Your first deer rifle?

[wallred83]

Marlin 336CS purchased new by Dad in '97 or so, topped with a Bushnell Sportview 3-9x40ish.
Killed my first 5 deer with it over the next 3 years, then the scope let me down. Dad had bought a BAR in the meantime, and I just picked up his old 7400 .30-06 and killed many more deer with it.
Fast forward about 10 years and I got a hankering to break out the .30-30 again. Topped it with a Zeiss Conquest MC (no more cheap scopes for me), and it has killed probably 20 more deer since then. It now wears a Leupold VX-Freedom 2-7x32 for now.
Going full-circle, my 10 year-old killed his first deer with that same rifle on Jan 1 this past year.

 

[Triple T]

My first rifle that I still have but don't use much anymore Remington 7600 pump 30-06

 

[wallred83]

My first rifle that I still have but don't use much anymore Remington 7600 pump 30-06

Have you seen their price now? I passed on a 7600 in 30-06 7 or 8 years ago in a LGS for $250, and it even had an old Redfield Widefield scope mounted (which was worth >$100 even then). Kicking myself for that now.

 

[Triple T]

Yea, actually this fall I went thru my gun collection and sold quite a few. (Had to have a Xbolt2) i Almost sold it to a guy and decided to keep it for my grandson.

 

[Boarmaster]

Marlin 336CS purchased new by Dad in '97 or so, topped with a Bushnell Sportview 3-9x40ish.
Killed my first 5 deer with it over the next 3 years, then the scope let me down. Dad had bought a BAR in the meantime, and I just picked up his old 7400 .30-06 and killed many more deer with it.
Fast forward about 10 years and I got a hankering to break out the .30-30 again. Topped it with a Zeiss Conquest MC (no more cheap scopes for me), and it has killed probably 20 more deer since then. It now wears a Leupold VX-Freedom 2-7x32 for now.
Going full-circle, my 10 year-old killed his first deer with that same rifle on Jan 1 this past year.

Great story.

 

[Boarmaster]

Yea, actually this fall I went thru my gun collection and sold quite a few. (Had to have a Xbolt2) i Almost sold it to a guy and decided to keep it for my grandson.

Good for you. I hope your with him when he gets the big one with it.

 

[JAC8504]

Mine was a 336 30/30. Since then I have added many to the stable, but no doubt in my mind i killed more deer with that 30/30 than all the rest. I went on a tear in my late teens with that rifle. That was my "if it's brown it's down" phase.