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

Thanks MD, you have a definite point, last evening at dusk i took the 270 out back and had a seat on the firewood trailer, looked at some 150 weight red and black calves at 200 and 245 yards, i could have pulled off the shots in the open field with receiver peep, the calves in the fencerow cedars and shadows would have neen NO shot at all with iron sights.

I turned the little Burris up to 5X, could see plain as day, damn sure something to think about, firearms safety of course first and foremost, but, we are afterall out on any hunt there to "kill"

LOL! damn BSA bud, man i mentioned it earlier, if i get my ass busted by a sure enough big buck by not being able to make a clean shot due to naked eye iron sight shooting i'll surely be done with tradition with bolt action rifles and iron sights, that would put a permanent cap on this chit Bud!


Thanks Test, i agree, the small bores would be my first for African plains game, lets see, the smallest bore lightest bullet weights to the largest i've used in Africa:

270gr BBC, 375 H&H
400gr Woodleigh, 400 Whelen
400gr A-frame, 400 H&H
404gr Hammer, 458 WM
480gr DGX/DGS, 500-450 Nitro
500gr TBSS, 458 WM
528gr paper patch, 45-70 Sharps
750gr paper patch, 50-90 Sharps
750gr TSX/Banded solid, 577 Nitro

Dang Sir, writing all that i have went and spooked myself, i may need to lower my minimum for African plains game to 338 cal and 250gr AFrame, then see how it goes.

Funny stuff Bud, i bet that piece of brass and recovered bullet got packed up and stowed during your move, i have a couple nice 338 WM's, but Test does have a point, thinking my old FN Browning Medallion 7mm RM may be a good sensible minimum for plains game, i use 175gr grand Slams in that rifle over H-870 powder for 2940 fps, it's flipping funny as chit, huge BOOM with fireball and smoke, horrible fuel mileage and dirty to boot LOL, but heck man, it's accurate as hell, i know there's better powder and bullets, it worked then, it'll work now, just like the two piece Redfield steel bases and engraved rings, hell, even the old gloss Leupold holds an accurate zero.

All joking aside, the 175's should provide an exit for blood trailing, but, have seen from more than 50 years of hunting, a solid hit in the vitals and NO animal goes far.

The old '71 isn't going anywhere either, cool that you're hanging on to the old 375 Winchester, they do hold a special place ; ]

You're exactly right old buddy, that 7x57 with 170gr Oryx and 160gr Northfork flat nose solids for fun would be a perfect mate if i swing the deal on a 1956 Super Grade 458 WM, i'd use the old SAMMI load at 3.340 COL driving 500gr Partitions at 2155 fps and 450gr BBW#13 flat nosed solids a hundred fps faster, all would hit the salts post haste.

Good info TSIBINDI, Thanks, i do have a load with 150 NPT's at 2925 fps, or could even develop a new load with 150gr Oryx or Speer Grand Slams, i joke around having fun, any good bullet in the vitals from a 270 Win. would do the deeds.

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.

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 tried using my grandfathers big bore 94 375 Winchester, one day, and an early morning buck eluded me. I tried to find him in the shadows, looking through the peep sight. No bueno. Never took that rifle hunting again!!!! That was in the dark forests of Oregon.