Two Rifles For your State?

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I don't count 22 rimfires, everyone has to have one. Here in GA we have deer and black bear. Hogs are more plentiful in the southern part of the state. Of course coyote. Black bear are normally under 200 lbs, but we have a few in the 400+ category killed every year and a 500 lb bear occasionally. The state record is almost 700 lbs. Taken with a bow.

https://www.outdoorhub.com/news/201...ar-taken-georgia-dwarfs-pickup-thats-hauling/

If I have to count 22 I'd choose one of my 308's as the 2nd choice. If I don't have to count the 22 I'd also want a 223 for punching paper at longer ranges cheap and for varmints in addition to the 308.
 
Things have changed over the years. These days, I find myself shooting either one of two stainless Remington 700s this .223 Stainless Fluted Light Varmint.


. 700 LVSS.JPG 700CDL1.jpg
And, this Stainless BDL, .270 Win that shoots one-hole groups at 100 yards.
 
1. Quality 16" AR15, because every American should own a detachable magazine fed, full auto rifle and something like an AR is as close as we can get right now without going to prison.
2. .44 Mag single shot for deer. I don't do much small game hunting, and if I did, I could use a shotgun, if for some odd reason we were limited to just two rifles.
 
Ne/wy: I LOVE my fast 22cf arsenal but if only 2 rifles (and we're not cheating with barrel swapping or upper swapping) then a fast 6mm for small game/varmints/deer/pronghorn, and a fast 6.5 or 7mm (rm or in my case stw) for elk/bighorn (min .25 for elk) my .270 wsm Benelli will see plenty of use but it can't replace my stw (except in recoil). Handloading allows the fast 6 to be viable for whatever the law allows here from small to larger so I COULD even forego the rimfire if necessary.
 
I’m New Mexico it’s a .260 Rem for antelope and deer. The 35 Whelen smacks the elk.
Moving to Wisconsin where I grew up in a couple of weeks. My Winchester model 72 .22 and my 336 in .35 Rem will get the nod there.
 
If I could only pick two rifles out of my battery, it would be my M16A4 clone and probably my 300 PRC, though the 300 WSM would be a good second choice just because of the wide range of bullet weights that are suitable for it. The 5.56 works for everything from varmints up to deer, antelope, and most bi-pedal pests; the 30 cal would cover all that and more.
 
Well, if you consider shotguns with rifled barrels to be rifles, then for Illinois:

20 Gauge Slug Gun (Savage 220)
Bolt action or AR in 5.56/223

If you don't have to count the shotgun and ammo cost barrel life DOES matter:
22lr in whatever action type you want
Bolt action or AR in 5.56/223

If ammo cost and barrel life doesn't matter:
22lr in whatever action type you want
Bolt action .22-250

IF Illinois ever moved to allowing straight walled cartridges for deer, that would make things alot more interesting. It's been proposed/discussed but never gotten through.

Actually, interesting workaround for deer hunting with a "rifle"... as I understand it, you can use an AR PISTOL in an appropriate cartridge if you use a single shot "bob sled" insert in the magwell to make it single shot. The requirement for revolvers/handguns is:

-Centerfire revolvers or centerfire single-shot handguns of .30 caliber or larger with a minimum barrel length of 4 inches.

- For handguns, a bottleneck centerfire cartridge of .30 caliber or larger with a case length not exceeding 1.4 inches, or a straight-walled centerfire cartridge of .30 caliber or larger, both of which must be available as a factory load with the published ballistic tables of the manufacturer showing a capability of at least 500 foot pounds of energy at the muzzle. Note: There is no case length limit for straight-walled cartridges.

Reading around, multiple people have gotten clarification from DNR that such a setup falls within regs and is GTG. 300 BLK is popular for such setups, I imagine 350 Legend will probably pick up some steam as well. With straight walled cases not being limited in length, I'm sure you could go with some more interesting/powerful calibers as well especially if you bump up to an AR-10 setup. If I ever really get into deer hunting, I may very well go that route as it is a more multipurpose setup.
 
Last edited:
BigBL87 said:
Well, if you consider shotguns with rifled barrels to be rifles, then for Illinois:

20 Gauge Slug Gun (Savage 220)
Bolt action or AR in 5.56/223

If you don't have to count the shotgun and ammo cost barrel life DOES matter:
22lr in whatever action type you want
Bolt action or AR in 5.56/223

If ammo cost and barrel life doesn't matter:
22lr in whatever action type you want
Bolt action .22-250

IF Illinois ever moved to allowing straight walled cartridges for deer, that would make things alot more interesting. It's been proposed/discussed but never gotten through.

Actually, interesting workaround for deer hunting with a "rifle"... as understand it, you can use an AR PISTOL in an appropriate cartridge if you use a single shot "bob sled" insert in the magwell to make it single shot. The requirement for revolvers/handguns is:

-Centerfire revolvers or centerfire single-shot handguns of .30 caliber or larger with a minimum barrel length of 4 inches.

- For handguns, a bottleneck centerfire cartridge of .30 caliber or larger with a case length not exceeding 1.4 inches, or a straight-walled centerfire cartridge of .30 caliber or larger, both of which must be available as a factory load with the published ballistic tables of the manufacturer showing a capability of at least 500 foot pounds of energy at the muzzle. Note: There is no case length limit for straight-walled cartridges.

Reading around, multiple people have gotten clarification from DNR that such a setup falls within regs and is GTG. 300 BLK is popular for such setups, I imagine 350 Legend will probably pick up some steam as well. With straight walled cases not being limited in length, I'm sure you could go with some more interesting/powerful calibers as well especially if you bump up to an AR-10 setup. If I ever really get into deer hunting, I may very well go that route as it is a more multipurpose setup.
Click to expand...
What about a bfr in .460 or .30-30?
Eta scoped. OR vxr w/ bipod scoped?
 
For WI, I'd stick with .223 and .30-06. This choice is based on the fact that I have lots of brass, and dies, for both calibers. I don't currently own a .30-06, and since I don't hunt bear anymore, see no need for one in the WI woods. But I do intend to own one again, so that's what I chose for the second caliber. I could just as well have choose 7.62x54R or 7.62x39, as I have rifles in those calibers, and have hunted deer with them. 7mm-08 would be the caliber I would add if I were interested in doing that.
 
30-06 bolt gun and a 45 Colt lever gun.

30-06 will do for all my hunting except p-dogs, which I don't much do anymore. Can't do without a saddle/truck/camp/hike rifle, so the R92 in 45 Colt stays.
 
Living in Colorado I would definitely choose a .308 for hunting. It will take all of the critters I hunt. Then I would probably choose a 12 gauge for everything else including the small game I wouldn't want to shoot with the .308.
 
Lived in SC most of my life. Mostly see 30-06 or 270s in the upstate for Deer hunters, 243s for smaller hunters. I have had the most success with my Rm 700 308 so I guess that would be my no.1 choice. Second would be a toss up between my 6.8 AR or 270. Most likely would be the AR to go with the bolt gun
 
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