Hunting Rifles: What is Your Ideal 4 Rifle Battery?

.22LR Probably a 10/synthetic stainless
.223 AR15, 16"
.260 Remington Model 7 stainless
.338-06 Weatherby MkV Ultralight
 
Personally put zero stock in anything a gun rag writer says. They're just extensions of the assorted manufacturers marketing depts.
Anyway, a .22, a .243, a .308 or .30-06 and a 12 gauge shotgun. The firearm really makes no difference.
Magnums, of any kind, are not need for any game in North America. Magnums are the most successful marketing campaign in history.
 
Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2001 Posts: 2,240 Hunting Rifles: What is Your Id

.22LE
30-06
45-70 Government
That's small game and large game...nuff said.
 
If you were to limit me to only 4 guns for hunting I would choose:

22lr, plinking for fun and critter killer.

243 Winchester, varmint and light big game.

7WSM, big game up to and including elk. Love that round:D

338 Win Mag, the North American do it all cartridge in my opinion.
 
easy enough

.22 LR for small, close range game.
.223 Remington bolt for long range varmint
6.5X55 Swede for all medium to large game
.338-06 and 250+ grain bullets for the bigger game.
 
I will base this on what I could hunt rather than what I do hunt, or my list would include only two guns.

I figure potential game in NA is something like this:

1. small eating game - rabbits, squirrels
2. small varmints - prairie dogs
3. big varmints - coyotes
4. lighter medium game - deer, pronghorn, sheep
5. heavy-bodied medium game - pigs, black bear
6. big game - elk, moose
7. dangerous game - grizzly/brown bear

A person could get some sort of .338 magnum, and it would kill everything, but then you're dealing with a heavy, long-barreled rifle that's unpleasant and expensive to shoot. My selections would be about having enough gun without going overboard, and about whether I'd like the rifles available in a given cartridge.


#1. 22lr. -- Cheap to feed (usually) and won't destroy the meat of small animals. Lots of rifles to choose from. I'd probably stick with one of my 10/22s.

#2. .223 -- relatively cheap to shoot. Would cover all varmints. Obviously available in a lot of different rifles. I could be content with a left-handed bolt gun or an AR.

#3. 6.5x55 SE... With a nice variety of bullet weights, this could cover large varmints up to big game but is at its best with medium game. Go smaller (.243) and there is more overlap with the .223. Go bigger (.30-caliber) and there is more overlap with your big game rifle. Not a lot of rifle options, but a left-handed Tika T3 would work for me.

#4. .35 Whelen... Would cover heavier medium and big game, and might be enough for big bears as well (?). More reach than many of the .40+ caliber cartridges, more close-range punch than the .30 caliber cartridges (in case a bear tries to turn the tables). Comes in standard rifle designs that won't break the bank. Moderate recoil won't break the shoulder. My choice might be a Remington 7600 pump-action, which would allow faster follow-up if bears got too close.

I haven't included any uber-long range death rays, because I don't know that I'd trust myself to make the longest shots anyway.
 
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Maybe magnums aren't needed for big game animals in North America, but being a United States citizen I can use what I care to, not sure bout you north border folk, but I love you just the same.;)
 
Why not.
1. .22 LR bolt action (ruger,savage, marlin, cz). Small game
2. .223 AR critters up to and including white-tail size. But could just as easily make do with a bolt action .243
3. .280 Rem. In a good bolt action for everything larger that doesn't want to eat me.
4. Since I don't get to hunt large scary critters it could be about anything, but have always had a hankering for a .338-06, .35 Whelen, or .45-70.
 
Winchester pre-64 Model 70 in 30-06, steel tube Weaver K-4 scope and and an assortment of handloads from 1,100 fps to 3,000 fps.

Four guns? How come?
 
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22lr- I will give 17hmr the win in every other catagory except availability of both ammo and firearms. But Id rather have a 22 in the end.

6.5×55 Swedish Mauser.- Its an awesome round. Very underrated. Very accurate, great bc. And sort of a cult following.

35 Whelen. It will kill anything. Including my shoulder.

45-70 Just to have a levergun in the mix.
 
Model 70 Featherweight in 257 Roberts
Model 70 Featherweight in 270 Win
Model 70 (pre 64) in 30-06
Model 70 375 H&H
 
Winchester pre-64 Model 70 in 30-06, steel tube Weaver K-4 scope and and an assortment of handloads from 1,100 fps to 3,000 fps.

Four guns? How come?
Click to expand...


....


.....Partly;

because a hundred grain bullet @ 11 hundred f/sec requires goofy powders or wild velocity variations, or both, and is an inefficient way to hunt squirrels... and .....

because hunting Bambi at BP distances in heavy cover and rough country with a 10 pound loaded weight rifle with a 24" barrel and a tiny FOV is not only un-necessary, but a handicap..... AND.....

because speedgoats( and other game) live in open country often requiring long shots in windy conditions, yet at the same time are fragile creatures that a make the extra thousands of foot pounds of energy merely wasted beating the shooter's shoulder, while giving not any advantage bucking the wind or figuring holdover .......and.....

One? One rifle? At the very least, "Murphey sez Two is One and One is None."......

Because really big grizzlies might not be really impressed with the math of energy calculations nor with ballistics gel studies......


.....not to even mention .....

.... that this is the internet, and the OP asked which four rifles......

..... which brings us to the MOST important point:

Dunno where you are , but I live in 'Merica! The thought of having just one rifle is repulsive to me ...... the thought of someone telling me I should need only only one ..... them's fightin' words! :D:D:D
 
1) .22lr probably a winchester 61
2) .222 rem 700 adl carbine
3) 30-06 rem 700 bdl
4) Ithaca 37 12 gauge 28 inch barrel with choke tubes.
If i was to have a 4th rifle it would be savage 99 in 308.
 
22lr
.223
.243
12ga

I don’t hunt elk, moose or bears and don’t intend to start, so no need to go heavier than that. Small game, varmints, birds, coyotes and deer are all covered. This assumes I continue to hunt in Nebraska.
 
22LR (small game, plinking & target)
223 (varmints)
270 win (deer size game, black bear, to elk)
375 H&H (bigger and badder stuff)
 
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I actually am working on that very thing! I decided I can get by with 4 since I can use the money more for other things!

45-70 1895 SBL for big stuff topped with Leupold 1-4x20 (Have it.)
260 Rem Ruger M77 for medium game. Topped with Sightron SII (have it)
358 Winchester for a longer range big game. topped with Swarovski z3. (this is my favorite caliber! This gun is currently being built off a k98 action!!!:D)
204 Ruger for small stuff. (need to get one yet!)
 
Rifle barrery

.22 lr
.222 rem.
.260, 6.5 Swede, 6.5 creedmoor
.375 H&H because I've killed everything I could get tags for with the other 3.
 
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