The metal work was done by Jef Rice of Rhys Precision Gunworks, and he also Cerakoted it armory black. The stock was the take off from the donor rifle, and is a placeholder for testing and verification. The action is an Interarms Mark X and the barrel isa #3 contour Shilen 1-10 twist .338″ finished at 23″ length.

The rear sight is a Williams FP aperture sight, and the front sight is a NECG Universal Screw on ramp that wound up having to be silver soldered on due to the wall thickness of the barrel. The original Interarms safety/trigger was tossed in favor of a Timney Featherweight and a 98 Mauser flag safety.

All that is left is to finish it out with the proper stock, currently leaning toward either a McMillen or a Bansner/HTS with a Boyds JRS laminate being a distant third.

My criteria so far has been pretty simple, or so one would think.

- Manual Transmission

- 4wd but not auto-trac or similar 4wd

- The engine has enough torque to maintain decent fuel efficiency for the weight of the vehicle.

- Must be able to get me up and down the mountains in october in any weather that may pop up, up to and including 3 feet of snow pouring in, with a weeks worth of gear, and 500lbs of elk in a cooler.

Seems pretty simple, right? Well, it would seem that every body that makes a 4 wheel drive is dropping the manual transmission, or doing something supremely stupid like Toyota and coupling the manual with auto-4wd.  GM stopped offering manual transmissions in ‘06, the aforementioned Toyota FJ has auto-4wd, Dodge just dropped all manuals in half ton pickups, and ford only has the manual in their 4.8L Triton half ton. So my choices have become pretty damn narrow.

- Dodge 3/4 ton with the Cummins I6 Diesel

- Ford 3/4 ton with either the PowerStroke or the V10 Triton.

- Jeep Wrangler Rubicon or Rubicon Unlimited

- Modify my ‘97 to build what I want

So far, the Jeep Wrangler is leading by a narrow margin just due to the fact, I don’t actually use my pickup like a pickup anymore, but we’ll just sit tight and wait for the ‘09 stuff to come out, and see what kind of interesting things come forth.

Or maybe, something brand new will come out and spin all my research about, or someone will come up with an option I hadn’t thought of.

While, there is good reason for this recommendation, and there is good reason that the .30-06 has been the number one selling rifle cartridge nearly since its inception, it may not be the best all around cartridge for the one rifle hunter. Granted, All of the following is just my opinion, and may not apply, but I’m bored, and obviously so are you, so let’s explore the why and wherefore.

Let’s start off with the brand of rifle. In my opinion, the Remington Model 700 is the ‘can’t be beat’ of the one rifle hunter. My reasons for this are simple, and have everything to do with logistics. First, the 700 is popular everywhere, so if something breaks you have a greater chance of finding parts, and/or a smith to fix it on the road.

Next off, the chance of getting a remington that will shoot well is high, and if you get a lemon there are many more readily available options to get it shooting to your satisfaction, ranging from quick warranty work to letting a gun plumber do his thing.

Lastly is the customizability; there are so many available aftermarket parts custom and off the shelf that it is impossible not to make a 700 fit you like it was custom made for you.

 A lot of guys will hem and haw, and argue why this gun and that gun are better, and in truth, they might be right, but remington has a formula that’s worked for them for a lot of years now and it’s hard to argue with their track record.

Now that we’ve got a rifle picked out, let’s choose a caliber. Two calibers spring to mind immediately: 7mm-08 Remington and .270 winchester. My first choice would be the 7mm-08 Remington and here’s why, it’s an easy recoiling cartridge that anyone should be able to pick up and shoot with enough oomph for those oh chit situations when something goes pear shaped.

The 7mm is popular enough in various flavors for there to be good bullets for every concievable type of game a one gun hunter is likely to persue, and factory ammo is readily available most anywhere. While the 7-08 may not be as versatile and ready for the big bears as the .30-06 or .308 is, but it can, will, and has handled everything else in north america.

The .270 made my list because it has a very slight bit more recoil but it trumps the 7-08 for ammo availability.

So there you have it. You now know what rifle and caliber i would buy if I could only have one rifle to hunt with, god forbid.

 The US Supreme Court ruled that a prohibition on the ownership of handguns is unconstitional and that the Second Amendment is an individual right.

Held:
1. The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.

There’s a lot more work to be done, but at least it gives solid footing to start pushing back and regaining ground taken “for the children.”

Another couple quotes from the decision that I find humorous:

“Some have made the argument, bordering on the frivolous, that only those arms in existence in the 18th century are protected by the Second Amendment. We do not interpret constitutional rights that way. Just as the First Amendment protects modern forms of communications, e.g., Reno v. American Civil Liberties Union, 521 U. S. 844, 849 (1997), and the Fourth Amendment applies to modern forms of search, e.g., Kyllo v. United States, 533 U. S. 27, 35–36 (2001), the Second Amendment extends, prima facie, to all instruments that constitute bearable arms, founding.”

“We find [the words of the Second Amendment] guarantee the individual right to possess and carry weapons in case of confrontation.”

 Link to the Full Decision