Okay as some of you know I just bought a mosin nagant 91/30 (don't get me wrong it is a great shooter and I may use it for deer

[blake g]

Okay as some of you know I just bought a mosin nagant 91/30 (don't get me wrong it is a great shooter and I may use it for deer hunting If I go up to my friends cabin this year.) but I just don't know how efficient enough and if I were going on a once in a life time big game trip I would want to know that i'm going to make that shot. the guns I have are a .22lr Remington 597, marlin model 80 .22lr, some old old old .22lr single shot pistol, Benelli (H&K Montefeltro super 90 12ga, Remington 700 sps varmint .223, Remington 700 adl synthetic .243 (its a newer one bought it in like 2011, and it has the sps stock with out the floor plate.) and lastly my mosin nagant 91/30 7.62x54r. know that I have listed all of my guns... my parents say I have way to many you may too. but if I were to go some where my dad said he would lend me his 30-06 A-bolt but... I have been begging him if we could go on a elk hunt in Wyoming or something like he use to do when he was younger. what would I use the .22s and .223 are out of the question but the .243 I don't think I would really have that much faith in because of how small of a cartridge it is. on the other hand the 7.62x54r I have no doubt would take down even a moose with proper placement. but I don't know how affective a mosin would be and also I feel it is just to long and heavy to carry around all day. sooo.... I had a thought... why don't I go out and buy my own 30-06. and this is what I got "Blake I don't think you should get one. where would you shoot it?" I said "around here at coyotes" (ill get to that in a bit) he said " its to big of a round for out here and you will have to be very careful.(we live in a slug area only for deer but on a farm and have farms on all sides and one of them being a game farm. so its not like there are houses 200 yards away. at least in the way we do most of our rifle shooting around here its into a big corn field hill. beyond that is bunch of our woods so im not real worried about some one getting shot. I ALWAYS MAKE SURE I KNOW WERE MY FAMILY IS IN A GENERAL AREA AND TELL THEM WERE I AM GOING IN A GENERAL ARE WHEN IM USING A RIFLE AND I KNOW MY BACK DROP IVE BEEN THROUGH GUN SAFETY) also you will use that .223 a heck of a lot more." I said "dad I know but I would probably sell my 223 and my .243 in order to buy the 30-06." he said " It seems like all you do is want that gun and want this gun so much and now you want to sell them." there I just kind of stopped because I knew what he meant an I understand that but... do you guys think that I should sell those two rifles in order to get a 30-06 or do you think im just dreaming up crap. if I were to get the 30-06 it would be used primarily for all big game hunting and for coyote hunting then. I may use the mosin for that. if I were to get the 30-06 I would probably get a model 70 or browning x-bolt but I am open to other ideas. I do know that some of you will say that I should not sell my other guns but that is part of the reason why I think I am dreaming up crap that I will never use.

[JM]

-Sorry, but I agree with your dad in this case. I was just like you, trust me. I can't blame you for wanting a .30-06, but wait until you can afford one(without having to sell your other rifles).
-*If you wait until you can afford a .30-06 without having to sell any other rifles you will have a .22, a .223, a .243, a mosin, a 12 gauge, and a .30-06. That combination of guns will kill everything in the US that's smaller than a big grizzly bear.
-You say you have plenty of room, so PRACTICE with the mogant. Just make sure you use hunting ammunition, not the military surplus.

[illinoisburt]

A mosin is a great rifle but it just will not compete with modern rifles for accuracy or ergonomics. Your remington with a decent scope should be the rifle you take out west if you get a chance to go. Loads of elk are killed every year by sportmen using 243s with appropriate ammunition. Any premium bullet like the 100gr nosler partitions loaded by federal will work fine under 300 yards. Compared to tags and the rest of the trip the cost of a box or two of premium is unimportant.

The 762x53R is in the same power class as the 30-06, so the question of one being safer than the other to shoot is moot. Both are dangerous at very long ranges. Shooting into an open field with wooded areas as a backstop is definitely not a perfect setup. You really want something solid to stop bullets. There is always the possibility a bullet could richotte off a tree trunk and end up someplace bad. Best bet is shooting down into ravines or hillsides if you cannot set up a proper range.

[huntfishtrap]

I know how you're feeling - believe me, I do - however, I think your Dad's right this time. To me it sounds like you going elk hunting is something that might happen in the future, but it would probably be a few years down the road. In that case, you're definitely better off just saving up for the 30-06, rather than selling your other guns and getting it now.

[blake g]

i understand what you guys are saying. the problem I am faced with is that my parents think I have already to many guns so they make it seem like I would have to sell one to get one to replace it.