Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Winchester Collectors Tribute to a very well deserving classic...

Well, I know you guys have your favorites and so do I. I have contemplated (for a long time) starting a thread on this particular rifle since I've had the most fun with it: So here goes. I've hunted it every year for many years now. It's been my "go to" for deer hunting and I've also carried it for elk hunting a few times. I'd like to show you guys what it looked like when I got it and the phases it went thru as I've owned it. I've agreed to sell it to a member here who has asked me about it a couple times. The only reason I'm selling it is because I know it's going to a great home and I have a decent pre 64 model 70 fwt 30-06. I'll then finally be down to 1 30-06 rifle after all these years of having multiple 06's. This rifle has been excellent in every way I can think. It has always shot sub moa groups for me and I can't see anything wrong with it, contrary to the many stocks and scopes I've had on it. You'll get a laugh about how many different stocks and scopes this thing has worn . If any of you loonies have a rifle like this one, please share your stories in this thread. Thanks for keeping the Winchester collectors fourum fun and interesting!!!!

Rifle: 6 digit classic sporter 30-06

When I first got the rifle it looked like this. It was topped with a Nikon 4.5-14x40 buckmaster in a one piece Leupold base/rings:


I later bought a very nice Bausch and Lomb elite 4200 2.5-10x40 from RDfinn and installed it on this rifle:


The first groups fired with that scope on the rifle:




Changed stock to a factory Tupperware. The wood stock just didn't fit me well:

I remember glass bedding this one was a biotch since I wanted the forend to be stiff, so I glass the forend of the stock and freefloated it:
[img]http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x401/chiefbsa/008-21.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x401/chiefbsa/010-22.jpg[/img]

The stock was a little heavy with all the glass I added ... ... But the rifle shot lights out. Still...

Figured I'd give the Talley lightweight's a try since everyone here swore by them...:
[img]http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x401/chiefbsa/001-77.jpg[/img]

Had the metal cerakoted sniper grey and painted the Tupperware stock:
[img]http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x401/chiefbsa/005-57.jpg[/img]

Continuted:

Went back to the Nikon buckmaster scope, but it looked too long and it added weight, so that didn't last long...:


Tried it in a cool left handed thumbhole stock for a while. Wasn't bad, but it was very heavy. Nice for shooting off the bench, but I'm a hunter and this was my main hunting rifle so the stock didn't last long ... Middle rifle in the funky stock:


Next, I painted the Tupperware a really funky green color (sorry I got rid of all those pictures ..) and put a Leupold VX3 3.5-10x40 with CDS on it. The leupold took a chit so I took it off.

Here's a great load the rifle likes. I don't think I've ever loaded a "pet" load for this rifle. I've always just used my other rifles pet loads in it and it's just driven tacks!! This is my pre 64 fwt 30-06's pet load, but this rifle likes it:



Next stock I had this rifle in was a nice light Bansner. It was a great stock, but was too slick for hunting use and it was a little too light. Balance was off. I also switched the heavy Nikon 4.5-14 for a 3-9x40:


I really found out I didn't like the stock during a rainy elk season:

After carrying it around by the scope for a couple days I knew I didn't like the stock and the top heavy feeling it gave the rifle...

Decided I like the factory Tupperware better because it balanced better and felt better in the hands. I painted it a darker brown this time. This is actually a different stock that doesn't have all the bedding compound in the forend. It's lighter than the last one, but still shoots lights out:


Needless to say, I shot a nice little buck with the rifle last year and yes, it was wearing a different scope: Burris FFII 4.5-14x42 in a set of medium Talleys :
[img]http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x401/chiefbsa/IMG_1186_zpsb2b2b407.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x401/chiefbsa/DSC00098_zpsd2a78f65.jpg[/img]

Sorry, no pictures of the buck. The rifle looked better, so I took a picture of it instead

After deer season, I decided the Burris was too heavy and big for hunting, so I switched to a Zeiss 3-9x42 with the Z600 reticle. I also switched the Talleys out for some Leupold DD's. I believe these are lows:
[img]http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x401/chiefbsa/IMG_0171_zps60ae8365.jpg[/img]


And here the rifle is now. Waiting to be sent to it's new home:
[img]http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x401/chiefbsa/IMG_0311_zpsohqfdhbm.jpg[/img]

Sorry about being sentimental with this one. It's been a great rifle. I know you guys think of me as a pre 64 snob/loony, but I do appreciate a good classic every now and then too....

Sorry guys, but a thread like this deserves target pictures!!!!

Here's how the rifle shoots:







Forgot to mention the trigger on this one is beautiful and adjusted down to 2.5 pounds. I really like the wide trigger shoes on the classics. They are very comfortable to shoot.

Down to ONE .30-06? Oh no! Say it ain't so!

Loved the photo essay.
Bob

Ha ha... Yep, I can't hardly believe it myself. I sold one of my favorites to EricM here a couple years ago and now this classic is going to a good guy here as well... I was getting bored, so I figured I'd share this rifle with you guys. It's one I don't talk about too much here.. Glad you like the photo essay Bob...

BSA, Thanks for all the work and effort putting this information together for all of us. Good stuff.

BSA I think you change stocks and scopes like I change my socks and underwear I have a tendency to put a scope on a rifle and NEVER change it and since I prefer wood stocks my Pre64's all have their original stocks. You have a lot of history with that rifle and I think you will miss it once it's gone.

I just bought my second 06 from WinPoor a STD pre 64 transition gun. I have a FWT but have never been an 06 fan. No real reason I just used other calibers. I did mount a Elite 4200 3x9 on the 06 however and will try to get it out for deer season but need to work up a load for it first.

Thanks for the thread, diversity is a good thing be it with various stock/scope combinations or my favorite multiple rifles.

VEry nice BSA!

You know people rag on the tupperware stocks but I have ran three of them for over 16 years, up and down mountains, on 4 wheelers, etc... and never had a problem. A little bedding and free floated they shoot lights out.

Someone here is getting a very nice rifle!

Nice story and pics, BSA.

Very nice BSA. That looks like a great hunting rifle right there. I know they aren't always pretty but I have had nothing but excellent luck with my Classics..

Well hopefully the next time you guys see it, it will be with a big bull moose or a nice Nelchina Caribou out of unit 13 or load it up using some good 180gr partitions or the proving 180gr accubonds or might live dangerous and use the 190gr hornady btsp and go find me a nice interior brown bear. I'm not a sheep hunter and chasing mtn goats is a little to risky for this guy. So no pictures with any of those

J, you are going to love this rifle. I'll say this in front of everyone here. If you are not happy for any reason. Please send it back to me!!!!! I will miss this rifle, but know it will not let you down. It would be the rifle I'd want to depend on for a big bear hunt etc..... I know you won't get this rifle for a little while, so I figured you'd appreciate this thread...

Really great tribute, BSA. Thanks for posting this. I really enjoyed it.

J, congrats man!! I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy my '51 '06, also bought from BSA a few years back. Pre-64 30-06 = home run!!

Eric

I will probably put a 3-9x33 leupold on it. Good news I get back from this deployment end of the year and Idaho has otc cow elk tags in December my buddy has found some farmers that will let us hunt on as well. So this bad boy might be the one going. But I have a 270WSM in stainless featherweight classic I like to try it out but I also have a 7WSM too but what about that stainless classic in the 7 mag I just picked up but I do have that stainless featherweight I had rebored to a 338 wsm. Now I think about it I have the stainless classic in a 375 H&H... But did this 06 make all them irrelevant?? Well except for the 375 H&H

Nice thread BSA ! I know what you mean about these guns, an airline Capt, shooting flying buddy rode over to Thomasville GA with me in early to mid 90's, A big old gun shop had just gotten a mod 70 Sporter Classic in with the BOSS, it had nice wood and I had been reading up on the BOSS concept,I knew enough about tuners and muzzle brakes to say heck its a buy, leupold mounts and VX11 3x9, box 2 boxes of Fed prem 165 gr BT and I was set, We rode back to farm ,airstrip and range, I mounted the base ,rings and scope and we walked out to bench after reading the BOSS flyer and set the BOSS on 2 for the 165 gr BT's, 4 shots later I was in the black bulls eye, 2 more shots were a perfect all 3 touching each other cloverleaf, 7 or 8 shots later yielded 7 or 8 whitetails! My only fuss was the brake would blow you ears out! No kick at all to speak of ,My buddy tried to get the gun from me for the next 10 years, a beautiful gun just like it came up in supergrade and I bought it, sold the lucky tackdriver . I had harvested between 20 and 30+ deer with that gun, since my pal Chip talked me out of it he, his young son and daughter are stacking the whitetails up!
Fantastic gun! Guess what the Supergrade has never shot as well as that gun!
Sometimes you just get lucky! very best WinPoor

Nice story winpoor. Thanks for sharing buddy. Hope you have a great weekend. It's going to be hot here. Already 115 today...

Good post BSA.

donsm70

115…? Where are you?!

Eric

Where BSA is from its always been hot as hell. You could come off the flats out of the farm country and drop into Columbia gorge and I swear the temperature rose 10-15 degrees.

Been thinking about this rifle and thinking maybe should try 165 partitions as well.. Looks like BSA has a good baseline with powder and that is IMR 4350 not a big fan of it cause it meters bad but if that's what works I will stick with it no need reinventing the wheel on this. in the past few years I have grown to like the Barnes TSX as well might try the 165's as well.Or start stocking up on 180gr hornady spfb bullets. So many choices here.

I've been using H4350 as well and really like the powder. I notice I don't get the velocity swings with it as compared to the IMR. Not that I see a huge fluctuation with it, but 100 fps in varying temps is not at all too uncommon. 79S, the nice thing about this rifle is it will probably like damn near any bullet you put into it. I've never seen this one be finicky. It's been one of the easiest to please rifles I've had. Probably one of the reasons I've always felt comfortable packing it around while hunting. I'm weird in that I need to feel confident in a rifles ability to place bullet in right place and this one always does that. I can say that there's only one time this one let me down and it was while shooting off sticks in the Carl Ross postal match. Everthing was going perfectly and I was finally kicking my 270's azz with the rifle and everything fell apart on the sticks. I don't know if it was because the rifle just didn't feel right on the sticks or if it's because I don't really like shooting off sticks. Never have. Growing up in Nevada taught me to shoot from the hind legs and get good at it if I wanted to put meat on the table. None of this sitting down chit because the sagebrush was too high anyway

One more picture to show what I'm talking about with the Carl Ross postal match:

Great thread and story. Thanks for sharing.

Jeff

Thanks for the photo essay. Gives lots of options to gaze at and think about.

Update: 79s just got the rifle a few days ago and I think he likes it. Eric, I'm glad you brought up the std wt pre 64 30-06 because these 2 were my favorite 30-06 rifles. Both are extremely solid, accurate, dependable rifles. I'm glad you guys ended up with these rifles because I know you and John (79s) will take good care of them. Lets wish John some good luck on his up and coming elk hunt. I believe it is next week. He'll be packing this classic then. Shoot a big one buddy!!!! Hey Eric, don't forget to post some pics of the 338 after you get it too. These 2 rifles were a long time coming

Best of luck on your hunt, John! You'll be well equipped should you see a good one!

I've really enjoyed the '51 30-06, BSA. It's been such a solid, dependable rifle. It's my go to rifle, and being a 30-06 it's versatile as heck. I love it, and am looking forward to adding the '59 338 Alaskan to the collection. Pickup is on Dec. 1!

Eric

bsa: This thread displays the same schizo approach to rifle modification we all suffer. Great thread here!

Many here will be drooling over that 338!!!