Was talking with a buddy today and we were discussing what kinds of guns we use for hunting.  I typically use expensive guns, while he uses cheaper guns.  We had a good conversation and it made me realize I really have never liked hunting with my more expensive rifles.  The only expensive gun I really enjoy hunting with is my Super Black Eagle III which I use specifically for birds and some small game.  I'm actually now considering getting a couple cheaper guns next year to hunt with that I won't be all concerned about beating up, especially since a lot of the cheaper rifles now offer good accuracy and quality for their price ranges.  I was wondering how everyone here feels?  Do you hunt with cheaper or more expensive rifles?

Mostly my cheap ones. Never thought about until now. Guess I don’t worry about them rain and getting banged up.

Where is the line between cheap and expensive?

I hunt occasionally with a pre-64 Model 70 Winchester.  Not an expensive gun in its time though it is probably worth "expensive" numbers to some in today's pre-64 collector's market.

What ever I take into the field is a hunting gun and will be used accordingly.  I don't abuse my hunting rifles but I don't baby them either.  If I take it hunting it very likely going to get wet and dirty and maybe even scratch or dinged climbing though rough terrain, bush or into/out-of a stand or blind.  Ever ding and scratch is earned and just reminds me of my days in the field doing something I love.

I don't really own anything expensive.

My rifle/scope was around $1300. It was expensive for me, but wasn't the most expensive rifle I was looking at.

Inexpensive, I don’t own cheap guns. 1960’s Sears M-200 shotgun in lower Michigan, Ruger American .30-06 when up north.
My dad walks around the woods with a $1300 Browning, I tell him to be careful with it because it will be mine some day.

My bow cost more than all my hunting guns.

Both.  Year before last my rifle was worth $4,000. This year, my rifle was worth $400. My interests and what I choose to hunt with aren't influenced by price.  Though my other half would probably wish they were.

I think the most expensive gun I ever hunted with was Browning BAR in 300 Win Mag in 2000-2001.I shot two spikes with it. Then a Armalite AR-10 in .308 Win in 2010-11.This past november I hunted with a S&W M&P 10 Sport in .308.Other years Winchesters,Remington ,Russian SKSs a couple AR-15's.

What you use should depend on the type of hunt.  I have used both and my current thought is buy a Tikka stainless  add a Redfield 2-7 scope and call it good.

I got a T/C Venture chambered in 30-06 a few years back for cheap. I don't ever plan on using anything else... It has shot sub-.75MOA every year I've confirmed zero with it with that Federal Core-Lokt or whatever the blue box is. Perfect little deer rifle with the Strike Eagle 1-8 on it.

I have no reason to upgrade.

My rifles alone are relatively inexpensive, but the entire package tends toward not cheap.
My go to is an LR308, which is on the cheaper end of semi auto 308s, but by itself costs more than the rifle and scope combos my hunting buddies use.
With scope and suppressor my entire set up cost enoght I could outfit deer camp in cheap scoped bolt actions.

My deer gun with scope is like 800 bucks. I consider it the right tool for the job.

My most expensive gun was build for hunting.

I've got a build that I've probably got $1500 in, not expensive but certainly not cheap. A Ruger #1 I like to hunt with probably in the same price range. A Model 70 that's insured for 2k. I take them all out, along with my Ruger American. Actually the damn ARs if I figure the various times I've changed this and that on them are probably more expensive than the others. I really don't worry about a gun getting messed up hunting, that's what I bought them for.

Both. Two years ago I shot a mountain goat with a Tikka t3. Hunt of a lifetime, cheapest rifle I own. This year I deer hunted with a $3500 NULA and have been coyote hunting with a ar approaching 5k (silencer and thermal)

Inexpensive crowd here.

I haven't any time for cheap, but I'm not rich. You wont find me with a AAA walnut stocked engraved beauty out in the field, but definitely not wasting my time with a low end remington.

My slug gun is my 590a1 with RMR. Plenty happy to load up buckshot and use it for social diseases. Don't care if it gets scratched.

My dove gun... finally got the "classic" (blued walnut) 500 for this past season. It'll get its scratches eventually, but for now it's only for open field dove or clays.

Don't have a deer "rifle" because ohio is derptastic. I'd probably pick up a SS/plastic .308 in hunting weight if I could use it.

Have the nice 22" RAR with wood stock and factory irons (vortex diamondback on top) and TBAC 22td for squirrel.

My bow would be the most expensive singe item on the list.

Cheap for me I guess. My go-to meat gun is an old Remmy 700ADL synthetic in .30-06 with an even older Leupold VX-II 3-9, it's got plenty of scratches and dings (even one of the turret caps has a dent), I have no idea how small of a group it's capable of shooting. It's put down a few of our desert mule deer over the years.

One of these days I'd like to get the sights fixed and then work up a load for my 1895 Winchester (repro) and take that out hunting. I guess that'd be midrange but I wouldn't call it a particularly expensive gun.

Same here.

All my hunting guns are basic Remington 870 or 700 models.  Kids use Winny 94 in 30-30.

Scopes have been upgraded lately to vortex.  The most I paid for any of them is about $350.  Owned them for a long time.

The most expensive is the 6.8 AR.  Might have $500 in it.

With glass I'd say mine are approaching $1K; so I'd say moderate

I only have one dedicated hunting rifle. It was gifted to me by my Dad and is an older rifle that my late Grandfather bought new in the late 70's-80's. It was given to me as new with the expectation to hunt with it and I have done so happily.

Rifle before being shot was likely worth around $1000+ due to some collector value. Put a 4-14 x 50 Leupold VX-3 on it bringing the total kit to around $1500, which classifies as med-expensive for me.

It is a 7mmRemMag so I bought a 6.5 Creedmoor bolt action this year to practice in the off season. I wanted to keep the round count low on the 7mm and be less punishing on my shoulder.

I do not have the desire to own a bunch of cheaper bolt actions, because then the 7mm would have no reason to exist. Maybe one lightweight back-up bolt action for guests/kids. We like owning high quality rifles, so we might as well enjoy the superior quality and/or accuracy when we need to make that critical shot.

It seems these days you can get a good, accurate rifle for a couple hundred (ruger american, tc compass) and throw a half decent scope on there for another couple hundred and be good to go.

My main deer rifle is an 1895G 45-70. Max range is 150 yards where I hunt, it is perfect for the job. It’s not an expensive rifle but it was back in 1999 or 2000 when I bought it, at least to a guy with two young children and a soon to be ex wife.

Both... but price isn't a criteria in my selection of which gun to take out.

I've killed deer with rifles ranging from $2K down to $90...
Depends on the season, stand location, and my mood.

More often than not, I'm either carrying a $300 inline or homemade flintlock.
The 700 BDL SS gets out to play for the first day or two of regular rifle season, then the "fun guns" come out to fill doe tags.

They all do the job well.  I don't care how much or how little a gun costs when I have a deer in the sights...
I care that it will go bang and put the bullet exactly where I want it to go.

When I was young I had a Weatherby .257 magnum. Back then I went on hunting trips out of state. Now that I only hunt deer in Ohio I have a stainless steel Ruger inline that uses smokeless powder. It has a 2-8 Nikon scope, custom trigger, thumbhole stock, and a shortened barrel. Not super expensive but not cheap either.

By what standards?  I hunt with Beretta 686's and CG's.  so 2k-4k shotguns...not an 870 but not a Famars either.  My bolt guns are mostly out of box Winchester mod 70's with glass ranging from Vx-3 to Zeiss conquest.  Not expensive but not cheap either.  My Win Mod 70 w/ Zeiss glass in a 2k rifle.

I'm still using the Remington 788 that I bought for $159 in 1978.

Checked an inflation calculator, and that's over $600 today.  Maybe I need to pick up a Ruger American.

Was just talking to a guy at bass pro. He was looking for a Christmas present and I pointed out the good bargain rifles for his son. He didn't want the accutr igger so compass and ruger were up. He said he hadn't shipped for years because he still hunted with his 788...

I hunt with whatever I feel is the best gun for the job.

I don't personally own 'expensive' guns though...but I will some day, and I will most likely hunt with them.

Bumps and bruises from hunting give a gun it's character and each one is a memory.  When I bought my Ruger M77 30-06 that I use for deer hunting, I had a very fun conversation with the guy I bought it from(who was getting out of hunting) about several of the dents on the bottom of the stock and a few of the minor scratches.  Each one had a story, and some of the dated back to when he was a kid hunting with his late father.

It's also about where I'm hunting.  If I'm sitting in a blind, I'll take my expensive bolt gun with nice glass on it.  I'm not going to take that same gun if I'm doing a deer drive through really thick cover.  Not only because I don't want to bang up good glass, but also because a bolt gun with glass isn't good for driving deer.

I'd have no problem taking a $250 870 express one day, and the next day taking my $5000 long range bolt gun(once I get it) to the field.

I run the whole range....

One of my fave rifles right now is a Cooper Excaliber in 280 Ackley Improved.  The rifle, scope and mounts total about $3,500.  Add brass, Redding premium dies, and the cost of fire forming said brass and the whole package becomes rather pricey.  And I'll admit that I am really close to pulling the trigger on a NULA Forbes ultralight rifle, which is considerably more expensive...

On the other end of the spectrum, one of my most satisfying hunts was a simple walk in the woods with an iron-sighted, garage sale, used and abused $200 Winchester 94 Ranger 30-30.  Cheap assed birch stocks.  Buggered screw heads.  Low dollar Walmart ammo.

What does the expensive rifle do that the cheap one won't?  Realistically, not a damn thing....  I'll readily admit that my most recent deer rifle, a Tikka in 6.5 Creedmoor, shoots a whole lot better than the Cooper which was 2.5 times the price.  I suspect that there may have been a time when money=quality.    However, modern cheap production rifles have really come a loooong way.

What do I get out of the pricier rifle?  Not much really.  But its a personal thing.  While a cheap assed Timex tells time, there is something special about a "good watch". Ditto for a good rifle.  A Ruger American or Savage will shoot very well. As good as many custom rifles.  However, they often look and handle like a tomato stake.  A decent rifle often has a certain hard-to-describe feel...  There is a smoothness, a fit and finish, that is worlds beyond the Walmart special..  When I cycle the bolt on the Cooper, its makes lesser rifles feel like junk (the Tikka is damned close though!!!).  The trigger is utterly amazing (only rifle I've ever sat down and INCREASED the trigger weight on).  You could compare a good rifle to a good scope:  A $300 Nikon will get it done 99.8% of the time. A $1200 scope doesn't get you much more but look through one and you immediately notice the difference.  Is it worth the extra $900?  Probably not in measurable practical terms.  Are pricey rifles worth the extra cash? In real terms, no.  Probably not.  But just as some people like a high end car, some of us like a good rifle....

Yeah at this point with the RAR and the Axis it's to the point where it more important to spend money for good glass

Two years ago I hunted with a guy who was using the most beautiful Mauser rifle i've seen with the exception of the High end Blaser and others.  Anyway the stock had to be grade AAA Walnut if not better. Rifle had super high gloss deep bluing and jeweled extractor and bolt. He had the rifle sitting in his safe for almost 20 years he said.  Always afraid to take anywhere because it was to pretty.  He decided one day that he would no longer have a single safe queen and if he scratched it or damaged it than so be it.  It rained on us 4 out of the 9 days we were out.  It got wet and muddy from riding on the ATV and he didn't bat an eye.  I don't think I could've done it.

My primary deer hunting gun is probably the most expensive gun I own.

Some cheap some not so cheap

My Remington M7 kills them as well as my Cooper.
Spending more coin on a high quality scope makes the most difference for me. Swarovski is much better than my Nikon Monarch.

Depending on my plans either a PSA KS47 with an ooooold Weaver Marksman 4X or a PSA PA10 Gen 2 with a Nikon P308. Occasionally ths BCM4 with Vortex Spitfire 3X.

So, yes.

Cheapish. Weatherby Vanguard in .300 WM used to be my go tocumtil i assembled a 6.5 Grendel. It's superior in every way for the ranges I hunt. Faxon Gunner barrel.

Not cheap, but not high end either. My best hunting seems to be when the weather is poor.

I usually have a stainless with synthetic stock, but decent glass. Needs to hold up to days on end of hiking in the rain, and high likelihood of encounters with mud and blood.

I like a detached magazine just in case we jump one when driving, its a little faster to load, not as important once out in the woods.

Must be able to take hard use, but not abuse, and accurate enough for a 400 yard shot if I have a good window of opportunity.

Once in a while I will take a nice blued rifle out if weather is good and I expect an easy day.

I'm still using the Winchester Mdl 70 my Dad bought used in 1979 when I was 14 so not expensive. I did put a Vari-X III scope on it in the mid 90's that was very expensive to me at the time though.

I use a $199 Savage Axis 308 and a $40 Nikon Buckmaster scope. Weaver rings. All from various Walmart deals.

My lease has short hunting distances, within 50 yards. The gun will do 1.5-2" at 100 yards, which is fine for deer and hogs. At longer shooting distances I may want something more accurate, which might mean more money. But I hunt with a cheap rig

You can but they typically aren't as smooth for follow up shots and the fit and finish isn't there, not that it matters for hunting. I have a Savage model 16 and a browning xbolt and there is a pretty big difference in the build quality but the savage is just as accurate

I've hunted with exactly 4 rifles in the last 25 years. A MAK-90 with open sights,  a Savage .270 (only once), an AR15, and now a Ruger American Predator in .308 with suppressor.

Nothing fancy for sure.

I’ve only deer hunted once. But my gun with scope and suppressor is about $4000

I've got "functional art", and I've got "rain and loaner guns".

Redundant.

what the heck is the point of having expensive rifles if you don't use them???   lol

I use both expensive and cheaper rifles depending on weather and type of hunting. On nice days with still hunting planned I take my Sako 270. On rain/snow or deer drive days I carry an old Howa 30-06 with a synthetic stock. My most used rifle nowdays is a synthetic Remington 7600 in 280.

Some of my hunting rigs are mostly priceless.

My dad's Winchester 94 in 32 Win Spl that has been around as long as I can remember (& I'm planning on retiring this year) but it's my favorite "walking gun".  It just carries great.  I can still shoulder it with my eyes closed and open them to find the sights aligned.  It is used regularly.  And our way to honor him is to harvest a doe for donation to Hunters for the Hungry every year.

I've got a Remington Mdl 43 in 218 Bee with an ancient 1" Weaver 4x scope that was my MIL'S.  We've got the pictures of her & a 4pt whitetail dated in the early 50's.  I use it for critters no bigger than coyotes.

Others, not so much....

My Remington 700 30-06 was bought used, but has taken several deer.  I hope to use it on an elk hunt some day.

My last 2 doe have fallen to an AR that I put together myself.  It was a great learning experience for me.  But maybe this rifle will be considered "priceless" by a grandson some day.

This.  I would spend more on the optics. I found the perfect deer rifle years ago and never looked back.

With modern materials and tech there are a lot of options for an inexpensive (<$500) hunting firearm. Savage Axis, Ruger American, AR-15 in an appropriate caliber. I think a $500 rifle and a $250 scope is good enough for hunting for most people (daylight and 150yds max range).