Your Idea of the "Perfect" hunting rifle

[Mentokk1]

Everyone has there own ideas and preferences when it comes to hunting rifles. List what qualities and attributes your "perfect" hunting rifle would have, be it small game or large game.

My Ideal hunting rifle would be a modified Marlin 336 with a rotating bolt with locking lugs and chambered for either .243 or .270 and used remingtons spiral tubular magezine to allow spitzers to be used safely. And a 22 inch barrel.

 

[snakeman]

It really depends on what and where I am hunting. In the semi-open pasture I like my 99e in 308 and my 6.8. In the thick stuff I would like a m92 in 357, 44 mag, or 454 casull. In the open country I like 257 weatherby vanguard and my howa 22-250.

 

[awayne]

so, order you a browning blr in 243 as soon as possible.

 

[snakeman]

or find a savage 99 in good shape for less money

 

[Mentokk1]

Yea the blr is a little pricey as are most browning guns. I have considered the 99 i just love the look of the 336. I wish marlington would pick up my idea

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

Ruger No. 1 in .308 or maybe in 7mm-08

 

[snakeman]

I agree mentokk but that would increases the price of the 336 to that of the blr. This is why they have stayed the same for so long.

 

[Abel]

Mine would be a 336 with a straight stock, a half magazine, 18.5" barrel, good oil finished walnut, and chambered in 35 Rem. or 30-30. On top, a 2-7x32mm Zeiss Conquest with some Talley low onepiece rings....With this sling:

 

[Mentokk1]

I don't understand why Remingtons spiral mag tube hasn't been picked up again by any gun manufacturers. I thought it was a great idea. Remington came up with it in their pump centerfire modle 141 I think it was. It staggered the rounds in the mag tube so that the spitzer tip never came in contact with the primer in front of it.

 

[juk]

I don't know if there will ever be such a thing as a "perfect" hunting rifle. But, for my intended uses, the new Ruger American will come really close. There are plenty of other guns out there that are very similar and could do the same jobs, but I want a Ruger so that I can retire my current Ruger to target/bench status. Plus, the current gun is just too pretty and sentimental to get boogered up on a hunt. The American will be a lighter and handier gun overall and will have the benefit of synthetic furniture. That's my take on it.

 

[CmdrSlander]

Deeply figured walnut stock. Discrete detachable box magazine. 18" BBL. Mauser action with enormous claw extractor. Highly polished blued finish. .25-06 if money is no object .243 or .223 if it is.

Edit: AND FOR GOD'S SAKE SOME USABLE IRON SIGHTS :banghead:

 

[sayak]

Yes it does depend upon what you are hunting. A .270-30.06 would kill most any game. Dispense with the beauty queens and fancy accoutrements and get a practical rifle you can beat up and which requires a minimum of upkeep. A .308 is good killer and cheap to feed.

 

[shiftyer1]

Something that is comfortable to shoot, hits where I point it and is powerful enough to take what I am hunting at the ranges I shoot at. +100 if it's a carbine and short and light.

 

[T Bran]

Buy the largest .30 cal rifle you are comfortable with .300 win mag or so. You can then tailor your loads from antelope to moose. Check out a Savage 114 or a weather warrior which still leaves some cash for good glass.
If you dont reload 30/06 is never a bad bet .308 is a fine choice as well. I mostly suggest the .30 cals because of the vast array of bullet types and weights.
Just my .02 good luck on your purchase.

 

[Ryden]

I think I'm with Sayak here.
Over the years I've pined for hundreds of cool rifles in exotic calibers but I still carry the same one into the woods every year.
It's a Sako 75 stainless in 30-06.
With this I hunt everything from black grouse and fox to moose and boar.
If I should happen to meet a bear it will handle that too without problems(provided I had my wild boar loads in the mag)
I've a couple of handloads in different bullet wheights from 150gr FMJ to 220gr Norma Alaska that has the exact same trajectory out to 120 meters so I never have to adjust my sights. The sights are an Aimpoint Micro and a venerable old Helia 8X56. The POI never changes more than ½" when you switch them around.
All in all this is my perfect rifle.
/A

 

[Smith357]

Light enough to carry up and down mountains all day, accurate and powerful enough to take down any game on the first shot from a max distance of 300 yards. Pretty enough to hang on the wall in my den next to a couple of mounts. American made, in an American Caliber, that can be found anywhere in America.


Winchester M70 Featherweight, .30-06, iron sights, Leupold 3x9 on a quick release mount, padded leather cobra sling.

 

[BrocLuno]

My "go-to" rifle for unknown throw it in the truck and go kill it situations is ALWAYS my Savage 99e in 308 with Nikon glass. It will do more and be easier to carry in hand and on shoulder than 90% of the rest of the stuff in the safe.

 

[rori]

For years I carried a Savage 110 in 270win and never had a problem taking anything from sage rats to Moose. Now I have a new love its my Browning Stainless stalker in 3006. It carries a 4X Leupold and will shoot into 3/4" all day long. I wouldnt feel undergunned facing anything on this continent and its virtually weatherproof. FRJ

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

For a very long time "perfect" for me was a 760 in -06 with iron sights under a scope.
Mayhap, it still would be were I to "get" the inherent lack of intelligence in using a rear window rifle rack even in the early '80's.

Later it was a Garand with the rear sight converted to "buckhorn" style but weight and the inevitable arguments over modified clips laid 'er low as a hunter.

Now, it's an AR-10 derivative in .300 WSM. Light, versatile, tough and load 'er up, load 'er down the .300 can go everywhere I need it to.

 

[X-Rap]

For the just one rifle you couldn't go wrong with the 760 in carbine length in 06 or 280, light, accurate, dependable by most hunting rifle standards.
Scope it with a 1.5x4 variable and you are in business.

 

[Hizzie]

The Ruger Hawkeye Alaskan in 416Ruger comes pretty damn close.

 

[wlewisiii]

Depends on the phase of the moon when you ask me but either a .30-30 Winchester 94 or a 7x57 VZ24 based bolt rifle, iron sights either way.

Perfect world, I'd love a 20 gauge/7x57R drilling.

 

[CraigC]

Perfection is in the eye of the beholder and doesn't exist anyway. If it did, it would be subject to change like everything else. Besides, it's the imperfections that make guns, women and life in general far more interesting.

Rather than pursuing perfection, I'd rather just happily saunter from rifle to rifle to see which ones give me the most enjoyment. Right now I'd like that to be either a .54cal Pedersoli Rocky Mountain Hawken with curly maple stock or a lovely late Lancaster .62cal from Tennessee Valley Muzzleloaders. If it has to be a centerfire, I'll take all the free Dakota Model 10's that folks want to give me.

 

[Geno]

If I could have what I would consider as-close-as possible to perfection, the first thing I would so is say is do not drill-and-tap it for a scope. At my age of 51, peep-sights are as-good-as it gets. In fact, I really like the M1A-National Match sights.

As to the rifle itself, I would opt for a Winchester M70 action, with a Weatherby Mark V-styled B&C stock. The cast off reduces facial bruising. I would want a 26" non-fluted stainless steel, #3 contour barrel, chambered in .30-06 Sprg with a match-grade chamber, and lapped. It would have a barrel band for my sling as well as a bi-pod stud. The front sight would be a band-style, with a thin post, and a hood. The floor plate would be carbon steel, not aluminum, and would come with a 5-round, single-stack magazine. The trigger would be a two-stage, match-quality type.

My intended game for a such a set-up? Whitetail deer in the open bean fields of Michigan, with shots ranging between 200 to 400 yards.

Geno

 

[browningguy]

The perfect hunting rifle for me depends on what and where I am hunting. But generally I like my mannlicher stocked rifles, I really like the aesthetics on them.

The Ruger RSI in .308 is a light and handy rifle, I have it topped with a Weaver Grand Slam 4.74x40 scope and it makes a perfect stalking rifle.



The Sako in 30-06 is a little longer and heavier (2" longer barrel) but with a little more velocity I am comfortable shooting it out to 300 yards. It currently wears a 3-9 scope.



One of the guns I use for pig hunting when we may get 4-5 shots in under 30 seconds is my HK SLB2000 in 30-06. Not really a pretty gun but it works flawlessly and is extremely accurate.