What’s your go to?

[buffybr]

From 1967 until 1978 it was the only centerfire rifle that I owned, a Herter's Model U-9 in .30-06 that I built.

From 1978 until now, my go to deer, antelope, and sheep rifle has been my Interarms Mark X in .257 Ackley that I built.

 

[ridgerunnerrron]

Win model 70, 264, Leupold 3-9

 

[Aussie Dan]

My current go to is a bergara hmr wilderness in 6.5 creed for goats/pigs/deer <300yds. However i plan to move that on and get into a tikka supalite in 243/6 creed or 6.5 creed.
Not really sure if the lighter weight and increased recoil of the 6.5 will do me a genuine disservice or whether the increased velocity and less recoil of the 243/6 creed will be that much better in a superlite platform.
Really looking for something super comfortable to shoot in field positions and off hand.

 

[JayF]

270 win has always been my go to up to a few years ago. 6.5 PRC has been lately, but this new 25 creed have both in the safe going forward.

 

[STC]

Tikka T3X in 6.5 CM or 270. I say “or” because the 6.5 CM has been reliable, but a recently acquired 270 is showing promise early on and is stainless.

 

[Mosby]

If I want to kill something, I take my Kimber 30-06 with a Hart barrel. If I want to walk around with a light weight rifle but not see a damn thing, I carry my Remington model 7 in a 7-08. Don't what it is about that rifle. I really like it but I never see a buck when I'm carrying it.

 

[BurtonGus]

223 70g accubond 14.5" barrel

What has been your experience with these on game?

 

[Blake C]

What has been your experience with these on game?

Under 150yds great. But I recently tried a 40g going really fast 3,350 and I like it better. More tissue damage.

 

[BurtonGus]

Are you hunting predators or big game?

Under 150yds great. But I recently tried a 40g going really fast 3,350 and I like it better. More tissue damage.

 

[Blake C]

Are you hunting predators or big game?

Deer and down

 

[mi650]

For the last couple years, I've used a suppressed Henry 45-70 with Hornady subs. I've killed 3 deer with it, but all have ran. Not far, but still.... The last one bulldozed his way 50 yards towards me after I put it thru both shoulders.

I'm debating on switching to 45-70 supers, or maybe 12 gauge slugs. I have pretty close shots in my woods. If I go to slugs, I have a Salvo-12 can, and will probably put it on my Tavor TS-12.

I really need to pick something, and stick with it!

 

[Ringbill27]

From 1967 until 1978 it was the only centerfire rifle that I owned, a Herter's Model U-9 in .30-06 that I built.

From 1978 until now, my go to deer, antelope, and sheep rifle has been my Interarms Mark X in .257 Ackley that I built.

Interesting old rifles. Which on of the 257s did you AI?

 

[Ringbill27]

For the last couple years, I've used a suppressed Henry 45-70 with Hornady subs. I've killed 3 deer with it, but all have ran. Not far, but still....

What bullet are you using in your subs load? I’d give supers a try first. If I was in your shoes I’d switch to my muzzleloader before ever considering going back to a shotgun if I was to leave a rifle.

 

[Heavyshot]

308 suppressed...... ammo is easy availed and the caliber as stood the test of time..

 

[buffybr]

Interesting old rifles. Which on of the 257s did you AI?

I moved from Colorado to Montana in 1975. At that time I only had one centerfire rifle, my Herter's .30-06. My new hunting partner up here had several rifles. We'd go gopher shooting where I used my .30-06 with 125 gr bullets and he'd use his .243 Win.

Then one day he gave me a .30 Gibbs case. I thought that case looked so cool that I carried it around in my pocket for several weeks, then convinced myself that I needed more rifles. I also went to a Kalispell gun show where I saw Les Bauska, a local gunsmith, who had a tapered octogon barreled rifle on his table that he had made. I also thought that it looked cool.

So in 1978 I went to Les's shop with my Herter's Mark U-9 .30-06 and asked him to rechamber it to .30 Gibbs. He didn't have a Gibbs reamer so he used an Ackley reamer and cut my .30-06 chamber to the Gibbs depth, which essentially gave me a .30 Gibbs. That was my new elk rifle (which over the years put 21 elk, 2 Shiras bull moose, an Alaskan caribou, and a mountain goat into my freezer).

I also took him an Interarms Mark X action and a .25-06 barreled action. I had him make a .22-250 tapered octogan barrel for the action and had him rechamber the .25-06 barreled action to .257 Ackley. I then bought two Fajen Fancy walnut semi inleted stock blanks that I fitted, glass bedded and hand checkered for these rifles.

I then had a .22-250 for varmints and an occasional deer and pronghorn antelope, my .257 Ackley for deer and antelope, and also used it for 3 Montana Bighorn rams, a Dall ram and mountain caribou in Canada, and for my second best 6x6 bull elk on a Montana Unlimited sheep hunt that turned into an elk hunt.

 

[mi650]

What bullet are you using in your subs load? I’d give supers a try first. If I was in your shoes I’d switch to my muzzleloader before ever considering going back to a shotgun if I was to leave a rifle.

It's the factory Hornady Sub-X, 410 grain. I have a few muzzeloaders, even a Maxim-50 with attached suppressor.

I could use whatever I want here, and have several choices already., 6.5G up to 45-70. Considering any shots over about 80 yards would be basically impossible in my woods, 12 gauge slugs would work well. My Tavor TS-12, even with my Salvo-12, would be pretty handy and compact. It wouldn't be too terribly long on my Benelli M4.

Besides, I've never killed a deer with a 12 gauge slug.