Anyone else like BIG guns?

[Krull]

Now I'm not talking about all-out elephant guns but I tend to that "larger side" of guns for day-to-day hunting/woods gun use (please no .50 Desert Eagles for CCW)

I'm starting to realize I'm that way,my first real hunting only use rifle was a Ruger #1 in .338 mag,my reasoning was if I hunt I don't want to worry about "a gun for bears,a gun for deers,a gun for mountain sheep" Etc. I want one that can do most all of it.
The .338 was nice but being blue didn't help matters as I'm a bit hard on my kit,so the gun went away and I nabbed a Marlin 1895 45/70.
It was ok but most off the shelf rounds for this gun are rather low level and I was having a time with the loading gate (the one thing about levers I dislike,sorry I cut my teeth on a Mauser) so I started reading up on LARGER bolt-action rounds over the .338,something that had power to spare with factory ammo and was easy enough to get out of most gunshops.

My local shop had a .375 H&H that no one would touch so I wound trading for it and I'm infamously happy with it-after I lopped the break off,and wound up with an 18 1/2 carbine.

Now I have the .460 ES and just LOVE the thing,and it occurs to me I have a liking for short,overpowered,almost-cannons

So,any one else? any other S&W forum guys have a taste for the big stuff for everyday hunting/woods use? or am I the only one?

Mind I still grab a .223 to shoot a possum,but if I go off in the woods it's likely I'll have the new .460 under my shirt

 

[Snowbandit]

I have a 35X300 Win. Mag., one of the last built by Ackley. It's on a Remington 700 action with premium Fajen stock and just a bit more powerful than a 358 Norma Magnum. Most expensive rifle I have and it just puts bullet after bullet on top of each other. I used it for all kinds of large game from deer on up but, since my shoulder surgery I cut back to a Remington 7600 in 30-06. Big old rifle just sits in the safe nowadays. Kind of sad actually.

 

[Andy Griffith]

I used to have a Winchester 70 in .458 Lott, but I traded it off for an engine rebuild. I wish I still had it.

Maybe one day I can afford one of those Pedersoli double shotguns in 12 gauge with both barrels rifled.

 

[Vulcan Bob]

Why yes, yes I do! Been fighting off the urge to buy a big one so for the moment Im happy with my Marlin 1895 CB in 45-70.

 

[Wyo]

I went through a phase some years back where I used big guns for elk and occasionally for mule deer - had a couple of 375 H&H's, a couple of .338's and a .458 Win. They all worked well enough though the premium bullets tended to pencil on through deer. I had to shoot one smallish mulie three times with a .338 to finally get it on the ground. The bullets were just too hard. They worked fine on elk, though, and the .375 in particular was a real honey.

I finally went back to the 30-06-size cartridges. Guess I got tired of getting kicked around by the big guys and the smaller ones work just about as well. I have to admit, though, it was a lot of fun to play with the big stuff. I only have one really big rifle now - a 50 BMG bolt rifle, but at 29 pounds its a bit heavy to pack around the game fields!

 

[Krull]

Andy if there's one gun I've run into that I really can say I find unpleasant to lite off it's a plain-vanilla-everybody-has-one 12GA,try taking one and single loading a 2 3/4 high base mag shell,say a turkey load,and firing it.....if your brain doesn't feel like it's come unattached from your skull and is rattling around in your head there's something wrong with you!

And that's not taking into account the 3 inch mags or those single barrel or double barrel jobs~I had a "coach gun" 12 for a bit,had to ditch it as it was giving me a headache with low base trap loads!

And Bob? succumb to it! go get a .375 H&H! they're as powerful as you're likely to need,and they are fun as hell! not good for charging elephant,but with a scope and a careful shot it'll do the job.

 

[Mike1957]

I like just about anything that is good quality and goes bang. Be it big or small. Below are some pretty powerful rifles. They rarely see any serious use. Just get shot occasionally for fun. But I have used the Browning and Weatherby hunting a few times.
People often ask me what I use the .458 for. I tell em it works great for rabbit hunting. Just aim in front of the rabbit, blow a big hole in the ground, the rabbit falls in the hole and you have got him.

Weatherby Mark V Deluxe in .300 Weatherby Mag with 3.5x10 Vari-x 3

Browning BAR in .338 Win Mag with 3x9 Pro Staff

Ruger No. 1 Tropical in .375 H&H with 2.5 Pentax

An old FN Mauser sporterized into a real eliphant gun. .458 Winchester Mag

 

[oldman45]

Weatherby Mark V Deluxe in .300 Weatherby Mag with 3.5x10 Vari-x 3

Browning BAR in .338 Win Mag with 3x9 Pro Staff

Ruger No. 1 Tropical in .375 H&H with 2.5 Pentax

An old FN Mauser sporterized into a real eliphant gun. .458 Winchester Mag

I sure would love to buy that Weatherby from you. Those are great guns and I have one but mine does not look as nice as yours.

 

[MTKTM]

I have a brace of 500 S&Ws, love them both.

In the rifle realm, back when I was just out of the Army in the early '70s I bought a Winchester M70 in 375H&H and shot it extensively for a decade, it was my only hunting rifle and I used it on everything from plinking at rocks to gophers to elk. In fact, I shot the barrel out of that gun and sent it back to Winchester for rebarreling. Fortunately for the sake of my wallet, 99% of the rounds I fired through that gun were handloads. While off being rebarreled (it seemed like it took forever) I bought a Ruger No. 1 Tropical in 458 Winchester.

Since that time I've sold both of those guns. I developed some tendonitis in my right shoulder, perhaps as a result of shooting them or possibly it was from some other cause, I do not know, but I've become a bit recoil shy where it comes to rifles (not handguns, I love hard kicking handguns.....well, except for the 340PD with magnum loads, that one is no fun) and so most of my shooting anymore is limited to 308/30-06 level, although I did pick up a No. 1 in 9.3x74R a little over a year ago and carry that when I think I might encounter an elk. I like big caliber rifles too.

 

[Shorty4T]

Big bores are an affection of mine, when I was a kid I used to read about the power of the ol' English elephant guns. this followed me into adulthood, most of the rifles that I have are on the larger side for their entended purpose.

My favorite is my Weatherby Mark V in 416, while some may argue where a "big bore" calibers starts. There are many that do not consider the 375 a big bore. Some African countries require something over 400 to hunt the big five. However the H&H has more than proven itself on larger game.

My personal preference has always been for large cases such as the Rigby and Weatherby. Many large caliber rifle cartridges have been developed off of both of these cases, it really boils down to whether or not you want a belted cartridge. Both of these cases have been used to span calibers from 300 to over 500.

Here are a couple of pics of my Weatherby, it seems evey time I post these Chad isn't far behind, LOL!!

There are still a couple of "big bores" that are on my wish list: A 375 Weatherby since it was reintroduced. This seems to me to be the best balance for a 375 to me plus it's commercially loaded. While I have shot the 378 and I don't find recoil unmanagable it seems to be too much of a good thing for some. Some find the 378 recoil to be a bit much, if you listen to some of the Internet lore you will think the 378 is the worst recoiling rifle on the planet.

Another on the wish list is a 500 based on the Weatherby case, ie. 500A2. While it isn't really classified as a hunting rifle, it's a stopping rifle, I'd still like to add one to the battery.

Some people just go nuts for really big guns, the above are really the limit that I have interest in. If you want to read about some of the really big ones, ie. 700 Nitro, 600 Overkill, 577 Trex, etc. take a look at the Accurate Reloading forum. It is one of the most knowledgable forums for rifles that I have found.

Yeah I have an affection for the big bores, they are great fun but can be a detriment to your finances.

Cheers,
Sam

 

[n4zov]

As I got older my fondness for the big boomers diminished. They hurt too much to enjoy!

 

[Mike1957]

I sure would love to buy that Weatherby from you. Those are great guns and I have one but mine does not look as nice as yours.

That Weatherby was a true bargin. Started bidding on it at an auction without having any real intent to buy it. Figured it would bring a bundle.
To my surprise I got it for $750 with the scope. Most of the time at auctions things bring half again what they are worth, but every now and then you get lucky.
It was like new except for a couple of small handling marks. Doubt it had more than two boxes of ammo fired in it. Since then I doubt I`ve fired more than 60 or 70 rounds through it.

 

[Steave]

I dunno, is this big enough?

 

[Snapping Twig]

Until recently my biggest rifle was a 300 Wby, but just recently I picked up a Marlin 1895 GBL 45-70.

Lead cannon.

 

[Cyrano]

I have a few big ones; for some reason I have no less than three 50-70s. Great fun to shoot.

 

[kscardsfan]

I grabbed one of the remmy 798 in .375 that CDNN was clearencing off not too long ago but I haven't gotten to shoot it yet. My biggest complaint is that the front sling swivel is in the wood and I would rather have a barrel band. But until I get home long enough to get it to my smith I'll just live with it for now.

 

[MR. IHC]

i own a .458 win mag made by brno, that goes well with my '95 marlin 45/70. i also bought a couple of .577 enfield snider rifles, but they were kind of a disapointment being black powder and all. i hunt deer with a model 70 in .300 weatherby mag. so yeah i get ya.

 

[44Steve]

Hi, Steve here. My first hunting rifle was a 7MM Mag. Have toned down to 7MM-08. Now with that said, i mostly shoot 44Mag. until i shot my 500S&W Mag. Wife said the grin on my face was still there hours after i got home . I now have a 460XVR,getting a 2X7 Burris mounted on it. soon on this one.

 

[wbraswell]

I lika beeg guns! I love my Ruger .45-70. I wish I had one of the old classic big game calibers, even if I couldn't stand to shoot it much. An old .450 BPE would be great, and being black powder, maybe wouldn't punish me too much.

 

[BuzzardBilly]

For more than 50 years I have wanted a 375 H&H Mag.
This year I picked up a Winchester M70 that a forum members
father had bought while living in Alaska. It's a great shooter!
Thanks Gregory & Helen: