How often do you change your rifle?

Braces Airgun Masters
In the US we don’t change them we just buy more. Then before you know it there’s 56 in your possession and they all have optics on them and you’re sweating bullets trying to decide what you’re going to use for a 9 day rifle season and still reloading at 11pm the night before the opener while watching Escanaba In Da’ Moonlight and drinking Leinenkugels. Or so I’m told by my “friends”. :rofl:
 
I chop and change some of them but tend to keep my two main stalking rifles (a 6.5 and a 30-06) and always have a 22LR. The main stalking rifle I have had for 12 years so that’s a fair amount of time for a modern bolt action to hang around I guess.

The rest are mostly used for targets and long range so do get changed from time to time.

I’ve made the mistake in the past of selling rifles and it’s cost me time and money to get a similar thing back…I seem to have a penchant for lever actions as I have sold a couple and ended up buying replacements soon after…🤦🏻‍♂️

There are a couple which only get used a every few months and are more collection items (Martini Henry and Lee Enfields)

The total number is rising and if we were not restricted by silly laws and regulations and finances allowed I would have a much larger collection!

Regards,
Gixer
 
Bought a Tikka M595 in 222Rem new around 25 years ago, still shoots sub moa groups despite years of abuse & a round count close to 20k. Have thought about getting another barrel fitted but the original one does what I need it to so it can stay there till it stops performing. When that time comes it’ll get a new barrel rather than buy a new rifle.

Also have a 308W M595 & a Sako P94S of similar age. Wont be changing either of those any time soon either!
 
simgre said:
And that’s the interesting thing. Not all of the shooting sports are equal. Some guys owned one rifle for 40 years!! There are stalkers and hunters and there are target and club shooters. And then there are “gun guys” who cross all divides! I’m one of the latter.

I have probably had hundreds of guns through my hands in the last 27 years. (That’s how long I’ve used rifles as I was always a pistol shooter and only had 6. So blame the “government”…) Currently my FAC has the lowest I’ve held for a long time, 34.

I change them regularly!
Click to expand...

All firearms or does that include moderators?
 
All firearms. Mods and shotguns are a separate matter!

I once had a Marlin collection that exceeded 20 on its own! Meteoric price rises stopped making collecting Marlins fun. And I chose Marlin originally in the late 80s because I couldn’t afford Winchesters! Only have five of those left.

What can I say, I’m a gun bloke. There’s a few blokes in my club that make my modest collection definitely small…
 
Had my main stalking rifle 16 years.

In that time it’s had a new barrel, a new stock, 4 or 5 new mounting systems, new trigger internals.

It’s still as good as new 😉

IMG_3861.webp
 
Hardly ever, if I feel the need for a new calibre then yes, but surely we all buy the best we can afford and then stick with it. Obviously, some people are tinkerers rather than shooters, I don’t particularly enjoy having to develop new loads all the time, my .308 load has been with me for the last 30 years, never felt the need to change as it works if I do my bit.
 
Saltyfish FI said:
If you compare quality of Sako 75 to most of modern rifles it is still winner. Sako made that rifle with idea to make best rifle ever build. You can actually compare it to 85 or 90 and 75 is better made. T3X quality is not on same level but it has advantage of huge selection of aftermarket parts.
Click to expand...
agree i have two Sako 75 , my first was bought when the model was first on the shelves . Had many other makes including Tikka , CZ , Remington , shot lots of various . The only issue has been with the model they could not really improve it , but they just changed it anyway
 
I started out thinking that I'd never sell a rifle or shotgun on if I could avoid doing so
However, life had other ideas
Major injury followed by job loss, divorce, house sale, career change, working offshore/overseas meant a lapse in FAC
So
Rifles & shotguns went into storage and eventually I got fed up paying storage fees for stuff I wasn't using so got rid of the lot
That broke the habit
That said, since "settling down" again I reapplied for FAC and got to owning a few rifles & a shotgun again
I've owned a fair few, though never more than six at the same time, but I'm now down to just three rifles; a .22LR, a 6.5PRC & a .375H&H plus a cheapish SG
I intend holding onto them, but probably wouldn't really care if I got rid of them again so long as it was my choice to do so
Wouldn't mind, with the possible exception of the 375, I have vaguely sentimental reasons for holding onto that one
 
I've bought 3 rifles in my life, all second hand:

1. Krico .22wmr
2. Sako 75 Hunter .223
3. Sako 75 S/S 6.5x55

Still have and love all 3, and don't expect that'll change in my lifetime.
 
I'm a real kit tart. I've had more rifles than hot dinners. I find the different cartridges on offer fascinating and have a real desire to try all of them. Last count I'd had over 30 rifles, some of them duplicating a cartridge but not many.

Edit - off the top of my head my list so far is...
.17 HMR
.17 Ackley Hornet
.17 Hornady Hornet
.17 Fireball
.17 Rem
.22 Hornet x 2
.223 x2
.243 x3
6.5x55 x2
7x57
7-08
7 STW
.308
.300 WSM
8x60R
.338 Win Mag
.357
.35 Whelen
.375 H&H
.416 Rigby
.45-70

I've missed some, but I can't think what.
 
Last edited:
I have had my FAC for 17 years, and have a .22/22WMR, a .222, .308, and a 9.3x74R.
I have changed rifles twice: I sold a .17HMR for the Sako Quad, and a .222 combi for a .222 bolt action.
Each time, the trade cost me £700+ - probably more in terms of ancillaries likes mags and scope mounts. But I got almost nothing for the old rifles.
So, never again. As the .222 and .308 barrels wear out, I will re-barrel - I love both calibres, and like both rifles.
 
njc110381 said:
I'm a real kit tart. I've had more rifles than hot dinners. I find the different cartridges on offer fascinating and have a real desire to try all of them. Last count I'd had over 30 rifles, some of them duplicating a cartridge but not many.

Edit - off the top of my head my list so far is...
.17 HMR
.17 Ackley Hornet
.17 Hornady Hornet
.17 Fireball
.17 Rem
.22 Hornet x 2
.223 x2
.243 x3
6.5x55 x2
7x57
7-08
7 STW
.308
.300 WSM
8x60R
.338 Win Mag
.357
.35 Whelen
.375 H&H
.416 Rigby
.45-70

I've missed some, but I can't think what.
Click to expand...
Out of interest how do you go about providing ‘good reason’ for that amount of rifles and different calibres?!
 
The two deer rifles I grab the most in the last couple years are both 60+ years old and I’ve only had them a couple years . They both got the Shyte scrubbed out of the bores when I first got them . Both are Mannlicher Schoenauer stutzens and both shoot well under MOA . I’ve owned a veritable boatload of deer rifles . Typically when I was deep into rifle accuracy load development I’d shoot about 100-200 rounds per rifle . I do as a rule keep bores clean and don’t shoot more than three shot groups . With a modicum of common sense I cannot imagine using up a barrel under normal use . Even the groundhog (Varmint) rifles I’ve had never shot out and I was big on 220 Swifts for awhile . I had a circa 1961 Winchester Model 70 Varmint in 220 Swift , I got the gun in the 90’s and shot the heck out of it . With handloads five shots would stay 1/2 MOA if I did my part . Granted the throat was getting a little scaley but it still shot quite well . In my own case the ONLY rifles I’ve ever rebarreled were when I wanted to build something 6mm-06 , 6.5mm-06 , 6.5 Sherman Short Magnum and the 26 Nosler . I’ve owned several rifles someone else rebarreled before I got them but I was satisfied with them as they were . Now I’ll concede the guy shooting many rifle matches each year will turn a barrel into toast , but that’s a different bird .
 
Navarone said:
Out of interest how do you go about providing ‘good reason’ for that amount of rifles and different calibres?!
Click to expand...
I haven't had them all at the same time. Good reason for any one of them is what I need them for at the time. Generally if I'm not using something I get rid, then apply for something that would be more handy for my current circumstances.
 
njc110381 said:
I'm a real kit tart. I've had more rifles than hot dinners. I find the different cartridges on offer fascinating and have a real desire to try all of them. Last count I'd had over 30 rifles, some of them duplicating a cartridge but not many.

Edit - off the top of my head my list so far is...
.17 HMR
.17 Ackley Hornet
.17 Hornady Hornet
.17 Fireball
.17 Rem
.22 Hornet x 2
.223 x2
.243 x3
6.5x55 x2
7x57
7-08
7 STW
.308
.300 WSM
8x60R
.338 Win Mag
.357
.35 Whelen
.375 H&H
.416 Rigby
.45-70

I've missed some, but I can't think what.
Click to expand...
Impressive. I've got 3 gun safes just for the daily shooters, a gun room for the collectibles, and a long wall of overflow guns, That doesn't count those under beds and in closets. My son took 30 of his to his house.....didn't make a dent.~Muir
 
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