Ruger #1 in 7mm Rem Mag with Leopold 3-9X-50 scope and 140 grain Hornady spire points over IMR-4350 handloads.
Ruger #1 in 7mm Rem Mag with Leopold 3-9X-50 scope and 140 grain Hornady spire points over IMR-4350 handloads.
I have used a Tikka T3 in 7mm-08 and Ruger Compact in 308 with great success. I think the Tikka is kind of a best kept secret in the rifle market. I have one in 308 and 7mm-08 and they are good rifles.
I've got a Marlin XS7 in .308 that I got for $300 and I put a Nikon 3-9x40 ProStaff on it. I have always shot factory rounds but am now in the process of working up some softer Hornady 150gr loads... given the resulting groups it is looking like it is about a 1 MOA rifle, so I'm not sure I'll ever need much else. All I really ever hunt is hogs and whitetail.
This is my Browning A-Bolt in 7mm Rem Mag. Pictured it has a Zeiss 3-9X36 on it.
Now it supports a Swarovski 4-12X50
Depends on what I'm hunting, but I do have some favorites.
For mid size game my go to for a while has been a 270wsm. I can really reach out and still have good energy left to take game.
I have recently put together a 308 AR that is turning out to be a favorite of mine. Very accurate and works well on hogs - makes it easier to get multiples. Gonna try it on some deer this season.
I have also used a 5.56X45 AR on a lot of hogs (if we are considering them mid size game - they are big). And it has really served me well for a long time. I like to use some heavier ammo and I have no issues with taking them ethically. I know many folks have horror stories, but in my reality my 223 handloads have performed very well.
Joshua 24:14-15
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" Edmund Burke
Purchased a post Win Model 70 30-06 (1964) and with the wide range of manufactured ammo have successfully harvested:
1. Moose (largest moose harvested for the year 1997 in Maine)
2. Mule Deer
3. Whitetail
4. Coyote
5. Grouse (lucky shot)
6. Jackrabbit
7. Groundhog
Last edited by platoonDaddy; 08-24-11 at 16:48.
I've got a Weatherby (Howa) Vanguard in .30-06. I use it for deer, elk and black bear. It's good for a 2 inch group at 200 yards with 180gr Nosler partition handloads and a Leupold VX-II 3-9x40. It's worked out well for me. I will sometimes hunt the thicker Pacific Northwest forests along the coast with a Swiss K-31 7.5x55 and the same Nosler 180gr bullet in a hand load. That rifle has a Vortex 1.75x5x32 scope and affords me the use of the irons due to the scope being offset. Heavy, but fun to hunt with nonetheless. Got a raghorn bull elk with it three years ago.
Nothing man-portable is guaranteed to end a fight.
For stalk hunting for deer and hogs I run a Wilson Combat 6.8 with handloaded Barnes 95 TTSX and a S&B 1.5-6x42 Flashdot #9
Have also cleanly taken deer past 300 with it but usually go to a bolt action if hunting out of a stand and expect long shots.
Had a ton of hunting rifles over the years
Passed down my 59 Sako 243 to my son a few years ago and ran a Sako 270 for a while, Tikka 308 and the last 2 years an LTR 308 with a Jewell trigger...
This year I decided to run the 308 exclusively for long range and set it up that way and am going back to a flatter shooting rifle.
Recently picked up an older Sako 25-06 and got 100g Barnes TTSX loads worked up for it.
Also got a Nosler Trohpy Grade in 280AI in for T&E and will hunt with it assuming it's a tack driver, may opt to purchase it... only time will tell.
I just ordered a custom Cooper in 25-06 with a lightened up stock and lighter barrel profile than standard, it is a T&E item as well that if I fall in love with will probably buy
Optics change often with items coming in for testing
I am very fond of the Trijicon Accupoint 3-9x40 mildot / green dot I have for a hunting scope. It's a very dependable, capable and light scope.
We are in a hot drought in Texas and I can't wait for deer season.
Cold crisp mornings in a blind with my boys, out stalk hunting, watching the sun go down and scanning the tree lines for movement at last light.
Grilling a steak with my brother at camp, talking about the days hunt, sipping a crown on the rocks and planning the next day's hunt.
Hope everyone has a good season
Charles Coker
Disclosure statement:
Pro Staff - Silencer Shop
Dealer - Armasight and Steiner Optics
Affiliated with Trijicon, Wilson Combat and Crux Suppressors
Bookmarks