Do I even need a back-up rifle?

I take that personally about the 742! I own one and it has NEVER let me down! Never! I take a backup rifle because if I go north it seems like there is always a nephew that wants to hunt and never has a rifle. I can put him on a stand and sneak through the woods. I always have a spare scope becuse THOSE are the things that go haywire or break. Buy the 30/06 and get it ready to go. If your scope goes bonkers you'll be able to continue with your hunt. As an aside, you can use the same bullets, primers, and mostly the same powders simplifying reloading component purchases. Military 30/06 brass is dirt cheap compared to .308 anything, and it isn't that hard to load good ammo with it.
 
Having deer hunted in the Northern LP...

when I lived in Michigan, I carried both a rifle and shotgun, as backup or in case the weather deteriorated hen switched to the shotgun.
Normally, carried two boxes ammo, left one in car.
 
LOL. It's funny you guys are talking about the 742. The 700 I own now was purchased after I retired my 742, which was consistently failing to extract. The 742 is an accurate gun, but the last guy who owned my 742 didn't keep the chamber very clean.

I keep trying to rationalize the purchase of a new SPS, but I have to paint the house....:(
 
funny this post came up now. After I made the other post I got to thinking. I thought I had back up rifles. Most of my rifles are target rifles, or too light for elk. (257 & 243). I normally shoot a 270 for elk, and take my 375 in case something breaks.

So it turns out, I'm taking my 17 year old son and my 12 year old grandgaughter elk hunting this year. My son can shoot the 375, my GD can use the 270, leaving me with WHAT, I'm not gonna take a target rifle so I go through my enventory and find, the only thing close is my 416 Rigby. This is gonna suck.

I built the rifle (my first rifle build), in the 70s after reading about Carmichal built one on a 1917 Enfield action. Thats what I did, only thing is I made it too light, its brutal to shoot. I havent shot it much. Back then you couldnt get brass, you had to yse 378 or 460 Wheatherby brass, cut the belt off and run it through the Rigby sizing die, it worked but it hurts to shoot.

I hate buying another hunting rifle since there are a couple differant target rifles I need first.

Guess I'll have to make do, but its gonna hurt.

Sigh, anybody what to buy some kids.
 
Yup. Go buy the GD a Savage with wood stock in .308 or 7mm/08. Then the circle will be complete; the son takes the kids hunting, tries to instill all his knowledge into the son, the granddaughter shoots the biggest buck anybody for miles has seen, and grandpa gets the credit for knowing where the BIG deer are. Easy as pie.
 
On long (distance or time) hunting trips I always take a backup as close to exactly my chosen gun as I can get. Had trouble once some 15 years ago on a trip in the Yukon. Ended up having to borrow a packer's gun. Have also loaned my backup to a partner who had a horse STEP on his .. snap! If two hunters we always made sure we had at least one baclup. Those trips are too far and few and cost too much to gamble when a decent backup can be had realtively cheap.
 
Of coarse you need a back-up. There's no end to the number of things that can go wrong and if you are far from home you need a back-up. There are a lot of inexpensive surplus guns out there to be had for under $100. they don't look like much but will do fine in a pinch. Just be sure to practice with both so you are comfterble shooting ether one.
 
I wouldn't worry about a back up rifle for hunting unless the trip is to an area like Alaska or Africa were a broken rifle or scope would mean major $$$ and time lost.

Don't let me discourage you from buying a new gun though :D That's always a good idea.
 
nothing wrong with 2 rifles. if the 308 is doing what you need it to do. by all means get another rifle in 308. find a good/great used one,put a scope on it like what you have as long as it does well. going with 2 different calibers may get confusing, sometimes.

when grandad, dad and i hunted virginia (3 times,PA 1 time) many years ago. we each brought and carried a marlin in .35 rem. we also brought 1 pump in .35 rem., 1 or 2 bolt in 30-06. 1 12 ga. pump,a few pistols. the pump rifle has open iron sights and the bolt rifles have scopes. we went to PA for 4 days,the afternoon of the 3rd day grandad slipped and fell, bent his marlin scope. went back to house we stayed at put grandads marlin away, dad let grandad use his marlin and dad used his mauser in 30-06. after getting back home dad found a very good condition belgian mauser in 30-06 and got it for grandad.
 
Prior to trading a slap wore out lorcin .380 (it was given to me worn out... I only shot the 15 rounds of free ammo thru it) I only had my 18 inch 20 gauge for hunting. I never have felt un easy having just one gun.
But now I have a venerable NICE Marlin 336c .30-30 and a Maverick 88 12 gauge... Now to decide which is primary and which is back-up...
Brent
 
"...got a Remmie..." A what? It's not about need. It's about "I want." That's a perfectly good reason to buy a rifle, but not a new, scoped, commercial, hunting rifle if money is an issue. Does your "Remmie" iron sights? A damaged scope is really the only thing you'll ever run into.
Now go buy a $100 dollar bubba'd milsurp like KEN K says. Mind you, decent bubba'd milsurps aren't that easy to find for a 'C note' anymore.
 
If money were tight and I felt the need for a backup. I would go Military surplus(oh wait I did, twice) decent gun and fairly accurate. And a Hoot to shoot. $69 for one and $20 for the other:)
Lonny
 

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Nothing wrong with carrying a back up rifle. I always do (in fact several). You never know what can happen and I am sure every one is aware of "Murphy's Law".

Unless you hunt alone, there seems to always be someone in camp that seems to have a use for it.
 
Thanks for the opinions, everyone. I pretty much decided that I need to live within my means, so I'll look around for a used-beater back up rifle, hopefully I can find one for around $200 (or less). Maybe something that I can do some work on the stock, and maybe try my hand at duracoating the finish (if necessary). I do think that it's important to have one just in case, but for now I'll just put the new scope on the Remmie I've got and go from there.

Thanks, and good luck hunting this season!!! :)
 
Fremmer, My marlin 336c was sold in the gun shop for 180 dollars. It is a 1977 in super good shape but not a 100% condition collector gun.
Brent
 
one of the things I like about the Rem 710 is that it has iron sights as a back up if a scope fails. It's very accurate too. I don't think it will last 20 thousand rounds, but I'll never shoot the number of rounds out of it required to wear it out.

The greeat thing about a less expensive back up rifle is that you can lend it to a brother in law, girlfriend, or old friend on leave from the Army if you need to. It's especially true noe with all the hassles with flying and bringing a weapon in your luggage on a plane.
 
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