Does anyone hunt with dual long guns?

[Whistlebritches]

I have done that several times since my Deer Camp is 242 miles from my house. As far as carrying two rifles into the woods, nope never done that. I mainly use a 7 MM Magnum these days with 150 to 160 grain bullets, Sierra Gamekings or similar. Carried the 30.06 for years and used the same brand of bullets except in 180 Grains. I shoot those deers in the shoulder and have had great success.

About ready to put the 7 Mag aside and try something different except in a left hand rifle. I shoot long guns left handed and am ready to try a lefty rifle, any suggestions in a different caliber guys? 6.5 Creedmoor, .308 or maybe the .280 AI Majority of my deer hunting is 100 yards and closer. Have one corn field where I could stretch it out to 300 yards but don't hunt that field much.

I take one rifle to the blind.......a 25-06 with 117 gr BTSP's or SST's.Up close shots,which are few but do happen,I either head shoot(does) or neck shoot(bucks).

As for the left handed change up.I too shoot lefty,my 25-06 is a LH Browning A-Bolt.I also have a LH Ruger American in 308.I am going to change stocks,probably a Boyd laminated.Other than that this is a perfect gun for up close and personal or way out there.I plan on using my 25,the aforementioned 308 and a 30-30 this next deer season.I have spots for each to shine.

 

[eastbank]

my rifle for shooting like that is a 7mm mag with a 140gr bullet at 3000 fps with a 4.5x14 leupold with CDS, sighted on at 200 yards, at close ranges it just hold dead on and at longer ranges just dial the range marked on the dial. you will need a good range finder and practice at 300-400-500 yards. eastbank.

 

[Sure Shot Mc Gee]

I do. Leave one in the stand and tote the other in & out of the woods.

Although I will not shoot small game upon entry exit or while seated. Had lots of chances too _but didn't.

I have encountered trophy deer feeding below my stand. I knowing if I were to shoot less than 25 ft at such quarry with my 270 stroking 3200 fps at muzzle w/130gr Nosler B-T my quarry would meet its demise with catastrophic injurys no matter where its entry wound. So for those infrequent times. My remedy. Open-barrel sighted 32 special lever laying on the carpeted floor facing side to side in front of my feet. Although my 270 Mtn rifle lays across my lap ready to be lifted into action with my only having to point gingerly out a window and push its Safety to Fire position > one shot one kill.

I very seldom need a follow-up shot. Nor do I fire at a second animal. Those remaining animals >always< get a go free pass.
"I hunt for what I'm due. Nothing more."

 

[Saltydog235]

I’ve never killed one too dead.

 

[Blindstitch]

I always took two rifles to the hunt camp, "in case of in case" that one of them had some problem. But just one when actually hunting.

Hey me too. When you travel 300+ miles it's good to have a back up. Never needed one but it's good to have.

On the other hand when I hunt with my dad out of a box blind we have this problem solved. I carry a Winchester M1917 30-06 loaded with Winchester Power Points in 150 grain and my dad carries his Marlin 336 in 30-30 with the same spec ammo.

Most shots are under 70 yards and the gun used depends on the window being shot out of. I've shot 6 deer in the last 5 years and 5 were heart shots with the 06 and the only thing wasted was the jellied heart.

 

[FrankenMauser]

Hey me too. When you travel 300+ miles it's good to have a back up. Never needed one but it's good to have.

I do the same. --Sometimes with "alternates" as well as "backups".

The first two times I didn't take a backup, I needed a backup.
1. Scope lost zero. --Borrowed a rifle and made an amazing shot an hour later.
2. Scope failed. --Got the job done with the broken scope, but... Worst hunting experience of my life.
3. Trigger decided to stop functioning. --Grabbed the backup and filled both tags with ease.

I always have a backup now, even if it's also an "alternate" -- like a Marlin 336 .30-30 with iron sights backing up and also offering an alternative to a scoped .270 Win.

Sometimes, though... There are dozens of rifles in our hunting camps.
In 2019, for example, my family has a special hunt planned in one of the wilderness areas in Idaho.
Day one is lever-guns or single-shots only. (Special exception made for my father with his .450 Nitro double rifle, as he doesn't have a single-shot or lever-gun and doesn't want to buy or borrow one, but the double is close enough.)
Day two is mil-surps only. (Sporters allowed without optics.)
Day three is 'favorites'. (Your favorite legal hunting rifle. -- 90% will be scoped .270s or .30-06s.)
From then on, it's whatever you feel like hauling up and down the mountain(s).

So, at a minimum, each of us will bring two rifles. Those that will be loaning out mil-surps, single-shots, or lever-guns will have to bring those, as well. Most of us will also have backups.
At last count, I have to plan on taking nine rifles, and one of my brothers will have to take at least six. Fifteen rifles (plus ammo!), between two people, plus what the other party members are bringing to fill the slots that they can.
Plus... Most of us will have at least one rimfire rifle and at least one shotgun.
It's going to be a bit ridiculous...

 

[thallub]

Never carried two rifles in the woods. Sometimes i took both a muzzleloader and center fire rifle into my stand or blind. That was not practical and i quit.

 

[Tallest]

My answer for a very similar situation is a 7mm-08 with a 140 partition at about 2800 fps. Nosler actually offers this as a factory load

I have not tried the partitions... depending how the Sierra GKs work, I'll put the partitions, expen$ive as they are , on the short list of go-tos. Not the first time I've read good things about them.

 

[Tallest]

Isn't legal everywhere to have 2 rifles in the blind. However, if you know where your rifle shoots at 50 to 480 you're good for all distances in between too. Regardless of the terrain. The terrain isn't a consideration when sighting in anyway. And there isn't enough meat on Bambi's ribs for there to be significant meat loss.
"...the crest of a flat, wooded ridge..." So your shots are all down hill?
"...the right gun for the distance..." It's not the rifle. It's the shooter.

Not all shots are down hill. The crest where the tree line is looks down hill to the east, and levels out flat, and wooded, to the west.

And while I get the point behind "It's not the rifle. It's the shooter," I think that's bit of an oversimplification. I am not an expert marksman, but I am a proficient shooter. I don't take dumb shots, and I hit where I aim a large majority of the time. That said, hitting where I aim is, at least in part, a product of the machinery. And a 30-30 is not the right rifle, for a 400 yd shot. Conversely, while a 7mm-08 will kill really nice and dead at 20 yds or a 500, it destroys more meat at 50 yds than a 30-30 does. Hence the original question.

I can shoot the shoulder to knock them down right there and absorb a lot of bullet energy. But the shoulders make dang good jerky, and if I'm honest, I'm a jerky fiend! So... I prefer behind the shoulder into the boiler room without one massive exit wound or 7 small ones.

 

[Tallest]

So, at a minimum, each of us will bring two rifles. Those that will be loaning out mil-surps, single-shots, or lever-guns will have to bring those, as well. Most of us will also have backups.
At last count, I have to plan on taking nine rifles, and one of my brothers will have to take at least six. Fifteen rifles (plus ammo!), between two people, plus what the other party members are bringing to fill the slots that they can.
Plus... Most of us will have at least one rimfire rifle and at least one shotgun.
It's going to be a bit ridiculous...

Nothing wrong with ridiculous!

 

[Picher]

I can't imagine having more than one rifle in the field or blind. Just be sure you have a rifle that will kill deer out to 400 yards, but try to keep shots inside of that, due to trajectory drop-off and poor hits. I've used a .270 Win for about 20 years and an '06 before that.

Use a 3-9X scope and zero it to not be above or below the kill zone between the muzzle and 350 yards. At longer distances, you might want to shoot for the shoulder instead of lung-heart, so you don't have to trail it far. Set it at 6x to handle moving deer, but still be able to shoot accurately beyond 300 yds. (I use and recommend Leupold VX2 40mm).

Consider using Winchester's new Deer Season XP ammo, since it seems to be the near-perfect ammo for deer, according to recent magazine articles and accuracy testing in my .270 Win. (It seems like a good step-up and I may use it instead of my whiz-bang handloads.)

Seems like you have a great stand. Hope you can just relax and enjoy hunting. It's not brain surgery, (unless you try for head shots).

 

[Doyle]

Tallest, I've had great success on hogs using Sierra GK's in .260. Unfortunately, they have been largely unobtainable in recent years so my supply is almost gone. I haven't checked in the last few months to see how available they are now.

 

[GeauxTide]

I always took two rifles to the hunt camp, "in case of in case" that one of them had some problem. But just one when actually hunting.

Bring the rifle to the stand that will handle the longest range. I would re-think the handgun. I've been carrying 44 Special and 45 Colt revolvers. Shooting hard cast bullets at 1000fps, they will blow through deer and hogs from any angle without meat loss.

 

[jackstrawIII]

I'm with the guys that say to plan for the long range shot, and if you want to shoot a deer closer, just do it. Use a bonded bullet that won't explode on impact, and you're good to go.

If it were me (and I wish it was!) I'd bring the 7mm08 loaded with Accubonds. They'll open well and stay together (not explode or shrapnel) over a wide range of velocities. Also, consider using a heavier bullet that leaves the barrel a bit slower. It will give excellent long range performance, and also not be quite so hot for the short range shots.

Or just bring two guns, we won't judge.

 

[Prof Young]

Tried it a couple of times.

I've squirrel hunted with a 410 pump and a 22 semiauto in tow. 410 for tree shots in a direction where I don't want the bullet to travel far and 22 for shots on the ground.

Now I have a Savage 42 with a 410 lower under a 22 mag upper. Great squirrel gun.

Life is good.
Prof Young

 

[the possum]

There have been times I carried two muzzle loaders up in the stand, since I had multiple tags & wanted a quick second shot.

In your case, it sounds like the stand is large enough that you'd have to switch positions to get a shot out of either side. So you could just leave one gun at each window and pick up the appropriate one as you switch back and forth, if that's what you wanna do.

I tend to agree with the others that any gun that will kill a deer at 400 yards should do the same at 50, and choosing the proper bullet and/or shot placement should take care of excessive meat damage. But in the end, don't let anyone tell you how to enjoy your hunt. If it makes you happy to keep a dozen guns at hand, then do so.

 

[RaySendero]

I have never taken 2 rifles to a blind.
I don't get this "2 rifle thing"!?

Our hunting lease has a rule:
If a yot or hog shows up the hunt is over;
we are asked to shoot the yot/hog.
Doesn't matter to me what rifle I have - I shoot the yot or hog.

If I'm deer hunting - rabbits and grouse get a pass.
If I'm hunting rabbits/grouse - the deer get a pass.
Yots and hogs get NO pass regardless of the rifle I have on hand.

 

[Tallest]

I've squirrel hunted with a 410 pump and a 22 semiauto in tow. 410 for tree shots in a direction where I don't want the bullet to travel far and 22 for shots on the ground.

Now I have a Savage 42 with a 410 lower under a 22 mag upper. Great squirrel gun.

Neither situation or the solution seems relevant to my question.. unless of course, I want to invest in a custom double rifle...

I have never taken 2 rifles to a blind.
I don't get this "2 rifle thing"!?

I don't think it's a thing. It's a question - which I took time to explain in detail. I guess not getting it led to your response that had little bearing on what I asked.

All that aside... I appreciate everyone's feedback. Still not sure what next season will look like, but I have some good content to consider.

Thank you all!

 

[rodwhaincamo]

Not familiar with how the action works but the idea of a barrel swap on a T/C seems a lightweight option if it's easy and quiet to swap them. Maybe have the close in barrel attached with the long range barrel off to the side where time and noise may not be quite the issue.

I've been intending on buying a few barrels for my Lyman muzzleloader to do just this. A handy carbine for patched ball, a shorty .54 cal for thick stuff or tracking a wounded hog, a .45 or .50 with either peep sights or a Malcolm style scope for fields, and a barrel reamed to 28 ga. However I need a punch and mallet to pull and seat a barrel. I could do it quiet enough as it doesn't too much effort.

Or maybe you should practice shooting with a pistol, especially something like a T/C Contender as it can be chambered in something good out to 100 yds and scoped if you wish.

 

[Panfisher]

My 7-08 also loves 120 grain Barnes TSX bullets. I guaranty you are not going to drive them fast enough to blow up. Shoot them behind the shoulders and lungs go "poof". An improperly handled .30-30 will damage more meat than a properly handled 7-08. If you can hit one with a .30 30 you can most certainly place the bullet precisely with a scoped 08. However there is certainly nothing wrong with packing 2 or 3 rifles to the stand if that is what you want to do.