Hunting Rifles: What is Your Ideal 4 Rifle Battery?

N

Nathan

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This is from a Craig Boddington article. His article had him choosing a 22 LR, 204 Ruger, 270 Win, and 338 Win Mag.


Now, I'm always different. Since I reload, that will change stuff up too.

17 Mach IV - Wow! What a little gem! The 221 fireball case launching a 17 bullet. That sounds like a great 0-200 yd round!

6.5-284 Win or 300 WSM - for when you need to reach out and touch something....

280 Ackley - a great deer/elk round. Gives an extra round over magnums with near magnum performance.

45-70 Ruger #1 - Great for big game....as big as they get in NA.

So what are your 4 rounds for NA?

I know these happen a lot, but heh....its a little Saturday night fun!
 
Gotta have a 22LR.

I'd choose a 223 for varmints and could use it on game up to deer, although It'd not be the 1st choice.

For general big game hunting I think it matters little, everything from 260-338 WM could work on everything from deer to moose. I'd pick a 308 in a trim light package for general use and 300 WSM for larger stuff or longer range. But honestly I don't think there is a wrong answer here. It comes down to how much you want to spend, how big and heavy you want your rifle to be, how far you want to shoot, and how much recoil you're willing to tolerate. I could probably just use my 30-06 and stop right here.

I'll never hunt anything larger than elk, and that won't happen often. I really don't have a need for anything else, so I'd probably spend the money on a 2nd rifle to fit the general use category. But If I felt the need for anything larger than 308/30-06/300 magnum, I'd go straight to 375 magnum and skip everything in between.
 
I have target rifles and hunting rifles.

For hunting in the NE USA a 243 will cover varmints thru deer. If a 22 is wanted for small game ok.

The ideal gun that will do most tasks well is a drilling as a shotgun is very useful.

drilling3.jpg
 
OK, I'll play.
* 22LR for small game. I own 6 or 7 of them, so I won't pick right now.
* 223 bolt action for varminting. I used to be big on the 22-250, and still am, but my 223 is just such a joy to shoot and carry.
* 7X57 for just about everything else up to and including elk, moose, bison, etc.
* 12 ga Browning Auto-5 shotgun. If it flies or sneaks, I am covered.
 
I would say,
22LR(more than likely Ruger 10/22 of some sort)
6.5 swede or 6.5 grendel depending on whether I want to go AR platform or not
30-06, likely a Ruger or a very well done sporterized springfield or 1917.
and 12 gauge, probably would stick with my current setup of a mossberg 535 magnum pump gun.


however that is way too limiting for my tastes. I've hunted deer with everything from 9mm to 300 weatherby mag, elk with everything from 6.5 grendel to 8mm mannlicher, bear with 6.5 Japanese, grouse with 22LR, 223, 410, ETC... I like changing things up and every hunt is a little different for me. sometimes I'm shooting across drainages or across cultivated fields, other times I'm in thick brush and replanted clear cuts, no one rifles serves all roles perfectly so I would have to have more than 4 guns. but that's just me.
 
.22 lr is a must have.
6X47 Rem since .223 Rem isn't 50 state legal for big game and doesn't really burn anymore powder than the .223.
.270 Win since it was my for rest true big game rifle and I'm a little nostalgic.
.375 Ruger since I already have one, if I were buying I'd get an H&H.
 
really only need two or three...
22LR A must-have.
270 Winchester bolt action
30-30 lever-gun

If I lived in Alaska:
22LR.....ya still gotta have one.
30-'06 bolt action, 'cuz you can load it with 220 grain Silvertips.
45-70 lever-gun
 
really only need two or three...
22LR A must-have.
270 Winchester bolt action
30-30 lever-gun
Click to expand...

Add a 12 guage pumpgun and that will cover hunting guns for me, and I don't even really need the 30-30.

The downside to having a "battery" of different rifles is that you are dividing precious trigger time and and ammo resources amongst different tools.......

I've got other rifles ...... but truthfully, they don't get shot much by me ..... my kids, OTH ...... they may well wear some of them out before they inherit them!
 
For the hunting I do, if I would have to limit rifles to 4 they would be:

.22LR, of course
.204 Ruger for varmints up to and including coyote
.30-06 for pretty much any big game in N.A.
.30-30 lever carbine (open sighted) for deer and other game in the brushy western side where I am sometimes compelled to hunt (often can't see 75 yds)
 
.223 Rem bolt-action, for fun and varmints

.243 Win bolt-action, for more fun and bigger varmints

.270 Win bolt-action 700 BDL SS (in a tough synthetic stock, for cold and damp November deer hunts)

.270 Win bolt-action (Rem CDL SS FL...because I wanted a pretty one, for nice days in the woods, and just because I'm worth it. LOL)

(Although I've killed a lot of varmints, squirrels, rabbits, a bobcat, porcupines and other critters with the .22LR, I don't use it as a "hunting cartridge" any more, but sometimes carry it if I intend to plink on my walks. I don't even like using the .22 WMR when the .223 Rem, especially with handloads, is relatively cheap to shoot and so much more effective, due to flat trajectory and higher energy availability.
 
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I'd go:

.22lr (CZ452 American)
.223/5.56 AR15
.308 or 7mm08 bolt rifle
I'm not sure about number four.


I have other rifles such as a 30/30 Marlin and an 8mm Yugo Mauser but they don't really do any hunting task that the .308 can't handle. They do add fun and variety.
 
.17HMR RAR, small game
.223 RAR, medium game
77/44 Ruger, large game in tight cover
30-06 RAR, anything in North America

I like Rugers, can you tell :D
 
.22 : .22Lr is the obvious choice, but I like my hornet so much it gets the nod.

Model 94 30WCF is the obvious do anything but reach way out. Keeper

One of my 12g a SXS will stay.

Reach out ? Be a hard choice between my 06 and 7X57 so I'll keep both.

OOPS, I guess I fail the premiss so…………

I'll keep my 39A, 1885, 69A, the other shotguns

Mike
 
22 lr, 6.5-06,30-06,7 mm rem mag, sums it up for me. Although .243 winchester could be in there also because of multitasking possibilities.
 
I've got

358win lever
308win bolt
223 bolt
357 lever
.22lr bolt
12 gauge x2

I went years with only a 308 bolt but later went more specialized

If I had to i'd streamline it to
308 bolt
357 lever
22lrbolt
12gauge
 
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