Hunting firearms you still haven't drawn blood with?

[FrankenMauser]

I have quite a few projects in the works, as well as some that were recently finished. (One of which came back apart! )
Thinking about which of these I want to hunt with reminded me that we haven't had one of these discussions for a while.

So...
What firearms do you have that you want to use to harvest game, but have not yet been able to do so?



Mine:
Marlin 444, converted from a 336. 'Finished' it earlier in the year. It's going hunting this fall.

Marlin X7 .35 Whelen (rebarreled .270). Finished it and hunted with it last year, but didn't fill a tag. Tore it apart a few weeks ago, because I need to engrave the 'caliber' marking to be legal. And while it's apart, I plan to hit it with Aluma-Hyde II. I'm really hoping I can get the Aluma-Hyde cured in time to reassemble, re-zero, and try for Elk or Deer.

.475 Tremor "AR-15". 'Finished' last year. I took it on two hunts, but I don't think it came out of its case. It still needs to prove its worth.

.54 caliber Tradition muzzle loader. Bought it in 1998. Put over 300 rounds through it over 8 years. Never drew blood on anything but squirrels. Traded it to family. Finally got it back earlier in the year (ten years later). If the centerfire cartridges don't work out in October, the muzzle loader gets to come out in December. (I'd rather fill my tag early, but I'm kind of looking forward to dragging the old smoke pole around. )

My grandfather's Winchester Model 12, 12 ga. It needs help. I need to get it mechanically 'restored' (TIG and machining necessary). But it is functional, and I want to bag some pine chickens with it. Maybe next year.

And I'm pretty sure I forgot at least one.


Sadly, those are just the 'likely' candidates in the rifle/shotgun category. Don't even get me started on the projects, 'alternates', and revolvers. ...Oh, so many revolvers that need to draw blood...

 

[Panfisher]

I only have 2, a NEF Handi Rifle in .223, it has taken at least 2 deer one of which I was sitting next to the kid when he shot one of them, the second deer he killed with it he missed 3 times and of course it just stood there, dis i mention it was a HUGE buck, better than anything i have taken. Second rifle is a Marlin MX7 or something in .243, bought it from a co worker as a loaner and beater rifle. It also has killed a deer or two but not for me yet. Possibly this fall.

 

[Bayoubulldog]

Had that same issue with my Remington 700 in 30-06 my dad bought me... up until this year! Took a small buck with it and was a DRT shot with a reloaded round. Great TSX load and great 30-06.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

 

[Boogershooter]

Since the end of hunting season last year I've only picked up 2 rifles that will be used for hunting this fall. A used remington 700 in 25-06 built in 74 and a ruger predator in 260.

 

[Hawg]

A sporterized No.1 MK III, a Bubba'd Spanish Mauser and a sporterized/Bubba'd G 33/40. I say sporterized/Bubba'd because the metalwork is excellent but the stock work is horrid. This rifle has the only bent and stretched original bolt handle I've ever seen that really looked nice. I would have thought it was replaced with a custom handle except it still has the hollow knob and you can still see enough of the serial number to tell it's original to the gun. I'm currently working on a nice stock to put it in.

 

[Scorch]

I just finished my M98 in 444 about a year ago, I will likely use it this fall for deer. I know, kinda like swatting a fly with a Buick, but I just gotta.

 

[FrankenMauser]

Give 'em hell, guys!

Who else?

I just finished my M98 in 444 about a year ago, I will likely use it this fall for deer. I know, kinda like swatting a fly with a Buick, but I just gotta.

I'm a fan of the cartridge; and, as mentioned above, have one on the slate for this year's seasons.
You'll get no argument from me.
I love .444 Marlin. I own two, a Handi-Rifle and the converted Marlin 336, and that just isn't enough. I have a third and fourth in my sights as I type this. (Not quite what you think, Cornbush.)



Plus, you know of at least two of the additional projects that should have been ready this year, but won't make it due to delays.

Such is life. It's not like there's already a backlog of hunting rifles needing to draw blood here....

 

[Gunplummer]

I have some I started: 22-250, .250 savage, 8MM Lebel. Just no time to work on them this year. I have had rifles I took out a few times and saw no deer at all. I sold them. I have carried around a rifle for 3 days, saw nothing, got out a different one and bang. You can't fight luck in gambling and hunting. Sounds superstitious, but there are some believers now at my camp.

 

[Blindstitch]

Oh Jeeze is this a question.

Lets see. CVA Optima V2 Muzzleloader. Bought last year to extend my deer season. Didn't see a deer the days I carried it.

Type 38 Arisaka Carbine in 6.5 Jap. I actually didn't really buy that one to hunt with. It looked good and was customized a little but the price won me over. Maybe I'll use it on coyotes later on.

A 12 gauge Browning Citori bought for pheasants, ducks, geese and anything else that flys and crosses my path. It will see a lot of use in a few months.

Oh and a Marlin 336 in 444 marlin.

 

[hooligan1]

Probably my Turk Mauser chambered in 6.5-06, if I don't get one with my .270 opening weekend, then I want to try the turkey...

 

[Panfisher]

What I get into more is task specific reloads that I haven't kill anything wih. I may load up a box of Nosler Partitions or Barnes TSX to hunt with and then see nothing, grab the AR just to hang out in the box stand for while and deer come to offer themselves up. I have my wife convinced that rotating ammo in her rifle will help get the lucky round on top. Multiple times after a couple day of sing nothing she will remove the ammo from her .243 and get different ones out of the box of reloads (exact same ammo btw) and Bang, down goes a deer the next day.

 

[CarJunkieLS1]

My deer rifles that I want to harvest game with is a Remington R-15 in 30 Rem AR, and a rifle I currently building a DPMS pattern "AR-10" in .260 Remington.

I bought the R-15 a few weeks before season last year at a steal of a price I couldn't pass up. I put a scope on it a zero'd the rifle. I carried it probably ten times and never saw a deer. Last weekend of deer season I carried it and tripped leaving the woods. I hit the scope bell really hard against a tree. I didn't trust the zero and couldn't check it before hunting again.

I went hunting the next day and I grabbed my never hunted with AR-15 in a wildcat caliber called the 7mm Valkyrie. The rifle was scoped and zero'd well guess what the first and only time I carried the Valkyrie in the woods I had my first and only "bang flop" ever. 117yards and a 120gr NBT at 2785fps.

I'll carry the 30 AR until it gets bloodied then I'll be carrying the .260 Rem.

 

[979Texas]

Well this thread instantly makes one particular rifle pop into my head right away. I have had a beautiful Model 70 Winchester in .270 since I was a little guy, probably 9 or 10 years old. My grandfather gave it to me with less then 20 rounds shot through it. It is a beautiful NRA edition rifle that my grandfather won at a NRA banquet in Texarkana. He originally gave it to me with a Simmons 3-9 scope that he and my great uncle had sighted in.

Anyway I took the gun out with my father and shot a few rounds into a target and we got comfortable with it as we were getting tight groups at 100 yards with it. So the following deer season I missed 3 or 4 deer with it. Just completely missed any animal I tried to shoot with it. I also missed several hogs with it. And all these shots were within 100 yards, clear, still, broadside shots.

So my father got me a .243 Win. NEF youth handi-rifle. and for the next ten years that little .243 became my main rifle and I killed more hogs, deer, and coyotes with that gun than any other gun in my life during those ten years. Every once in a while I would still pull out that .270 and completely miss some more deer or hogs.

Then about exactly 3 years ago I bought a new Bushnell Dusk & Dawn 6-24 power scope and I sighted it in where the gun was shooting 3 inches low at 300 yards with a 130 grain bullet. When I outfitted it with this scope I was trying to repurpose the rifle for specifically longer range hunting. Finally after 3 years I pulled it out early one morning at my parents ranch to shoot a coyote 300 yards off in our back pasture. I missed that dern coyote 3 times in a row. That was my first time shooting at any animal with that new high power scope.

I have never been able to hit s**t with that darn gun and I have always thought that it was just a jinx since I first hunted with it. And I still think its a jinx. Also that gun has led me to completely boycott all Winchester guns and ammo period for most of my life till this very day. I'm not bashing Winchester or trying to derail this thread but talking about superstitions earlier in this thread, Winchester is a superstition of mine. I have never been able to hit anything with that rifle and I have never had any clean kills with Winchester ammo. Now some of this is shooting error on my part as my father loves Winchester and has killed a couple deer and elk with that very Model 70 .270 that has jinxed me. But this is just my hot air

I have many other guns that have performed great in the field and have decent body counts. But there is one other gun that I have that has not drawn blood, but it will draw blood within this year I bet. It is a M1 Springfield Garand. My same grandfather that gave the that dern .270 years ago, passed me down one of his Garands right before this past Christmas. I cleaned it and replaced the stock gas plug with a ported gas plug and I didnt get around to shooting it until this July 4th, 25 days ago. I love that gun and shoot it very well and I have taken it on several hog hunts in the last month but I have yet to see anything except for a family of otters on any of the hunts with it. But the hog hunting hasnt been any good at all for the last several months but it will pick back up this fall. So I have confidence in busting some pigs and hopefully a deer with the Garand this year.

 

[michaeldarnold]

^^If you hate it that much, I'll take it off your hands. Just kidding, go shoot the thing and get comfortable putting rounds through the same hole. It'll kill game.

 

[979Texas]

Haha I would get rid of it but I don't part with things like that that my family graciously gave to me, plus I love my guns and don't plan to get rid of any of them, and one day when I have children maybe one of them will find it useful as I plan for all my guns to stay in the family.

And yes you are right about getting comfortable with it, as I'm not very comfortable with it unlike with some of my other guns that I'm super comfortable with such as my little .243, AR, Glock, and M1. I know this sounds like any excuse, but since me and the wife have made our move into Houston I'm just not up around my guns and in the countryside where I shoot and hunt at where I grew up much anymore.

 

[Boogershooter]

979 I have had the same experience as you with a old 30-30. I could shoot decent groups at 100 yards all day but couldn't connect with hair or fur to save my life. Everybody else in the family had killed with it but me. It wasnt until I finally used it to track one thru a thicket and finished the deer off at close range. Since then I havnt missed with it but after 15 years of missing it often gets left behind.

 

[Sevens]

I barely belong here (haha) but I am a fan of this stuff at heart. The only hunting I do is an annual varmint hunt out west.

I use a very basic Howa 1500 in .223 and I have much success. For far, FAR longer I have owned a T/C Contender, Super-14 in .223. I really wanna draw P-Dog blood with it but I am hampered by the cost of upgrading my glass. I'm running 2-6x now that helps me just murder steel plates from 100-300 yards, but it simply has to be -MOAR- for little dogs at distance.

Burris makes the glass I need and want. Shelling out the dough is the problem.

Addendum: this year, I took my TZT-prefix S&W Model 52-2 on this hunt. I am happy and proud to say that I harvested three dogs with it -- my first ever with a handgun in three trips out west. 24, 14 and 14 yards ranged. And -YES- for anyone curious... a 148 grain soft swaged lead full wadcutter at 730fps does an extremely humane kill on a prairie dog. And if you weren't aware, a S&W Model 52 absolutely allows the handgunner to remove any question about the "ability" of his tool. This pistol is RIDICULOUS. If you miss a 25 yard prairie dog with a S&W 52, the problem is in the abilities of the hunter.

FWIW, I shot at four dogs with my 52 and made three hits, three kills.

And as to the 52, I will allow Ferris Bueller to wrap this up:
"...it is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up."

 

[Guv]

I've had a beautiful 1947 vintage Model 36ADL 30-30 for 20+ years that has never been in the right place at the right time.
A not so old (to me) 10" scoped octagon barrel 25-35 Contender.
A very nice M70 Sporter Varmint XTR 243.
They will all get some more chances after the weather cools down a little.

 

[EIB0879]

The last two firearms that I purchased haven't been blooded yet.

One is a Remington 870 12 ga that i bought for hogs and turkeys. I have hunted with it, just haven't pulled the trigger on anything with it.

The other is a Mossberg 4x4 in 30-06 because i didn't have a functioning 30-06 for the first time in my life. I bought it over a year ago, put a scope on it after Christmas, and still haven't shot it.

 

[2damnold4this]

I have two firearms bought (or traded into) for hunting that I have yet to use to kill a critter.

One is a new Traditions muzzleloader that I bought after last years deer season ended. I carried it once during turkey season but didn't shoot it.

The other is a vintage model 336 in 30-30. I haven't killed a thing with it but it has accounted for several deer in other hands.