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starmac
09-29-2013, 01:50 PM
I see backup or rainy day rifles mentioned fairly often, I may take a 22 or a shotgun for birds or small game, but have never carried an extra rifle to camp. How many of you actually do? Up here If carrying a 22 or shotgun I will carry a side arm just in case I run into one of them fuzzy things with an attitude. I suppose if I was going on an africa hunt or something of that nature it would be different.

olereb
09-29-2013, 01:55 PM
I will carry a rifle and a handgun but I don't have a 2nd rifle.

geargnasher
09-29-2013, 02:00 PM
Usually I take a variety of arms to hunting camp, provided I can afford the space and weight. You just never know what might be needed. If "camp" means several days on horseback or a difficult hike, a good revolver does backup duty for the rifle.

Gear

starmac
09-29-2013, 02:03 PM
Another question for you guys that do. I usually try to hunt where I don't see many others, but would still be nervous leaving a rifle in camp. What do you do with them while you are hunting.

Lead Fred
09-29-2013, 07:09 PM
I always carry the 45/70 GG & 45 ACP Sig.

If I cant kill it with either of those, it aint worth eating

Artful
09-30-2013, 12:30 AM
If I was hunting local to the house - no back up required - pistol was for targets of opportunity. At one point I got into dual caliber setups - like 44 mag lever carbine and 44 mag revolver to go with - Now for those nasty drive all day to get to hunting camp places I did take backup rifle - example would be for Elk way back in on the Panther Ridge off the Rouge river - I took my 375 Weatherby bolt for long shots and 358 Savage 99 for brush hunting, either will do a reasonable job for the other. If I knew it was only going to be a long shot situation 300 Win Mag substituted for Savage 99 358 wcf.

leadman
09-30-2013, 03:31 AM
When I go elk hunting it is well over 100 miles one way so I do take extra firearms. I also like to give as many guns in the safe a way to earn their keep so I might switch guns at lunch time. I hunt with both rifles and handguns for elk. Also alot of the areas I hunt are rocky so if I drop a gun or fall I like to know there is a spare at camp, plus others in my party may need a spare.
This year I am thinking on taking the 71 Mauser, 1867 Swedish RB, Encore 7mm Rm rifle, Encore 243 Win pistol, Savage 30-06 left hand, and maybe the 1891 Arg. Mauser, plus my Ruger SBH Hunter in 41 mag. Might bring the Contender carbine in 30-30 Win along also.
It is a 9 day hunt so I can switch off frequently.
Just have to remember to have the correct ammo for the gun being carried. LOL

starmac
09-30-2013, 04:08 AM
LOL if I carried that many, I would have to either pull tandem trailers with the four wheeler, or drag an extra canoe, just for guns and ammo.

Where do you keep that many in camp, are they secured some kind of way, or do you just not worry about them.?

texassako
09-30-2013, 01:18 PM
I never thought of it as a backup, but we usually took along a shotgun for birds or small game when hunting on leases in the Texas Hill Country. These days I take along a handgun after some interesting encounter with critters of various types at our current little place. Always take a fishing pole as well for the pond, just in case.

RedneckRob
09-30-2013, 02:11 PM
A cousin and I are planning to go out west for a Prong Horn hunt. This will be the first time I'll take at least 2 rifles with me. Normally I only take one with me around here.

Harter66
09-30-2013, 02:51 PM
This yr I will not have a spare. In yrs past I had a spare rifle but this yr having drawn elk tags instead of deer I needed both 06's and the 308 . Had we drawn deer the 2nd 06' would have done back up duty. I do have a 'desperation' option w/an 03A3. Given the rookie hunters and my own vision issues, the issue sights on the 03' will leave something to be desired for 200yd elk.

I will be carrying a 7.5'' RBH in 45 Colts also just in case some stupid dumb luck oppertunity should wander into camp and lay down under the hanging tree.

As for security this yr we have a trailer w/outta sight outta mind rules and locked doors.

fouronesix
09-30-2013, 04:08 PM
Have never taken one when fishing around the big bears (browns and grizzlies) but use a great deal of caution and give them a lot of room. When hunting where there are big bears I already have an adequate rifle anyway. Nephew and I camped on Kodiak one time for a couple of weeks and in addition to our big rifles- had a short barreled shotgun for that purpose handy or when we were out fishing. I've seen quite a few fishermen carrying something like a short shotgun or Marlin lever 45-70 GG or the like. I think driving in heavy highway traffic is far more dangerous than any encounter I may have with a bear.

starmac
09-30-2013, 04:18 PM
Yup, Both scenarios just takes one time.

We even had an old time guide leave his gun in camp a couple weeks ago. He survived, but was mauled pretty bad.

DeanWinchester
09-30-2013, 04:40 PM
I always carry the 45/70 GG & 45 ACP Sig.

If I cant kill it with either of those, it aint worth eating

If you can't kill it with one of those you might've made a really, REALLY, poor judgement call.

perotter
09-30-2013, 09:30 PM
Much of the time I take 2 rifles, has I normally will be hunting 2 different types of terrain. A Remington or Type 99 bolt action for open areas and Marlin 1894 for the swamps/thick woods.

fouronesix
09-30-2013, 09:41 PM
There's one truism about this. If you are sitting in a tent on a very still night in the middle of big bear country and reading one of Kanuit's Alaska Bear Tales books by the glow of a dim flashlight .... the size of your gun keeps getting smaller and smaller. :)

starmac
09-30-2013, 09:52 PM
Even if you are toteing a 50 bmg. lol

DIRT Farmer
09-30-2013, 10:23 PM
When I go bird hunting out of state, I will always take at least two guns, generaly the same guage. Some times I go with two guns and come home with three. I just got back from a 'voos and even had two guns there, or did I leave home with one and come home with two?

Harter66
09-30-2013, 10:23 PM
Boy you guys have convenced me that I'm really ,really glad I will be hunting in cat country that's been bear free over 100yr.

lksmith
10-01-2013, 08:29 PM
I don't carry a back-up rifle per se, as I hunt from wither my house or my parents house. I do always carry a handgun of some sort into the woods, either to finish off an animal that hasn't expired in the <5mins from the time I pull the trigger until I get to the animal.
However, when it is rainy I either carry an AR or muzzleloader (Synthetic/Stainless) since I don't want to rust agun and it seems no matter how thorough I am with cleaning and oiling it always gets a speck of rust

1Shirt
10-04-2013, 09:56 AM
Always take a back up rifle to deer camp. Usually carry a small Ruger Bearcat when hunting deer, never needed it, but is sort of a habit, like having two knifes (a belt knife and a pocket knife) cause you never know!
1Shirt!

Half Fast
10-04-2013, 02:26 PM
I am going to hunt all deer seasons with 2 muzzleloaders, a .50 for 125 yards and closer, and a .45 for 125-250 yard. I will be in a ground blind.

cwheel
10-04-2013, 02:50 PM
Harter66, I'm just over the hill from you in Wellington. You are very fortunate to have drawn a tag. I will never hunt without a handgun after a incident of being hunted myself by a blind bear. I was packing a 22 hand gun along at the time with a smaller rifle. 22 was intended to quietly take small game that might present itself. Now I always pack a larger rifle, handgun is a 1911. Rifle is to hunt with, handgun is to save yourself at close range. I will never pack a 22 handgun again, very luck to have survived that one. Several other hunters tracked at close range by this bear as well, game warden killed the bear, found it was blind, incident made the paper. Bear weighed in at almost 400 lbs. Happened up highway 4 at Ebbits pass in Calif.
Lesson learned, never carry a hand gun into bear country that won't do the job.
Chris

Freischütz
10-04-2013, 09:15 PM
I bring a take-down rifle as a backup. Fits in the legs of a pair of pants if you're using a duffel bag.

Love Life
10-04-2013, 09:20 PM
I carry a handgun as back up. Where I am all I have to worry about is a mountain lion or black bear trying to eat my face. If the 8mm doesn't take care of the problem then I hope the 45 will.

TXGunNut
10-05-2013, 12:11 AM
In the field my backup is a large-caliber handgun. There's also a backup rifle, mebbe two, in camp or in my pickup. Think about it, most of us think about hunting year-round but folks like me get 1-3 opportunities to go hunting and invest substantial time and $$ in each hunt. I can't afford NOT to have a backup in place to save a hunt. As a rule I have primary, secondary AND backup/bad weather rifles on most remote hunts. My "backup" rifle is probably one of the best shooting & handling rifles in my safe but it's a stainless/composite M77 and it shoots j-words. I don't much care to look at it but I know it's there and will do the job in any situation I care to hunt in. In certain circumstances I've even been known to pack along a black rifle for social or varminting purposes.

Ithaca Gunner
10-05-2013, 08:24 AM
Usually one of my 1894 Winchester's rides along just in case.

savagetactical
10-05-2013, 08:40 AM
I carry a handgun as back up. Where I am all I have to worry about is a mountain lion or black bear trying to eat my face. If the 8mm doesn't take care of the problem then I hope the 45 will.

If the 8mm does not take care of the problem you truly do have a problem. Like the 30-06 I have not observed a great deal of problems a cartridge such as the 8x57 could not resolve.

Love Life
10-05-2013, 11:10 AM
I wonder if I what performance I'd get from a 308 case necked up to 8mm. I wonder if it would be like a short action 8X57? Hmmm....

redneckdan
10-05-2013, 11:31 AM
I wonder if I what performance I'd get from a 308 case necked up to 8mm. I wonder if it would be like a short action 8X57? Hmmm....

You just reinvented the 338 federal

Love Life
10-05-2013, 11:35 AM
True. A 338 federal is my next build, and I have been making it from 308 brass for the last couple of nights.

It's not a 32 though...

Love Life
10-05-2013, 12:06 PM
You bring up a good point excess.

Cold weather. It does funny things to lubes. Ensure you use a lube that is right for your environment. I had the same issue here when I moved from North Carolina's moderate winters to Northern Nevada's "OH GOD IT'S COLD!!" winters.

Absolutely beautiful Buck. Makes me wish I still hunted deer and other large-ish game.

TXGunNut
10-05-2013, 12:43 PM
Excess650's experience is a prime example of why a backup rifle is a good idea. We all want to take the new rifle hunting but until we get it in the field we don't know for sure how it will perform. I've seldom had a failure in the field but have had a couple of times when I felt there was something wrong and didn't or couldn't deal with it on that trip, just went to another rifle that I had total confidence in. In my earliest hunting days I had one very good rifle, still have it now. One trip, however, the scope got banged around somehow and I missed a shot that I knew was not attributable to the loose nut behind the trigger. I didn't try another shot that trip, had no confidence in my only rifle. Before my next trip I acquired another rifle, my first levergun. It gave me versatility and a backup. It's been hard to justify the rifles that have come along since but somehow I do it. ;-)
The backup rifle is an excellent idea, best excuse ever for buying another rifle!

snuffy
10-05-2013, 12:58 PM
You just reinvented the 338 federal

No, since 8MM is only .323. A short action 8MM mauser would seem like a cool idea. I bet you would have something no one else has!? Well, I'm sure someone else has had that idea, maybe even has built one.

As for a backup rifle, can they only be shot while in reverse? Or is there a reverse lever to un-shoot them?:kidding: Sorry, must be the Vicodin making me silly.

fatnhappy
10-05-2013, 02:26 PM
I always take second firearm with me. Always. Stuff happens.
I don't care if it's a half hour drive to Hemlock Lake, 2 hours to the Alleghenies or a 4 hour drive to our family camp in the adirondacks. Besides "stuff happening" sometimes we'll change how/where we're hunting based on what the deer are doing or the weather. There's been more than a few hunting trips where I went from scoped rifles to an iron sighted rifle due to heavy rain or snow.

Lloyd Smale
10-05-2013, 04:26 PM
I usualy go to camp with 4 guns. Two rifles and two handguns. Two rifles because i allways take along at least on stainless synthetic gun for crappy weather and two handguns one for hunting and theres allways a glock in the jeep and pickup.

762 shooter
10-05-2013, 05:29 PM
I figure that a 308 will do far enough, and a 45 colt "Ruger Only" load will do close enough.

762

grampa243
10-05-2013, 09:26 PM
i like to have a long range rifle for sitting(usually a single shot) and something a little faster handing for pushing brush(pump shot gun or AR).

after getting in to handguns i always wear one when it's legal. ( don't have a legal one for muzzle loader season).

two years ago i only took one rifle on opening day of Deer season. missed the first one in the first 30 min. missed two more by the end of the day.. sights where off but didn't know till i shot paper the next day..

i now like to take options with me. and if a hand gun is not an option i like to have a good size fixed blade on me.

Thin Man
10-06-2013, 05:56 AM
My deer hunting camp is a fixed base operation located 4 hours from my home, a bit too far for a drive home to pick up that one needed tool or replacement part. That said, I always take 2 or 3 rifles to the camp. Two rifles are for clear weather (bolt action for open country, lever rifle for thick cover) also a nasty weather resistant rifle for those rainy days when I refuse to sit in the camp while season is open. If anything goes wrong with any one rifle, the trip is not ended. If a friend at the camp has rifle trouble I can loan out one of mine and he can hunt with it. This is cheap insurance against that odd event of something, anything going wrong with one rifle/scope/ammo/etc. It is also fun to experience a hunt with more of the toys I have gathered over time. It seems that there is never enough time to give attention to all of them but I try.
Thin Man