mljdeckard
Member
When I am involved in such activities, I prefer my Tapcoed SKS.
What is your preferred "ranch" rifle?
- Thread starter FullEffect1911
- Start date
- Status
Jeff F
Member
Ranch duty, a mini 14 not a ranch model, a Winchester 30-30 and a Ruger Redhawk in .45colt. The .45 colt with hot hard cast GC Kieth bullets will flat drop an ornery range cow if needed. Rifles ride in the pickup or one in a saddle scabbed.
dubbleA
Member
deleted
Last edited:
dubbleA
Member
At the ranch, whether it's in a jeep, truck, ranger utv or helicopter it's most likely a AR-15 flavored .223.
high country
Member
We have some acreage and a small handful of cattle. When I am out in the field working on fences, ditches, etc. I wear a .357 on my hip and don't carry a rifle. If I am just out walking I wear the .357, and carry a .22 (Marlin 795). I have never felt a need for anything more, unless I am going for something specific - e.g. if I have a deer tag, I carry a Marlin 336; if it is pheasant season, I carry a shotgun; if I am out on a dedicated prairie dog extermination mission I take an AR-15 with a 7-18 power scope. Mostly it is the light little marlin .22 that I don't care about cosmetic damage to, and could replace for $100 if it got destroyed.
I carried a 30/30 on the ranch for years. Got tired of carrying 2 types of ammo in the truck. Lately if working on the ranch I have been carrying a Henry Frontier in .22mag and a Ruger Single Six loaded the same. I have had good luck taking coyotes up to 100yds with the Henry wearing a fixed 4x using 40grain hollow points. Second on the list is my 580 series Mini 14.
I have a program I call a "day in the sun". I go around the properties working, clean up, water gate, and working the bees. My rifle of choice will be a bolt. a mosin, mauser, or M95 or whatever feels good in the hand. it'll be ready as in times past. funny thing is I carry no shells. Houses are too close or we don't own the land on others. unless I go to the shooting range from there. Afterwards it gets inspected, the metal cleaned, the wood polished. then returned to storage, ready for another day. all get guard duty, standing ready. old soldiers shouldn't be lock up.
huntershooter
Member
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2005
- Messages
- 1,058
The two most frequently carried rifles when at the ranch are; 1). mod 94 in .30/30 and 2). Kimber 84 in .308 with a fixed 6X Leopold.
tahunua001
Member
whenever I think of a ranch gun for some reason my mind always jumps straight to lever action and when I think of lever I always jump straight to marlin 336 or 1894 and winchester 94. strange since all of the ranchers I've worked for over the years just have bolt rifles. looking at practical ranch application between your two choices
getting rid of varmints< ar15
getting rid of them pesky deer during hunting season<ar15
killing predators such as el lobo, el coyote and el grande gato<ar15
on the other hand
packing around on a saddle or 4 wheeler<1894
having to put down a dieing cow<1894
gun you wouldn't mind getting covered in dirt, mud, turds etc<1894
surprising a grumpy bear and need to drop it the first time <1894
even though I'm a through and through AR15 man I'd probably still carry the 1894 since it can marginally accomplish all of the tasks in the AR15 columns but the AR15 sucks at the tasks in the 1894 columns.
getting rid of varmints< ar15
getting rid of them pesky deer during hunting season<ar15
killing predators such as el lobo, el coyote and el grande gato<ar15
on the other hand
packing around on a saddle or 4 wheeler<1894
having to put down a dieing cow<1894
gun you wouldn't mind getting covered in dirt, mud, turds etc<1894
surprising a grumpy bear and need to drop it the first time <1894
even though I'm a through and through AR15 man I'd probably still carry the 1894 since it can marginally accomplish all of the tasks in the AR15 columns but the AR15 sucks at the tasks in the 1894 columns.
sansone
Member
oooh.. this I like (did the pic move with the quote?)Would be my M1 Carbine...
357Shooter
Member
usmc1371
Member
Bolt action 25-06 all weather. Easy to shoot and then down load so I don't have a round in the chamber in the truck. The AR and most semi autos are just more of a pain to fire one round then unload. I like the lever guns but they lack the range to deal with far off coyotes or the un lucky cougar that thinks he is out of range.
If I am just going after pests then I want my Les Baer super varmint .204 hands down. stupid accurate, lots of fast fallow up shots, costs to much to leave in the safe.
If I am just going after pests then I want my Les Baer super varmint .204 hands down. stupid accurate, lots of fast fallow up shots, costs to much to leave in the safe.
para38super
Member
- Joined
- Aug 30, 2011
- Messages
- 40
Ruger mini 14.
Whenever I need a gun for carry on my property, unless I think I'm shooting further than 300 yards, at something smaller than a person, or both, I grab my SKS out of the back of my truck. grab my belt kit and compact chest rig under a jacket, and I'm off. Pretty light, very cheap, and it doesn't look too scary if for some reason there's a non-gun-friendly person on the property.
InkEd
Member
Henry Big Boy .357
wlewisiii
Member
Lever action in .30-30 with receiver peep sights. I prefer top ejecting Winchesters, but that's because that's what I own 
bergmen
Member.
I have three that I count on:
1) Marlin 1894 in .45 Colt.
2) Marlin 1936 in 30-30.
3) Springfield M1A Walnut Scout Squad.
Depending entirely on the circumstances...
Dan
1) Marlin 1894 in .45 Colt.
2) Marlin 1936 in 30-30.
3) Springfield M1A Walnut Scout Squad.
Depending entirely on the circumstances...
Dan
FROGO207
Member
Well Ruger calls them a Ranch Rifle for a reason. I have one that's SS and has an old weaver scope on it. Darn near indestructible as far as I can tell. Just the medicine for those bad actors down on the back 40. So far it has worked flawlessly for the use here.
I have one that's SS and has an old weaver scope on it. Darn near indestructible as far as I can tell. Just the medicine for those bad actors down on the back 40. So far it has worked flawlessly for the use here.Nice to see what people really carry around in real life, not for some theoretical situation or paper shooting. I too was surprised at the lack of Mini 14s; the purported "ranch rifle".
Also makes me happy as a 336 owner that I'm apparently in good company despite my lack of cattle, a ranch or acreage to speak of
Also makes me happy as a 336 owner that I'm apparently in good company despite my lack of cattle, a ranch or acreage to speak of
^^^^
Well, I do live on a farm. 110 acres, which is piddlin' to the Westerners, but a decent spread here in the sticks of foothills NC. My long time pasture-truck and tractor-cab rifle is a beat-up 1974 Marlin 336 30-30 with Williams sights, including an orange fiber-optic front and a .050 Twilight aperture. I can hit minute-of-coyote with it fairly reliably at 150 yards. The Williams sights work way better than all reason says they should, in my experience. But..., a 30-30 does have the fabled "rainbow tragectory" that you must take into account, but practice (all it takes is shooting, which shouldn't be hard to do regularly, if you live in the sticks) is the solution.
That said. I also have a 1995 mfg Ruger Mini-14 Ranch that I think is actually probably a slightly better "Ranch Rifle". It has a flatter trajectory to more distance and is very accurate until the barrel gets hot. I'd have it with me all the time if I could just find some scabbards (to replace the 336 scabbards in my tractor cabs) that a Mini-14 would actually fit in. ...so I'm allowing familiarity with the 336 and laziness to keep me from using the Mini-14, which is probably the overall better choice, at least in my situation...
Well, I do live on a farm. 110 acres, which is piddlin' to the Westerners, but a decent spread here in the sticks of foothills NC. My long time pasture-truck and tractor-cab rifle is a beat-up 1974 Marlin 336 30-30 with Williams sights, including an orange fiber-optic front and a .050 Twilight aperture. I can hit minute-of-coyote with it fairly reliably at 150 yards. The Williams sights work way better than all reason says they should, in my experience. But..., a 30-30 does have the fabled "rainbow tragectory" that you must take into account, but practice (all it takes is shooting, which shouldn't be hard to do regularly, if you live in the sticks) is the solution.
That said. I also have a 1995 mfg Ruger Mini-14 Ranch that I think is actually probably a slightly better "Ranch Rifle". It has a flatter trajectory to more distance and is very accurate until the barrel gets hot. I'd have it with me all the time if I could just find some scabbards (to replace the 336 scabbards in my tractor cabs) that a Mini-14 would actually fit in. ...so I'm allowing familiarity with the 336 and laziness to keep me from using the Mini-14, which is probably the overall better choice, at least in my situation...
AK_Maine_iac
Member
Growing up on the farm all i ever remember seeing for a farm gun. MARLIN 1895 45.70. One was kept in the barn. One in the wood shed. One in the farm House. Now that i am older and think back. All three of those may have been the same gun being toted around. The same one i own now. 50 years later.
T.R.
Member
Both Savage & Stevens built this sturdy bolt action 30-30 rifle up until mid-1980's. Good used ones typically sell for around $200. or less. We had one in our ranch truck for many years.
TR
- Status
