Men I Knew, Who Hunted Thier Entire Lives, With Just One Rifle.

[BrentD]

I went back home to visit years ago and learned that I was to inherit a rifle I never knew existed in the family when my uncle was ready to part with it.
I returned home (I was born in Michigan and we moved to Montana when I was 10) when my uncle called me into the house and I watched as he went to the his gun cabinet and retrieved that rifle. Telling me again the history of it and how it was supposed to be passed down and it was time. Another uncle told me to bring a rifle case he was pretty sure it was coming to Montana on I didn't want to assume anything. I chose to ere to caution and brought one. The uncle who had the rifle grabbed a blanket and rolled it up inside and said," It's yours now, keep it, sell it, whatever you want.". The tears started rolling and me blubbering, "Uncle Lyle, I can't sell it, I won't sell it, that's part of the family history, hell it's part of the family.". He grabbed my shoulder and said simply "That's why it's yours now."
It's nothing fancy, it's not a wild cat cartridge, it's not scoped, it's simply an original model 94 Winchester. Half octagon half round. Rear sight is a Gladstone Sight that Uncle Lyle replaced because great granddad's eyesight was getting bad so he kept filing the rear sight wider so he could see the front.

I want to take into the field and shoot one critter with it, I just worry about falling and dinging it up. Dad suggested I do this year and really try to so Uncle Lyle can see the results. Thinking real heavy on doing so. It dumped a lot of Eastern Whitetail it needs another notch or its first notch from a Western Big Game Animal.

Don't shoot just one. Shoot one per year!

Fantastic that you have it and can add your own dings for the next generation.

.30-30?

 

[Hunter4Life78]

Don't shoot just one. Shoot one per year!

Fantastic that you have it and can add your own dings for the next generation.

.30-30?

Yes .30-30. I call him Great Grandpa. First time I shot it. It was eerie. Didn't have to adjust anything. Our local range has a gong out just shy of 400 yards. I was pushing the limits, hearing that gong go off put a smile on my face

 

[Corn king 60]

Yes .30-30. I call him Great Grandpa. First time I shot it. It was eerie. Didn't have to adjust anything. Our local range has a gong out just shy of 400 yards. I was pushing the limits, hearing that gong go off put a smile on my face

Sweet rifle and story

 

[pilsner]

Contrary opinion:
Being a hunter with only one gun is like being a mechanic and the only tool that you own is a adjustable wrench.

 

[Brad]

We are a more affluent society, with more disposable income. The generation of "one rifle" were often those that lived through the depression. My father is one such man. He'll be 94 in a couple of months, and his mantra is still "Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make it Do, or Do Without." This despite his ability to afford whatever he wants. Most of the men of that era were not rifle nuts. They were hunters that used a tool - and we should all know it's the craftsman that makes the tool, not the reverse.

Of course there are notable exceptions. My dad flew the backcountry here in Montana as a pilot for hire. Sometime around 1954 or 55 Warren Page had dad to fly him to elk camp in Cody, WY. Page showed up at the Billings airport with around a dozen rifles! He was not a "less is more" type of guy obviously

 

[MThuntr]

My grandpa hunted exclusively with black powder...a T/C 54 Caliber Hawken. In the years I hunted with him he never shot anything with it. Honestly I don't think he had it in him to shoot anything besides upland birds.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Contrary opinion:
Being a hunter with only one gun is like being a mechanic and the only tool that you own is a adjustable wrench.

I can unscrew a bolt just as well with a pair of ViceGrips as I can with a Snap-On socket wrench. ViceGrips are a helluva lot cheaper and more compact than a set of sockets and ratchet. And ViceGrips are universal. In the end unscrewed is unscrewed.

Since 1962 my 30-06 Springfield has killed everything from Montana rattlesnake to African kudu. Hundreds of animals and even a couple of grouse shot in the head. It probably also killed a few people during WWII. Would a dozen other guns have done a better job? I can't imagine how.

 

[T.R.]

50 years ago, I was a teen living in rural Beaver County, Pennsylvania. Many hunts took place with a man from our church named Harry Freed. He was a steel worker in Beaver Falls and worked hard to provide for his family. Harry hunted deer and bears with his 300 Savage levergun which had a unique take down feature and he shot quite accurately with the iron sights. Many animals were downed by Harry with his beloved 300. - TR

 

[CorkyM]

Lewie, let us just call him by his first name. I first met him in the deer season of 1969. I had been hunting deer since 1964, but not with Lewie. I was 24 and he was 37. My father had introduced me to him, because he knew the farmer where we were to hunt. Lewie chewed tobacco , that was fine with me, but I didn’t like it. We hunted on a mountain that ran along the farm fields that belonged to his farmer brother-in-law, in Carbon County, Pennsylvania. Lewie was a lineman for the Pennsylvania Power and Light Company. And he could climb and he also built wonderful tree stands. He built me my first one, about 20 feet up an old oak tree on the side of that mountain. I shot my first nice buck from that tree stand. He had an old Willys Jeep pick up truck and we used to drive it up the mountain on an old fire cut road to a PP&L high voltage power line right of way and then walk a few hundred yards to our tree stands in the dark. At lunch time he would build a fire under a small rock grouping and toast bologna sandwiches over the fire with a forked stick. Lewie taught me a lot, about tracking, about deer movement.
He carried one rifle and his only rifle, a Savage model 99 .243, with no sling and no scope, but he shot Whitetail deer, many.
One time the subject of cleaning guns came up. He said “I just set this in the corner after the season and never touch it until the next season.” It didn’t seem to affect his accuracy.
He stopped hunting about 18 years ago because of his heart. And I am still able, so far, to be able to get to the foot of that same mountain. But that’s about as far as I can go.
Lewie passed away about a year ago. I think of him a lot, especially when I am hunting.

 

[shrapnel]

I can unscrew a bolt just as well with a pair of ViceGrips as I can with a Snap-On socket wrench. ViceGrips are a helluva lot cheaper and more compact than a set of sockets and ratchet. And ViceGrips are universal. In the end unscrewed is unscrewed.

Since 1962 my 30-06 Springfield has killed everything from Montana rattlesnake to African kudu. Hundreds of animals and even a couple of grouse shot in the head. It probably also killed a few people during WWII. Would a dozen other guns have done a better job? I can't imagine how.

Wow! Your analysis is something to behold. I would like to see what anything you have worked on looks like with all the shoulders turned off by using vice grips.

Hunting with one gun is a personal choice, but I see it as a pursuit to kill, when I choose a particular rifle and cartridge to be hunting for the challenge of the rifle/cartridge limitation, not solely to kill an animal…

 

[ludville1]

Hunting your entire life with one gun...there is a lot to be said for that, and we have all heard "fear the man that only has one gun". To me though, I like diversity in my gun cabinet. Have bought and sold many over the years from many different manufacturers (mostly bought), and love them all. I honestly don't think that I can pick a favorite either. To each their own.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Hunting your entire life with one gun...there is a lot to be said for that, and we have all heard "fear the man that only has one gun". To me though, I like diversity in my gun cabinet. Have bought and sold many over the years from many different manufacturers (mostly bought), and love them all. I honestly don't think that I can pick a favorite either. To each their own.

Indeed. Some folks like to collect guns and that's fine. My hobby is hunting. Maintaining a family on a working man's wage did not afford me the luxury of having a bunch of expensive hobbies. My late wife was good about that and I followed her example. She never complained about the cost of my hunting ... because she could see I was doing my best to keep it down. My dad and mom had the same working relationship. Now I have a lot of disposable income/assets but just don't see the point in acquiring a bunch of guns, especially at this late stage in my life.

 

[buffybr]

Wow! Your analysis is something to behold. I would like to see what anything you have worked on looks like with all the shoulders turned off by using vice grips.

And I shure hope he doesn't use his vice grips when he works on his guns.

Hunting with one gun is a personal choice, but I see it as a pursuit to kill, when I choose a particular rifle and cartridge to be hunting for the challenge of the rifle/cartridge limitation, not solely to kill an animal…

And if you have more than one gun, after you kill an animal, just look at all of the pictures you can take of you and that animal with you holding a different gun.

 

[ludville1]

Indeed. Some folks like to collect guns and that's fine. My hobby is hunting. Maintaining a family on a working man's wage did not afford me the luxury of having a bunch of expensive hobbies. My late wife was good about that and I followed her example. She never complained about the cost of my hunting ... because she could see I was doing my best to keep it down. My dad and mom had the same working relationship. Now I have a lot of disposable income/assets but just don't see the point in acquiring a bunch of guns, especially at this late stage in my life.

 

[Akcabin]

I picked up an 1894 Win 32 special. It certainly has the patina to be a one man gun. Kinda seems like you can almost feel his hands on it. Speaks to you. And he spent a lot of time with this rifle.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Wow! Your analysis is something to behold. I would like to see what anything you have worked on looks like with all the shoulders turned off by using vice grips.

Hunting with one gun is a personal choice, but I see it as a pursuit to kill, when I choose a particular rifle and cartridge to be hunting for the challenge of the rifle/cartridge limitation, not solely to kill an animal…

FYI I do have a small set each of 3/8 and 1/4 drive Crafstman sockets (gifts from Dad) + a 3/8" to 1/2" adapter, 1/2" breaker bar, a large set of misc brands 1/2" sockets, complete set of some ancient brand metric 1/2" sockets in a "MAPS" box salvaged from a WWII Yale trainer airplane. Or maybe the Gypsy Moth trainer . Wife's grandpa bought them both surplus at the end of the war. He pulled the wings on the Yale and used it to herd cattle ... back when gas was dirt cheap. I guess the calves that didn't keep up became hamburger. Anyway, I obviously don't use ViceGrips for everything ... but I probably could almost use them for everything. As pliers go, they are pretty good about not ruining the shoulders of bolts and nuts. Perhaps you didn't know that due to lack of experience? I use ViceGrips to loosen the drain plug on my Jimmy's oil pan because I'm on my back underneath it with only enough room to use one hand. ViceGrips grab the plug and hang on. I don't have to fiddle around trying to switch sockets with two hands till I get the correct size. Been doing it for years and the shoulders on that drain plug are just fine. Maybe a little marked up but who would ever know? Not like I scratched the paint job. Should I care if the buck I shot was killed with a new 6.5 manbun gun or my old 30-06 war horse? What difference does it make? Doesn't matter much to the deer. He was dead instantly. Just like the oil gets in the drain pan whether I use ViceGrips or Snap-On socket wrench.

Sorry if the analogy wasn't clear enough for you. Within the context it should have been.

 

[shrapnel]

I can unscrew a bolt just as well with a pair of ViceGrips as I can with a Snap-On socket wrench. ViceGrips are a helluva lot cheaper and more compact than a set of sockets and ratchet. And ViceGrips are universal. In the end unscrewed is unscrewed.

Sorry if the analogy wasn't clear enough for you. Within the context it should have been.

Not bad comprehension, just bad writing on your part...

 

[Treeshark]

 

[pyrotechnic]

I enjoy how this thread devolved into someone justifying not having a safe full of rifles by explaining how he doesn't use the right tool for the job in any other aspect of his life.

"I don't need a 6.5 manbun because I use a plunger to mash my potatoes"

 

[NAHMINT]

Men I knew who hunted their entire life with just one rifle.



Somewhere I have a box filled with old “American Hunter” magazines. They are so old, they are about hunting not politics.



In one, there is an article written by Ed Park. He was a “quiet” great hunting writer from a time gone by. He and I had some fine phone conversations before he died. Since he preceded the internet, and never wrote for one big magazine, sadly most of his excellent hunting stories are lost forever.



Ed and a friend drove a VW camper bus, with a huge canoe on top, up through Canada to the Yukon River. There they loaded the canoe, paid some Canadian Native to drive his VW someplace way down river, and he and his friend went on a moose hunt.

They both took moose and towed the meat back behind their canoe in a rubber raft they brought along for just that purpose.

He used his Remington Model 722 in 30-06 which he bought upon returning from the Korean War.

The entire summer after he bought it, he camped on Kodiak Island to, clear his head, after the war.

It was the only big game rifle he ever owned.



My Uncle Walter was too young for WW2. His two older brothers were not. They were both already Catholic Priests. They each served as Combat Chaplains in the European Theater. They talked it over and brought him back an 8 x 57 German Mauser and paid to have it turned into a fine sporting hunting rifle.

It was "almost only rifle, he owned and hunted with his entire life. When young he bought a big chunk of wild land next to a large state forest. The number of eastern white tail deer he took with that rifle there cannot be counted.


Towards the end of his hunting life, his grand kids bought him a Winchester model 70 in .308. He use it on one hunt with them to make them happy. Then when they went off to college he went right back to his Mauser given to him by his brothers.



My dear friend Malcolm died so very long ago. He was too young for WW1. The returning WW1 vets saw a continent almost without wild life. Those vets were the ones that came up with the idea for the Pittman Robertson Federal Aid to Wildlife Act. Malcolm worked with them for decades to promote the landmark legislation.



For his effort, that chapter of WW1 vets gave him a custom Springfield rifle with a rock maple stock and a 4X Lyman All American scope. He took all North American big game animals with it. Never had another big game rifle, never wanted one.


Some years back, I was hunting Inyo Mule deer in the White Mountains right on the Nevada border.

The Inyo Mule deer are very stocky and inhabit rocky country fit for Big Horn Sheep. Driving in I saw the most wretched rotted banged up horse trailer with a funky mini corral containing two of the most ornery looking mustangs I ever saw. Nearby was an equally ornery 4x4 with a camper on top. The hunter who came out looked like a Bristle Cone Pine, the oldest living individual organism on the planet.


His only ever rife was a beastly looking Remington 788 in .308.


For quite a few years I hunted elk on a three generation private ranch in central Utah. Hunting was only allowed in the morning so the elk could graze all afternoon undisturbed.


It was a real great place, so many elk, so peaceful. $500 for my cow or spike elk tag, the entire ranch undistributed for a week, plus my friend and I had the bunkhouse to ourselves. No food was provided, but there was lots of firewood. These were midwinter hunts and it got way below zero.



Most of the family stayed in town but came out every few days to say hello. “Pops" came out one day to say hello. He liked to chat with the hunters. He was the family elder who carved this ranch out of the desert wilderness.



He liked to look at the elk taken and see what rifles fellows were using “Nowadays”



He smiled big when he saw mine. The family gun safe was right there in the bunk house which attached to their old ranch house.



He brought out his rifle, his only ever rifle and laid it on the table next to mine. Mine and his were almost identical. Both standard weight early production run pre 64 Model 70’s in .270 Winchester.



Both with simple 4x fixed scopes. He damn near giggled in delight looking at them together.



His wife had brought a few totally home made deep dish apple pies from town. He asked her to bring one over for us to eat. We did as “Pops” began pointing out all the deer and elk that were mounted on the bunkhouse walls,,,all of which he had taken with his one and only gun. He did not even own a shotgun or a handgun.



The next year when I returned for another cow/spike elk hunt “Pops” had died. Not long after I saw him and listened to his great stories while looking at his rifle and mine together on that long bunkhouse table.



Since then family members had done a lot of hunting as was the norm. What was different, was that the whole family, all of them were now taking turns, hunting with only one rifle, the .270 Model 70 that was the only rifle “Pops” ever wanted to have.



MR

I realize this thread is a year old....forgive me,I just registered today and I' m over 75, so cut me some slack.......................
Back east, I had a sporsterised Lee Enfiels #4 in .303 brit......along with my old shotgun, it was my only centerfire I hunted with....deer,black bear moose in northern quebec......it worked and I never needed anything else.I transferred out west for my company about 45 years ago and bought all kinds of rifles.....had a 700 adl in '06 and a 1964 model70 sporster ,also in 'o6.....they worked.
bought a SAVAGE in .300 win mag just before retiring..........I would have been fine with my Remington 700 adl.
I picked up a 1973 model 88 Winchester in .284.....Traded a RUGER SBH old model for it.....
but all things considered, my old .303 would taken care of all the creatures I have come across in B.C. well, mabe I would have been conserned with the BISON we came across while moose hunting, north of FORT NELSON in the north east corner of B.C. but the season was not yet open and I was not into skinning one, the dang moose is enough......actually, I played the ''old man'' card and stood by, watching for grizzly.......One gun, often is enough. Good read thank you.