Budget vs expensive hunting guns?

My first gun collection was destroyed by a natural disaster, divorce.
So I went until I retired before I started a real gun collection.
Because when you go from basic hunting firearms into lots of firearms then your collecting.
But I still depend on my -- post 1979 divorce --- basic rifles for Deer = Rem 7600 30.06 pump & Win mod 70 - 7mmMag
Squirrels Ruger 10-22
Rabbits Mossberg 500 12 gauge
Simple is better stick to basic proven calibers, not the latest hot long range steel ringer, if you will notice
the ammo cost your first born.
A 30-06 & 7mm Mag can kill anything in America at long ranges.
The best hunter I have ever known in my entire like hunts deer & squirrels with flintlocks he made himself
& recurve bows he buys. I have never known anyone with more love for hunting than he has & is successful every
year.
What you have will do great & sounds like the drive inside you is enough to carry you.
When I shoot a deer with my Rem 7600 they never know the difference in what shot him, not even the caliber
or what scope I had on it or if it is --- this years new & improved beats any other mfg bullet.
Above all things, don't spend more money on firearms than you can afford & never--never sell your original guns
to buy new & better guns. Once you begin selling one gun to get another it will become so easy to let them go
& you will someday wish you had the old ones back.
Above all my advise keep the wife happy & the kids fed.
Hang in there, opportunities will present themselves in firearm collecting, don't push them & don't get into collecting & loose what sounds like a real love for hunting.
Remember, a man isn't judged by how many deer he gets or their size, neither is he judged by how many guns he owns or their quality.

I'm crazed so I'll generally buy a really good version of an item and two cheaper (but decent) version and I'll keep the really good one in a collection and use the heck out of the decent ones. I do this for just about everything, guns, kinves, bows, fishing gear, clothes, etc.

I killed my one-and-only turkey at 38 yards with a Mossberg 835 I bought used for ~$225. Only customization was a XX-full turkey choke and fiber optic sights (which I really like). I'd love to hunt turkey again, but I can't afford it.

For deer/hogs, I have a very vanilla Savage 110-L, but I did spring for a decent scope, a Bushnell Elite 3200 3-9x40.

My 1950 vintage Remington 721 in .30-06 will still kill anything on this continent. So I don't see any reason to buy anything fancier, plus the fact that I don't need to baby it while using it.

Sometimes I think if I read again that they will never know the difference in what shot them I will shoot myself.

They never know the difference in what I shot them with !
Is that good enough?

ZeroJunk said:

Sometimes I think if I read again that they will never know the difference in what shot them I will shoot myself.

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That's because in this context it's a dumb comment.

Don't do it! God loves you, man!

ZeroJunk said:

Sometimes I think if I read again that they will never know the difference in what shot them I will shoot myself.

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Just remember that shot placement is EVERYTHING.

If it's any solace, ZeroJunk, I'm confident they do know the difference. I removed a 22LR bullet from the udder of the last cow elk I shot. That critter definitely knew the difference between that and the 250 grain 338 projectile in the boiler room that led me to discovery of 22 bullet.

I'm not much of a hunter, but I am a huge tinkerer. I like to use cheap guns as bases for projects. I recently bought myself a Savage Axis Hardwood in .30-06, stripped and restained/refinished the stock, cut the barrel to 18 inches, and recrowned it by hand. It's a great woods rifle. It's accurate, powerful, and easy to carry long distances. Its kick is rather stout, but still manageable. It's also great fun to shoot at dusk, due to the massive fireballs it produces. The blast will make your teeth rattle, though.

In general, I don't really shoot formally a lot. Most of my shooting is plinking, steel-shooting, or blasting pop cans or clays. I feel like I wouldn't be spending my money wisely if I bought a very expensive/fancy gun. I've been wanting a PTR91 lately, and they retail for ~$1000. That's about the upper limit of what I would spend on a gun (it's actually beyond my PREFERRED range by a few hundred dollars, but it IS a neat rifle). Also, $3 mags.

hillman23 said:

If it's any solace, ZeroJunk, I'm confident they do know the difference. I removed a 22LR bullet from the udder of the last cow elk I shot. That critter definitely knew the difference between that and the 250 grain 338 projectile in the boiler room that led me to discovery of 22 bullet.

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You should read forums more. You used too much gun. The shooter with the 22LR just made poor shot placement.

^ Really, a Red Ryder should be sufficient if the shooter does his part.

ZeroJunk said:

You should read forums more. You used too much gun. The shooter with the 22LR just made poor shot placement.

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Tiro Finale said:

^ Really, a Red Ryder should be sufficient if the shooter does his part.

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My uncle’s best friends grandson’s high school math teacher. took a 200” muley with an airsoft sniper rifle. One shot one kill. No need for a suppressor either! He is going to try a NERF bow and suction cup dart next bow season. Says he is bored with rifle hunting.

I guess it's silly season.

MCgunner said:

I guess it's silly season.

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A little bored until turkey season I suppose.