Accuracy now versus during Jack O'Connor's day.

[jamesdmock]

Some of the pictures of groups shot by the late Jack O'Connor were not impressive by today's standards. Although I am barely a mediocre shooter, here is a 10-shot group at 300 yards shot in score competition. The 1st three were low, so I clicked up 2 clicks and shot the next 7. This was with a BAT 6mm Dasher shooting Bart's 105 gr Infinities pushed with Varget.

 

[RANGER 1]

Looks good

 

[SSL]

Jack didn't have the quality or selection of bullets, barrels powders and scope we take for granted today. We are spoiled. It would be interesting to see what the old guy could do with today's crop.

 

[Idaho-Lefty]

Back in, the 1970's and, 1980's, a One,.. MOA, Big Game "Hunting Rifle", was,.. pretty, "Golden" !
Achievable with, Glass Bedding, Good Douglas Premium grade Barrels and Timney Triggers.
Surprisingly, the Factory Remington, Corelocks shot, real WELL for Testing, my Custom built, Rifles of, that Era.

 

[nmkid]

Back in, the 1970's and, 1980's, a One,.. MOA, Big Game "Hunting Rifle", was,.. pretty, "Golden" !
Achievable with, Glass Bedding, Good Douglas Premium grade Barrels and Timney Triggers.
Surprisingly, the Factory Remington, Corelocks shot, real WELL for Testing, my Custom built, Rifles of, that Era.

Ahhh. My old "custom" .270 with everything you wrote.

 

[Andy Work]

Some of the pictures of groups shot by the late Jack O'Conner were not impressive by today's standards. Although I am barely a mediocre shooter, here is a 10-shot group at 300 yards shot in score competition. The 1st three were low, so I clicked up 2 clicks and shot the next 7. This was with a BAT 6mm Dasher shooting Bart's 105 gr Infinities pushed with Varget.

I'm sure he would be amazed at the accuracy of today's rifles. How are you at hitting running jackrabbits? Jack said he shot them for rifle practice. I sure as heck couldn't hit one with a rifle.

 

[K22]

O'Connor was a master class hunter. As a young hunter I recall reading his numerous articles.

One in particular was on how to sight in a rifle. In fact, I think it was Weaver that included that article with their scopes.

 

[6.5 forever]

HUNTING rifle. I believe they were pretty light weight.

 

[Old Navy]

O'Connor was a master class hunter. As a young hunter I recall reading his numerous articles.

One in particular was on how to sight in a rifle. In fact, I think it was Weaver that included that article with their scopes.

And he made the .270 popular.

 

[snert]

I just read Elmer Kieth's "hell, I was there". What repeatedly struck me was his strong insistence on a heavy bullet that would shoot through a lot of meat and bone and put down a critter (fill in the blank). I read carefully his descriptions of hunting shots and concluded that he did a lot of shooting at whatever part presented itself. Hit em in the butt? Sure, if it went through the heart and on out! Hit em in the shoulder and bust up a side? Sure, put a couple more in him!
This differs from much of the "shooting" on game done today with high power glass, high efficiency bullets, and rangefinders.
I guess what I am saying is the tech of that day allowed for certain approaches, while the tech of today allows for other methods.

 

[nettle]

In O'Conner's day the carrot chased was achieving accuracy in a 6 pound rifle. Lot of the precision rifles these days are 10-12 pounds. They also didn't shoot game at 600 yards. They were better at stalking back then.

 

[Kittitas George]

The manufacturing methods are so much more consistent today than back in Jack's time. Barrels, bullets and brass are so much improved and consistent. I don't remember Savage rifles in the 1960s. I do remember Savage shot guns. Todays Savage rifle will out shoot a top of the line 1960s rifle. The back and forth between Elmer (w/ the big hat) and big bullets and Jack with his 270 Win, sold a lot of magazines. Buck Buckner who was a friend of Jack, told me he shot more game with a 30-06 than the 270 Win. He wrote a biography of Jack. His guns are in a museum in Lewiston, Idaho, Elmer lived on the eastside of Idaho in Salmon. In my opinion Jack was the more creditable of the two. Buckner brought a couple of Jack's guns to a "double gun" shoot in Baker City, Oregon 25 years ago, some of the people were able to shoot his famous Mod. 70 270 Win. The magazines paid for many wonderful hunting trips for them.

 

[jamesdmock]

What is said defending the accuracy then is absolutely true. However, there were groups in his book, "The "Rifle" there were groups shot with several rifles other than his beloved .270 Winchester. Among these was a .22/.250. We have progressed a long ways in accuracy, and O'Conner's replacement, Jim Carmichel has shot some amazing groups. This post was NOT intended to disparage Jack O'Conner and his many contribution, but to show how much we have advanced in accuracy.

 

[jcm800]

JC was one of very few writers that could "walk the walk", experienced in high power, small bore, BR....ect along with hunting. That's what separated him from the rest. He also had alot of pull in the gun industry. The 260 Rem was one of his ideas.

 

[TrapperBR549]

Like all disciplines we stand on the shoulders of giants. The hunting world learned a lot from Jack, just as Jack learned a lot from Col. Whalen.

 

[K22]

And he made the .270 popular.

Yea, you should have heard the heated debates at deer camp in the 60's, the 30 06 versus the 270.

My Dad would just smile sitting by the pot bellow stove while he wiped down his Winchester, Model 94, open sight 30-30 preparing for opening day knowing that if a deer presented itself in the big woods of Central Pa, we would be eating venison for some time. Mom was a great game cook.

 

[LHSmith]

Some of the pictures of groups shot by the late Jack O'Conner were not impressive by today's standards. Although I am barely a mediocre shooter, here is a 10-shot group at 300 yards shot in score competition. The 1st three were low, so I clicked up 2 clicks and shot the next 7. This was with a BAT 6mm Dasher shooting Bart's 105 gr Infinities pushed with Varget.

Score competition involves one shot at one record target. Did you mean to say "here is a group shot at 300 yards AT A SCORE TARGET" ? Or was this the "sighter" target ?

 

[jamesdmock]

Score competition involves one shot at one record target. Did you mean to say "here is a group shot at 300 yards AT A SCORE TARGET" ? Or was this the "sighter" target ?

At our local range (Prince Memorial) we once shot three, 10-shot groups for SCORE at 300 yards for a match. This target was one of those 10-shot groups. Later, we changed to four, 5 shot groups for the match. Here is atarget showing the sighter target.

 

[Bill K]

They were hunters in those days, stalk to within 400 yrd or less and make a accurate killing shot. Not like so many wannabe snipers today, shooting out to 1500 yds trying to make a kill, I still wonder how many animals get away crippled, that they don't talk about or show on the new hunting shows on TV, before they actually recover one.
MOA was the norm in Jack's day and he did it well, with good old standard caliber/cartridges i.e. .277, 30 and even 7mm's.

 

[Doug Casner]

I would have hated to field dress one of Elmers kills. Doug