Sure your skills transfer. But, with each " new" rifle there is a learning curve associated with it until you have shot it enough in all postiions and in hunting situations to become thouroughly famaliar with it and know exactly where that bullet is going when you pull the trigger no matter what the conditions.

Is your scope going to fog up or will the cross hairs move on you? Is that bolt going to get stiff and sluggish in extreme cold weather? Is that bullet going to impact in the same place at 30 degrees below zero as it did at 80 degrees above?

There are so many things that you just don' t know about a new rifle and scope combo that you would know with " old faithful" .


Take driving a car. I am sure that you know where every do dad in your vehicle is and every noise that it makes while driving down the road. Now get a new vehicle and sure your driving skills transfer but are you as comfortable driving your new car as you were in your old one. Probably not. There is that " learning curve" until you are famaliar with everything about it.