The rifle that's never let you down

green arrow · Jan 17, 2026

What's your most reliable rifle that just works every single time? Mine's an old Remington 700 that's not pretty anymore but shoots perfect every time I pull it out.

Cosmos · Jan 20, 2026

My go-to rifle is beat up and pretty plain. But it feeds rounds, shoots, and stays on zero. I stopped caring what it looked like after it showed me what it could do for years.

Wendell Reich · Jan 20, 2026

Rem Mod 700 in 375 H&H. Bought it in a hardware store in Naples FL with tip money from being first mate on a boat in the Bahamas.

So accurate. Killed so much with it all over Africa, Europe and the USA.

hivel37 · Jan 20, 2026

The properties that I hunt on now require
that the animal drop where it is. The rifle that does that for me is a sporterized Venezuelan
98 Mauser in 7x57. Totally dependable and does job.

Wendell Reich · Jan 20, 2026

hivel37 said:
The properties that I hunt on now require
that the animal drop where it is. The rifle that does that for me is a sporterized Venezuelan
98 Mauser in 7x57. Totally dependable and does job.

That is an insane expectation. Good thing you have an accurate rifle.

hivel37 · Jan 20, 2026

Re insane expectation:
Considering the kill zone on a wt deer is size of a paper plate, and shot taken off a sandbag while sitting in an insulated box blind, it shouldn’t be called hunting.
But then I’m an old man and my wife and i like the meat. That makes up for some trips made to mountains without a shot fired.

jaclthr · Jan 20, 2026

When I was harvesting does on a friend's place, the setup was 100 yards from the feeder, and we did head shots so that there was no running away, and I used a Remington 600 chambered in 6 BR with a 60 gr. Sierra bullet and the deer dropped in their tracks.

Old Gun · Jan 20, 2026

Mine is a Remington 700 that I traded for in '76 chambered for .25-06. It sports a new barrel, stock and a few other new parts since about 1983, but it's still "my" rifle.

Wendell Reich · Jan 20, 2026

hivel37 said:
Re insane expectation:
Considering the kill zone on a wt deer is size of a paper plate, and shot taken off a sandbag while sitting in an insulated box blind, it shouldn’t be called hunting.
But then I’m an old man and my wife and i like the meat. That makes up for some trips made to mountains without a shot fired.

I mean it’s a bit ridiculous to expect a deer to fall where you shoot it. Vital shot deer will run up to 100 yards. Unless you hit the CNS there is no guarantee that your animal won’t run some.

scooter1954 · Jan 20, 2026

Wendell Reich said:
I mean it’s a bit ridiculous to expect a deer to fall where you shoot it. Vital shot deer will run up to 100 yards. Unless you hit the CNS there is no guarantee that your animal won’t run some.

I largely agree with this. I've shot deer and pigs, that were DEAD on the spot, but somehow ran 75-100 yds before collapsing. I've seen animals run away, and was astounded they were able to stand upright. But i will confess, I've never made headsets on deer a priority.

Drycreek · Jan 20, 2026

I beg to differ. My physical condition demands that I drop a deer where I can retrieve it with my tractor or my pickup. I’m done dragging deer 200 yards out of the woods, up hill and down. Within 150 yards, which is about all I can shoot in East Texas, it’s as easy as can be. On a stationary target from a box blind, I can hit the off switch nine out of ten times. The only deer that I’ve had to track in several years is the buck I killed last season. That was only because I had a year old JRT that needed to find her first deer. Hard to train one if it falls where you shoot it ! It ran about 75 yards, barely made the woods, and she found it in about 10 minutes. Short drag, about 20 yards, and was able to load it in my CanAm with the help of my wife and sis in law. With today’s rifles, or even the more accurate rifles of yesteryear, minute of angle is a given. If you know where to shoot, it’s really pretty easy.

Wendell Reich said:
I mean it’s a bit ridiculous to expect a deer to fall where you shoot it. Vital shot deer will run up to 100 yards. Unless you hit the CNS there is no guarantee that your animal won’t run some.

Raven · Jan 23, 2026

I picked up a Cooper Model 54 in 308 Win a few years back. Its been a rock solid performer and the go to for my wife and son as well when they deer and hog hunt.

rifles11 · May 11, 2026

35 whelen, very good to 400 yds, kills everything, rifles inc. builder built on remington action

Drycreek · May 11, 2026

BTW, my standby for the last several years has been an Alamo Precision custom on a Remington 700 action, with a Bartlein barrel, in an HS Precision composite stock. It now wears a Zeiss 3x12 scope, but a Nikon 2.5x10 was on it until last year. It mostly sits at 5x when I’m hunting.

jaclthr · May 11, 2026

Drycreek, That's a nice rifle, it appears to be a long action but what is the cartridge it is built on Please ?

jaclthr

Drycreek · May 14, 2026

Antiquated by some, revered by others. I’m one of the others that are confident that the .280 Remington can work for anything in North America except the big bears, bison, and possibly moose. May be nostalgia, but it simply works !

Alan · Jun 10, 2026

green arrow said:
What's your most reliable rifle that just works every single time? Mine's an old Remington 700 that's not pretty anymore but shoots perfect every time I pull it out.

A classic specific one is the Remington 700 ADL in .30-06 which is widely regarded as extremely reliable and accurate. Another is the Tikka T3x Lite in .308, which has a strong reputation for smooth cycling and consistent field performance.

Alan · Jun 10, 2026

Raven said:
I picked up a Cooper Model 54 in 308 Win a few years back. Its been a rock solid performer and the go to for my wife and son as well when they deer and hog hunt.

The Cooper Model 54 has a strong reputation for consistent accuracy and smooth handling and it makes sense it’s become the shared go-to for your family’s hunts.

BrotherHubb · Jun 11, 2026

I typically use a Tikka 308 in a carbon fiber stock, rarely go above 6 power and often much less. I found a killer deal on a Vortex LHT 4.5-22 for about $800 so I put that on my Tikka but don’t need it. Good glass though. I have too many rifles that I don’t use anymore

JLA956 · Jun 11, 2026

An 1893 Argentine Mauser. This rifle always performs, and I obviously don't know its full history, since I've only had it for about 50 years. I don't reload, and it's hard to find ammo for it, so it doesn't get shot that much anymore. For a rifle that's around 130 years old... not bad. On a more recent model, I've had a Rock River 5.56 that I've put over a thousand rounds through in the past 20 years. I carry it as my duty rifle, trust my life to it, and have never had an issue with it.

The rifle that's never let you down

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