Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters O'Connors flat bolt Mauser

I was just reading some Jack O'Connor, and he referred to an early rifle of his as a "flat bolt Mauser." Not being a Mauser expert, I have grown curious. Was this a "butterknife" bolt handle, or just a flattened bolt handle with a knob on the end as I am used to seeing? Thanks for any input...not a life or death question but mere curiousity.

It was a Mauser action with a butterknife bolt handle. Barreled to .270 by Bill Sukalle, and stocked by Alvin Linden. Jack said he killed more head of game with this rifle than any other he owned. It was his 2nd .270, first being a Winchester 54.

Anderson's book Jack O'Connor says he shot his last Bighorn Sheep with this rifle in 1944, and his first Dall ram in 1945. Quite a few pictures are available in copies of Jack's books.

I knew someone here would be able to answer that question! Thanks, Grandview, I will look for pictures in the O'Connor books I have access to.

whats a good book to read on O'Conner?

The biography by Robert Anderson is good, but I prefer to read O'Connor's own work...and it is all interesting. I really enjoyed "The Last Book" as he recapped his career, with some very interesting stories. If I had to choose which to start with, I'd suggest either "The Rifle Book" or "The Shotgun Book." I have also read his autobiography, "Horse and Buggy West," and it's a good read, but hard to find nowadays. If you read lots of O'Connor, you will find some redundancy between the books, but that is ok. I think "Classic O'Connor" is still available, and it is a collection of his writings that is pretty good.

Hi 300 Savage I see that we have the same handle, I am 300Savage, you got the space. I also have many Jack O" Connor's books and have enjoyed them and frequently refer to them in my quest for knowledge on rifles and hunting. Best Regards, 300Savage

Good to meet you....looks like you had the handle first! I chose it as it was my dad's and uncle's rifles, and the cartridge I shot my first (and a few later) deer with many years ago. I bet you have a similar story. My dad told me that in the 40s people felt that a man with a Farmall M could farm the whole country and with a .300 Savage Model 99 could hunt anything that walked. Guess they are both classics!

Sorry for butting in I just purchased a mauser 2000 and have no info on it its chambered in 243 thought you guys would know something about these there's no info online

Best to start a thread here or in Hunting Rifles. You question will molder and rot in this thread.

Thanks for the advice new to all this online stuff

Damien,

The Mauser 2000, 3000, and 4000 series of rifles were all built for Mauser by the German maker F.W. Heym. When the contract with Mauser expired, Heym made some modifications and reintroduced the series as the Heym SR-20, 30 and perhaps 40 series. The series was successful in Europe, particularly in Scandinavia, but only moderately so in the US. They are nice rifles. They were discontinued about fifteen or twenty years ago.

TT

I've been waiting, but no one has said it yet, so here it is:

O'Conner either couldn't shoot from prone or couldn't shoot from prone in the cold, or couldn't shoot in the cold at all because of that bolt handle. Many in the tacticool crowd, and even some others who wouldn't wear that label recently raised their voices to this effect. You need the equivalent of a billiard ball on a gear shift to effectively work a bolt.

There. I said it. I'll get the marshmallows out.