Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Going Retro, thanks MD !

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

Glad to "inspire" you!

One of my rifle-loony tendencies is to enjoy and appreciate hunting with all sorts of rifles, from "historical" iron-sighted rifles to the latest super-accurate bolt-actions with dialing scopes. And luckily enough, even since entering my late 60's, I can still shoot irons well enough to not only take big game but small varmints, though admittedly not at vast ranges. But then I couldn't do that when 12 either....

Old military rifles with iron sights are fun to shoot. I have a Garand I like to shoot.

I to have M1 Garand that I like to shoot and did take a deer with it a couple of years ago.

358win

A trend that I admire as well.
An old friend lent me an old 1899 300 Savage, with Redfield peep, for some swamp grass hunting whitetails. 50 yards would be a long shot in this stuff, trees are rare. The rifle turned out to be just right. When I attempted to return it, he refused and gifted it to me. In the last 4 years I have cleanly taken several whitetails and a moose with her.
My 15 year old grandson is using a 700 in 270 that I bought in the early 70's. That rifle has been on a lot of hunts, and got the job done back when I hunted on a shoestring budget and didn't know any better than to use a 270 for any big game that came my way. Due to JOC influence, my sole extravagence, even back then, was to load Partitions. It seemed to get the job done. That rifle is now on its 2nd barrel and 4th stock and a pile of memories.
On the other hand, I have a S. African friend visiting that wanted to hunt some of our local whitetails, so I set him up with my 700 CDL 35 Whelen. He seems to enjoy a big bang shooting 250 gr Partitions over a case full of Power Pro 2000. Overkill is just right.
That loonie thing does seem to keep life interesting.

I have an old #4 Mk I Enfield that's been rebarreled to a version of the .35/.303 AI, which has about the same case capacity as the .358 Win., but can't be loaded as hot due to deference to the old less than bank vault strong action. It's not finished yet, because I can't find a good sporter stock for it. I have a scope mount on it and an old steel tube Weaver K3 with P&CH reticle that ought to do anything I'll want or need to do with it in the woods, I think. If I can just find a good semi-finished stock for it, it'll be my go-to rifle for the kind of closer in hunting I have now. If anyone knows who can provide me with a good sporter stock, maybe in the English style (?), I'd appreciate knowing a good source. Great American Gunstocks used to make some nice wood for the Enfields, but they were bought out, and the new company doesn't make Enfield inletted stocks any more. (sigh)

I also have an old 32 ga. SxS shotgun that fits me better than any shotgun I've ever handled, but one side is choked full cylinder, and neither barrel will throw much of a pattern at any distance. Still, it could be fun ona dove field where they're flying low and not very far out. Getting a 12-bird limit would be a LOT more challenging with it, too.

Like in many things, the rifles we come to love don't always fit the run of the mill role. I've got a blueprinted long range M-700 and dialable scope, but rifles are like puppies. Sometimes you run across one that's so ugly it's cute, or maybe they just steal your heart with the substance they have. Being a rifle looney ain't easy, but ..... it does have its rewards!

Quite so. E

Yes they are. My son bought a Mosin about two years ago. That thing is just fun to go out for the day and shoot. I have one at my mom's house along with an old Mauser I need to get back to Alaska.

Due to the oddities of local game regulations and my hunting situations I've gone from two white tail buck tags, three doe tags, and one bear tag down to a single buck tag and bear tag. This has eliminated my opportunities for using odd stuff like metallic sights. I used to enjoy this a lot, but can't spend the opportunity to fill a tag on having to pass up shots. I'm glad to see some still using hunting rifles with metallic sights.

Love going retro....JB's article on the 1886 a few years ago prompted me to buy one when the opportunity presented itself. I love my Jarrett for sure....but every once in awhile, I love going retro.

Been using this (.270 Win M70 from 1952) for hunting lately and having mucho fun with it. It has a vintage Lyman 4X and the older, steel Redfield Jr mounts. I load it with ancient Silvertips (I have a bunch) and kill stuff. Going to use one set up just like it (.30-06 loaded with 180 grain Powerpoints) for the annual pig hunt.
Bob

I'm not sure if this applies but my Savage 99 (.308 win) purchased new in 1960 is still all original....no scope....and It shoots quite well with irons. It's simply a fine nostalgia run to hunt with it. It has fired less than 50 rounds in it's career.....ammo marked $5.49 on the box attests to it's age and low round count......but it can still get the job done and with grand style.

my eyes are getting old so I need a scope for longer shots , for the last 15 years I have went to using a single shot rifle a Ruger #1 with a scope. I can only tag one buck in Minnesota my home state so I may not even shoot every year, I have a self rule when I hunt 8 pt. 2 1/2 year old or older,my old stand is on my land by the Canadian border in a tamarac swamp were the big boys like to hide. I don`t enjoy the walk to my stand and to get a buck I have shot out of there I use a J8 Bombadier my dear friend allows me to have for the deer season. I do like good accuracy so a scope for me works best always on my rifles.

I just bought a Marlin 1895 Cowboy and put a Williams receiver sight on it. I had no idea going retro was a current trend

I to have joined . Pulled out my 95 Winchester in 30-40 and loaded some 180 gr. cast and surprised myself. With the Redfield peep I shot a 4 shot 2 inch group.

I started hunting with this gun but that has been many years ago.