Your first centerfire rifle

[juju]

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

 

[Speaks]

My first was an SKS that I never hunted with, my first hunting one was a M94 30/30 though it was followed up shortly after with a m70 270. While I owned a number of other rifles the m94 and m70 pair are all I have hunted with for nearly 20 years. I added Tikka 223 and 6.5cm this year which will I believe take the place of that pairing as my go to rifles.

At least half my deer could have been taken with the 30/30, all could have been taken with the 270. I have actually shot as many deer with ML as with rifle though.

 

[ReddingArcher]

Mine was a Remington 742 Woodsmaster in 30-06. I probably could have taken everything with that rifle. I never shot it past about 250 yards but it shot good and I dont think it would have been an issue at any of the animals I have taken. Wish I still had that gun.

 

[Decker9]

I was a little spoiled in this regard. My grandad was a gunssmith/stock maker and built me a nice 6.5x55ai on a Mauser 96 and custom walnut stock when I was 6/7 years old. I took my first mountain goat with it when I was 8, then a mule deer when I was 11. It’s now been 33 years since that deer, I should get it re barrelled and use it again. I shot the ever livin …. out of it as a kid/teen, I don’t think there was much barrel left in it iirc.

 

[The Harbor Master]

My first was a Savage 110 in .300WM because I didn't know any better and people on a certain forum told me I needed it to hunt big game (300wm can take any game in North America? Sounds good to me!). I could hardly hit paper at 100yds.

Got tired of it kicking the crap out of me, wised up, sold it, bought a .223 and spent a couple years shooting that before ever trying to take game.

FWIW, all game I've taken since then surely could've been taken with the .300WM itself, but not with me on the trigger until I learned how the hell to shoot.

 

[intunegp]

Remington 722 in .257 Roberts, iron sights, that belonged to my maternal grandfather. It has never had an optic mounted and never will as long as I own it. I killed my first several deer with that gun. Off the top of my head I can think of one elk and one muley that I probably wouldn't have been able to shoot without an optic.

 

[tallbuchholz]

Rem 700 CDL in .270 win. It's 20 years old now. Still use it about 50% of the time, and 100% of all big game I've killed could've been taken with it. Had the trigger worked on - it had an insanely long and heavy pull that gave me hell when I was younger. Much easier to shoot now. Sling broke 5 years ago when a buddy was using it, barrel hit a rock and the stock snapped in half. Now has a synthetic stock and is way less pretty. Need to get it back in some walnut.

 

[Hnthrdr]

First purchased was a marlin 30/30, thing was a POS… fit, finish and trigger were garbage, first purchased that I killed a big game animal with was a Rem 700 sps in .270wsm

 

[Sandhills]

6mm Remington in I think a 600. Shot a bear with it. I drew a decent deer tag a couple year later and when I went to sight it in I didn't have it in my shoulder and it hit me between my eyes with the scope. Got rid of it for a shitty short barreled 270 with a muzzle break. One of the worst decisions I ever did

 

[Schmo]

First centerfire rifle was a Savage 110 in 7 RM. Yes, way overkill as a teen hunting whitetails.

My rifle journey:
Savage 110 7 RM
Ruger M77 7 RM
Bergara 7 RM
Custom 7 SAUM
Custom 7 PRC
Semi custom 6.5 PRC very briefly (never hunted it)
Rebarreled 6.5 PRC to 6 PRC, and that seems about the sweet spot

 

[TaperPin]

A wood stocked Remington 700 ADL in 270, topped with a Weaver K4. A great well balanced cartridge and super reliable gun. My only advice to the younger me would be to stick with a 6x scope.

 

[blkqi]

Savage 99 in .300 Savage.

 

[JBradley500]

Stainless/Zytel M77 Ruger in .30-06. Nearly the perfect do it all rifle.

 

[waspocrew]

First was a Savage 110 in 30-06 when I was 12. Wish my parents would have got me a 243… that 30-06 wasn’t fun!

 

[sodaksooner]

M77 in 257 Roberts. Every deer but two that I have ever shot with a rifle were taken with that one. Only ones that weren't were my first (Model 94 30-30) and the last, a Seekins PH2 in 300WM. Oh I did shoot one with my brothers 270 wsm for fun. I could have shot all of them with that 257. Even have a few Antelope to it's credit, except for 1 I shot with a pistol. My son still uses it on occasion. Almost 45 years old and still looks like new.

 

[BART74]

my first was a rem 788 in 308 i killed a bunch of deer and coyotes with that rifle

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Plastic stocked Remington 700ADL in 270. It had open sights and a Bushnell 4x scope. I got it in the 90s, I shot a lot of elk, mule deer and black bears with it out on trips with my dad.

When our dog died back in 2003, I took some of his ashes and mixed them with epoxy and put a bit of it inside the plastic stock. That gun had most of the blueing gone from it after hunting pretty hard with it for most of 20 years.

 

[justinspicher]

Weatherby mountain lite rifle in 270 with a Luepold 4-14x44 scope. I shot it 12 times, killed a nice mule deer buck and offloaded it. I hate recoil and that rifle was miserable to shoot.

 

[elkguide]

Savage 99 in .250-3000.

 

[puckhead]

Savage 110 in 25-06 when I got when I was 12. It killed everything up to elk with no issues. It now has a 25cm barrel and is more of a range gun @ 15lbs.