The “It’s just a hunting rifle” Saying Bugs Me

[memtb]

My rifle is not, "just a hunting rifle"! I use the heck out of it, but, try not to abuse it!

In spring of 1990, I received my semi-custom rifle.....after spending money I didn't have! I was crossing a flooded, "Willow Flat" ( water 6"" to 10" or so deep) created by beavers, while backpacking bear bait in to my bait-sight. I managed to get a foot stuck in some willow limbs/roots and promptly did a "face plant". My new rifle, first time in the field, was in first in...followed by me and the pack! I got up, poring dirty water from my new rifle. My first though, well it's broken-in now! It's not been completely submerged since, but has seen it's share of dust, mud, rain, snow and rocks (sheep hunting).

While I don't hunt quite as hard as I used to, my rifle continues to be used but not (intentionally) abused! memtb

 

[Dirtrax]

I say get over it. Who will be in charge of coming to my house and approving the guns I use to hunt with? You? What tests will I need to pass to satisfy your superior moral conscience? While you're there will you find anything else that you need to set me straight on?
Freedom is a funny thing, turns out it scares the ship outta most folks.

 

[Cuz]

Several of my rifles are "just hunting rifles ". They are accurate, but only used for hunting. One is just a coyote rifle. I am fortunate enough that I am able to build my own rifles and shoot them any day I want. I know many people that have only one or two rifles and they don't target shoot or shoot matches. They will say their guns are just hunting rifles, meaning not target guns. They take care of them, practice and harvest lots of game with them. If a rifle is not a 1/4 moa gun it just means you stay within your limits whether it's you or the gun. Same as using a bow or handgun.

 

[Dirtrax]

The whole premise of this thread sounds more like "woke" hunting than long range hunting.

 

[eastbank]

it does depend on where you hunt, in my 76 years I have hunted In many states-mexico-canada- three countries in Africa(six hunting trips) and any rifle that would do 2-3" groups at 200 yards would do. and 99 precent of my hunts involved a lot of walking(the most in Africa) and the rifles went from .243-7mm08-3006-7mm mag-300 win mag-375 H&H. some of the animals shot in Africa and no animals were shot past 200 yards and most were shot well under that.

 

[Swinehunt74]

Learning to hunt at my fathers feet while living in Fairbanks Alaska ages 9-13 (1961-64. 3 older brothers so my "turn" for THE shot would come around less frequently as we learned to be better shots/hunters. So I would take my 22 into the woods every weekend I could, and practiced under the tuteledge of a Good ol boy who had forgotten more than I would ever know. I called him Dad. Dad sporterized a 6.5x55 for each of us.... Killed everything in that state with 160gr missiles. The first rabbit I shot (age9) Dad made me cook and eat it. Soon there after I learned to carry at least salt and pepper. Lesson was don't shoot unless u plan on eating it...Charred rabbit outside, raw inside left an impression. Compassion for another life is innate in all civilized man. I found it became easier to kill an animal with out feeling bad...Then sometime in my early 60's started to become a little harder to pull that trigger. Those first 40 something years I hunted in ignorant bliss, more concerned about my shot placement for bragging rites at campfire, than for making sure my conservation for wildlife was being observed. Today I bless the animal and thank it for providing my family with its sustenance...Always remembering the lessons I learned under my fathers skilled lessons..There were always firearms in the house, that never once were used for anything other than intended. All 4 boys learned to respect each weapon as tools, not toys. Was to petrified of disappointing Dad, to even consider touching one without permission. My 4 most favorable yrs as a kid was hunting and fishing in AK. If u hunt long enough there will be unintended circumstances with an animal that is not properly harvested. Hope fully that lesson, hopefully only once, motivated me to improve my craft to minimize that feeling of disappointment. Spend less time beating yourself up and dedicate your time more judiciously to not duplicate.

 

[robert l]

In all honesty I could have hunted with a 5 moa gun most years. Northeast Oklahoma has lots of short shots...

I take the saying to mean it's not a show car. Race cars look like hell and go like it too, hunting rifles should be like race cars.

I have drag cars and they are the best i can afford and i take care of them like my rifles.But some times they get dings on them from use but they are just as fast and consistant as they were when built.

 

[mdk777]

like others here, I swing back and forth.
On one hand, there are tools that get used and even abused.
On the other hand, I hate to see fine things, metal or fur, get wasted on pointless and thoughtless expenditure.
War is the ultimate waste and destruction, yet the implements and participants become sacred in memory.
Life is just that way, such a mixture of the mundane and the ethereal, the vulgar and the holy.

In our modern lives, hunting is no longer required for survival, it no longer "fits" into the religion of progressive socialist environmentalism.

So, yeah, it is "just" a hunting rifle, and yet it is also a touchstone to hundreds of thousand of years of "conservatism".....the realization that what you did, and how you did it would matter to your family and your society, and the ecosystem that supported you.

Hunting has always been "woke"
killing something to maintain your own life has always had a spiritual element.
In subsistence, in war, in life.

There is no trivial matters. Only simple minds.

 

[bdlesh]

To me the "just a hunting rifle" is equal to thry are just work boots. Do I want to get them muddy or covered in paint? No, but I rather those than my hand made ostrich. I dont mind nicks and scrathes, but out right abuse I will never do. I treat all my weapons as they were $5000+ customs......to me they all are.

 

[Larry K]

I don't think there is an issue with 'just a hunting rifle' whether that means a rifle that gets beat up, or one that only shoots 5 moa. While I agree that as hunters it's our duty to try to minimize suffering of an animal I think has more to do with our decisions in the field than equipment. I have an extremely accurate rifle but I don't always hunt with it. Why not?Because sometimes the nostalgia of my dad's old Remington 742 (which is definitely 'just a hunting rifle') is too strong, or I want to use my bow. Using these tools modifies my shot selection but it has not changed my lethal effectiveness. If we want to keep hunting alive we have to stop this idea that everyone needs a sub moa rifle and high end optics to be fair to an animal. This isn't NASCAR, you don't need to thank nosler, Sitka, Schmidt and Bender, and ozonics for a successful hunt. Take the gear you got, use it within it's and your limits and get it done.

 

[Window]

This has created some great dialogue and interesting thoughts. At the end of the day it all comes down to have the right tool for the job. No matter if it's a 30-30 with iron sights to specific long range custom rifle. It's all about knowing the limitations and staying well within them to have ethical kills. Unfortunately I've seen it many times that someone shows up to camp with a rifle that barely hits a pie plate at 100 yards and says that's good enough to kill an elk out to 500. I'm my opinion, that's simply disrespecting the animal and all ethics that goes with hunting. As hunters and outdoorsmen, its our responsibility to set a high standard and know our limitations.

 

[JohnWess]

I say get over it. Who will be in charge of coming to my house and approving the guns I use to hunt with? You? What tests will I need to pass to satisfy your superior moral conscience? While you're there will you find anything else that you need to set me straight on?
Freedom is a funny thing, turns out it scares the ship outta most folks.

Certainly not trying to tell anybody how to think or say I have a superior moral conscience. I would say freedom certainly doesn't scare most of us on this site. I certainly appreciate your sharing you opinion.

 

[JohnWess]

This has created some great dialogue and interesting thoughts. At the end of the day it all comes down to have the right tool for the job. No matter if it's a 30-30 with iron sights to specific long range custom rifle. It's all about knowing the limitations and staying well within them to have *Rule 1 Violation*al kills. Unfortunately I've seen it many times that someone shows up to camp with a rifle that barely hits a pie plate at 100 yards and says that's good enough to kill an elk out to 500. I'm my opinion, that's simply disrespecting the animal and all *Rule 1 Violation*s that goes with hunting. As hunters and outdoorsmen, its our responsibility to set a high standard and know our limitations.

Very well said.

 

[Dirtrax]

The issue is equating an arbitrary value of a 2 MOA gun with wounding an animal. Think it can't be done with your ".25 moa" rifle? Especially now that everyone that has lucked into one good group has a tack driver.