Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Old time rifles still get it done

Love old M37's!

Ya gotta love friends...

Until 2007, I hadn't gone big game hunting since 1980, when I was 15 and heading away to school. I loved bird hunting and continued doing that until a few years ago when birddogs died, kids arrived and time evaporated.

Then, a few years ago I watched an elk hunt on TV and decided I needed to do that. A gunsmith told me my Dad's rusted old Winchester Model 100 in .308 would be too expensive to get in order so I bought myself a slick Hawkeye in .30-06 and started to handload. Every year since I've headed out with the same nucleus of pals and we've largely been unsuccessful on both deer and elk. On great wine, gourmet meals and extremely raunchy discussions, we've excelled...it's just that the quarry hasn't been joining us in all the fun.

I'd been looking forward to this year's true spike hunt in central Washington so was going to pass on mule deer this year. My pals suggested that was a poor decision, reminding me that as a shutdown federal worker I had time on my hands...those reminders contained lots of compound words with the sound of "ucker" in them. Naturally, I caved.

But as I packed up for the Okanogan, I didn't bring the .30-06. Last winter, my buddy up the street, a completely insane rifle nut, started grinding on me about fixing the old Model 100. So, I did. A complete over-haul...recalled firing pin and spring, new slide springs, and even a tidy little bedding job. I plopped a 60's-era Leupold 4x on top and, wouldn't you know it, the damned thing turned out to be a shooter, throwing 150 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips into cute and perfectly serviceable little 1.5-2" groups. Big fun!

Naturally, I decided to take the 49 year old M100 on the hunt. At 7:30 on the morning of the third day, as my pals squeezed an aspen-lined draw, I dropped the very hefty 3x4 below in its tracks with a lung shot as it was hauling ass, quartering away from me at a handy 60 yards.

Knowing what they do about my Dad and the significance of using his old gun, I don't know who was happier, my friends or me!




Attachments
Deer body pic - compressed.jpg (392 downloads)
Deer pic 1 posed.jpg (432 downloads)

Nice work Blueneck!

to all who have shared their fine old rifles in this post, thank you much. I've really enjoyed your tales, pictures, and experience with the old time rifles. I never mentioned my favorite ones: the rifle I've used most in the past 10 years or so is a 1952 vintage model 70 in .270 with a refinished stock. Not fancy, but very functional. My wife's only rifle is a little .257 Roberts built on a 09' Argentine 98' Mauser action stocked with a pretty piece of curly maple. Both have Leupold scopes: mine a 2x7 bought new many years ago and her's a fixed 4x that my father bought new. Probably my greatest hunting thrills in the past 5 years or so has been to be with her while she took her first doe, and then her first buck with that rifle, both one shot kills. I was waaay more excited than she was !!

Hopefully, some more folks will share a story, or pic, or both from an old time rifle still getting it done. Another big thanks to all !

ruffed grouse

Nice!

I don't think I own any rifles.

If the interest was old shotguns, i have a few. But the only rifles I own are the new AR-15 in .450Bushmaster, the muzzleloader i haven't yet used, and the Glenfield model 60 .22lr from my father.
Very well done on the deer, congrats.

Holy crap, that was one hell of a buck!

Very nice.