Your first centerfire rifle

[solarshooter]

First centerfire gun I hunted with was my dad's post-64 Model 70 in 270. The first gun I bought was a 1960-something Spanish Mauser clone in 30-06. Then 10 years ago I saw the light and it's been Tikkas ever since.

 

[SUD1988]

Remington 710 in 30-06. Luckily I was a husky kid. I would never dream of starting my kids out with a 30-06 now.

 

[Te Hopo]

My first centerfire was a early 80s Browning BLR 308Win that used exclusively for 10 years.
I can't think of any shot I've taken on an animal where it wouldn't have worked.
Still got it in the family, nowadays my main rifle is a fast twist 223AI

 

[Q_Sertorius]

What was your first centerfire rifle? What percentage of game have you taken that you could not have with that rifle? Let's include later customization and upgrades done to the rig as still being the same first rifle. For most people this is skewed because the great number of whitetails makes those few longer shots on other game mathematically insignificant, but it could still be interesting

Marlin 30/30, ~3% guesstimate

My first centerfire rifle was a pre-64 Winchester Model 94 in .30-30. I think I was about seven the first time I carried it in the woods. By age 9-12, I killed a couple of deer and a wild turkey with it. I gave it to my oldest nephew and he is going to carry it this deer season. In terms of ballistics and terminal performance, I could have taken probably 90% of the game animals I have killed with it. The lack of an optic, however, would have probably limited me more. It's not that I cannot shoot with open sights, but the ability to place shots more accurately makes further shots far more ethical to me. I don't really like shooting at game animals past 100 yards with open sights. And probably half the deer I have killed have been between 100-200 yards.

Around age 14, I upgraded to a BRNO 7x57R over 12 gauge combination rifle with a fixed 6x scope. The addition of the scope enabled me to place my shots more accurately, which I consider the major upgrade for my hunting ability. I killed several deer with that rifle over the years, but it currently has a semi-permanent spot in the back of my safe.

When I was 15, I upgraded to an FN-action Mauser 98 in .25-06, with a 2.5-8x scope, which became my primary rifle for the next 30 years. The versatility of the .25-06 in handling both 75-grain and 120-grain bullets made it useful year round, which was the second major upgrade to my hunting ability. That rifle was like an extension of my body by the time I was 17. Through the years, I have taken upwards of fifty deer and about five wild turkeys with that rifle (and a few hundred groundhogs). Of those, from a pure ballistics perspective, maybe 10% of my shots could not have been made with the .30-30. But that obscures the fact that my everyday familiarity with the .25-06 probably contributed more to my success than its ballistic properties. I had complete confidence in myself with that rifle. Last summer, I discovered that the barrel was finally shot out and had to carry a different rifle for the first time in 30 years. I've since had it re-barreled and threaded. While I have spent a lot of money on other rifles, that is the only rifle I have "needed" since I got it.