Hoss 350
My GSP, Dutch
Picked up a Ruger M77 MKII all weather stainless steel in 300 winchester magnum the other day. The stated purpose is to replace my Winchester M70 .30-06 that I’ve had since I was 11 (I’ll get tot hat in a minute).
This new rifle is very sweet. I wanted the sport model, which is stainless with a laminate stock, but Ruger stopped making those last year and I couldn’t find one, so I just got the ugly black plastic stock for now until I can get a laminate made up for it. I’ve got a Leupold VXIII in stainless finish on order for it, 3x9x40. I’ll most likely use it for everything, even though the magnum is a little big for deer. I’ve decided that I am done with my .30-06, so the magnum will have to cut it, unless I want to use the .243 for deer from now on. Of course, the magnum is perfect for elk and moose, and certainly can’t hurt for bear (they have big teeth, and as far as I’m concerned, you can’t OVER kill a bear, and I’ve definitely heard some nasty stories about folks that have UNDER killed one).
Now, since I’m sure that many of you are wondering why I’m so finished with my .30-06….
As many of you that are gun nuts know, there are a couple different “models” of Winchester Model 70. There is a pre-64, a post-64, and a post-64 classic. There are also several different models within the post-64 category, each with a few slight differences in design of the bolt, action, etc.
The pre-64 model 70s have reached a sort of deification within gun enthusiast circles. Winchester stopped making that model in 1964, and introduced the post-64 models. The differences in the pre/post models were pretty significant. Pre-64 had a mauser-type action and ejector, post 64 had a closed face bolt setup with a fixed ejector. Anyway, I could go on for a while about differences, but the big thing is that the pre-64’s are seen as being some kind of holy grail of Winchesters. This wasn’t because the pre-64 was particularly great in any one way (they were a VERY nice rifle, but not the holy grail that many people will make them out ot be), but because the early model POST 64s were really TERRIBLE. From 1965 to 1968, they had troubles with misfeeds and bolt binding that caused many people to hate the post 64 so much that they longed for the days of the pre-64 so much that eventually, the pre-64 achieved mythic proportions and abilities and the legend was born.
Anyway, in 1968, Winchester fixed the misfeeding/binding problem by putting an anti-bind groove in the bolt and action to keep the bolt straight. The post 64 M70s from 1968 to present are a great rifle. I think even better than the deified Pre 64, (certainly more accurate, the barrel is a lot better).
The only problem was that my M70 is a 1966 model year. To date, I’ve missed opportunities for follow up shots on three deer, two elk, and one bear as a result of that DIRTY SOB either not feeding another round and going “click” on an empty chamber, or from it binding up half way through the re-cocking and causing me to have to pull it off my shoulder and get it loosened up so that I can finish the cock and get a shot off.
Missed one of the deer outright, wounded the other two, and one of the other guys in my party finished them off. One of the two wounded would have died anyway, but I am of the African hunter persuasion when it comes to killing stuff. Don’t matter how well you THINK you hit it, until it is on the ground, keep shooting it.
Missed one of the elk outright, and it got away when the second trigger pull fell on a blank chamber because the action had misfed. The second elk, I probably killed it with the first shot, but the bolt bound up on the follow up as it ran off, and another hunter blasted it about 50 yards out and dropped it. I went up and found two holes in it, both in the kill zone. If I had had the follow up shot, I would have dropped it easy with the second boom, but the stupid rifle wouldn’t allow it. The other hunter claimed it because he had shot it last and dropped it.
For the longest time, I thought it was just me. Then I traded guns with my Dad last year, he had a Ruger M77 MKII 300 win mag (imagine that…) and I loved it. He had nothing but trouble with my old POS. It misfed on him once, and he kept commenting on how badly it seemed to cycle. Once that happened, I figured out that it wasn’t me, it was the rifle.
Anyway, I’m excited about the new artillery. I plan to go shoot it this weekend with a temporary scope on it, until my VXIII comes in.
This new rifle is very sweet. I wanted the sport model, which is stainless with a laminate stock, but Ruger stopped making those last year and I couldn’t find one, so I just got the ugly black plastic stock for now until I can get a laminate made up for it. I’ve got a Leupold VXIII in stainless finish on order for it, 3x9x40. I’ll most likely use it for everything, even though the magnum is a little big for deer. I’ve decided that I am done with my .30-06, so the magnum will have to cut it, unless I want to use the .243 for deer from now on. Of course, the magnum is perfect for elk and moose, and certainly can’t hurt for bear (they have big teeth, and as far as I’m concerned, you can’t OVER kill a bear, and I’ve definitely heard some nasty stories about folks that have UNDER killed one).
Now, since I’m sure that many of you are wondering why I’m so finished with my .30-06….
As many of you that are gun nuts know, there are a couple different “models” of Winchester Model 70. There is a pre-64, a post-64, and a post-64 classic. There are also several different models within the post-64 category, each with a few slight differences in design of the bolt, action, etc.
The pre-64 model 70s have reached a sort of deification within gun enthusiast circles. Winchester stopped making that model in 1964, and introduced the post-64 models. The differences in the pre/post models were pretty significant. Pre-64 had a mauser-type action and ejector, post 64 had a closed face bolt setup with a fixed ejector. Anyway, I could go on for a while about differences, but the big thing is that the pre-64’s are seen as being some kind of holy grail of Winchesters. This wasn’t because the pre-64 was particularly great in any one way (they were a VERY nice rifle, but not the holy grail that many people will make them out ot be), but because the early model POST 64s were really TERRIBLE. From 1965 to 1968, they had troubles with misfeeds and bolt binding that caused many people to hate the post 64 so much that they longed for the days of the pre-64 so much that eventually, the pre-64 achieved mythic proportions and abilities and the legend was born.
Anyway, in 1968, Winchester fixed the misfeeding/binding problem by putting an anti-bind groove in the bolt and action to keep the bolt straight. The post 64 M70s from 1968 to present are a great rifle. I think even better than the deified Pre 64, (certainly more accurate, the barrel is a lot better).
The only problem was that my M70 is a 1966 model year. To date, I’ve missed opportunities for follow up shots on three deer, two elk, and one bear as a result of that DIRTY SOB either not feeding another round and going “click” on an empty chamber, or from it binding up half way through the re-cocking and causing me to have to pull it off my shoulder and get it loosened up so that I can finish the cock and get a shot off.
Missed one of the deer outright, wounded the other two, and one of the other guys in my party finished them off. One of the two wounded would have died anyway, but I am of the African hunter persuasion when it comes to killing stuff. Don’t matter how well you THINK you hit it, until it is on the ground, keep shooting it.
Missed one of the elk outright, and it got away when the second trigger pull fell on a blank chamber because the action had misfed. The second elk, I probably killed it with the first shot, but the bolt bound up on the follow up as it ran off, and another hunter blasted it about 50 yards out and dropped it. I went up and found two holes in it, both in the kill zone. If I had had the follow up shot, I would have dropped it easy with the second boom, but the stupid rifle wouldn’t allow it. The other hunter claimed it because he had shot it last and dropped it.
For the longest time, I thought it was just me. Then I traded guns with my Dad last year, he had a Ruger M77 MKII 300 win mag (imagine that…) and I loved it. He had nothing but trouble with my old POS. It misfed on him once, and he kept commenting on how badly it seemed to cycle. Once that happened, I figured out that it wasn’t me, it was the rifle.
Anyway, I’m excited about the new artillery. I plan to go shoot it this weekend with a temporary scope on it, until my VXIII comes in.
Hoss is back!!!
