Rifle "fitting" or "sizing" to Game

Ardent

Ardent

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Northern BC, Coastal BC, or Africa. Depends on the
I even have a spreadsheet, my thoughts on the fewest quality rifles in chamberings required to have a complete hunting spectrum, to paraphrase the smallest portion of it, it looks something like this:

List 1, the bare essentials:

.375 H&H- heavy and dangerous to medium big game
.257 Roberts- light big game to varmint
.17 Hornet or a .22 Mag- light varmints

I have tentatively planned to get down to:

List 2:

.475 Morrison- true heavy, dangerous game close range
.375 H&H- heavy big game, dangerous game medium range and the lighter species of dangerous game
.275 Rigby- medium big game, reachier stuff (likely superfluous with the .257 included)
.257 Roberts- light big game, varmints (potentially superfluous with .275 included, consider the .25 a little more versatile with a .375 in the same)
.17 Hornet- light varmints
.22 Mag- cheap easy varminting on the acreage

.308 Win M1A for whatever, matches, varminting (wolves is a popular outing for it, for me), odd man out, I just like M14's and enjoy shooting their excellent iron sights.


What has been the fly in my perfectly proportioned, allotted, and applied ointment is any one of the moderate chamberings (.375 H&H, 7x57, .308 Win, even .257 to a degree) does everything south of dangerous and extremely heavy game, less the .375. I've varminted very successfully with the .375 H&H, and it's trajectory is as good as the lighter magnums loaded with light, speedy bullets. Was just calling coyotes with it on the acreage not long ago as a matter of fact, simply because it was sighted in when my others were in questionable states of "lego", and the ammunition loaded and in the cabinet in several varieties for .375. It keeps getting packed because it's always ready to go and I know where it shoots, I have trouble finding the time to become that familiar with the smaller chamberings, that are less versatile.

Another case in point is the M14 / M1A, heavy at 10lbs, not the most accurate rifle by bolt gun standards, at the same weight I'd have a heavy 26" barrelled precision rifle instead of a light barrelled 2MOA .308 with iron sights. However it just feels right, the trajectory is familiar, and again likely a clincher, it has excellent iron sights that are always sighted in. Ammo, being readily available, is always in the gun room and I shoot this rifle a lot, so again it's familiar. The MOA clicks have let me connect with a wolf at a startling distance for iron sights. In the end, I suppose the summary of these thoughts is it's not necessary to have the ideal gun for everything, I'm learning, and just having a couple guns you use a lot serves me a lot better. I've stopped worrying about bullet weight, speed, and trajectories as even varminting most of my shots are 300 and under. I guess I can say I'm now comfortable with inappropriate rifles for the task.

Now perhaps I can slash even more from the cabinet and go after that Polar Bear after all...

What's your minimalist list, and your perfect battery comprised of chambering wise?
 
Didn't you do one of these "minimalist threads" a short while ago??? Somebody is agonizing over which of the kids to put up for adoption...

I'll play anyway... it looks like you are only talking centerfire rifles, so my three gun list would look like (NO Africa or Big Bears);

.222 Rem & .25/06 & .30/06

OR

.223 Rem & .260 Rem & .308 Win

OR

.243 Win & 7mm-08 Rem & .300 WM

OR

.25/06 & .280 Rem & .35 Whelen

BUT PROBABLY

.22 K-Hornet & .30/30 Win & .35 Rem

(Plus a CZ 453 .22 LR, CZ Side-by-Each 20 gauge, Browning Silver Lightning 12 gauge and a Ruger MKIII Target)

Perhaps also; K-Hornet & 7X57 & 9.3X74R???

Oh heck... I don't know...
 
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Well , in Canada.

A .22LR.

A .284 Win, 100gr to 160+gr for varmint to large beasts.

A 12ga for winged critters or small critters or 4 legged critters.

If you want to jump continents I'd say yes the .375 for dangerous beasts down to deer sized critters.

There is some overlap on my selections but IMO that would be all ya "need" to hunt the world.
 
(Speaking of pro ivory hunter W.D.M Bell ) He shot exactly 1,011 elephants; about 800 of them were shot with Rigby-made 7x57mm (.275 Rigby) rifles and round nose 173 grain military ammo.
He shot elephants with a Mannlicher-Schoenauer 6.5x54mm carbine using the long 159 grain FMJ bullets and noted that it was probably the most beautiful rifle he ever had, but gave it up due to faulty ammunition.
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Get a rifle you can shoot , spend the time learning the very best ways to kill what ever you are hunting , make your first shot count and get to know whatever is in your gun safe at the moment. When the time comes you will be able to kill it(whatever it might be ) with a lot of different calibers .Unless you are looking for a good reason to fill a few more slots in the gun safe then you might need a spare(or companion rifle) for each of your choices.
 
I had forgotten about my other thread, indeed very much in the same vein! Guess you've caught me red handed, indeed, cutting right down and while largely a positive experience there are pinch points. Like the silly M14... On paper one of the last guns I'd keep. In reality, unfortunately it just works.
 
What, no .270?
The above makes it sound like your .375 is the 'middle gun'... shouldn't be hard to find something noticeably above and below to get you down to 3. (plus a shotgun of course!)
 
Well, if you went with a 416 Rigby or even the dreaded Remington you could do away with your wildcat 475 and your beloved 375 H&H and not lack capability on dangerous game and the largest of other game. That would open your midrange magnum to a 338 Winchester or 340 Weatherby and your light rifle to a 7x57 or 270 Winchester. Add a 22LR and 12 gauge (or a 16 because I know you like nostalgia and classics) and you could easily get away with not having to buy another safe.

But what fun would that be?
 
Diapers are s'pensive huh?
That'll teach ya for pok'n a wee bit of fun at the Missus.

My choices would be a mid road magnum.
A 308win.
A scatter'er of your choice, me an A-5.
And a rimfire.
Like an old 69A or CZ/Brno.
 
Among the herd I have 6.5x55, a 6.5x55 AI, a carbine and a full length 7x57. With bullets from 100-175 grains they will do everything I need to. If you wanted to argue they are a bit light for big bears you could, but I have confidence in the 160 out of th AI at about 2650. What it lacks in energy it makes up in penetration.
 
I cringe at the idea of whittling down my cartridges to a minumum, but, really, I would be fine with selling everything except-

.375 RUM
30-06
22-250
.22 LR

Plus, of course, M14 and M1 rifles, which nobody should be without, ever.
 
I just can't do the minimalist thing, but my PH in Africa did it all very well with just a CZ Brno .416 Remington, a Sako AV 30-06, a Brno .22 Hornet, and a 12 Ga pump. I "Need" at least a dozen more.
 
In ...Ontario, I've done pretty well everything with a 22LR, 257 and 35 Whelen ... although I also have a 223 & a 25-06.
In 45 years of deer/bear/moose seasons, I've rarely had the chance of any shot much beyond 150 yards, although
at times, both ground hog and coyote hunting, the range can stretch out to 300 or better.
If I lived in AB, BC, Yukon or NWT I'd certainly consider a 375 H&H.
 
45-70 Lever when out for a walk
375H&H for the big stuff
30-06 for the rest
223 for varmints
Add a 22lr and a 12ga and most is very well covered.

If you're European, sub in a 9.3x62 and 7x57 to keep true to your roots.
 
WOW Ardent, you really gotten the minimization bug lately........What's up with that? I do agree that when I get seriously ready to go kill something it will usually come down to 1 of 3 rifles. My 243........my 300 Wby.......my 375 H&H. But just for laughs I'll take the 350 RM sometimes or the 340 Wby, maybe the 300 WSM.................Maybe I have commitment issues. Africa invariably find me with my 300 Wby and a heavy of sorts.......375 or 416.....I've yet to take the 470, but that days coming!!!!!
Some will no doubt disagree, but I have found the 300 Wby to be a stellar performer on everything from Suni and Red Duiker through whitetail deer and sheep right up to Eland and bison and our Yukon/Alaskan moose and grizzlies. I have taken literally hundreds of game animals with it and I can find no fault from 15 mtrs to 600 mtrs. Fully 95% of my hunting and harvesting of game over the last 25 years has been with my old 700 Rem in 300 Wby. So I guess it would be pretty easy to narrow it down to 3 rifles if I had to..................BUT WHY?
 
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Ardent said:
Not really true, Wood Bison are out (there are lots in the Northwest of the country), as are Grizzlies. It's even less than ideal for big Elk. I would say in Ontario, it is good for everything, it's not even legal for a species or two out West however.
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Oh? Can you provide specifics?
 
I could probably get by with light, medium, heavy and a varmint caliber. That could be trimmed further by ditching the medium, or cut to bare bones by ditching everything but the medium. It would be a sad day.

The heavy could be a .458 Win or Lott. The medium would be a .375 H&H. The light could be 7STW,.300 Win,Bee or RUM. The varmint would a 22/250.

The only reasons that I can think of to trim down to next to nothing are finances or a law limiting the number of guns we can own. If it was finances the problem is simplified since if I couldn't afford to hunt the big ones I wouldn't need the big guns. Not a lot around home that needs over .30 cal, or 7mm for that matter.
 
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