I've noticed as I get older, my tastes in guns and the types of hunting I enjoy change. It's funny, I guess, but I started hunting deer in 1956 with a scope sighted Remington 721. Killed my first buck in 1960 with a Remington 740 wearing a B&L Balvar 8. I later killed two bucks with an iron sighted 336 Marlin in the next few years. But when I could afford one, I bought a Remington 700 and it wore one of my grandfather's Balvar 8's. I've never gone back to irons for a big game. Small game, yes. I have and hunt a Marlin 1894 CL in .25-20 for squirrels.
But, I have stumbled on the "ideal" in an iron sighted, big game rifle. It's a pre-64, M70 in.... .270 Winchester. Got the idea from our own Mule Deer. He wrote about hunting one in his book, Obsessions of a Rifle Loony.
It's not that I haven't considered other rifles. I almost bought another M1A, for instance. But a pre-64, M70 came along at really good price, $600. It was so good looking, I cast a very suspicious eye upon it. I checked the chamber, the barrel, from both ends and the barrel crown. I'd say it either NRA Good or even Very Good. No rear sight, so what ? don't want one. Add on recoil pad, I like that. It once had a side mount. Oh, well. Plug screw holes, and glass in the gap on the left side of the action. Needs a new front sight bead, 1/16th inch, gold of course. And a trigger job. But that's it. The old Redfield "wide view" scope is to be donated along with the weaver style mounts. A new Lyman 48 is going in their place. I've got lots of extra scopes if I need to go that route.
Thanks, Mule Deer. E
