Favorites

[Andy]

I have more rifles than I can shoot, but for me, a simple Marlin 336 in .30-.30. I bought it 20 years ago, took it to my new deer camp and I got some looks. "A lever with a peep sight?" I got a "You'll never reach out and hit them with that." It carries like a dream in one hand around the receiver and is just there, doesn't need a sling, is light...well, kind of like a good SxS or OU. So as we're coming back to the camp a few doe coming screaming past no doubt spooked by someone else coming back, and in full stride I dropped the leading, big doe with one shot. After the "Holy **** nice shot!" I just had to add, "Try doing that with your howitzer and Hubble scope..." Truth be told, as I pulled the trigger I was saying "For the LOVE OF GOD don't let me miss!!!!" It all happened in 5 seconds, just like bird hunting : )

[6pt-Sika]

Originally Posted by Andrew Sacco

I have more rifles than I can shoot, but for me, a simple Marlin 336 in .30-.30. I bought it 20 years ago, took it to my new deer camp and I got some looks. "A lever with a peep sight?" I got a "You'll never reach out and hit them)

I’ve been down the Marlin road to the tune of approx 125 rifles worth and still have a trio now . But I found something a couple months ago that’s light has a scope carries well and reaches far enough for most of the places I might shoot a deer . Mannlicher Schoenauer model 1903 carbine in 6.5x54 MS .

[6pt-Sika]

Originally Posted by Harry Collins

As I recall, my fathers White Hunter, Norman Reed, used a 505 Gibbs. Papa's first cousin, Bill, had shot a beautiful Cape Buffalo with a 375 H&H and it staggered into the wait a bit thorn. Norman congratulated Bill and they disappeared into the bush only to reemerge at a run with the buffalo behind them. Norman was 6'4" and the buff flipped him separating him from the Gibbs. Bill had been a olympian and was fast a foot and side stepped the buff several times shooting the buff in the neck as it passed. Bill tripped and fell just as the WH recovered his 505 and dropped the buff with a shot behind the ear.

My friend that owns the CZ in 505 asked me to work up a load for it with the Barnes 525 TSX bullet if my memory is correct I load ONE HUNDRED and THIRTY grains of RL-22 in the thing and that’s actually a medium load . Now the knee slapped in this whole thing is he uses it sometimes in AR to shoot feral piggies along with another CZ in 416 Rigby another CZ in 375 H&H a Remington model 7 in 300 SAUM and a host of tacticool stuff with suppressors and thermal imaging stuff . Falls under the “whatever floats your boat” category . When I went I took a Ruger #1 in 7 Mag a 444 lever and a W&C Scott 10 gauge double . My battery was a little lacking in comparison LOL’s !

[Harry Collins]

Rich,

I made deer rifles out of a .375 H&H as well as a .458 Winchester. For the .375 I used the Speer 235 grain bullet and 64 grains of IMR 4064 @ 2300 fps. The .458 load is Speer 405 grain flat nose and 65 grains of IMR 4064 @ 1800 fps. Both very mild loads and you could shoot them all day plus they didn't bruse the meat at those velocities. I took them from an article by Finn Aaggard. Have you thought of paper patching a 40 cal 180 grain lead bullet? I think you would have to use WW 231 or Bullseye to get the velocity low enough to regulate.

Harry

[C.O.B.]

My High Wall in 38-55 is a joy to carry as well. I picked it up the day before deer season and the smith hadn't put sling swivels on it yet. It's not a light rifle but carries and handles well and I think I'll leave the swivels off of it.

Harry I have a reduced load for my 375. I'm using a 225gr Sierra pistol bullet and IMR 4227 IIRC. You can eat right up to the hole. My 500 BPE is using a 365 gr cast bullet and 30gr of Trail Boss. I'm thinking either of these powders will work in the 450-400 with some 300gr Hawk soft points.

[6pt-Sika]

Originally Posted by Harry Collins

Rich,

I made deer rifles out of a .375 H&H as well as a .458 Winchester. For the .375 I used the Speer 235 grain bullet and 64 grains of IMR 4064 @ 2300 fps. The .458 load is Speer 405 grain flat nose and 65 grains of IMR 4064 @ 1800 fps. Both very mild loads and you could shoot them all day plus they didn't bruse the meat at those velocities. I took them from an article by Finn Aaggard. Have you thought of paper patching a 40 cal 180 grain lead bullet? I think you would have to use WW 231 or Bullseye to get the velocity low enough to regulate.

Harry

My now deceased friend I got the custom stocked Interarms Mark X Whitworth 375 H&H from used the 235 grain Speer in PA for deer but don’t think he ever shot one with he did however plunk a couple groundhogs .

[Bill Murphy]

Perfect weapon for groundhogs.

[Harry Collins]

You are absolutely right Bill. I've had to stop a charge more than once from those tenacious little beast.

[Richard Flanders]

I recently gave 54 rounds of vintage Winchester factory silvertip ammo to a friend with a mod 71. I found it in a can at a gold mine if you can believe that.

[Bill Bates]

Here are a few of my favorite rifles.

First is my old tang safety Ruger M77 .243 win. I've put a lot of meat in the freezer with this rifle.



Next is this BRNO #5 Deluxe .22 LR. It is a great little shooter.



This new Ruger M77 Hawkeye African 9.3x62 is rapidly becoming a favorite because it is just so fun to shoot.