does anyone still hunt with ww1 or ww2 rifles

[std7mag]

I built my daughter a hunting rifle on a Mauser action that i found out while building was made under contract for the Weirmacht.
Was 8X57 Mauser.
Now 7X57 Mauser.
She's taken 3 does with it thus far using 120gr Ballistic Tip over a charge of RL17.

When i lived in MD, my first wife's father loaned me his M1 Garrand for deer season. Took 2 does with that.

 

[OntarioHunter]

I think you'd want to test the heat treating to make sure it can happen, but other than that, all you need is the appropriate bolt face and ejector to make it happen. It may work with the 303, as you could turn it into a 30 Super pretty easy - same rim IIRC.

Or a 375 H&H. it's got the box room for it.

Oh man! Now you've done it! Build a dangerous game rifle and I will have to shoot another Cape buffalo. Do you think I can get it done by August?

 

[bullbugle307]

l've been one a wwi and ww2 kick lately, does anyone one here hunt with the iron sighted enfields, springfields, mosin's mausers, ect... just curios how these old war horses do in a modern setting with modern ammunition.

Haven’t pulled it out in years, but I started hunting with a Springfield 1917 Eddystone. I killed a number of deer and pronghorn with it.

My grandpa had put different iron sights on it than what it originally had, but it still has irons. One of these days I’m going to try and make it more original.

 

[Laelkhunter]

I attempted it once. I had a 6.5 Italian Carcano, with an "original" scope. That was a total piece of sh*t. I couldn't group the bullets fired from it on a target at 25 yards (I usually start there with a newly set-up scoped rifle). Talk about minute of deer, this rifle was minute of door- BARN DOOR! I couldn't hunt with it knowing that it was a "marginal" shooter. That was my only attempt at using vintage rifles for hunting. Sorry I can't contribute to the thread with success pictures of any game taken with it THERE ARE NONE !!!

Makes me wonder about the "lone gunman" theory in the Kennedy assassination. No way Oswald used one of these rifles to hit anything at that distance.

 

[Kentucky Jack]

I have a P17 butchered junker from my late wife's grandpa's homestead in Sask that I should do something with or send to the scrap heap. It's. 303 British. Any ideas on caliber change? What's involved in stepping it up to magnum?

I have a lee enfield that was chambered in 303. British during WWII, however after the wat they rechambered most of them to 308. Like the one I have.

 

[Don Fischer]

when l say modern settings l mean there is a difference between using milsurp because that's what you have and using one because you want to. when l think of milsurp rifles l think of ''minuet of man'' accuraccy not moa, l'm sure that modern hunting bullets and even factory ammo are light years ahead of where they were when many of these guns were manufactured.

Yea I agree with you. Modern firearms and ammo I think are light years ahead but what killed back then is the same thing that kills today! Today if seem's like everyone thinks the need some super magnum to kill a deer and many that get them can't shoot them. Of course today hunting is also more about sport and during WWI and WWII it was about winter meat! I think the hunter's back then for the most part were hunter's rather than shooter's. Today to many hunter's lacking the shooting skills try to replace them with a cartridge, they'd do better if they learned to hunt better!

 

[Don Fischer]

Don, does it have a 3-position safety? Hard to tell from the photo.

No just a re-worked military safety, works great. tell you something else it has. The two stage trigger was worked over and is still two stage but it happens to be the best trigger I've ever used! Jaeger was a magician!

 

[OntarioHunter]

No just a re-worked military safety, works great. tell you something else it has. The two stage trigger was worked over and is still two stage but it happens to be the best trigger I've ever used! Jaeger was a magician!

I don't think it's the military safety. One of those would never clear the scope. Is it a two position wing safety on the right side with a locking screw through back end? That would likely be a Buhler safety. I would love to find one of those. Dad put an aftermarket sort-of Buhler style wing striker safety on my gun but it never was very safe. I changed it last year to another aftermarket variation from Sarco which required some slight modification. It's better but when the scope is removed and gun slung on my right shoulder, that left-side wing is hanging up on clothing and can be disengaged. I will probably switch to a Timney "deluxe" trigger with trigger block safety. Hate to deviate that much from Dad's original setup but being safe is more important I guess. He would agree.


Send me a photo of the bolt and safety.

 

[Don Fischer]

Yea that is it! Just on a right hand gun. This rifle has a bad barrel, guy I got it from put to many old military rounds through it and didn't clean it well enough. Still gives me 1 1/4" groups at 100yds so I use it. last three elk all one shot and down with 180gr Hornady interlocks.

 

[OntarioHunter]

I attempted it once. I had a 6.5 Italian Carcano, with an "original" scope. That was a total piece of sh*t. I couldn't group the bullets fired from it on a target at 25 yards (I usually start there with a newly set-up scoped rifle). Talk about minute of deer, this rifle was minute of door- BARN DOOR! I couldn't hunt with it knowing that it was a "marginal" shooter. That was my only attempt at using vintage rifles for hunting. Sorry I can't contribute to the thread with success pictures of any game taken with it THERE ARE NONE !!!

Makes me wonder about the "lone gunman" theory in the Kennedy assassination. No way Oswald used one of these rifles to hit anything at that distance.

I thought the same thing about Oswald shooting Kennedy with one of those. I always assumed he used military surplus ammo and those rounds were unadulterated shit for sure. The bullets were WAAAY too long and bound to wobble right out of the barrel. But he used Winchester ammo so maybe that made it a shooter?

 

[Ben Lamb]

Oh man! Now you've done it! Build a dangerous game rifle and I will have to shoot another Cape buffalo. Do you think I can get it done by August?

You should have the action length to go with a 458 Lott as well.

If you're gonna be a bear, be a grizzly.

 

[OntarioHunter]

You should have the action length to go with a 458 Lott as well.

If you're gonna be a bear, be a grizzly.

375 H&H kills em just fine.

 

[chevyman181]

My brother hunts with an inherited 7mm Mauser and an 8mm Mauser he picked up cheap at a gun show.

My nephew hunts with a Mosin Nagant that is a gun store special.

My wife has an old Remington 700, 30-06 that she inherited from her grandad. She killed at few deer and her first elk. She was told it was from WW2 but we haven't been able to verify that. We have been kicking around the idea of re-barreling it because it doesn't shoot worth a darn any more.

 

[Don Fischer]

Not sure but I think around WWII the 700 wasn't with us. maybe a 721 or 725?

 

[chevyman181]

Not sure but I think around WWII the 700 wasn't with us. maybe a 721 or 725?

Yeah, she was always told it was from that era but we looked at a few things and think the info is incorrect. It might be an army surplus like she was told but a few years later. It's a 700 for sure but I think someone in her family got their wars mixed up. That's why I said we haven't been able to verify it. I keep saying I'm going to look up the S# but haven't done it yet.

 

[220yotekiller]

I attempted it once. I had a 6.5 Italian Carcano, with an "original" scope. That was a total piece of sh*t. I couldn't group the bullets fired from it on a target at 25 yards (I usually start there with a newly set-up scoped rifle). Talk about minute of deer, this rifle was minute of door- BARN DOOR! I couldn't hunt with it knowing that it was a "marginal" shooter. That was my only attempt at using vintage rifles for hunting. Sorry I can't contribute to the thread with success pictures of any game taken with it THERE ARE NONE !!!

Makes me wonder about the "lone gunman" theory in the Kennedy assassination. No way Oswald used one of these rifles to hit anything at that distance.

a little off topic but stephen hunter wrote a fictional book about the assassination, it's called the third bullet, one of my favorite books ever. ln the research he said that he went through 2 carcano rifles before he got one that would even begin to shoot well enough for his tests.

 

[Maverick1]

Never crossed my mind. Looks interesting though.

 

[Tradewind]

7 x 57
and a 7.62 x 54

 

[huntnpack]

Have a garand and plan to hunt deer with it.

On a similar note but a century off, I’ve always wanted to get an M1841 Mississippi rifle in .54 and hunt with it.

 

[Laelkhunter]

a little off topic but stephen hunter wrote a fictional book about the assassination, it's called the third bullet, one of my favorite books ever. ln the research he said that he went through 2 carcano rifles before he got one that would even begin to shoot well enough for his tests.

I don't doubt it for a minute.