totally understand your thoughts. I started weaning myself off of hardware mainly because the next generation are ready and eager to have fun. I looked at what trips my trigger from my hip to shoulder and decided on the 35 caliber. But I would have no problem with only a 45-70 for the shoulder, heck you even can make a shot load for it if needed!
Look twice, shoot once.
Early in my married life, I had a simplified gun battery, a Marlin 30-30, a 12 ga Mossberg with 2 bbls, a single shot 22, and a 357 DA revolver. In hindsight, that was about perfect for all my "needs" at the time - quail hunting, potting bunnies, not seeing deer, and flinging lead through the revolver. Would I go back to just that assemblage? No way! There is just too much fun and entertainment to be had with a more diverse collection.
"Time wounds all heels." Well, maybe not, but it helps me to think so rather than responding to bad actors.
If I started to thin out my collection my wife would call the guys in the white coats to come and get me. But to each his own thin out if you want to, tyhat is not my style
one is not much of a life
and you don't have much to post about either
EDG
I totally get where you are coming from. I used to have (and still do) way too many different rifle calibers to master them all. I've unloaded a bunch, but I still have a wide variety of lever guns. I have .22LR, .44-40, 45 colt, 38-55, and 30-30 lever guns. It's taken a LOT of time and money to find what all these rifles prefer in terms of hand-loads, but only the 30-30 still needs more load/bullet testing. If I didn't already have most of the work done, I would have done well to limit my collection to the minimum required for lever action cowboy silhouette rim-fire, pistol cartridge, and rifle. I just wasn't that smart!
Fortunately I don't have to choose just one rifle,but my 1972 Marlin 1895 .45/70 would be one of the last to go..It was my main hunting rifle for many years ,until I got my .405 win's
Just like my old Fender Nocaster that I have played on gigs for so many years..Sometimes you just get bonded with a particular gun or guitar..
Last edited by Clay M; 03-10-2015 at 09:15 PM.
Well if a guy was going to cut back to just ONE, it would be hard to say he picked the wrong one. lol
I would dearly hate to have to pick in a case like that, heck how would a guy even decide which 45/70 he would keep?
i have a chance to pick one. it could be the 20 vartarg or 22-250ai or theres always the 30-40 krag. oh, the 444 marlin, no wait the 308 win. **** i forgot about....... i think i will just keep them all!!!
I have decided to get rid of a few guns.
Just so I could try others.
I have my eye out for a Mini 14.
Then I would have a whole new cal. to try out.
Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy!
Ben Franklin
The only way I will only have one in the house is if I had to bury the others to keep em hid.
I'd have to get around to firing some of mine before selling any... Sometime I let them age a little, like a fine wine. You can never have too many guns...
The .30 WCF will cleanly kill anything in Kentucky with the right boolits. Sometimes I think that if I had to do my career as a rifleman over I would have nothing .30-30's in several varieties for different types of shooting. Carbine with 113 grain boolits for small game and varmints, standard 336 with 150's for deer, heavy barrel single shot when you really need to be precise. Maybe even a 336XLR to keep things interesting!
Currently casting and loading: .32 Auto, .380 Auto, .38 Special, 9X19, .357 Magnum, .257 Roberts, 6.5 Creedmoor, .30 WCF, .308 WCF.
If my wife or the "state" limited me to one lever action, it would def. be my Marlin 45/70 Cowboy.
I'd hate to be in that situation but my Marlin Guide Gun can do any big game hunting I need to do. At my age and marital status I'll walk away from any woman silly enough to make me choose between her and my guns.
Somehow, tho, I don't think this is the OP's situation.
Endowment Life Member NRA, Life Member TSRA, Member WACA, NRA Whittington Center, BBHC
Smokeless powder is a passing fad! -Steve Garbe
I hate rude behavior in a man. I won't tolerate it. -Woodrow F. Call, Lonesome Dove
Some of my favorite recipes start out with a handful of depleted counterbalance devices.
I agree with him just a 1895 will do.
But I really want to keep my 35 whelen and that 30-06. OH thats just thinking about out west and north in Ak. Back in Mo all the kids would need for deer is a 30-30 or a 35 rem so I'll just leave them there. Now what was I gonna get rid of??? That other stuff!!!! Naw those are just toys,, I'll just keep a few to play with.
I'm just the welder, go ask him>
Could never be satisfied with minimal fire arms------no NEVER! I can't even be satisfied with the one accurate load for each centerfire that I own, and have to keep trying for something more accurate! NEVER! Hurts my mind to even think of minimal firearms.
1Shirt!
"Common Sense Is An Uncommon Virtue" Ben Franklin
"Ve got too soon old and too late smart" Pa.Dutch Saying
Limitations of money and body have required me to stop loading various different calibers/rifles (can't sit/stand to cast and reload as much anymore, but have lead, primers, and powder to keep me going for the ones I still shoot). My old .45-70s are still going! I very much like that cartridge, but can't tell you why. ?? Really can't... I just like it. Can't tell you why I like Wild Turkey better than Jack Black, but I do. ? Just can't buy it anymore. I pared down, but kept the guns I no longer shoot, though that is about to change. Need to move one along... If you don't need the money, just give them a rest and see how you feel in a year. ? If you need to sell, sell something to a friend with a condition you can buy back. ? I've done that, and did.
The Marlin 45-70 is not a mistake. It is in my "Top III" list as one of the most effective rifles of all time for the price and weight.
Precision in the wrong place is only a placebo.
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |