Your retirement rifle and caliber

[koger]

Iar45, you wont be sorry going with a 6.5x55 Swede, especially if you build it on a 98 or Savage, Remington/Ruger or other modern action. I just finished a build on a Savage action, with a 26" varmint taper, 1-8 twist. I am shooting the 6.5x55SE Data, which starts where the older mauser 96 stops. .In 37 years of gunsmithing I have built over 100 rifles in this caliber. In the 80's and 90's ordered them by the dozen when I ran a shop full time, kept 3 of 4 in the rack for sale at all times, a lot of game has been taken in eastern KY with those rifles, from 50 yds in the timber, out to 400 yds and further in hayfields, and on old coal strip mines which have been reclaimed. I used have taken deer with 120 and 140gr soft points. For whitetail I prefer the 120 grs, have taken a ton of deer with them, and my longest shot on a buck was in a 20 acre hayfield I varmint hunt on, at 510 yds. Holler at me if you decide to build one, I have done extensive load work and can steer you in the right direction.

[Maineboy]

About the time I retired I was gifted my stepfather's Savage 99F in 308. It is my most likely to be carried hunting rifle and gets a lot of off season use plinking with cast boolit loads.

[Nazgul]

Retired the second time and built this Jim Kibler 58 Colonial. My first attempt at carving. Liberty is for my ancestor Moses who fought in the 26th Continental Infantry.

Don

[Daekar]

Retirement is still 8 years or so off for me. I expect to still be using my 6.8 ar on deer and pig's. Light recoil and very effective with 115 gr Federal Fusion. Will probably set up another 6.8 with thermal or night vision for nighttime pig's, but that will have to wait until the kids finish college.

I haven't seen any discussion of 6.8 SPC in the context of cast boolit use. Do you think that is a realistic option for full power loads?

[ascast]

As I race toward that date, unprepared in general, I think I can say I probably won;t get the load testing etc., finding odd parts etc. to finish what I now have. That said, I can always find space and reasons to get another single shot. I'd like a Barret or similar although it would be hard to feed. I'd like a Ruger #1 in 220 Swift. I've always had one toe in the Zombie Apocalypse camp, so would need something on a AR 15 platform and/or an AK47. And a couple more 8's of Unique.

[ulk77more]

As I am looking at the age of retirement I look at practicality. If I am such a terrible shot that I need a quick second shot with a large caliber rifle, then I need to give up hunting, a I have a nice .54 sharps that has a shotgun recoil pad on the butplate. as for home defense? my 1911 .45 can have any load put in it, slow it down a bit and it doesnt buck as much, would not want the bullets going though the bad guy and the wall also as someone else might be there. and varmint hunting? a depends upon the varmints a good .457 or smaller air rifle can perform up to 1000 yards. I never was a big fan of shoot a 50 round clip and hopefully hit something.
so as for a final rifle? it is a toss up between the .54 sharps and the .457 texan, The texan is much lighter and it has swappable barrels for different types of hunting and utilizes AIR, no primers no powder. no difficult ammunition to purchase. Lewis and clark used an airgun on their westward trip.
Just my $.02 worth.

[warren5421]

.457 Texan SS or a good handmade Hawken Flint would be nice but I would like a old Winchester High Wall Pistol Grip refinished and reworked. Highest Bastogne Rifle Stock and Forearm, 30”-32” full Octagon barrel chambered for .38-55, double set triggers, Montana Vintage Arms #103 Long Range Soule sight, Lee Shaver large diameter Front Sight and a Montana Vintage Arms Winchester “B” Series Scope with No.2 Mount. Don't need the long range sight as medium is good for most .38-55 ranges. The .38-55 will go for the 1000 yard targets but wind moves it to much. It will do for the 600 yard targets but I only go to 400 yards as eyes have started to go with old age.

[1006]

If I could have only one, I think a 7mm-08 in a gun similar to the Kimber Montana.

[Tracy]

A long, slim .32 percussion squirrel rifle with a 42" or so, 3/4 inch barrel in a nice, full length piece of maple or maybe walnut.
I would also like to put a new non-microgroove .222, 1:14 barrel on my Marlin/Sako 322.

[Blkpwdrbuff]

I am planning on retiring April 30th 2023.
My retirement rifle is going to be a .416 Taylor.
I'm looking right now for a Savage 110 action, 30/06 length. Does anyone have one they would like to sell?
Ragged Hole Barrels has a nice stainless barrel.
CH4D has the dies and my gunsmith already has the reamer.
I'll probably put either a Boyd's or Richard's Microfit laminated stock on it, along with a thick Limbsaver recoil pad.
I don't need one, I just WANT one.
Blkpwdrbuff

[echo154]

I have far to many to choose from. I retired in late 2017 and my favorite for general stuff is a Uberti 1873 border rifle in 44-40. deadly on rabbits, coyotes and such...cant hunt with it in Illinois......Ok I might have eaten the rabbits. If I lived an a GUN FRIENDLY state with blacks and hog it would be my Marlin 45-70 guide with Ballard rifling. my Browning V70 22 bottom eject is great on squirrels and rabbit as well.

[smkummer]

Like both my lever guns and bolt guns. Picked up a colt sauer in 270 out of Texas that did spend some time hunting and has the marks. So the gun is on the heavy side these days with its pretty wood stock but that sweetens the recoil of the 270-130 grain bullet. Which is plenty of power for lower 48/state game. I can shoot the gun all day at the range and my 60 year old shoulder doesn’t complain. Remember during the shortages, Walmart and others usually still had 243, 270, 30-30 and such. I do have a Lyman mold for it but have not yet cast for it as I have way too many guns.

[Traffer]

1884 Lightening Rifle by Uberti in .357 mag. (Colt Lightening replica)
Cheap to reload and there is no funner gun to shoot than a pump.

[Traffer]

The way I'm going, by the time I retire, I expect I will need. . .

A carbon-fiber wrapped barrel (that I can lift). . .

On the Martini action with the long lever (that I'll be able to force open). . .

In .22 short (so I can bear the recoil). . .

With a tapered .577 to .22 funnel cut in the top of the custom breech block (so I can find the chamber). . .

With a 36X Zeiss scope (so I can see the target). . .

And a series of miniaturized African dangerous game steel targets (so I can pretend it's a Farquarson in a macho chambering). . .

I would vote this to be the best comment I have read in a long time.

[Randy Bohannon]

If I could have only one, I think a 7mm-08 in a gun similar to the Kimber Montana.[QUOTE]

Very quickly became one of my favorite smokeless cartridges. Bought a Rem. 700 SS, junked the stock put a HS Precision stock ,glass ,pillar bedded and a Timney trigger,Zeiss 3X9 mil dot scope. Outstanding Antelope/Sheep/Goat/Deer cartridge.

[tuckerdog]

I've been pondering the same thing. I am leaning towards .358Win. I have a Ruger 77 mkll .308 that I am going to be sending to JES. 26" tube cut to 18" and adding detachable mag bottom metal. Why .358? can be loaded with boolits from 150 to 300 grains, mild to wild. I am planning to try finding a light boolit mouse fart load for close in small game. (I currently use my Blackhawk and wadcutters but eyes aren't what they used to be.) A light recoiling 200 grain load skippin' along at 1800-2000 fps would be plenty medicine for deer to a couple hundred yards if you know the load, or, if you get to feeling rambunctious you can work up a load for moose. Brass is available from starline so dies a few molds and golden. The rifle I am putting together will be a dedicated cast shooter 3 groove 1 in 16" after talking to JES about options and what I want the rifle for. My last rifle (yeah right!) that will do anything I ask cheaply (UMMM).

[memtb]

I've been pondering the same thing. I am leaning towards .358Win. I have a Ruger 77 mkll .308 that I am going to be sending to JES. 26" tube cut to 18" and adding detachable mag bottom metal. Why .358? can be loaded with boolits from 150 to 300 grains, mild to wild. I am planning to try finding a light boolit mouse fart load for close in small game. (I currently use my Blackhawk and wadcutters but eyes aren't what they used to be.) A light recoiling 200 grain load skippin' along at 1800-2000 fps would be plenty medicine for deer to a couple hundred yards if you know the load, or, if you get to feeling rambunctious you can work up a load for moose. Brass is available from starline so dies a few molds and golden. The rifle I am putting together will be a dedicated cast shooter 3 groove 1 in 16" after talking to JES about options and what I want the rifle for. My last rifle (yeah right!) that will do anything I ask cheaply (UMMM).

For many years, I’ve said that a “hot rod” .35 cal rifle would be a great “do it all” rifle/cartridge (if you are a hand loader)....unless some of the African Big Five are on the menu (caliber restrictions).

With a greater quantity of jacketed/mono bullets now available, it’s great for most anything someone may hunt. You also have the opportunity to shoot factory produced jacketed handgun bullets at reduced velocities for as you say “mouse fart” loads.....giving you the ability to use your rifle year long for many different things from plinking, small game, and reduced load close/moderate “small” big game use! to the wonderfully versatile .35’s! memtb

[lar45]

I am planning on retiring April 30th 2023.
My retirement rifle is going to be a .416 Taylor.
I don't need one, I just WANT one.
Blkpwdrbuff

I like it!
I have an A&B 416 Taylor barrel for a M98 Mauser that's been waiting to happen. I used to have a bucket of Mauser actions but they were in our shop fire and went dead soft. /cry
I'll probably just swap the barrel onto my 338 Win, much quicker way to complete it.

[Camba]

I am with you in the 35 calibers.
35 Whelen, 358 Win, 357 Max, 350 Legend, 357 Mag, 38 Special, and 9mm.
That is what I have for my retirement rifle(s) and handguns.


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[sukivel]

I am with you in the 35 calibers.
35 Whelen, 358 Win, 357 Max, 350 Legend, 357 Mag, 38 Special, and 9mm.
That is what I have for my retirement rifle(s) and handguns.


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Yes, and don’t forget a nice older well worn 358 Norma mag! That’s what I’ve been looking for.


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