Forums.NitroExpress.com

Pretty much ho hum article. Regurgitates what many of the same articles had said a hundred times.

And fails to point out, there is no such thing as an "all purpose rifle". Just as stupid as trying to play golf with only a putter or only a 4 iron ... I don't play golf btw but was given a bag full of unused clubs ...

Doesn't hardly mentioned anything about different types of rifle or purposes of rifle. Fixates on cartridge chambering as so many of these articles do. Instead discussing a mountain rifle, plains rifle, brush rifle, big game rifle, small game rifle, varminting rifle, general purpose medium game rifle, fast recycling rifle etc etc. Some of these can be stretched to do more than one task, sometimes with trade offs and compromises, sometimes considerable compromoise.

Article takes the limited parochial attitude of a hunter hunting deer in some small town USA, and occaisionally varminting or encountering bear. But how would such a compromise work if you actually want to EAT the small game animals you shoot. The .30-06 is a total waste of time.

A general all purpose rifle is a good idea. Being familiar and practised with a rifle is very important. Being the guy at the deer hunting club, who always turns up with a different rifle each hunt is ludicrous. Same as being the client who turns up on an African safari with rifles he has never used or hunted with before.

But the "one gun hunter" is a myth. It is either an imbecile with a rifle, a person who has very limited hunting, or someone who can not afford more than one rifle, nor has any real interest in hunting and firearms. The "expert one gun hunter" is the guy who keeps his one and only rifle in the wardrobe or shed cabinet, and pulls it out for the occaisional deer hunt or pig hunt. Or the dedicated less well off guy who OBLY hunts one species 99% of the time.

It would be silly to think one rifle could handle rabbits for the table, foxes at ranges for furs, deer for venison and trophies, plus buffalo for DG fun. Let alone scenarios where one hunts in thick bush, to hunting on mountain slopes or wide open plains.

I like the notion of having less firearms. I have got too many. Too many not used or rarely used ones. But also a collection is different from users. If I am serious, I have used my M98 .30-06, my M98 .375, my Jeffery .450 NE, and my .222, either Mauser M03 or Rem 788 in the past, for virtually everything. Plus .22 rimfires as well and of course shotguns. Others have seen the dust and blood occaisionally, such as my BLR.308, M96 6.5x55, 8x68S, .404. Some of these plus some new ones may see a lot more use in the future. But note I list FOUR rifles and cartridges above, not ONE.

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John aka NitroX

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Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"