What was your first big game rifle, and do you still have it?

[Dakota79]

My great-grandfathers model 99 .250 Savage. It has killed many a things and my brothers and I still have it. My uncle has a matching one that my great-grandfathers brother bought at the same time.

 

[Carl]

2002ish era Rem 700 30-06, stainless/synthetic.

Got myself pretty punchy with it shooting groundhogs on the farm from odd field positions. Got scoped & cut a lot, with a cheap, sharp scope with short eye relief. In the short term that led to a lot of rimfire shooting to get over the flinch (not the best path but I didn’t know that then). In the medium term it led to a Rem 700 22-250 VLS and a better scope.

Dropped the 30-06 into a factory grey laminate stock around the time I moved to Montana and took my first few big game animals here with it.



I built some other sporter weight big game rifles and the 30-06 fell out of first place. Eventually I rebarreled it to a varmint weight 280AI and put it in a McMillan A5.

Took a bear, a handful of antelope, and a pile of rock chunks with it, but mostly shot inanimate targets.





At some point I wasn’t shooting it all that much compared with the rest and down the road it went. I really like rifles in general, but feel minimal sentimentality about any individual ones. Good memories and no regrets.

 

[Fishmaster196]

2002ish era Rem 700 30-06, stainless/synthetic.

Got myself pretty punchy with it shooting groundhogs on the farm from odd field positions. Got scoped & cut a lot, with a cheap, sharp scope with short eye relief. In the short term that led to a lot of rimfire shooting to get over the flinch (not the best path but I didn’t know that then). In the medium term it led to a Rem 700 22-250 VLS and a better scope.

Dropped the 30-06 into a factory grey laminate stock around the time I moved to Montana and took my first few big game animals here with it.

View attachment 296009

I built some other sporter weight big game rifles and the 30-06 fell out of first place. Eventually I rebarreled it to a varmint weight 280AI and put it in a McMillan A5.

Took a bear, a handful of antelope, and a pile of rock chunks with it, but mostly shot inanimate targets.

View attachment 296010

View attachment 296012

At some point I wasn’t shooting it all that much compared with the rest and down the road it went. I really like rifles in general, but feel minimal sentimentality about any individual ones. Good memories and no regrets.

I’m the exact opposite. I keep them even if they don’t shoot. Pretty stupid, but I usually fall for the idea of the rifle rather than the utility.

 

[choc dogs]

First rifle I bought was a nagant. Couple white tails later it got traded off for a rifle that was later stolen in a house break in.

First big game animal was with a cut down pre64 m70 308 that all of my siblings used for their first hunts as well. 40 years later I killed a small forky with it here in Idaho. It’s in the safe to be passed down, along with some of my late father’s other rifles.

 

[Tikka06]

My Dad’s vintage Glenfield 30A. Which is just a budget 336 I believe. I’ve killed several animals with it and will kill more before it’s over. A new scope and a stock refinish and we’re still trucking along.

 

[44hunter45]

Winchester Model 94, was a hand-me-down from grandpa. My dad and all my uncles used it for their firsts, I shot my first deer and a spike elk with it. I still have it, I take it out and shoot it once or twice a year, then I wipe it down and put it back in the safe.

It’s in the will to be given to my oldest, my youngest gets my dad’s M70.

Posted this one before. Me in the red sweatshirt in 1972. I wish that buck was mine. I emptied that M94 at it and never touched a hair. John (upper right.) dropped it with one shot from his Savage 99. When I ran out of ammo, I started running after the deer straight up behind. As we gutted out the deer, John laughed and explained to me that the successful hunter runs to a vantage point to get another shot.

The rifle came to me when dad cleaned out his safe. It was shooting about 8 MOA until I tore it down to the barreled action and went after it with Sweet's 762.
The bore has major pits, but if I keep it clean, it will put 170 RN into 2 inches off sand bags. Loves IMR4230.

I've killed more deer with it than I can remember. I try to go out at least once each year with just the rifle and a belt knife.

 

[steveshuntn1]

I grew up hunting deer with dogs. My uncle’s and grandparents all hunted with us and several guys from our town. That being said my first big game gun was a Franchi 20 gauge light that my Dad bought me at a yard sale. Kicked the shit out of me with buckshot! Killed my first deer with it. I lost it in a house fire.

 

[Wildabeest]

Iver Johnson’s Arms and Cycle Works 20 gauge single shot. Was my grandfather’s, then my dad’s and now mine. Will eventually be my son’s. Growing up in OH, it was shotgun only for deer.

 

[Mica Man]

Hand me down Winchester 94 that was my grandfather's. Missed a nice bull elk behind the house with it on my very first day of big game hunting as a licensed hunter. I did get redemption later in the year when I killed a trophy 2 point white tail after school. That may have been my first miss at a critter but unfortunately it was not my last. Still have it.

 

[BuzzH]

Ruger M77 in 6mm Remington. Killed my first deer with it. Shot the first barrel out of it, had a new pacnor installed a few years back, shoots excellent. Reworked the stock while I was at it. Killed lots of deer, pronghorn, several elk, a black bear, ewe bighorn, with it. Shot a bunch of coyotes with it too.

Took it the last few days pronghorn hunting, didn't find a buck worth taking it out of the case for. Looked at a few hundred bucks, just lots of average stuff. Saw 2 does with radio collars today as well.

So, yes, still have it, still hunt with it.

 

[Sask hunter]

Remington 700 in 7mm-08. Haven’t shot it in probably close to ten years but I still have it

 

[Brittany Chukarman]

Savage 99 .300 Savage with a 4x Weaver with a swing down mount. Haven't shot it for years but still have it.

 

[nhenry]

Mine was a 1979 Marlin 336 in 30-30. Cost me 370 bucks at a trading post in Dodge City.

@Nicoli7153 how’s it treatin you?

 

[Jappenz617]

Ruger M77 Mark II .308. Got it 24 years ago as a graduation gift from my parents. Still my favorite gun to hunt with.

 

[Southern Elk]

Mine was a Winchester .243. Killed my first few deer with it. My dad sold it when I moved up to a larger rifle. I wish I still had it.

I bought my son a Remington 700 .243 and he killed his first deer with it. He has moved up to a .270, but I won’t sell the .243. Maybe it will mean something to him one day.

 

[antlerradar]

Ruger M77 in a 243. Still use it now and then for coyotes.

 

[Johnny Bravo]

35 cal Marlin and yes

 

[BAKPAKR]

I shot my first big game animal with my dad’s Remington 742 Carbine in 30-06. Neither he nor I liked that rifle and it was eventually traded off. My first very own centerfire rifle was a left hand Remington 700 in 7mm RM my parents bought me a year or two after I started hunting. I had saved up some money and topped it with a Redfield 3-9 Widefield scope that had a fancy ranging reticle (see internet photo below). I shot my first deer, my first nice buck, my first few elk, and a bear with it. I got into archery and traded it for a 22-250 just after I got out of high school. I have never gotten too attached to any gun.

 

[Jbotto]

Stevens 200 .30-06, topped with a 3-9x40 Redfield Revolution. Took me a number of years to actually hit something with it. Always have shot it well from the bench but I’d flinch in the field. Had a few misses right off the bat with it and then some just unlucky seasons where I didn’t see much. Thought it was cursed for awhile but stick it out. Still have it. Used it all last year and shot three does with it. Just loaded a new batch of ammo for it this weekend.

It’s pictured with the first deer it drew blood on, the deer that broke its “curse” and the last deer I shot in MN before jumping ship.

 

[Guy]

Yes, still have the 6mm Rem 700 BDL that Dad gave me in 1974... Mostly my youngest son hunts with it now. Thirty some years ago I replaced the factory finish with 7 coats of rubbed-in Tru Oil. About 15 or 20 years ago I updated the optics, putting a 3.5-10x Leupold on it.

Before that I'd hunted with a 30-06 Springfield belonging to Dad, and built by his father. I had it out again for bear just a few weeks ago. Didn't find one, but it was bittersweet - hunting with a rifle I'd hunted with in the 1970's - but paid a steep price to inherit it.

That Springfield is a pretty special rifle to me, as is the 6mm Rem 700.

Regards, Guy