do i sell both and buy new? or keep one?

nate18

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i have 2 rifles, first ones an old remington 742 woodsmaster in 30-06, second is a benilli R1 in .300 win mag. i used the rem last year for moose, and although its a decent rifle, i wanted something newer, and the fore end cracked in half this year before moose season. I got a steal of a deal on a used R1 this year with minor water damage, the back of the stock has swelled a little bit, and theres a bit of rust here and there but nothing major.

now, my gripes with both rifles:

the r1, after testing about 5 different brands and types of bullets, the only thing it shoots accuratly is barnes ttsx which is $80 a box. Second, the barrel is so friggin long (it also has a comp on it), it was a real PITA to get out of the truck in a hurry and swing it up. so I'm considering either selling this, or cutting the barrel to 18 or 20''. or buying a new barrel in 30-06 and cutting the barrel. But, I'm not sure how much this would affect the gas system. has anybody done/heard of this being done? will it still function?

The 742, its old, but it performs. mostly, i hate this gun because its old and ugly lol, but its also a massive SOB to drop the mag for fast reloads, has anybody seen an extended mag release for a woodsmaster? i can glue the cracked fore end back together and call er a day, i also have a chit ton of 30-06 ammo that i bought this year before i bought the R1 in .300 win mag.

CLIFFS:
do i go back to the 742, glue the fore end back together, and try to find or make an extended mag release, or do i sell it?
do i buy a new 30-06 barrel for the R1, and see if i can have it cut down to either 18 or 20'' and have it still perform properly? or do i sell it and the 742 and find something new for myself?

also open to suggestions for future rifles if i decide to go that route, looking for something semi auto, prefer 30-06 over .300 win mag. too bad a m14 socom cant be used for hunting.
 
I can't say whether or not cutting down the R1 will effect accuracy or function BUT, why sell either? Sounds like the 742 wouldn't fetch you much as is when you can often find them in good shape for +/- $450, so I would buy a forend for that one and that problem is solved.

The M14 socom is non restricted so why can you not use for hunting?
 
I like the 7400s, I have NEVER had a malfunction. If you do regular maintenance on your firearms they will function properly.
 
I’d just spruce up the 742 with a Boyd’s stock, and sell the R1.

Unless you reload, there no use keeping a gun that’s so expensive to feed.

You could even shorten the barrel on the 742 a bit, but with a 30-06 I probably wouldn’t bother.
 
What do you consider "accurate" with the R1? It might have an issue that can be fixed that would improve accuracy. Something like a crown issue, or maybe the swelled stock is putting pressure on a spot that it shouldn't be. Though it's weird that it still shoots one particular factory load well.

But definitely don't cut the R1 barrel down to 18". Minimum legal length and all that. Minimum modified length would be 470mm/18.504".
 
What do you consider "accurate" with the R1? It might have an issue that can be fixed that would improve accuracy. Something like a crown issue, or maybe the swelled stock is putting pressure on a spot that it shouldn't be. Though it's weird that it still shoots one particular factory load well.

But definitely don't cut the R1 barrel down to 18". Minimum legal length and all that. Minimum modified length would be 470mm/18.504".

My question as well. There's not much reason to expect sub-MOA from a hunting rifle. A typical moose rifle that shoots 3-4 MOA is plenty accurate. If it were a mountain goat or varmint rifle, different story, but at 3-4 MOA, you can put a bullet in the boiler room of a moose out to 300 yards. Further than that, you would need more accuracy, but realistically, how many moose are killed past even 100 measured yards?
 
The verney-carron impact is a snazy looking hunting auto loader, if you're looking for a higher dollar option. I have no experience with them but they come with one impressive test target..
 
One nice thing about turning 60 years old.....buy what you want and sell the rest....who gives a poop? Life is too short!!

I’m hunting with exactly what I want to carry, push bush, stand sitting, hiking, climbing out of a motorboat, bouncing around on a quad, ripping in a side by side, or walking quietly through the woods early morning.

Buy what works for your:
Game
Budget
Reloading or factory ammo sources
Look cool factor
Support group or hunt camp
Hunting style
Eyesight levels
Local conditions
Self esteem
And lastly, fondle factor when sitting quietly....:cool:

As I get older I’ve streamlined my collection to acquire just a few great pieces that get out frequently....up goes my satisfaction factor.... enjoy !!!

Cheers, Barney
 
One nice thing about turning 60 years old.....buy what you want and sell the rest....who gives a poop? Life is too short!!

I’m hunting with exactly what I want to carry, push bush, stand sitting, hiking, climbing out of a motorboat, bouncing around on a quad, ripping in a side by side, or walking quietly through the woods early morning.

Buy what works for your:
Game
Budget
Reloading or factory ammo sources
Look cool factor
Support group or hunt camp
Hunting style
Eyesight levels
Local conditions
Self esteem
And lastly, fondle factor when sitting quietly....:cool:

As I get older I’ve streamlined my collection to acquire just a few great pieces that get out frequently....up goes my satisfaction factor.... enjoy !!!

Cheers, Barney

I'm a year away from 60, but I've been doing that for a while. Over the past 20 years, I've gone from about 200 or so to about 15 or 20. No more handguns, no semi's - for no particular reason, they just don't have much appeal to me anymore. If I start having a bit more free time, I might get into cowboy shooting, but that's iffy. I also got rid of my traditional smokepoles - too much trouble cleaning them. Now, I have mostly bolt guns, 5 levers, a pump and 4 or 5 in-lines. I have a Buffalo Classic, and I'm thinking a Sharps, but not sure.
 
Sell them both, climb off your wallet and buy a Modern Hunter. If you're concerned about fast mag changes and looking cool you're probably going to get a fair amount of ridicule in this forum, but the Modern Hunter is the best way to go if that's the sort of rifle style you're looking for.
 
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