Do I even need a back-up rifle?

F

Fremmer

New member
O.K., so I've got a Remmie .308 deer gun. But no "back up gun". I've never needed one. Here's the rub: I can buy a Remmie SPS in .30-06 or .270, new, for $419 plus tax. Remmington will give me a rebate of $40.00. So I'll end up paying about $410 or so (after tax and rebate) for a new SPS. I have a new scope and rings that still have not been mounted on the .308, and I could just plunk them on the new SPS.

What are your thoughts on having a back-up hunting gun? Do I need one or not? If I need one, should I try and buy a much less expensive used beater (money is tight right now), or should I go ahead and buy the new SPS? Your opinions are appreciated.
 
The only time I bother with a back up gun is if I'm going on a hunting trip. Otherwise if I hunt close to home, I only hunt with one gun. From a practical stand point, in my 15 years of hunting, I've never been on a trip where a gun has ceased to function for one reason or another. The worse thing I've seen happen is a stock screw work its way loose.

What you should do prior to hunting season is make sure your rifle is zero'd in and scope screws are tight. Other than that, I don't know that you really need a backup rifle. With that said, they are handy to have but if money is tight, I wouldn't worry about buying one.
 
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Use what you've got

You answered your own question when you said "Money is tight". The 308 is A great round. If the gun is in decent shape you don't need A backup for regular use. Put your scope on, zero it in and happy shooting.
 
I know a guy that had a scope fail in the field when he was 5 hours from home. He had a variable scope and some part of the mechanism inside failed. It was like looking through someone else's glasses. He wished he had a backup rifle.

I've also seen slings fail and drop rifles on the ground. A very good way to damage a scope.

Having your scope mounted in quick release mounts/rings and having a backup scope already sighted in and carrying it in your pack or your vehicle makes good sense. A scope is more likely to fail than the rifle. Backup aperture sights would be almost as good.

Having some type of cleaning rod and patches available is another way to avoid needing a backup rifle. I once stuck the muzzle of my rifle in the sand. I could check the bore and see that it wasn't plugged but I didn't want to fire it until I had run a patch through it for fear that the sand would damage the bore near the muzzle. Fortunately I was near the truck and could clean it out. If I hadn't had cleaning supplies handy a backup rifle would have worked.

The farther from home you are the more important having backup gear of every kind becomes.

Given that money is tight and assuming you are hunting far enough from home for a failed scope to matter I would consider getting quick release mounts and a backup scope. The backup doesn't need to be an expensive, top of the line model - a 4x fixed one would be good enough for this purpose. Make sure both scopes are zeroed before you go and check to make sure that you can really swap them without losing zero. Later, when money isn't so tight you can buy another rifle and you will already have a scope for it.
 
Of course if a bunch of us say yes, you can start to justify a new gun...and that is always a good idea. I don't carry a back up gun b/c I think mine will break but I do carry another rifle with different characteristics for different styles of hunting.

For example, when deer hunting in my stand in the woods, I will pack my lever action. When I decide to hunt other stands that look over a bean field, I get one of my bolt guns with a bigger optic on it. One gun could serve both purposes but I have lots of rifles and don't mind looking for different ways to get a little use out of them.

In general, when space is not a problem and I don't have to carry everything I own on my back, I always throw something else in the truck. That may even include a suitable handgun or a shotgun depending on the season.
 
I think you have provided an answer to your question here already...

You have a Remington rifle in .308... given that the Remington 700 is one of the better rifles out there its likely not going to fail on you if you look after it a little bit.

You have a new scope and rings sitting ready to go... I would put the new scope and rings on... keep the old ones in the basement for backup (or take them with you if going a long way).

I hunt with one rifle... Actually I only own one rifle that I could take deer hunting, my .270. Its a Ruger thats only seen two seasons with a bushnell elite 3200 on it. The gun is rock solid and the scope is new and higher quality than some so I trust it completely.
 
Back-up rifle? We don't need no stinkin' back-up rifles!

Seriously, if your rifle is a reliable design, equipped with good-quality optics, there is little or no reason to need a back-up rifle. Now, I won't respond to any "need/want" arguments, because needs are few but wants are many. I just think that if you've done your homework right the first time, it's unnecessary to tote around another $600-$1,000 piece of equipment that you will likely never need. Carrying an extra scope may have some value, but again, choose wisely the first time and you won't likely have that problem.
 
If it's a hike (WI deer season while living in OH), I'm usually flying with two rifles. Last year I brought a scoped bolt and a lever-action with irons. The latter's much more limited in range and accuracy but you can't really "break it" incident to normal hunting procedures as far as I'm concerned. Might bring the M1A this year, but again, it's only because there are iron sights on it which will have the greatest odds of working if all hell breaks loose on my optics.

But when I'm local, I usually only bring one hunting gun.

All that said, I'd hold off. I have spares because they fill other niches - always wanted a semi-auto, especially the M1A, and the lever gun's a bit of overkill in 45/70 - they're not just "another" deer rifle. My first season I didn't have any backups, so I didn't bring any. When money's tight, I would do my best to avoid redundant spending. At the very worst, just know where and when you can shoot a few to sight in if you lose your zero or need to switch out after a scope failure. Beater or not, hopefully that's the worst case scenario as you're confident enough in your rifle to be fairly certain you won't experience any kind of total and catastrophic mechanical failure.
 
What???
Of course you need a backup rifle. If golfers need backup clubs, bowlers need backup balls, and women need backup shoes- then we MUST need backup rifles! You don't need to carry one around- but it's always nice to have options. What about something along a different pedigree? I mean, if you've always shot the bolt gun, then why not afford yourself an enjoyable alternative such as a levergun or a single shot?
 
I always take a few but I can hunt different scenarios in the same day and often change rifles and positions/requirements at lunch.

In heavy brush and under 100 yds. the primary is a .44 Mag. The backup is a Mini-14 in .223 but I have to be more careful with branches and palm fronds being in the way and it can really mess up meat at close range.

In the savanna's and cow pastures, usually 200 yds.+ the primary is a .243. The backup is a 30-40 or 30-06 depending on weather, it can rain on the Krag all day long. Our deer are small and I consider both overkill.

Considering that I drive at least an hour and walk in 1/2 to 1-1/2 hrs. a drive back to town would ruin my whole day.
 
I am carrying a backup gun this season.

I have iron sights on my go to gun, and I would remove the glass if it had a problem and "go open". The Win '94 backup gun would more likely become a loaner if someone else has a malfunction, but I'm going according to Murphy's law this year.

If you don't have irons, you might consider that as a viable alternative to a backup gun. Don't forget that screwdriver or allen key.
 
If money is tight. You are probably just fine with what you have.

One option may be to get a sub-$100 Mosin Nagant. Cheap FMJ ammo and fun to plink. Not the most accurate rifle out there, but a fine backup deer gun for peace of mind. Just be sure to buy and sight in hunting ammo.:)
 
What are your thoughts on having a back-up hunting gun? Do I need one or not? If I need one, should I try and buy a much less expensive used beater (money is tight right now), or should I go ahead and buy the new SPS? Your opinions are appreciated.
Click to expand...

Being a "Gun Nut", nothing would be sadder than not standing in front of the safe on the night before a hunt deciding on which of my friends gets to go along :D
 
you need lots and lots of back up rifles. You can never have too many rifles.


Seriously, If I'm hunting locally I dont worry about it. But if I head to the mountains for elk, I always throw a spare rifle in the truck. Anything can happen. A horse can fall breaking a stock, drop the rifle screwing up the scope, etc. I dont want to drive 200 miles back to the house for another rifle.
 
It does depend on your situation. I never used to take one but I do now. A few years ago after a buddy killed a bull elk, I guarded the meat while he fetched the horses. After quartering the meat, we load it up on the tethered horses and one freaks...he runs around in circles, bending the tree he's tied to, then it breaks. He tramples my pack and somehow missed my brand new .308 rifle and Nikon Monarch Gold scope. When I got home, I bought a used Savage 7mm Mag for $125 and put a Nikon Prostaff scope on it for a back-up. Total investment $250. The next year, one of our party has a variable scope that the innards just crapped out for no apparent reason. He used my back-up. Last year, while packing out meat, the same friggin' horse freaks out again, but wasn't tethered yet. He breaks free, kicks my pack down the hill, and again, somehow missed my rifle, which was lying inches from the pack. Same day, while walking back from a morning hunt, one of our party slips in some mud/ash, as there was a forest fire there a month previously, and it had been raining. He buries his barrel in the mud/ash mix and has no way to clear it. He gets back to camp and finds out we are chasing elk all over the mountain. Ill prepared, he has no idea where his cleaning gear is, so runs into the camper and gets my back-up.

I appear to hunt with the keystone cops (God love 'em) and skittish horses. My back-up rifle has been sorely needed, and took an elk last year. Don't spend a ton on one. But you really never know when you, or a hunting partner, might need it.

Tom
 
XS Sights makes a nice backup sight that attaches to your scope rail.

The backup scope could also be used as a spotting scope so it's not just dead weight in the pack. If someone doesn't make one commercially it would be simple to put together a tripod mountable weaver rail setup.
 
People here are talking about two different things. Some people are commenting on the need to actually bring a backup rifle on a hunt. I think you are asking about the need to own a backup rifle. The answer to that is absolutely yes. Any excuse to purchase another rifle is good. Although it doesn't happen very often, accidents do happen. I've seen guns that were run over with trucks, dropped from treestands, etc. Owning a backup gun keeps you in the game if something like that happens.
 
I agree....I think

I agree with everyone who is posting here...merit to all that has been said. I have never had an issue while I was hunting but I have had a buddy who while we were hunting together had a scope malfunction so it was nice that he had a backup rifle to do to...we were about 3 hours from home.

I am hunting a little over 4 hours from home now and because I own more than one deer rifle I am certainly going to be carrying it with me but I can tell you right now that if I only had one and money was tight I would simply make sure all was right with it and not buy another one.
 
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