After reading and posting up in the current thread about Scout rifles, I've been thinking about the rifles I've enjoyed shooting (and carrying) the most since I turned of age. I've noticed there's a pretty common theme: short, light(ish) making them easy to carry, firing cartridges of moderate power and recoil (mostly). A brief list:
1) Ruger 96/44, .44 Magnum - my first center fire rifle, I carried it many days out behind the house after school after I turned 16. It was great for carrying, fairly accurate (1" or so at 50-yards) but Ruger's curved carbine butt plate is a torture device on anything bigger than a .22.
2) Remington M700 Mountain Rifle, .260 Rem - my second rifle, not as convenient to carry in the brush as the Ruger, a lot more accurate (multiple 1/2" 100-yard groups and 1.25" pretty easily) and not as torturous to shoot. Oddly, I never shot it as well from field positions as the Ruger, in-spite of it being less painful. Also, the only one I've traded off that I do miss.
3) T/C Encore Katahdin, .50-cal muzzleloader or .45-70 - short, light, big-bored, a breeze to carry and I did carry it a lot. Almost as accurate as the M700 (the .50-caliber barrel would make 1 hole with 3 shots at 50-yards) but not very shooter friendly. I'm now convinced I did NOT take a shot at an 8-point buck one day because I was afraid of this rifle; it bit me repeatedly and mercilessly. My friends nicknamed this one "The Punisher".
4) Marlin 336GBL, .30-30 - finally! A short, reasonably weighted rifle I like to shoot, like to carry and can reliable hit a pie-plate at 100-yards without contorting myself to the stock or sights. Definitely not an accuracy standout, maybe 2-MOA capable on a long-run average. But so far my favorite if we're talking field carry, field shooting and shooting at the range.
5) Colt 6920, 5.56mm - haven't carried this one anywhere except from the cabinet to the car to the firing line and back. Shoots about as well as the Marlin, except it will do it over longer shot strings. Super fun as a range blaster, I'm very comfortable with it because I've shot it a lot. It's short and lightweight, I don't see any reason to think it would be a burden to carry afield with a short magazine in place.
Do you look back at your favorites and see a common theme?
1) Ruger 96/44, .44 Magnum - my first center fire rifle, I carried it many days out behind the house after school after I turned 16. It was great for carrying, fairly accurate (1" or so at 50-yards) but Ruger's curved carbine butt plate is a torture device on anything bigger than a .22.
2) Remington M700 Mountain Rifle, .260 Rem - my second rifle, not as convenient to carry in the brush as the Ruger, a lot more accurate (multiple 1/2" 100-yard groups and 1.25" pretty easily) and not as torturous to shoot. Oddly, I never shot it as well from field positions as the Ruger, in-spite of it being less painful. Also, the only one I've traded off that I do miss.
3) T/C Encore Katahdin, .50-cal muzzleloader or .45-70 - short, light, big-bored, a breeze to carry and I did carry it a lot. Almost as accurate as the M700 (the .50-caliber barrel would make 1 hole with 3 shots at 50-yards) but not very shooter friendly. I'm now convinced I did NOT take a shot at an 8-point buck one day because I was afraid of this rifle; it bit me repeatedly and mercilessly. My friends nicknamed this one "The Punisher".
4) Marlin 336GBL, .30-30 - finally! A short, reasonably weighted rifle I like to shoot, like to carry and can reliable hit a pie-plate at 100-yards without contorting myself to the stock or sights. Definitely not an accuracy standout, maybe 2-MOA capable on a long-run average. But so far my favorite if we're talking field carry, field shooting and shooting at the range.
5) Colt 6920, 5.56mm - haven't carried this one anywhere except from the cabinet to the car to the firing line and back. Shoots about as well as the Marlin, except it will do it over longer shot strings. Super fun as a range blaster, I'm very comfortable with it because I've shot it a lot. It's short and lightweight, I don't see any reason to think it would be a burden to carry afield with a short magazine in place.
Do you look back at your favorites and see a common theme?