Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Am I the only person left who is nostalic about hunting rifles?

I read everywhere these days about the latest and greatest magnums. All my freinds have to have the new "loudenboomer" or they believe the deer or black bear will just laugh off the hit!!
<br>Well I have gone in just the opposit direction the last few years. Growing up out west, I learned how to shoot with a fairly high velocity flat shooting rifle( my dad"s 6mm Rem.), and I took a couple of deer with it.Tehn I got old enough to choose for myself and I upgraded to a .270. I hunted with that .270 for about 15 years and it performed well, but the last deer I shot wiht was a good example of why I was getting a little bored with hunting. The buck was a big bodied old boy who ha lost one antler in a fight9 he was just a little over 200 yrds and one shot ended the hunt. Walking up to him I realized tha although I was thankfull for the meet, I was not excited! This wasnew to me!!
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<br>That winter I was thinking about taken a few years off from hunting, but then in my favorite gun shop I found a Savage 99 in .300 sav.
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<br>I put a peep sight on this old girl, and I can consistantly keep al my shots in the heart lung area out to about 150 yards. The next year I had to start HUNTING for real gain, and I LOVED it!! Now stalking is the rule, and the shots have all been close yes I have passd up a few deerI could have easily taken with the >270, but that was the point.
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<br>I still have the .270, and love to shoot it at the range, but thesedays the old .300 gets the field time!!!
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I guess I might be a bit nostalgic, I like 30-06, and mauser inspired actions. Nothing new about either.
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<br>MM

Ya know you can do that stalking with the .,270, too, don't you? You don't HAVE to take advantage of all it has to offer every time.
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<br>I hunt moose with a .338 mag - one of them there "loudenboomers". In a pinch, I figure I'm good to 400 plus yards if I know the range - and I have points of brush, lengths of meadows etc in my hunting area stepped off to pretty close. I killed my latest moose two weekends ago - he stepped out into the wide-open meadow from the brush 160 yards away to my antler raking, and put on a show for us for half an hour, raking, grunting, feeding, more raking and grunting and calling, looking for the "other bull" messing in his area. When he got tired of that and headed for his bedding area, past me, I put a 250 grain Sierra Game King into his spine, four inches behind where it hooks unto his head, at under 40 yards.
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<br>I usually carry my Dad's '94 in .30-30 when out "just walking" Haven't killed a thing with it since I reaquired it about 10 years ago, after not having seen it for the previous 25. Had I known how it was going down for meat season, I'd have used it - took my first moose with a Marlin 336, in fact, more than 30 years and 20 bulls ago. Must be about time again, tho I have a strong urge to try my .45 Muzzleloader on the next one. Man, I hate packing 2 or 3 guns around back in the weeds like that!

Although I have a stable of latest/greatest, I still enjoy using my 30-30 and 250 savage when conditions allow. I have an old marlin in 32-20 that I intend to shoot a deer with as soon as I get close enough. I've taken it out only a few times and just couldn't get inside 50 yards. I've even shot a few deer with my grandfathers goose gun using buckshot. Never was too impressed with it, but I would guess about 50 deer have fell to it.

I love my 7x57 mauser and am anxious to hunt with it all the time.
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<br>My 'loudenboomer' is my newly acquired 30-06, and before that my 357 Magnum rifle.
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<br>those are my nostalgic rifles of choice.
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<br>of course when I feel like davy crockett, out comes the 50 cal flinter...

I guess what I mean to say isI like the way the old Sav makes me feel, and act. When I have the .270, I subconciously set up scenarios where the shooting is more important than the hunting. Like taking a stand with 300 yards of veiw, or worrying so much about getting my buck, that I forget to have fun. That doesn't happen to me with the older rifles/cartridges. Then the total expeience is what counts for me. I know that is a mental thing with me, but fun is fun and the more modern type rifles( I know the .270 is80 some years old but it is the same idea) just make it more like a job to me.
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<br>I have nothing against the magnums in fact they have many advantages in many cases, especially with really biggame. This is probably just another phase for me any how, but while it lasts it sure is fun getting to know these old guns. I think a Remington mod.14 in .35 Rem may be next on the list to try( my gun shop has 3 to pick from!!!)

You have just matured as a hunter. That is the reason I and so many others go into the Methods stage of hunting. I elect to hunt with a muzzle loading rifle or bow and arrow at times to put the challenge back into the hunting. Many will argrue loudly this next point but that is also why I have extended the range at which I shoot deer. Muzzle loaders, archery, long range rifles and scopes, hand guns, these are all different methods of hunting. Some involve stalking and getting close, some involve highly specilized equipment and skills. But all are methods hunters can use to put the challenge back into their hunting. I have no problem with anyone choosing his method as long as they know the limitations of their equipment and their skills and work within those limitations. pds

A iron sighted Model 99 in 300 Savage is my heavy weather, snow gun, for those snap shot times where I can only see 30 to 50 yards or sometimes less
<br>While I am a magum fan, I find I do enjoy those times in thick woods with the big flakes coming down and the good solid feel of that old 99. Somehow it does change the entire hunting experience.

DaddytomH, I have been hunting with the ole Thunderstick for a lot of years and have killed a bunch of animals the old fashoned way. Now days my knees are in pretty sad shape not to mention the rest of this old guy. my hunting buddy moved to montana and there is no one left to muzzle load with. Ok so now i am back to modern rifle and what is it I am using...well a round that is in it's second century the old 6.5x55 Swede. my rifle is a semi custom but of the old style. Four power scope, wood stock, blued metal. Yeah i have a lot of modern loudboomin monsters, 458, 338 and others but the old 6.5 tops them all for accuracy. And I think the cartridge is the best proportioned to look at as any around...kind of a weird way to pick a round but thats the way I did it.
<br>What did they do before stainless steel, 24x scopes and plastic stocks. I bet the rifleman took care of his gun out of necessity. A lot like the old days of black powder.
<br>Better stop now I'll have nightmares about plastic stocks and stainless barrels
<br>Oh well I'm working on putting together a carbon fiber barreled 6MM PPC with a 4x scope and ultra light stock.
<br>No tradition here.
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<br>Bullwnkl.
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I generaly hunt both big and small with some type of lever action firearm.
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<br>My favorites are my marlin 1895 and model 39A.

DaddytomH,
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<br>Maybe you should start hunting dangerous game, because when you do, you'll get excited real quick again on those hunts. The only downside to this, though, you'll need a "loudboomer" magnum.
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<br>las,
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<br>Congrats on the moose. How big did he go? I'm still out searching for mine.

Nope I hunt with a 6.5x55 and am also looking for a 250 savage or 257 roberts the 6.5 has great sectional density just a great cartridge, I think Mr J Belk the Maestro Gunsmith on Huntamerica.com got it right when he said
<br>"American shooters look for velocity when we should be looking for performance"
<br>Now I don't have to worry about bears over here but there is no need or requirement for me to burn twice as much powder to shoot any deer, chamois, thar etc, if guys choose to use magnums thats ok with me, leaves more rifles that I like on the racks to pick and choose from.

You have rediscovered what I never lost. My love of the hunt always exceeded the final kill, yes the meat is a BIG plus, but the chance to roam the woods and be one with nature is the crowning glory to me. I hunted with a '94 in .32 Win SPL and an '86 45/70 most of my life, took one Elk with a .50 CVA cap lock "Frontier Carbine". I now hunt hog from a buggy or airboat as I can't do the walking thing any more, so use a Rossi 92SRC carbine in .357 to keep it interesting.

First deer rifle I ever owned was a 1920's vintage M94 32Spl SRC with Sheard and Marble's sights. Still carry it on occasion. Also hunted as a kid in the late 50's/early 60's, with my Dad's VZ 24 bring-back and killed a doe with it a few years ago, still with it's crappy military sights and @#$% straight bolt handle.
<br>I'm partial to M98's in 8x57 and lever guns, but do yield to technology and fadish things from time to time and whack a deer at squintin' distance.
<br>Deer season to me, is blued steel and walnut rifles that reek of Hoppes #9 and have a bit of history to 'em.
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<br>But, I am prone to backslide if not watched closely.

Mine was my Great Uncle's, he let me use it on my first deer hunt and I took a nice meat Buck with it and he gave it to me on the spot. I will cherish it till I pass it on to one of my kids. Too many great memories in it, and it has taken quite a few deer since that day long ago for me as well.
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<br>Some things just go beyond money.

The newest gun in my immediate family would be 99C bought used a couple years ago. The rest of our rifles are the old Savage Mdl 40 & 45 in 30/30 & 30/06. These were made between 1928 and 1941. They're heavy, but fabulous rifles to hunt with. Even our shotguns are vintage Savage side x sides or O/U except for the couple of old 30 cal carbines and a Win mdl 12, 12 gage that my youngest son just loves to hunt with handed down from my father. My neice deer hunts with the 30/30 Mdle 40 handed down from my grandfather.

Yinz oughta contact Savage. Maybe they'd like to feature your clan in a magazine ad. Might embarrass 'em into making the M99 again while yer at it.

dubePA,
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<br>The people at Savage don't care about the classic firearms of the past, they only care about the stuff that they sell today.
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<br>I have been told, but do not know personally, that a fellow named Ron Brown wanted to start a Savage Collector Club, like the Mossberg one that is run out of MO, but the current Savage management hierarchy didn't want anything to do with it and even threatened to litigate if he used anything that had a Savage brand. I believe that the fellow who runs the Mossberg club, Vic Havlin, gets quite a bit of support from Mossberg.
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<br>Sincerely,
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<br>Bearrr264

I'm putting the finishing touches on a 350 Rigby Magnum built on a VZ-24 mauser action, stocked in walnut. The 350 was introduced in 1908, 4 years before the 375 H&H magnum. Original balistics were 250 gr @ 2400 fps, I'm pushing them 2700 fps, which is easily done with modern powder and moderate pressures. My contention is it is enough gun for any NA species within 300 yds, though I prefer to get closer then that. With a 2.5X scope, it will group 3 shots at ~3/4" at 100 yds. I haven't affixed irons yet, but would expect to be able to group 1 1/2" @ 100 yds.
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<br>No, there really isn't much of anything new these days, just new names and packages.

Darn shame, if that's the case with Savage.
<br>I give some credit to Marlin, Remington and USRC for at least attempting to recreate some of the old classics to meet customer demand.
<br>Never owned a M99 but have shot a few. Had a chance to buy one from an ol' feller a few years back with the rotary magazine, in 300 Savage, but passed on it.
<br>Saw one this summer in my favorite shop for $375 in 308 and damn near tumbled on it. Forget which model it was but it had the detachable mag and was fairly minty.
<br>What even got me more interested was a Marlin 45-70 cowboy, used, for $450. That loooong octagon bbl caught my eye.
<br>Latest oldtimer I passed on was a Marlin 336 SC in 35 Rem. Undrilled, with the old-style fat walnut forend and "half" magazine tube. That one almost went home with me. Some days I wish I was rich instead of handsome.