longwinters
Handloader
- Oct 10, 2004
- 1,476
- 1
As I get a bit older I find myself thinking about the "old days" a bit more. I find that I take more joy in the hunt and watching family take deer and no longer feel like I need to put the meat in the freeaer. I have my dad's 1950's Marlin lever 30-30 and was thinking of all the deer I took with that rifle from age 14-27. My grandpa had a 4x Redfield put on it and it worked fine with Rem 170's. That rifle must have had about an 8 pound trigger.
Now after quite a few years of shooting larger calibers in "better rifles" with better scopes and lots of hours at the reloading bench I have an itch to carry that old rifle. Last year I had a Wild West trigger put in it and mounted a Weaver 4x with Weaver mounts.
I can reload for it, but bought a couple boxes of Hornady LeverEvolution 160 gn just to see what the accuracy was. This rifle hasn't been shot for 31 years. I went to my favorite range...it was raining, and so I had it all to myself. Set the target up at 100yds. Settled in and took the 1st shot. 6 o'clock bottom of the bull. Hmmmm......Took the 2nd shot, looked through the spotting scope and there it was, touching the 1st bullet hole. Wow! Thought it must be a fluke, no way shot three would be there....3rd shot.....perfect cloverleaf touching the other bullet holes.
Gotta say I'm amazed. I hunt fields and figure the range for this rifle/cartridge to be 150 yds or so. So if something coves by further out....free pass. It'll be a real pleasure to carry this rifle this year.
Long
Now after quite a few years of shooting larger calibers in "better rifles" with better scopes and lots of hours at the reloading bench I have an itch to carry that old rifle. Last year I had a Wild West trigger put in it and mounted a Weaver 4x with Weaver mounts.
I can reload for it, but bought a couple boxes of Hornady LeverEvolution 160 gn just to see what the accuracy was. This rifle hasn't been shot for 31 years. I went to my favorite range...it was raining, and so I had it all to myself. Set the target up at 100yds. Settled in and took the 1st shot. 6 o'clock bottom of the bull. Hmmmm......Took the 2nd shot, looked through the spotting scope and there it was, touching the 1st bullet hole. Wow! Thought it must be a fluke, no way shot three would be there....3rd shot.....perfect cloverleaf touching the other bullet holes.
Gotta say I'm amazed. I hunt fields and figure the range for this rifle/cartridge to be 150 yds or so. So if something coves by further out....free pass. It'll be a real pleasure to carry this rifle this year.
Long
