Building a Gun Collection

[OhioOutdoorsman]

Here's a question to get everyone's imagination going.....if you were going to buy an entire gun collection at once for the purpose of hunting, what would it consist of? I'll give you a budget of 10K to buy guns, rings, and scopes.

Here are the ground rules:
1) Centerfire/rimfire rifles to cover everything from varmits to african dangerous game including predators (coyotes, bobcats), mountain game (sheep, goats), and all standard american big game (deer, moose, elk)
2) At least one muzzleloader/flintlock for primitive seasons.
3) Shotguns to cover upland bird, waterfoul, turkey, rabbit, as well as a slug gun for deer.

Please specify model, cartridge, scope. I'll leave the exact number of guns up to you, but try to buy a few quality guns over a bunch of cheap guns. State what you'd use each gun for. Feel free to taylor the collection to your own personal needs/hunting patterns.

This is what we all end up doing anyway, so why not think about future gun purchases with our next gun purchase. This question is actually more practical than it seems.

I'll be working om my list.......

[turner1978]

1 Custom rifle: serengeti stockworks with a montana 1999 action in 300WSM for all around hunting from deer to mmose. Top it with a Leupold 3.5-10x50mm with boone and crocket big game reticle. Cost =$3,000.00
2 Ruger # one in 204 ruger for Rock chucks, prairie dogs and most varmints topped with a sightron scope. Cost = $1,000.00
3 243 WSSM in a winchester camo ultimat shadow stainless for coyotes and antelope. Top it off with another leupold scope same as above except with the varmint boone and crocket reticle. Cost = $1,400.00
4 Remington 700 Lss in 338 RUM for alaska and african plains game. Put a sightron scope on it. Cost = $1,100.00
5 Winchester model 70 in 458 lott open sights for all of the big stuff that the 338 wont do. Cost = 1,000.00
6 Rossie pumpactio 22lr for squirles and rats or any other small vermin. Cost = $400.00
7 Austin & Hellick muzzle loader 50 cal for muzzle load only hunts for deer and elk... Cost = $500.00
8 Shotgun in 12 guage for birds including ducks,geese, and turkey. Cost = Balance
I don't do any bird hunting and I don't know that much about shotguns so I won't be much help with that. This is just a starter list that would be able to facilitate in any and all hunting in the world of guns.
If you had enoughe $ left over after buying a shotgun you could always buy a pistol for hand gun hunting maybe a 454 cassull. My reason for the custom gun is that is the one that I would probably use the most often and I would want it to be a really nice one. There is about a hundred other guns that I would like to add but not enoughe $. Maybe a lever action 30-30 or a model 70 in 30-06 or 270wsm or ...... Fun post!

[qbalaska]

Although I’d love to have a custom gun, I am the type of person that would prefer to buy it now verses wait for a year for a gun so all my guns are factory production guns but not inexpensive bottom end guns. My gun list follows:

1. Winchester Coyote Lite Stainless in 325WSM topped with a Bushnell Elite 4200 2.5X10X50 in Leupold bases and rings. Animals: moose, elk, bear and African Plains animals. The gun is light weight and can handle the elements, is good looking, has a fluted bull barrel and is a tack driver. The scope has rain guard which is a great plus for wet weather. $1500
2. Kimber Model 8400 Classic in 270SWM topped with a Leupold VXIII 2.5X10X50 in Leupold bases and rings and filters/rain coat lenses. For deer, caribou, goats, big predators and sheep. The Kimber is as close to custom as you can get, they are beautiful guns and you can buy them today. $2100
3. Weatherby SubMOA Varmint in 223 topped with a Leupold VX-III 6.5X20X50 in Leupold rings and bases. The gun has a trigger that is adjustable, a great looking stock and guaranteed sub moa right out of the box. In addition the 223 is a deadly varmint round and ammo is cheap and readily available. $1750
4. Winchester Model 70 Classic Safari Express in 416 Rem Mag with open sights for all the African dangerous game. Great round, great classic gun with pre 64 claw extractor for positive round control. $1150
5. Remington 11-87 Magnum shotgun with standard and rifled barrels. Rifled barrel with open sights. This has capability of shooting AAA to 31/2 inch magnum shells for everything from skeet/trap and upland game to waterfowl to deer. $1200
6. Cabela’s Kodiak Express Black Powder Double rifle in .54 Caliber. This is a classic black powder double that looks great and is very traditional yet functional for traditional black powder hunting restrictions. $800
7. Davide Pedersoli Quigley Sharps 45-70. Just because the Sharps is a classic American Historical Firearm and I’ve always wanted one. $1500

That’s it and all for $10,000.

Thanks for the post and the opportunity to dream big.

[OhioOutdoorsman]

Thanks for all of the thought/time. I find it interesting. Here's mine. I use shotguns and muzzleloaders most, so attention will be spent there. No custom guns or $1000 scopes for me either.

Here goes:

The workhorses:
1. Remmington 11-87 Sporstman 12 guage with 23" and 28" barrels for grouse/rabbits/turkey and fowl respectively. A cantiliver rifled barrel with a leupold VX-1 2-7x33 shotgun scope. (Total =$1100)
The muzzleloader:
2 and 3. TC Encore stainless synthetic .50 caliber with Bushnell Elite 3-9x40 scope. Would also have a 24" 7mm-08 barrel with another Bushnell Elite 3200 3-9x40 scope to be used as my "Mountain Gun". (Total=$1100)

The others:
4. A Ruger Target Grey Mark II in .22-250 for varmits/coyotes/target shooting with Bushnell 4-16x50($1200)
5. A Browning BLR in .308 winchester with Bushnell 3200 3-10x40 SA scope as an eastern woods gun($900). I have this one already and love it.
6. Weatherby Vanguard Sporter SS .257 Weatherby Magnum with leupold 4.5-14x40 VX=III for long range mule deer/proghorn/plains game hunting ($1100)
7. Browning A-Bolt Gold Medallion Stainless in .325 WSM with Bushnell 4200 2.5-10x40 scope for western Game ($1300)
8. Marlin 1895 GS with open sights in .45/70 as a guide gun/classic woods gun ($500)
9. Winchester Model 70 Safari Express in .375 HandH with Weaver 4x38 fixed power scope for bears/african dangerous game. ($1400)
10. Franchi Veloce 20 guage over/under ($1200) for upland birds and to impress friends. Oooh, ahhh look at the pretty metal engraving.

Thats it. 10K even. And no, you couldn't borrow one.

[jtanderson]

I dont know if this is the place but......... try the new savage with a acutrigger on the varmit rifle . its like having a trigger job done

[farmer]

Alright here is my take:

1) Ruger 10/22 Stainless All-Weather for really small stuff. Toped with a Leupold FX-1 Rimfire scope 4X magnification.
Total @ $440 (Rifle $200, Scope $220)
2) Remington XR-100 in 22-250 takes care of all the varmints and could be used on some deer species. It would be toped with a Leupold VX-3 Long Range, the 30mm tube with a 50mm lens allows for lots of light, 6.5-20X magnification and fine duplex reticle allows for precision shooting. Use Leopold rings and bases.
Total @ $1705 (Rifle $905, Scope $800)
3) Weatherby Vanguard Stainless Sub-MOA in 257 Weatherby mag is good for everything from deer to elk. It would be toped with a Leupold VX-3, one inch tube with 50mm lens 3.5-10X and duplex reticle. Use Weatherby rings and bases.
Total @ $1365 (Rifle $815, Scope $550)
4) Weatherby Mark 5 Accumark in 340 Weatherby mag with Accubrake covers all other American game and nearly everything in Africa. It would be toped with a Leupold VX-3, one inch tube with 50mm lens 3.5-10X and duplex reticle. Use Weatherby rings and bases.
Total @ $2563 (Rifle $2013, Scope $550)
5) Winchester Model 70 Safari Express in .458 mag takes of the dangerous game. It would be toped with a Leupold VX-3, one inch tube, 1.5-5X magnification with the illuminated reticle for fast acquisition. Use Leupold rings and bases.
Total @ $1729 (Rifle $1149, Scope $580)
6) Remington 870 Express Synthetic 12 gauge 3 inch chamber is the bird gun. Hasting replacement barrel specified as, Remington 12 gauge, scope mount rifled barrel with controlled sabot discharge (CSD), makes it convertible to a slug gun. Top the slug barrel with a Nikon Monarch Shotgun Scope 1.4-4X nikoplex reticle.
Total @ $750 (Shotgun $260, Slug Barrel $250, Scope $240)
7) Don’t do muzzle loading so I don’t need one.

The total for these guns would be $8553. Rifle prices are MSRP. Scope prices from Midway USA.

Options
1) If I felt like it guns 2 and 3 could be scratched in favor of a Weatherby Mark 5 Ultra Lightweight chambered for 240 Weatherby without affecting the game animals covered, but it would greatly reduce the usfullness for any high intensity shooting (ie. prairie dogs). Toped with a Swarovski PH scope, 30mm tube and 50mm lens, 4-16X magnification with Plex reticle.
Total @ $3203 (Rifle $1703, Scope $1579)
Changes total collection price to $ 8764.
2) Up grade gun 3, Weatherby Vanguard Stainless Sub-MOA 257 mag, to a Weatherby Mark 5 Accumark in 257 mag. Keep the same scope.
Rifle @ $1761
Total collection price would then be $ 9499.

[airborne]

With 27 rifles/shotguns, 7 handguns and 5 muzzeloaders, I would have to live off Mac and Cheese if any of them were very expensive. There are 5 hunters in my family to include the wife and daughter. I have five guns for each type of game we hunt. I was at Cabela's and Gander Mountain in Washington Pa, yesterday. Man can a guy dream when he is in these two places.

[Vikingsin05]

Not one person that made a list wants a benelli semiauto shotgun? Come on your dream shotgun can not be a remington 870.

[grayling]

1.) Sharps rifle in 45-70 with Venier sights
2.) Henry Lever action
3.) Browning Belgium made barrel, gold trigger, A-Five Humpback in 12 & 20ga
4.) Tar-Hunt 12ga bolt action slug gun
5.) Sig Arms Blaser R93 in .338 Win Mag
6.) 50 Caliber Hawken, just to be like Robert Redford in Jerimiah Johnson

Great Topic,

Grayling

[pre6422hornet]

Have to agree with Viking on the Benelli. My first shotgun was an old Wmaster 870( still have it), but since 1997 any time a shotgun was needed my m190 has been in my hands. Thousands (and I really mean thousands) of rounds later and not a single jam or malfunction of any kind. I loved it so much 4 years ago I bought a m190 slug version, topped it with a burris 4x. Shoots like a dream.

As for the rifles:

1. I will take my pre 64 pre war 22 hornet for all varmints. The lyman 48 peep on it does fine on ground hogs and coyotes here in ohio out to 150 yards. Price (been in my family since 1938 at that time it cost around 130.00) If I had to buy one today.... $3000

2. I will also take my model 70 classic stainless in .270 for anything else in the lower 48. Burris 3x9x40 on top of it. Price $700

3. For the big guys in Alaska and Africa my model 70 classic safari in .375 H&H. Burris 4x. Price $1200. There are bigger calibers out there, but I believe in being able to handle recoil and putting the shot where it needs to go.

4. Shotgunning I have already tackled in the first paragraph. Cost for both $1800.

5. Am I forgetting anything. Maybe an old Remington 7400 (before the current Monte Carlo stock) in 30.06 for still hunting the north woods of upper Michigan with my father in law. Price $400. ( Honestly I just picked one up on Gunbroker for $350 brand new in the box with all the Cosmoline still on it).

6. A.Pistols or revolvers. Ruger single six in .22lr/.22mag. Price $300.
B. Smith and Wesson 657 .41 mag for deer. Price $500.

Grand total $7900 bucks.

Good thing my wife realizes I am a certified gun junkie.

Thanks for letting me ramble.......

[pre6422hornet]

Forgot muzzleloader.....

Thompson Center Omega Stainless laminate. Burris 2x8. Price $750.

Grand total now up to $8650.