Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Winchester Collectors Stalking rifle, untangle my head please.

Calling on the pre 64 Model 70 hunters, owners and collectors please, i need help getting something out of my head:

Rifle #1, standard rifle in 300 H&H, all factory.
Rifle #2, standard rifle in 270 Winchester, very slim custom English walnut stock.

300 H&H wears an old gloss Leupold 3.5-10x40 AO in a set of S&K rings/bases.
270 Winchester wears an old gloss Burris straight tube 1.75-5 in Conetrols.

I have Lyman receiver peep sights for both and have switched each back and forth between the peeps and scopes several times, it's crazy.

Have around 250 rounds loaded for the 300 with 220gr NPT's, also have 200gr NPT's and A-Frames for it.

The 270 has about 30 rounds left with 150 NPT's with 150gr Grand Slams and 400 Norma Oryx 150gr bullets on the truck for today's delivery.

Both rifles with glass or irons are more accurate than i can shoot them, especially in the field off sticks/tree/pack.

If you guys were to have "one" stalking rifle for clearcut jump hunting whitetails and possible African plains game to 200 yards which setup would you choose?

Or leave them be and hunt both with scopes? help me get this idea out of my head completely or set one for stalking, i don't know why this has bugged me for so long, it may have a lot to do with barrel sight hunting Sharps rifles with paper patch and black powder.

Thanks all in advance.

I would be in the 270 camp myself. I have seen your 270 and while your 300 is great as well, the little 270 seems like a nice rifle to rest in your paws doing what you are describing.

I run lyman aperture sights on my model 70s. Don’t like scopes unless they are mounted forward of the receiver.
I would hunt your 270 over the 300 because it’s handier.
I got to shoot a friends 300 super grade a while ago. Very nice rifle, accurate with just the barrel sights. He sold it at the Winchester show. He has another 300. Pre war, reblued but not padded. I will hunt with it and maybe buy it. It won’t replace my featherweights though.

I would pick whichever fits you better. IME Jumping deer is a lot like hunting quail over a flusher, you want the rifle that is going to come to your shoulder and give you an instant sight picture.

Thanks Big B, i agree, that stock is the slimmest i've ever seen, any scope i put on that rifle looks ridiculous, completely overpowering the trim build, bet a man could do alot worse than 150gr Oryx bullets at an accurate 2900 fps over H-4831 SC.

Frank, yes, part of my problem is rifle/cartridge overlap, i have a very cherry pre-64 FWT in 270 Winchester i would sell, that way all the 270 W brass would be dedicated to this stalking rifle, those 300's sound very nuce, i hope you buy one.

Blacktailer, thanks for that info, i need to take that test, quite sure it will be the 270.

I need to see if Pacecars will post some pics of the rifles, leaning hard for the 270 being the one so far.

Man, those sound like very nice rifles to me, and set up nicely. My only thought is about the AO on the 3-9x40. On a quick handling rifle, I try to stay away from AO's. You know me though, I'll run a Burris FFII 3-9x40 on all of my rifles. I've used them a lot though, and turning the power ring to adjust magnification is second nature. Where's batue on this?? We need another shotgunner to respond. Back in the day, I hunted a lot of running targets, I also shot trap competitively. Shoot with both eyes open, for quicker target acquisition. I'm sure you do that already, especially when you are hunting animals that hunt back!!! With this being said, you are the best judge in picking out what is the handiest rifle scope package. I keep things simple, mostly because it works very well for me. That by no means implies that it will work for you, or anyone else, buddy. I'm with you though, I like a set up where I know I can make the shot. When out in the field, I think often that all I need to do is see one. That is 99.9% of the battle. Making the shot and the equipment you use, isn't even really a concern for me. Yeah, I know. I only shoot off a bench and punch paper. What do I know? ha ha...

Thanks buddy BSA, speaking of overlap, i had forgot the old 300 H&H wears a 3.5-10x40 instead of 3-9, pretty sure that's a felony in this state ; ]


The A0's have never been a problem with hunting for me, if walk hunting i just set at 100 and can quickly shoot to 200 if need be with no accuracy issues, farther out while glassing and running a range finder a man has plenty of time to range and adjust, i bought some of those Burris FFII on one of the sales you guys posted about, handed em out to guys to get their kidsscoped up and out shooting.

I think the littlle 270 will get the nod, i cant think of an angle on a whitetail deer where the 150gr Oryx or Grand Slam wont reach the vitals, i will admit, if i get screwed on a really big whitetail buck i'll cut this crap out and just use scopes, we all know we can't hit what we can't see, even us paper punchers!

Our old buddy Beretzs read the post and had mercy, he's going to post up some pics of the rifles in question here, the 270 really is a slim trim one, Thanks Scotty, i appreciate it greatly Sir.

Thank you kind Sir!

The Oryx or GS will hammer deer. Or elk. Or moose.

Not even a chance.

No problem at all. Pleasure seeing good rifles.

Have chased PA and NY bucks for the last 43 years (stalking, sitting and everything in between) with a 270 and 4X Leupold. It’s always been up to the task, never needed or wanted anything else.

Good to know about those bullets Beretzs, especially if pressing the 270 into heavy African plains game animals, 900 lb tough Zebra or 1 ton Eland bull would be a real test.

BTW Big B, that long open grip on that 270 would fit your catchers mitt paw like a custom made knife handle, may be another feature for quick shouldering stalk/snap type shooting.

Thanks Poconojack, that's good to know, i have a little gloss 4X leupold here, considered putting it on this 270 but the Burris is even smaller, the pre-64 FWT 270 wears a gloss 2-7 Leupold, man that rifle needs to go to someone that will hunt it, i have let it sit in the safe for far too long.

I’ll hunt with the 300 this fall loaded with 250 grain Barnes originals. Ought to make an elk stick his tongue out!

I like the sounds of that 270 Gunner...

Frank, you aren't kidding, that is cooler than the other side of the pillow!

Let's see that 270 Gunner!!!

Leave them be with the scopes and find a 30government06 in a prewar Winchester model 70 with Lyman 48. That is splitting the difference and works as your “cruising” rifle.

Hell yeah Frank, those old pure copper/lead Barnes originals would make a bull hunch up hard for a short death crash, good stuff.

Thanks again Big B, it's a cool little stick.

LOL NYRifleman, maybe Scotty can post some more pics today if he has time, or PM me your cell and i'll fire you off a half dozen.

Kaboku68, great idea, the old '06 with 200gr NPT's, A Frames or 220 NPT's will lay low big animals for sure, neat setup, if i wasn't trimming down that'd be a great setup, in fact and iirc Justin out at pre64win.com has the very same rifle, i think a 1938 model '06 already notched for the old Lyman 48, it was around 2200 bucks i think, great classic pure woods hunting rig.

Leave the scopes on both. Flip a coin, take the winner hunting and the loser as backup.

Nice rifles btw.