Finding the one gun

[cajunchefray]

There’s always a better caliber but I can’t imagine being unhappy with the 30-06 to hunt the world. The only competition in my mind was the 300WM but most of my hunting is medium sized deer so the extra noise and recoil just isn’t necessary. Having had my ammo lost on a recent safari, ammo availability is a factor in the decision.

What caliber would you choose?

No doubt 30-06. Ammunition is widely available, 130 TSX to 220 grain RN.
And just classic.
The older I get, the simpler I view life decisions.
First choice a ZG 47, but I wouldn’t spit on an early post war Husqvarna FN 98 action.
But I did rebarrel mine to .35 Whelen, because I have a nice Ruger Express rifle.

 

[cajunchefray]

No doubt 30-06. Ammunition is widely available, 130 TSX to 220 grain RN.
And just classic.
The older I get, the simpler I view life decisions.
First choice a ZG 47, but I wouldn’t spit on an early post war Husqvarna FN 98 action.
But I did rebarrel mine to .35 Whelen, because I have a nice Ruger Express rifle.

Of course a fine custom stock!

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Barring the .375 Holland & Holland Magnum and the 7x57mm Mauser, the .30-06 Springfield is the rifle caliber which I have been hunting with the most over the years.

As for favorite custom/semi custom makes ?
I’ve always been partial to the excellent Springfield Model 1903A3s that were sporterized by Griffin & Howe. A true American classic.

GRIFFIN & HOWE CLASSIC SPORTER .30-06 CALIBER - Griffin & Howe

Korngrath engraved, original G&H sling and sidemount. Hensoldt scope. Butt pad has some small damage.

griffinhowe.com

 

[NIGHTHAWK]

Some of the most popular rifle calibers in Australia include:

• .243 Winchester
  A popular choice for hunting, with a minimum projectile weight of 85 grains.

SAKO makes a nice one!

Sorry Bob, just a fact…

 

[odonata]

As for favorite custom/semi custom makes ?
I’ve always been partial to the excellent Springfield Model 1903A3s that were sporterized by Griffin & Howe. A true American classic.

FYI - There's three of them in RIA's December auction. Their FAQ says they ship internationally.

 

[roverandbrew]

I own semi customs in 7x57, 30-06, and 375H&H. I also own a Rigby Highland Stalker in 275. The Rigby has been flown to Africa four times this year, Colorado, Texas and Tennessee to hunt. Its my go to and makes me happy every time I hold it and hunt hard with it. Most likely I will sell the three customs and buy a Rigby Big Game. You know what you are getting before you buy the Rigby along with some of the best customer service in the world. A custom or semi custom can be a surprise.

 

[R eight]

I can see you using this now.

 

[Puddle]

23 years ago, I had a rifle built around a M70 CRF action in .30-06.

It needed to go anywhere and everywhere, so it was built with the usual suspects of that time.
Lilja stainless, fluted, standard twist, standard grooves, and length at 24". Chamber cut using a Serengeti reamer to aid handloads, yet still chamber factory rounds in a pinch.
Bansner composite stock, Decelerator, Talley steel bases and rings, Leupold glass. Factory trigger tuned to 3 lbs. All the metal (and I do mean all) except the glass was finished in Tef-cote OD green. Rifle fits me like a glove and balances effortlessly.

Today, I'm thinking of hopping a plane over to Parkwest Arms and spend a day chatting with them about building either a 9.3x62mm or .375 H&H field rifle, but with extra nice wood just for grins. I can almost hear the howls of outrage coming from the gun safe.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Barring the .375 Holland & Holland Magnum and the 7x57mm Mauser, the .30-06 Springfield is the rifle caliber which I have been hunting with the most over the years.
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View attachment 644153
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As for favorite custom/semi custom makes ?
I’ve always been partial to the excellent Springfield Model 1903A3s that were sporterized by Griffin & Howe. A true American classic.

GRIFFIN & HOWE CLASSIC SPORTER .30-06 CALIBER - Griffin & Howe

Korngrath engraved, original G&H sling and sidemount. Hensoldt scope. Butt pad has some small damage.

griffinhowe.com

Note that I cut off the knurled striker knob on my 03A3. I had to for my thumb to reach over to safety lever on the left side. It's an aftermarket safety that required significant modification. The Dayton Traister safety Dad installed was defective as long as I can remember. Jiggle the bolt and safety disengaged.

Anyone thinking of cutting off the knurled knob, cut as close as possible to endof striker. Striker rod is threaded into the knob, but mostly at the very end. I buggered the threads a bit and used loktight to keep the striker rod from

 

[HWL]

Blaser R8 and done.

Add barrels to the stock of your choosing for a range of options.

ready to go.
View attachment 644034

Spiolsport
You are just killing that beautyfull caliber discussion...

HWL

 

[odonata]

Either a Rigby Highland stalker or a semi custom based on a second hand rifle.
So, question is, what would you do?
Thanks for your thoughts! This is half the fun

It sounds like you want this to be a very special gun and that you're going to use it for a long time. In a case like this, if I was going to downsize my collection & use the money to buy "the one gun", then emotion would probably have a large influence compared to things like practicality. I would want the rifle I had always dreamed of. If that's the Rigby Highland Stalker, then I feel that most people with good taste will agree that it is a nice-looking rifle that most of us would enjoy owning. I know I would if they would put the bolt on the other side for me.

As an American, I would be looking at a $16k purchase. Now if I wandered over to the Westley Richards used vault and found a customized Mauser that looks like the rifle below for $4k that I liked, then I've got a dilemma. Basically it's "how bad do I have my heart set on owning a Rigby?". In my particular case, I think I would go with the "cheaper" custom and spend the other $12k on a hunting trip. But if you have the money to buy the Rigby and go on the hunting trip too, then you should enjoy having both!

 

[DLSJR]

Having been through a phase of collecting more rifles than I need, I now feel an urge to get back to basics.
The idea of having one gun to do most everything is very appealing. I also like the idea of having many memories attached to one rifle.
Over the years I find myself reaching for a 30-06 more often than not. I would be confident using this for anything short of thick skinned dangerous game.
So the question is, what rifle. I’ve narrowed it down to two options. Either a Rigby Highland stalker or a semi custom based on a second hand rifle.
So, question is, what would you do? And if going the semi custom, would you choose a Brno Zkk, Brno ZG47 or Pre64 Mod70?
Thanks for your thoughts! This is half the fun

I’ve been down the same road as you, sort of.

I hunt with 4 rifles, not one; they’re all custom built model 70’s, all wearing Brown Precision fiberglass stocks, Timney triggers all adjusted the same, all have custom barrels. 3 of them are Pre-64’s and one post 64 bastard child. .264 Winchester, .338 Winchester, .375 H&H & .416 Hoffman. They all fit the same, weigh pretty close to each other and I don’t need anything beyond those 4. If I was only ever going to hunt with one of them for the rest of my days, it’d end up being the .375 since it can do everything.

I’m glad I haven’t evolved to just one gun, though. That’d take away a lot of fun I have with the other three.

 

[Grumpy gumpy]

There’s always a better caliber but I can’t imagine being unhappy with the 30-06 to hunt the world. The only competition in my mind was the 300WM but most of my hunting is medium sized deer so the extra noise and recoil just isn’t necessary. Having had my ammo lost on a recent safari, ammo availability is a factor in the decision.

What caliber would you choose?

If you are just chasing fallow or sambar, a 7x57(275rigby),8x57( two classics on a Mauser), even a 308 would do, if you want classic a 300H&H or maybe a bit more of a thumper and then 8x68S or…..dare I say it….a 35whelan.
There is nothing wrong with the 7.62x63 (I’ve got one) it’s just …dull, vanilla….
Gumpy

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Spiolsport
You are just killing that beautyfull caliber discussion...

HWL

Sorry. Something happened to phone before I could bring post back on track or delete. It should not have posted that way.

30-06 can't be beat. I have nothing but praise for the OP's decision to go with one gun for the duration for the memories. I killed a lot of deer, elk, moose, plains game with my 30-06. I'm sure it would handle eland and roan if I was so inclined. The variety of ammo and reloading options for 30-06 are pretty much endless. I would definitely encourage him to build his own gun. Turning an 8mm 98 Mauser into 30-06 is almost child's play. Very easily done. Stock options abound. Changing to a Timney trigger is as simple as shaking out a pin and replacing it. Any gunsmith should be able to install a recoil pad and sights/bases with very little wait time. Bedding an action is not rocket science. I have done many rifles. Several craftsmen (and at least one woman) can be found on the net for custom checkering and gun bluing. And he can always come here for advice or help. Many of us have completed much more difficult projects. Right now I have my eyeball on a CRF Model 70 of unknown caliber in a local pawnshop. It was rebarreled and no markings. Stock is some gawdawful blonde wood/finish. I may play with building something with the action. If it was a gun I wanted to build for a lifetime of hunting, it would become a 30-06. But I turned 72 this month and have just about finished my lifetime of hunting with one gun. Building a 30-06 project to resell would not be very lucrative. Definitely a losing proposition. Majorly. Too many of them out there. So it would have to be something a little more exotic I think.

 

[dougfinn]

The current Winchester CRF action is one of the smoothest I have ever shot. It would be my choice for a custom build.

 

[steve white]

"One Gun" automatically means you are going to hunt with it consistently, so it cannot be a safe queen which is "too nice" to hunt with. I would go 30'06 in the most pristine Mannlicher Schoenauer I could get my hands on...

(which is what I have)

 

[Brian Rothhammer]

"One Gun" automatically means you are going to hunt with it consistently, so it cannot be a safe queen which is "too nice" to hunt with. I would go 30'06 in the most pristine Mannlicher Schoenauer I could get my hands on...

(which is what I have)

Lucky duck.

As delighted as I am to have Grand Dad's cased M1910 (9.5X57) Take Down Model it is almost entirely a hand loading proposition. That has its benefits, of course, but it would be nice to have a MS which would feed readily with 'off the shelf' or mil surp .30-'06.

As I'm sure you know (but for benefit of others), the M1924 Mannlicher Schoenauer was built on a longer receiver than that of the M1900, M1903, M1905, M1908, M1910, to accommodate the 'U.S. 1906 Cartridge' in effort to appeal to U.S. buyers.

Though the marketing efforts of Sequoia Importing Co. fell short of expectations, the platform did lead to the models which are generally referred to these days as 'M 1925'.

Stoeger listed them in 1939 as 'High Velocity':

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Lucky duck.

As delighted as I am to have Grand Dad's cased M1910 (9.5X57) Take Down Model it is almost entirely a hand loading proposition. That has its benefits, of course, but it would be nice to have a MS which would feed readily with 'off the shelf' or mil surp .30-'06.

As I'm sure you know (but for benefit of others), the M1924 Mannlicher Schoenauer was built on a longer receiver than that of the M1900, M1903, M1905, M1908, M1910, to accommodate the 'U.S. 1906 Cartridge' in effort to appeal to U.S. buyers.

Though the marketing efforts of Sequoia Importing Co. fell short of expectations, the platform did lead to the models which are generally referred to these days as 'M 1925'.

Stoeger listed them in 1939 as 'High Velocity':

View attachment 644570

Interesting. So the takedown model simply removed the action/barrel from the stock. What holds the two together? Lever locks or threaded knobs?

 

[Brian Rothhammer]

Interesting. So the takedown model simply removed the action/barrel from the stock. What holds the two together? Lever locks or threaded knobs?

The TD receiver terminates at rear with a machined groove which indexes in the TD tang's tab. There is a lever fore of magazine well which engages a notch in well.

Stoeger described the operation:

The entire barreled action lifts upward and out after removal of forend pin and twist of lever fore of trigger guard. The system works flawlessly.

Here are some detail images:

M1903 Take Down Model, Dorleac

'Tang' specific to MS Take Down Model

Trigger guard with latch specific to MS Take Down Model

Mannlicher Schoenauer Take Down Model in original case

 

[Mtn_Infantry]

Since you’re downsizing your gun collection to fund this “one gun” I’d go with the best you can afford and plan on passing it down. To me that’s the Rigby.

As someone with whats been called an obsession/love affair with Pre64’s that’d be my next choice.

Personally if I went with the Rigby I’d go with .275 Rigby. Pre64 I wouldn’t hesitate to grab the 30-06.

One thing to think about with a .275 Rigby is brass. Headstamped .275 Rigby Brass is getting tougher to come by. If you plan on traveling to Africa with it, just know they Customs or SAPS (type people) in each country might not under stand 7mm Mauser and 7x57 are interchangeable with it and as per @Green Chile post about his recent “airport troubles” you COULD in theory cause an issue for yourself