[Glenn Bartley]

Rifles, hmm lets see - the most fun are my .22s:

Ruger 10/22
Marlin Model 56 Levermatic
Armscor 14Y
Remington 513T Matchmaster
Mossberg M44
Marlin 22WMR (cannot remember the model right now - oh well middle age)

There may be another one or two...

Then there are the bigger ones:

Marlin 336 in .35 Remington
Yugo SKS (cheap ammo - loads of fun to shoot - heavy as a horse)
Mosin Nagant M44 (Hungagian)
Mosin Nagant M44 (Russian) {rusting away somewhere i the basement}

That's about it right now. I have had a few I could kick myself for selling, especially the Browning BLR in 358 Winchester. Oh well, I keep searching those estate sales.

 

[Clint Boyer]

List.......

Well let's see:

Chipmunk .22 with walnut stock (My son thinks it's his )

Marlin model 15 yn .22 with a Leupold M8 4X compact (see above)
Ruger 10-22 stainless heavy barrel, custom hammer Vari X 3 3 X 9

Ruger 10-22 stainless with a Tasco 4 X 16

Kimber M-84 laminated stock .223 with Leupold 4.5 X 14 variX 3

Remington M-7 youth 7mm .08 with Leupold variX 3X9 E.F.R.

Interarms Mark X .270 Redfield 4X wideangle

Sako custom Douglas barrel and stock .338 winmag with Leupold vari X 3 2.5 X 8

 

[Rich Z]

Seems I have opposite ends of the spectrum in my vault waiting for me to shoot them. Ran out of time after I bought them and before I could haul them out to put something down the barrels.

First on the list is a Barrett model 95 .50BMG. Has a REALLY nice Swarovski 6x24 scope on it. Feels very lightweight for a .50BMG. It's the bolt action model with magazine feed. Been very rare to see any of these around and I just happened to have the money in my pocket when I stumbled onto this at the last Orlando gun show I went to.

The other one is one of those Remington semi-autos in .17HMR. I put a Leupold low power variable-X III (can't remember which one, dang it) on it which should be handy for squirrel plinking when they try to get at my bamboo again this spring.

Maybe the next couple of weeks will break loose some time for me.

Besides those, I find I like the heavy barrel fluted stainless rifles. Got a few from Remington, Winchester, and Savage. All in .220 Swift, 22-250, .243, and .308. Probably my favorite of that bunch is the Winchester Heavy Stainless Varmint in .220 Swift. Very sweet shooting gun!

Oh yeah, if you guys ever want to shoot one hell of a good handling gun, try the Steyr Scout in .243. I really didn't think I would like the gun, but damn it feels good in the hands, and can really put the bullets where you want them.

 

[J. David]

Steyr Scout in 308

Hahahahahaha. See Rich, I told you the Scout in .243 was great ! No one ever listens to me.
I really think anyone that buys a new gun, ( or another used one for that matter) and does not shoot it, is committing a major sin. You are a sinful man, Rich. Must have something to do with that 'cult'. hahahahahaha
The Steyr Scout is arguably the best rifle I've ever shot and owned. IF I had the bucks, I'd have one in every caliber they ever made it in. I think it is that good. Any rifle I can take out of the box, and put the first twenty rounds into the ten and X ring tells me it is all about quality. The second twenty rounds also went into the ten and X ring, with a barrel too hot to touch. The exact distance of the 10 ring is 1.950 as close as I can measure. Now, for a dedicated target shooter, that is not all that great. But, keep in mind I had 48 yr old eyes then, and the scope is only 2.5X, with THICK reticle that all but obliterated the bull at a hundred yards. Also, consider it was my first time out with it. I've since been able to reduce the size of my groups by over half of that on a pretty regular basis. I did put a 4X Leupold on it, as my eyes needed it badly. The .243 is even more accurate.

 

[Glenn Bartley]

I cannot wait to hit the lottery to buy all the guns I want. Come to think of it, I'd buy a piece of property in Arizona and build a range on it - maybe two.

 

[G-lock]

My favorite rifle to plink with is a Ruger 10/22 that I built. Hogue stock, Clarke 18" Bull Barrel, Volquartzen hammer, sear, springs, extended mag release, and compensator. Threw in some other goodies from another company (can't remember the name) and a cheap BSA 3x9x40 and it's a tack driver

It's accurate, cheap, and most important--fun.

My favorite rifle overall is my Bushmaster M4. I took off the carry handle, thre on a riser and a red dot scope--it's a blast.

When I take new people out shooting, which I try to do as often as possible, these are the two rifles that I let them shoot.

My latest purchase was a USGI M1 Carbine. Love it.


Rich--I'm jealous. I would love to have a .50 BMG. To tell the truth, I haven't even SEEN one for sale out here. With the high price of guns out here compared to what I have seen that other parts of the country pay...I think I would have a heart attack from sticker shock.

 

[Rich Z]

Actually, here in Florida, .50BMG rifles are quite common at the gun shows. Matter of fact, in Tallahassee where I live, which only has a dinky gun show every few months, at the last show I went to there were three (3) Barrett M82A1s on the tables! Plus a bolt action model made by Hesse.

Ammo is still kind of scarce, though.

If you ever even THINK you may get a .50BMG rifle, pick up ammo now when you can find it at a fair price. You could always resell it later if things don't work out for the gun.

As far as local prices are concerned, heck if you have a friendly FFL nearby, locate a gun on the web and buy it that way and ask him to do a transfer. Might be cheaper that way.

 

[CAV]

Since all of my .50 experience is with one attached to a turret ring or a tank (with all the free ammo I could shoot), what is the recoil like on that thing??:flamethr: :deer:

 

[Rich Z]

The recoil is kind of like having some big guy just shove you on the shoulder backwards. The Barretts have a real nice cushy recoil pad and the muzzle brake removes about 60 percent of the recoil energy. Still, figure on the gun moving backwards about 4 inches.

You want to weld your cheek to the stock when you pull the trigger. Otherwise your eyebrow and the scope eyepiece may wind up occupying the same space at the same time. You want to move with the gun as one.

I have never hand held one and fired it, simply because trying to hold a 20 pound+ rifle steady and at the shoulder is a bit much. it may be feasible with the Model 95 as it is the lighter of the three I own, but it's still a handful.

Probably the hardest thing about shooting a .50 is finding target material that won't get completely destroyed on the first shot. I like shooting at hard objects with APIs and incendiary rounds. Probably my favorite are the Spotter/Tracer rounds. You have to see these things to believe them! Matter of fact, I want to order more of the projectiles and just store them away. Military surplus pulls are all that is left of them, and once they are gone, they will be GONE.

 

[Darin Chappell]

One of my favorite rifles is my Rossi .357 with Brazilian hardwood stock. I like it, not only because it is somewhat unusual, but also because it is an excellant deer rifle for here in the Ozarks

Here in the hills, we have so many oak trees, scrub cedar, and buffalo grass combined with the lay of the land, it is really rare to get a 100 yard shot in a lot of places. So, the .357 has a lot of knockdown power at relatively close range (keeping the tracking of a wounded animal to a minimum). It also has the added benefit of being a heavier bullet, thereby being less deflectable in the thicker brush.

I really like it, for that niche it fills!

 

[Rich Z]

I used to have a Ruger .44 mag autoloader. It was supposed to be an excellent brush gun for the same reasons that Darin mentioned above. But damn that sucker would knock the hell out of my shoulder! I finally sold it after not shooting it for a good 20 years. Damn! I just remembered. THAT was the first rifle I ever bought! I had completely forgotten about it until this thread....

 

[Glenn Bartley]

When beating around in the bush for deer, I have enjoyed lugging my Remington 870 for many years now. I hunt in a rifle area but prefer to use the shotgun with those wonderful one ounce slugs. I don't use anything fancy just run of the mill slugs. I have gotten almost everything I ever aimed it at and it goes right through the brush.

Last year I picked up my second Marlin 336 in .35 Remington. Knucklehead that I am I sold my previous one (an older model without a safety and with the gold trigger) for a song. Too bad I was a jerk. Now I got another at a decent price, a newer used model. I am planning on possibly taking it out this year. I like the way it shoots, and like the power it has in case I run across a PO'd Black Bear, although I probably would let the bear walk (ate that meat once and that was enough - real tough and not all that tasty as I remember). Well - anyhow the .35 Remington is one heck of a round, accurate out to far enough in the North East, and powerful enough for anything I might come across, and just a change from the shotgun.


Best regards,
Glenn B

 

[Bolo]

Rifles? - Yea, got a 'FEW'

The Queen of the Locker is my Collectors Grade 'US Rifle Cal30 M1', Korean War vintage and 100% H&R made.
There are (Many) ohers... I do most of my hunting with a BSA Monarch Majestic Featherweight 30-06 - it only weighs 6.25lbs complete with scope and sling, but the recoil is controlled by the "Reciol Reducer" cut into the front of the counterbored barrel = reduces felt recoil from the 06 loads by about 40%
Got a .44Mag Marlin levergun for really heavy chapparell brush, I solved the kick problem on this lightweight with a $9 slipon rubber buttpad from Wally World
Varmints? Around these parts that's mostly California Groundsquirrels (Gophers) and Jackrabbits with a couple of very surprised Coyotes who wanderd into the wrong place .:scatter:
Got a Ruger M77 .243 for the long range targets and a couple of .22 Hornets (Brno and BSA Cadet action custom job) for everything I can't reach with a .22LR out to about 175 yds.

There are many more, but I get "Keyboard Cramp", doing long lists, so some other time...:spinny:

 

[Unregistered]

since you can only shoot 1 at a time

and since they are so heavy and bulky, I wouldn't bother to have many longarms. No .22 rifle at all, no shotgun, no manually operated centerfires, either. None of the latter do anything important better than the autoloaders do, and none of them can touch the autoloader when it comes to getting fast hits on multiple targets.

 

[Glenn Bartley]

Fast hits on multiple targets is not the only criteria by which to judge the utility of a rifle. Bolt action rifles have some qualities that would possibly make them much preferable to a semi-automatic or fully automatic firearm under certain circumstances. Some of those qualities, such as: their ability to lock up relatively the same shot after shot, inherent accuracy, more time consuming between shots allowing the shooter to better concentrate on each shot, maybe some the the reasons they are usually the weapon of choice among snipers. Bolt actions are also inherently stronger than are semi autoloading actions, and therefor would quite possibly be the choice of action of a weapon chosen for a survival rifle. They are also apparently less prone to breakage and jamming than autoloaders. Bolt actions, and other manually operateed actions such as a pump break top, and so forth are also inherently safer than an autoloader - especially when teaching a youngster to shoot.

As far as fast hits on multiple targets, the autoloader would win there. That is nice for a combat situation, it is good to have superior firepower during a firefight. In possible firefight situations however, there are times when other than an autoloading rifle would be preferable. For instance a shotgun loaded with buckshot might be the weapon of choice dependent upon the situation, as might a carbine or SMG. The thing is though, there are lots of other reasons to have a certain type of gun and to shoot it other than a firefight or other than to engage multiple targets with rapidity. For instance there are: gun collecting, big and small game hunting, waterfowl hunting, target shooting, shotgun sports such as trap and skeet, plinking, firearms instruction of new shooters, and the list goes on. Another consideration for some may be the expense of shooting. Here a .22 cannot be beat for frugality. So for me at least, it is nice to have a variety of firearms, including a variety of longarms, with which to: have fun, defend myself, hunt, and work.

Best regards,
Glenn B

 

[Rich Z]

Actually several years ago, I wouldn't have been caught dead with a bolt action rifle. I was strictly into semi-autos. But you know what? There is something rather pleasing about the feel of a quality bolt action when you work the bolt. Hard to explain.

Push comes to shove, the real reason most of us buy guns is because we just LIKE them, in all of their forms and variations.

If everyone liked the same thing, a gun show would consist of one table with one guy selling one gun. When that one sold, he would put another one up on the table.

 

[Unregistered]

not necessarily. There are a lot of good

autos out there. Even if you stuck with the AR platform, you can have a 50 bmg upper, 7.62x39 upper, 300 Whisper upper, 10mm, .45, 9mm, 22lr, 6mmx45, etc. I love the superlw bolts, in .17 remington, as well as a .45 l Colt Ruger SA revolver, but I dont own either. I am a working stiff, I have no time or $ to spend on such toys. I have to stick to using my "fighting" guns for matches, plinking, and hunting. That also serves to make me quite a good hand with the real deal.

 

[tasco 74]

it really is hard to beat a ruger 1022 custom for pure fun and accuracy! i'm sure glad i got mine done with the goodies it has now.

 

[Rich Z]

Heck, I'm waiting for Ruger to come out with a 10/17. I might have to buy one of those.

 

[tasco 74]

i need a ruger 1017 myself rich. i hope i can get one when they finally show up around this part of the country.




THE 2ND AMENDMENT PROTECTS US ALL.....