Guys,

I keep reading about "hunting" rifles and "target" rifles,especially where scopes are concerned, so I got to wondering about it and it made me curious...

How many of you guys have target rifles and hunting rifles?

How many of you guys have rifles that serve both purposes?

What kind of rifle do you hunt with? Deer? Hogs? Elk? Are they one and the same? What kind of svopes do you use?

What kind of target rifle do you have? What kind of scope sits on top? What type of shooting do you enjoy most? Hitting steel? Seeing how tight of groups you can get? At what yardage?

If you have one or more that serve both hunting and target purposes what are they? What scope are you running?

I know when I built my first custom rifle my intent was to use it for both...that didn't work out. I love the rifle but it's just way too heavy to be lugging it around while hunting. So that's really the reason I'm asking these questions. Also for those who use the same rifle for both what does your rig weigh?

Thanks,

Mel

Sometimes I use my AIAW 308 match rifle (17#) and sometimes i use my 300wsm hunting rifle(10#) and a 22-250 hybrid rifle (12#).... depends on how I feel that day. Before I had my 300 built, all I had was the AW and I lugged it up trees, in blinds, rattled with, cross country and in the truck.... never did feel
disadvantaged.....

w/ my 308, distance is the last thing I consider before taking the shot.

kt

I use my 22 creed for everything inside of Elk.

Mine serve both purposes target/hunting or are just fun.

Cooper M52 in 6.5-284 with Swaro Z6 2.5-15 serves for both. Mostly hunt with it but on occasion will get out to 7-800 yards and bust a rock or two. Works well for targets also shooting for groups, though I do not do that as much as I should. 9.5lbs with scope

Remington 700 with a 27 inch 22-243 1:8 twist barrel and a 3-9 Kahles, do about the same but with that scope keep shots to 600 and under, not that the rifle is not capable of more but the combination that is as far as I am comfortable with it. Fun deer and hog gun especially with 75gr Swift Siroccos. Strange when I take that one hunting the game seems to show up inside 40 yards a lot of the time. about 9lbs

Several others serve dual purpose while others are just plane fun to shoot, like the Marlin 1894 25-20 and another in 357. Dakota Little Sharps in 38-55 is another that is fun. Most of my guns are hunting or fun shooting/plinking.

My target/hunting rifle is my DPMS AR that is built for three gun. My hunting rifle is a 700 CDL 30-06.

I'm shooting a custom Rem 700 .300WM with a Lilja stainless match 27" barrel in a Mcrees Chassis with a Schmidt and Bender 5-25x56 with some other goodies. Weighs about 21 lbs with the suppressor.

I hunt and shoot steel/groups with it, and I love it. It's definitely heavy for a hunting rifle, but I prefer to set up prone and take longer shots when I hunt. I've taken it out to 1k twice (not very many places to do it in my location) but I can shoot 500-600yds every week, sometimes multiple times a week at a local range. The owner won't let us take it out any further due to lack of adequate berms, totally understandable.

I shot a doe earlier this season. I have to admit it was not a far shot, only 90 yards. Had to get some meat in the freezer. Out of a blind, it was a bit tough supporting that heavy rifle, but I managed to drop her. That 208 amax just ruined her whole day.

I'm a pretty big guy (6'6"/225) so a 21lb rifle isn't too bad. I walked about 2 miles with it hunting this season, and I was fine. I have plans on getting a TAB Elite Biathlon sling in the future, I've heard they are awesome for carrying heavier rifles.

Hoping to get on some pigs/yotes later this year, hopefully some at longer ranges.

My 6.5 creed weighs in at under 8.5. Its handi and just right

21 lbs will make most grown men whimper after 20 minutes. My 12 lber makes some cry a little but not too bad. It's my loaner. If they cry too much, I'll carry both theirs and mine. My 700 is light as heck so I don't mind.

I think it all depends on how comfortable you are shooting a particular gun, and is it worth it to you to carry it, based on that comfort factor over another that you may not have such confidence in.

Was truly humbled on this topic when somebody pointed out how can a 50 lb overweight hunter complain about a rifle that is 3 lbs heavier than he thinks it should be.

My guns pull double duty but I admit idly don't hike them in a lot

It's my opinion that hunting rifles and target rifles are best used in the manner in which they are named/designed. A 15lb target rifle whilst may be accurate, won't make for a serious good spot and stalk or mountain hunting rifle. I hear weight multiplies every 1000FT of elevation gained...

While a hunting rifle may shoot accurately, it won't be suited well for serious target shooting. Less overall stability, more recoil due to weight, heat dissipation, etc...

Obviously if you drive your truck up to the deer blind rifle weight isn't as critical.

The prospect of having to hunt with a 21 lb rifle--or even one that weighs 12 lbs--with its 26" barrel and ponderous scope, chills me right down to the marrow of my bones.

Imagine rattling up a buck and having to quickly get in action. What are you going to do when your PH throws up the sticks and tells you to shoot the kudu second from the left, NOW!!? And next fall you're on a backpack hunt for a Dall ram in the McKenzies...or maybe here at home for a free-range aoudad in the Chinati Range. That's when you find out that your dream custom rifle is really a specialized rig that has little application beyond the closest available benchrest or bipod.

There is a reason why riflemen a long time ago set the parameters for the ideal hunting rifle. And it doesn't resemble your LR gun or prairie dog outfit.

The lesson to be learned is that one rifle isn't enough to cover all the bases. And it's why I'm always needing "just one more gun"....

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I only dream of this...lol



Yep...found that out...



Couldn't agree more!

Accuracy International with a Nightforce 5-22x56, SFP with MOA/MOA, and 175 Sierra Match Kings for everything.

Hunting



Target duty.

6.5 Creedmoor built to compete but rides to and from the range for coyotes or hogs I spot. 15 pounds.

7 Rem Mag built to hunt large game but has also been used to bang steel outside 1000 yards on occasion. Has been taken to a mile. Weighs 10 pounds.

22-250 is used for prairie dogs, weighs 12 pounds.

All wear first focal plane Mil/Mil scopes. Punching paper is boring. I only do it to check 100 yard zero and to do load development on a new rifle or new barrel, then I'm done with paper. I do not shoot groups for fun. I make a hit on something and its hit I wont hit it again typically.

I shoot at paper whenever the weather is right, sometimes I shoot at steel but not as often. Most times I get out once, maybe twice a week.

My range guns tend to be heavy with powerful optics so I can skip the spotting scope. My hunting rifles now currently all sport 2-7 variables and weigh a pound or two less than the range guns. I do not own anything that weighs more than nine pounds. When I shoot the hunting rifles at the range, I bring the spotting scope along.

The only thing that I have that serves double-duty is my Winchester 1885 single-shot in 270WSM, I shoot it with reduced loads at the range, and it is so accurate with them that it gives my dedicated .223 range gun some stiff competition.

I highly recommend that owners of magnum rifles who like to shoot at the range develop a reduced load that's easy on the barrel, your shoulder and your pocketbook for extended trigger practice at the range.

My range load for the 270WSM pushes a 130 grain bullet at around 2000 fps, making tiny bug-hole groups.

Works for me!

I have a hunting rifle which is a remmy 700 30-06. But haven't shot it much lately because I don't like the trigger, timmney, or the scope, nikon monarch. I also have a custom match rifle but have been using it for hunting becuase I just want to shoot it and it is a 243 and works great for the deer in east tx.

Walter

We had a hunter show up with a .308 target riffle to try and kill a blackbuck.

It took him forever to get set up, fold out his bipod, get in a prone position, etc he missed 3 opportunities to kill an animal I could have knocked off with an open sighted .22

Well said Dawaba...

Your last 2 paragraphs sum up everything I could add to this conversation.

IMO Guys of a certain age and experience level, mebbe from their Viet Nam days with M-16 rifles or more recently in the 'Stan's seem to gravitate towards a couple fields of interest that are not my primary shooting interests... but punching steel at out of sight distances & AR Platforms don't ring my chime. However, I can respect the investment in time, skill levels and the amount of money it takes to achieve those goals.

I think this is a cyclical event, and am seeing on other Forums topics about the crash of interest and prices in AR platforms. What's gonna be the Next Newest Best Thing Ever?? who knows, mebbe we'll book "Hunts" and fly to Vegas to use the Drone Warfare facilities and brag about how much time we logged sitting in the Hunt Station Computer on our last trip to Alaska or Africa, and wait for the UPS truck to deliver the processed critter we killed.

IMO guns and scopes have become more and more like hand held communication devices, formerly called telephones, and having experienced the tech boom in the '90's as a software sales rep coming up on Y2K...I'll go back to my Old School approach of using a Hunting Rifle to put meat on the table, or destroy vermin as needed with the sun, wind, snow and rain in my face and forego the techie stuff that will tell me altitude, humidity, barometric pressure & wind speed to make shots under 4-500 yards that I have practiced at all year using a 7 1/2 to 9 lb rifle I hand carried to the limits of my physical condition.

To sum up...and quote one of my favorite gun writers of the late 1940's & '50's Elmer Kieth..."Get closer...and Use enough gun" ... as the skill sets I was taught to admire most in my beginner years were centered around stealth and the ability to shoot and kill game unsupported from field positions on a micro second moments notice regardless of the terrain or distances involved.
Ron

I have three TAB slings, including one biathlon sling. Do yourself a favor and pass on the Biathlon sling. It does a fine job of carrying the weight, but a horrible job of staying put while hiking. That thing will drive you crazy as it swings back and forth across your back.

I do alot of hiking with my rifles. 3-10 miles isn't uncommon with everything from a 9 pound 243 to my 14 pound 6.5x47. Get yourself a pack, I use eberlestock, that has a built in scabbard. If you are dead set on hiking with a heavy rifle, get a Rifles Only FTW sling. The rear bungee section makes all the difference in the world. You need that little bit of give on your should while hiking.

I have a gunslinger and x1a1 pack. Just make sure the scabbard will fit your rifle. Also, if you are packing the rifle with suppressor attached, make sure the suppressor faces up. It really threw the weight off balance, while trying to hike a 22 inch barrel, with suppressor, muzzle down.

http://www.eberlestock.com/hunting.htm
http://www.mysteryranch.com/military
http://store.kifaru.net/hunting-c2.aspx

As a side note, a Mystery Ranch NICE framed Metcalf is in my future. It would have come in real handy compared to my eberlestock packs in places like these. The difference between a 9 pound and a 12 pound hunting rifle is hardly noticable when you hike with a quality pack.

Thanks for the tip on the TAB sling...I'll keep it in mind. I've looked at the gunslinger packs too, and they look awesome. Definitely going to have to get something.

I'll check out the FTW sling, too. The reason I thought the TAB sling would work well for me, is that my McRees Chassis has flush cups on the sides, so I was going to have the sling attach on the left side of the chassis, keeping that part of the rifle flat against my back. I'd definitely want to try one before buying one.

I will carry my heavy gun if I'm hunting out of a stand and it doesn't bother me one bit. I have light weight guns if I am going to walk.