Old School Rifles that are Still a Favorite for Hunters

Am Shooting Journal ^ | 11/24/2017 | K Alberts

[w1n1]

Guns are much more than guns to die-hard hunting folks. Sometimes they help define the love of a family as grandfather passes their guns from one generation to the next. And, more often than not, the gun that is cherished the most as a symbol of tradition and collective wisdom is the “humble deer rifle”. The following hunting rifles are no longer in production yet still find their way to the the hands of hunters who value both tradition and well-design sporting arms. Maybe this is what the newer generation rifle lacks.

Savage 99
Savage’s Model 99, preceded by the 1895, was the first hammerless lever-action rifle in mass production. The reliability, accuracy, and appearance of the 99 have made it both a classic and a practical gun for hunters. Well ahead of its time, the internal rotary magazine and brass round counter defined the rifle and allowed use of both higher powered rounds and also the pointed bullets that tubular lever rifles could not.

Winchester 54
Winchester’s Model 54 is regarded as the company’s first mass production civilian bolt action center fire rifle. Though the two-stage trigger pull wasn’t the greatest, its Mauser action was incredibly reliable. Produced from the mid-1920s until 1936, over 50,000 Model 54s came off the line. The Winchester 54’s particular value here is as the predecessor to the even more beloved Model 70, which would top this list were it not in current production. Because the Model 54 was made in the era of iron-sighting, its bolt throw is too high to allow for simple scope mounting. Read the rest of old school hunting rifle here.

[wjcsux]

I have a Browning Safari made in the early 50’s chambered in .375 H&H. What an awesome rifle! I inherited it from one of my uncles who hunted in Alaska.

[MileHi]

Building those rifles had to be fun though. The first rifle I ever bought, a 700 .06, is still my go to rifle. I have shot MOA groups with it. But all the others, like a restocked Enfield 17 reamed to .300 H&H are fun, had it fixed to cock on open and a Timney trigger. I can get 1 1/2” with 200 gr partition handloads. Not bad for an old .06 barrel. {:0)

[umgud]

Super versatile caliber. Will have one soon, maybe a Mauser.

[JayElBee]

My favorite old hunting rifles:

Weatherby Mark V 257 WM early model
Remington 742 my first real rifle 30/06
Winchester 94 30/30
Browning BAR 30/06
Savage 99 308

[umgud]

Nice spread. I really like the BAR.

[ought-six]

1903 Springfield.