I inherited a bunch of firearms from my Dad and am thinking of cutting back. What I have now are:
.243-Dad made. I use for deer; maybe pronghorn
6.5 mm Arisake-Dad made, my first hunting rifle; suitable for deer
.30-30 Model 1894; I plan to put a peep on it and use it for close-in deer
.30-06 Enfield-Dad made. Certainly use for deer, maybe cow elk and small (yearling) bison-I want a bison robe.
7mm Mag. Dad made. Seems big to me., stomps me when I shoot it.

My feelings now are ro part with the 6.5 and 7mm as they the least useful for deer-sized game. Thoughts? All except the 1894 are bolt action with scopes. Should add that the 6.5 probably needs reloading as I have only seen commercially available shells once or twice.

Hmmm, a tuff one to answer.

If’n It was my choices to keep, I’d take the .243 to cover all your lighter big / medium game critters, and then snag the .30.06 to cover your larger game needs. Both were ‘Dad” made, so that counts, especially if both are in good condition. I’d also grab the model 94 just because everyone needs one, and likely not peep it for dark woods hunting with my aging eyes...

Enjoy and have a great new year Hunting.

Thanks. That's what I was thinking but was wondering at the 7mm/.30-06 choice. Only shot the 7mm a couple times and it just stomps me too much. The '94 was my purchase because I always wanted one. My aging eyes need the peep, I think, because I can't focus on the buckhorn, front sight, and target.

This year was probably my best hunting year ever and really looking forward to doing some more next year.

At some point I want to get the .45 Kentucky I built hunt able and find something to shoot with it. I do find simply shooting, whether it is the guns or bow, to be fun.

“ I do find simply shooting, whether it is the guns or bow, to be fun.”

Agreed, and it’s why I’d let the 7mag go. I had a couple, both light weight rifles, and both smacked me up pretty good, so if not fun, they turned into A couple of wonderful Ruger Model 1 A’s. One Switched to a .270, the other a 243.

Good ideas. I think I may get new scopes for the .243 and .30-06 as they both are pushing 40 or 50 or maybe even 60. My eyes aren't what they used to be.

Kinda funny in that I read and see folks shooting out to 200 and 300 yards. I find it hard to even see something at that range. Where would one actually practice for 200-300 yard or longer shooting?

I suggest keeping family rifles in the family. I have done that and it makes me feel good when I've handed them down to my hunting nephew. As for scopes I highly recommend looking at Vortex.. I now have two and their clarity combined with their guarantee can't be beat.

Tug, I pretty much plan to do that. Just that there is no descendent that seems interested in shooting them. I will look into those Vortex'.

As to the scopes, the .243 has a 4x and the '06 has a variable that currently does 2-4. My plan is to use them primarily when shots will be 100-200 yards with 200 being close to my limit. What sort of variable should I be looking at? All for reasonably big game but generally on the smaller size like deer, sheep, goats, pronghorn. The only real biggie I want is a bison and even then I would look for like a yearling. But, that would be close-in shooting . Thanks in advance.

Also, when I shop for a scope where should I go for the best advice/counsel?

Tug’s Vortex suggestion for scopes is a good one, and of the few We’ve used over the years - always pleased.

I have always been a fan of the older Leupold scopes, Vari x III’s in 3x9 and the 1.5 x 5. Never had any issues, all performed flawlessly over many years, and many hunts. That said, I’ve almost completely switched over to the Trijicon scopes for my newer rifle projects, and current shooting requirements. I gotta have the lighted dot in the reticle as my eyes have aged faster than the rest of my body, so they need a bit of help in low light, and the Accupoint scopes, also in 3x9 fit the bill perfectly. Super brite, very lite weight, and some of the best optics I’ve had as a hunter.

Good Luck, and enjoy the shopping!

I may need that dot, too. Been so long since I used a scoped rifle much that I almost have to start at zero with things like where exactly do you mount it so I am looking through it correctly. We'll see if the old dog can learn.

Sadly, it seems that Leupold's QC has diminishes in recent years. I've kept a couple of oldies but they are mostly on the JV bench.

For your turn-bolts, I'd suggest the following optic for the pursuits mentioned:

Athlon Optics Helos BTR Gen 2, 2-12X (mil not moa) w/Butler Creek caps.
Saddled in Seekins Precision 30mm rings.
Atop an EGW 20 MOA rail. What's not to like about extra "up?"

The optic has proven to check a lot of boxes for the price point. Running your load data through JBM Ballistics (online) you will have the trajectory (in mils) to match up with the optic's elevation turret or on the windshield. Predicted results are generally damn close to DOPE....