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Several times over the years I have picked up used copies of Jack O'Connor's books, "Complete Book of Rifles and Shotguns", and "The Rifle Book".
I have passed these books on to my young nephews and other young people just getting interested in guns and hunting.
https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?sts=t&an=jack+o%27connor&tn=complete+book+of+rifles+and+shotguns&kn=&isbn=
"The Rifle Book" is a little more popular, and a bit harder to find.
I read these books cover to cover as a teenager. I found that whenever I followed the advice given in Jack's books, I never went wrong. I believe that 90% of what he wrote is still as true today as when he wrote it.
Nifty-250
"If you don't know where you're going, you may wind up somewhere else". Yogi Berra
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Rev,
Chapter 8 "Big Punch in Little Case". 9 pages. I can scan it and send. Let me know.
Wayne PM coming. Thanks.
"An archer sees how far he can be from a target and still hit it, a bowhunter sees how close he can get before he shoots." It is certainly easy to use that same line of thinking with firearms. -- Unknown
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I read these books cover to cover as a teenager. I found that whenever I followed the advice given in Jack's books, I never went wrong. I believe that 90% of what he wrote is still as true today as when he wrote it. I think most of us of a certain age probably did the very same thing. Although he wrote mostly about hunting out west, I still devoured his books while the smell of orange blossoms wafted through the window screens. And although he was primarily known for his rifle articles, I found his shotgun book to very helpful. Some of what he says is dated, but in a lot of ways it's still the same. RM
"An archer sees how far he can be from a target and still hit it, a bowhunter sees how close he can get before he shoots." It is certainly easy to use that same line of thinking with firearms. -- Unknown
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I remember he recommended sighting in 3 inches high at 100 yards to maximize point blank range. I did for years until I realized 100 was about the maximum range I could shoot.
Last edited by Joe; 12/27/17.
Shew me thy ways, O LORD: teach me thy paths. "there are few better cartridges on Earth than the 7 x 57mm Mauser" "the .30 Springfield is light, accurate, penetrating, and has surprising stopping power"
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I remember he recommended sighting in 3 inches high at 100 yards to maximize point blank range. I did for years until I realized 100 was about the maximum range I could shoot. I used to sight all my centerfire rifles in that way, and never had a problem. Now days, I sight dead at 200, unless it's a rifle with a BDC scope. Of course, O'Connor was hunting in the West and the mountains where long shots were the rule, rather than the exception. Here where I hunt, a shot can be from pointblank to 400-500 yards, with most being in the 100-200 yard range.
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Campfire 'Bwana
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I thoroughly enjoy reading anything written by JOC. Growing up, I read everything I could get my hands on that concerned hunting and fishing. I dreamed of someday going to exotic locales and spending my days and nights in pursuit of all kinds of animals. Then, along came O'Connor, and I was converted into a gun nut. I have been one ever since and the hunting part became secondary to owning, and shooting, as many kinds of firearms as I could lay my hands on.
Jack, I think, was responsible for more members of my generation taking an interest in guns than any other writer. He wrote in a clear, concise manner and explained things in a way even a 16 year old kid could understand. He, along with Havilah Babcock, Robert Ruark and Jim Kjelgaard sparked,in a dumb country boy, an interest in reading that continues to this day. Your experience has been almost a parallel of mine in terms of the impact/influence that JOC had on me when I was growing up. The first CF rifle that I bought with money that I had earned working for a local farmer was a sporterized FN built Model 24/30 Venezuelan Mauser carbine in 7x57. I still have the $37.50 price tag from Welch's Gun Shop in Lebanon, NH, in the log book for that rifle. After damaging it, from firing it with a barrel that I managed to plug with snow, well known Springfield, VT, 'smith Creighton Audette repaired and rebuilt it as a restocked and rebarreled 257 Roberts that is the longest serving of my 11 rifles chambered for that cartridge.
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Campfire 'Bwana
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I remember he recommended sighting in 3 inches high at 100 yards to maximize point blank range. I did for years until I realized 100 was about the maximum range I could shoot. I first embraced that same piece of JOC's advice circa 1967 and continue to use it for the majority of my deer hunting rifle 50 years later. Despite the improvements in technology that we've seen since JOC shared the bit of advice, it has stood the test of time and is as valid today and it was when he first offered it for the vast majority of the average North American deer hunters.
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I called him a few years before he pasted away. By way of introduction I said that we had some things in common. First of all I majored in Journalism at the University of Arizona where he once taught Journalism. Secondly I had hunted many of the areas in Southern Arizona where he had. Finally I mentioned that I had read nine of his books. His first comment after all that was "That shows you're not very bright". In my many years of hunting I have found nothing he wrote about rifles, calibers, hunting methods to be outdated or erroneous. I wish he were still writing for us!
Last edited by Desertranger; 12/27/17.
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I remember he recommended sighting in 3 inches high at 100 yards to maximize point blank range. I did for years until I realized 100 was about the maximum range I could shoot. I first embraced that same piece of JOC's advice circa 1967 and continue to use it for the majority of my deer hunting rifle 50 years later. Despite the improvements in technology that we've seen since JOC shared the bit of advice, it has stood the test of time and is as valid today and it was when he first offered it for the vast majority of the average North American deer hunters. I believe my Dad used the same JOC advice and passed it on to me and I used it until I read a piece in Rifle magazine by our Mule Deer. Now I take my Bourbon three fingers (3") high in a glass and use the following numbers for my hunting rifles Initial sight in to get on the paper - 35 yards. "Woods" range - sight in @ 50 yards = 1 inch high @ 100 yards and 1 inch low @ 200 yards. "Open Country" range - sight in 1 inch high @ 50 yards = 2 - 2.5 inches high @ 100 yards
Last edited by roundoak; 12/27/17.
You're Welcome At My Fire Anytime
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There was a Guns&Ammo special edition put out a year after JOC left us exclusively on his work. It covered a good range of his writing mainly reporting on a hunt, the rifle used and what happened.
Quite a good read if you can find a copy.
AGW Just noticed this old listing of mine. In the interests of integrity, I never heard of Jack or Outdoor Life when this edition was sold under the Guns and Ammo moniker, so he had no influence on me whatsoever. I tried the .270 myself several times but was already entrenched in the .257 Weatherby and 7x57 at the time so there was no scope for it to succeed in my rack. The other thing is that Oz is saturated in medium deer sized game for the most part, so needs were covered. These days and 4 .257's later, I have moved more to the 7mm's and 30's but still use a 7x57 as it always shined as a performer. John
When truth is ignored, it does not change an untruth from remaining a lie.
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I remember he recommended sighting in 3 inches high at 100 yards to maximize point blank range. I did for years until I realized 100 was about the maximum range I could shoot. I promise y'all it STILL works today. BobinNH was also a believer. I've been using it longer than I can remember. No need for 'Turrents' or Knobs inside 400 yds. Jerry
jwall- *** 3100 guy***
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Speed is Trajectory's Friend !!
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I called him a few years before he pasted away. By way of introduction I said that we had some things in common. First of all I majored in Journalism at the University of Arizona where he once taught Journalism. Secondly I had hunted many of the areas in Southern Arizona where he had. Finally I mentioned that I had read nine of his books. His first comment after all that was "That shows you're not very bright". In my many years of hunting I have found nothing he wrote about rifles, calibers, hunting methods to be outdated or erroneous. I wish he were still writing for us! About a year before Jack died, I was working second shift in a factory. I was friends with one of the inspectors, and he was as big a fan of JOC as I was. One night he told me that he had gotten Jack's phone number and was going to call him, and wanted to know if I'd like to speak to him as well. I laughed and said that JOC would never talk to two no-names like us. He called him anyway, and talked to him for about 20 minutes. My friends father was college professor and baseball coach at the local college, and he said that when he mentioned that to Jack, that O'Connor immediately begin to show interest in the conversation and even told my friend to call again. Sandy said that it was very obvious that JOC was a very educated and worldly man. I always regretted not getting in on that conversation.
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I'd always read Jack's piece in OL before anything else. To the point that, when I got out of the Army in '74, I searched until I found a .30/06 Parker-Ballard Mauser with 24" (not 22), featherweight contour barrel, lighter and better balanced than all the Rugchestingtons. Second rifle was a Mannlicher stocked 7x57, which has acquired two siblings along the way. We won't discuss the three .257 Roberts. JOC influence? Well, maybe a bit.
"Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing." Robert E. Howard
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I shared a hunt O'Conner in the early 60s . We had a big Swed as a guide named Bror, out of Orifino. At the time Jack was shooting a .280 and the two of them would argue a good part of the night away on the merits of different calibers. All I took away from that hunt was O'Conner could cuss like a sailer.
I don't think the two of them ever did agree on what was the best all around round for state side hunting, but I did learn some new words!!
Respects, Richard
Cat, the other white meat!
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Campfire 'Bwana
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I shared a hunt O'Conner in the early 60s . We had a big Swed as a guide named Bror, out of Orifino. At the time Jack was shooting a .280 and the two of them would argue a good part of the night away on the merits of different calibers. All I took away from that hunt was O'Conner could cuss like a sailer.
I don't think the two of them ever did agree on what was the best all around round for state side hunting, but I did learn some new words!!
Respects, Richard JOC was a sailor in the USN early in life, so I don't doubt that he could cuss up a storm. IIRC, JOC was a hospital corpsman on a pre-WW1 era battleship shortly after WW1 ended. Tell us more about the man behind the legend!!!!!!
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The 139 Hornady had gone right behind the shoulder on the right side,
There is your problem with the 7x57. I've shot a huge amount of game, some of it a lot bigger than caribou. The 139 Hornady doesn't work worth a damn on whitetails when shot behind the shoulder either, they always run 40 or 50 yards and fall in the bottom of the biggest ditch in the area. I couldn't even guess how many head I've shot with one, but it's a lot, I've shot two head twice, one my son gut shot a running hartebeest and I finished it with a .338, the other was a buck, I let it lay down, followed it up about 45 minutes later and shot it again still laying down.
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It was JOCs writings that had me try out for myself the "hard/soft" bullet issue. Hornady's were the hardest ( its why they go so fast so easily, like the Partition's "partition" is similar effect) and Speers (along with a few others, like Nosler Solid Base and some Sierras) were on the soft end. Its more noticeable on deer (to me) than other critters. From that, I instinctively knew to start very low in workups using the pure copper/pure lead bullets ( i.e Hawks, the older Barnes, Bitter- roots, etc) I learned a lot of other things, of course, but he was one of my favorites for sure.
Last edited by Jim_Knight; 01/03/18.
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I had an uncle that gave me an autographed copy of The Rifle Book when I was about 12 years old. I still have it.
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Now I just need to find a 7x57. Should go well with my 6.5x55 and 9.3x62. 😎
"For joy of knowing what may not be known we take the golden road to Samarkand." James Elroy Flecker
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Campfire Oracle
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Life Member SCI Life Member DSC Member New Mexico Shooting Sports Association
Take your responsibilities seriously, never yourself-Ken Howell Proper bullet placement + sufficient penetration = quick, clean kill. Finn Aagard
Ken
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