Go To Rifle?

[moonzapa]

After hunting deer since a small lad in Missouri at the age of 14, and now having lived up to the ripe age of 59, I have come to the conclusion there is only 1 rifle for me, the Weatherby Mark V. I've got a safe full of Remingtons, Rugers, Winchesters, CZ's, and Mauser's, and they gather dust each year. The Weatherby Mark V Ultra-Light rifle is light enough to hump all day long with little effort and it simply comes up to shoulder and eye the quickest and best. Accuracy is exceptional at less than MOA using my .280 Rem handloads. Don't buy a Weatherby, you'll be hooked for life.

 

[Sheepdog1968]

Cool. I had the same problem but mine was a 30-30 lever action.

 

[*NOVA*]

After hunting deer since a small lad in Missouri at the age of 14, and now having lived up to the ripe age of 59, I have come to the conclusion there is only 1 rifle for me, the Weatherby Mark V. I've got a safe full of Remingtons, Rugers, Winchesters, CZ's, and Mauser's, and they gather dust each year. The Weatherby Mark V Ultra-Light rifle is light enough to hump all day long with little effort and it simply comes up to shoulder and eye the quickest and best. Accuracy is exceptional at less than MOA using my .280 Rem handloads. Don't buy a Weatherby, you'll be hooked for life.

You have a Remington rifle gathering dust? It might take me a few months to save up enough cash, but would you consider selling it? I have one bolt action rifle - a Remmy 700 BDL in 30-06. My collection philosophy is eventually I'd like to have two of every firearm class or caliber so one is a Go To and the other is a Back Up.

 

[Legionnaire]

I try to rotate through the collection, but my "go to" is a Remington Model 7 in .308. I put it in an HS Precision sporter stock and added a 2-7X Leupold Vari-X II compact scope. Although I am almost 6'2", I love the short, lightweight pointability of the package, especially when hunting eastern hardwoods.

 

[moonzapa]

You're probably right about Jeff Cooper, a true firearms expert, in all areas. However, since Jeff Cooper's time things have changed. I'm not sure that things are changing for the better or not. Anyway, I'm just stating that the Weatherby is the most "shootable" rifle that I own. I'm not basing my opinion on speculation, just that I go to my Weatherby Ultra-Light in .280 Remington for White Tail deer and wild hogs. It fits so very well, and if you need follow up shots, you only have to lift the bolt a scant 54 degrees! FYI..., I don't own stock in Weatherby (lol). I would not recommend this rifle for 1000 yard matches, however, it shoots very well with my handloads. Good Shooting!

 

[moonzapa]

Years ago I owned a Ruger Lightweight bolt action rifle, 20" barrel, chambered for the .308 Win. It was extremely handy and it loved 165 grain Nosler BT's using IMR-4064 powder. I regret that it was stolen years ago. The Model 7 would be a great selection,too, for me in .308 Win, good deer and hog caliber.

 

[1948CJ2A]

I've got 3 Weatherby Vanguards but no Mark Vs. As much as like the Mark V, I can have approx 3 Vanguards for the price of 1 Mark V. Or maybe 2 really nice wood stock Vanguards for the price of 1 Mark V.

And I've been very pleased w/ the Vanguards, especially as they keep offering more Weatherby cartridges each year.

 

[1948CJ2A]

As far as cartridges go, I'd take a bolt action rifle in 7x57 Mauser. With handloads it will outperform the 7mm-08 at like pressures and you can easily take anything in North America, maybe with the exception of a Grizzly.

 

[moonzapa]

I happened to have the cash to buy the Mark V when I was working. I'm retired now and would consider the Vanguards. You make a valid point, I'm not sure if the added quality of the Mark V is worth the price difference but I haven't owned a Vanguard. I'm certainly not a gun snob but I believe in buying the best that I can afford. The new Vanguard 2's seem interesting to me, but I haven't had the opportunity to shoulder one. I favor flat shooting calibers as opposed to the stubby, fat calibers in all of my guns. Just my preference. Good Shooting!

 

[moonzapa]

I have read nothing but positive, complimentary comments about the 7x57 Mauser cartridge. I love the .284 caliber bullets because they have such high ballistic coefficients. In my opinion, and I'm sure the .264 and 6.5mm fans will disagree with me, the .284 caliber bullets are the slickest and most efficient bullets in-flight that can be obtained. So why fight it? The British taught us a lesson this year in 1000 yard competition that 7mm (.284) is the only way to go. If your longest shot is 100 yards from a deer blind, a good old 30-30 will do just fine.

 

[1948CJ2A]

I happened to have the cash to buy the Mark V when I was working. I'm retired now and would consider the Vanguards. You make a valid point, I'm not sure if the added quality of the Mark V is worth the price difference but I haven't owned a Vanguard. I'm certainly not a gun snob but I believe in buying the best that I can afford. The new Vanguard 2's seem interesting to me, but I haven't had the opportunity to shoulder one. I favor flat shooting calibers as opposed to the stubby, fat calibers in all of my guns. Just my preference. Good Shooting!

I hear you. The fit and finish of the Mark V is certainly higher quality than the Vanguards. The 9-lug bolts, the bolt throw angle, and several other design differences truly put the Mark V in its own class.

I love the flat shooting Weatherby cartridges. Currently I have a 240 Wby, 257 Wby, & 300 Wby. I've considered building a wildcat 6.5-300 Wby just to be absurd and for no practical reason.

I've got a family member with a 270 Wby. That cartridge is on my short list.

I'm a hater of the short and super short magnum craze that hit about 10 years ago. I'm glad its gone away about as quickly as it came.

Good to see another local from Dallas!

I have read nothing but positive, complimentary comments about the 7x57 Mauser cartridge. I love the .284 caliber bullets because they have such high ballistic coefficients. In my opinion, and I'm sure the .264 and 6.5mm fans will disagree with me, the .284 caliber bullets are the slickest and most efficient bullets in-flight that can be obtained. So why fight it? The British taught us a lesson this year in 1000 yard competition that 7mm (.284) is the only way to go. If your longest shot is 100 yards from a deer blind, a good old 30-30 will do just fine.

The 7x57 is nice because it's so versatile. I've got a 7mm Rem Mag in my safe too but I don't really need it. Sure it will outperform the old Mauser but if you go back to that age old question... "if you could only pick one rifle, what would it be?" then I think I would be hard pressed to find a better choice.

I recently picked up a 6.5x55 and feel almost the same way about it as the 7x57. It's a timeless cartridge with proven field results.

The real reason I love the big belted magnums so much is because they can do such impressive things with heavier bullets. This becomes important when you're hunting larger game and at greater distances. I like the knock-down power of a magnum on a 300 yd shot (about the max distance I feel comfortable taking in most scenarios).

I'm also partial to the 7x57 because it was my first centerfire rifle.

 

[Hanshi]

Though I no longer hunt with modern guns, I did have my favorites for years. My "default" rifle has always been a Savage M99 in .250/3000. I rotated guns a bit but 3 out of 4 days in the woods found me with that M99. For a long time my "default" rifle was an early Ruger M77 in .250/3000 and it still stayed in the rotation. Other "special" ones is a Rem Classic .350mag and an early Marlin .45/70.

 

[wgaynor]

My go to rifle is my Marlin .30-.30. Best rifle I have, and that includes m77 hawekeye .30-.06 and Remington 700 .223.

 

[ADKWOODSMAN]

My go to rifle is a Remington Mod 7 in 7-mm08. My other model 7 now sports a .358 Winchester barrel. Can't wait for deer season.

 

[1948CJ2A]

Though I no longer hunt with modern guns, I did have my favorites for years. My "default" rifle has always been a Savage M99 in .250/3000.

That's another one of my favorite cartridges. I built a custom 250 Sav on a M48 Yugo Mauser almost 10 years ago. It's a great little deer rifle and superior to the 243 in so many way IMO.

 

[Kachok]

Never owned a Weatherby, but me and my Tikka 6.5x55 will never part. If I did not handload my Winchester 70 Featherweight 308 would be my "go to" gun.

 

[moonzapa]

I'm partial to the .257 Weatherby Magnum. A friend of my Dad was a gunsmith in South Dakota and he always talked about the attributes of the .257 Weatherby and it would be one that I would like to have. I've got the other calibers pretty much covered. I could see doing an Antelope hunt and using the .257 and being very effective at the longer ranges.

 

[oldpapps]

If the dogs are tearing up jack, I grab my Marlin CampGun in .45 ACP (I really hate having to shoot skunks, rather they never came around or just keep going, dumb Boxer never learns).

If I'm going out on the east ridge, I'll tote a Rem 600 in .308 Win with a 'Red Dot', loaded back for my old bones. Light to carry, handy, more than enough for a feral dog or (I wish) a wild hog. And I don't toss my brass as I shoot

 

[Geno]

The Mark V really comes into its own, when you have the 26" barrel. I've had Mark Vs and Vanguards. Both are excellent rifles, but my nod goes to the Mark V of their two offerings. Take some time and review the information from testing the Mark V action as Roy Wetherby developed it. The details of the abuse he subjected the action to was shocking, yet the action never failed, including lodging a projectile mid-way down the barrel, then firing an over-pressure load into that projectile. Both, both projectiles exited the barrel, and no damage to the rifle. Shocking strength!

OP, do you have the 9-lug action, or the 6-lug action?

Geno

 

[moonzapa]

Both of my Mark Vs have three sets of three lugs on the bolt. I enjoy the way the rifles handle for me. The are light, come up to my shoulder very quickly and just fit me well. I don't have any Weatherby mags, however, I would like to have a .257 Weatherby before I pass on to shooting heaven. As I previously noted, I have a few name brand rifles in my safe, but if I could do it all over again it would be Weatherby all the way. Just my preference. And incidentally, I have spent nearly $3,000 on a custom made rifle, which is a sweet piece, but I don't shoot it much, go figure.:banghead:

 

[Geno]

Two rifles that I regret having sold are my Mark V (9-lug) .270 Win and .30-06 Sprg. Big mistake!

Geno

 

[redneck2]

My "default" rifle has always been a Savage M99 in .250/3000.

I just got one of these a few months back. Made in 1917 and looks nearly brand new. Found a guy that makes scope mounts that don't require drilling the receiver. This may well be my go to in the future.

Right now, it's my AR. Kind of a wide swing in technology. The two hunting AR's that I have are both exceptionally accurate. If I absolutely, positively want to hit something, these are the rifles of choice

 

[Captcurt]

Fickle.

I like my Vanguards (257 mag and a 223). Both shoot sub-moa. The closest to perfect whitetail gun was a Ruger Compact in 260. Didn't like the gray laminate stainless and sold it. If I find a deal on a blue walnut gun it will come home with me. I had a Ruger 77 270 that I carried for 15 years or so. It took 22 whitetails, 2 mulies, 2 pronghorn and a bobcat. For the last 10 years a 6 1/4# Savage 10 in 300 WSM has been the go to gun. Short, lite, sub -moa and is dynomite on whitetails with 165 Accubonds.

 

[mavracer]

I don't hunt anymore but always wanted a mannlicher stocked mauser with a butter knife bolt handle in 7X57 topped with a 1 to 4x ish scope in QD mount so rifle sights would still be accessable.

 

[Esoxchaser]

Browning BLR in .308. Accurate as heck and sexy as anything.