Downsizing and upgrading

MaxKW

MaxKW

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Timmins,On
I’ve been thinking about selling most of my rifles and buying or building just 1 in each category. Problem is all my rifles have upgraded barrels, stock etc and I can’t just walk into a store and replace them so I’m losing my nerve. I see many benefits to doing this like being more proficient with fewer guns, loads, optics to get used to. Frees up money to buy the best of the best. Less ammo/ reloading supplies tied up in many cartridges etc.
I’m not a collector. All my rifles are used for both hunting and target work. Interested in your thoughts and if you have done something similar or even thought about it what did you or would you buy?
 
I went with 4 cartridges for varmint to moose that all use the same powder. Hard to part with rifles that you have a bunch of money tied up in, just to move them.
 
I feel like I have a lot of overlap, I haven’t deer hunted with a rifle in years but have two 243’s, a 257 wby, 6.5-284 and a 26 Nosler. Kind of the same in the bigger game rifles 7wsm, 308 win, 300 Norma, 300wsm, 338 Lapua, 35wsm, 375wby.
 
I have one favorite big game rifle and no matter how many others I get, I seem to keep coming back to this one. I only have a finite amount of time to hunt and shoot so every time I go out with something else I think, "why the heck am I not shooting the one I like best?"

They rest are pretty much toys. I like having a heavy barrel centerfire like a .223 or something to plink with while my hunting rifle cools down.
 
MaxKW said:
I feel like I have a lot of overlap, I haven’t deer hunted with a rifle in years but have two 243’s, a 257 wby, 6.5-284 and a 26 Nosler. Kind of the same in the bigger game rifles 7wsm, 308 win, 300 Norma, 300wsm, 338 Lapua, 35wsm, 375wby.
Click to expand...

Without knowing specifics of these rifles, I could easily pare down to the .35wsm and the 6.5-284. Flip the rest and get a nice .223 for plinking.
 
MaxKW said:
I feel like I have a lot of overlap, I haven’t deer hunted with a rifle in years but have two 243’s, a 257 wby, 6.5-284 and a 26 Nosler. Kind of the same in the bigger game rifles 7wsm, 308 win, 300 Norma, 300wsm, 338 Lapua, 35wsm, 375wby.
Click to expand...

Sell them all except for one .243.

What's the 'other' 243?
 
MaxKW said:
I’ve been thinking about selling most of my rifles and buying or building just 1 in each category. Problem is all my rifles have upgraded barrels, stock etc and I can’t just walk into a store and replace them so I’m losing my nerve. I see many benefits to doing this like being more proficient with fewer guns, loads, optics to get used to. Frees up money to buy the best of the best. Less ammo/ reloading supplies tied up in many cartridges etc.
I’m not a collector. All my rifles are used for both hunting and target work. Interested in your thoughts and if you have done something similar or even thought about it what did you or would you buy?
Click to expand...

Gday mate,
wet springy arternoon down under, an a good discussion you started here!

im in process of doin similiar, although its been a slow process and sometime one step forward two back in regards to the latest purchases....

im not too invested with premium Rifles, they are all run of the mills and i keep them around a $1500 or so combo with the scopes, but i have quite a few doing the same sort of thing, just for fairly specific type of hunting... im starting to think like you an dropping a good few, to have only a few good.. my problem has bene a never really ending quest in finding that perfect calibre, i have sorta found the rifle now but not the cal :D
im a bit of a "gun nut" in that i like levers, singles, an bolts of flavour, so thus in itself means il always have a few coming and going i rekon, wih a few on the "PErfect" ones for their hunt.... without breaking my bank doing so.

all using the different powder has been proberly the most costly bit?
 
MaxKW said:
I feel like I have a lot of overlap, I haven’t deer hunted with a rifle in years but have two 243’s, a 257 wby, 6.5-284 and a 26 Nosler. Kind of the same in the bigger game rifles 7wsm, 308 win, 300 Norma, 300wsm, 338 Lapua, 35wsm, 375wby.
Click to expand...

ohhhh Yeah, i see what yer sayin about over lap.... an here i was thinkin i was over lappin with a 7-08,303 #1 and a 3006........ :D

would proberly love yer 7 wsm ha ha, comin to aus any time soooon?
 
I did. Sold off a bunch. Bought a 30-06 Tikka T3 , a Sako AV 6.5x55 and a type 81.
The ‘06 is my all around hunting rifle. The 6.5 is for the Mrs to use for deer. The T81 is to blast away some rounds for fun on a weekend on crown land with buddies. I also bought a mossberg 500 12 gauge with a short and long barrel to do double duty as a short barrel camp gun (we backcountry camp in Alberta) and a clays/upland bird/rabbit gun with the longer barrel.
That’s it down from a collection of milsurps , pcc’s , shotguns etc all in multiple calibres and gauges.
The two hunting rifles won’t see more than a couple boxes a year in ammo and 762x39 & 12 gauge is cheap enough.
If you’re gonna do it you just gotta bite the bullet and do it lol it hurts to see your collection go down the road but if you want to achieve a more simplified shooting style then that’s how to do it.
 
One could break it down into 3 or 4 rifles as per intended use.

1. 223 sporter for plinking and vermin
2. 6.5CM lightweight sporter for deer
3. 30-06 for moose
4. 308 short/lightweight bush gun. (optional)

Obviously, other similar chamberings could be substituted for the above.
 
WhelanLad said:
Gday mate,
wet springy arternoon down under, an a good discussion you started here!

im in process of doin similiar, although its been a slow process and sometime one step forward two back in regards to the latest purchases....

im not too invested with premium Rifles, they are all run of the mills and i keep them around a $1500 or so combo with the scopes, but i have quite a few doing the same sort of thing, just for fairly specific type of hunting... im starting to think like you an dropping a good few, to have only a few good.. my problem has bene a never really ending quest in finding that perfect calibre, i have sorta found the rifle now but not the cal :D
im a bit of a "gun nut" in that i like levers, singles, an bolts of flavour, so thus in itself means il always have a few coming and going i rekon, wih a few on the "PErfect" ones for their hunt.... without breaking my bank doing so.

all using the different powder has been proberly the most costly bit?
Click to expand...

I couldn't help but read your post with an Australian accent
 
Just pare them down more slowly, one at a time. That takes the stress out of it and lets you know that you really thought each one through.

Pick the least used, most redundant one and start from there.
 
SuperCub said:
One could break it down into 3 or 4 rifles as per intended use.

1. 223 sporter for plinking and vermin
2. 6.5CM lightweight sporter for deer
3. 30-06 for moose
4. 308 short/lightweight bush gun. (optional)

Obviously, other similar chamberings could be substituted for the above.
Click to expand...

Great minds. I went with #1-3 although the government seems intent on making my choice for #1 a paperweight.
 
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