or other people and the thought crosses my mind that I might need to keep a grizz off a kid. It’s the one I pick up when I’m sneaking through the timber and hoping to poke a hole in a screaming bull in September.
It’s the everything rifle where I might need to make a fast and difficult shot. Lot of confidence in that little combo.

I also have a second one, same/same/same, but in 22 Creed. Not sure WHY I have that, but it does most everything I want as well, except I won’t stop on the way home from work and shot 100 rounds into ice chunks down in the river valley with it…

 

[Moose83]

My Kimber Montana 223AI/LRHS 3-12/88ELDm combo goes everywhere with in general.

It’s the one I grab when I’m out fishing with the kids or other people and the thought crosses my mind that I might need to keep a grizz off a kid. It’s the one I pick up when I’m sneaking through the timber and hoping to poke a hole in a screaming bull in September.
It’s the everything rifle where I might need to make a fast and difficult shot. Lot of confidence in that little combo.

I also have a second one, same/same/same, but in 22 Creed. Not sure WHY I have that, but it does most everything I want as well, except I won’t stop on the way home from work and shot 100 rounds into ice chunks down in the river valley with it…

Lol... ya it sucks barrels are bloody expensive up here eh! Did you mirk everything with the creed this fall?

 

[TMA805]

Another vote 308. 20 inch barrel. Suppressed if you can. Can go lighter weight bullets for smaller game and then heavier ones for larger game. Just keep it 500 yards and under for critters. And can ring steel decently to 800+ yards. Great barrel life & accuracy too.

 

[justinspicher]

Another vote 308. 20 inch barrel. Suppressed if you can. Can go lighter weight bullets for smaller game and then heavier ones for larger game. Just keep it 500 yards and under for critters. And can ring steel decently to 800+ yards. Great barrel life & accuracy too.

You can do the same thing with a 16” 223/556 rifle.

 

[KHntr]

Lol... ya it sucks barrels are bloody expensive up here eh! Did you mirk everything with the creed this fall?

Yessir, everything I personally crashed this fall was with the Creed. Pair of bulls, whitetail buck, and coyotes. Hoping to try some 88 TMK on black bears in May if Nechako ever gets any in…. If not, I’ll roll with 80 ELDx just to give them a try.

Was on hand for some 223AI and 243AI elk and whitetails - 88’s and 105’s. I remain convinced that a 1:7 223 and 88’s is a giant slayer.

 

[Moose83]

Yessir, everything I personally crashed this fall was with the Creed. Pair of bulls, whitetail buck, and coyotes. Hoping to try some 88 TMK on black bears in May if Nechako ever gets any in…. If not, I’ll roll with 80 ELDx just to give them a try.

Was on hand for some 223AI and 243AI elk and whitetails - 88’s and 105’s. I remain convinced that a 1:7 223 and 88’s is a giant slayer.

Right on! I definitely agree with you. When I burn this 8 twist barrel out I'll redo it with a 7 and give the 88's a whirl as well. That being said both my boy and I took bull moose with vanilla .223's and 77 tmks. No flies on that combo as well!

 

[flyfisher117]

I’m be been on a 5 year journey searching for my favorites. I have yet to find them. I have moved optics, moved barrels, sold off and built different configurations and still have hit that sweet spot.

If I had to chose today it would be a tough choice between a 12.5” 5.56 gas gun with a 1-6 LPVO or a 18-20” 6/6.5 CM bolt gun with a 2-12, 3-15, 4-16 class of optic.

When the day comes that Idaho makes us hunt iron sights then I’ll probably need to play with a 30/30 lever gun some more. Preferably one I could QD a red dot on.

 

[KHntr]

Right on! I definitely agree with you. When I burn this 8 twist barrel out I'll redo it with a 7 and give the 88's a whirl as well. That being said both my boy and I took bull moose with vanilla .223's and 77 tmks. No flies on that combo as well!

That’s awesome.

Lotta giggle factor for me every time I fold up a moose with a 22 cf.

 

[GaryT1776]

My general purpose vs anyone else's general purpose is probably pretty different. Having sounded like a jerk ...

I bought my first rifle in 1984 and have owned COUNTLESS since then. For "general purpose hunting" I finally settled on a Tikka T3X Stainless Laminate in 30-06. I replaced the "bottom metal" with actual metal ordered directly from Beretta and mounted a Leupold VX3i 3.5-10 CDS on it. I added a MagPul quick adjust sling with stainless QD swivels.

I need to pick up a couple of spare mags at some point.

The rig is a little too much for some applications and a little too little for others. That is the bane of a GP Rifle.

I have other highly specialized rifles like ...

Marlin (Ruger made) 1894 in 44Mag with Aimpoint T-1 on a ADM QD mount.

Marlin (Ruger made) 1895 SBL in 45-70 with a Trijicon 1-4x Credo HX mounted in a LaRue SPR mount with a Trijicon RMR piggybacked on top of the optic.

HK SL8-6 with bipod, 30mm Leupold 6-18x .

Each of those specialty guns does something very specific very well, but I wouldn't take my white tail brush gun on a prong-horn hunt or my bear gun on an elk hunt or my prairie dog rifle on a big game hunt.

The Tikka 30-06? It ... could ... do all (just not perfectly).

 

[Te Hopo]

Since 2017 my one rifle has been a Howa Mini in 223.
Its been through a few variations and not much beyond the action is original.
Its now sporting a 1-8" 223AI barrel thats 17.5" long and suppressed with a Stockys VG stock.

I'm looking at putting an NXS 2.5-10x42 on it soon


Now its been joined by a Ruger M77 in the old boat paddle stock.
Its currently off getting a new barrel in 6CM as the original 243 barrel was knackered.
Paired with a few bits I already have like a suppressor and Maven RS1.2 2.5-15x44 it'll be a pretty solid bet for a GP rifle

 

[Side drifter]

Guess I am a FUD but mine would be a .308 Kimber Montana and a a quality 3x9/2x10 optic.

Same but 7mm/08

 

[thinhorn_AK]

tikka t3x lite/stainless 30-06, loaded with 180g accubonds or partitions to 2700fps.
-18” barrel
-tbac ultra 7
-UM rings
-nightforce shv 3-10
-high desert bottom metal
-limbsaver pad.

Moose, caribou, mountain goat, brown bear, aoudad, I might be forgetting something as well. That’s my all a round rifle.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Guess I am a FUD but mine would be a .308 Kimber Montana and a a quality 3x9/2x10 optic.

I’ve got something like that too, number Montana 308, 18” barrel, dead air nomad ti xc, trigger tech trigger, trijicon accupoint 3-9 in dnz mounts. I shoot 165g accubonds and partitions out of it. I’ve taken caribou, moose and some deer with it.