"I could live the rest of my life with just these guns"

How many of you have said or thought that you could live the rest of your life with only the guns you have now? Well, that is exactly what I will be doing. In early April, I permanently relocated to Eastern Romania, with my Romanian wife. We got married in 2001 and decided to live in her native country. Gun laws are very very strict, to say the least. On the upside, game is plentiful and hunting very affordable. It will be almost a year before I am eligible for a resident hunting license, which is a requirement for gun ownership. Once I get the hunting license, I can take possession of my 12 firearms that have been imported to this country and are now in my godfathers possession. Over here, not much is available, in the way of rifles, that trip my trigger. And, the good stuff is expensive. So what I imported from my collection, had to be stuff that would fill most hunting niches. I have 4 Rugers, M77 African in 9.3x62, KM77RSI in 7MM Mauser, K1A in 6.5x55 Swede and a Red Label in 20 Ga. I also brought a couple of Winchester M70 SS Featherweights in 308 and 30-06. Over here 30-06 Springfield is considered THE universal caliber. It is legal to use to hunt all big game, including the big bears. Other rifles I brought are in calibers, 270 Win., 30-30 Win., 6.5x55 Swede, 243 Win. 20 Ga. and 12 Ga. Ammo is readily available for all of these calibers, (I did my homework) so that will not be a problem. I will be satisfied to live out the rest of my hunting life with just these guns. RJ

Well, I'll say this much; You're taking dern-sight more guns than I would be taking. :lol: .

Good luck on your endevor....sounds like quite an adventure.
I bet there aint too many of us would have the nerve to do what you're doing.

DGW

I hate to even consider it, but if I was forced into it, I could actually get by with:
M77 .30-06
bone-stock 10/22 with fixed 2.5X scope
12 gauge 870 with a full set of choke tubes
4" Colt Trooper .357
---- now I'm gonna go fondle all the others that weren't mentioned.... don't want to hurt their feelings.

Reminds me of the adage....

"Ain't very much that a man can't fix, with seven hundred dollars and a thirty ought six"

Best of luck to you and your bride, good bless you and keep you....and happy hunting!

No .22? I am surprised the Romanians allow that many guns.

Jack

Major,

The Romanian authorities normally allow only 3 firearms. You can posess more with special permits. As far as .22's are concerned, they are not legal in Romania.

You're going to breathe the air of a country that outlaws 22's? It must be true love.

RJ556 said:

It is legal to use to hunt all big game, including the big bears.

Click to expand...

The only "BIG" bears that you might find in Romania are in zoo's.

i suppose I'll have to stay here. Have 12 .22s! (and some ammo)

Jack

71shooter, How much time have you spent in the Carpathian mountains? You don't know what you are talking about. No black bears here, just browns. They may not be quite as large as Alaskan Brown bears, but there are many big ones. Romania has the largest population of brown bears, excepting Russia. RJ

PriseDeFer, It is "true love", of hunting. I can afford to hunt multiple species of big game here, often, where I could not afford to do more than "scrub" hunting in the U.S., especially now that I am retired. If I would have stayed in the U.S., I could have owned more and many different types of guns than I can over here, as I did all of my life while living in the states. But, I want to do as much hunting as I can now, while my legs still work.

RJ556 said:

71shooter, How much time have you spent in the Carpathian mountains? You don't know what you are talking about. No black bears here, just browns. They may not be quite as large as Alaskan Brown bears, but there are many big ones. Romania has the largest population of brown bears, excepting Russia. RJ

Click to expand...

Crap! You caught me! I'm just another internet bullshitter who spouts off without thinking, and has absolutely zero, zip, nada knowledge about what I'm talking about. There are lots of bullshitters on the net, and it's easy enough to assume that I am one. It's true that I haven't been to the Carpathians, and not having first hand knowledge, I admit that it may have been best to hold my tongue. However, I trust my two good friends from Romania, who say that the Romanian bears are typically more like an inland or mountain grizzly. One of them has heard of a 1000lb Romanian bear, and I don't doubt that can happen (Yellowstone has had grizz that size, but like they say about Texas, "Everything is bigger there"). Our continental grizzlies are known to get pretty big (Especially in the old days, before they were almost wiped out, i.e extinct California Grizzly), but the Coastal brown bear is twice the size. When I think of "big bears", I think of Kodiak, Alaskan Coastal Brown, Russian Kamchatka, and Polar bears. In this case, "big" is a relative term where 400-800lbs is big for you and twice that is big for me. I guess that even though the Eurasian brown bear is one of the smallest of the brown bear subspecies, they are still "Big". If I had an 800lb, or even a 400lb, Romanian bear chasing me, I would surely be thinking, "There's a big f#$%ing bear chasing me!" Best wishes in starting your new life.

RJ. Please come back when you can with tales of hunting bears and vampires on those tall, sharp peaks and in those valleys so deep that bats fly by day.

PriseDeFer, I will certainly do that if it comes to be. Sunday I was invited on a hunt in the Carpathians for a driven boar/fox hunt. I was just an observer (officially) because I will not have my hunting license until next year. It was very exciting, 2 sows were taken. They looked to me to be somewhere better than 300 pounds and were said by the hunters to not be large ones. These are some scruffy looking hogs. next time I will get a pic or two. The guys in the club seem to be good field shots. While we were hunting one of the club members returned to where we parked our vehicles to find a good sized brown bear sniffing around the area. He must have smelled food in one of the trucks. After the hunt, we built a fire, set up a big table and cooked a huge pot of marinated boar meat (from a previous hunt) which was absolutely delicious. We also had grilled pastrami, pickled peppers and cucumbers, fresh bread, cheese and Romanian beverages. I had a great time and plan on joining this hunt club. The club has large leases at three elevations in the Carpathian mountains and they hunt for small game, fox, Roe deer, boar, Red Stag, Chamois and by special permit, wolves, lynx and brown bear. I know one thing and that is, I am going to have to get in shape, because even this "low elevation stuff wore my butt out.

If I had to, I'd live with my 20 gauge semi-auto, my Sig P226 Navy, Browning BAR in .243, and then the hard choice....either my SCAR 16s, or my Ruger Mini-14 Ranch Rifle. That's four total. I'd probably need to throw a .22 in there.

If you love to hunt sounds like a great place to live. I would probably have fewer guns but that seems like a great selection. I'd miss my handguns though, my dad never owned a rifle or shotgun when I was growing up so I grew up shooting handguns till I bought my own long guns.

I can hardly wait to see pics and read the tales once you get your license. I'd never have the courage to pack up and move somewhere like that. Keep us updated on some of the different things that happen there; stuff we'd never think about back here.

Truthly, your have a lot of duplication in your choices. Many of the high power rifle cartridges perform similarly to others. There is no critter in the world that can tell the difference from being hit by a 30-06, 308, 7 mm, 270, or 6.5 mm. You could pick one that is legal for everything and be good to go.

I could get by with a larue 308, 12 ga with screw in chokes, 10-22, glock 19, and a large bore handgun. I'm glad I do not have to.

I'll never relocate. The house I live in is the house I'll die in. I've gathered guns for my "neighborhood". Three .22s, a 30-30, 16 and 12 ga. shotguns, a Mini 14, a 1911, a .357 Smith and a SR40. I like buying new guns but I can't think of anything else I need or actually want. My collection is as complete as practical. I ain't buying anymore. I have ammo for all stacked pretty high.

How many guns are enough? I confess to having way too many. I first became aware of my environment as WWII progressed. The family double 12 self destructed way before I had the gravitas to handle it. The family farm survived the shortages and rationing of the war with the single shot Winchester .22 that Dad bought when he was a kid. Ammo was purchased by the round. When we were in town for necessities, Mom always stopped at the hardware store for ammo. Sometimes there was none, but our guy did the best he could and never price gouged us. Ten rounds was a good score and a half box was hitting the mother lode. We never shot anything that could be dispatched with a hoe, shovel, or even a slingshot loaded with rocks!

I suppose that experience warped my delicate psyche. I have always needed just "one more" rifle, handgun, or shotgun. Fortunately for me, I largely funded the college education of our three daughters with proceeds from my second job, buying, trading, selling, and even doing pads and refinishing work on guns. All three graduated debt free. The result for the long haul is a wife that appreciates my madness.

Yes, I could easily survive with a select five or six, but why?

Jack