Poll: What would be your only rifle?

[Beiruty]

For hunting big games, I only have 1 rifle, Tikka T3 SS in 30-06. For LR target I have a ,my 300WM SSG04. I feel it is very rare or maybe never happens to see someone hunting at 600+ yards at least in US. Up to 600yrds 30-06 would suffice to do the job.

[Sport Coach]

It may not be the most "hunting" rifle but my favorite for small game and loads of fun is the .22LR Henry Survival rifle. My uncle took me when I was a kid and my kids have shot it safely and accurately for years.

[gmckinl]

One centerfire hunting rifle. Easy answer. I'd keep my Model 70 in .375 H&H Magnum. It's killed a boatload of critters and handles like a dream.

[MeMelYup]

Sorry, but 3 firearms are a must. I have to have a 22 short, rifle, and long rifle for shooting some varmints, cans and other things. I need a hunting rifle for shooting larger game (deer, etc.) and some other varmints (hogs). Then I need a shotgun for other purposes (doves, ducks and other fowl shooting). We won't talk about the handguns.

[The Annoyed Man]

Sorry, but 3 firearms are a must. I have to have a 22 short, rifle, and long rifle for shooting some varmints, cans and other things. I need a hunting rifle for shooting larger game (deer, etc.) and some other varmints (hogs). Then I need a shotgun for other purposes (doves, ducks and other fowl shooting). We won't talk about the handguns.

No fair! If you're going to change the rules, then everybody gets to change the rules. If that's the case, then I get to add four more guns:

1. .308 bolt rifle (my original choice)
2. .22 LR AR15
3. AR15
4. SCAR 17
5. 12 gauge pump

If additional options are permissible, I would add:

1. an Apache gunship armed with Hellfire missiles
2. an M1A1 Abrams tank
3. a Bradley Fighting Vehicle (for its main gun......I love that gun.....
4. a room-full of MANPADs
5. a couple of Carl Gustavs and another foom-full of rounds
6. a truck-mounted M134 Minigun
7. a quality slingshot with a couple of barrels full of 1/2" ball bearings

Or, we could all just play by the rules.

[LaUser]

After years of having no rifle, I found a 1947 Winchester Model 70, .30-06.
Sweet.

[LSUTiger]

for $1k colt le6920 5.56 nato

for a little more BCM or DD

[SpringerFan]

Arsenal SAM7 AK, in 7.62x39.

[BigGuy]

Remington bolt action model 700.
May not be the actual best choice, but I've had mine for better than 40 years and like it very much. It's big enough for white tails, but won't blow a rabbit or squirrel to pieces. The gun is way more accurate than I am.

[Bitter Clinger]

Ditto. Latest acquisition .308 Remington 700

[SRH78]

It depends. There is lots of missing information here. What will you be hunting? Under what conditions will you be hunting? At what distances will you be hunting? Without that information, I will suggest a Savage 110 in 30-06.

Now, if self defense is more of a concern, that changes things and makes finding one rifle appropriate for both more complicated.

[The Annoyed Man]

Remington bolt action model 700.
May not be the actual best choice, but I've had mine for better than 40 years and like it very much. It's big enough for white tails, but won't blow a rabbit or squirrel to pieces. The gun is way more accurate than I am.

My first post, made back on January 10th, said:

Any commonly made bolt rifle - i.e. Remington 700, Savage 110, Winchester 70, etc. - for which parts are easy enough to find, chambered in either .30.06 or .308.

For me, the only caveat is that it must be left-handed. I refuse to buy anymore right-handed bolt rifles.

I have since then acquired a SCAR 17S which I can't seem to stop bragging about. LOL. Anyway, it shoots the same caliber as my R700, and I have recently shot 10 rounds into well under 1" at 100 yards with it, a 10 round group size that my 700 was only able to consistently beat using handloads.

AND.... while neither rifle is particularly good for SD inside the home, the 16" barreled semiautomatic SCAR is better than my 26" barreled bolt action 700 in that regard. It comes as close to a do-it-all rifle as I can think of.

[ghostrider]

FN FAL :-)

[Crash]

I have a Howa 1500 in .308 with the 20" bbl and Hogue youth overmolded stock. It has done great on medium-sized game (a total of 15 whitetails, Fallow, and a 200-lb feral hog--all with one shot). I don't even notice the recoil and it will shoot 1", 3-shot groups at 100 yds off a bench as long as I do my part. I wouldn't hunt the big bears with with, and maybe not even a moose, but I'd use it for anything else in North America. I slipped and fell on a rocky slope a couple of years ago, dinged up the scope, and broke the plastic spacer between the stock and the recoil pad in three places. In the center break it pushed the spacer in about a quarter of an inch. I pulled it out with a paper clip, glued the three breaks tight and took it to the range expecting the worst. Shot a 3/4" group! I may buy other rifles in other action types and calibers, but this one stays with me forever.


Crash