I decided to see what I could find in the safe, that needed to go deer hunting this fall. When I was a boy this old timer was always the rifle that fascinated me, in Dad's old fashioned glass windowed gun cabinet. I learned at an early age it was a .25-06. It has the longest & heaviest barrel of any of his rifles, I'm guessing the equivalent of a Shilen #4, 26" long. Dad had bought it in the 60's from a coworker who needed money. Possibly it even preceded Remington's standardization of the round in 1969. I am told it was short on the headspace, when Dad got it, and had to be re-reamed to allow factory ammo to chamber.

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The barrel is not stamped with the chambering, which always makes me suspect the smith was an amateur. The stock is a Fajen with a faux-Weatherby Monte Carlo comb. No clue what flavor of Mauser it was; all the markings have been removed from the action, except the serial number...which does not match the bolt. A steel Weaver K4 is mounted, and seems to work fine. The barrel is floated, and the action glass bedded. The trigger remains as it left a German factory. I have since learned it is a 1 in 11" twist, so I'm going to try 110 Accubonds first, then 100 Partitions if the AB's don't shoot. Factory 115gr Win loads with Ballistic Silvertips did so-so on accuracy, when I was fireforming loads.

This old sporter will never be anything but a sentimental favorite. And also a reminder of a time when millions of WWII vets splurged a little and built themselves a deer rifle, starting with surplus guns, generic wood stocks, and barrels of unknown origin.

"...the designer of the .270 Ingwe cartridge!..."