If you could only have one hunting rifle what would it be ???

Depends on what I'm hunting? Small game=savage mark II 22lr. Deer=JM Marlin 30-30 w/leupold Vx2 3-9 or 2-7 scope. Larger game than deer=Older Winchester or Remington 30-06 bolt action or Remington pump 30-06. Varmints=Savage bolt rifle in 223-22-250.

I guess the most versatile for my needs would be a 308 like a Ruger American. Of course it would be gross overkill on anything smaller than deer or hogs, and life would be boring without at least 1 22.

Keyfer 55 said:

I think a 22 lr with a well placed shot would take any game in the north America.

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Ya gonna go for bears with that?

I'll grab my Rem 700 in 30-06 for back-up.

Im shopping for a rifle for my son. That Ruger American 308 is on the list. The 77/357 and 44 have my attention also.

My Winchester 94 30-30

Just learned of the .224 Valkyrie and I must admit that I'm VERY intrigued! It could very well replace my standard .223.

If I could only have one hunting rilfe, the 10/22 would probably be close to last on my list.

.243 Winchester. With75gr reduced loads can be used for small game. Step it up a little and 75 gr can be used for varmints. 95gr, 100gr and 105gr for deer and hogs.

It really doesn't matter what I'm hunting, my "go to gun" has it covered,







DM

X-Bolt Stalker in 30.06, with a Zeiss 3-9X50 scope.

I used to have a standard answer of the marlin 336, which is still probably the best answer, but thinking about it again I really like the .256 marlin 62. With reloaded JSP ammo it is pure hell on small game and more than adequate for medium game. Moving up to whitetail the factory loaded 60gr JHP might as well be a stick of dynamite because whatever it hits turns to mush. I'm not so sure on what it would do to a hog is my only reservation there, so I guess I'm back to the 336. 30-30 unless we are allowing a chamber adapter to fire 357 from a 35 rem.

DM~ said:

It really doesn't matter what I'm hunting, my "go to gun" has it covered,

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DM

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DM,
I never get tired of seeing that gun!

Depends on the situation.

If we're not talking about a survival situation, and this is just a gun I keep around the house to go hunting with, it's a pump 12 gauge shotgun with a smooth more slug barrel. You can hunt anything from big game, to small critters, to waterfowl with said setup.

If we're talking about a survival situation were I actually have to carry the ammo, it's probably my 10-22 take-down. While it's not the best defense for large predators, a 22 will kill most large game even without perfect shot placement. If you dump a few rounds into the side of even a large elk it will go down quicker than one would think. You just have to make sure you can find the thing. The 10-22 is so fast an accurate that it's really not that hard to do from ranges under 75 yards. Once again, it's tracking the animal after you light it up that would be the challenge.

What’s the question?

If I could only have one hunting rifle? Or, if I could only have one gun and it had to be a hunting rifle?

prplbkrr said:

Ya gonna go for bears with that?

I'll grab my Rem 700 in 30-06 for back-up.

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I wouldn't want to defend myself with a 22 against a bear, but all this stuff in the Interwebs about how low powered bullets will just bounce of a bear's skull is nonsense. A 22lr will pierce a 1,000lb Brown bear's skull at the right angle. People don't want to believe that an animal that massive can be killed by some jerk-off poacher in a stand with a single shot 22lr, but the truth is that it's really not as uncommon as one would believe. One of my best buddies that used to work up in the middle of nowhere in Alaska has told me multiple times that indigenous people up there poach everything under the sun with 22 rifles.

I would have a single savage with barrels in .243 and 6.5 leopard with duplicates for when I burn them out, other barrels COULD be added later, but really, that's all I'd NEED, 55-100 gr cup and cores, bonded, or monolithic bullets and the .243 will take care of most of my needs in the lower 48, for everything else, the souped up .264 will be more than sufficient.

223 Remington bolt gun. Cheap ammo will kill most things. Light recoiling light guns. Expensive ammo or hand loads will kill anything most of us hunt in lower 48. No brainer IMO.

Savage 99, any caliber. I just like 'em that much.

I keep on wondering if the missing word in this threads title is a typo or on purpose... ‘ONE’

Browning A-bolt 7mm remington magnum.....or any decent 7mm remington magnum.....

Probably a Ruger American Rifle in .30-06 or .308.

a rem 700 sps in .223 with a solid 2x7 scope and a small single stage loading press-dies with loading supplies, would fit the bill for me. a thousand bullets-1200 primers-4 pounds powder-200 cases- one tin imperial sizing lube.

Does it have to be a "rifle" ??

I mean I have a stainless, 12 gauge, single shot shotgun from H&R...3½" chamber, screw-in chokes. With slugs or shot I can hunt about anything, though a little close to a bear of the Brown Bear family at 50 yards with a Brenneke Slug With chamber adapters I can shoot 16 gauge, 20 gauge, 28 gauge and .410 shells, so ammo availability would be easy. They even make some chamber adaptors that would allow me to shoot .45 Colt with a rifled adapter in the 12 gauge barrel. NO idea if this is at all accurate or wise.

IF it HAS to be a rifle I'd probably get something that shoots a .224 bullet. I have a Mossberg Predator in .223 Remington, which uses AR magazines, and it really likes 75 grain HPBT from Hornady. That way I could get adaptors and shoot .22 LR and .22 Magnum through it as well, instead of fiddling with downloading reloads for small game. Although I'm told that one can get a chamber adaptor for .308 or .30-06 and shoot .32 Auto through those rifles on small game.

LD