Looking for something to read the other day I pulled out "The Hunting Rifle" by Jack O'Connor and read it for the 3rd or 4th time. Published in 1970 and containing some material previously published in Outdoor Life it's an interesting glimpse of things 50 years ago. While Jack is forever linked to the 270Win, in the book he spends some time on it but says repeatedly that it is no better than any number of other cartridges and that the 30-06 is probably the best all around NA cartridge. He was also quite fond of the 7x57 which Eleanor used to great effect and says the 375H&H is the world's most useful cartridge.
In the book he also states that double rifles are dead and that the 257 Rob, 9.3x62, 250-3000, 300H&H are all obsolete or close to it. Jack didn't anticipate that modern CNC equipment would make manufacturing less popular calibers almost as simple as calling up a program or the nostalgia of us rifle loonies.
Some of the info on scopes and bullets is dated but the balance of the book is quite informative and JOC is always entertaining with the many hunting anecdotes used to make his points.
I have that book also. The thing that stood out to me was him writing about multiple shots on game that would make most modern hunters choke before either denouncing him or explaining it away as he was a product of his times. All in all it is a great book.
