Hopefully this can be a fun discussion:
I am trying to decide which rifles I really want to have in my collection to create a rifle battery that will be practical for my uses without too much redundancy. I am not discounting the fact that it is okay to own a rifle just because you happen to want it (like my Enfield).
I also own a Bushmaster and NEF single-shot in .223 but I don't want them to figure in this discussion. I may even sell the Bushmaster soon (yes it is a very good rifle).
I already own a Marlin 1894C in .357 Mag. Great little carbine, fun to shoot, good for varmints etc... within its range.
My interests are in having a rifle I can use to hunt at least deer-size game, and I can't see taking shots out past 200+ yards or so. Some day feral hogs might also be on the list.
I see a .308 bolt gun or .30-30 lever as possible candidates for this. A .44 Mag lever gun might also fit the bill for shots within 125 yards or so.
The .308 bolt gun would allow longer distance and bigger game to be sought, and would provide for a longer range target gun, and would be well equipped with an optical sight and perhaps backup irons. I'm thinking a Winchester M70 Featherweight would be to my liking. I'm sure that in addition to hunting I would enjoy shooting this rifle for accuracy at the range.
On the other hand, a .30-30 is very quick handling and is a good deer gun as long as the range is reasonable. I would probably not scope it, but would install a good ghost ring sight. Ammo isn't cheap, and it would not be a plinking gun.
The .44 Mag would be good for deer within its range, ammo isn't exactly cheap but is more affordable than .30-30. It holds more rounds, might be a better defensive arm in some situations and might be better for plinking. But I think having the .44 Mag might make my .357 lever gun redundant and unnecessary. I'm not sure though... the .357 has proven very effective on woodchucks, etc...
That's the other point: I see some overlap within the caliber range, as in:
.357 Mag - .44 Mag
.44 Mag - .30-30
.30-30 - .308
Each one can stand on its own merits, but there is some overlap with each step upward in caliber.
So what combinations (assuming I don't want to buy all four ) do you guys think would be the optimal choices?
.357 Mag / .308 bolt
.357 Mag / .30-30
.357 Mag / .44 Mag / .308 bolt
.44 Mag / .30-30 (sell the .357)
.44 Mag / .308 bolt (sell the .357)
etc...
I know there is no definitive answer to this, I'd just like to hear some opinions on the issues I brought up and try to glean from the collective wisdom on the forum!
I am trying to decide which rifles I really want to have in my collection to create a rifle battery that will be practical for my uses without too much redundancy. I am not discounting the fact that it is okay to own a rifle just because you happen to want it (like my Enfield).
I also own a Bushmaster and NEF single-shot in .223 but I don't want them to figure in this discussion. I may even sell the Bushmaster soon (yes it is a very good rifle).
I already own a Marlin 1894C in .357 Mag. Great little carbine, fun to shoot, good for varmints etc... within its range.
My interests are in having a rifle I can use to hunt at least deer-size game, and I can't see taking shots out past 200+ yards or so. Some day feral hogs might also be on the list.
I see a .308 bolt gun or .30-30 lever as possible candidates for this. A .44 Mag lever gun might also fit the bill for shots within 125 yards or so.
The .308 bolt gun would allow longer distance and bigger game to be sought, and would provide for a longer range target gun, and would be well equipped with an optical sight and perhaps backup irons. I'm thinking a Winchester M70 Featherweight would be to my liking. I'm sure that in addition to hunting I would enjoy shooting this rifle for accuracy at the range.
On the other hand, a .30-30 is very quick handling and is a good deer gun as long as the range is reasonable. I would probably not scope it, but would install a good ghost ring sight. Ammo isn't cheap, and it would not be a plinking gun.
The .44 Mag would be good for deer within its range, ammo isn't exactly cheap but is more affordable than .30-30. It holds more rounds, might be a better defensive arm in some situations and might be better for plinking. But I think having the .44 Mag might make my .357 lever gun redundant and unnecessary. I'm not sure though... the .357 has proven very effective on woodchucks, etc...
That's the other point: I see some overlap within the caliber range, as in:
.357 Mag - .44 Mag
.44 Mag - .30-30
.30-30 - .308
Each one can stand on its own merits, but there is some overlap with each step upward in caliber.
So what combinations (assuming I don't want to buy all four ) do you guys think would be the optimal choices?
.357 Mag / .308 bolt
.357 Mag / .30-30
.357 Mag / .44 Mag / .308 bolt
.44 Mag / .30-30 (sell the .357)
.44 Mag / .308 bolt (sell the .357)
etc...
I know there is no definitive answer to this, I'd just like to hear some opinions on the issues I brought up and try to glean from the collective wisdom on the forum!