Go To Rifle?

Status
Not open for further replies.
.30-06 or .223 REM bolt rifle

I currently don't hunt because I don't like to. However, I would if I needed to. I've never had the need to dispatch a coyote either because I'm just shy of being rural "enough" for them to come around here. I did see a large cat once but it was dark and I wasn't armed at the time. Had I been armed I would've killed it because they do not belong in this area. Others have seen it around so I keep a loaded rifle handy now... a .223 REM w/ 55gr BT... I won't shoot a larger caliber rifle in this immediate area for fear of harming a neighbor. A fast moving lightweight BT should disintegrate on impact or dig deep with the sandy soil we have here.

My go-to gun "not right here" is a .30-06 Savage Axis. The Axis because that's all I can afford. The .30-06 because it's very versatile. At close range the 55gr Accelerators are accurate enough to dispatch a coyote or feral dog. The 110gr BT would do well too. We don't have any black bear around here but things can change over time and the .06, able to shoot up to 220gr RNSP, can take care of those too. The.06 can be downloaded to .30-30 ballistics so it makes a fine dear rifle too. What's not to like? Again though... for "right here" it's a Savage Axis in .223 REM. I can't afford an AR right now.
 
Last edited:
Out of what I have available...

...if I were to grab a rifle not knowing exactly what I would be running into or how much horsepower I needed, it would most likely be my Marlin 336 in .30-30.


I'm in the Southeastern US, so that does fine as long as I'm not trying to shoot much more than 200 yards max (no scope on mine).
 
I was looking for a Mark V in 7 mm Rem Mag, and came across my Vanguard Sub-MOA in that caliber. I am very satisfied, and can just plain hit what I aim at with this gun...that's why it's my No. 1 fall back gun. (in the category of bolt rifles, that is...)
 
Only have two rifles and they both have something that one does better than the other.

788 remmy in 308 with a 2.5-10 scope is my thick woods rifle.

custom ruger 77mkII 7mmRM is the reather out there rifle.
The remmy is still capable of moa accuracy and the ruger is closer to a 1/4" rifle with handloads but close into its own at longer ranges. scope is a nothing special 3.8 -12
 
I'm probably on the low end of things here. My go to deer rifle is a Winchester Ranger (The Ranger was a Standard Rifle barreled action in an inexpensive birch stock) model 70 .30-06 I bought new in 1989. It was the most inexpensive model 70 Winchester sold at the time. It will shoot sub MOA at 100 yards with Remington core-lokt pointed soft point factory ammunition. A lot of times I have thought about getting another deer rifle but I always come to the conclusion that this one is probably all I will ever need.
 
i used to rotate several rifles but found i shoot better with just one.one gun to site in every fall, one caliber to load hunting shells for and no worry about which gun to grab when going hunting. mines a 6.5x55 swede sporter. yours may be something else and just as good.
 
Until you have owned and shot the Mark V and the Vanguard, you just won't get it.
 
You know, I don't think I've ever seen a mark V ever. Sure would enjoy that.
One in .280 Remington sounds just about right but if I'm going all the way it might as well be in 257 Weatherby.
 
Until you have owned and shot the Mark V and the Vanguard, you just won't get it.
Ain't that the truth. My club occasionally holds sillouette matches, I decided I wanted a center fire scoped rifle and bought a Vanguard S2 in .308. I was so impressed with it, I bought another in .223. Then I decided I needed one in a Weatherby caliber, and if I was going to do that I needed a wood one. I went with Roy's favorite of his calibers, .257 WBY Magnum.

All of them easily exceed Weatherby's sub-MOA guarantee. Their stock design minimizes felt recoil, making them very comfortable to shoot. I broke in all three barrels with 40 rounds. Neither the .308 or the the .257 made me feel like I'd even been shooting when I left the range.

IMO, the Vanguard S2 s the very best rifle you can buy for the money.
 
i used to rotate several rifles but found i shoot better with just one.one gun to site in every fall, one caliber to load hunting shells for and no worry about which gun to grab when going hunting.

i did the opposite cause i'm an idiot. shot very well with just one 'go-to' rifle. then built a bunch more and now can't hit anything with any of them.
 
Man, I completely understand what the OP is saying. I have a bunch of rifles but my go to is my 20" bbl Winchester Mod 70 .308 that I've had for 30+ years. It is just so smooth and handy in the field, and I've killed so many deer with it that I just grab it without even thinking. The last few years, I've been trying to use other guns but I usually kill the first with the 70 and use something else latter in the season.
 
Mine is a 1958 Model 70 in .243.I bought it from an older hunting buddy before he passed in 1991.I have taken more than 50 deer with it,2 of them last week.Before that it was a 1964 Marlin 336 in 30-30 bought in the Navy store at discharge.It accounted for 16.Never had the money for a collection of expensive guns.At retirement the kids gave me a credit at Cabelas and I bought a Ruger M77 in .243.Its my wet weather rifle(laminated,stainless steel).I've taken 2 with it,very accurate.
 
All I got is my Dad's crummy ol' not sexy at all .30-06...

03A4-2.jpg

Old scope and all...

03A4-1.jpg

But it does the job if I do my part. ;)

You fellers have some really nice rifles.
 
I bet that 03 will lay a hurtin' down on a critter, too! My deer rifle is a 1984 Ruger M77 in 308. It has a 24" heavy barrel and wears a Nikon Prostaff 3-9x40 scope. It was the first firearm I ever purchased with my own money. It's nothing special to most folks, but it would take a nice little pile of cash for me to let it go. I've killed one deer with it so far. I can't afford to buy into a lease around here, and public land is too full of true Bubbas for my taste.
 
My go to rifle to grab on a whim is a Marlin 1894 loaded with 300 gr jacketed semi-wad cutters. Works wonders on deer, foxes, coyotes, bobcats, feral dogs and cats, and opossums.
 
redneck2,

If you haven't had a chance yet to shoot that '99, wait 'til you drop the hammer the first time ! I've got a '99 in the .250, it was my Pop's. This rifle is awesome to shoot, I reload, and the 87 gr. bullets really smoke P-dogs, better than my Rem. bolt .223. Good luck with it.
 
I bought rifles based on a specific purpose for each one. I have some fairly nice stuff but none is my "go to" rifle for all situations. I'm not sure I could go with just one but I am sure I could do well with just one rifle instead of the collection of rifles I have. I've been threatening to sell off what I have and buy just one really good rifle that is good for every situation. Weatherby would be on my maybe list for that rifle. So would Sako. I definitely have too many rimfire rifles even though I have each one set up for a specific purpose. I do have one that I have thought about selling.

If I was going out in the woods not knowing what I was going to face I would take my most high tech, expensive rifle I own - well no I'd actually take my SKS. Multiple holes in a dangerous critter could go a long way into stopping one and the one thing I can count on my SKS doing is firing when I pull the trigger. That's important. I certainly have far more expensive rifles but I think about 25-30 holes in a bear would at least slow it down. But when I have a bear around the house I generally take a shotgun with a big honking slug that's hardened and powered by plenty of powder. It will probably make me wish I'd never seen a gun if I have to fire it more than a couple of times but it will likely dispatch a black bear.

Still I think about selling off all the rifles and shotguns I have for that one great rifle. I might even sell off some handguns too. I'd consider an AI too BTW. That's the one I keep thinking about. From what I hear they are something special.
 
Last edited:
I've got centerfire rifles ranging from .222rem to 300WM, but my go to rifle is a late-80's wood and blue Remington 700 Mountain in .270win. That particular rifle has seen a lot of back country, and has been my primary tool of choice for deer, caribou, and Dall Sheep. It just feels so natural when I shoulder it, and it always seems to hit what I'm aiming at when I pull the trigger.

Regardless of brand or cartridge, everybody should have at least one rifle that they're intimately comfortable with. That one is mine.
 
At the risk of drawing all kinds of "jammo-matic" comments, out of all my guns, the Remington 7400 in 30.06 is my "go to" gun for hunting Whitetails. It has never failed me, never jammed on me, and I've never missed a deer I was shooting at with it. I have hunted with it for 25 years now. Prior to that, I hunted with a Ted Williams 12 gauge shotgun with a poly choke. It could accurately throw foster slugs out to 100 yards....I would consider that my back up weapon for deer hunting as they both accompany me to the woods during deer season. The shotgun still gets action when I am driving through the woods. Both weapons have allowed me to kill over 100+ whitetails in my over 35 years of hunting. My kids and wife get to use all the new glossy guns in my safe...I've stuck with my tried and true weapons and they've never failed me. Just my nickels worth! :)
 
usually it's the flavor of the day from the front row of my safe, but most of the time and today it will be an old Remington 788 in .308, 2nd choice 7mm-08 Ruger 3rd place Ruger no. 1 in .22-250.....so many hogs, so little time.
 
I have a custom 280 Remington on a mouser action I have used it for years on elk and mule deer. Just bought a weatherby 257 vanguard series 2 I love it extreamly accurate and not much drop this will be the first year I hunt with it.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top