Poll

Are you a one gun or a backup gun person when going on a hunting trip?

Bring one gun.
4 (8%)
Will sometimes bring a second gun.
10 (20%)
Always have a backup gun.
36 (72%)

Total Members Voted: 50

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Author Topic: Backup rifles brought with you when you hunt?  (Read 2533 times)

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Offline His lordship.

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Backup rifles brought with you when you hunt?
« on: November 30, 2011, 04:43:49 AM »
How common is it to bring a backup rifle when you travel to do some hunting, whether it is big game or small game? 


The only time I faced a hunting dilemma was years ago when I was in central Minnesota grouse hunting and my new Remington 870 shotgun jammed (double feed) when I did not seat the rounds properly in the magazine while loading it and one of them tried to enter the chamber while the first round one was not fully inserted.  I simply gave the action a good tug and it cleared it, but it did make me think as this was quite a drive from home.  I routinely holster a handgun as it gives me some options and I can always use it to continue hunting.


If I was driving several days distance and especially with a paid hunting guide/trip I would want a backup.  Do most hunters simply rely on one gun or do they bring some extra insurance? 
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Offline Bart Solo

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Re: Backup rifles brought with you when you hunt?
« Reply #1 on: November 30, 2011, 05:48:59 AM »
I sometimes bring a second rifle just in case I have a malfunction.  I am mostly worried about scope problems. 
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Offline SHOOTALL

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Re: Backup rifles brought with you when you hunt?
« Reply #2 on: November 30, 2011, 05:52:31 AM »
Like Clint Smith said 1 gun is none and 2 guns are one .
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Offline ironglow

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Re: Backup rifles brought with you when you hunt?
« Reply #3 on: November 30, 2011, 05:59:02 AM »
  I do most all my hunting within a 5 mile radius of my house.  So, I generally have just one, unless I am zeroing my scopes down in my woods.
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Offline drdougrx

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Re: Backup rifles brought with you when you hunt?
« Reply #4 on: November 30, 2011, 06:16:09 AM »
I debate this in my mind all the time.  I usually bring only one gun and a back-up scope.  If I'm flying to a trip I have to really think hard about a backup.  If I'm with a buddy, we usually agree to share the other's rifle if things go bad if possible.  So I guess I'm 50/50 about bringing a 2nd gun.
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Offline SHOOTALL

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Re: Backup rifles brought with you when you hunt?
« Reply #5 on: November 30, 2011, 06:17:11 AM »
I hunt in multi counties , one is shot gun only , one is shotgun only for deer rifle can be used for bear and turkey the other two are rifle . So on most any day its a shotgun, slug gun and rifle with scope and rifle with out scope .
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Offline BBF

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Re: Backup rifles brought with you when you hunt?
« Reply #6 on: November 30, 2011, 09:29:42 AM »
It is the optics that usually get screwed up. If size/weight or import restriction prohibit a second rifle a back up scope would be my 2nd choice.
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Offline bilmac

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Re: Backup rifles brought with you when you hunt?
« Reply #7 on: November 30, 2011, 11:03:14 AM »
I mostly hunt close to home, but I almost always have a handy rifle behind the seat. It is in there all the time. During the big game season it gets a 243 barrel. The rest of the year it wears a 357 bbl. Sometimes I just like to change off guns during the hunt. So the handi rifle comes out while the 270 gets a rest.
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Offline bulletstuffer

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Re: Backup rifles brought with you when you hunt?
« Reply #8 on: November 30, 2011, 11:17:01 AM »
A back up to the back up makes most sense to me if your hunt is more than an hour away ;D
 
Murphy is always around the next corner.
 
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Offline Rangr44

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Re: Backup rifles brought with you when you hunt?
« Reply #9 on: November 30, 2011, 11:42:24 AM »
I take multiple guns, but not so much for "back up" as for differing hunting situations.
 
While I like a peep-sighted gun for rough/brush/jungle jump-shooting/hunting, I'd much rather prefer a scoped rifle capable of reaching out 300+ yards when taking a stand at the edge of a large field, etc.
I also like a beater for a rainy day, or as a loaner for someone in my party who's had a mishap.
 
I also take a shotgun, for bird hunting after I tag a deer.
 
Then again, for a week-long out-of-state hunting trip, I've been known to take a "Monday gun", a "Tuesday gun", a "Wednesday gun", etc, etc, etc.  :D
 
.
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Offline tacklebury

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Re: Backup rifles brought with you when you hunt?
« Reply #10 on: November 30, 2011, 11:43:50 AM »
I test my firearms often.  Have never had one taken on a hunting trip that didn't go boom.  I usually have a pistol for back-up like my .45 LC Blackhawk.  ;)
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Offline flintlock

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Re: Backup rifles brought with you when you hunt?
« Reply #11 on: November 30, 2011, 01:36:09 PM »
I do...I live 4 1/2 hours away from where I grew up and where the family farms are...I take a couple of long weekends and a whole week each year and stay in a hunting cabin we have on one of these farms...
 
During rifle season, I take my scoped .243 and also my scoped inline...I also usually carry my .54 flintlock for deer and often use this in the morning especially when the weather is good...
 
I take a Browning B-80 with 6s and buckshot as well...The 6s are  in case I decide to have squirrels or other small game, the buckshot is in case the dog hunters let the dogs out beside our farm...
 
I always carry a Glock 23 with me and a Ruger Mark-II .22 stays in my toolbox on the truck and I also grab my .44mag Blackhawk...
 
 
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Offline Bart Solo

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Re: Backup rifles brought with you when you hunt?
« Reply #12 on: November 30, 2011, 03:32:50 PM »
Quote from: flintlock on November 30, 2011, 01:36:09 PM
I do...I live 4 1/2 hours away from where I grew up and where the family farms are...I take a couple of long weekends and a whole week each year and stay in a hunting cabin we have on one of these farms...
 
During rifle season, I take my scoped .243 and also my scoped inline...I also usually carry my .54 flintlock for deer and often use this in the morning especially when the weather is good...
 
I take a Browning B-80 with 6s and buckshot as well...The 6s are  in case I decide to have squirrels or other small game, the buckshot is in case the dog hunters let the dogs out beside our farm...
 
I always carry a Glock 23 with me and a Ruger Mark-II .22 stays in my toolbox on the truck and I also grab my .44mag Blackhawk...

Carrying all that hardware must get heavy. :) ;)
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Offline BBF

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Re: Backup rifles brought with you when you hunt?
« Reply #13 on: December 01, 2011, 03:47:52 AM »
Not if you got a gun caddy ;D ;D ;D
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Offline flintlock

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Re: Backup rifles brought with you when you hunt?
« Reply #14 on: December 01, 2011, 05:11:46 AM »
Yep, Z-71 with a big toolbox on the back... :)
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Offline Empty Quiver

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Re: Backup rifles brought with you when you hunt?
« Reply #15 on: December 01, 2011, 05:20:18 AM »
If I am leaving the state definitely will bring a second. If I will be hunting public ground will most definitely NOT bring one due to security concerns. The 1895 has become the preferred backup, especially as it has become the preferred gun as well, though it is not suited to all situations.
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Offline His lordship.

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Re: Backup rifles brought with you when you hunt?
« Reply #16 on: December 02, 2011, 01:39:19 PM »
Empty Quiver...you brought up a good point, the theft risk on public land.  I used a Dodge pickup truck for many years to haul my rifles around, I always had to keep it in sight when there were guns in the back of the box, despite using a topper to keep them immediately out of the open.  A thief could look in and see them, yank open the cheesey aluminum door and steal them.  Later I used a regular sedan car and the trunk allowed me to keep things out of sight.
 
This is one of the reasons I have not owned a truck since 1995. :-\
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Offline deerandduck

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Re: Backup rifles brought with you when you hunt?
« Reply #17 on: December 02, 2011, 03:09:38 PM »

My experience.....Last year, my friend, his dad and I went to hunt whitetails in Kansas, which is about 12-15 hrs away (driving).  I took an extra rifle just in case.  When we arrived, unloaded our stuff, we went to check our rifles.  My friends dad's gun, a 7mmRM would not shot worth crap and was all over the place.  I offered my extra rifle, a 270.  Turns out, he was the only one to kill a nice whitetail with my gun.  I was proud too, as he was using my handloads developed for that gun.
We were all glad I brought an extra along and that he was able to use it successfully.

Bottom line, for an away hunt, costing some bucks, I will always have an extra just in case.
thanks,
Deerandduck
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Offline roper

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Re: Backup rifles brought with you when you hunt?
« Reply #18 on: December 02, 2011, 05:04:38 PM »
I always take a back-up rifle might even take two.
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Offline mcwoodduck

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Re: Backup rifles brought with you when you hunt?
« Reply #19 on: December 02, 2011, 05:24:55 PM »
When going horse back hunting I bring a second rifle. 
Rifles have fallen out of scabords, horses have fallen and bend barrels, broken scopes, and stocks.
Last Elk hunt I had my 338 Wm and a 375H&H.  I had sold my 30-06 to a friend that needed a rifle and my 308 is 10 pounds and a little too heavy to drag all over the mountains and the 3-9X50 scope does not fit in most scabbords so it stayed home. 
The spare rifle was for anyone in our camp if they had a problem
On Javilina hunts in a rocky area in Az I bring a second rifle.  Not only for me but for the 3 t o5 other guys in camp.  We have almost had to use it as scope mounts have lost screws, one of hte guys has a 12 pound 22-250 and walking any distance is out, and my little 22 Hornet is the perfect weight and enough power for the up to 200yard shots.
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Offline james

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Re: Backup rifles brought with you when you hunt?
« Reply #20 on: December 02, 2011, 05:29:42 PM »
Went to WY this year for lopes and took my  heavy barreled 6.5x55 with bipod & Nikon coyote 4-14 for the primary weapon and a Savage 116 in .270 w/ a Cabelas 6-18 w/ calibrated distance and windage turrets as a back up.  The antelope were scarce and wild after being chased for about 5 days and the wind was blowing hard. It turned semis over on the interstate and flattened my good 4 season tent.   Anyway, the 6.5 and my by guess and by gosh shooting wasn't working at 400-600 yards so I went to the .270 with a 140 gr. handload at 3000 fps and dropped my buck in his tracks with a shoulder shot at a close 325 yards.   
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Offline 2ndtimer

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Re: Backup rifles brought with you when you hunt?
« Reply #21 on: December 10, 2011, 11:28:16 AM »
For deer and antelope, I will always bring along a spare rifle and ammo.  Sometimes will trade off between them.  This past season I had planned to take my buck with my Model 70 270WSM, and thought I would try to fill my doe tag with my Sako A-7 in .243 Win.  Turned out I just used my .270WSM on both.  I guess next year I will dedicate the Sako .243 to antelope and the .270WSM to the deer buck.  Maybe I will just use my 6.5x55 Howa on the doe.  (assuming I am lucky enough to draw again next year, and my farmer friend lets me hunt there next year!)  Montana truly is the last best place.
When I head there in the summer for gophers, prairie dogs, badgers and coyotes, I plan to bring the full arsenal, S&W M&P 15-22, Savage 93 GVR in .17HMR, and a pair of .223 Rem bolt actions, not to mention the Ruger 22/45.
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Offline Rock Home Isle

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Re: Backup rifles brought with you when you hunt?
« Reply #22 on: December 10, 2011, 12:41:51 PM »
My primary gun is a Ruger M77 in Winchester .270 and my back up is a Remington M700 BDL also in Winchester .270...I reload and both rifles are sighted in using the same load... 8)
 
The Ruger will put the shots into a 1/2 group at 100 yards while the Remington, using the same load, is a 1 incher at 100 yards.
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Offline tuck2

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Re: Backup rifles brought with you when you hunt?
« Reply #23 on: December 10, 2011, 09:44:47 PM »
When I go prairie dog shooting I have two or three rifles in the pickup . Rimfire rifle for close shots and center fire rifle for longer shots. The 3rd rifle could be a rimfire or centerfire  rifle.
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Offline bilmac

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Re: Backup rifles brought with you when you hunt?
« Reply #24 on: December 11, 2011, 12:00:52 PM »
Tuck   You need to take a pistol to give the real dumb ones a chance.
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Offline Savage .250

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Re: Backup rifles brought with you when you hunt?
« Reply #25 on: December 12, 2011, 01:18:33 AM »
Like they say."be prepared!"       
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Offline Lloyd Smale

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Re: Backup rifles brought with you when you hunt?
« Reply #26 on: December 12, 2011, 02:47:19 AM »
When im hunting crop damage deer i just bring the one gun but if im hunting in season at camp i allways bring along two. One is usually my stainless 308 model 7 that i use on rainy and snowy days.
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Online JeffG

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Re: Backup rifles brought with you when you hunt?
« Reply #27 on: December 12, 2011, 04:33:32 PM »
Always....always bring a backup! Preferably a well shot and familiar gun. Having a second of everything is a pain in the neck... until it pays off and saves a hunt..... my 2 cents.
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Offline tuck2

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Re: Backup rifles brought with you when you hunt?
« Reply #28 on: December 12, 2011, 04:53:48 PM »
Bilmac    Is using my Stainless  Slab Side 22 Target Ruger  semi auto with a red dot site giving the close in P Dogs a chance ?  Some times could be.  My  open sited Ruger Single Six with the 22 WMR cylinder gives them a better chance.  The question was about rifles but a back up hand gun at times will work.
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Offline Mikey

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Re: Backup rifles brought with you when you hunt?
« Reply #29 on: December 13, 2011, 12:52:09 AM »
Bring a back-up, oh yeah.  If pistol, always at least two and same for rifles.  Rifles will be of completely different cailbers so I don't make the mistake of choosing one rifle and a different caliber. 
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