WHY is your favorite (or best), your favorite (or best)?

[16Bore]

So in light of some recent heat, and stuck being bored watching Daytona, I thought I'd throw the question out there. Rather than the typical why, how, or what thread; it's how you got where you are or why you're going where you're going.

Either current rig or future rig.

I'll give you the next on my radar since my 270 is a hand me down and 7mm was on a whim.


What: 308 Montana / Talley LW's / M8 6x42 M1

Why:

Mainly east coast
Lightweight
Compact
$1,000 new
Don't reload anymore
130 TTSX factory load effectively makes it as light a "270" as you can get
155 Lapua Scenar loads in 50 round boxes
6x42 M8 /M1 is my favorite scope and have 3 that are proven. Weigh 11oz with 4" eye relief.
Big fan of LW's
Most available ammo on the market with highest number of match ammo available (for fun)
Had a 270 WSM 8400 and 270 84L, now we'll see what an 84M will do.


No wrong answers...

 

[luke moffat]

You sure on the scope weight?

Cool idea!! Will have to fill out mine when not on my phone.

Not sure I can justify any of my choices as best, but be fun anyways .

And yes anything is better than watching cars go in a circle

 

[16Bore]

Just weighed a naked M8 6x42 and it's 11.5oz. My bad.

 

[hodgeman]

I've got a Nosler 48 that I bought in 2006. Just fits me like a glove. It was pretty feathery light back in the day, pretty average now- in .300WSM the power to weight ratio is pretty good.

It's done pretty well knocking a half dozen critters over every year since I bought it, it's got a lot of miles on it now but I still grab it every time something needs to die.

I've had a 6x36 Leupold, a 4x33 Leupold, a 2-8x36 Leupold and most of its life has been spent with a 3-9x40 Zeiss Conquest on it.

 

[JWP58]

TC Venture weathershield 308win w/ a 2.5-10x40 nikon prostaff 5 bdc.

Cheap, accurate enough for me, and so far kills what I need killed.

What's next? Who knows, 6.5 creedmoor? 30-06?

 

[charvey9]

I don't shoot or rifle hunt much anymore, but I have a few in the closet.

My favorite is this beast:
.260 on 700 action
30" fluted Krieger Barrel
HS Precision Stock
Leupold Mark 4 8.5-25x50mm
Jewell Trigger

Why:
It's a tack driver
The only rifle I've ever shot at 1000 yards
So much fun to shoot squirrels with at 500+ yards
Deadly on coyote at any range, if you can lug it around

The only thing really on my list is Kimber Mountain Ascent in 30-06. Just cause I don't have a 30-06, and think this would be the perfect setup for a backcountry sheep/deer/goat rifle.

 

[Mr Drysdale]

According to mood and situation.

Browning A-Bolt in 308

Tikka T3 SuperLite in 7mm Ram

Remington Model 7 in 260 Rem

Browning A-Bolt in 260 Rem

They all get hunted with during Mississippi's 2.5 month Whitetail season.

 

[luke moffat]

Just weighed a naked M8 6x42 and it's 11.5oz. My bad.

Hahah sorry it's a leupold I thought you gotten bit by the SWFA bug.

 

[JollyRoger]

My current favorite rifle is the T3X 7mm mag I just got out shooting with yesterday for the first time. Why: So far, it's shooting way better than my only other bolt gun... with only 62 rounds down the pipe this Tikka is a keeper I think. It's pretty light and is just fun to shoot. It's got a SWFA 3-15 on it and so far has shot everything well enough for hunting at 300 or less.... and Federal Game Kings and HSM Berger/VLDs are shooting excellent!

Future - I'd really like to put together a rifle that weighs 8.5lbs or less with suppressor (11.3oz) in .260, 6.5CM or 7mm-08. Not sure if that's doable but I'm going to be doing some research on it for sure. Why: Who doesnt want a lightweight packable rifle with a suppressor for going deep?

 

[RCA Dog]

My next will probably be a magnum .300 of some sort. Either a win mag, or a short mag. I'm not 100% on that though, it's just that I have so many .300 bullets. Maybe a .308 Norma with a 20 inch pencil barrel, or I might get silly and make it a 22 inch. Maybe I can find a model 70 crf action, and stick the works into a wildcat stock.

 

[robtattoo]

My favorites are both Savage.

6.5x55 Axis in a Boyd's stock, all cerakoted & dipped, wearing a Vortex Crossfire 4-12x40.
It's my go-to deer, hog & coyote gun. It's a little heavy at 8½lb, but I know that anything I'm shooting out to 700ds is going down

.308 LWH. It's a model 11 in a cut down model 16 stock. It's super light (well south of 7lb) accurate enough & cheap. It's wearing a Vortex Diamondback 2-8x35 & if I'm hiking a long way up for big stuff, I'm taking it.

Just got a Tikka T3x lite stainless in '06 that I think I'm going to like a LOT.

Next gun is going to be a mid-weight (7-8lb) short barreled, medium bore. I'm trying to decide between a .338 federal or a .358win
Not sure of the platform yet. Possibly a cheap Remington .308 & a rebore. Whatever it is, I don't want more than $500 in the gun. I like cheap.

 

[bhylton]

last few years its been a hand-me-down browning a-bolt hunter in 300wsm with a leupold vx3 4.5-14 cds.

but ive killed more stuff with my first hunting rifle, a handed down Winchester Model 88 in 308 wearing an 70s vintage redfield "widefield" 3-9x scope.

both rifles were handed down by my grandfather than has since passed. lots of burger made with these two rifles

 

[Cahunter805]

My current favorite is a 6.5saum
M70 action
McMillan hunter
Bartlein #3 spiral fluted
PTG bottom metal
Nxs 3.5-15
It's the first gun my brother has built for me and it's a tack driver.

 

[JP100]

My go to always seems to be my TikkaT3 in .243 with a 4.5-14x56mm VXL leupold.

This was my 2nd ever rifle I bought, was 16 and had a short barrel .270 before that, the .270 kicked like a mule, so I 'down graded' and learnt to shoot.
The .243 is a strange cartridge neither here nor there really.
This combo for me has just worked. put nearly 2000 rounds through it now and I dont target shoot haha.
over the years I have done a lot of hunting with this set up and it just shoots naturally for me.
Gives me the confidence to take some stupid/crazy shots.
Believe it or not shot this goose at 350 yards on the wing haha, why I dont even know but at the time it just seemed the right thing to do haha
View attachment 47709

 

[Dinger]

What: Blaser K95 8x57R

Why:
It's tiny.
Fits like a glove.
Can be broken down like a SxS in about 5 seconds.
Broken down it fits in a duffel when flying/travelling.
Shoots better than I do.
Tip off scope mounts return to perfect zero every, single, time.
The trigger is superb
Has a manual de-cocker, round in the chamber and spring is not compressed.
After two decades of mucking around with synthetic customs the wood is a novelty.
Can take full pressure loads.
160gr to 250gr in the 8x57R cover most everything.
Break action single shots are just cool.
Has bought and end to me fooling around with customs.
I can buy more barrels for it.....maybe a 6.5 something and 22 Hornet to finish it off.

 

[elkguide]

While I love my custom rifles in .300 Win Mag or .284 Win or my custom Remingtons in .25-06 or .280 or that crazy accurate Ruger No. 1 in .25-06 that I have twice shot two crows with one shot and my Kimber Montana's in .270 WSM, .300 WSM and especially the sweet 7mm08 but my true "GO TO" rifle has been, (for the last 30+ years) a Ruger 77 in .300 Win Mag topped with a Swarovski 3-12X56. It's a full 8# 14 oz rifle but it likes every load and bullet weight that I have sent down the tube. It shoots way better than I can and other people that have shot it have also found it to shoot well under 1 MOA. It's tough some days to leave that 6# 4 oz 7mm08 in the safe but there is something to be said about a rifle that when you point it and pull the trigger, you know that the bloody work is about to begin.

I probably should clarify that my Ruger 77 - .300 Win Mag wears a Brown precision stock that I have bedded along with an amazing trigger job.

 

[black dawg]

Last few years I have been packing a marlin xl7 in 06 that I got in a car trade. I shortened the LOP to fit while wearing hunting clothes and backpack, and added a cheap diamondback 1.75-5. The thing is pretty light, and with the scope on 1.75 it is quick to point.

 

[mcseal2]

2 favorites for different purposes

1. My custom M70 in 264 win mag. Why? It is the most consistent rifle I own. It just never seems to need any tweaking, I pull it out of the safe and the first shot always hits the same place from the bench. It shoots very well so I am very confident in it. I've taken most of my trophy whitetail and muleys with it, plus my best antelope. It weighs 10.5lbs scoped, loaded, and with sling, so it's not an ultralight. It is just right for hunts where that's not the most important criteria. At that weight its an easy rifle to shoot well in the wind. The 140gr Bergers do well under windy conditions as well and the recoil with them in a heavier rifle is mild.

2. My Rifles Inc lightweight 70 in 300WM. I haven't had it long, last season was the first with it. It fits the niche that the 264 doesn't. Steep hunts for elk or muleys mainly, but a moose hunt is in the future also. It shoots 180gr Accubonds very well and consistently so far. It fits me well and hits hard. With the brake the recoil is mild also.

I have a light 270 win also that will go on a lot of hunts as the back-up to either of these rifles. I'm a believer in having a back-up gun along in a really common caliber in case something goes wrong, might just save a hunt.

 

[unsuccessful]

TC Encore Pro Hunter
28" TC barrel chambered in 30/06
Thumbhole stock
Burris Shortmag 4.5-14
Leupold rings and base
Couldn't miss with this gun

Currently putting together a custom Mauser in 7mag.
Timmney trigger
EGW 20 moa base
Burris MTAC 4.5-14
Burris rings
Harrells break
Boyds Pro Varmint (for now)
Saw the barreled action for sale on Armslist and it made me smile

Sent from my LG-K550 using Tapatalk

 

[dah605]

My favorite and more accurate is a customer Pierce Ti action 7mm RM with Hart barrel and Manners EH-1 stock, topped with a Razor HD LH. Why? 1 hole groups and it is light enough to carry almost anywhere. I've got a light load that doesn't produce much in the way of recoil. I figure it is good to 750-800 on elk with the Berger 195 EOL bullets.

If I want/need to go longer, my Cooper 300WM would be my next choice. It is a couple of very noticeable pounds heavier. It is almost as accurate as the 7mm.

-David