In a recent conversation I had with someone they mentioned that they were going to sell all of their rifles that were less than 50 years old and just hunt with ones that were at least 50 years old. At first this may sound a bit insane to think of but the more I think about it, it really isn't as far-fetched as it first appeared.

In this day in age of having the latest technology I thought it might be interesting to see what vintage center-fire rifles folks here still use and if such rifles would fufill all your needs for the hunting you do. Lets make the cutoff anything before the year 1960. This will make them about 52 years old.

I'll start with mine that fit that scenario. I won't include several rifles I have that are based on military Mausers and Springfields actions because they are heavily modified from their original condition.

Winchester Model 70 in 270 Win made in 1958
Winchester Model 94 in 30 WCF made in 1949
Colt Coltsman in 300 H&H made in 1959
Winchester Model 71 in 348 WCF made in 1948

I have to admit that these four would easily cover all the hunting I do or ever have done. It might not be as much fun as having all the latest goodies but it is certainly doable.

What about others of you?

Grandpa's '52 M70, 300 H&H Improved...

Interesting concept but that'd put nearly all LH bolts out of the running as there weren't many of those made then.
I'd be happy running Savage 99's but I've sold all of mine over the years.

Tanner, I love the honest wear on your Grandpa's rifle! It seems he was a bit of a looney too going with the improved version of that ancient warhorse.

Oldest rifle I use on a pretty regular basis is my 99 Savage take-down in .303 Savage. I have used it to take deer, caribou and (with the .410 accessory barrel) grouse.

You know, he was the only handloader in my family I believe, Ken. My dad ain't into it, he's a bowhunter. My Grandpa and my Great Uncle had twin rifles with back to back serial #s and they had the same treatment done, by a fellow by the name of Bishop in CA. I'd love to have my uncles, too... I never met my Gramps, he died when my Dad was 17, so it's cool to have a piece of him like this.

My ol' man has killed legit truck loads of game with this rifle! 300 H&H A.I. has an almost identical water capacity to a 300 Winny...

IMO, rifles have only become more easy to mass produce. Rifles could be plenty accurate back then and were available in chamberings to take any kind of game. I'll be darned if I get rid of my Montanas though.

.45-70 trapdoor 1884 Springfield
9.3x74R German double rifle (pre-WWII)
.358 Win. Savage 99 Featherweight (1950's)
.300 H&H pre-'64 M70 (1954)
12x12x.30-30 Sauer drilling hammer gun (at least 100 years old)
16x16x6.5x57R Sauer drilling (late 50's)
6.5x54 Mannlicher-Schoenauer carbine (early 50's)
.257 Roberts Remington 722 (early 50's, my grandmother's rifle)
.257 Roberts custom 98 Mauser by Bill Sukalle (1947)
.25-35 Model 1894 Winchester rifle (1898)

Have hunted with a number of other rifles over 50, and have sold too damn many. A few others are here waiting their turn.

1953. And yes, I do hunt elk with it.

Alan

Husky FN import '06....1950's.
Husky FN import 9.3x62....1950's.
FN import '06......1948.
JC Higgins FN import .270...1950's.
Husky 1640 .243.....daughters rifle......1950's-1960's?????
....and the ones that have not been hunted with...
Sako FN import '06...1950's.
JC Higgins FN import '06....1950's.
FN import .300 Win Mag.....late 1960's.
and one that I no longer own.....1951 Win mod 70 .300 H&H that was rechambered to .300 Wea........bought it that way and had it rebarreled to .338 Win......that was my go to for 10 years.

I've posted many of these pics before, but here goes...
1936 Ithica 37 16 Ga


1899 Springfield 1898 30-40 Krag


1911 Savage 1899 .303 Sav


Unknown year Winchester 69 22 LR


1936 Savage 99 250-3000 Sav with weaver 2.5 in Stith mounts. Killed a few antelope with this rig.


Just for kicks I still use the knife my great grandfather carried as an Idaho wolf and bear hunter in the early days...


I've got more, another Savage 1899 in 22 HP I hunt coyotes and bunnies with, a Savage 99 in 300 Sav I have killed a couple deer with as well as more I am forgetting.

I do love them ol' rifles.

Tanner, thanks for posting a pic of the ol girl finally......I've been wondering what she looked like.....Pretty sweet ol rifle....

Thanks for looking pal. I know it's tough on my pops to think about his old man, and it bums me out to have never gotten to spend time with him, but this rig sure helps! Shoots, too

Two centerfires, one rimfire;
1. 1958(?) Custom .458WM on Mauser action
2. Sporterized 1917 Enfield (Eddystone) in .30-06, barrel marked 8-43.
3. Winchester Model 74 (1950?)

Ed

Rem 722 300 Sav
Rem 721 35 Whelen
Husqvarna 51 12ga ( my fav. duck gun)

Darne R-11 12ga (fav. upland shotgun)

Lafever Nitro Special 20ga (custom skeet gun)

Comes close

Browning Superposed Lightning 20ga (early 60's)
Win 101 12ga (pre import0 early 60's

1952 model 70 257 Roberts Standard grade
1939 model 70 30/06 20" barrel
first year production model 721 30/06

My deer the last couple of years have been taken with a first model Newton (ca 1917) in 30-06. It has the peep on the firing pin.
--Bob

pre-64 Model 70's made in the 50's.
243 Standard
30-06 Featherweight
264 Westener
270 Transition
220 Swift Standard
Model 12 in 16 gauge
Model 12 Featherweight in 12 gauge
Model 1893 in 12 gauge
Marlin 39
3 Mossberg 22 LR rifles
Browning Superposed Lightning in 12 gauge
Model 12 Remington 22 LR

Let's see that would probably take in several of my rifles and shotguns. Move up to 35-40 years and you'll cover at least 2/3 of what I consider my main firearms battery. Most of my stuff is late 60's -70's vintage . I don't consider these old at all. :^)

Pre 64 M70's...mostly.I see no handicaps.

I will throw this one out there.My dad bought this .270FW in 57 at Ft.Bragg PX.Gave it to me when I was 12 or 13,it's had a bunch of scopes and kilt a truck load of deer...

rilfe: Nice! Wish my father had hunted

Colt Colteer 22
Colt Coltsman 30-06
Browning Superposed 12 gauge

I don't own any rifles made after 1960. Come to think of it, my newest one is a 1943-dated Mauser. Two of the rifles I hunt with pre-date WWI:
Savage 1899H .303
" 1899H .22 HiPower,
and the rest fall between WWI and 1935.

I have hunted with my Springfield Armory 1952 M1 garand. I took my first deer with it this last deer season. I also squirrel hunted with my Iver Johnson 410 that was my dad's first gun.

358win

M92 Winchester in 38 WCF, 1906
M94 Winchester in 32 Spl, 1924
M98 Mauser (sporterized) in 8x57, 1939
M1903 US Rems in 30-06 (one orig/one sporterized), 1942
M336SC Marlin in 35 Rem, 1951

All of the above have taken deer, most of them within the past 20 seasons and all are still regularly hunted with. The newest rifle I've taken a deer with in the past 30 years, was made in 1977 and that's the one I used last season.

I need to find something "born" in 1946, so's I can hunt with something that's as old as I am. ;O)

Great thread! Thanks to Idared for starting it. Wish I could list more than a Marlin 39 Mountie from 1957.

I mostly hunt with a 1952 vintage Mod 70 FWT in .308, killed lots of deer with it, but I also have a FWT .30-06 that I haven't hunted yet, and a standard M70 in .270 and another I hadrebored to .35 Whelen. Killed some deer with the .270, but not with the .35 yet. I also use my dads 1962 vintage Marlin 336 in .30-30 that shoots like a house afire and an older model 64 that's my iron sight .30-30. add a few old .22's in there, and a an Ithaca Flues in 12 ga. for birds, and you could say I like older guns.

Savage 99 EG (1950's) 300 Sav.
Pre-'64 M70 (1957) 300 H&H
JC Higgins 30-06
FN Commercial Mauser - not sure on age though always assumed it was a 1950's vintage. It was restocked and rebarreled before I bought it - 270 Win.

Interesting thread to say the least. Sort of reinforces my basic belief that there really hasn't been much improvement in guns and cartridges over the past 50 years or so. Optics another story but rifles and cartridges not so much.

Rifles: Pre-war M70, .270-1938
Marlin 336, .30-30-1948
Marlin 39A Mountie .22-1958
FN Mauser Commercial .30-06- late 50s
Remington rolling block, .43 Mauser-1880s?

Shotguns:L C Smith double hammer 12 from about 1900 Wife's
grandfather's, still works fine.
Browning Superposed 20 pigeon grade-1962
Browning A-5, 12 -1963 (be there next year
Winchester 42, .410 from the 50s

Handguns:S & W hand ejector .32-20-1919 Wife's
grandfather's. Nice!
S & W .357 UNREGISTERED-1940
S & W . Model 28- 1962
Colt 1911 Commercial .45-1947
Ruger Mk I .22-about 1960-61

There may be a few more.. An old fart with lots of old stuff, jack

Mannlicher Schoenauer 1903. Points wonderfully.

Hi pard -- have a great 4th! Which is a pretty good subject for now...

1951 722 .257 Roberts, with about 20 successes since I bought it in 1982.

Then I have some "fun" varieties, like 6.5x54 Kurz, 9x57 Mauser, 9.3x57 Husqvarna 46, and 8x56 Mannlicher-Schoener. No game from them,but maybe sometime.

But mostly, these days, I've been hunting with Rugers, and they're way too new...

Have a good one -- tell your wife "hi" for me.

Dennis

Some of these look pretty modern to me.

Here is one from the 1870s or '80s.


And here is one from my oldest, the 1820s or '30s.

Many thanks Dennis. A great fourth to you and yours as well. We hope the summer treats you well.

P.S. - We won't hold it against you for using Rugers!!
If memory serves me right you have a pre-64 Model 70 that falls into the older than 50 also.

Thanks...appreciate it.

Took the 1951 .270 M70 to Montana last fall, and ended up selling it to a friend there. Made some $$, and under the conditions, was a wery good trek. Kind of sad, but a good move on both sides.

Dennis

1873 winchester 38-40 "28" octagon barrel made in 1887
1894 winchester 30 WCF deluxe takedown half octagon half magazine made in 1902
1899 "G" model Savage made in 1926
Model 70 winchester featherweight .308 made in 1952/54 not sure without my notes
I love hunting "old school" up close, no scope. Have yet to even shoot at a deer more than 50 yards away. If they are farther than that they need to be stalked. Do I have to let some get away? Yup. Just my personal take on hunting.

I assume you are talking complete rifles;

1917 250-3000 Savage TD
1936 Model 70 SGD, 30 Govt,'06
1953 Model 70 FW, .30-06 Springfield,
1960 Model 88, .308 Win -Dad's. I sold my .308 M99...dumb.,
Early Remington 740 Jamomatic in '06. Junker
.30 Carbine
SKS
Marlin Mountie

I can do everything I need with those. Actually, I did until about twenty years ago. My wife has ruined me.

Sporterized or built up from immediate post war actions;
Winchester 1917 rechambered to .308 Norma and sporterized.
1940 FN Military action barreled in .35 Whelen.
1941 K-98 Mauser action with a .243 Winchester barrel.
1940's Commercial 98 barreled in 7 x 61 Sharpe & Hart.
Just missing the cut is a Musketeer commercial 98 in .308 Norma.

I could happily hunt old rifles, but I'll pass on the old scopes and old bullets.

Hi,

1-DWM Original Sporting Rifle. 1896. 7x57
2-Mauser 1935 action-1912 Barrel. 7x57
3-Winchester 70 1954. .375 H&H
4-FN-Akah 1960(52 years!).30-06.

This is my Big Game Rifles Set.

PH

1908 Mannlicher-Schoenauer in 8x56MS
1950 Mannlicher-Schoenauer in .270
1949 Marlin 336
FN Mauser, 1914 in 7x57 (Ackley)
Ted Williams Mauser in .30-06 dated around the mid fifties.

I have a 721 in .300 H&H that I could probably hunt all my big game with. I have no idea when my M99 was made, but it still has the brass spool magazine.

Looking for a 16 gauge Model 12, from about that era. I guess a 20 would be cool, too.

Cripes - can't believe I forgot my Mexican Mauser 7x57...sheesh

A few deer with a 1950's 99 Savage.

And a doe with a 1896 Krag:

For me it is the stock designs...Mostly I don't care for them.

I buy a lot of classic stocks.

I really enjoy these. Thanks for posting them.

Haven't hunted with anything younger than 70 years of age for about 7 years now. This is the main provider, he just simply gets the work done. 1945 Savage 99EG in 300 Savage.

I bought a Rem 721 in .300 H&H a while back and it was made in the month I was born... 62 years ago this month. I watched Gunbroker for quite a while before one with a date code of OWW came up. I plan to carry it elk hunting this fall with Nosler partitions, no less.

1949 M70 30-06 is my only hunting rifle. My wife uses a Rem 721, surprise, in 30-06.

Can't seem to find enough reasons to pry my wallet open for something else.

Sadly, I am nearing the point where several that I purchased NIB are approaching that number.

Damn, a lot of old timers shooting old rifles around here....

1946 Mossberg 44b - .22
Swedish Mauser - 6.5x55
1927 Breda Mannlicher Schoenauer sporterized - 6.5x54
1930 Steyr Mannlicher Schoenauer carbine (original) - 6.5x54
1952 Steyr Mannlicher Schoenauer - .270
1914 Enfield p14 - .303
1943 Lee Enfield mk4 noI Long Branch - .303
1954 Lee Enfield mk4 noII Irish Contract - .303

Pretty sure I've never owned a bolt-action younger than the 1954 - just don't see the point.

1940's BRNO 22F 8x57

Hunting with the old ones is something I really like doing. My list would be longer if I hadn't screwed up and sold some I should have kept.
Remington model 14 35 Remington 1920's
Commercial Mauser 1898 small ring in 8X60

Savage 99 (1953 EG) in 300 Savage. It was my dad's and the first centerfire rifle my brother and I shot.
Converted (very nicely) Swedish 6.5X55, one of the old/rare ones actually manufactured in Germany.
Husqvarna 1640 in 30/06.
Marlin bolt action 22. Dad bought it used in 1954 while working highway construction.
Plus a Fox 12 Gauge (I know ...not a rifle) ; Philadelphia gun
Savage 99F in 300 caliber

What's the big deal with hunting with rifles that are 50+ years old.

Just think of the handicap of a new rifle, hunting with a hunter that is 50+ years old. Aches, pains, lesser eyesight, painful joints, etc. all make the rifle's job harder!

Custom FN Mauser 9.3X62
FN Mauser 30-06
Husqvarna "FN" 9.3x62
Custom Carl Gustov M96 Mauser 7x57
JP Sauer pre-war Mauser Sporter 35 Whelen (rebore)
Walther Model B Mauser Sporter 7x57
Walther Model B Mauser Sporter 8x57
Custom Erfurt Mauser 8x57
Custom 1956 Win M70 358 Win
Custom 1938 Win M70
1958 Win M94 30-30
1936 Rem M34 NRA 22 LR

Winchester 62A 1939
Winchester Model 70 .30-06 1939
Winchester Model 12 16 ga. 1939

The above came from an estate sale about 30 years ago.
Those below are gone, but I still have not figured out why I sold them.

Winchester 94 25-35 1905
Ithaca Model 37 1960's
Winchester 1895 .30-40 Krag

I like hunting with the old stuff because it makes me "hunt" more rather than just shoot a deer. I have to get closer, be quieter, and stay still. It to me is very similar to the way I bow hunt and the range is limited more by my skill rather than how far I can see. My scoped 308, that I have great confidence in, just seems to give me too much of an advantage. I don't question what friends hunt with but I have found that I really look forward to a hunt knowing that my Remington model 14 is going to be what I take to the woods.

Remington Model 141 in 35Remington. Made in 1950.

Man..I like that gun.

Win-94 made in 1959 and it will still bring home the vinison

I do too!

Forgot one of my favorite rimfires, a Winchester 62A.

Have also acquired a few older centerfires lately that need working out, including a Remington Model 8 .35 Remington, and a Winchester-Lee Sporter in 6mm Lee Navy.

I use a few old timers, all European except the Marlin:
Brno 22F bolt 7x57mm
Brno 21H bolt 7x64mm
Brno 21H bolt 8x57mm IS

Marlin 39M lever .22 LR

Merkel 211/231E O/U combo W/16x16 - 70mm and 2nd Barrel set 16 / 7x57R

Sauer Drilling 16x16 65mm 8x57JR

Oldest I've hunted with is a 71/1784 11mm Mauser. Never shot anything with it but carried it quite a bit in Texas for whitetails and in Idaho for Mule Deer.

Beautiful rifle Super cub.

My model 14 was a rust bucket special with a perfect bore, no real pits just a nice even dusting of rust and a cracked stock. $39.00 out the door of the gun shop. To me it was the perfect project. About two years later I was finished with it and Remington just wishes all their 700's were as accurate. It has a new lease on life, many enjoyable hours at the range as well as in the woods and a nice eight point taken at about 25 yards.

I just love the old ones, especially if the condition is bad enough so that you don't feel guilty cleaning it up and putting it to good use. Doesn't hurt if it's cheap too.

My youngest son has brought the ol' family Model of 1917 out of semi-retirement and into the hunting fields again over the past couple of years. The old .30-06 still gets it done.

That reminds me of a couple others I forgot about. Years ago, my Dad had a '03 Springfield he bought as a teenager and Grandpa had a '17 Enfield. The only modifications to those rifles were sporter stocks and receiver peep sights. Both had original military barrels and my Dad always talked about the pitted bore on his Springfield. When I started hunting in the early '70s, I used Dad's Springfield to shoot my first two deer while he carried Grandpa's Enfield.

Here are my oldies:







1950 Steyr Carbine in 8x57 Mauser
1948 Winchester Model 71 in .348 Winchester
1921(?) JP Sauer & Sohn Sporting Type B Rifle in 9.3x64 Brenneke

Haven't hunted with the Steyr yet, still fiddling with sights and loads. The Type B Mauser was re- chambered and re- bored due to a ring of corrosion, originally 8x57.

Thanks ... I'd been looking for one of these for a while but wanted one without any extra holes on the wood (swivels) and receiver. Took a couple years, but this finally showed up at a local gunshop. Big bonus with the Lyman sight.

.

I know this one isn't 50yrs old, but it is 40 and look at the condition! Where has this rifle been for the last 40yrs?

Never scoped, almost mint. No extra sling holes. The action bars, mag and muzzle look new. Code says it was made in Dec. 1972.

You will notice a few small water spots in a couple pics. Not pitting, but there was a very light rain while I was taking these pics.

Paul







[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v469/2439candace/010-2.jpg[/img]
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More of the same .....

Old rifles, pistols, and shotguns are fun..sold all the 99's, but one that were 50+ years..it would go too, but belonged to a dear friend..but those I still use include a couple Rem.: 521T and a 513T, my dad's model 69, my father in laws model 72..moving away from 22's some others include:
94 carbine in 32 spl...(my dads)
94 carbine in 30-30..(my neighbors)
336 Marlin in .25-35
Sako .222 (?)
Win. model 54 in .30-06(my grandfathers)
My favorite 700 in .300 is not far off.....
Scary, age is catching up with me faster than I realized

43 years old and usually gets at least one deer a year. This was my first center-fire rifle, and though many others have come and gone, this one will always stay.

It certainly has outlasted the leather sling I bought the same day...

Posted before. Flaig's FN Mauser marked '55, 7x57, Douglas, Timney, Leupold. Everything I like...

This is my 722 Remington that was Mike Walker's favorite hunting rifle. It was his 257 Roberts.



I haven't had an opportunity to shoot it yet.

Here is a picture I found of a few that I shoot from time to time when I want to go retro. The top is a Winchester 94 in 30/30 made about 1897. The next is a Winchester 1886 made about 1916 in 45/70. The next is my Remington model 14 in 35 Remington. The last is a small ring 98 Mauser in 8X60 probably made between WWI and WWII. All of these get time in the woods during deer season, but I have to admit a preference to the Remington model 14. That thing comes up to the shoulder like a fine shotgun.

I currently own a Remington 720 from 1941, a 1950's era J.C. Higgins on a Husqvarna action. Both are active hunters. I also own two Husqvarna 1900's that are getting close to 52 years plus.

My Husqvarna .30-06's aren't 52 years old yet. But they were made in the early 60's and they aren't far removed from that 52 number. They are all I plan on hunting with this year.

I would like to thank all who responded here. There have been some realy neat rifles described and pictured. They bring back lots of memories.

While I have nothing against the later and more sophisticated rifles of today it has been great fun for me to see all the older classics still in use today still getting the job done. I agree with what some have already posted that optics of today are superior to those fifty years ago but rifles, not nearly as much.

Many thanks

I hope your last post wasn't to shut this thread down, this is a great thread and I love looking at these fine old guns. My most enjoyable hunting rifle is a Frantz Sodia O/U in 348 win. I'm not sure of the year of production but believe it was made in the 50's. It shoots better than I can and is easy to cary. I also have a Winchester 71 deluxe that I have better luck with. It shoots just as good but when I cary it I usually see deer.

No, I was just trying to say how much I appreciate those who posted about their older rifles also. My hope is that others will do the same. Pictures are always nice too.

My old 582 Rem 22LR isn't quite 50 yet but was my 1st gun of any kind in the mid 60's.
The M99R 250 Savage the family got me on my 50th birthday just happens to of been built in 1953, same year I was born. I hunt with it more than some of the more modern rifles in the safe.

The old timer in my small collection is a M94 Marlin made in 1906 chambered in 25-20 WCF. This one has a Williams 5-D receiver sight, has a liner to replace the nasty bore it once had, and shoots cast bullets like a house afire. Plenty of rabbit and squirrels have been taken with it, as well as a whitetail buck.

Just doing some sorting and cleaning. I think these all qualify.

Very nice!!!

Lot of great stuff posted...

My short list of dream rifles all qualify for being 50 yrs old or more...

older than 50 yrs, I have a 1903 Action, that needs a barrel and stock... a beloved 1917 Enfield action... Win Manufactured, with 1918 stamped Rem Barrel... an 1898 Krag Carbine Sporterized..

4 different Model 98s, pre WW 2 made, and one 1946 Turk...all 8 x 57

a 1919 made Swede in military furniture still, in 6.5 x 55

a very early Savage Model 24....

a 1893 Marlin in 25/20....

I believe my dad's .308 Savage 110L with the humpback barrel was pre-60 and as my daughter is the only lefty that is her deer rifle. I also have my dad's late 50's Win model 12 that he special ordered from the factory with a 30 inch vent rib trap barrel and a field stock.