Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Weight of Jack O'Connor's favorite .270

Those scopes can work pretty well too. The straight tube scopes are relatively light (even with a steel tube) and are rugged. For big game hunting as it was done at the time, they were perfectly good as sighting equipment too. I have scopes like that on all of my own hunting rifles and have never passed on a shot where I would have taken it with a modern variable on the rifle. I have had my old Springfield, with an old K2.5, all steel and brass, out to the silohuette range a few times and can easily sight on the 300 meter pigs and get good hits.
One problem I have found with these scopes, in the field, is, when crawling through slide alder, branches can get caught between the objective and the barrel. The installation of a rear sight with a base (like a Remington 700 sight) in the right place, fixes this problem.
I have to admit that an eight pound rifle is starting to feel a little heavy. Whether it's due to damage to my hands and the resulting arthritus or just because I'm transitioning out of middle age, I'm starting to look at lighter rifles. To my real shame, I've even caught myself kind of admiring a friend's Kimber!
I grew up reading O'Connor's articles in Outdoor Life and always thought his rifles were what a rifle should look like so that's how I try to build mine. To me, balance is everything and weight, within reason, is secondary. GD

OMG!! An eight pound rifle with a fixed four power scope, and a Leupold at that!

The poor guy that owned it must have known nothing about rifles.

I bet the twist rate is not fast enough to stabilize 300 grain .277 bullets.

Amateur!!!

I think O'connor would be shooting a kimber in 6.5 Creedmore if he were alive today.

I have no doubt he would have tried the Creedmoor, that would have been necessary as an outdoor writer. To say how much he would have used it though, would only be speculation.

Had Jack O’Connor fallen in love with it in 1965 would still be a whole different paradigm than 2019. If Jack were alive today, that would be entirely different again, but neither is the case and speculation is our only resource.

I know that I would still ignore the Creedmoor regardless...

Interestingly, he did try one of the new hotshots of the day - his day, at least - the 7RM, but didn't find that it did anything that his .270 wouldn't do, so he didn't seem to be terribly impressed. As Shrap said, it's hard to speculate on what he might have said or done with the CM, but my gut feeling is that he probably would have come to the same conclusion.

Jack loved the 270...but I’ve always gotten the vibe from his writings that he secretly liked the 06 more...versatility sure but it’s also what he cut his teeth on.

He was a smart guy...he knew the 270 was what he could make his own.

His wife used a 7x57 and 06. Kind of telling imho.

I’ve read about everything he ever wrote (own most of it) and consider him the best of the best but speculation is just that in regards to what he’d like today. My guess is a pre-64 70 heavily customized with nice but not gaudy walnut chambered in 270, 7x57, 308 or 30-06. ( I throw 308 in for selfish reasons)

Practicality is way over rated

Rev. I agree. I don’t see JOC being impressed w/medium bullets @ medium velocity
over the 270 W. for himself.


Jerry

Quak,

Actually, O'Connor said in print that the .30-06 was a ore versatile big game cartridge than the .270, and that his absolute all-time favorite big game rifle was a custom Mauser .30-06.

I suspect that if he were alive today he just might prefer the 6.5 Creedmoor, partly because as hunters age they often prefer less recoil--and he'd now be 117.....

One thing you have to remember, old guys that like Jack O'Connor and the scopes and rifles he used do so because we are 'nostalgic' and traditionalists. Jack himself was an innovator and early adopter.

He bought his first 270 in a Model 54 the first year either were available. He used scopes when other people thought they were delicate toys that were 'unethical'. He was an early user of Partition bullets and hand loaded his own ammo when, as he himself said, handloaders were considered 'dangerous nuts' that were apt to blow themselves up.

When he wanted a new 270, he didn't track down some 70 year old action like we do. He went to Erb's Hardware, bought a current production rifle off the shelf, and had it restocked.

Since 117 year old guys tend to be pretty set in their ways, I suspect Jack would like the same stuff if he were still around. Hard to say what a 40 year old Jack would like if he were here today.

He may prefer a Barrett Fieldcraft with a Nightforce compact for all we know.

yes the age thing as we get older and recoil do play a part in it too, i always thought that was why Roy Weatherby liked the 257 Weatherby best as some us do too.

I'm glad to know more about you thru this thread. Thanks.

IMO you have made an honest appraisal and comparison based on the Past & Present.
Nearly 100 yrs ago, 1925 or so, NO ONE had the options available that we have today. Who says 'those' were the good ole days?

Not to mention I think you are right.

Jerry

Mule deer, thank you for the tour thru the joc center. I've enjoyed the attention that old school hunters did and the way they did them. I still like the 270 and a fixed power myself. I guess old guys get stuck in their ways. I know i have. I know modern technology is great. I think joc would have liked a 150 nosler and a good measure of reloader 26. The 150 is moving almost as fast as the 130 was years ago.

Don’t disagrees with you Mule Deer...but I always hate to speculate on what someone who’s no longer with us would think about something that didn’t exist. He did have exposure to the 6.5x55 though and he did say the only perfect rifle he owned was his 416. Alas I’m not a gun writer and apologize for my posts in this forum...but truly DO appreciate you taking the time. You have a very unique perspective and it’s generous of you to share it with us

Here are some additional photos from the O'Connor Center bash:

Mule Deer with the #2 270.



The 270 on my scale:



The 30-06 on the scale:

Great pictures Chet. Those sorta rifles are just too danged cool. Hard hunting rifles built right.

Thanks to all who have contributed to such an interesting thread. Especially to Mule Deer and ChetAF for the photos!

I'm just in awe of the wood grain and chequering on those rifles. They almost look too pristine to have been in the field much, even though I have no doubt they were.

JOC strikes me as a man who really looked after his rifles and treasured them. Thanks MD and Chet for sharing.

PSE,

I have a few custom rifles with really nice, hard wood, and have hunted with all of them. One thing I've noticed over the years is that sort of wood stands up to hunting far better than the typical softer factory walnut, partly because of the harder wood, and partly because the finish is at least partly oil-based, rather than one of the thick synthetic finishes used on a lot of factory wood, which tend to crack and chip, partly because they're applied to soft wood.

Decided to show an example, my CZ 550 9,3x62 stocked by Serengeti (now Kilimanjaro) Rifles in 2007. Have hunted with this rifle a LOT since then, and as you can see it still looks pretty good. (By the way, it weighs exactly eight pounds with a Leupold 4x in Talley rings.)