How one rifle and load became a go-to combo for deer-sized game.Posted on 03/07/2017 5:14:20 AM PST by w1n1
How one rifle and load became a go-to combo for deer-sized game.
As an outdoor writer, I'm often asked what my favorite rifle is. My standard answer, especially when I'm in the field, is whatever rifle I happen to be holding in my hands at any given moment.
But that's not entirely true. We all have our favorites. For some, it may be a beat-up rifle that's been handed down from generation to generation. It may be one with high-grade wood and fancy engraving. Many prefer turn bolt-action guns. Some swoon over a fine double gun, while others may shoot only an AR platform rifle. A favorite may be a rifle that shoots tiny little groups, or one that's light enough to pack up steep mountains. For some, it might be the only rifle they own – or one that literally saved their life.
In truth, I have several favorite rifles for several specific jobs. For deer-sized game, however, one rifle in my collection has accounted for more animals than all of the others combined. It's not the fanciest rifle in the safe, nor is it the most expensive. It’s the one I’ve made more great memories with than any other.
THAT RIFLE BEGAN ITS LONG RUN with me many years ago as an original Weatherby Vanguard rifle, chambered in .257 Wby. Mag. It had a Tupperware stock and creepy trigger, so it did not long stay in its original configuration. I installed a fine Timney trigger and swapped the stock out for a pillar bedded Fiberguard stock, in an attractive tan color with black spider web finish.
I long ago lost count of the number of deer and hogs I shot with this rifle in the coastal mountains of central California to Wyoming and on down to Texas. This last December, taking some time off for myself. While down in south Texas, I had my eye on a five and a half year old 8 point buck which would be great for my freezer...Read the rest of the Vanguard Rifle story here.
Very little I can’t kill with my Marlin .35.
For THAT stuff—my Remington .35 Whelan.
The OTHER stuff is for targets, varmints, and war.
MY $.02.
One would think that Weatherby could make a decent adjustable trigger.
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