Your fav Rifle

[billrquimby]

I have lots of rifles but I' only use two lately. One is a pre-1964 Model 70 featherweight in .30-06 that I bought new about 1960 after retiring a custom Mauser 98 in .270 Winchester (I shot the barrel out in two summers of siluteta metalicas shooting in Mexico.

 

I now use the .30-06 when I think I'll need 220-grain bullets, such as for eland or wildebeest. (Both are big and tough beasts and I can't stand my .375's recoil.) My favorite rifle, though, is a Czech-made Mauser barrelled action in 7 Remington Magnum that I restocked myself years ago. I shoot Nosler tip bullets exclusively. For the 7 mag I alternate between 140 (ballistic tip) and 175 (partition) grain, depending upon what I'm hunting.

 

It was interesting to see someone uses the 6.5 Remington Magnum. I picked up a like-new Remington 700 in that caliber six years ago for $100 because ammo wasn't available. I tried finding cases through Gun Week and when I couldn't I planned to buy a new barrel. I'm glad I didn't because Remington started making ammo again last year.

 

I bought 100 unprimed cases and some dies last month and will test the 6.5 mag on coyotes near the Zuni Reservation in a couple of weeks. From what I can read in the reloading manuals this is a very impressive caliber when fired through a 24-inch barrel. It got a bad reputation because Remington mostly chambered it in its little 600 carbine. If I draw a deer tag this year it's what I'll use.

 

All this is moot, of course. It's bullet placement and not caliber (within reason) that kills game cleanly, which is what we all want to do. I've shot deer with virtually every caliber from a .22-250 to a .338 Winchester Magnum, and everything in between. When I put a bullet where it was supposed to go the deer went down.

 

There is only one degree of dead.

 

Bill Quimby

[stanley]

Well, I guess I'm still kind of looking for my favorite rifle......

 

I started off with a 30-30 in high-school, then picked-up a .308 while in college. I've been using a .7MM BAR for the past 15 years or so. I like it OK, but really think I'd like to go with a bolt action.

 

A buddy has an .280 M77 that I've always kind of liked. I might have to pick one of those up & try it for a few years. My dad also has a BDL .7MM that I like, and I think he's going to had it over to me pretty soon.

 

You can never have too many favorite rifles, as far as I'm concerned.

 

S.

[fatfootdoc]

My old standby has always been my 30-06, winchester model 70 sporter, had a leupold but put that on my new 300 wsm and put my burris back on the 30 06. That is the rifle that I rely on. I got the new rifle last year and it is a tack driver, unfortunately I did not get to shoot it at game last year, so I am not sure where it stands. I have a ruger 22-250 that is far and away my favorite for dropping coyotes. Have used it to kill 2 whitetail as well. So the real thing I guess is that I am an indecisive person, how can you not love any gun that shoots accurate and does what you want it to. ag

[Kaffer62]

I would have to go with my 22 rimfire.

Rabbits beware

i am deadly within 50 yards

[Benbrown]

Right now, my favorite Coues deer rifle is a .257 Ackley Improved. It is built on a Mexican Mauser action with a Krieger cut-rifled barrel and a Rimrock synthetic stock. My favorite load sends 100-grain Barnes TSX bullets down-range at a smidgen over 3,400 ft/sec. If I am hunting something larger than a Coues, I use 115-grain Nosler partitions at a little over 3,200 ft/sec.

 

For more punch, I like to use a Weatherby Lightweight that has been opened up to .280 Ackley Improved. It weighs about the same as the .257 AI, but will do about 3,200 ft/sec with the Barnes 130-grain TSX and 3,100 ft/sec with a 140-grain Barnes TSX.

 

For elk, my favorite is a Ruger No. 1-A that has been rebarreled to .338-06. I either shoot 200-grain Nosler Ballistic Tips at a little over 2,900 or 185-grain TSXs at a little over 3,000.

 

That said, if I had to shoot just one rifle, I would go back to my pre-64 Winchester Model 70 Featherweight in .270 Winchester.

[m1280]

warbird or firebird by lazzaroni, still pinchin the dollars for either one, had a chance to to shoot the warbird w/ Jim L. at 3 points on the 500 yrd range and felt like I was shootin my 30.06 at a 100 yds!! righteous piece of engineering fast as h#&* and pin point accuracy!!

[257stw]

My custom Rem 700, 257 stw, 110gn accubonds at 3400fps, Leupold 6.5-20 LRT or my custom Rem 700, 7mm ulta mag, 175gn partitions at 3250fps, Leupold 8.5-25 LRT, just depends on what I am hunting.

[bullwidgeon]

Weatherby Mark V Synthetic in .300 WBY mag with a Burris 4-14 ballistic plex scope on it. It likes 168 grain Matchkings and WBY factory 150 grain spire points about equally. The barrel is a bit long and the gun is a bit heavy to be jump shooting running whitetail bucks at 40 yards though, I missed one a few years ago and blame the gun because of it. It certainly couldn't have been buck fever or the fact that I am a terrible shot when suprised like that . If I would have had my old stand by Model 70 lightweight .270 Win with a 22 inch barrel that deer would have flopped over like he was hit with a thunderbolt . The Weatherby is still my favorite though.

 

Bret M.

[couesdiehard]

.300 WSM Winchester Stainless or 30-06 Winchester Mod 70 Featherweight. Both firing 150 grain Barnes Coated X-Bullet handloads.

couesdiehard

[coueshunter]

My favorite coues gun is a 257 weatherby mag with 115 ballistic tips......4.5x14 leupold with premier reticle .........Allen......

[Red Rabbit]

Like Kaffer, I like a .22 among my current rifles, which in this case is a Kimber 82C that is used on prairie dogs more than the .22-250. For deer and elk the last few years, I have carried a 300 WSM by HS Precision as the go-to rifle. While accurate and weather-worthy, it still lacks the warmth of wood.

 

I still seek that laser-flat , low recoiling, accurate deer rifle set in beautiful wood. Looking at taking a Winchester 70 Supergrade in 300WSM and necking it down to a 25 caliber, which would be similar to the 257 Weatherby in performance. Coat it in Cerakote, and have a backup synthetic stock for inclimate weather, and it should be as close to coues perfection as one can get.

 

Guess one could say that the favorite deer rifle has not been found yet, since the search is still ongoing. Don't forget the search for extra $$$ for all these hunting "essentials".

 

 

Doug~RedRabbit

[Dodger2]

I only have two rifles, a .243win that I got when I was 12 and a 7mm WSM that I got two years ago. I have taken coues deer with both, so I really can't say which is my favorite. They both have their positives and negatives. I'm hoping I get drawn for antelope in Wyoming (2 tags) and I'm planning on taking both rifles. It would be neat to take one with each rifle.

[bigmo101]

I have to say my 30-06 in a Wby Mark V action. The rifle is about 30 yrs old, but it drives tacks. 1/2" groups at 100yds with Fed Premium ammo.

 

I also have a 270 Wby Mag in a synthetic stock that is coming up on a close second. I haven't nailed anything with it but I have been taking some long shots and nailing stuff with it.

 

I put in for NM for Coues. If I get drawn that 270 will see some action!!

[cramerhunts]

For just about everything I have and love a remmington 300 ultra mag short action with a bushnell elite scope. My wife's gun of choice is a ruger mark II 22.250 with a luepold vx-III. I still prefer to hunt with a bow when ever the chance presents itself.

[BRYCE CANYON]

Remington Model 700 .270