If you could only have one...

[Seabee1960]

The ideal rifle would be an original 1885 High Wall Winchester in 30-40 Krag. I saw one once on Gun broker, bid on it and got sniped at the last minute. Made me mad. I have one of the "new" Winchester 1885's in 300 WSM but that is for shooting the cursed copper colored metal do dads with..... The new Winchester 1885 trapper is about worthless with that little short barrel. I dont want to spend $1500 on a rifle I would have to re-barrel at once.

[jimgun]

it would be a toss up for me, for rifles either my marlin 45-70 or my rem 35 whelen ackley imp. the 45-70 has probably killed every game animal on this planet, but the whelen being able to shoot lightweight hangun bullets for plinking and rifle bullets for bigger animals is actually shot more by me. in handguns my FA 454, although I am seriously considering purchasing a BFR 45-70. if I did, then it would be 45-70 all the way. I am a big fan of the same bullet for both rifle and handgun, for hunting. jim

[Coffeecup]

Talking cartridge rifles, it would have to be the Krag. I'd hate to give up my flinter though.

[ACrowe25]

30-06.

[Shuz]

For me it would be my 35 Whelen with a 1:12 twist in a Rem 700. And.....there's only one boolit.... 358009!

[rnhathaway]

For me it would be my 35 Whelen with a 1:12 twist in a Rem 700. And.....there's only one boolit.... 358009!

Why 1-12" twist? Most I see are 1-14".

[felix]

I have never seen a 35 caliber gun of any type NOT shoot good enough for survival right out of the box. Any mid range powder works with any boolit/bullet in just about in any case size. The only problem would be to match boolit, case and chamber when walking into a store. Whatever fits will shoot! ... felix

[Ron.D]

358 Win. for me. What a treat to live with. I've never bought a piece of brass. Simply collect some 308 range brass, sort by brand, neck size it to .358. I've never split a neck if I anneal, and about 2-4 out of 100 if I don't. Out of a rebored, 16" twist, 99 savage with a 19 1/2" barrel, I can reach 2200 '/s with a 210 gr. boolit from an Accurate Arms mold, no leading, just a patch wetted with Ed's Red plus lanolin and put it away till next time. Regularly groups 1 1/2 to 2" with anything it likes. It does well with almost any powder from IMR 3031 to Varget. There are a lot of folks on here that have had similar results. If you can't go fast, go heavier and as fast as you can. I may be able to go faster with the copper included alloys some folks here have been working with. All in all, good case size, enough neck, very accessible and a great cartridge to live with. Yep, I'm a fan, lol. Ron.D

[hicard]

I would have to agree with Ron.D on the 358 Winchester. I have several and they are a blast to shoot. I have several boolit molds for them and I really like the RCBS or Saeco 250 grainers. My favorite 358 rifle is the Ruger SS Hawkeye. I just installed a muzzle brake on it and am anxiously waiting for a range day with it.

[Shuz]

Why 1-12" twist? Most I see are 1-14".

1:12 twist will stabilize the 280g Lyman 358009. I once had a Rem 700 in 35 Whelen with it's 1:16 twist and it would not stabilize that boolit. When I had my 700 in 35 Whelen built by a friend of mine I specified a 1:12 twist because I wanted to be sure of stabilization. Many folks have reported that 1:14 will also stabilize the 358009. One of these days I'll get around to trying the 358009 again in a different factory chambered 1:16 twist 35 Whelen in a Rem 700 that I picked up at a gun show a few years back. So far it shoots the RCBS 35-200 real well, so I haven't bothered to re-check the stabilization situation of the 358009. I still have my custom 35 Whelen for that pill.

[MaineJim]

Torn between .308 and 30-30 here,propably 30-30 though because it uses less powder to accomplish the same things my .308 does with cast.

[dougader]

338/06. Medium large bore that has the ability to take groundhogs up to elk, a decently made 225 - 230 gr. boolet does nicely. Can be made up on any Mauser, Springfield or U.S. Enfield action besides any `06 sport length action.Robert

I only had to look to post #6 to find my favorite. Please let me know your preference for a good cast rifle boolit about 225 grains.

[Beerd]

.356 Winchester for me. Or if you are into bolt guns, the .358.
..

[Coonazz]

45-70.

[uscra112]

Been watching this thread a long while because I couldn't decide. But living where I do, I'm down to a 336 Marlin, and I'm still trying to decide between my Dad's old .35 Rem., or a .30-30. Leaning to the .30-30, because of the long, boolit-friendly neck. Sorry, Dad.

[badbob454]

im torn also i love the easy reloading of the 7.62x39 i shoot the 314-175 saeco clone #315 in it feeds great with 17 gr of
wc820 medium speed (like aa#9 ) tack driver and reliable , can feed it my 314-85 hp up to the earlier mentioned .
or a 30-06can go from subsonic to 2900fps or faster with boolits as light as 85 gr to 220 gr i like the 311041 from Noe in it ...

[rockrat]

It would have to be a 35 cal. Either 35 Whelen, 358win or 356win

[bowhunter]

35 rem. in my model remington model 8 or 81 it will get any job done.

[DHurtig]

My first choice would have to be my 45-70 because of the sheer versatility. I can load from 200 grainers up to 500 grainers as well as round balls and shot shells. After that it would just about be a toss up between my 30-30 and my 357. All are single shots. The 45-70 and 357 are NEF's and the 30-30 is a contender. All are a blast to shoot, but the 357 gets shot the most. Dale

[rintinglen]

I guess my first choice would be the 30-30. Unless one of 'em buys a plane ticket, grizzlies aren't in the cards. Where I hunt, 30-30 is plenty. It's easy to cast for, versatile, and very handy. I like it. But my 45-70 and 30-40 also get votes.