Need a entry level rifle...but which one?

[rogwar]

Roger that!

Maverick, I was going to post the same question earlier but checked the Montana regs for and answer to that particular question and found no such limitations (which I thought was kind of unusual).

http://fwp.mt.gov/hunting/regulations/

[Rich52]

I shoot a .454 Casull and Load up a .45 Colt to beyond .44 mag performance.

I have seen both Griz and Lions in the wild. To even think about purposely hunting one of them with ANY kind of handgun is about as crazy an idea as one could come up with. Oh I know its been done, and usually with a couple .458 win rifles as backup. First off South Africa is the only place in Africa you can even hunt with a handgun, and maybe thats changed since Ive been there. Imagine pulling out your trusty 9mm here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SH78t65Ii0&feature=related

[Wiley]

I shoot a .454 Casull and Load up a .45 Colt to beyond .44 mag performance.

Slight derailment of the thread, but this sentence intrigues me.  Why would you do such a thing instead of just using .454 brass?  Or are you meaning you have a .454 Casull, and you also have a second pistol in .45 colt you load heavy?

edit:  Just watched the lion video.  As long as I live, I don't think I'll ever understand people who decide to go hunting big cats, particularly on foot.  Particularly with bolt guns.  I could be persuaded to hunt big cats from a jeep if it were equipped with a ma deuce, but I wouldn't see much point to it. <g>

Wiley.

[rogwar]

I shoot a .454 Casull and Load up a .45 Colt to beyond .44 mag performance.

I have seen both Griz and Lions in the wild. To even think about purposely hunting one of them with ANY kind of handgun is about as crazy an idea as one could come up with. Oh I know its been done, and usually with a couple .458 win rifles as backup. First off South Africa is the only place in Africa you can even hunt with a handgun, and maybe thats changed since Ive been there. Imagine pulling out your trusty 9mm here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SH78t65Ii0&feature=related

Notice the high fence in the background. Canned hunt. 

[Vulcan]

yup that's not hunting.

[mbailey]

Slight derailment of the thread, but this sentence intrigues me.  Why would you do such a thing instead of just using .454 brass?  Or are you meaning you have a .454 Casull, and you also have a second pistol in .45 colt you load heavy?

Wiley.

you can shoot 45 colt ( somtimes called 45 long colt) out of a 454 Casull. 45LC is cheaper (relatively speaking)than 454 ammunition.

[Wiley]

I know, what confuses me is if he's loading for performance, why not use casull brass?  I guess I've just never been a fan of shooting the shorter stuff in the longer calibers for any reason.  I get the cheap practice angle, but I'm just curious why he'd do it.

No big deal it just struck me as odd.

Wiley.

[Rich52]

Yes. I have both. A Rageing Bull and a Vaqero. I dont bother with .45 Colt thru a Casull cause, #1 I dont have to, #2 I dont want the carbon buildup in the cylinders, #3 I Load the Casull for extreme performance. I bought the vaqero for mostly cowboy shooting anyway but do ocasionally load it up just for the heck of it. Almost all Lion hunting in RSA is canned now. I have no interest in Hunting Lion, not that I can afford it, but if I did it would be with my .375 H&H.

Slight derailment of the thread, but this sentence intrigues me.  Why would you do such a thing instead of just using .454 brass?  Or are you meaning you have a .454 Casull, and you also have a second pistol in .45 colt you load heavy?

edit:  Just watched the lion video.  As long as I live, I don't think I'll ever understand people who decide to go hunting big cats, particularly on foot.  Particularly with bolt guns.  I could be persuaded to hunt big cats from a jeep if it were equipped with a ma deuce, but I wouldn't see much point to it. <g>

Wiley.

[kamori]

Roger that!

Maverick, I was going to post the same question earlier but checked the Montana regs for and answer to that particular question and found no such limitations (which I thought was kind of unusual).

http://fwp.mt.gov/hunting/regulations/

Not unusual at all. This is MONTANA, Less than 1,000,000 people and most of the hunters want to insure the animal goes down, So the proper caliber is the concern, especially with elk they are apx. 500 - 800 lb. animal. Anything less than a .270 is irresponsible in my book. The 30-06 is prob the best all around for Deer and ELK. I have taken elk as far out as 437 yards and as close as 10 yards. Its the most effective caliber in diverse conditions. Deer arent an issue. I hunt elk and shoot deer. I plan for elk not deer. Plus the deer up here are good size and weight. The thing about elk is that 12 of the 16 elk Ive gotten were QUICK snap shots freehand within 100 yards in the trees. No time for bi-pods or leaning against trees, prone etc. You need to practice hitting an 8"target on a snap shot freehand at 100 yards. Pull up count to 1 or 2 sec and shoot. That works for me.

Kam

[Wiley]

Yes. I have both. A Rageing Bull and a Vaqero. I dont bother with .45 Colt thru a Casull cause, #1 I dont have to, #2 I dont want the carbon buildup in the cylinders, #3 I Load the Casull for extreme performance. I bought the vaqero for mostly cowboy shooting anyway but do ocasionally load it up just for the heck of it. Almost all Lion hunting in RSA is canned now. I have no interest in Hunting Lion, not that I can afford it, but if I did it would be with my .375 H&H.

Number 2 was where I was stuck. . Makes good sense now.

Wiley.

[Widewing]

I own a Uberti Remington 1895 in .45 Long Colt. I've fired some potent hand loads through it, but I find that lower velocity ammo is a tad more accurate. The hand loads were about 20 grains of W296 under a 225 grain bullet. I seem to recall that my old Speer manual stated that these rounds developed well over 1,300 fps at the muzzle. Back off the load to 16 grains and accuracy gets noticeably better, at the expense of knockdown power and penetration.

Likewise, I've loaded .357 Magnum with 23 grains of W296 under a 110 grain JHP. In my Rossi SRS (clone of the Winchester 92) with its 16" barrel, these consistently generate around 2,100 fps. Move up to a 125 grain JHP, and muzzle velocity drops to just over 1,900 fps. I love this rifle... Very light, very fast action and good accuracy. If I had to pick only one of my weapons to use for everything, I'd pick this lever gun. Best pack rifle that I ever owned....

(Edit: If you buy a Rossi Win '92, invest in a spare firing pin... This is the rifle's only weakness. I had one machined and case hardened as the original ones are not very durable)

[Sonicblu]

Entry level rifle?

Strange choice of words

Your first rifle should be an AR 15 chambered in 223

You should be intimately proficient in its use, cleaning and repair

You should own at a minimum 2000 rounds of ammo (55 grain FMJ BT)

You can kill game with a knife or spear, and start fires with a 9 volt battery and steel wool

If you own one rifle...make it an AR...and your next investment should be a folding shovel

Keep your powder dry

Salute

Oneway

Interested on your thoughts on 55 grain for the ar.  With 1/7 twist the groups come in tighter with 69 grain.
I was told to match the grain with the barrel twist. Seems to work.