"Old Rifles"

[Jackal66]

My 20 year old Son decided to deer hunt with me this year.
He has a Tikka TX3 .308 & a Howa 1500 .308.
He took the Howa a couple of times but said he needed a quick follow up shot
We went to the safe and got out my Dad's old 742 Woodmaster Remington 30-06.
My Son got his first deer that evening.
My Dad died before my Son was born, and they never saw each other.
I know that Dad would be proud to know that his grandson is taking deer with his old rifle.
That 742 is probably an early 70's model.

 

[Uphills]

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My late great uncles model 54 .270 that his wife bought him brand new in 1937. Never been modified in any way. Through the years he shot 37 elk and 13 grizzly bears with it. They didn’t keep track of deer and antelope. I want to shoot a whitetail buck with it next season.

Thats a beauty. The .270 do it all rifle.

 

[COJoe]

I was blessed to have gotten my grandfather's 1917 Eddystone in .30-06 a couple years ago. The serial number says it was a 1918 build. At sometime it was sporterized and it has a flip-over 4 x 31 Campco scope made in Japan. My mom and uncle bought it for my grandfather in 1975 and he hunted with it in PA. I believe I found a hairline crack in the barrel, by using oil on it, near the receiver so I'm reluctant to shoot it anymore but maybe one day. I was talking to a co-worker about it one day and that's what led to me getting into elk hunting. My family had nicknamed it the 'Cannon' because it is so heavy at over ten pounds. As a teenager I carried it a few times hunting with my dad for whitetail, man were my arms and shoulders tired afterwards. The bolt action is so smooth though and it does shoot very accurately. The scope adjustments are 1/8" though not 1/4", good to know before you try to get it dialed in.....

 

[StupidLightweight]

With two young kids in diapers, I don't have time/money to hunt that often, but I still dream about it. To scratch the itch, I collect oddball guns, particularly older ones, and customize them when needed for future hunting adventures. It's a blast.

Here's two unique .308s shown next to my ultralight Kimber switch-barrel. The bolt-gun is a Remington Mohawk 600 that someone bedded in an unknown fiberglass stock and coated the entire package in an unknown paint. I traded a Glock for it and panicked when I couldn't separate stock and barreled action. Just this morning, I broke it free after leaving it out in the -29 weather. I'm so relieved.

The Savage 99 is one my cousin gave me for a project rifle. It had the ugly wood from the early '70s. The 99E was an odd rendition of this classic: lever safety, rotary mag, but no shell counter. I made the mistake of shooting it, and it's the most accurate 99 I've used. To modernize it without permanently modifying it, I snagged MPI fiberglass stocks and had my local smith bed it. He nailed it.

Someday, I'll take game with these cool old .308s. In the meantime, I'll just have to imagine the adventures we'll go on, maybe even with my kids when they're older.

 

[Floridave]

My grandfathers REM 721 built in 1952, though I’ve spun on a different barrel so I can keep using rather than leaving it with a bad barrel in the closet.

This pics from last season.

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[keystone112]

1978 Marlin in 444.

Works every time.

 

[Floridave]

1978 Marlin in 444.

Works every time.

Nice! I shot my first deer with my dad’s 1976 Marlin 444 Sporter. Still have it. Carried it a couple days hunting this year but no luck.


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[northernalpine]

1961 Winchester Model 88 from my grandpa still sees at least one hunt per year.

 

[Macs69]

I feel like the old rifles just have a soul. They've "been there, done that", and feel like they bring a bit of luck to the hunt.

 

[SmokeNFeathers]

At present, my only center fire is a 1976 Rem 700 BDL in 30-06 I traded for. I walked by it and the hooded sight caught my eye. I bought it in 2014 and it was brand new- a legitimate safe queen that had just come into the shop that day. It was handled so little that the first time I shouldered it, the fuzz from my shirt got caught in the stock checkering. It still has the original scope, a 3-9x40 weaver with a T-Post reticle. I couldn't get the trigger to break under 6 pounds, so the only modification it has is a timney, and my goodness does that make a world of difference. I've been in the depths of this forum and have considered putting a new scope on it, putting an actual recoil pad on it (instead of the OG plastic pad, which I've still never seen anywhere else), and on and on... but I can't bring myself to change it. It kills. And I love the way it looks. It's not "old", but it's old school. It's hard to put my finger on why I feel so attached to it- it's not my grandpappy's rifle (first generstion big game hunter in a family of fishermen and bird hunters) and it's really not anything super unique- I just like it. I like wood. And old bluing- real bluing.

It sits next to a 1936 Belgian Auto-5 in 12ga, and that one actually was my grandpa's. Killed my first sage grouse with that gun right before a crescent moon-shaped chunk of metal came off the bolt... apparently a common issue with that vintage. It'll get fixed eventually...

 

[rabbithuntr]

I don’t have any older centerfire rifles but all my 22 rifles are older in high school I bought a 10/22 that was made in the seventies from a neighbor lady. When my great uncle died I got a marlin 39 that was made in the fourties I also inherited a single shot bolt action from my granddad that was made in the fourties as well. It’s lightweight and accurate my granddad welded on a zirc for a peep sight that is pretty much dead on.


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[wintersoldia]

I have owned a Ruger PC Carbine 9MM Rifle 16.12" 17+1 Black w/Aluminum Free-Float Handguard for six years, definitely one of the most accurate and reliable rifle I have ever owned and shot.

 

[Reddirtrifleman]

I’ve got a 60s era .300 Savage Model 99 that I use half the time when whitetail hunting. Haven’t gotten a good shot opportunity with it in my hands yet. The other half the time I’m carrying a more modern rifle with a suppressor because as of last year my kid has started spending part of each hunting trip in the woods with me.

 

[Decker9]

An interesting family piece here. It’s a single shot .22, Winchester I believe. My grandad built it for my dad in 1952 when he was a wee boy, then re stocked it for him as an older wee boy.

This setup has been through 9 different kids on the family in the past 70+ years.



Last year my girl turned 10, legal to hunt in Canada (sucks having to wait so long!!)

Grandad, gifted her his old Brno model 5, built in ‘58 iirc. She’s sure turned into a sharp shot with it.

 

[Decker9]

I have an old 1910 mannlicher in 9.5x57 that I use a lot. It sucks fit wise as I shoot left handed, but can’t help but feel my long gone grandads presence when I pack it.

 

[Formidilosus]

An interesting family piece here. It’s a single shot .22, Winchester I believe. My grandad built it for my dad in 1952 when he was a wee boy, then re stocked it for him as an older wee boy.

This setup has been through 9 different kids on the family in the past 70+ years.

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Last year my girl turned 10, legal to hunt in Canada (sucks having to wait so long!!)

Grandad, gifted her his old Brno model 5, built in ‘58 iirc. She’s sure turned into a sharp shot with it.

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As esoteric as it may be, this doesn’t happen with synthetic rifles.

 

[ZAP035]

This past season I carried my trusty 1937 model 71 Winchester around Idaho, and afterwards decided to take my great grandfather’s interarms 25-06 to Wisconsin. These old rifles carry and point so naturally.

 

[Honyock]

An interesting family piece here. It’s a single shot .22, Winchester I believe. My grandad built it for my dad in 1952 when he was a wee boy, then re stocked it for him as an older wee boy.

This setup has been through 9 different kids on the family in the past 70+ years.

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Last year my girl turned 10, legal to hunt in Canada (sucks having to wait so long!!)

Grandad, gifted her his old Brno model 5, built in ‘58 iirc. She’s sure turned into a sharp shot with it.

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I'm going to guess that 22 is your most "valuable" gun. A lot of history in the old hand me down guns. Your kids will fight over it when you're gone.

 

[AK Troutbum]

This is the absolute most valuable gun “to me” in my collection. This Marlin model 18 .22 short was handed down from my great great grandfather, to my great grandfather, then to my grandfather, then father, and then to me. It’s not the oldest rifle I own, but it’s the most dear to my heart.

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[handwerk]

One of my favorite pictures.
My 3 kids, 14 years ago with their pre 64 M70 featherweights, we traveled from Mn. to Texas to hunt mulies on a friends ranch, what great time we had together.