Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Turp`s Miller 270

What a beautiful pair of rifles. Thanks for sharing, Tom.

Beautimous Rigs <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

HBB

To all,

I would really like to thank CAS for posting this pair of rifles for me. I'll get it figured out one of these days. I would like to point out though that only one of these rifles is mine. The rifle on the left is my old Miller 270 that has been with me on so many hunts. The rifle on the right is Jack O'Connor's number 1 Model 70 in, what else, 270. He called it his number 1 rifle as he liked it so much, he had Al Biesen build him another almost identical rifle, called, of course, the number 2 rifle. Originally, he thought about having the number 1 rifle buried with him! In the end, he liked the number 2 rifle a bit better than the number 1. He didn't have either one buried with him though as he changed his mind later on and was cremated.

Thanks again to CAS.

Tom

If only the rifles could talk...

AMEN !...Those two would have some stories to tell for sure <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

HBB

Man oh man I'd like to hunt with them. Thanks much for the pictures.

For all the practicality of the synthetics, nothing beats the beauty or style of that stuff God makes.

Thanks for the pic's.

Tom,
Truly great rifles. How I would like to examine each of them! Thank you for sharing. Bill.

Beautiful rifle Tom. I own a copy of Modern Custom Guns, and notice you've got a different scope on that 270 in this photo. I'm curious as to the reason for the switch.

A couple of real classics....thanks for posting them.

Truly beautiful pieces of work/art!

Thanks for sharing.

BTW, how did you get your hands on Jack's rifle for the pic??

Chris,

You are a very astute observer, and one of the main reasons that writers like myself have to be on their toes all the time. You are absolutely correct. The Miller rifle, when I bought it from Dave, had a Leupold 2-7 scope, one of my favorites. However, it was finished glossy and the rifle is matte, plus, after all the years of use, it had several dings and minor blemishes. I gave the scope to my PH in Africa and replaced it with the one in the photo.

Huntr,

I mentioned in another thread how I came to photograph Jack's old 270. I was on a hunt for Coues deer in Sonora, Mexico, with Buck Buckner and Henry Kaufman. We were all using 270 chambered rifles, mine by Dave Miller, Buck's by George Hoenig, and Hank's by Al Biesen, Jack's rifle. Both Buck and Hank have quite a few of Jack's rifles, as they were both dear friends of Jack and Eleanor during the last few years of their lives. Henry brought Jack's Number 1 270, shown in the photo, to Mexico to hunt. He shot both a Coues deer and a Javelina with it. It still works just fine.

Tom

Thanks for sharing.

I can look at that picture all day.Very nice Turp.Love them both.

Hi Turp, great looking rifle you have there. Could you tell us a little more about it detail-wise. The barrel looks like an old style Browning 2 step barrel taper. Thanks

Tom, I remember an article you wrote in the early 90's in, I believe, GUNS magazine about the 270. It showed a photo of the Miller rifle with a couple other 270's you owned. I coveted it then and I covet it now. Truly a supremely nice rifle.

When I think of a classic custom 270 I tend to think of pre-64 M70's. But your Browning is really something else. Thanks for sharing.

Sledge,

Another astute observer. Man, I can't get away with anything. Seriously, it is a Browning factory barrel. An attorney in Tucson brought the factory Browning rifle to David and wanted it custom stocked and reworked. In those early days, David would take on such jobs. The rifle was a real shooter and therefore David saved the barrel. He went through the action from stem to stern and restocked the rifle in a nice, but not flashy stick of English walnut.

When I bought the rifle, it was an honest .5 MOA shooter with the tightest group I've shot with it measuring about half that. As I said earlier, about the best I can do with it these days is 1.5 MOA.

RickF

It probably was in GUNS where you saw the piece. I wrote a lot for GUNS from the late 70's 'til the late 90's. I still write some for them, but not as much as earlier.

Tom

Turp, I'm nearly certain I still have that magazine. I remember the rifle and the picture of a fine lineup.

When the barrel gets worse (to the point of real inaccuracy) I'd definitely have a premium turned to the same dimensions and give it a go again. I'd never be able to own a rifle like that and not shoot it as often -- and happily -- as I could. I could never retire something like that. Just me, though... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Curtis