If you had to start your gun collection over

[Boredrill]

I would probably do everything the same, maybe would have bought a MP5 clone instead of building my grail 300 BO, but I’m pretty happy with my collection and the order I obtained them in.

 

[akrifleman]

I'm assuming we are going from today, as opposed to what a guy shoulda, coulda done back then.
Hunting
22x57 30° 1in8 (224 Clark) - Seekins PH3 (switchbarrel)
375 Ruger
475 Linebaugh
12g Beretta (A400 or A800)
5.7x28 Ruger pistol

22x57 - can be thought of as a modernized 220 Swift (rimless), and handles 80s very well. Modern copper rose or hammer hunter for food, and sintered frangibles for fur retention. Seekins PH3 because it hunts well, switchbarrel, and can be used for competition.
375 Ruger - just works (220g Stone Hammers match 300WM ballistics) through 350gr solids. Insert 375 H&H here if you just can't stand it. Something Cerakoted and synthetic. DG, plains, or boat gun in one package.
475 Linebaugh - practical, packable
12g Beretta - Ptarmigin to geese to turkeys to coyotes - pick the right load and go
5.7x28 in Ruger 5.7 - Least expected choice. 22LR/WMR are just to light when dispatching wolves, wolverines, and badgers. Easy to shoot Ptarmigin due to a flat trajectory <100. Working man sled gun. Very unsexy.

Not much this lineup can't do, which is probably why this is pretty much were I've ended up after going through a ton of stuff that didn't. If I was back in my 20s, the Seekins would have had to have been something else, and the 375 Ruger would have been an H&H. 5.7x28 may have been 22 Improved Jet or 256 Win in a Blackhawk.

Collection:
Ultralight sheep rifle
Savage 99 284
Heym Express 416 Rigby
Heym 89B 470NE

Competition stuff not included here as that would be another book entirely.

 

[Longwalker]

these are my Current rifles not "wish list" ... all bolt action
Dg rifle - Sako M85 Kodiak .375 H&H
Plains game rifle Verney-Carron Impact Plus takedown 9.3x62
Rifle for europe Sauer 202 7x64
Rifle for NA Sako Forester Deluxe L579 .308
Small game 22lr or similar. Anschutz 1415 .22 WMR
and shotguns
12 - Win. M12 Pump for waterfowl
20 - Browning Citori Lightning feather O/U for upland birds

this collection would do nicely after buying, trying, selling, and trading over 100 firearms. These will all do the job asked of them, along with some other favourites that are not on the list. for instance I actually prefer to hunt upland birds with my Browning Citori 16 ga, but that was not an option in the original question.

 

[Gomer]

Just kind of a fun thought experiment if you had to start over knowing what you know now. What would you get.

Dg rifle
Plains game rifle
Rifle for europe
Rifle for NA
Small game 22lr or similar.

and shotguns
12
20
Or 28 gauge
pick 2

Most importantly why you made your choice. And any fun stories related to it.

And if im missing anything feel free to add on. Just kind of a fun thought exercise.

I almost feel like I am on the verge of starting over because my focus is no longer on collecting rifles in “cool” chamberings, but going on hunts. I’ve already started to sell off some stuff. “Logistics over ballistics”. This is what I would keep if I went minimalist:

1: Ruger 77/22 22 LR
2: Stevens 301 .410 Bore
3: Mossberg 500 12 GA
4: Tikka T3x 223 Rem
5: Tikka T3x 308 Win (Short and Suppressed)
6: Winchester M70 30-06 (Pre-64)
7: Knight Ultralight 50 Cal

And I would add:

Winchester M70 375 H&H

 

[Hedge774]

I have to jump back into the game.

DG - Ruger RSM .375 HH
Plains Game - Win Pre 64 (1960) 300 HH
NA - Tikka T3X 30-06
European - Sako Black Bear 9.3x62
Small Game - CZ 457 .22 LR
Shotgun - Mossburg 500 (I know this is not refined, but I've had one for 25 years and it's never had a hiccup)
I'm actually very blessed to own these firearms, which leads me to an quandary. "Do I have everything I need?"

 

[NoStepOnSnek]

I would’ve started getting No.1s earlier. I’ve whittled away at most of my “undesirables.” The few I have left that I wouldn’t have purchased myself at this stage in life where gifts and are at least interesting

 

[LeftySixgun]

O you have to tell a story now lol..
What did you get?

Another member and I made a trade and I now have 2 more LH M70s. One is a great candidate for my custom 7x57 build.

 

[IvW]

PG

Bergstutzen O/U 9.3x74R/7×57R
Bockdrilling 6.5x57R/22 Hornet/12ga
Kipplauf 7x65R
12ga shotgun

DG

375 H&H Flanged Magnum double rifle

375 H&H Mag ZKK602 custom
404 Jeff ZKK602 custom
500 Jeff ZKK602 custom

 

[John Telford]

Less bolt guns in favour of doubles:
.303 preferably by Westley Richards or Evans
or 8x57 R Austrian made.
9.3x84R Sabatti or Austrian
.375 Flanged by the brothers Holland.
450/400 by Heym or Jeffery
470 by Joe Lang or Jono Rigby.
.500 by Krieghoff or any English made
.600 by WJ Jeffrey.

Done.

 

[Challer]

I have far too much of everything. Am trying to consolidate. If I knew then what I know now would do one of the following

Kreighoff double in 22H, 30-06, 375, 416/500, 20G
I would have kept my Kimber America 22LR
Keep my Fausti 28 DEA Deluxe and Rizzini round body, both in 28

OR

R8 22LR, 22H, 30-06, 375, 416 (my current set up)
Keep my Fausti 28 DEA Deluxe and Rizzini round body, both in 28

My problem is what to do with all the XXX other guns.

 

[coreydb]

If I started over with rifles again, I would buy the same as i did the first time; 300 Rem Mag, 308 win, 416 Rem Mag, 338 Norma Mag, 12 ga o/u and 12 ga pump shotgun. I would add two others though; 28 Nosler and 20 ga o/u.

 

[dogcat1]

I would have met Matt Roberts sooner. I would have built the following as a "set"

.375 HH on Model 70 action
.300 H&H same
..275 Rigby same
.222 Rem in Hagn single shot

Wait a minute, I sold the bulk of my collection to do this. I knew it was a good idea.

 

[farmer_john]

I would have met Matt Roberts sooner. I would have built the following as a "set"

.375 HH on Model 70 action
.300 H&H same
..275 Rigby same
.222 Rem in Hagn single shot

Wait a minute, I sold the bulk of my collection to do this. I knew it was a good idea.

Not sure im familiar with his work

 

[Striger]

I wanted an AR as my first gun. I didn't like the options they had so I was heavily leaning towards a Saiga .223. Instead, I got the Remington 592 and the Armscor AK in .22 back in 08. Pretty sure he had the Saiga 12 and a Spas 12. They were so close in price too back then.

It did make me wise up and buy the Saiga 7.62 years later right after Russian imports were banned and before they became overpriced forever.

 

[JG26Irish_2]

Just kind of a fun thought experiment if you had to start over knowing what you know now. What would you get.

Dg rifle
Plains game rifle
Rifle for europe
Rifle for NA
Small game 22lr or similar.

and shotguns
12
20
Or 28 gauge
pick 2

Most importantly why you made your choice. And any fun stories related to it.

And if im missing anything feel free to add on. Just kind of a fun thought exercise.

• DG - ER Shaw Custom P14 in 416 Rigby instead of the 375HH that I have. Always wanted a 416
• PG - FN Browning Medallion Grade in 308 w/vintage period correct BalVar optic (300HH?)
• Europe - Husqvarna Swedish Mauser in 6.5x55 Swede & Swarovski Optik (have in 30-06)
• NA - Pre 64 Winchester M70 Alaskan in 338wm (Have a Sako in this caliber)
• SG - Anschutz 64 sporter with Leupold 1.5-4x optic - this is a squirrel killer
• Shotgun 1 - Miroku 12ga SXS
• Shotgun 2 - Win 101 Pigeon Grade 20ga over-under - shot one of these once and it was amazing.

It is notable that with the exception of the two Winchesters, I already have these guns but not all are in the same caliber I would choose.

 

[Rare Breed]

Some really great posts on a great thread! Upon further thinking upon it I would have three if money was an issue: a 404 Jeffery for all Africa game and even NA, a 22 and a 12-gauge shotgun. These three guns would enable me to hunt anything in this world no matter the continent.

 

[farmer_john]

Some really great posts on a great thread! Upon further thinking upon it I would have three if money was an issue: a 404 Jeffery for all Africa game and even NA, a 22 and a 12-gauge shotgun. These three guns would enable me to hunt anything in this world no matter the continent.

Id assume rigby 404.

But what 22 and 22 gauge would you select

 

[Rare Breed]

I like my Ruger 22 and Beretta 12-gauge Silver Hawk SxS

 

[migrabill]

What I wish I could do over is my scope selection. I am 61 years old and I have built up a pretty decent rifle collection. I put a lot of money into Leupolds, Swaros, ans Steiners. But non-illuminated reticles. I have gotten to the point where I REALLY need illuminated reticles. Getting Leupold Firedots and Zeiss illuminate's for all my rifle has been quite expensive. And there is NO money in selling used scopes. If I would have just bought illuminated reticles to start with - it would have been cheaper in the end.

 

[Rare Breed]

What I wish I could do over is my scope selection. I am 61 years old and I have built up a pretty decent rifle collection. I put a lot of money into Leupolds, Swaros, ans Steiners. But non-illuminated reticles. I have gotten to the point where I REALLY need illuminated reticles. Getting Leupold Firedots and Zeiss illuminate's for all my rifle has been quite expensive. And there is NO money in selling used scopes. If I would have just bought illuminated reticles to start with - it would have been cheaper in the end.

Truer words have not been spoken my friend. I too wish more I had used better wisdom for my scope selections versus my guns at 67 years of age