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Thread: My hunting rifles

  1. #1
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    My hunting rifles

    I have accumulated several rifles over the years. I started with a T/C Hawken, and hunted muzzleloader doe seasons exclusively. Haven't done that in a long time, but still have it.

    I borrowed a 700 in .30-06 for my first elk hunt. Accurate, nice rifle, but beat my poor little should all black and blue. Not really, but it wasn't fun to shoot more than a few rounds a day through it.

    I decided some years ago I should get my own center fire hunting rifle. I live in southern AZ now. Deer here are tiny, but we also have lots of coyotes. I decided to get a 6mm-6.5mm rifle with a reasonable case on it for hunting our little deer and the yotes, figuring I'd never get an elk tag in AZ, but had a couple of little kids that might like to hunt someday, too. I bought a Savage 11 in .243 Winchester. It's got a Burris 3-9 Fullfield II with ballistic Plex reticle on it. Does very well. Finally got my first Arizona deer and buck last year. It's also been on 2 elk hunts, though no rounds were fired due to not getting a shot opportunity. The year I got it, my buddy teased me into putting in for cows with him, and we got drawn for tags. After paying for my tag, in a bit of shock, I debated getting a larger caliber rifle, but another friend told me he'd killed half a dozen elk with his and that I should just hunt with what I had. It's an economical choice, if nothing else, and since I didn't get a shot anyway, it hardly even matters. My daughter and I hunted elk together another year, and I borrowed a .270 for that, while she used my .243 (she regularly used up all my ammo shooting it that year - I was right that the smaller people in my house would like it). Our guide had no problems with her using the .243.

    My scrawny son, however, couldn't hold up that rifle, but could run an AR. I built a 6.8 carbine upper in 2013 (dumb year to do that) since he couldn't hit anything with open sights, and my only 5.56 upper is an A2. He's hunted deer and javelina with it, but not gotten a shot opportunity yet. He's a senior now, very busy, and didn't want to hunt this year.

    My dad gifted me with a Marlin .30-30 a couple of years ago

    I have debated starting a thr ad on this fo a while. I read okie john's issues with his Model 70 FWT with interest, as I recently examined one in .270 at length, and am still debating just getting it. So, if anyone has observations or suggestions, even if they are "Stop overthinking this and go hunting," I'm all ears.

  2. #2
    First of all, it should be a bannable offense to not post pics when talking about things like hunting rifles.

    B. I'm not sure what the question is, so the answer is almost certainly, "Just go hunting."

    Fourthly, M70's are awesome, and I'm back with mine right now for a few minutes, but I would get a Tikka if starting over.

  3. #3
    Site Supporter PNWTO's Avatar
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    Fourthly, M70's are awesome, and I'm back with mine right now for a few minutes, but I would get a Tikka if starting over.
    SLG, would you mind elaborating on that, either here if appropriate or PM? Im torn right now between a Featherweight or a T3X. I know really that the T3X is just more gooder but I read so much O'Connor and others I am drooling over a M70. I feel like I need at least one M70 with some walnut to make an heirloom.
    "Do nothing which is of no use." -Musashi

    What would TR do? TRCP BHA

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by SLG View Post
    First of all, it should be a bannable offense to not post pics when talking about things like hunting rifles.

    B. I'm not sure what the question is, so the answer is almost certainly, "Just go hunting."

    Fourthly, M70's are awesome, and I'm back with mine right now for a few minutes, but I would get a Tikka if starting over.
    Sorry, my phone edited my post for me when I posted it.

    Sure, I can do pics when I get home.

    The question part: I have basically three good hunting rifles, but only the .243 is capable of the kinds of ranges I commonly encounter hunting in southern AZ, and even it is limited by its power level at longer distances. I loved the gorgeous .270 I drooled on a few weeks ago, but could only get it by selling/trading other stuff, like the 6.8 and .30-30. No one can know if the only shot I get during my hunt in a couple of weeks is going to be too far for my .243, but the only shots I got last year were too far for anything I have besides it.

    So, should I get a longer range rifle, and one more capable of confidently taking elk? I'll be hunting with the .243 this year, but there's next year, and maybe an elk tag again in a year or three.

  5. #5
    Site Supporter PNWTO's Avatar
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    Not SLG but I don't like the .243 for elk and up. It has been done, sure, but I would look at stepping up a bit. I'm a firm believer a rifle battery for the lower 48 should be centered on a .270, .308, or .30-06. Just my $.02.

    I've sat down elk hard with the Barnes monolothic (TSX?) 130gr from a Savage .270.
    Last edited by PNWTO; 11-11-2016 at 06:29 PM.
    "Do nothing which is of no use." -Musashi

    What would TR do? TRCP BHA

  6. #6
    Hard to beat a nice pre-64 Model 70 .270 or .30-06, and they are around:

    http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Bro....270&Cats=3022

    Mine:

    Name:  06 - 1.jpg
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    Having said that, I agree with SLG; if I was buying my first elk rifle, I'd probably go with the Tikka.

  7. #7
    .260 is pretty good. It'll get out there and isn't a hard kicker. Everyone says they're softer than a .308, but it's pretty close to the same to me.


  8. #8
    Site Supporter Paul D's Avatar
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    Don't do this. Too heavy. Robar built 300 WM on a R700.

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by PNWTO View Post
    SLG, would you mind elaborating on that, either here if appropriate or PM? Im torn right now between a Featherweight or a T3X. I know really that the T3X is just more gooder but I read so much O'Connor and others I am drooling over a M70. I feel like I need at least one M70 with some walnut to make an heirloom.
    Short answer is the Tikka is much easier to get going out of the box than an M70. It has some really nice features, and the only thing it gives up is the controlled round feed.

    Having said that, I have several times taken M70's out of the box, mounted a scope and gone to town. Being a picky snob though, I always sent them off for work at one point or another. Better barrels, better stocks, irons sights, action work, etc. With the Tikka, much of that is already taken care of. You can always customize a rifle, and the Tikka is no exception, it just happens to work really well out of the box, and for quite a bit less money than I've spent on M70's.

    Really, you need both.
    Last edited by SLG; 11-11-2016 at 10:17 PM.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Duelist View Post
    The question part: I have basically three good hunting rifles, but only the .243 is capable of the kinds of ranges I commonly encounter hunting in southern AZ, and even it is limited by its power level at longer distances. I loved the gorgeous .270 I drooled on a few weeks ago, but could only get it by selling/trading other stuff, like the 6.8 and .30-30. No one can know if the only shot I get during my hunt in a couple of weeks is going to be too far for my .243, but the only shots I got last year were too far for anything I have besides it.

    So, should I get a longer range rifle, and one more capable of confidently taking elk? I'll be hunting with the .243 this year, but there's next year, and maybe an elk tag again in a year or three.
    Yes. As others have mentioned, a 308/3006 class weapon is probably the better bet for NA game animals. Let the younguns have the 243.

    As for out of range issues, I would have to ask what range that is? Many people are capable of hunting humanely at longer range, but I personally prefer to stalk as close as possible. I'm capable of shots pretty far away. I've never actually needed to take a shot past 300 yards (on big game), and 99% of the time I can get to within 125 yards. Shooting is shooting, but getting close to a magnificent game animal is awe inspiring to me.

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