Those with 10 years or more hunting under their belts, your favorite off the shelf...
- Thread starter Ardent
- Start date
elimsprint
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Kelowna, BC
Another vote for TC. I love my Encore.
Kim
Kim
- Location
- Golden Lake
Thompson/Center should have been on the list. Love my Encore!
Have a bunch of Remingtons...like them, my Brownings...seem beter quality, my Rugers... have never failed, the Henery ....is Sweet, Winnys...well ya gotta love an "OLD" Winny.............but for quality for the dollar anything new I buy is SAVAGE!!!!
IF you want hi end then you need to go to a Cooper etc. but for the dollar/quality then these days SAVAGE is the best value. And the out of the box Savage will out shoot most of the more expensive guns.
IF you want hi end then you need to go to a Cooper etc. but for the dollar/quality then these days SAVAGE is the best value. And the out of the box Savage will out shoot most of the more expensive guns.
I've owned most on the list at least once, and the rifles I always pick up and like are Model 70's.
My three favorite cartridges happen to be Winchester too.
(.270 Winchester, .284 Winchester, and .338 Winchester)
If I had to pick a gun to shoot the world over with at this point, it would be a Model 70 in .338.
My three favorite cartridges happen to be Winchester too.
(.270 Winchester, .284 Winchester, and .338 Winchester)
If I had to pick a gun to shoot the world over with at this point, it would be a Model 70 in .338.
I have to say that my Ruger SS/Syn mkII in .338wm certainly inspires confidence with it in my hands. I've seen what its done to animals that a high speed vehicle couldn't do.
I second the above advice. I loved the 2 Win 70 crf's that I owned before.
I second the above advice. I loved the 2 Win 70 crf's that I owned before.
I voted Remington, as the 700 remains my favourite factory rifle. I couldn't vote SAKO, as it was tied to Tikka. Current Tikka are crap compared to the older rifles. Way too much plastic. I wonder how that will be holding up in 80-100 years. I'm betting my great grandkids will be still enjoying their all steel familly heirlooms.
Rugers are fine, but I haven' been able to warm up to them. The thought of all that MIM parts is something of a turn off as well.
Any Brownings I've used always struck me as being more 'gloss' than substance.
As for the Winchester Model 70, without a doubt, 'the' classic hunting rifle. However, in straight up accuracy tests, any of my run of the mill Remington 700s will invariably shoot the pants off the equivalent Model 70. Don't get me wrong, I own three Winchesters and have no plans of ever selling them, and have owned many others, but they simply aren't the most accurate rifle out of the box. I haven't tried any of the 'new' production Winchesters, so that may have changed.
My Marlin lever actions all out-shoot my Winchester lever actions, except the 94/22.
I'd love to add a Kimber to the safe, but they strike me as a little overpriced for what you get.
I own a couple Savage rimfires, but could never bring myself to buy a center fire. That cheesy Indian Head logo on the bolt is an instant turn-off for me, regardless of the lack of esthetic appeal of the rifles themselves.
If/when I buy a rifle for Africa, it will probably come from CZ/Brno. Haven't bought one yet, but it is on the list.
Finally, Weatherby...the whole proprietary magnum business never really appealed to me, or the extra cost of ammo and lack thereof, before I began reloading. Their stock geometry never really felt comfortable for me either.
For the forseeable future, my 'go to' do-it-all hunting rifle will remain a well-used Remington 700 BDL bedded in a gray laminate stock from a long action Model 700 LSS with a Leupold VX-III topping it. Calibre is 7mm Rem Mag. Moose, caribou, black bear, coyotes and seals, it does everything I ask of it under the worst conditions the Newfoundland fall season (also called "misery" by residents) can throw at it. The laminate stands up to the constant wet/rain almost as well as a quality fiberglass stock like the H.S. Precision on seveal of my 700P, VS and Senderos.
Rugers are fine, but I haven' been able to warm up to them. The thought of all that MIM parts is something of a turn off as well.
Any Brownings I've used always struck me as being more 'gloss' than substance.
As for the Winchester Model 70, without a doubt, 'the' classic hunting rifle. However, in straight up accuracy tests, any of my run of the mill Remington 700s will invariably shoot the pants off the equivalent Model 70. Don't get me wrong, I own three Winchesters and have no plans of ever selling them, and have owned many others, but they simply aren't the most accurate rifle out of the box. I haven't tried any of the 'new' production Winchesters, so that may have changed.
My Marlin lever actions all out-shoot my Winchester lever actions, except the 94/22.
I'd love to add a Kimber to the safe, but they strike me as a little overpriced for what you get.
I own a couple Savage rimfires, but could never bring myself to buy a center fire. That cheesy Indian Head logo on the bolt is an instant turn-off for me, regardless of the lack of esthetic appeal of the rifles themselves.
If/when I buy a rifle for Africa, it will probably come from CZ/Brno. Haven't bought one yet, but it is on the list.
Finally, Weatherby...the whole proprietary magnum business never really appealed to me, or the extra cost of ammo and lack thereof, before I began reloading. Their stock geometry never really felt comfortable for me either.
For the forseeable future, my 'go to' do-it-all hunting rifle will remain a well-used Remington 700 BDL bedded in a gray laminate stock from a long action Model 700 LSS with a Leupold VX-III topping it. Calibre is 7mm Rem Mag. Moose, caribou, black bear, coyotes and seals, it does everything I ask of it under the worst conditions the Newfoundland fall season (also called "misery" by residents) can throw at it. The laminate stands up to the constant wet/rain almost as well as a quality fiberglass stock like the H.S. Precision on seveal of my 700P, VS and Senderos.
