Got to have IT!!!

[Justin10mm]

If you could only have one rifle in one caliber to do all your hunting, what would it be?

Here in texas you could be shooting a coyote at 300 yards one day and shoot a 250 pound hog at 50 yards the next. Of the rifles I own, my pick would be my winchester 70 stainless featerweght synthetic in 243win. shooting nosler 95gr BSTs.

 Enything from 22-250 rem to 280 rem would fill the bill for me otherwise.

[Coyote Hunter]

7mm Rem Mag.

It WAS my only rifle for a number of years.  Worked fine back then, prairie dogs to elk, still does.

[the jigger]

Savage 110fp in 25/06.
GOOD LUCK and GOOD SHOOTING!!!

[jro45]

If I could have only one Rifle it would have to be the 300 Win Mag.

[BBF]

 A Ruger 77 in 30-06 was for many years my only rifle and if I ever got back to just 1 rifle it propably would be a 30-06

[cole k]

A Ruger 77 in 30-06 was for many years my only rifle and if I ever got back to just 1 rifle it propably would be a 30-06

BBF, A Ruger 77 in 30-06 will for sure get the job none.
But I yhink I'll go with the newer Hawkeye.

[Goat]

I hunted for several years with a Browning A-bolt 25/06 and killed deer like it was going out of style. Nowdays I choose to hunt with Marlin leveractions and my favorite is a 35 Remington. I would hate to be confined to just one rifle but of what I own I would choose a Browning BLR-81 in 358 Winchester. I absolutely hammers deer and would be a good choice for bear or elk if I could keep shots under 250 yards which is a smart thing to do anyway.
                                                                                   Goat

[WyoStillhunter]

It would be my first bolt action centerfire: early Model 700 Rem., 30-06, Leupold M8 4X and Fajen laminated stock.  I had the '06 accurized by Hill Country Rifles.  Since 1964 it has accounted for a truck load of deer, antelope, and elk.

Shown here with my Marlin 444S with the mule deer antlers I took with each.

[thumbcocker]

270 winchester

[Savage .250]

Removed..........

[Drilling Man]

If you could only have one rifle in one caliber to do all your hunting, what would it be?

Here in texas you could be shooting a coyote at 300 yards one day and shoot a 250 pound hog at 50 yards the next. Of the rifles I own, my pick would be my winchester 70 stainless featerweght synthetic in 243win. shooting nosler 95gr BSTs.

 Enything from 22-250 rem to 280 rem would fill the bill for me otherwise.

  That's pretty much what i have been doing for more than 20 years with my "go to" gun.



  Chambered in 8x57jrs.

  DM

[drdougrx]

I hate to say it but it would be rem 700 in 30.06 with a 3.5x10 leupi VX-III.

[Nobade]

375 H&H. Good for pretty much anything if you're a bullet caster and handloader.

[RaySendero]

270 Winchester

[john keyes]

A Ruger 77 in 30-06 was for many years my only rifle and if I ever got back to just 1 rifle it propably would be a 30-06

I still have my first rifle, a MkII in 30-06 and despite my multitude of rifles it would come down to it or my Savage 99 in 308

and the 99 would win. 

[Blackhawk44]

Justin, since you're drifting from the Brush Country to the Chihuahuan Desert to the Piney Woods, I'd step up just one notch to the .260 Remington.  With that one, you can load 85-100 grainers for varmints, 120's or 140's for deer and 156-160's to drive through hogs.  Being lazier than most, I'd probably just use a soft cup and core 120gr for pests, something like a 120gr Accubond for deer and a mono-metal 120 for hogs and save the trouble of re-sighting between seasons.  This might not work in the Kenai, but in Texas, what more would you need?

[Daman]

I would say my x-bolt 30-06 or my BAR 30-06. I don't really shoot anything with it but deer, hogs, and the occasional coyote and I ain't in the fur biz.

I do like my 223 and will have one in either A-Bolt or BLR eventually. Good round for South Alabama.

Daman

[jack j]

It is a hard choice amongst all my rifles but I will pick my Ruger #1b in 300 Wby.  Mag.

[mcwoodduck]

One rifle to do everything.
That one is tough.
I would have to say a Bolt action .308 Win.
With a 3-9X40 scope.
Why?
308 comes in a wide variety of factory ammo 125 grain to 190 grains with a vide variety and design of projectiles.
Hand loading you can go from 110 grain to 220 grains.
The short action is light and effective and carrying it.
All rifle makers make a 308.  and in multiple models so the classic blued and walnut to Stainless and composit stocks.
Ultra light, carbine, or heavy match rifles (I hunt deer with a 700 V model at 9.7 pounds loaded it is a little heavy but works)
Most of the hunting will be Deer and hogs and the 308 is perfect for that with little meat damage.
Recoil is mild.
The 308 will handle Elk and Moose with heavy or well constructed bullets.  Range is limited to under 200 yards for the larger aminals but most are shot well under that.

[no guns here]

Gosh... I'm boring too... Model 700 SS in .30-'06 with a Leupold 3.5-10x50.  Of course the other 30 guns would get jealous and stage a coup d'etat.  If I were restricted to one bullet, I'd have to stock up on the Barnes TTSX 168 grain.

Thank GOD I'm not limited like that though.


NGH

[benny]

What I hunt with now, Weatherby Mk V Ultralight in 270 Wby Mag, 130, 140 tsx or 150 mrx or partitions, 3-9x42 kahles.  Dead-on hold to 300yds and that's as far as i'd think of shooting...

[gofish]

Ruger-1B in .257 Roberts

[Larry Gibson]

Either my M70 Classic or Husqvarna M98 in 30-06 for most of my hunting.  Both have 24" barrels and have 3x9 scopes (Zeiss and Redfield AT). 

I understand justin10mm's choice as I hunted in Texas last November at the West Kerr Ranch (right next to the YO).  Great hunt but boy was I over gunned with my M70 '06 (had 165 Hornady SPBTs loaded to 2850 fps)!  I had taken a M91 Argentine Mauser I had rebarreled to .35 Remington as a "fun gun" and was glad I did.  I heart/lung shot a very nice buck with it using a RCBS 35-200-FN cast bullet at about 90 yards and it put him down right away with very little meat damage.  I used the The '06 and neck shot a spike white tail and a sika doe, just couldn't bring myself to damage any meat with my usual heart lung shot with that '06.  Now the '06 loaded down with 150 gr 30-30 bullets at 22-2400 fps would have done nicely.  That's the really nice think about the '06; versatility with loads from chipmunks to bear/elk as I assumed "hunting" meant varmint to big game.

Larry Gibson

[Daman]

I used the The '06 and neck shot a spike white tail and a sika doe, just couldn't bring myself to damage any meat with my usual heart lung shot with that '06.  Now the '06 loaded down with 150 gr 30-30 bullets at 22-2400 fps would have done nicely.  That's the really nice think about the '06; versatility with loads from chipmunks to bear/elk as I assumed "hunting" meant varmint to big game.

Larry Gibson

I don't understand??? I thought everyone shot deer in the neck!

Sometimes the '06 does tear them up, but I have found the Hornady 150 BTSP only leaves about a 1" exit wound and it hammers the deer with authority. The damage is all in the bullet you shoot.

Daman

[bigswede]

Remington model 673 in 350 rem mag, with leupold 1.5-5x20mm.  I'd like to say a custom shop model Seven mountain rifle in 350 rem mag, but I don't own one of those.

[victorcharlie]

I hate to say it but it would be rem 700 in 30.06 with a 3.5x10 leupi VX-III.

I have this identical combo, and it would be hard to beat if I could only have one.

[1911crazy]

To have just "1" rifle it would be my remington 700 in 338win mag. its got power and distance and still has plenty of power at long distances.  With its 4,000ft lbs @ the muzzle and 2,700ft lbs @ 200yds thats the muzzle energy of an '06 at 200yds.  I just pick up blackbears and slam them down dead before they know what hit them.

Now its hard to cover all types of hunting with just one gun.  My 338wm won't do it all.  I would waste deer and varmits?  This is where my 7,62x39 sks, 308 saiga and my 223 saiga come in.  I still want a good quick humane kill.

Another point is i can't use a long range rifle in the brush(thick woods). You need a wider, slower and heavier round like a 444?

I just don't think one gun can cover all types of game and situations.

I still vote for the 6,5mm swede and the 7mm mausers too.

[Frank46]

One gun huh?. Thats easy, my sako 75 hunter in 30-06 with leupold 4.5x14 and my handloads. For the little stuff could use cast bullets. Rifle and scope combination is very accurate and would not hesitate to use it on something bigger than white tail deer. Run what you brung. Frank

[Mac11700]

To have just "1" rifle it would be my remington 700 in 338win mag. its got power and distance and still has plenty of power at long distances.  With its 4,000ft lbs @ the muzzle and 2,700ft lbs @ 200yds thats the muzzle energy of an '06 at 200yds.  I just pick up blackbears and slam them down dead before they know what hit them.

Now its hard to cover all types of hunting with just one gun.  My 338wm won't do it all.  I would waste deer and varmits?  This is where my 7,62x39 sks, 308 saiga and my 223 saiga come in.  I still want a good quick humane kill.

Another point is i can't use a long range rifle in the brush(thick woods). You need a wider, slower and heavier round like a 444?

I just don't think one gun can cover all types of game and situations.

I still vote for the 6,5mm swede and the 7mm mausers too.

This is a little strange..Why would you waste deer with your 338WM? A bad hit is a bad hit..and unless your putting the round into edible parts you want to keep..it's no different than any other high power round. Bullet selection is paramount to when using a magnum cartridge..I used my 338-06A-Square with hot handloads that did a wonderful job even on a small doe I took with it with no meat loss at all..well..I did loose some rib meat..but nothing else.

Also..the old addage you can't use a HP rifle in the woods is hogwash..you just may not like to or prefer to use something else.A fast moving bullet is just as deadly as a slow moving large caliber bullet..and as long as you are proficient in shooting it,should do just as well as any other. While I think carrying a light weight unscoped rifle is easier when crawling around through thick blow downs as opposed to carrying a larger scoped rifle..The larger scoped rifle will shine brightly when needing to thread the bullet through small openings to the animal.Many believe how the larger caliber flat points are so much better for busting brush..that tells me some  aren't waiting for the best shot to take or can't see the target clearly and just blast away at the animal..

Can 1 gun cover all the bases..it can ,but it will take determination of the individual to use the best bullet for what ever animal is being hunted and stay within range of the target to keep from wounding it needlessly.The comfort level of the shooter will also determine how many shots  they will shoot too.

I actually chose a 300 Winchester magnum for my 1 rifle battery after weighing all the type of hunting I plan on doing and the amount of hunting/shooting/reloading I plan on doing with it.Short range to long range..recoil not too excessive..plenty of factory ammo and reloads when I want to play..Any other hunting is more than covered by my trusty 12ga. 870.I feel a person could do far worse.

Mac

[454Puma]

Well my old Savage 110 '06 package gun did it all for the first ten years , probably could have done it with a 336 Marlin 30-30 just not as well, 300 yards would be pushing the 30-30! But 300 yards in the '06 is a walk in the park!   That's why I went with the '06 to begin with -bullet selection I could load for just about any Varmit all the way up to Elephant!  And it has done it all all over the world!