Hunting with a Rifle you dont fancy

WhelanLad

WhelanLad

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Guys,

im having a tough run with my Whelen.

i love the cartridge an what it does, but boy , that Ruger hawkeye sure is a heavy heffer!

i fantasize about the whelen, im 35 years old, i wanna hunt with a 35 Whelen........... but i take it for a day an i regret it within half a day...by the end of the day im ready to leave it against a tree....... lol.

The kimber montana has no doubt ruined my other guns an their feel and appeal...... hence chopping an cutting that Left handed Abolt up , shorter an with some aerodynamic racing holes....

Im keeping that whelen as a forever gun, but its only a short morning or afternoon hunting gun, a hunt where im not walkin around much... sad.

Do you have a gun like this, love it but hate it?

all i can think of doing is, loading that 30-06 Abolt up with say, 200gr projectiles but i feel im losing out... i feel it would give that thump an destruction the Whelen does,,,, but it really limits the cartridge?

i dont shoot past 300m with it though, an it sits a 2-7x33 scope, so it is a bush gun, handy with the little barrel about 19-20 inches long.

currently shooting the 180gr hornady btsp with varget, so my velocity is down but i use varget in many guns at this stage dont want to get 2209 (4831?) just to gain a few FPS.

current it runs 2550 with above comb. plenty really.

i wouldnt mind a howa ultralight, cant really justify it though.... money situation and i have a kimber montana in 7mm08, plus the 30-06 (little lighter than stock Abolt) means a 308 hasnt really the need for my safe.... ohh, an the Ruger 1 303.... so much the same it isnt funny.

why not tote the ruger 1? ive left it open sighted an there is just too many oppertunitys gone by utilising only opens.

it runs 180gr hot cors over varget, good for novelty sit an wait or tight hunting on good days.. but not a go to.

anyway,,, tell me about your story of guns.....

Foggy mornings here an real cold frosts, i have been arvo hunting but need to camp out one night an re set my body clock.... mean time, forum an indulging in endless rifle articles will do me fine.
 
My gun collection would most small to
medium gun stores, but many of them just don’t seem to go hunting a lot anymore. One of them is my 35 Whelen. Sure it hits hard close up; but realistically just about everything hits hard close up.

Seeing as you like your Kimber Montana I’d suggest finding one in 300 WSM and giving that a go. Portable and weatherproof, you already know you like the design and if a 180 at 3000 fps or so doesn’t smack things around hard enough you’ve got other problems. Admittedly my Montana is a 270 WSM, and my Kimber 300 WSM is wood stocked but the dots aren’t
that hard to connect. :) Speaking of connecting dot’s, I’ve shot buffalo and what would be the #4 scrub bull with 180 Accubonds in your country, and grizzly and moose amoung other things over here. Never seems to come
up short or fail to impress.

These days I seem to find lots of reasons to take a
Kimber and leave the other guns home.
 
I couldnt do a 300wsm in a Kimber!

i sold an Abolt years ago because it was a handful an i could hit stuff easier with a .270 i had at the time.

im pretty content with the little 7mm08 in that platform, in fact i think i will take it today when i go back out an try spend a night in the tent over lookin at reasonably semi open face a few hundred meters away-- a hunt id like to take the 3006 on but there is every chance of a 400m shot which i just woiuldnt be taking with the 06.

Kimbers are neat to hunt with though, an me being a smaller dude, the others just seem heavy an big now

i guess ill have to process the fact that some, are just safe queens now
 
I heard an interesting interview the other day. It was of a researcher, who had done long term studies on solutions to complex problems. Surprisingly often elimination, simplification, and reduction were actually the most effective answers in solving a complex issue, and that’s a path that seldom occurs to humans seeking solutions. Probably because we built the rats nest we’re trying to solve, and adding things is how we try and solve problems intuitively.

Now the only question is if that makes a hobby fun. I’m no good at it either, I just picked up a Model 71 as I’ve gotta know. And that’s just a harder to feed Whelen class rifle. But, try selling the Whelen you don’t love anymore and seeing how it goes with your remaining battery. Then if it’s falling short, consider adding.
 
favorite bullet for the 30-06 is a well constructed 165gr. I have taken moose bear deer, nobody has walked away. I also have a 375 H&H nobody walks away from that one either, But it's heavey so dosen't get out much anymore. The 7-08 should kill most things, the 06 will do the rest,375 dosen't make animals any deader than 06.
 
I couldnt do a 300wsm in a Kimber!
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It might surprise you. It’s sort of like a world class baseball pitcher or in your case a cricket bowler winding up and throwing a potato chip at you. Its over pretty quick, and nothing much happens. My Kimber in 338 Win Mag is sort if a different level, but my som
started shooting it when he was 14. Barrel is about done now, I think I’ll make it into a 300 Win Mag.
 
Dogleg said:
It might surprise you. It’s sort of like a world class baseball pitcher or in your case a cricket bowler winding up and throwing a potato chip at you. Its over pretty quick, and nothing much happens. My Kimber in 338 Win Mag is sort if a different level, but my som
started shooting it when he was 14. Barrel is about done now, I think I’ll make it into a 300 Win Mag.
Click to expand...

Nice ?? But the 300 PRC would be the better Rebarrel choice then the 300 WM in “ MHO only “ ! lol RJ
 
I hear you. I have a lot of nice rifles, one for this and one for that etc. Strangely, it's my Model 70 SG in 300wsm, my beater Husqvarna in 9.3 and my pre-64 M94 in 32sp that get used 99% of the time.

I had a Kimber in 308. It was a joy to carry, and had the features I like (3-pos safety, controlled feed action, etc.) but didn't live up to my expectations for accuracy - even with handloads. In tight bush on foggy days the 94 is just about perfect. I can;t imagine a better rifle for that kind of hunting. Long shots over swamps and cuts - the M70, and on rainy days where I don't want to worry too much about ruining a valuable gun, the Husky.
 
I come to the conclusion in life that if something is a pain in the postier derriere, git rid of it.
Fuss'in'n musss'in with something that is causing you grief will continue to do so.

One usually shoots better with something they like to shoot ......... too.
 
I got rid of some rifles I thought I absolutely needed just because they didn’t shoot the way I wanted or didn’t feel in the hands the way I like, I have one that I didn’t sell yet is a Ruger m77mkII 30-06 that doesn’t fit me that well and doesn’t have open sights(lol), I kept that one cause it is now my wife’s rifle and the one my niece will be using this August to try and get her first caribou, a loaner we could say!
I am looking for an other 30-06 bolt action pistol hat would fit my criteria on fit and look… not sure what it will be yet!
 
There are ways to lighten up that ruger if needed. Or what i have found is carry method makes a big deal with how comfy a rifle is to pack around. 8-9lb rifle is no problem if its slung properly and carried right. My preferred method has the rifle weight hung off my pack shoulder straps that works to stabilize the weight of my pack. Its hands free, instant ability to shoot ( just pick the sucker up, poibt and shoot)... try out some different carry methods and that 35 might become a better friend.
 
I will bite on this.

As a mountain hunter I carry a rifle that is light enough to carry, reliable, impervious to weather and accurate enough to make me a better shooter. I do not particularly "fancy" it but over time I have grown to love it because of the results it gives me. The kevlar and carbon and titanium or whatever doesn't do it for me. But the results do, the thing shoots. 26 Nosler Ridgeline with a Swaro Z5 and custom turret.

I have always viewed a rifle as a tool (because technology has changed and the new tech isn't as classically beautiful) whereas a shotgun is a thing of beauty and fancy. You shouldn't kill a pretty bird with an ugly gun. And the tech hasn't come far enough that an old one is significantly less ethical/reliable/accurate.

this said I am building an old school sheep gun as we speak as an homage to Jack O'Connor based off of a 1947 Win Model 70 action with SC Gun Works in Ontario. Maybe this will finally be one I fancy.
 
Get a kimber montana 84L 280 AI or a 30-06. WL; I have your 7-08's big brother, a montana 7wsm. Recoil isn't bad. I'm 5'7" and the kimbers fit me well, go shoulder an 84L.
 
obsessed1b said:
There are ways to lighten up that ruger if needed. Or what i have found is carry method makes a big deal with how comfy a rifle is to pack around. 8-9lb rifle is no problem if its slung properly and carried right. My preferred method has the rifle weight hung off my pack shoulder straps that works to stabilize the weight of my pack. Its hands free, instant ability to shoot ( just pick the sucker up, poibt and shoot)... try out some different carry methods and that 35 might become a better friend.
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nah its a pain, i carry in my hands as i stalk an back pack hunt, maybe if fully walking out ill put the kimber on the pack but i generally have tripods, tent an all sorts hanging off the Exo pack!

the whelen (Ruger) just weighs that 20kg pack down too much!

thas why i love that kimber, you can carry it no drama, an stash it on the bag easily!
 
Butcherbill said:
If weight is the only thing about it that bugs you get in better shape lol, I hunted for years with a rifle that was 10lb without ammo. The more in shape I was, the easier it was to carry around.
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ha ha, im 60kg wringing wet, my packs typically 20kg or so, 1/3 of my body weight, last thing i need is a 4kg rifle ontop of that :)
 
I find my carrying position changes throughout the day. Slung over the shoulder, laid on my elbow like a shotgun, two hands with the wrist gripped, cradled with my arms crossed in front of my body, or a favourite for heavier rifles at the end of the day, lying flat over my shoulder and held with one hand. The sling comes off or goes on, depending on the field conditions.

I also switch out my gloves/mitts throughout the day. Some are too slippery for safe handling, but are warm for the conditions.
 
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