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This might not be popular with some of the folks here. But then no topic will be popular with everyone.
I am a recreational shooter, a hunter, and an unabashed gun buff.
So I thought I would see how many others here like guns or hunting as well.
There are several basic categories of firearms. They tend to be grouped by their useage. Different guns work well for hunting, self defense, target shooting, and plinking. {plinking is basically informal target shooting}
Under hunting you would have several categories. Around where I live deer hunting is the most popular big game. But wild hogs are also plentiful enough to hunt.
Under Hunting, I would suggest Big Game, Small Game, Varmint, Upland birds and Waterfowl are the main areas of interest (although I am not sure where turkey fits in the scheme so I will make that a category too)
For big game in the southeast, you are mainly talking deer. I currently use a 7mm Remington Magnum, but I would say that the .270 Winchester or the 30-06 are the best all around whitetail rifles. I know hunters who use everything from a .243 to a .300 Win Mag, but the two I listed above will do all you need and then some. The venerable 30-30 (and some other lever action rifles) are good in heavy woods, but lack the range for occasional long shots. My personal favorite for whitetail deer would be a Ruger No.1A Light Sporter in .270. The same guns would work for Mule deer or even elk (although the smaller caliber would require VERY careful shot placement). But if you are going to go after bigger animals (elk, moose ect), I would think you'd want a bigger gun, with the 30-06 being a minimum.
For wild hogs the same guns can work well from a stand. If you are going to stalk them on the ground you want more impact. While a deer will run away, a hog may or may not run. If he doesn't run and has any size, you don't want a small caliber round. I have a Marlin 45-70 Gov't that will do the trick on virtually any feral swine I may come across in the woods. Its handy and quick to shoot. And with the new pointed rounds, its a good 100 yard rifle.
Small game is mainly rabbit, squirrel, and the like. I'm not a fan of hunting behind or over dogs, so rabbit and squirrel are my two main prey. Both are easily taken with a .22LR. I know the fans of the .17s are bragging about what that bullet can do, but I like a gun I can shoot a lot and not break the bank. I have a Ruger 10/22 that is hard to beat in quick shooting. Ruger also makes a 77/22 that is a bolt action. It feels like an ultra light big game gun. Kimber also makes an awesome bolt action .22.
Varmint hunting gets a little more specialized in its weaponry. Depending on the animal, you may be making shots out to 400 or 500 yards. I am not out west, so my ranges run much smaller. The most I will stretch out is about 300 yards. But that better be a windless day and a target that is standing still. I have hunted coyote by calling them in. I had a Ruger Mini-14 for this, but sold it. (can you tell I am a fan of Bill Ruger?) I never got the accuracy I expected out of it. But the .223 is an excellent round out to about 250 yards or so. My next varmint rifle will be an Thompson Center Encore PH in 22-250. The 22-250 and the .220 Swift are the hottest commercially available rounds for most makers. The Weatherby .224 Magnum gets a few more fps, but not enough to cope with the rifles that I find butt-ugly (personal taste). Coyotes are common enough to hunt in most places, and the farmers and ranchers will usually let you hunt for them on their land. Call it a public service. For crows a smaller round will do, but you need to call them in close. Those out west get the benefit of prairie dogs. But I doubt that will ever be my ball of wax.
Not being an upland bird hunter or a waterfowler, I hope someone else will pick up this part.
For turkey you just need a 12 guage shotgun and you have the weaponry. Getting a turkey to you is the hard part.
For self defense, a good pump shotgun is hard to beat. The only drawback is the inability to make precise shots. I have a Springfield 1911A1 in .45ACP that is one of my favorite guns. The design may be 100 years old, but its still one of the most reliable and potent defensive guns around. I bought a Mil-Spec model and have done some tweaking to it. I replaced the trigger, the mainspring, and the grips. I also bought 3 Wilson Combat magazines. The magazines only hold 8, which I have been told is too few. But I have 3, and if I haven't solved the problem in 24 rounds then having a dozen more probably isn't the answer either. Good ammo is critical. Luckily, the advances in ammunition have made good bullets better and invented to truly excellent ones. Good ammunition is the only reason I think the .380 and the 9mm are good defensive rounds.
My wife has a Ruger .357 around the house when I am out of town. Not loaded with magnums, but with .38 Specials. The gun has 1 shotshell and 5 MagSafe rounds in it. The first one doesn't have to be accurate, but will stop the advance of anyone short of a drugged out freak. The next 5 rounds will pretty much stop anyone. Another plus to the MagSafe is that they fragment on impact, so there is very little worry about over penetration.
Ok, I'll stop my sermon now.
Any other shooters or hunters in the house?
I am a recreational shooter, a hunter, and an unabashed gun buff.
So I thought I would see how many others here like guns or hunting as well.
There are several basic categories of firearms. They tend to be grouped by their useage. Different guns work well for hunting, self defense, target shooting, and plinking. {plinking is basically informal target shooting}
Under hunting you would have several categories. Around where I live deer hunting is the most popular big game. But wild hogs are also plentiful enough to hunt.
Under Hunting, I would suggest Big Game, Small Game, Varmint, Upland birds and Waterfowl are the main areas of interest (although I am not sure where turkey fits in the scheme so I will make that a category too)
For big game in the southeast, you are mainly talking deer. I currently use a 7mm Remington Magnum, but I would say that the .270 Winchester or the 30-06 are the best all around whitetail rifles. I know hunters who use everything from a .243 to a .300 Win Mag, but the two I listed above will do all you need and then some. The venerable 30-30 (and some other lever action rifles) are good in heavy woods, but lack the range for occasional long shots. My personal favorite for whitetail deer would be a Ruger No.1A Light Sporter in .270. The same guns would work for Mule deer or even elk (although the smaller caliber would require VERY careful shot placement). But if you are going to go after bigger animals (elk, moose ect), I would think you'd want a bigger gun, with the 30-06 being a minimum.
For wild hogs the same guns can work well from a stand. If you are going to stalk them on the ground you want more impact. While a deer will run away, a hog may or may not run. If he doesn't run and has any size, you don't want a small caliber round. I have a Marlin 45-70 Gov't that will do the trick on virtually any feral swine I may come across in the woods. Its handy and quick to shoot. And with the new pointed rounds, its a good 100 yard rifle.
Small game is mainly rabbit, squirrel, and the like. I'm not a fan of hunting behind or over dogs, so rabbit and squirrel are my two main prey. Both are easily taken with a .22LR. I know the fans of the .17s are bragging about what that bullet can do, but I like a gun I can shoot a lot and not break the bank. I have a Ruger 10/22 that is hard to beat in quick shooting. Ruger also makes a 77/22 that is a bolt action. It feels like an ultra light big game gun. Kimber also makes an awesome bolt action .22.
Varmint hunting gets a little more specialized in its weaponry. Depending on the animal, you may be making shots out to 400 or 500 yards. I am not out west, so my ranges run much smaller. The most I will stretch out is about 300 yards. But that better be a windless day and a target that is standing still. I have hunted coyote by calling them in. I had a Ruger Mini-14 for this, but sold it. (can you tell I am a fan of Bill Ruger?) I never got the accuracy I expected out of it. But the .223 is an excellent round out to about 250 yards or so. My next varmint rifle will be an Thompson Center Encore PH in 22-250. The 22-250 and the .220 Swift are the hottest commercially available rounds for most makers. The Weatherby .224 Magnum gets a few more fps, but not enough to cope with the rifles that I find butt-ugly (personal taste). Coyotes are common enough to hunt in most places, and the farmers and ranchers will usually let you hunt for them on their land. Call it a public service. For crows a smaller round will do, but you need to call them in close. Those out west get the benefit of prairie dogs. But I doubt that will ever be my ball of wax.
Not being an upland bird hunter or a waterfowler, I hope someone else will pick up this part.
For turkey you just need a 12 guage shotgun and you have the weaponry. Getting a turkey to you is the hard part.
For self defense, a good pump shotgun is hard to beat. The only drawback is the inability to make precise shots. I have a Springfield 1911A1 in .45ACP that is one of my favorite guns. The design may be 100 years old, but its still one of the most reliable and potent defensive guns around. I bought a Mil-Spec model and have done some tweaking to it. I replaced the trigger, the mainspring, and the grips. I also bought 3 Wilson Combat magazines. The magazines only hold 8, which I have been told is too few. But I have 3, and if I haven't solved the problem in 24 rounds then having a dozen more probably isn't the answer either. Good ammo is critical. Luckily, the advances in ammunition have made good bullets better and invented to truly excellent ones. Good ammunition is the only reason I think the .380 and the 9mm are good defensive rounds.
My wife has a Ruger .357 around the house when I am out of town. Not loaded with magnums, but with .38 Specials. The gun has 1 shotshell and 5 MagSafe rounds in it. The first one doesn't have to be accurate, but will stop the advance of anyone short of a drugged out freak. The next 5 rounds will pretty much stop anyone. Another plus to the MagSafe is that they fragment on impact, so there is very little worry about over penetration.
Ok, I'll stop my sermon now.
Any other shooters or hunters in the house?
