One Rifle Hunter

[ojibweindian]

Anyone ever voluntarily want to become the proverbial "one rifle hunter"? I've gotten to the point in my life to where I only want to deal with one; a Vanguard in 30-06. It's just easier to deal with only the one rifle, and not have the others messing around in the back of my head. No more "should I take this one, or that one, or the other one"? Just grab the Vanguard, go out, and shoot something with tusks or antlers.

I'll likely still agonize over experimenting with loads for the damn thing, but at least it'll be only for the one rifle.

 

[Bill M.]

Have "retired" from hunting now. But...for 50 years or so I was a 1 rifle hunter. And it was a bolt action 30-06. Shot bear and deer with it.

 

[Gun-Reck]

For meat hunting: M700/.270 Winchester for decades, and then retired for an M70 EWSS chambered in the same cartridge.

3-9x Leupold, and then a 2.5-8x from the same manufacturer.

150 gr. Speer or Partition bullets, or the 140 gr. TSX in non-permissive environments.


Of late, have added recreational, aperture sighted hunting rifles.

 

[VoodooMountain]

A lot of hunters, if not most of them, did this for many years. Rifles were expensive, cartridge choices were more limited, and firearms were strictly tools for most.

We are truly spoiled.

 

[MacAR]

Becoming a "one rifle rifleman" is a thought I've entertained many times over the years; I've never done it, however. Were I to do so, I would do believe I'd pick my Remington M700 in 30-06. Pretty much a do-all round for N. America. However, as a member here once said to me "life is too short to not enjoy every gun you can", and now I have a battery of hunting rifles. Some days, I like to take the old reliable M700 and it makes me think hard about selling off the rest of them. But other days, I like to take one of the others and experience a bit of nostalgia, history, etc. that one feels when sitting in the woods with a vintage rifle. It all boils down to personal preference, I guess.

Mac

 

[ojibweindian]

Becoming a "one rifle rifleman" is a thought I've entertained many times over the years; I've never done it, however. Were I to do so, I would do believe I'd pick my Remington M700 in 30-06. Pretty much a do-all round for N. America. However, as a member here once said to me "life is too short to not enjoy every gun you can", and now I have a battery of hunting rifles. Some days, I like to take the old reliable M700 and it makes me think hard about selling off the rest of them. But other days, I like to take one of the others and experience a bit of nostalgia, history, etc. that one feels when sitting in the woods with a vintage rifle. It all boils down to personal preference, I guess.

Mac

20-ish years ago, when first getting into the sport, I wanted a Vanguard in 30-06; I ended up with a Vanguard in 7RM. It's a good rifle, and I've killed a number of deer with it. It's never failed me.

Over the years, while in that obsessive mindset that I sometimes allow to overtake my sensibilities, I bought several other rifles, mostly bolt, in various cartridges; to tinker. Always hunted with the 7RM, though. Last summer, I stumbled across a Vanguard in 30-06. Perfect. What I've "lusted" after for decades, yet never got around to buying. This time around, I bought it and a Leupold V3-HD. Was able to quickly develop a load that has yet to go over an inch at 100.

So, now that I've got the rifle I've always wanted, the others are just sitting in the gun cabinet. And, honestly, the idea of taking them out to the range, or into the woods, is exhausting. I just don't want to. I'm giving the Vanguard in 7RM to my son, along with the dies, bullets, primers, and powder. I've amassed enough so that he'll likely not have to buy components for the next 20 years. I will likely sell the others, with the exception of a Swede (my granddaughter's fiancée is likely to get that, if he wants it).

 

[MacAR]

20-ish years ago, when first getting into the sport, I wanted a Vanguard in 30-06; I ended up with a Vanguard in 7RM. It's a good rifle, and I've killed a number of deer with it. It's never failed me.

Over the years, while in that obsessive mindset that I sometimes allow to overtake my sensibilities, I bought several other rifles, mostly bolt, in various cartridges; to tinker. Always hunted with the 7RM, though. Last summer, I stumbled across a Vanguard in 30-06. Perfect. What I've "lusted" after for decades, yet never got around to buying. This time around, I bought it and a Leupold V3-HD. Was able to quickly develop a load that has yet to go over an inch at 100.

So, now that I've got the rifle I've always wanted, the others are just sitting in the gun cabinet. And, honestly, the idea of taking them out to the range, or into the woods, is exhausting. I just don't want to. I'm giving the Vanguard in 7RM to my son, along with the dies, bullets, primers, and powder. I've amassed enough so that he'll likely not have to buy components for the next 20 years. I will likely sell the others, with the exception of a Swede (my granddaughter's fiancée is likely to get that, if he wants it).

I can understand that. To be honest, I could get down to one or two rifles, one or two shotguns, and one or two 22's for my long guns. I guess I am a bit of a collector though, since I've amassed several antiques and the thought of parting with them just really doesn't appeal to me at the moment. That could absolutely change in the near future though. To each their own, I reckon. It sounds to me like you have a pretty good plan, and you've picked a good rifle and cartridge to fulfil it. If I were in your shoes, I'd probably do the same.

Mac

 

[ojibweindian]

I can understand that. To be honest, I could get down to one or two rifles, one or two shotguns, and one or two 22's for my long guns. I guess I am a bit of a collector though, since I've amassed several antiques and the thought of parting with them just really doesn't appeal to me at the moment. That could absolutely change in the near future though. To each their own, I reckon. It sounds to me like you have a pretty good plan, and you've picked a good rifle and cartridge to fulfil it. If I were in your shoes, I'd probably do the same.

Mac

Really just wanting to simply things. A few years back, the thought never crossed my mind.

 

[Hookeye]

Im not a fan of dual purpose stuff.
Each item set up for specific task.
Even so............I just got a .308 and have a .30-06, so seems "too much".
Haven't hunted the .30-06 and it shoots good.
If my .308 proves decent w diff scope off the bench, bye bye the .30-06.

 

[Hookeye]

My thing is.........the more crap in the safe the more they ding each other up, the more stuff to clean/oil.
Less stuff is less hassle.
I keep thinking a custom .35 rem Ruger #1, but with arthritis and other........I've got maybe 5 more yrs of hunting.
Its just not worth the discomfort any more.
Plus my current spot aint that good. Am used to hunting bigger ground, better ground, w better bucks.

Spoiled.

Once you've had that, lesser just aint worth it.

 

[Hookeye]

Older I get the more pratical I become.
Varmints close and far.....2 rifles.
Deer close and far................2 rifles.
Looks like 4 minimum to me.
Using diff types of optics, could make that a 3 and 3 type of deal.
So yeah, looks like 6 rifles might be a minimum LOL

 

[KnightHawk]

I no longer hunt, all we have close around here is moose and black bears, caribou a hundred miles away for marginal hunting, basically a waste of time.
That said living in Alaska the one rifle would be a 30-06 Period. Bullet selection from 100 to 240 grain jacketed bullets available.
I’m speaking as a reloader. With that in mind gives the 30-06 tremendous flexibility.
The long neck is also excellent for cast bullets, and I’m all about cast.
With cast and a pinch of Bullseye and the Lyman 311-316 at 115 grains you are In subsonic territory or Lyman 311-284 at 220 grains or my favorite the old NEI 308-220 which weighs out at 225 grains. 225 grains at 1400 to 2400 fps is nothing to sneeze at.
I have other bolt guns and mainly levers as well. If I lived in white or black tail country I might opt for something more along the lines of a 30-30, 30-40 or 35 Remington. But the 06 loaded down with a receiver sight would shine. But my Enfield and my Springfield are a bit on the heavy side, so my Winchester Featherweight would get the nod.

 

[Picher]

This is my favorite hunting rifle...a 30-06 Rem 700 Stainless in a custom stock and pillar-bedded. She puts bullets in about the same hole at 100 yards and has killed a moose at 270 yards when I was sitting on my stool in Maine's North Maine Woods. There were several bulls calling within earshot and about 8 females that my bull was attracted to, but we couldn't see. I only had about 5 seconds to get a shot off but managed to put a handloaded 165 grain .270 handload through the lungs.

 

[mcb]

I am a one rifle hunter, tomorrow I will be a different one rifle hunter.

 

[badkarmamib]

The only game I hunt is Eastern Whitetail. My only (remaining) hunting rifle is my Remington 700 in .30/06. Due to time and money constraints, I have sold or given away most of my guns over the last 5 years. The majority went to family and close friends. I kept my absolute favorites, that would fill every role I could see myself needing or wanting, so I am content. At the moment, anyway...

 

[Resist Evil]

When I first started hunting food animals, I lived in the Denver area. I started off with a borrowed 30.06. Having limited funds, I wanted one rifle of my own to handle antelope, deer, and elk. I began researching hunting calibers and I settled on the 7mm Rem Mag due to the round's flatter trajectory through the distance I was likely to hunt. I chose a Federal round loaded with Nosler Partitions at 160 grs. Worked every time on everything. It was a good choice for me. At 70 years of age, no longer living in CO, and having some other issues, I no longer hunt.

 

[ojibweindian]

When I first started hunting food animals, I lived in the Denver area. I started off with a borrowed 30.06. Having limited funds, I wanted one rifle of my own to handle antelope, deer, and elk. I began researching hunting calibers and I settled on the 7mm Rem Mag due to the round's flatter trajectory through the distance I was likely to hunt. I chose a Federal round loaded with Nosler Partitions at 160 grs. Worked every time on everything. It was a good choice for me. At 70 years of age, no longer living in CO, and having some other issues, I no longer hunt.

You still have the rifle?

 

[Resist Evil]

You still have the rifle?

I do.

 

[Ks5shooter]

7mm-08 for me.Hunt only deer with it.22-250 varmints get that.I have other rifles but thats what Ihunt with.

 

[jmr40]

I bought a Remington 700 ADL 30-06 new in 1975. That was the pretty much the only rifle I hunted with for over 25 years. I've owned a bunch of rifles, but that was almost always the one I reached for to hunt with. The others got taken out and shot, but rarely hunted.

For a variety of reasons, I retired that rifle in the late 1990's and went through a couple of others before finding a good deal on a used Winchester EW in 308 in 2009. I swapped out the stock for a McMillan Edge and it has been my go-to rifle since.

I still have others, but just don't hunt with them. I have a few AR's, lots of 22's and some bolt action centerfires that are range toys. I've had a buttload of lever guns, but when prices got crazy, I sold off all but 2. I rarely hunted with them though. I still have a 1958 Winchester 94 and a 1958 Marlin 336. Both made the year of my birth, and my 2 favorite grandkids will get those.

The Winchester 70 EW. It does everything I need a rifle to do.

 

[ThomasT]

Anyone ever voluntarily want to become the proverbial "one rifle hunter"?

I have thought about doing the same thing. Then I thought "what a crazy idea". I like all my rifles. And I try to hunt with each one at least a couple of times. I have always said I could get by with three guns. A 22 rifle, shotgun and 30-30 lever action. Those three would do all I have ever needed a gun for.

To be honest my most used and most often picked gun I hunted with was the 7x57 my grand father built on a Mauser action. He also built an 8x57 on a Mauser action. I gave both guns to my sons as family keepsakes. Now I mostly just hunt with a first version Remington model 7 in 7-08. It does what the 7x57 does. And does it in a smaller, lighter package. The 18.5" barrel is easy to carry and would be great in a deer box stand if I ever hunted in them. But I don't.

My last deer kill was with a 30-30 and I was really impressed with the damage that bullet did at 70 yards. I know why the 30-30 was such a popular deer rifle for so many years. But like the OP if I really had to pick just one deer rifle it would be my Ruger 77 30-06. Thats the round all others are measured against for good reasons. It just works. It punches above its weight class.

 

[LoonWulf]

Nope.....



Nothing wrong with it, but not for me.

 

[marksman13]

Na. Part of the fun for me is choosing which rifle I want to tote on a given day. I could probably focus on being a better hunter if I quit monkeying around with a bunch of different rifles and scopes, but it’s what I enjoy.

 

[d2wing]

My Tikka T3 in 7-08 covers everything for me. Many years ago my one rifle was a 30-06 742.

 

[sage5907]

Anyone ever voluntarily want to become the proverbial "one rifle hunter"? I've gotten to the point in my life to where I only want to deal with one; a Vanguard in 30-06. It's just easier to deal with only the one rifle, and not have the others messing around in the back of my head. No more "should I take this one, or that one, or the other one"? Just grab the Vanguard, go out, and shoot something with tusks or antlers.

I'll likely still agonize over experimenting with loads for the damn thing, but at least it'll be only for the one rifle.

Yes, why not refine it even further by just using a 30-06 with only one load for everything. My choice would be the 165 grain Nosler Partition with 57 grains of IMR 4350. That one bullet hits hard with a big thump and penetrated deep. You don't have to watch the animal to see if you have made a hit because you knew it by the sound of the hit. In my opinion it is more dependable as a hunting bullet than the standard cup & core versions. There is a noted book written by a hunter named J.Y. Jones who wrote "One Man, One Rifle, One Land" where he used only a 30-06 Remingron 700 blind magazine with the Nosler Partition to take many animals. It is an expensive high quality large book with many pictures. I was surprised when I read the book that he had a friend do all of his reloading. He just carried that one rifle everywhere and hunted animals with it. I have been hunting with a 30-06 every year for many years even though my favorite hunting rifles are the 280 Remington and the 338-06. If adverse weather conditions arise out comes the 30-06. If I've got to carry the rifle a long distance in rough conditions out comes the 30-06. In fact, I still own three 30-06 rifles and I have more loaded ammunition for them than any other cartridge. I'm currently using only the 165 grain Nosler for hunting and the 150 grain Sierra GameKing with 57 grains of Reloader 17 for practice. I'm going on a 16 day hunt starting this Saturday and I'm taking a 280, 338-06 and my favorite 30-06. My longest kill shot on a buck to date was 367 yards with a 30-06. The rifle had a Leupold M3 scope that adjusted for distance. I didn't like the heavy scope so I sold the scope and replaced it with a lighter 3-9 variable.