What is your favorite rifle to hunt with?

My Browning BLR .358 Winchester

Even though it's been my back up rifle for a while I still take it to the field at least once a season and I'll be damned if I doesn't kill every time (so I guess it's lucky too). I got it back in the early 80's on a strait up trade with my buddy for a 1100 shotgun. I've lost count on how many deer I've taken with it

Here’s the 10pt from last year

My favorite is a Super Blackhawk 44mag.

Winchester Model 70 Extreme Weather in 7mm-08, topped with a Vortex Viper 4-12x40 scope. Hands down my favorite deer gun. My 243 and 300WM don't get much use since I got this one.

New to me this season, but my Barret fieldcraft, 6.5 creedmoor. Leupold VX6 2-12x42 Firedot duplex.

The only thing I would change is replace the talley LW mounts with something lower... but no lower option exists right now. Currently using a cheek riser/bag with a couple extra rounds stored in it. Would like to remove that.

A pleasure to carry, and a pleasure to shoot.

This Sako A7 goes everywhere with me. In 30-06 of course.

Larry Ashcraft said:

I need to get it out of the safe and take some pics one of these days.

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I was about to say...……………….

I hunt now only to be in the woods at day break. I've not pulled the trigger on a deer in over 30 years. Every deer I ever killed was with a Marlin 336 30-30, not always the same one as I've owned a few in my life. I have a Ruger 77 in .280 I've only zeroed in so far. When I head out I pick up the Marlin, as someone said earlier in this thread.... "it just feels right"

The Ruger



The current Marlin

Here are some others i use, I seem to hunt with a different gun every time i go out. but the weather or spot is not always the same.
My German mauser sporter 8x57
My marlin 1894 44 mag
My marlin 336 it looks ruff from the paint scrape off but it will be finished soon, it now holds 4 rounds of 35 rem in the tube.
My Siamese mauser in 45/70
My browning abolt for the rainy days.in 7 wsm
and my 1891 Argentine mauser in 8x57 with a j.p sauer barrel.
there are others to, i like to us most of my guns for hunting.

Nature Boy said:

I was about to say...……………….

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Seconded

This Winchester EW in 308 has been my go-to rifle for 9 years now. With the McMillan Edge stock she weighs 7 1/4 lbs scoped and is the most consistently accurate rifle I've ever owned. Any factory or handload I've put in the chamber shoots well. And any 150-180 gr bullet that I've tried is close enough to the same zero at 100 to not worry about.

This one has yet to bag a deer, but took a moose last year...it's a Rem 700 CDL stainless fluted, .270 Win. in an after-market stock. It's hungry for a buck, but would take a doe, later in the season!

For years my go-to deer gun was a Lancaster flintlock longrifle. That fine rifle never let me down. Lately, though, I've been liking my .62 flintlock smoothbore early American fowler more and more. It hits like the hammer of Thor and easily groups 3 shots in under 3" at 50 yards. I had it built with a rear sight which was fairly common in the old days. That big lead ball weighs 330 grains; while the .45 ball weighs 128 grains.

The smoothbore, "ol' Loudmouth", with his deer taken with a running shot.

The .45 Lancaster.

Hanshi said:

For years my go-to deer gun was a Lancaster flintlock longrifle. That fine rifle never let me down. Lately, though, I've been liking my .62 flintlock smoothbore early American fowler more and more. It hits like the hammer of Thor and easily groups 3 shots in under 3" at 50 yards. I had it built with a rear sight which was fairly common in the old days. That big lead ball weighs 330 grains; while the .45 ball weighs 128 grains.

The smoothbore, "ol' Loudmouth", with his deer taken with a running shot.
View attachment 808971
The .45 Lancaster.
View attachment 808972

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Did I understand that right, 3” at 50 yards with a smoothbore and patched round ball? That’s pretty darn good!

Ruger M77 in .257 Roberts, but whichever of the front row in my safe looks good including couple .308s and a 7mm08, .22-250

Picher said:

This one has yet to bag a deer, but took a moose last year...it's a Rem 700 CDL stainless fluted, .270 Win. in an after-market stock. It's hungry for a buck, but would take a doe, later in the season!
View attachment 808961

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Is that stock laminate? Fool me once shame on you(Legionnaire). Fool me twice shame on me.

LoonWulf said:

Seconded

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Thirded

"whichever of the front row in my safe looks good "

Too lazy to dig to the back, are we? Yeah me too.

I'd have to list two choices:

For small game, my Kimber M82 in .22 LR.

For everything else, my pre-WWII Model 70 Winchester in .30-06.

A long time ago I went to the Rockies with my friends. They where all stoked about the guns they brought. All tactical and plastic sporting rifles. When they asked me what I brought they had a good long laugh. I’d brought a very old Winchester in .22 WRF.

The next day by 10 am I was making wilderness stew. They didn’t get anything until 7 days later, pronghorn. For 7 days I was putting meat on the table from squirrels to rabbit.

Needless to say no one laughs at the gun I bring to hunt currently a Ruger 77/22 in .22 WMR.

My OTHER favorite rifles are a Weatherby Vanguard stainless 257 WBY 24" barrel. Heavy and made in Japan, but don't scoff: Only rifle I have never messed with out of the box because no need. Shoots 3/4 MOA and trigger is breaking glass rod. Barrel bedding? dont ask dont care. Just breaks down bucks at 250 like clockwork. 117 gr. Pro Hunters and IMR 7828ssc. 2.5-3" high at 200 meters and whistling right along. If you cant bring him home with this one it is YOUR fault. ( It was.) Would be remiss if not mentioning the Warne base, PRW rings and Leupold VX1 LRD 4-12 scope.

As I stated earlier 270 WSM with 130gr. Sierra's is like Deer Magic. 30-375 yds.

Latest one this year is a factory stock Ruger 77 stainless Hawkeye. in 270 Win. Shooting 130gr. Sierras and IMR 4350. Seems Very reliable. And rugged. We'll see.

Have shot a few with open sights K31 Hornady 165 gr. custom ammo brown box WHOOMP there it is.

And 308 Vepr/Kobra red dot shooting 150gr. SST, worked but interesting.

Have shot a couple with Armalite 6.8 and Wilson Combat Accu-Riser, SSA +P 110 gr. Accubond. worked OK very light and nice handling 16" carbine.

Really like the Smith MP10! worked great on a few deer shooting several loads, Accurate reliable rifle, and able to make shots on moving target too. You'll appreciate a trigger upgrade on that one such as a SSA-E, and a good sling, I prefer a USGI green web surplus sling. I have and like the American Defense quick release mount and a leupold 2-7 or 3-9 scope.

Have shot a few with Ruger M77s in 6mm Rem and that is an under appreciated combo. No kick = great shot placement, you can even see the shot go through, and very good luck with Sierra 100 gr. Hornady 100gr. or Rem Core lokt.

cdb1 said:

Is that stock laminate? Fool me once shame on you(Legionnaire). Fool me twice shame on me.

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It's kind of a laminate. Two solid walnut slabs connected by two sheets of carbon fiber sandwiched with .35" of what looks like mahogany running full-length/depth. It was sold by Stocky's Stocks, who called it "Ultra-Walnut". I had it on another .270 Rem 700, before buying this one. This is my "fair weather" rifle.

My cold/wet weather rifle is a Rem 700 BDL Stainless in a Sendero "take-off" stock that I got for $50 from a barrel at Kittery, ME Trading Post, many years ago. The barrel channel is quite "roomy" for the standard diameter barrel of that rifle. The original stock was a laminated gray/black stock that didn't seem very stable, nor did it fit me well.

My Winchester M70 in 30-06 has been with me every deer season since 1991. It does not get a deer every year, but feel naked with something else. Every deer I have shot in those years has been with the M70. In recent years I change off with a Ruger American ( talk about opposites) in .243 from time to time, but I've yet to get anything with the Ruger.

-Jeff

an old Ruger M77 in .257 Roberts.

State hunting regulations don't offer much in the way of large game rifle hunting, been limited to black powder for years. First year production Knight MK85 with Swarovski glass gets used the most.

That will change this year, start using an AR15 in 450 Bushmaster. Will let you know how it goes.


Deep Snow.....or short fence post? You decide.