Time to bring out the old man in the green pickup story again. Have posted this about three times before but it bears repeating. And yes, this actually happened.
About 1977 I was going to Utah State U. One early fall day several folks were at a range alongside US 89 south of Logan, Utah, sighting in our rifles before hunting season. We were all making those final 1/2" adjustments to the point of impact on our high powered scoped rifles, me with my .25-06 #1 and a Redfield scope. You know, fire three from a solid rest, tweak the scope two clicks, fire three more, one more click windage and so forth.
A beat up old green pickup pulled up and a "grizzled old timer" straight out of Central Casting gets out. The pickup probably dated from the late '50's or so, the old guy had stereotypical grey stubble, sweat stained hat and clothes, etc. He took a big cardboard box to the 100 yard line, looked big enough to hold a stove or maybe big console TV. No aiming point, just the box. When he got back to the firing line he fired three shots - offhand - from a Model 94 .30-30 about as equally grizzled as he was.
When we went to check targets he had about a 12" triangle of a group square in the middle of the box. "Lookee there, Martha", he said to the lady in the pickup cab, "still shoots where she did last year."
With that he got in the truck and drove off.
As I drove home I passed a ranch house with that same green pickup parked out front. On the barn were nailed more deer and elk antlers than I had time to count driving by. Basically the front of the barn was covered with them.
Now, just circumstantial evidence, maybe he was just visiting someone, but I tend to believe that that old timer had shot all those deer and elk with that same .30-30.
I always wondered how folks ever shot game when a factory rifle that put three shots into 4" was about standard.
They knew how to hunt close.
Gunnery, gunnery, gunnery. Hit the target, all else is twaddle!
