Hunting With My Less Accurate Rifles

[Mustangs Rule]

I live in town and would be divested of my guns in short order if anyone saw me drawing a bead on tires as the vehicles rolled down the street. And then sent off to the psych ward for assessment. Sounds like something O'Connor would do. He was not well loved in Lewiston.

I shoot a lot of skeet low gun and that has built my confidence in moving shots with a rifle. On stations one and seven I'll often pull the target with gun hooked under my arm. Gotta do something to make it challenging.

You are right about Jack. I read a biography about him. He shot his toe off and had an acidental discharge that came close to hitting one of his kids.

He was a strange combination of great skills, and both appreciation and distaste for the average man.

His goal in life was to be a genuine great writer of novels. He probaby had the skills for it too. Then one day he and "Outdoor Life" magazine joined hands and the rest was shooting/hunting history.

He and his wife were are poor as two pigeons in the park when he became shooting editor of Outdoor Life. He took a job that allowed him to hunt the world in a fashion that would otherwise have been beyond his means for sure.

He seemed to bear a disastisfaction about what he wrote. He himself considered it to be below his skills and life asperations. Regardsless of the endless accolates from the hunting world, I think he felt he was an underachiever.

He reached some peace in his life at the end.

I always felt that the story "Santiago and the Lady" offered a genuine glance into the complex man that he was.

There is a line in a Kris Kristofferson song, the Pilgrim.."He is a walking contradtion,,,partly truth and partly fiction"

 

[geetar]

The White Brick.

From Jack O'Connor's trophy room window he could see his neighbors chimney. It had a white brick in with the red ones.



He used to constantly pick up a rifle, aim offhand at the brick, and dry fire on it, calling his shot as the firing pin fell.



He also used to do the same aiming at hubcaps of cars driving by his home in Lewiston, Idaho.



Jack “attended the running Jack rabbit shooting school “ as a kid and as and adult.



I shoot horses, cattle, domestic sheep and whitetail deer,,,,,with dry fire snap caps in my rifle of choice.



I usually do that a few times times every day. Sometimes more, some days not. Currently my rifle of choice is a model 70 in 6.5x55.



It sits behind my bedroom door. I look out and see some animal, grab my rifle, open it, see the maroon snap cap and have a practice shot at them sitting or moving



Going back some years I began shooting wild boar under any circumstances. There were so many of them, I had depredation permits. I was very timid at first with running shots, but I took close ones at slow moving boar and they just dropped. It was dry country and often I could see the dust from my bullets, guiding me to the correct lead.



Over leading was a good idea at first, better a miss than a hit behind, but even then, a more powerful, yet reasonable caliber dropped them for a second shot.



As described previously I set up moving targets on a pully on old telgraph cables going to wild fire look out stations from days gone by.



Another habit I have is wandering about game country off season with “snap caps” and practicing every possible shot at game animals I encounter.



I am breaking no laws doing that.



Some people play video games. I go about dry firing and calling my shots as the firing pin drops.



Developing such shooting skills is a lifetime endeavor and requires a different mindset and firearms.

I prefer low powered fixed scopes, or variables that are 2 X at the low settings.

When actually hunting I take shots that are way under and easier than what I have practiced for.



I have almost 30 pairs of deer antlers on my garage walls. All are still attached to chunk of skull. All are Sky Island mule deer. Where I once lived, isolated mountains ranges that rose up out of the flat desert were called “Sky Islands”. I found that when just mildly surprised, these deer gave me about two seconds for a standing shot while they were assessing what was going on with me.



A few of those antlers might be called wall hangers. Most are fork horns, quite a few have just a small legal fork on one side and a spike on the other side.



The filled out tags are still attached with basic info plus some extra data regarding how I hunted and shot them. Two thirds of these deer were taken, could only have been taken, with my well practiced Two Second Offhand Shot,,,, in scrub oak, manzanita bushes and even cactus tangles down by the Mexican border. Sometimes the deer were standing, sometimes just moving, most were up close.



I have practiced all my basic shooting positions. The four techniques for moving game and recognize in an instant the four gaits tanimals use.



A another form of practice I have shot at endless ground squirrels offhand, sitting and running, rabbits too.



All that has come together in my shooting computer over decades. I have never wounded and lost a game animal.

I guess we are all at different skill levels. Running shots aren’t for me unless a shotgun is involved.

 

[Mustangs Rule]

I guess we are all at different skill levels. Running shots aren’t for me unless a shotgun is involved.

Except on pigs I do not take running shots either,,,fast walk yes, fast trot yes, even a slow canter yes. Dead run no. I only took a shot at an all running animal once. It was a wounded antelope, and really moving out. I missed my first shot, adjusted my lead and dropped it on the second.

Off why not just shoot game birds on the ground?

 

[JLS]

Off why not just shoot game birds on the ground?

Ummm, aren’t shotguns and rifles completely different tools?

 

[Big Slick]

My friend that makes custom rifles says, the old timers say you have to hit a pie plate at 100 yards to kill something.

I only remember my Dad shooting his rifles at 25 yards to sight them in. He killed a lot of blacktail bucks.

 

[mtmuley]

Ummm, aren’t shotguns and rifles completely different tools?

Maybe. My Marlin Model 60 is a nasty mountain grouse gun. mtmuley

 

[JohnCushman]

Maybe. My Marlin Model 60 is a nasty mountain grouse gun. mtmuley

I still have my model 60 I bought in my teens. Great stray cat deterrent.

 

[mtmuley]

I still have my model 60 I bought in my teens. Great stray cat deterrent.

Amazing how accurate the 60 is. 15 rounds of grouse death. mtmuley

 

[geetar]

My friend that makes custom rifles says, the old timers say you have to hit a pie plate at 100 yards to kill something.

I only remember my Dad shooting his rifles at 25 yards to sight them in. He killed a lot of blacktail bucks.

It’s seems those old guys didn’t complicate it near as much as my generation but they put meat in the freezer most years.

 

[BigMonk96]

Hunting With My Less Accurate Rifles



This fall will be my 59th hunting season. I think. Maybe it will be my 60th or even my 58th. Hard to tell. I grew up on my families dairy farm where I had a year round dep permit to hunt deer. When the meat got low, I went out and shot a deer.



Life was that simple.



My best memory is that I have had 55 center fire rifles. Maybe 56 or maybe 54. Hard to be accurate getting into my mid 70’s. Looking back, a few stand proud and strong above most others.



One, a beautiful Safari Grade Belgium Browning bolt action 30-06,,,,with a French walnut stock and it’s pencil thin barrel, it was about as stable as I was after drinking too many beers and riding a 65 BSA Lightning Rocket Motorcycle. I took my desert ram with it,,,,at 125 yards. I have owned it for 49 years.



Another, is a custom 35 Whelen made on a FN Belgium Mauser action. It was the last rifle a life long friend made for me. He was a master gunsmith,,,,learned his trade on the GI bill after coming back from the Korean War,,,, limping badly,,,but with a Silver Star. With it’s 4x fixed scope,,,with that clumsy looking huge fat vertical post reticle ,,,so easy to see in dim light, it was,,,still is a thunder-stick that drops elk and deer in their tracks when I surprise them in the thick dark timber.



Yet another is heavy standard weight pre 64 Winchester Model 70 in .270. As all American as Mom, apple pie, and rolling around with Peggy Sue in the back of a 57 Chevy. Boy was the 283 a great engine. This .270 was once my grassland/antelope rifle,,,back in the days when I was a Wyoming resident and antelope tags could be bought in small bundles. I hunted the plains with it and also used to hunt with it up in high mountain meadows,,, saw lots of grizzly tracks and loaded it with those 180 grain Barnes originals,,,”just in case”.



All these rifles can be finicky,,,,blue steel and walnut stocks that dance around as the weather changes like records change at 60’s high school dance. With old fixed scopes they will never be 500 yard rifles,,,300 max.,,,!



Over these past some years,,,maybe a few decades, I have left these old friends in the safe as I bought stainless steel, synthetic stocks wonders with variable power scopes,,,,,all the way up to 3-9’s.



My Sako Finn light in .308 and Kimber Hunter in 280AI are so very accurate, light as feathers and never have an unstable moment. I have however decided that they are going to sit out this next, 59th, or 60th, or even 58th whatever it is, big game hunting season. I have some “Old Friends” that have sat in my dark gun safe for a bit too long. They need some sunlight,,,and the inch of change in POI never made a damn bit of difference anyway.



Any hunting season now could be my last one,,,my last chance, to dance around the mountains with these true old hunting partners. My two legged hunting partners are all either dead or done for,,,usually overweight, from over use of fork and spoon. I hunt alone now,,,but with an In Reach GPS Spot device,,, when I get something, I call in the cavalry,,get pack horses in for recovery. I can still hike and hunt the steep country,,,but carrying much meat out is too hard



Yep I decided from now on,,,I am saving these last “hunting dances” for a chance to pair up with these old rifles. It’s been a helluva hunting party we shared together.



Mustangs Rule.

Just had to reply and say ""THANKS FOR SHARING"" your story !!!!! I thought of so many things, as I was reading the story, that I had not thought about for years. I sometimes sit in my stand and let the mine drift back to some earlier hunts with friends and family,that are no longer with us and just smile at the memories. I may pull out a couple of the "" Ol' "" rifles and hunt next season, if I'm still above ground ?? Again thanks,for sharing, and I wish you much success on your next adventure** ________________Monk

 

[OntarioHunter]

I cannot compliment you enough on choosing a path that leads to ever increasing your skills as a hunter. Good on you. quite often i pick up one of my three Winchesters with iron sights and lament my old eyes and wish i could hunt with them again.

I toy with the idea of removing the original front sight on my model 54 bolt action Winchester and replacing it with a bold red or white bead for peep sight use. i balk at doing that, knowing it has been on there for almost a 100 years.

Such attempts could easily go south and i would have ruined the original condition of a fine vintage rifle.

So i settle by using another winchester close to 3/4 of a century old with a low power scope that matches the period,,,and getting ever as close as possible.

THank you for your fine pictures.

MR

Clean that front sight with rubbing alcohol to remove all oil. Then spray a bit of white primer in the can's cap, dip a pencil tip in it, then daub just enough on the back of the sight blade tip to make it white. You haven't changed the old gun any that can't be undone in a second. Totally unobtrusive. I did that to the front sight on my Dad's 1952 Model 760 and it's held up fine through several years of hard hunting.

 

[Muledeerchaser]

Hunting With My Less Accurate Rifles



This fall will be my 59th hunting season. I think. Maybe it will be my 60th or even my 58th. Hard to tell. I grew up on my families dairy farm where I had a year round dep permit to hunt deer. When the meat got low, I went out and shot a deer.



Life was that simple.



My best memory is that I have had 55 center fire rifles. Maybe 56 or maybe 54. Hard to be accurate getting into my mid 70’s. Looking back, a few stand proud and strong above most others.



One, a beautiful Safari Grade Belgium Browning bolt action 30-06,,,,with a French walnut stock and it’s pencil thin barrel, it was about as stable as I was after drinking too many beers and riding a 65 BSA Lightning Rocket Motorcycle. I took my desert ram with it,,,,at 125 yards. I have owned it for 49 years.



Another, is a custom 35 Whelen made on a FN Belgium Mauser action. It was the last rifle a life long friend made for me. He was a master gunsmith,,,,learned his trade on the GI bill after coming back from the Korean War,,,, limping badly,,,but with a Silver Star. With it’s 4x fixed scope,,,with that clumsy looking huge fat vertical post reticle ,,,so easy to see in dim light, it was,,,still is a thunder-stick that drops elk and deer in their tracks when I surprise them in the thick dark timber.



Yet another is heavy standard weight pre 64 Winchester Model 70 in .270. As all American as Mom, apple pie, and rolling around with Peggy Sue in the back of a 57 Chevy. Boy was the 283 a great engine. This .270 was once my grassland/antelope rifle,,,back in the days when I was a Wyoming resident and antelope tags could be bought in small bundles. I hunted the plains with it and also used to hunt with it up in high mountain meadows,,, saw lots of grizzly tracks and loaded it with those 180 grain Barnes originals,,,”just in case”.



All these rifles can be finicky,,,,blue steel and walnut stocks that dance around as the weather changes like records change at 60’s high school dance. With old fixed scopes they will never be 500 yard rifles,,,300 max.,,,!



Over these past some years,,,maybe a few decades, I have left these old friends in the safe as I bought stainless steel, synthetic stocks wonders with variable power scopes,,,,,all the way up to 3-9’s.



My Sako Finn light in .308 and Kimber Hunter in 280AI are so very accurate, light as feathers and never have an unstable moment. I have however decided that they are going to sit out this next, 59th, or 60th, or even 58th whatever it is, big game hunting season. I have some “Old Friends” that have sat in my dark gun safe for a bit too long. They need some sunlight,,,and the inch of change in POI never made a damn bit of difference anyway.



Any hunting season now could be my last one,,,my last chance, to dance around the mountains with these true old hunting partners. My two legged hunting partners are all either dead or done for,,,usually overweight, from over use of fork and spoon. I hunt alone now,,,but with an In Reach GPS Spot device,,, when I get something, I call in the cavalry,,get pack horses in for recovery. I can still hike and hunt the steep country,,,but carrying much meat out is too hard



Yep I decided from now on,,,I am saving these last “hunting dances” for a chance to pair up with these old rifles. It’s been a helluva hunting party we shared together.



Mustangs Rule.

At 67 years of age I am following in your footsteps….I have sold all my synthetic stock rifles and only hunt with rifles with walnut stocks and blued barrels. A few Winchester Model 70s and a few Browning Belgium Medallions are carried in my hands as I pursue those last few hunting seasons… More than just rifles, but works of Art. Best wishes….

 

[rogerthat]

I appreciate threads like these. Hunting was hunting back than. Good perspective to the current crop of Sitka warriors rolling around getting their instagram likes or posting videos to youtube.

 

[Don Fischer]

Maybe. My Marlin Model 60 is a nasty mountain grouse gun. mtmuley

Probably my all time favorite 22. Rather have it than most anything else. These days I no longer have one but do have a Win mod 62a. Always had wanted one and have it now. Seldom ever shoot it. Game birds should be shot at flying though. Thats why God gave them wings and invented the 28ga and bird dogs. I don't consider myself a sport hunter other than game birds. First bird I shot over a dog really got me going. It was a pheasant over my old Springer, Skipper! Haven't shot a sitting game bird since.