I carry a camo military poncho in my pack. If it rains I cover the gun with it.

I use to be picky about my guns, my dad had a couple nice brownings, they were all scratched and scuffed with nicks in the wood. I said why don't you get those redone and fixed up nice, then take care of them. His reply changed my opinion, he said son, those guns are rough caused I used them, that's why I bought em, and I can remember every scratch I put on them, and how much fun I had putting those scratches on them!

I do the same whenever hunting a ladder stand or tripod. The poncho is large enough to cover myself, my gun, and where I sit. It's one of those things that stays in my bag for every hunt so that it's not forgotten when I need it.

I've never owned a rifle that was pricey enough to worry about. Can't wait til I do though!

I have a great looking old Sako 270 that I hunted with for decades, but I parked it for my Tikka Stainless 260 with synthetic stock. I always wanted what I called a "mud gun", and now I have it. Hunt in the rain...no problem. Just wipe it down with a paper towel and don't worry about oil. Also got me a Ruger Hawkeye 223 in Stainless/synthetic. Very low maintenance, and truth be told, hardly any maintenance.

I'll take any rifle or shotgun I own out in bad weather if I'm hunting - including my customs. I've got no use for a gun that I can't take hunting. I'm a hunter, pure and simple and my gins are tools. I do clean them very well, though, if they get dirty or damp.

You hunting in a blind or sitting out in the rain?

Carry it to the blind in a case if in a blind and don't think twice.

More and more of the guns I buy are stainless. I like how they look and you don't have to worry nearly as much.

I doubt your target rifle is a blued/wood stock. It will be fine take it hunting.

If you get the green light to buy a new rifle from the better half I wouldn't buy an iron sight 30-30, sounds like it doesn't fit your hunting needs.

A rifle is a tool. You have a nice tool. Use your tool and take care of your tool. Easy choice! We shoot comps in foul weather all the time, and yes, they hold up just fine.

Just from reading all the comments about rain and fouling, I will be cleaning my rifle as soon as I get home LOL!!!I mean I cleaned it after shooting my buck last month, but geeze... Guess I just want to hold her again and whisper sweet nothings about next season

If you don't stroke and caress your gun often enough, she'll find someone who will.

Any of my guns will go with me in any hunting condition. Value is irrelevant.

Nooooooooo problemo! Take your rifle (IN IT'S CASE)to your blind. Uncase in blind...Hunt! If you have no case for a $2500 rifle, you are not thinking things thru...

LOL...blind...what's that?

No blind, and no feeder; just good old fashioned hunting for this po boy. I do have a climber but don't use it when my son goes with me. I don't really like being restricted to one tree...facing one direction anyways.

UPDATE: So I had snapped out of my moment of weakness and prepared to take my target rifle; as was mentioned earlier its a synthetic stock and everything on it is built to use. But then my wife sweetened the deal for me getting another rifle; so I picked up a lever action 30-30 and sighted it in the next day. Accuracy is just fine, with its iron sights I can comfortably hit a six inch target offhand at 100 yards and at 150 yards resting on my elbows. Good enough for me since most of my hunting is done in the piney woods of East Texas. Most kills have been about 50 or 60 yards except for the last deer I shot at 133 yards offhand with the heavy gun.

So, as it turned out the 80-90% chance of rain turned out to be a few sprinkles for about 15 minutes. But I'm happy with the new hunting rifle....it's A LOT easier to tote around and better suits dense environments. Now I have different tools depending on the job.

Go get a "rainy day" rifle.... Man can't have too many guns!



......BTW - I don't own a rifle I won't carry in any kind of weather!

I wouldn't deer hunt with iron sights, not to mention in the rain.

Tape the barrel and go

A rifle is a tool. No point in having if not gonna use. Won't say what I spent on my Africa gun, but I dropped it down side of hill. Broke ebony forend, and took big sliver of wood out of stock. Also put a good gouge in the scope. Only concern was that it would still shoot. It still shoots fine, and the cosmetic issues are part of story

Good advice. Use it as such, just expect to spend a little more time taking care of it. you will find it is worth it.

Was always taught to use the correct tool for a job for the best opportunity to do the work correctly on the 1st attempt.

From the late 1960's when I started hunting, despite my own & a couple 'smith's efforts to "Weatherize" blue/wood rifles and shotguns inside and out before fiberglass and later Stainless Steel guns became available, I cannot tell ya'll how many of my guns have suffered loss of use and value in wet weather damage.

Today, I still treat my blue/wood guns to being "weatherized" with the new and better products than I had access to back in the day...but for rifles especially, as much as I love and have been successful at deer hunting in the rain I will not ever take a blue/wood gun out when I know for certain that it's gonna be a very wet day...and have owned a dedicated Wet Weather Deer shooter of some sort ever since. I've even been known to use a deer rifle to paddle a boat with when the paddle disappeared.

OTOH Occasionally getting a blue/wood gun caught in a surprise shower, heavy wet fog, or wet with snow or dew, even fell in a creek one time and had to swim/wade out while sneaking the creek's bank have been overcome...my blue/wood rifles can pretty much handle that level of wet, ...

Just Sayin, If I could only own 2 deer rifles which may happen sooner than later at my age, one of them will be a Stainless Steel in a composite stock rifle with a quality scope.... period paragragraph page ...as the 1st one will always be a blue/wood shooter. Also been known to buy 2 identical style and caliber or complimenting guns in SS/Syn & Blue/Wood at the same time or as planned, which is about where I am now in my final makeover downsizing Plan.
JMHO & YMMV
Ron

I don't care how good of a shot you are with iron sights. The human eye is only so good, and without a scope you're taking a pot-shot on anything past 50 yards. Is it really worth wounding an animal? 30-30 is worthless past 100 yards anyhow. Spend 500$ and get a decent bolt action rifle

I DO love a 30-30 though! Just inside of 100 yards.

I'm in that crowd.^^

I'll take all of my rifles out in any weather. I did what I could to make them all "weather proof", but in very nasty conditions they will need some attention at the end of the day. If on a three day hunt I have to wipe down, and oil, every evening then that's just how it is.

Thank you for your honest opinion and that's fine if you don't feel like YOU have certain abilities, but don't assume what others can or cannot do. That being said though I don't think you have to worry about me taking long pot-shots at deer.

I always take my Weatherby Lazermark with a Swarovski. I keep the barrel pointed down to avoid water from getting in the barrel.