If you could only have one rifle what would it be?

[mycar47562]

mine would be cz vz58 with a rail system and eotech red dot flashlight mount on left rail and lazer on under side

[rjrivero]

Thompson Center Encore. You can chamber it for any caliber you need. (It's just ONE rifle, right?) ;)

[mycar47562]

good one only problem is the single shot

[jim fox]

It changes from one moment to the next - but either a Remington Nylon 66 or a Ruger Model 77/22 (with some nice glass).

[rjrivero]

good one only problem is the single shot

It's only a problem if you MISS.

[Hammerdown]

Hello
"I Got it". This is a very special Rifle to me. It is the last firearm I Purchased off one of my Good friends who owned a Local Gun shop here. Fred Depew was his name and he Owned half of W-D Guns. I can safely say, Fred never took advantage of me through Hundreds of gun sales he knew better than bite the hand that fed his business because I sent a lot of it his way. I asked him last summer to find me a Good Remington 788. I said it could be in .243 Winchester caliber or 6MM. He looked Puzzled when I asked for one and said "What are ya gonna do with that Hammer " ? I told him Bust a Deer's Ass with it Fred. He laughed and Two Months later called me to tell me he had my 788. I flew out to his shop and he had it in the back room. I found it odd, it was not among the other guns but he motioned where it was and as always Fred's shop was mine to roam freely, so back into the Candy closet I walked. I picked it up and it was Just what I had ordered and More. It had about a $300.00 Bishop after market stock hung on it with a Tasco 3-9 which was not my favorite but it was still a scope. I Noticed an orange Odd looking sticker that said Exhibit A on the stock. I had been around awhile to know this gun was either in a crime or Police evidence and the missing Magazine confirmed my suspicions. I walked out of the back room with it in my hand and caste a look at old Fred who was speaking to a young Man. I asked what's with this, as I Pointed to the sticker Fred, Motioned bad timing as he had a customer and motioned for me to get back to the back room with it. In a couple of minutes he came into the back room and explained a guy had Killed him self with this rifle and his Son was in the shop asking if Fred would sell his Father's rifle back to him, This being that very rifle. Fred told the young man that it had all ready been sold, and confessed to me that if he knew a gun had taken a persons life, he refused to sell it to a family member as he said, That is just weird. I asked what he needed for it, and he smiled and said just what I paid for it, $210.00. I couldn't get it paid for quicker. I said this will be the rifle that takes a nice Buck this Fall you will see as I left his shop. I found Two Magazines for it and took it to Up-State New York to my Buddies Property to hunt Deer. I had worked out a hand-load before going that made one ragged hole at 100 Yards, as these Old 788's do shoot that well and I knew that before telling Fred to find me one, that is why I wanted a 788. Back in the Late 1960's when Remington made these match shooters were grabbing them as fast as they could get a hold of them. On Opening Morning of Deer Season at 265 Yards I killed this fine Fat Little Buck with one shot out of the Old 788. The Pictures below show how well he ate with his Pot Belly. I left this deer behind for my Buddy to enjoy as he works for him self seasonal and could use the meat, But as soon as I was back in Knoxville off to Fred's I went with Pictures in hand and the deer story for him to enjoy. he smiled and said he knew I would drop a deer as determined as I was when I left that day. Sadly Two week's before Christmas Last year, Just after my visit with him showing him my Deer Pictures My Good friend Fred Passed away from a massive heart attack. I was glad to know him and wrote his Eulogy for the very next Gun show to read over their loud speaker system to all the vendors and guests and when I was done reading it , there was not a dry eye in the house....Long Live the 788 and the fond memories of my Good Friend Fred Depew, man I sure miss him.......H.D.






http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v258/hammerdown-7/DSCF0817.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v258/hammerdown-7/TheBuck2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v258/hammerdown-7/RemingtonCountry.jpg

[Oriondk]

Great story, HD.
Sheesh, you guys ask tough questions. One rifle, huh? If money is no object I would get a Cooper Arms Western Classic in 30-06.

[Hammerdown]

Great story, HD.

Hello Dave
Right after I got this rifle and found two spare magazines I set out to find the sweet spot in it's barrel with a accurate hand-Load. I ended up using Hodgens Powder called H-380. Because I had some on hand from when I had a 22-250 of which it was originally made to use in. Bruce Hodgen designed this Powder to work well with the 22-250 by using 38.0 grains of Powder with a 55 Grain Bullet and that is where it got it's name 380 from. I ended up with 44.5 grains of Powder and used a 65 grain Hornady V-Max Bullet. I designed the Load to Take Whistle Pig's but never got around to hunting any of them. I took my wife with me to the range to spot for me a week before I went back up to up-State New York last year to kill the deer shown. I laid the 788 on sand bags and touched off the first round. She was watching in a 50-X spotting scope and the distance was 100 Yards. She said the very first shot was a Bulls-Eye so I cycled the action and fired the second round. She then said that she did not see where it hit... This bothered me, so I really concentrated on the third shot to see if perhaps I was having accuracy issues, and after taking it she again said, that she did not see the shot. Puzzled, I walked down to the Hundred Yard line and saw a One ragged hole group slightly larger than the 6 MM hole a .243 Has. I promptly removed the target, returned to the shooting bench and said we were done checking this one. When I hit the buck shown, it acted like I did not touch it as it Bolted. I knew the gun was on so I was mad at myself thinking I rushed the shot as I had not hunted deer in the past 8 Years. I quietly had a smoke and beat myself to death in my mind how I could ever miss such an easy shot with my 788, and was beyond me. I walked up to where I saw the buck last and fired upon it, and there was not one bit of Blood or spatter, just turned up dirt that his Hoofs made from where he Jetted after I fired on him.:mad: I followed his tracks into the woods line, and about 35 Yards from where I had fired upon it, he laid dead as a door nail as the second picture shows him right after I walked up on it. I Dressed him right where he laid and the Hornady V-Max had done it's job nicely by Taking out the Lower Left lung along with the Lower quadrant of his heart. I Noticed his Stomach was packed full of Field corn and was huge being the size of a football. It was clear this Buck had stuffed him self to the Point on field corn that you could not have gotten one more kernel down his throat. He had a large amount of Fat as well, and it has been a long time since I killed a Deer with any access fat. When I got him Back to camp we hung him and upon inspection I was surprised that the Hornady V-Max never expanded. It exited as clean and small as it entered and I always thought that those style bullets were supposed to explode on Impact ? Once I got home, I contacted Hornady and explained how the animal never acted like it was hit, and when I found it Piled up the exit hole from their V-Max Bullet was the same size as the entrance hole. I further explained that the bullet only came in contact with Tissue not any bone. They asked what Load I had used and when I told them, they said that the bullet went through the animal so quickly it never had time to expand. That was the first time I had ever heard that Prognosis. They took my hand-Load formula and told me that out of a 24" Barrel the Velocity of the bullets I had loaded would have been 4010 F.P.S. I had not Chronoed the load but knew from the flattened primers it was a Lot Hotter than any of the factory Loads offered. They asked for my address and sent my Two free box's of Hornady Bullets for telling them, my success story using their bullets and powder..:thumb:This Deer is Not The Largest I have ever shot, But considering most farmers in that area are either out of Business or downsized to the Point that field crops deer feed on are slim, it is rare to find a deer with any fat on them. The best Part of this Hunt was this was The First Year they Opened up Rifle in Upper New York and they Only Opened Three counties to try it in my Buddies being one of them. I am Glad I decided to leave this Deer behind for my Hunting buddy as well, as he never saw another Deer on his 56 Acres the rest of the season.. H.D.




http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v258/hammerdown-7/TheBuck11.jpg

[Oriondk]

That is one healthy looking deer. On a side note, it's a shame to hear what's happening to farmers there.

[StrawHat]

If limited to one rifle I would keep my 1895 chambered for the 405 WCF cartridge. I have been able to find cast bullet load that are great shooterd and still have the option of the jacketed stuff if I go to Africa.

If given the option of a second rifle I would keep a Ruger M77/22 I had rebarreled with a Winchester M52 barrel. Great shooter.

Or maybe a 50-70 trapdoor, or a 45-70 double rifle.

Depends if I want a small bore or big bore.

[snake charmer]

This is a tough one. I would have to go with a Savage acttion in a H&S Precision stock with the new accu-trigger. Reason for this rifle is the built in factory accuracy and the ease of at home barrel changes, plus bolt head swaps.

[Oriondk]

If limited to one rifle I would keep my 1895 chambered for the 405 WCF cartridge. I have been able to find cast bullet load that are great shooterd and still have the option of the jacketed stuff if I go to Africa.

If given the option of a second rifle I would keep a Ruger M77/22 I had rebarreled with a Winchester M52 barrel. Great shooter.

Or maybe a 50-70 trapdoor, or a 45-70 double rifle.

Depends if I want a small bore or big bore.

Teddy Roosevelt's favorite. Is it an original?

[StrawHat]

Teddy Roosevelt's favorite.

He and other's. TR liked any rifle that carried more than 1 round. He is quoted as saying he was not given the ability to shoot accurately but he could shoot fast. He also enjoyed the Winchester 1876, which has to be , in the smaller calibers, the heaviest gun for the least amount of power ever built, including ther Garand.

Along with TR, Stewart E White and Bwana Cottar also used the 405 1895 to good effect in Africa. Cottar killed his last rhino with the 405. Unfortunately he did this after it had gored him and Cottar subsequently died from those wounds.

Is it an original?

Well, yes and no.

It started life in 1900 as a rifle chambered for the 30 Gov't. Must have been shot with more than a few of the corrosive primers as when I got it the bore loooked like an old sewer pipe, the rifling was barely discernible. I wanted to rebore but the barrel was not big enough so a new barrel was turned and installed in the latter part of the last century. I opted for 28 inch barrel, 2" longer than standard on the 1895. I then outfitted it with a sourdough ramp sight and a Lyman aperture rear sight. Loaded with 5744 under the Lyman bullet it is good for as far as I want to shoot and then some. One acquaintance regulary hits stumps and such out to 400 yards with the same load. I may be shipping the Lyman mold out to have it hollow pointed and fitted with a flat plug so I have the option of either the HP or solid bullet.

The 405 did not sell well with the American hunter. It was considered too powerful for this continent! Of course back then they were using the 32-20 and 38-55 for big game. Today with the armor plated game we find in the field it is probably underpowered as from what I have heard only a super short magnum of some sort is suitable.

It was touted as the most powerful lever action cartridge with a 300 grain bullet at 2200 fps. For this to be true, one has to ignore the 45-70 and 50 Express cartridges that had the same ballistics.

Non the less, I enjoy mine and as I mentioned it would be one of the last to go.

(By the way, it is not wise to ask me about a topic I like, I tend to be long winded)

[Oriondk]

Straw Hat, I think we need pictures.:D

[mycar47562]

Id say you are long winded but very informative

[streetrodder06]

Something like this!! Would be nice to pick off some scum-bag from a mile away!!!! :D

[mycar47562]

Something like this!! Would be nice to pick off some scum-bag from a mile away!!!! :D

lol not bad but up close your pretty much toast lol hopefully your only handgun works well

either way i want one bad


its 57 inches long and 28.5 pounds of pure power

[Oriondk]

Something like this!! Would be nice to pick off some scum-bag from a mile away!!!! :D

Kind tough to carry in the woods if you need to hunt to survive, though.:cool:

[mycar47562]

Kind tough to carry in the woods if you need to hunt to survive, though.:cool:

but if you do you can bet its gonna go down

[Oriondk]

but if you do you can bet its gonna go down

Maybe. There was an insurgent shot in Iraq hit with three .50 cal rounds and was still able run and return fire. For a few seconds, anyway.:D
Yeah, those .50 cals. are cool and I wouldn't mind shooting one for the fun of it, but I honestly wouldn't have any use for one. Besides, with the price of ammo, I couldn't afford to shoot it much.
Mostly, when I consider rifles I don't even look at the magnums, pretty much preferring the old standbys; .243, 25-06, .270, .308, 30-06, 30-30, 35 Remington, .45-70. There is one magnum that really interests me, though, and that's the .257 Weatherby, Roy Weatherby's favorite round.
http://www.shootingtimes.com/ammunition/ST257weatherbymagnum_031706/

[Popeye]

This one. A Colt-Sauer chambered in .270 Win.

[Oriondk]

This one. A Colt-Sauer chambered in .270 Win.

Isn't that what your wife has? Or did you confiscate it.:D

[Popeye]

She has the .270 Win. I have the 7mm Rem Mag. :D

[Oriondk]

She has the .270 Win. I have the 7mm Rem Mag. :D

Nice.:thumb: I know about the Sauers, but nothing about the Colt-Sauer. A joint venture between the two companies?

[Popeye]

Yup.

Offered from the late 1960s through the mid 1970s in short, standard and magnum action lengths as competition to the Mk V Weatherby. Made by Sauer for Colt with medium high grade wood and Colt Royal Blue finish. Redfield made the, factory included, sculpted bases and rings.

Beautiful and expertly made rifles. We are proud to own two of them. Its a bit of a shame that they are becoming collectors items. They are a joy to shoot.

The first two pictures are of a, late manufacture, magnum action rifle (note the nonfigured stock and the protruding magazine). The third picture is of an earlier manufacture standard action rifle.

[Oriondk]

Thanks. My brother has a Sauer 30-06 that shoots cloverleafs at 100 yards.

[Popeye]

Most will shoot that well.

[budroe]

I'd go with my stainless Ruger all-weather in .308.

[StrawHat]

Straw Hat, I think we need pictures.:D

Here you go,

http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc194/StrawHat/Win1895action002.jpg

and

http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc194/StrawHat/WinchesterModel1895001.jpg

Are these the ones you wanted?

[Fuelburns1]

If I had to choose one it would be a draw between the M1D I wish I hadn't sold and the M1A that I still have.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a41/Fuelburns1/Garand.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a41/Fuelburns1/M1ABP.jpg

[Oriondk]

Here you go,

http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc194/StrawHat/Win1895action002.jpg

and

http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc194/StrawHat/WinchesterModel1895001.jpg

Are these the ones you wanted?

Nice. Looks like a shooter.

[Popeye]

No offense intended, but now its true beauty is shown.

[mycar47562]

Bump for new members

[Oriondk]

Bump for new members

We have new members?

[mycar47562]

im sure a few