Hunting Heritage & Education Center
Lewiston, Idaho Est. 2006
Jack O’Connor
stt
013 Newsletter - 1 Quarter
Table of Contents:
Chairmen’s Report Card
-
Mark Yochum - 2
From
m The Director’s Chair
-
Mike Butler - 4
Techh Corner - “The Guy Who DIDN’T Pick
the 2270 Winchester”
-
Grrowing Up O’C
Connor
Allan Jones -
5
- Bradford O’Connor - 9
“Eleanor O’Connor’s Arizona Favorite – The .257
Robeerrtss”
- Eldon “Buck” Buckner -
14
“Can Jack Goo Hom
me”
18
-
Stephen Redgwell -
“Thee Incrediible Anttelope” – Jack O’Connor, September
19943
43, with perrmission from
m Outd
door Life
– 22
Memberr Pictures
-
23
Miscellany
llany
-
25
560
00 Hellsgat
te Road, Lewiston, ID 83501 • Office: 208-743-5043 (Fax: 208-798-4980) • jack
k-oco
onnor.org
Hunting Heritage & Education Center
Lewiston, Idaho Est. 2006
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
CARD
By Mark Yochum,
Y
Co-Chairman
America…..”Land of the free and home of the brave”. Francis Scott Key nailed
d it
when
w
h h
he wrote
t th
those memorable
bl lilines so llong ago. These are the reasons we liv
live
ve in
i
such a won
o derful country. Freedom has many connotations and among these arre
frree
eedo
do
om of choice, freedom of speech, religion, political affilia
ia
atition
on and
n so forth inccluding
fo
or ex
exam
ampl
am
p e th
pl
the freedom
m to pic
ick
k th
t e kind of ca
cars
r we drrivve, what channel TV we watch
rs
and iff we elecct to sen
e d text
text
te
x mes
essa
sages from
sa
frrom our cell phones or not. We are free to
assemb
ble
le, at
a te
tend
nd sch
chools, sh
ch
hop
o at th
t e mall or shop on-line. We are free to own pets or
not to own
n pets,, fre
ree
e to fish
h an
and
d hunt or free to not fish and hunt. As you can see
e the list
coul
co
u d go on
n an
and
d on
on, and itt doe
es.
s
To som
ome
e degree the
hese
se rig
ight
h s or
o the basic premise of these rights goes back to
o our
co
olonial forefathers. Whe
en the
ey drafted the “Constitution off the United States” they had
no concept of the adva
anc
ncem
ements in
n technology that would come forth in the birth of the
in
ndu
n
d st
s ri
ria
al revvol
o uttio
i n bu
but th
t eyy did havve a firm grasp on how they perceived life in this
co
ountr
tryy sh
tr
shou
uld
l be and th
t is
i is crystal clear in the historic document that begins “W
We hold
th
hes
e e truths to be self-ev
evid
ev
den
e t………..”.
In
n the com
o ing month
hs each
ch of us will be faced with many choices on many issu
ues.
The
T
e ta
task will be exercissing our right of choice and voicing our opinions. My challenge to
each
h and every one of you is to be informe
m d and to educa
me
c te yourselves as much as
ca
possib
ble before making imp
portant dec
e isio
ons
n . It is unfortun
u ate in our electronic ag
ge that
Trruth, Falsehood and Bia
T
iass wa
ia
w lk ha
and in ha
hand. Conside
er sourcess an
a d motivation before
e
you accept a Truth and be cl
yo
c ev
clev
ever
er eno
noug
ugh
ug
h to
to rec
eco
ecog
ognize Falsehood
ognize
og
od and
n Bias….it
nd
ias it will be
difficul
u t bu
b t you deserve to mak
ake
e th
the
e ri
righ
ghtt de
gh
deci
c siion
ci
o s.
560
00 Hellsgat
te Road, Lewiston, ID 83501 • Office: 208-743-5043 (Fax: 208-798-4980) • jack
k-oconnor.or
rg
Hunting Heritage & Education Center
Lewiston, Idaho Est. 2006
A great challenge that is brewing now in the media and in the highest political offices
as well in our homes and work places is the interpretation of our great “Consttitution” and
d
especially the Second Amendment dealing with the right to bear arms.
At this juncture I am not going to ask you to align yourselves with either sid
de of the
debate but only ask that you get as much information as possible. This is what I am
personally trying to do. After reading the “Constitution” I find that the Second
Amendment does not grant the right to bear arms……..it was already a right. It is simplyy
codified and re-affirmed for the purposes of:
Deterring tyrannical government…….Repelling invasion……..Suppressing
insurrection…….Facilitating a natural right to self-defense…….Participating in
n law
enforcement……..Enabling the people to organize a militia. Target shooting and
hunting were so essential to daily life that common sense precluded adding th
hem to thiss
list.
Be informed, weigh your decisions, don’t believe everything you see or hea
ar and
exercise your right to “Freedom of choice”.
In 2013, please consider a renewal off your membership and share the opp
portunity
with someone you know that cares about ourr hunting heritage. You can find all the
information you need on our website: www.jack-o’connor.org Thank you for help…we
couldn’t make a difference without you!
About the Co-Chair: Mark Yochum is currently
r
the co-chairman of the JOCHH
HEC. He
is a Life member of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and Safari Club Interrnational,
an NRA member and a supporte
supporterr of Ducks Unlimited and The National Wild Turkey
Turkey
Fe
ede
dera
ration. He is a United States Army veteran, lives in Lewiston, Idaho and works as a
Re
eal
a Est
state Broker.
560
00 Hellsgat
te Road, Lewiston, ID 83501 • Office: 208-743-5043 (Fax: 208-798-4980) • jack
k-oconnor.org
Hunting Heritage & Education Center
Lewiston, Idaho Est. 2006
From the Director’s Chair
By Mike Butler, Director
B
F
From
my vantage point, 2012 was an exciting year. First, we were able to see th
he
ssuccessful production run of the Winchester Model 70 Jack O’Connor Tribute Riifle.
Secondly, we got our website forum area squared away so it is now user friendly
S
y.
And last but not least
And…last
A
least, we had our first open house-gun show and shine. 2013
3 looks to
be ano
b
no
oth
ther banner year, with a large push to recruit new members, advertisers, and the
hope
ho
h
pess of forming a youth hunter education challenge sho
pe
h ot
o in
ing
g te
team
am. As we are all
am
awar
aw
a
are
ar
e, gun own
wner
ersh
er
ship
sh
ip is at
at the
he point
nt of a lo
lott of
o pol
olit
litiical discussion as 2012 endss. As
hunt
hu
h
nter
nt
ers
er
s an
and sh
s oo
oote
ters
te
rs it is imp
mper
erat
ativ
ivve th
that
at we all stay engaged in those discussio
ons and
make our
ma
m
u voice
e known
wn.. Ass mem
wn
e bers and supporters of the Jack O’Connor Hunting
He
H
erittage and
nd Edu
duca
c tion Cente
ter, we know that hunting, conservation, and the sho
te
ooting
ssports
s are
re intricattely
lyy int
n er
erwo
wove
wo
en into a fine tapestry of tradition and heritage, who
ose
vvalues are timeless in ourr Ame
m riccan society, past and present. I have heard it said
numerous tim
n
mes
e durin
ng th
he la
l st cou
uple of years that American kids are losing the
eir
sensse off nattur
sse
u e and ou
outd
tdoo
o rs
oo
rsmansh
hip. Some have even gone as far as to call itt nature
defi
de
d
f ciit sy
syndro
ome. My gen
e er
e ation did not have nature deficit syndrome as we we
ere too
bu
b
usy rid
din
ng bikes, catcchin
ng liligh
ghtening
gh
ng bugs, and playing baseball/football in the back 40
ffielld. Now that most off us are grandparents it is high time to get our grandkids back
outd
o
doo
ors and being the
e kind of American
n kids we once we
w re. My challenge to yo
ou for
2013
20
2
3 is to take a kid (any
n kid) hunting an
nd properly introduce them to the sport of
hunting
hu
h
g and shooting. I havve ye
yett to
t see a kid wi
w thout a sm
s ile afte
terr a grea
te
at dayy affield
ld
with
wi
w
ith
h fam
amily
il members
b
an
nd fr
f ie
frie
i nd
iend
nds.
ds.
s So
S let’s
t’s qu
quititit tal
alki
lki
king
ki
ng
g aboutt it and
d ma
make
k it
ke
happen…….!!! Good Hunti
h
unting in
n 20
013
13!!!!
!! MB
560
00 Hellsgat
te Road, Lewiston, ID 83501 • Office: 208-743-5043 (Fax: 208-798-4980) • jack
k-oconnor.org
g
Hunting Heritage & Education Center
Lewiston, Idaho Est. 2006
Aboutt the Director: Mike Butler started his wildlife career
r
in 1975 with the Missouri
Deparrtment of Conservation. He is an Endowment member of the NRA, a Life member
of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and a supporter of Ducks Unlimited and The
Nation
nal Wild Turkey Federation. He is an avid turkey and elk hunter, and enjoys Alasska
salmo
on fishing at least once a year.
ech Corner
“Th
he Guy Who DIDN’T Pick the 270 Winchester”
By Allllan
n Jones
Volunteer Ho
Host
stt, Jack O’C
Con
onno
norr Hu
no
H nttin
i g Heritage and Education Center
“I shoo
ot a 270 Winchestter
e beeca
causse off Jack O’
O Connor.”
Had
d I a do
d lllar for
o every tim
im
me I’I ve
v heard that, I could buy a lot of really nice rifles from
m
Ro
oge
g r Bies
Bi sen
e . Like many otthe
hers
rs,, I read Ja
rs
ack O’Connor as a kid and decided I needed
da
Mo
odel 70 Winch
hester in 270
0 Winchestter. At the ripe old age of 12 or 13, I’d saved up
t e th
th
the
en-r
-ret
e ail price of $129
9, and the hardware store two doors down from my dad’s
supe
su
p rmarke
pe
kett ha
h d a new, sta
andard-grade M7
M 0 in the appointed
ed
d caliber on the rack,
ta
taun
aun
u titin
n me every time I walke
ng
k d byy.
Dad
Da
d being
d,
n a wing shot and
nd sma
malllll-g
-gam
ame
am
e hu
hunt
nter
er,, al
alwa
w ys pointed
oi
oi
out
ut we had
d no placce
to sho
oot
o a hig
igh-power rifle (lar
a ge
ar
gely
ly tru
rue
e ba
back
ck the
en)
n).. He nev
ever
er got the
e poi
oint
nt of sh
shoo
o ting
ga
ffiire
rea
arm to learn about a cartri
riidg
dge
e untitiil I wr
w ote
e Speer
pe
eerr Reloa
oadi
oa
ding
di
ng
g Manua
an
nua
uall #1
#12
12, bu
b t I ca
can’t
560
00 Hellsgat
te Road, Lewiston, ID 83501 • Office: 208-743-5043 (Fax: 208-798-4980) • jack
k-oconno
or.org
Hunting Heritage & Education Center
Lewiston, Idaho Est. 2006
complain—
—he was a great man who never winced at the cost of keeping me rolling in
22LR ammo and 12-gauge shotshells.
So I went back to my research. I’d read about reloading and knew I would be doing it
when the
e time was right. I studied the 270 Winchester and was hard-pressed to find
anything wrong with the performance.
Howevver, further research about the 270 triggered something in the embryonic
reloader in me: at the time, the selection of 0.277-inch bullet weights and styles was
limited. Y
You could get 100-, 130-, and 150-grain component bullets. Compared to most
other big--game calibers, the options were fewer.
On the
e other hand, there was a wealth of 28-caliber bullets. You could commonly find
weights b
between 100 and 175 grains with plenty of stops in between. This is less of a
factor tod
day but there is still a broader selection of 7mm bullets than 270.
As I we
ent back to O’Connor’s tales, I noted his high praise of the 7x57mm Mauser
cartridge.. He was handloading it to higher pressures than the modest levels of US
factory am
mmo, and he and Eleanor obviously did quite well with it so loaded. So that
was that—
—my goal became a 7x57 on a strong action.
My firsst 7x57 was nott a strong action model. My parents gave me a surplus M95
Chilean M
Mauser rifle for Christmas when I was about 14. I wasn’t yet handloading so fed
the Mausser both factory hunting ammo (175-grain RNSPs were the only US loads then)
and some
e FN-labeled surplus FMJ ammo with 154-grain spitzers.
I could
d hit informal targets with reasonable regularity at our favorite shooting spot on
the bluffs
s above the Trinity River. But we lacked a formal range with benches. When a
public ran
nge opened while I was in high school
school, I was able to see what the old Chilean
could do on pa
ape
per.
To make a sh
s or
ortt and sad story shorter, the old Mauser printed
d 88 in
inch
ch gro
rou
ups at 100
yards. In my you
oung
ng and inexp
xper
per
erie
ienc
ie
nced
nc
ed mind, the
e pro
robl
blem
blem
m had
d to be bullet diameter so I
set up
p to sllug
g the borre.
e As I wa
wass ta
t pp
ppin
in
ing
ng the
h lea
ea
ad sl
slug
ug
g through the bore from the
mu
uzz
z le
e, itit fell ou
ut wh
whe
en it wa
as still fa
ar frrom
m th
he
e chamber. The diagnosis was terminal—
the th
hroat
att was seven
en incche
hess lo
l ng
ng!
The 7xx57
7 search
h co
oul
uld
d ha
h ve gon
ne on hold while I attended university, but the guys I
was hang
ging wi
with
th were also sho
hoot
ho
oters. Th
ot
hat kept the quest alive but not productive. The
pre-64 Model 70 was gone by th
t e ti
t me I en
entered university in 1965 and were already
pric
pr
iced ou
ut of my
y rea
e ch
h. I sa
s w se
s ve
vera
ral candiida
d tes in magazines and at gun shows. A
shor
sh
ortt ru
r n Ru
Ruge
g r #1
ge
# in
n 7x57
x cau
augh
gh
ht my eye but
u was too much coin for my student wallet.
A fr
f ie
end bough
ght it so at
a least I had
a visitation rights.
rii
An
n imp
mpor
orte
or
t r ad
advertised a com
mme
mercial 7x57
7 rifle on a 98 Mauser action with a Euros yl
st
y ed
d sto
ockk tha
h t, on paper, loo
oked awesome. When I saw one in the flesh, the ardor left
me
e; th
he b
bluing
ng was poor and the stock looked like a piece off wood off the outhouse, and
didn
di
dn’t’tt quite fitt the metal bits. Th
hat importer mu
mustt have invented the
h term “gap-osis”.
D je
De
j ctted
e , I let the idea go forr a wh
whilie.
e Then
n in 1972, not long after I landed a real job,
Ru
ug
gerr an
ge
nno
n unce
c d two items: the
ey wou
ould
ld pro
rodu
duce
du
ce a lon
ongg-action M77 bollt ri
gg
riflflfle
e; and
d theyy
wo
oul
uld do a lim
uld
mitted
e run of them in
n 7x
7x57
57. It cos
57
ostt me $15
150
0 ne
new
w. I fin
w.
inal
a ly had the str
al
tron
o gon
g
actitiion and the caliber.
560
00 Hellsgat
te Road, Lewiston, ID 83501 • Office: 208-743-5043 (Fax: 208-798-4980) • jack
k-ocon
nnor.org
Hunting Heritage & Education Center
Lewiston, Idaho Est. 2006
Its ligh
ht, 22-inch barrel is capable of groups just over an inch at 100 yards with
common hunting bullets —certain better than “minute-of-deer” accuracy. It remains one
of my favvorite rifles even though it is neither the most attractive nor the most accurate. It
satisfies me
m deeply.
Now about loading that cartridge to meet its potential. The American ammo industry
set the 7xx57’s maximum average pressure (MAP) at 51,000 psi, slightly behind the
original 257 Roberts loads at 54,000 psi and well under the 30-06 at 60,000 and the 270
Win at 65
5,000. European loading practices for this cartridge are to go higher. Although
there is n
not an exact conversion, we worked out that European factories were loading it
to around
d 58,000 psi if tested on US equipment.
The acction is the key to doing this. If a commercial action in 7x57 is also chambered
for 30-06 and similar cartridges, you have enough safety factor to load the 7x57 to
higher levvels than the “soft” 51,000 psi of factory ammo. The newer +P standard for the
257 Robe
erts is 58,000 psi, about the same as European 7x57 ammo. I’m a professional
ballisticia
an with years of experience in pressure testing, and I decided to limit my 7x57
handload
ds for my Ruger to the range of 58-60,000 psi. I don’t need more.
I worry
y about any military conversion. Obviously the limits of the M93 and M95
Mausers must be respected. In theory the M98 should be OK but I know these were
made in a wide variety of facilities during the war years to varying standards of
metallurg
gy and quality. If you build a custom rifle in any caliber on a military-surplus
action—e
even the vaunted Mauser 98—select a gunsmith who is an expert in these
actions and heed his advice.
I have
a e so
some
e “apples-to-apples”
app es to app es p
pressure
essu e//velocity
e oc ty numbers
u be s for
o 7x57
5 handloads
a d oads
showing w
what you gain by loading to Euro practices. This was data for experimental
bullets th
t at are
ren’
n’’t av
a ailable so I won’t reveal the propellant type lest you try
y something
you’ll reg
egret.
re
et.
The da
data lab
a eled “SA
SAAM
AMII (U
AM
( S)
S)”” iss loa
oade
ade
ded
d to no mo
morre
re than 96 percent of MAP, typical
of faccto
t ry
y amm
mmo
o an
and pu
publ
b is
bl
ishe
hed Spee
he
er da
data
ta. Th
ta
The
e second set labeled “CIP (Europe)”
da
anc
nces
es right up to
es
t the
e 58,
8,000
0 ps
psi ma
mark
rk
rk.
k These data are for a 140-grain bullet fired from
a 24-inch
h te
estt barrel:l:
SAAMI
(U
US)
S
P op
Pr
o ella
ant
CIP
(Europe)
M x
Ma
Max
Veloci
c ty
ci
y, Pressure
e,
Charge,
Charge,
ft/sec
ecc
psi
grai
a ns
grains
Velocity,
ft/sec
Pressure,
psi
Prop
Pr
rop
opel
e la
el
lant
A
44.5
2654
4
48,129
48.0
2852
2
58,806
Propel
Pr
opellla
op
ant
B
40.5
2600
0
47,1
47
,1
159
5
43.0
43.0
43
0
2788
88
56,6
56,6
,,668
6
68
Prop
Pr
opellla
ant
46.0
2658
48,415
1
48.0
2772
2
54,
4 41
417
7
560
00 Hellsgat
te Road, Lewiston, ID 83501 • Office: 208-743-5043 (Fax: 208-798-4980) • jack
k-ocon
nnor.org
Hunting Heritage & Education Center
Lewiston, Idaho Est. 2006
C
Propellant
D
44.0
2656
48,278
47.0
2824
57,243
Propellant
E
39.5
2617
48,521
41.5
2748
56,574
Load
ding “Euro” gives an increase of 150-200 feet/sec over US standards, letting the
e
7x57 give fair chase to newer 270 Winchester factory loads and handloads with 140grain b
bullets.
I like
e 160-grain bullets in my 7x57 for mule deer and elk. My first Idaho muley showe
ed
me how
w much a high-SD bullet at modest velocity can do. The running buck turned
away ju
ust as I yanked the trigger and the bullet struck farther back than I intended. Stilll,
I got th
he deer. The Speer Mag-Tip hit him high in the right thigh breaking the femur, ye
et
still travveled an additional 24-28 inches into the chest before stopping under the hide on
the off side near the left shoulder. A lighter bullet, or one run at much higher velocity,
might n
not have brought that deer home.
So ffor all you who shoot a 270 Winchester because of Jack O’Connor, I shoot a
7x57mm Mauser for the same reason.
About tthe Author: Allan Jones had a 16-year career as a forensic firearms examiner
before movvin
i g to Lewiston ID and taking overr the roles of data developer and technica
al
editorr ffor Sp
pe
eerr Bullets. He produced Speerr Reloading Manuals 12, 13, and 14. He
retire
ed in 200
007
7 an
and
d no
n w volunteerrs att the Jack O’Connor
orr Cen
ente
terr an
te
nd writes a monthly
ballissti
t ccs col
olumn fo
forr Sh
Shoo
ootitiing
oo
ng Times
im
mess mag
agaz
azin
az
ine.
in
560
00 Hellsgat
te Road, Lewiston, ID 83501 • Office: 208-743-5043 (Fax: 208-798-4980) • jack
k-oconnor.org
Hunting Heritage & Education Center
Lewiston, Idaho Est. 2006
Growing Up O’Connor
“Son of Jack”
By BRADFORD O’CONNOR
My father wrote that the caribou was one of the most handsome of all the world’s
big-game animals, even more so than North America’s wild sheep and elk and Africa’s
sable and kudu.
To him, the caribou was beautiful, but dumb and he considered it unethical for a
hunter to take unfair advantage of the caribou’s stupidity.
T at is why he commanded me, his then teenage son, to put my rifle back in the
Th
sccab
bba
bard that September afternoon nearly 62 years ago.
We wer
e e a few days into a month-long hunt south
hea
east
stt of At
Atlililin
n Lakes in Northern
Britititis
Br
ish
is
sh Co
Collumbia
a whe
hen
n tw
two
o bu
bull carib
ibou
ib
bou
u app
pprroa
oach
ched
ched
d our pack-horse string. Da
ad and I
watc
wa
tche
tc
h d th
he bu
bullls tr
trott up to
o inve
nvesttig
nv
igat
ate,
at
e, tro
e,
ot off, nostrils flaring and tails raised
d, after
getttin
ng a wh
whifififff off human sce
cent
n , th
nt
then return moments later having already forg
gotten why
they
th
e had
d run
n off in th
the fifirs
rstt place.
rs
This wass the beginni
niing of the caribou rut. The dim-witted bulls had mistake
ning
en our
hors
ses to be cow car
arib
bou. We shouted, cursed and tossed clods of dirt at the bulls,
finally driving them off.
The larg
ges
e t spor
orrted
orte
d ga
gargantu
uan
a antlers with the most massive shovel Dad ever had
se
een
en. It
I s an
a tler
e s we
w re cer
e tain to have scored near the top of the record book. The urge
e
to sho
hoot wass almosst irrre
esi
s stible.
D d didn’t have to lec
Da
ectu
ture me on hunter ethics to explain why he didn’t wan
nt me to
shoot th
hat bull. I knew. Be
B si
s de
dess, the caribou season did not open until the next mornin
ng.
This seemed to be a moot point because we were days away from the nearesst road an
Th
nd
lawm
wmen, but a quite serious matter to Da
D d who said tha
h t getting a jump on the
e season
was
s not an option.
``You’ll get another
er cha
anc
nce,
e,’’ Dad
e,
a ass
ssur
u ed
ur
e me.
He
e was right.
right On the
he fin
inal
nal hour
u of the
the
he la
last
st aft
ffternoon
ernoon
on of our hu
hunt
h
nt,, af
nt
a te
tterr running near
arrlyy a
mile
le to keep ahead of th
the
e wi
wind
nd, I sh
nd
hot a bulll tha
hatt ea
earn
rned
rn
ed the top med
ed
edal
al for
o mo
ount
ntai
ain
caribo
ou in the 1951 Bo
B one & Crrockett competition.
560
00 Hellsgat
te Road, Lewiston, ID 83501 • Office: 208-743-5043 (Fax: 208-798-4980) • jack
k-oconnor.org
Hunting Heritage & Education Center
Lewiston, Idaho Est. 2006
For a ccaribou hunter, this was about as fair as a fair chase can be and a far cry from
popping tthat sex-befuddled bull earlier in the hunt.
Dad w
wrote about the hunt later in Outdoor Life. This soon triggered a stampede of
hunters to
o the Atlin area. By the early 70s, my caribou had slipped from No. 7 to 35 in
the record
d book.
I often wonder how many record-book caribou were taken in the rut, victims of their
own self-destructive stupidity, by hunters who paid no heed to the concept of fair chase.
That hunt in 1951 was one of my first lessons from Dad on hunter ethics. No, he
never lecctured me about hunting ethics nor did he lecture his readers in his books,
Outdoor L
Life and later in Petersen’s Hunting.
But the
e message was there, an embedded part off a much larger picture he painted of
the huntin
ng experience.
He wro
ote in such a vivid, descriptive manner that the readers were transported on the
hunt with him.
It required little of the reader’s imagination to feel the lingering warmth of a grassy
bed vaca
ated moments before by a ram, to see the red autumn rust forming on arctic
willows, the woodsy smell of a campfire or to hear the cackle of the pheasant rooster
exploding
g from the nearby brush.
Dad’s passion for sheep and sheep hunting was known throughout the hunting world
and his m
message on ethics was contained in almost everything he wrote on the subject.
Alas, the message must have been too subliminal for the many who did not get it.
He frettted over his role in creating a Grand Slam hysteria. He is said to have been
the fifth p
person to have bagged all four varieties of North American wild sheep and he
laid much
h of the blame for making the achievement of a Grand Slam a status symbol for
a new bre
eed of affluent and highly mobile hunters.
He sai
a d to
ai
oo ma
any
n Grand Slam seekers were so driven by greed and eg
ego
o th
t at they
cared liitt
ttlle abo
bout
ut the sights, sounds and smells of sheep
p cou
o nt
ntry
ry..
ry
Theyy wer
ere
e out forr in
inst
stan
st
antt su
an
s ccces
e s and
an
nd pr
pres
estit ge
g , ac
acco
c mplishing in days what required
co
weekss off tou
ough
gh hun
unting
ng for oth
t ers be
efore
fo
ore the
em. Out
u of the greed grew an industry of
un
nssccru
rupu
ulo
lous out
u fiitt
ut
tte
ters wh
who pr
prom
omot
om
oted
ot
ed quickie hunts, often flying their instant hunters to
the base off sh
heep mo
moun
un
unta
nta
tain
in
ns wher
erre ra
ams had been spotted a day or so earlier.
I met o
one
e su
such
h hunte
terr wh
te
who
o had
d st
stas
a he
as
h d his rifle and duffel in a storeroom at his office
while he a
awaited
d the go-ahead ca
call from hi
h s outfitter. He got the call shortly after he
arrived att his office, hopped a flflig
ig
ght to Anch
chorage, shot his ram the next morning and
was backk hom
wa
o e th
he fo
ollllow
owing da
d y.
y He said that his goal was to score a Grand Slam in a
y arr. I lo
ye
osst tra
ack
c of th
he gu
g y, but
ut he pr
prob
o ably did achieve that goal.
In the boo
o k Sh
Sheep and Shee
ep Hu
Hunting, Da
ad wrote:
` I ha
``
h vve
e writt
t en a good manyy sto
tt
tori
ries on sheep hunts. Some of the boom in sheep
ri
hunt
hunt
hu
n in
ng m
ma
ay we
w ll be laid to my doorstep. I hope that when I arrive at the Pearly Gates,
old St
ol
St.. Pe
Peter do
does not hold it ag
gainst me. He mayy well do so – and
n if he does, I shall not
a gu
ar
gue.
gue.
e I sim
i plly wi
will bow my hea
ad, turn around
d an
nd go down belo
ow where I belong.’’
But Da
But
Bu
ad’s message was not to
tota
tallly lo
ost. I likke to
t believe that he had played a role in
an awa
wake
ening of hunting ethics an
and
d a gr
grow
owin
ow
ing
in
g aw
awar
aren
ar
enes
en
ess that to preserrve our hun
es
u ting
g
he
erita
rita
age
ge we wh
w o hunt must clean
n up our act
c . I am con
onvi
v nc
vi
nced
ed tha
hatt th
this
is iss tr
true
ue
e bec
ecau
a se
au
ma
any
n of tthe leading hunter-consser
erva
vatitiion
va
nis
ists
ts off to
oda
day ha
ave
v tol
o d me th
ol
that
att the
hey we
were
re gre
eat
at
Jack
Ja
ck O’C
Connor fa
C
f ns and werre in
nsp
pired by hi
h s writings
g .
560
00 Hellsgat
te Road, Lewiston, ID 83501 • Office: 208-743-5043 (Fax: 208-798-4980) • jack
k-ocon
nnor.org
Hunting Heritage & Education Center
Lewiston, Idaho Est. 2006
Today, most of the shenanigans that tarnished the image of hunters and hunting in
the 60s a
and 70s are unthinkable. Resource managers -- with the enthusiastic support of
most hun
nters -- have gotten tougher on game-law violators and associations of guides
and outfittters have done a commendable job of policing their own members.
Hunterrs pump vast amounts of money into wildlife conservation through
organizattions such as the Wild Sheep Foundation, Safari Club International, Rocky
Mountain
n Elk Foundation, Game Conservation International, Ducks Unlimited and a
host of otthers.
These hunter dollars protect and enhance wildlife habitat and support critical
research into disease and nutrition, migration patterns and relationships between
predatorss and prey.
I like to
o believe, too, that Dad’s writings – and sometimes rantings – contributed to a
heightene
ed environmental awareness. In Arizona, he witnessed the devastating impact
of overgra
azing on a fragile desert and its wildlife and he saw the same happening after
his move to Idaho.
In public meetings, magazine articles and in letters to the editor, he warned that the
frenetic d
dam-building activity of the 1960s and 1970s would inundate an important Idaho
elk winterr range and devastate the great steelhead and salmon runs of the Snake and
Clearwate
er Rivers. He locked horns with the Corps of Engineers and the many who saw
cheap hyydroelectric power and river barging as a panacea for all society’s ills.
The da
ams were built anyway. Since then, the states and federal government have
pumped m
millions if not billions of dollars to stave off extinction of some of the fish runs.
Today, th
here even is serious talk about removing some of the dams to restore the runs.
Dad w
was a prolific writer
writer, a workaholic who often boasted until his late 60s that he
never had
d take
en a true vacation.
He sle
lept
p in
n hi
h s of
o fice so he could get to his Royal typewriter quickly in ca
case
s he woke
up at 2 in
n the
e mor
orni
ning
ni
ng with a storyy idea
ea,, wh
ea
w ich he often did
id.
d. He
He’d
’d
d car
arry
ry
y paper and a pen
with him
m alm
lmo
ost everryw
ywhe
here
he
re he we
w nt
n , offte
ten
n pa
paus
using
in
ng in
n mid
d-conversation to jot down an
idea or ob
obse
serrv
rvat
rvat
atio
ion.
io
n
Dad’
Da
d s hu
hunts – al
alll of the
hem, eve
ven h
hiis af
a ternoon sashays from home or office into the
Arizona d
dese
se
ert for qua
uaill or ja
ua
ack
ckrabb
bb
bitts or in later years for upland birds or rock chucks in
Idaho – ssoon
Id
o er orr lla
aterr sh
show
owed
ow
e up in
n his
is writings.
That D
Dad wrotte
te more than 1,5
500 article
l s for hunting and fishing magazines, authored
tw
wo novels, an autobiography and
d about a dozen books on hunting and firearms was
know
kn
o n to mos
o t of
o his fan
a s.
s
Fe
ew,
w how
o ev
ever
er,, are
e aw
ware tha
at he
h wrote ro
omantic novellas and other articles for
Redb
Re
boo
o kk, Ma
M de
d mo
m isel
e le, Read
der
ers
r Di
D gest, Essquire, the literary magazine Midland, and
othe
ot
h r mag
ga
azi
z ne
n s popular in the
e 193
930s
0 and 19
940s; Or that that he once was a cub
r po
re
portter
e in Ch
Chic
i ago
o at the time of Al Capone and later was a Hollywood correspondent;
Or tha
Or
at hiis we
west
s ern novel Conq
questt was banned from the El Paso
so library because
lilibr
ibrrar
aria
ia
ians
anss thoug
ught
ht the salty lang
guage of the bo
b okk’s
’s characters wo
ould shock readers.
Lititer
era
ary critics gave the bookk hi
high
ghly
lyy favorab
a le
e reviews, as they did later with a
sec
se
cond
co
n nov
o el, Bo
B om Town, but th
that
a did litttltle
at
e to pla
laca
cate
ca
te th
the good
d citizenss of
o Westt Texa
as
wh
her
ere
e th
the
ere wa
er
e
wass talk of publicly flogg
lo
ogg
ggin
ing
in
g hi
him.
m The boo
ookk cr
crea
eate
ea
ted
te
d su
such
such
c a stiir am
amon
ong
on
g th
t e
piou
ou
us th
t a
at he was forced to quit his
is job
b at Su
S l Ro
oss
s Collle
ege
g in Al
Alpi
piine whe
h re
r he ta
taug
u ht
ug
E gl
En
glissh a
and jourrna
n lism
s .
560
00 Hellsgat
te Road, Lewiston, ID 83501 • Office: 208-743-5043 (Fax: 208-798-4980) • jack
k-ocon
nnor.org
Hunting Heritage & Education Center
Lewiston, Idaho Est. 2006
Blesse
edly few knew something else about Dad: He was a prankster who rarely
passed up the chance to pull off a practical joke.
One viictim was Lee Sproul who had hunted tigers with Dad in India in the 1950s.
Sproull, a kindly, soft-spoken East Coast lace manufacturer had been invited to visit
Father an
nd Mother at their home in Lewiston, Idaho.
Before
e Sproul’s arrival, Dad found a ramshackle house nearby with a porch stacked
high with junk and a yard littered with rusting car bodies and old washing machines.
Dad fe
etched Sproul from the airport, then drove to the old house, opened the trunk
and bega
an to unload Sproul’s luggage.
After a
an awkward silence, Sproul cleared his throat and said: ``But, Jack, I am sure I
will be ve
ery comfortable here.’’
For the
e rest of Sproul’s stay, he was fair game. Even Mother got into the act, putting
rubber no
ovelty-store vomit on the poor man’s jacket. Sproul was very forgiving, because
he and m
my parents remained good friends.
Mother – bless her soul – was a willing collaborator in other pranks. The victims
usually w
were sorority friends my sisters Cathy and Caroline had invited home for the
weekend.
Mother would start serving dinner by announcing that she was developing a
toothache
e. As the dinner progressed, her moans became louderr and louder until, finally,
Dad would say:
``Elean
nor, I have to pull that damned tooth out.’’
And, she’d whimper: ``Oh, don’t, Jack, please don’t.’’
At thatt moment, Dad would head into the kitchen and emerge with pliers in one hand
and an ellk tooth
tooth, its roots painted gory red
red, hidden in the other
other.
As the horri
riifif ed
e girls looked on and Mother would scream in mock agony, Dad would
pretend
d to
to pulll th
t e elk tooth from her jaw.
The jo
j ke
e was gre
eat fun until the nig
ight
ig
ht a panicked coed flfled
ed to a ne
near
a by house and
ar
phoned
d th
he pol
oliice. Min
inut
utes
ut
es lat
ater
er,, a squa
er
squa
sq
ad ca
carr pu
pulllled
led up and two burly cops pounded on
the do
oor
or,, de
dema
mand
ma
n in
nd
ing to kno
now
w what the
e hel
elll wa
was go
goiing on.
In the fal
In
all of 195
95
53,
3, Dad
ad sen
nt a le
ett
tter
err to me in Korea written on stationery filched from
e
a mortua
ary. I learned
d la
ate
terr th
hat
at he ha
had
d sent others letters with stationery taken from
such placcess as chu
hu
urche
es, col
ollectio
i n ag
io
a en
e cies and used-car dealerships.
Dad co
ould nott pass up a good
od gag eve
en if he knew it could put his career at great
riisk.
In 1938,
8 Rayy Bro
r wn
n, ed
editorr off Ou
utd
t oor Liife
f asked Dad if he wanted to be the
ma
aga
azi
z ne
e’ss gun
u colum
umni
nist to re
epl
plac
a e Ned Crros
ac
o sman who had committed suicide. Brown
liike
ed th
t e tw
two sa
s mp
m le columns Dad
a wrote, butt there was the formality of filling out the
n ce
ne
c ssssarryy em
empl
ployyment forms.
Dad ap
Da
appa
pare
rently had neglecte
ed to fill in his date of birth. Brown sent the following
me
m
ess
s ag
age
e in the
e terse language of the telegram:
HOW OLD JA
HO
JACK
C ?
Dad’ss re
Dad’
Da
r ply: JACK FINE . . . HO
HOW
W OL
O D RA
AY?
?
Brow
Br
own, who was well known fo
forr hi
hiss ex
expl
plos
pl
osiv
os
ive
iv
e te
temp
mper
mp
er,, must have been
er
en in an
exxce
exce
cept
cept
p io
ion
nally me
na
n
mellow and forgivin
ng mo
mood
od bec
ecau
ausse
au
se Dad got th
the
e jo
job
b an
and
d re
rema
main
ma
ined
in
ed with
Ou
utd
t oo
oorr L
Life until he retired in 197
97
72 and
d we
w nt on to
o wriite forr Pet
e errse
en’
n s Hu
Huntin
Hunt
nttin
ing.
g.
560
00 Hellsgat
te Road, Lewiston, ID 83501 • Office: 208-743-5043 (Fax: 208-798-4980) • jack
k-ocon
nnor.org
Hunting Heritage & Education Center
Lewiston, Idaho Est. 2006
I once attended a party in Reno hosted by a longtime friend and hunting companion
of Dad.
``One thing I admired most about your father was that he was the only outdoor writer
to admit tthat he’d occasionally miss a shot,’’ he said.
Dad diid miss, but rarely.
One off my earliest hunting memories was of tagging along with Dad for coyotes and
antelope jackrabbits in the desert north of Tucson. I saw him down two coyotes in a row,
one at 25
50 paces and the other at almost 300. Over the years, I accompanied Dad on
big-game
e hunts in Mexico, Arizona, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, British Columbia, The
Yukon an
nd Africa and I can’t recall seeing him botch a shot.
Luck o
often plays a major role even among the best shots. On our last upland hunt
together a few months before Dad’s death in 1978, a big pheasant rooster flushed from
a clump o
of brush about 50 yards from us. I didn’t shoot, but Dad shouldered his 28gauge Arrizaga, said ``well, hell,’’ and fired, dropping the bird.
We pa
aced off 70 yards. The rooster was hit by a single No. 6 pellet, embedded in the
side of itss head.
Dad w
was known as the father of the .270, which is not quite accurate. But he was so
keen on tthe caliber in his writings that the .270 became the pet rifle of thousands of
Jack O’C
Connor fans. He’d readily admit to me that the 30.06 was in the same league as
the .270 yyet somewhat more versatile. It was a 30.06 loaded with 220-grain ``solids’’
that Moth
her used in Zambia in 1969 to kill her first and only elephant.
His lovve of the .270 and his affection for such kindred calibers as the 30.06, the .280
Remingto
on, the 7x57 and .257 pitted him against gun writers he dubbed the Big Bore
Boys who
o preached that the .270
270 and its wimpy brethren were inadequate for elk and
foolish ch
hoicess fo
f r deer.
Dad ar
argu
g ed
d that
ha
a it was not the caliber so much as where the shot wass pla
laced
a
that
counted
d. An el
d.
elk
k sh
shot
ot in the lung
gs is jus
ustt as
a dead with a .27
70 as wi
with
th a .45
458,
5 he wrote.
His jo
ou
usts
us
ts with Elme
merr Ke
me
Keititith,
h th
h,
the
e le
ead
ader
er of th
er
the
e Bi
B g Bo
Borre
re Boys, provided years of great
enterttainm
nmen
entt fo
for re
read
ader
ad
ers
er
rs of outdo
d orr mag
agaz
azzin
ines
es.
es
Thou
Th
ough Dad has bee
ou
en dead
ad for 35 ye
years, I still receive dozens of letters, phone calls
and e-ma
ail fro
a
om his fa
fanss.
Some are
r fro
r m men in the
heir twi
w liigh
ght years
ye
ye
who had read, met or had corresponded
with Dad.. Yet a su
urprising numbe
berr are fro
be
om hunters and gun enthusiasts in their mid or
la
ate 30s w
who were barely old eno
oug
u h to rea
ead during the peak of Dad’s writing career.
ea
W at is mo
Wh
m st gra
r tify
fy
yin
ing
g to me is that my adult grandsons -- Riley, Michael and
Andr
An
drrew
w Ple
eass – are devvout fans
ns of th
their grea
at grandfather, worshiping a man who died
four
fo
u years
rs
s beffor
o e Rile
ey, the eld
des
est,, was born.
Th
hes
ese yo
youn
ng me
m n will neverr hun
untt tige
g rs in
n India or Urial in Iran and it may be that
tth
hey
ey nev
eve
er wilil affo
ord the strato
ospherically high cost of a Big Five African safari, but they
have
ha
ve inh
nhe
erited
e
ed a fondness for fiine guns, are good wing shots and
d have shown a love
a d re
an
resp
spe
ect fo
forr wh
w at they hunt.
This
Th
This
i is th
the Jack O’Connor leg
gacy I cherish mos
ga
o t.
os
Ab
bou
out th
the
e Auth
thor: Bradforrd O’Co
C nn
Co
n or
o was borrn in Jun
ne 19
933
3, in
n Fla
lags
gssta
gsta
afff, Ar
Ariz
izon
iz
o a.
on
a He
mo
m
ove
ved
dw
with his fam
a ilyy to Lew
wisto
on in 1948 and grad
dua
uated from Le
Lewiist
ston
n Hig
gh Scho
Sccho
hool
ol
560
00 Hellsgat
te Road, Lewiston, ID 83501 • Office: 208-743-5043 (Fax: 208-798-4980) • jack
k-ocon
nnor.org
Hunting Heritage & Education Center
Lewiston, Idaho Est. 2006
in1952. He served in the military as a policeman in Korea 1953-1955. Bradford
gradua
ated with a BA in English and Journalism from the University of Idaho in 1959. He
worked
d as a cub reporter for the Los Angeles Mirror-News 1959, copy and city editor for
the Wa
alla Walla Union-Bulletin 1960-1976, and last but not least, was the outdoor
reporte
er/columnist/editor for the Seattle Tiimes 1967-1991. Bradford has written severa
al
articless and provided numerous photographs for several publications, including Outdoo
or
Life, Sp
ports Afield, Petersen's Hunting, Road & Track and dozens of Associated Presss
membe
ership newspapers. His hobbies and interests include photography, travel, food
and win
ne, shooting, hunting, fishing and bicycling. Bradford
f
married his high-school
th
sweeth
heart (Anne) in 1953. They will celebrate their 60 wedding anniversary this yearr.
The O’’Connor’s have two children (John in Denver; Pamela in Seattle) and six
grandcchildren.
Connor Family Firearms History
“Eleeaanor O’Conn
nor’s Arizona Favorite – The .257
Robertts”
by ELD
by
DON “BU
B CK” BUCKNER
R
In 19
934 the O’Connor’s movved
d from
m Flagsta
aff in No
Nort
r he
rt
h rn Ari
rizo
zona
zo
n ’ss hig
na
gh co
coun
u tr
un
tryy of
o
pond
po
nderrosa pine
n and
ne
n snowy
wy winte
t rs to Tucson’s de
dese
ert heat and
d cact
ctus
uss. He
us.
H re
e Jac
ackk
560
00 Hellsgat
te Road, Lewiston, ID 83501 • Office: 208-743-5043 (Fax: 208-798-4980) • jack
k-ocon
nnor.org
Hunting Heritage & Education Center
Lewiston, Idaho Est. 2006
became tthe first professor of journalism at University off Arizona while soon achieving
recognitio
on as a top ranked gun and hunting writer.
That sa
ame year Remington introduced their commercial version of a .25 caliber
wildcat ca
artridge developed by eastern woodchuck hunter Ned Roberts. Developed by
necking d
down the 7 x 57 m/m case, the cartridge was capable of pushing bullets
weighing 60 to 120 grains at then impressive velocities. Originally called the .257
Remingto
on, the name was changed to .257 Roberts in honor of its inventor and
introduce
ed in Remington’s Model 30s rifle.
Jack bought one of the new rifles for Eleanor to replace her lower powered .25
Remingto
on and had it custom stocked and fitted with a new Noske scope. This rifle, with
its 24 inch barrel and loaded with Jack’s various hand loads, proved very accurate and
effective on Arizona whitetails (Coues’ deer) and desert mule deer as well as ideal for
coyotes a
and jack rabbits. Jack soon had a .257 of his own, used it primarily as a varmint
rifle, but sshot a few deer and one bighorn ram with it.
Eleano
or used her Remington .257 with great effect on Coues’ deer, javelina,
countlesss jacks and coyotes and in 1941, shot an impressive buck antelope during
Arizona’ss first modern day season.
Eleano
nor an
no
and
d rancher Frank Siebold with a Coues deer she shot in 1945 with
her Mauser
er 93 in
in 257
57
7 Roberts.
The
T
he O’
O’Conn
nn
nor
or’s did a lot of hunting for Coues’ deer in the rugge
g d desert mountains of
Arizon
Ar
izzo
on
na and So
Sono
nora, Mexico in those days. Th
T eyy frequently used
d horses but such hunts
alw
al
ways
ways
wa
y re
eq
qui
u red a lot of through hikkin
ing
g too. Ele
ean
nor’s rifle proved to have one major
d aw
dr
a b
ba
ackk. At
A 10
0 ½ lbs.,, it equaled
q ed 10% of dimi
minu
nutiive Ele
nu
leanor’s bodyy we
eig
ight
ght
ht,, simiilar to
an
n ave
vera
rag
ge man carrying 18 pou
g
unds.
nd
ds.
s Whe
hen
n carr
rrie
i d in a sca
ie
cabb
bba
bb
ard it ten
ard
ar
nde
ded
d to
o pul
ula
sadd
d le
dd
l sid
deways. More often than
a not Eleanor wou
o ld
d tir
irre outt at th
he en
end
d off a lon
ong
g da
dayy
and
d Ja
Jack would
d havve to carry
ry bot
o h his and Eleano
or’ss ri
riflfles
e backk to the horse
orrses or camp.
am
mp.
560
00 Hellsgat
te Road, Lewiston, ID 83501 • Office: 208-743-5043 (Fax: 208-798-4980) • jack
k-ocon
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Hunting Heritage & Education Center
Lewiston, Idaho Est. 2006
Jack w
was soon convinced that Eleanor needed a lighter rifle. In 1941 he swapped a
standard Mauser action to a well-known Phoenix barrel maker Bill Sukalle for a shorter
Model 93
3 Mauser action and had him fit a light 22 inch barrel to it. Sukalle trimmed
down the
e trigger guard and tang, thinned and altered the bold handle for low scope
mounting
g. A light Weaver 330 scope was mounted on Weaver B mounts and all shipped
to Griffin and Howe in New York to be custom stocked. The finished rifle arrived back in
Arizona in
n 1942 weighing just under 7 ½ lbs.
Eleano
or christened her new rifle that fall on a running white tail buck at 300 yards. A
few days later Jack’s 12 year old son Jerry used it to take his first buck on the Siebold’s
ranch in tthe Canelo Hills near Patagonia.
Eleano
or’s little .257 saw lots of use during the 1940’s, with frequent Sonora deer
hunts, wh
here the limit was 3 per person each trip, spring javelina hunts, and numerous
family outings for jacks and coyotes.
In 1946
6, at age 13, youngest son Bradford used his mother’s rifle to take his first deer
on Major Healey’s ranch in the Huachuca Mts., as he related in an earlier issue of this
newslette
er.
O’Co or’s s
O’Conn
son Jerry,
y wiith a nice
ic
ce bu
buck
sho
hot with his
s moth
th
ther’
her’s
r’s new
ne 257
57 Ro
oberts in
a Maus
aus
serr act
cttion
i
co
onfi
nff gur
u ation.
on
Eleanor with an antelope jack rabbit
shot on the run with a Remington model
30 in 257 Roberts.
E ea
El
ano
or’ss ri
r flfe wa
w s used ofte
en until the O’Connor’s moved to Lewiston, Idaho in 1948.
Ellea
E
Ele
eano
ano
or w
was bu
busy with four chilldren and most of her hunting wass for local pheasants
a d qu
an
quaiil. The
e boy
o s were both soon serving in the
he Korean War. Then, in the early
1950
19
50’s
50
’s,, E
Ellea
e nor tried a lightweig
ght cu
cust
sttom 7 x 57
7 built for Jack and promptly claimed it
as her
er ne
ew
w big game rifle.
Elea
Elea
El
e no
or’
r’s .2
257 languished in the rififle
le rac
ackk un
untititill itt was gififte
ted
te
d to Jim
i Rik
ikho
ho
off
ff’s
’s wifi e Janet
in the
h 196
960’s. Even more petite than
th
han
n Ele
ean
a or
or, att 4 ft.
t 11 in
inch
ch
hess, sh
he su
s cc
c es
e sful
sfful
ully
ly use
ed
the
th
e .2
257 o
on red st
s ag
g during st
s alking
n venture
r s to Scotland.
560
00 Hellsgat
te Road, Lewiston, ID 83501 • Office: 208-743-5043 (Fax: 208-798-4980) • jack
k-ocon
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Hunting Heritage & Education Center
Lewiston, Idaho Est. 2006
In December, 1971, the Rikhoffs’ son Jimmy, age 10, used the rifle to shoot his first
buck on H
Harry Tennison’s Texas ranch.
While rresearching for the gun section I authored for the O’Connor biography in 2001,
I learned that Ron Troy, an O’Connor fan I’d met thirty years earlier, had acquired the
.257 from
m the Rikhoff’s.
In 2007
7, Ron wrote to tell me he was selling the .257 through an auction house in
case I wa
as interested. I bought the rifle.
Eleano
or’s rifle has experienced a few changes through the past 70 years. When I
received it, the metal had been re-blued, a different scope mounted, the stock
shortened
d from its original 13 ¼ inches and the original trap door steel butt plate
replaced by a thin, red, white line rubber pad. I promptly replaced the pad with a solid ¾
inch blackk one which increased the stock length to 12 ½ inches – about right for a
youngste
er or petite lady. The original Weaver 330 scope and top mount had been
replaced long ago with a Noske side mount base and G&H rings which held a Bushnell
Banner 4x, which I replaced with an early Lyman All American 4x with a post and
crosswire
e reticle similar to the post in the original Weaver. With the heavier scope it now
weighs 8 lbs.
The mo
odel 93 action does not have the added safety of a rear locking lug like the
model 98
8, so Jack loaded Eleanor’s cartridges with then considered mild loads of 37 ½
grs 4320 or 39 grs 4064 behind 100 grain bullets; loads that are currently listed fairly
stiff in tod
day’s loading manuals.
I finallyy took time to try Eleanor’s rifle in April 2012. Knowing how much it had been
used, myy accuracy expectations were not high. After carefully cleaning the barrel, bore
sighting a
and firing a fouling shot
shot, I fired three shots at 100 yards
yards. The load was 40 grs
4064 beh
hind Si
Sier
e ra’s 90 gr. hollow point, which gave no sign of high pressure. I was
some sur
urpr
ur
p issed
d to find three holes in a tight cluster which measured 5/8 in
nch center to
center. O
Othe
Ot
he
er lo
load
adss of 37 ½ grs 4320
ad
0 and
nd 45 gr H205 (no
ow obso
ob
bso
sole
lete
le
te)) b
te
be
ehind two
differen
nt 1
100
10
0 gr
gr Speer
er bul
er
ulle
lets
le
ts
s gro
oup
uped
e witithi
ed
h n an incch.
hi
This
iss pa
astt fa
as
falllll I use
sed
d the
th
he 90 gr Si
S errra
a lo
load
ad to ma
make
ke an instant one shot kill on one of
ou
ur ra
anc
nch
h wh
w ite ta
t ililss – a lo
lowerr ne
neck
ck sh
ho
ot as it stood looking at me at a tad over 100
yards.
As an o
offf an
nd on
n .25
57 Ro
Robe
b rts usser
e in both North America and Europe for nearly 30
years, I h
heartily ag
gree with Jack’
k’ss 1977 concluding comments in the revised 3rd edition
k’
(K
Knopf, 1978) of his classic The
e Riffle
l Book,
k first published in 1949:
“ lthou
“A
ug
gh th
the
e ca
cartri
ridg
dge
e willl eve
v nt
ntua
u lly be
eco
c me obsolete, it will probably be loaded for
q itie a fe
qu
ew mo
more
re yea
ars
r and it iss stit ll worth ge
etting a custom made rifle for it. The
car riidg
cart
d e gi
g ve
vess liigh
g t re
ecoil and muz
uzzl
z e blast along with good accuracy and I know of no
b tt
be
t err com
mbi
b na
atiton
o cartridge forr var
armi
m nts, dee
eer, sheep, antelope and game of that
ee
Clas
Cl
ass.
s.””
Ab
A
Abou
bou
outt th
he Auth
thor
or:: Eldon “Bucck” Bucknerr was
a born on a livesto
ock
c ranch in Missouri,
grrew
grew
e up iin
n Arizona, and moved to
o Ore
rego
g n in 197
go
72.
2 “Buck” is very active in various
con
co
nserva
ns
nser
atition
on org
rganizations,, espe
peci
c al
ally
lyy the Boo
oone
ne and Crockett Club and
d the Fou
o ndation
forr No
Norrth
h Amer
e ic
ican Wild Sheep. He has be
been
en
n a com
ompe
petititititive
pe
ve sho
hoot
o er sin
ot
nce
c the
e age of
four
urte
teen
n. He hass hunted from Quebec to Mexico, Africa, Spain, Sc
Scot
otla
ot
tla
land
nd,, an
nd
and
d En
Engl
g an
gl
a d
a d has cco
an
comp
ple
lete
ted
d th
t e Gr
Gran
a d Sl
an
S am of No
Nort
rth
h Am
merric
ican
an
n Wilild
d Sh
Shee
eep.
p “Bu
uck
ck” is currre
r nt
ntly
ly
560
00 Hellsgat
te Road, Lewiston, ID 83501 • Office: 208-743-5043 (Fax: 208-798-4980) • jack
k-ocon
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Hunting Heritage & Education Center
Lewiston, Idaho Est. 2006
on the board of directors off the JOCHHEC and is a contriibuting writer to vario
ous
magazines and several of the big game award editions of the Boone and Crockett Club..
Mr. Buckner also co-wrote the biography
i
of Jack O’Connor in 2002.
Guest Writer
“A Conversation with Jack O’Connor ”
Byy Stephen Redgwell
Copyri
Cop
yright
yri
yr
ght 20
2002
02 – Stephen Redgw
g ell
Nott lo
No
ong
ng ago, I sp
s ent a pl
p ea
asa
san
nt evening chatting with Jack O’Connor. It wa
nt
as relaxed
and
an
d info
orm
rmattivve. You kno
now,
no
w, he really is a nice man. I can imagine what you’re
w,
e thinking.
Sttev
e e,, you
ou’v
ou’v
’ve
e be
been hittititing
ng the
h sauce, but I swear it’s true. Let me explain wha
at
happ
pen
ened.
Just before last yea
ar’
r’ss moosse hunt, I had to work on a rifle. I have a shop in
n the
base
ba
seme
m ntt, ou
outf
tfitte
ed wi
w th all the equ
q ipment needed by the hopeless tinkerer. Itt’s a
wo
ond
nder
e full plac
a e wher
e e I ca
c n workk undisturbed.
I had been putting
g in lo
ong
n hours
s getting ready for the trip. In previous yearss I had
a ways taken a 303,, eith
al
her as th
the
e primary or backup rifle, should anything unttoward
happen while I was away from home. This yearr I decided to take a 30/06. I ha
ha
ad made
so
ome bonded core .308 bullets an
nd my Savage 110 would make a good test bed.
The scope had to be
e re
repl
pllaced, a ne
ew recoil pad installed and the rifle clean
ned up.
p I
had started earlyy in the
he day
ay,
y, an
and
d byy the tim
ime
e it was do
done, supp
pper
pp
per wa
w s ready.
y Ip
put
u the
h
he
riflle in my office upsta
air
irs,
s pro
s,
ropp
pped
pp
ed up ag
agai
ains
ai
nstt a bo
ns
book
oksh
ok
shel
sh
elf,
el
f, and wen
entt to the kitcchen
n to
eat. After supper, I re
eloaded som
o e carttridg
d es and
d rettirred
d ups
psta
tair
ta
irss tto
ir
o rel
elax
elax
a .
560
00 Hellsgat
te Road, Lewiston, ID 83501 • Office: 208-743-5043 (Fax: 208-798-4980) • jack
k-oconnor.org
Hunting Heritage & Education Center
Lewiston, Idaho Est. 2006
I’ll adm
mit that I was tired. When you start at six in the morning and don’t get to sit
down unttil dark, it doesn’t take much to nod off. I resisted the urge however. There was
much to d
do. I needed to make some notes in my range log for the next day’s testing and
answer some email. After that, I would head off to bed.
I sat do
own at the desk and started the last bit of my “to do” list. After a couple of
minutes, the silence was interrupted by a cough.
“Steve, am I disturbing you?” I turned around, and there stood Jack.
“My God,, I, uh. What are you doing here?” What could you say? There he was, big as
life standing beside my 30-06. And no ghostly sheen either. Jack was solid, smiling and
casually d
dressed.
“I’m so
orry if I startled you. May I sit down?”
“Certaiinly, but you’ve got me at a disadvantage. I wasn’t really expecting to see you.
You know
w, you’re dead. You ARE dead aren’t you?”
“Yes, o
of course. Is that a problem?”
“Not fo
or me. It does seem odd though that you, especially you, would be sitting in my
house! W
We’ve never met, and apart from some books and magazine articles, I don’t
know much about you. You’re not family and I haven’t been doing any voodoo things
like invokking your name, so I hope that you can appreciate my situation. Just what
brings yo
ou here?”
“A
A fair question,
question but not to worry
worry, I’m
I m not going to ha
haunt
unt you
you. I’ll
I ll adm
admit
it that most
people would fin
ind this strange. When I was alive, if someone had showed up at my
house, so
omeo
om
eo
one
ne dea
e d that is, I’d have been out the window!”
“Tha
at g
goes
go
es witho
ittho
hout
ut saying
g. Itt doe
oess sh
sha
ake you up
up.. Ca
Can
n I ge
gett yo
you
o a drink or
someth
thin
th
i g?
in
g?”
“N
No th
ha
an
anks.
n
Th
That
hat
at's
s not
ot possibl
ble no
ow. Lett me tell you why I’m here.”
“Okay.. Um, I hope
e yo
ou’
u re nott her
ere
er
e to scold me about not owning a 270...”
“Haha!! Tha
at’
t s wh
hat mos
ostt peoplle mi
m gh
ght think, but no. I was watching you earlier when
you were
e working in the baseme
ent
nt.”
.
“You w
were in my baseme
m nt?”
?”
“Y
Yess. Q
Qu
uitte th
the
e ro
oom
o yo
y u’ve
ve got
ot.. A bit dark
r though.”
rk
“W
Well, I havve be
b en
n mea
e ning to add
d some more overhead lights.”
dd
“ ou
“Y
o re
ea
alll y sh
hou
o ld. At any rat
atte,
e I noticed th
hat you were putting a scope on your rifle.
It’ss a 3x9
x var
aria
iable power. Can I ask why you decided on that?”
“Fra
“F
ra
ank
n ly, itt’ss only scope I had
d left in the locker.. Given the choicce, I’d have put a 4
powe
po
powe
werr on
n and
d be done with it. I don’t see anyy use
se
e for the higher ma
m gnifications, but
someti
so
meti
me
t me
es you just have to make
ke do. I’lll keep it on 3 power.”
“I’m
“I’m
m gla
ad to
t hear
hear that.
that It seeme
ed si
silllllly
ly to
to be mo
moun
ntiting
ng a 3
3x9
x9 on
n a 30/06
6 fo
for
or bu
b ssh moose
bush
an
nyw
y ay
ay. Y
You’lll be lucky if you can
an
n see pas
astt 75
5 yards
ards.
ar
dss.”
.”
560
00 Hellsgat
te Road, Lewiston, ID 83501 • Office: 208-743-5043 (Fax: 208-798-4980) • jack
k-ocon
nnor.org
Hunting Heritage & Education Center
Lewiston, Idaho Est. 2006
I thoug
ght it was odd that Jack would know
w so much about my plans. I hadn’t kept it a
secret, bu
ut how did he find out? I was over the shock of his appearance and our
conversa
ation was relaxed. He continued.
“You know, I was curious about why you went with a 30/06. Normally you’d use a
303. After I saw your bullet making set up though, the reason became clear. Have you
got any p
plans to make something heavier in .308?”
“I was thinking about a 200 grainer. A round nose. What do you think?”
“Good choice. Despite what most people believe, the 270 wasn’t the only cartridge
that I use
ed. I liked the 30-06 as much, if not more, than the 270. For what you’re doing, I
would have used a 30-06 as well, loaded with a 220 grain round nose bullet. It’s perfect
for what yyou’ll be hunting.
I’ve no
oticed a lot of new
w cartridges are out on the market. It makes me wonder what’s
going on,, but the industry needs to experiment. Heck, I’ve done my share. In case you
haven’t figured it out yet, a lot of these new cartridges will fade away. Hunters will be left
with the o
ones that stand the test of time...like the 30-06.”
“Jack, I owned a 270 once. It was made by Parker Hale. But I got to tell you, the
cartridge left me flat. I guess it’s because of where I hunt.”
“And iff you’d said anything different, I’d have questioned the logic. Not liking a
cartridge is okay as long as the ones you use fit the situation. A lot of my time was spentt
hunting a
at moderate to long ranges. The 270 was just the ticket for sheep and plains
deer ”
deer.
“What do you think about these new magnums?”
“I havve
en’tt tri
en
rie
ed any
ed
n and never will. They’re beyond my time. Like I sai
aid
d be
befo
f re, if they
prove to
o be so
some
meth
me
thin
th
ing useful tha
in
hatt hu
hunt
nter
nt
ers taking
er
ng
g a lik
ikin
ing
in
g to
to, the
th
hen they’ll hang around. It’s
nice to
o ha
ave
e cho
hoices. Fr
F om what I’
I’ve
v se
ve
seen
en how
en
ow
o
wev
ever
er, they don’t offer anything new
er
re
ea
alllyy.”
.
“They ha
ave
e a 270
0 WSM
SM.. T
Th
hey eve
ven
n ran an ad with your likeness in the background.
They said
d so
s meth
methin
ng like
ke, ’IIf Ja
ke
J ck
k was
a ar
around today, this would be his choice’.”
“I’d havve tried one and wrung it out. An
nyt
y ime a fellow can play with a new rifle or
cart
ca
r ridge is good.”
“D
Don’tt you
ou
u thi
h nkk tha
ha
at the
h y we
were
re tak
aking adva
vantage by using your name to sell them?”
va
“O
Of cou
urse.
u
r
Are yo
Ar
ou as
a king me wh
w ether it’ss right? Well, who was going to stop them?
N one
No
n b
but
ut me co
ould ever know
w if it was true
e. It’s the ad men. But 25 years have passed
ssiinc
nce
e II’’ve bee
een
n arou
o nd. Most hunters today only know me by reputation or from books
iin
n a lib
brar
ra
arry.
L t me
Le
e tell yo
you
u something. Evvery
y man hop
pes to leave a legacyy behind when he’s
gone
go
ne Wh
ne
ne.
hether
et
it’s just within his fa
f mi
m lyy, orr if he
e’ss luc
u kyy, somethin
in
ng to give
e th
t e world. I
was on
wa
one of the
the lucky ones
ones. I got to do
do a lot of th
thin
ings
in
ngss tha
hatt yo
yyour
ur a
ave
verage Joe
ve
Joe
e cou
ould
ould
d only
drea
e m ab
ea
about.
560
00 Hellsgat
te Road, Lewiston, ID 83501 • Office: 208-743-5043 (Fax: 208-798-4980) • jack
k-ocon
nnor.org
Hunting Heritage & Education Center
Lewiston, Idaho Est. 2006
Part off my legacy was the 270 Winchester. I liked it. I guess you could say that if I
hadn’t wrritten so much about it, the cartridge may not have caught on. The same may
well be trrue of these new arrivals.”
“Regarrdless, you haven’t really answered the question. Maybe I wasn’t clear. Is it
right to sa
ay that 'so and so' would endorse a product that they’ve never seen? I mean,
what wou
uld Elmer Keith say if they used his name to push a new handgun cartridge?”
“I wouldn’t know. You’ll have to ask him. But that will be a hard thing to do because
he’s dead
d.”
“Well, sso are you!”
“If he sshows up after I leave, you can ask. Steve, don’t take it to heart. It’s not you
that they’re talking about. Look, I can understand why you’re upset, but companies have
always do
one things like this and will continue to do so long after you’re gone. It’s human
nature.
Look a
at Parker Ackley. He wasn’t the world’s greatest gunsmith. There were times
that he w
was downright dangerous! But it’s not so much what he was. It’s more like what
he left in the eyes of the world. His positive contributions stand to his legacy. Okay, not
everything that he ever did was right and proper. It doesn’t matter though. The good
outweighed the bad. Heck, I was no saint myself!”
“So wh
hat you’re saying is that it’s alright for people to believe the mystique that’s
evolved?”“Yes. When someone has affected your life or the lives of others in a positive
way their warts can be ignored
way,
ignored. I can’t
can t think of anybody I’ve
I ve met in my lifetime that was
perfect, b
but I’lll ne
n ver hold their faults against them. When the good outweighs the bad,
then be
eh
happ
ha
pp
py.
y. Liffe’
e’s too short to be poking around in useless spa
p ce
e.”
.
“It’ll tak
ake a wh
whililile
e fo
for that to si
s nk in.
n.””
“You
ou’v
ou
’ve
’v
e go
gott ti
time
me. My tim
ime
eh
ho
owev
we
eve
ver,, is up
p. I’
I ve got to go.”
“W
Will
ilill yo
ou be bac
acck?
k?”
“Maybe
e. I’lll alwayys be
e
e aro
roun
ou d th
hou
oug
gh. I have to keep an eye on my legacy. You take
care of yo
our
u se
elfl and
d bag
g a big one
ne on yo
your trip!”
“Thankks Jack.”
A d that was it. I can’t reallyy sa
An
s y that I sa
aw him leave. I don’t even remember what
tiime
m it wa
ass or
a
or how lon
on
ng we
w tallked
ed.. I'I'm
m just gla
lad to have had the opportunity to chat with
la
the
he ma
m n tth
that so ma
m ny peo
e ple st
s illl ta
alk about.
Ab
About
th
he Au
Auth
thor:: St
Stephe
hen Red
dgwellll joi
oine
ned
ne
d the
the Ca
Cana
nadi
dian
an Forces in 1977 as an airr fo
force
e
armo
ar
m ur
urer
er. His initial trades train
ining wa
w s taken
n at the Ca
C na
n di
d an Forces Scho
h ol of
Ellectricall an
and Mechanica
al Eng
gin
ineering
i (Smalll Ar
Arms
rms
s) an
and th
the
e Ca
ana
nadi
dia
an Forrces Sc
Scho
hool
ol off
Ae
ero
rosspace
c an
nd Or
Ordn
rdnance En
E gin
neering
i g (Ai
Airc
rcra
raft
ft Weapo
pons
nss & Ex
Expl
plos
osives
e ).
) Fo
Forr twentty on
ne
year
ars,
s, he bo
oun
nced
d arrou
ound Europ
ro
op
pe,
e th
the
e US
S an
and
d varrio
io
ous base
sess ac
acro
ross
ss Can
anad
ada,
ad
a, hel
elpi
lpi
p ng
g
to curb
curb Commun
unis
ism
is
m e
m,
elimi
limiina
ate pett
tty
ty di
dictat
ctator
orsh
rship
ipss. He has also publ
publis
lis
i hed
ishe
d tw
ttwo
o fict
f ct
fi
ctio
ion
on
b oks an
bo
nd hass been
e fea
eatured in
n, or contributed to, a numb
ber of publication
ns includ
din
ing
g
the
th
e Lee E
Enfield D
Diige
gest
st, th
t e Bl
B acck Po
Powd
wder
er Jou
o rn
rnal
all, Br
Brititish
h En
nfield Riifless- No 4 an
and No 5
560
00 Hellsgat
te Road, Lewiston, ID 83501 • Office: 208-743-5043 (Fax: 208-798-4980) • jack
k-ocon
nnor.org
Hunting Heritage & Education Center
Lewiston, Idaho Est. 2006
Rifles (North Cape Publications), Handloader Magazine and Canadian Shootin
ing Sports
Assoc magazine among others.
r You will also see his work around the Web at
places lilike www.6mmBR.com and www.thegunzone.com Since 2005, he has been
teaching as a civi
vilian iinstructor at the Canadian Forces School of Aerospace
Technology and Engineering. He has been happily married for 30 years to his wife
Tammy. Steve has three children, two grandkid
k ds and love
v s grouse hunting!
Steve
v has authored
r a number of books about the 303 Britis
i h, 7.62x5
2 1mm and
7.62x39mm cartridg
r es. He has also wr
written about the Lee Enfield rifle, whi
w ch was
Canada's
' principl
i e military
r arm ffor over forty years.
r His
H books
k are in use with police
l
agencies acros
r s North
t America. H
His readerrs include the federa
r l government,
t mililitary
brass and even a US Senator!
"Thee Incredible Antelope"
By Jack O
O’Connor- September 1943
Reprinte
ed with permission from Outdo
d orr Life Magazine
A co
ouple
e off fr
f ie
iend
ds off min
ine dr
drov
ove
ov
e up
u in fron
nt of my house one day with two buck antelop
pe. They
almo
m st cau
a se
sed
d a traf
afficc jam, and
d one passerr-by, who stood gaping at them, said, “Good Lord,
th
herre jusst ain’t any such deer!””
Th
hatt is a
abou
outt the usual reactio
on to the first sight of that amazing creature……
To read mo
ore about those
e inc
credible anttelope please refer to our Jack O’Connor
Archives within our websitte location!!!!
Ab
bou
outt th
he Au
uth
hor: Jack O'Conn
nor
o 's
' fir
irst
stt lov
o e,
e be
besi
siide
dess hi
h s fa
fami
mily
mi
lyy, wa
wass th
the
e ou
utd
tdoo
oors
oo
rs and wri
ritititing
ing
n
ab
bou
out hu
unting, firearms, and
nd the na
n tural hi
h story of big game ani
n ma
m ls
ls.. As the longt
on
ngt
gtim
im
me fi
f rear
a ms
m
e ittor fo
ed
or Out
utdo
door
o Lifife
or
e ma
aga
gazzine,
in
ne, O'C
'Con
onno
norr hu
hunt
nted
nt
ed and col
o le
lect
cted
ed tr
t op
ophi
h es
hi
es thr
hrou
ough
ghou
gh
outt th
ou
he wo
orl
rld
d,
560
00 Hellsgat
te Road, Lewiston, ID 83501 • Office: 208-743-5043 (Fax: 208-798-4980) • jack
k-oconnor.org
g
Hunting Heritage & Education Center
Lewiston, Idaho Est. 2006
and introd
duced millions of readers to hunting and firearms. He is still considered the undiisputed
dean of o
outdoor writing and journalism. Please visit our website at www.jack-oconnor.org
g to
learn morre about Jack, his family liife, career, and conservation legacy.
Member Pictures
Scout Yo
och
chum
um,, 13
um
13,, lilive
ves in Clarkston,, Wa
W shington and sho
ot tth
hes
ese
e tw
two
o ni
nice
c deer in 2011 and
2012. In Oc
Octo
tob
to
ber 20
012
12,, Sc
Scou
ou
ut ba
agg
ged the mul
ulie
ie buc
uckk (left
f picture) near Asotin, Washing
gton; a
shot at 45
50+
0+ya
ard
rds.
s. The
s.
he nicce Ida
d ho whi
hite
teta
te
taililil buc
ta
uckk (right picture) is from above the Clearwater
Riiverr in
in 201
011.
1. She
e shot thi
hiss bu
buck
c at 25
50+yards. Scout is a National High School Rodeo
o finalist,
honor stu
uden
e t and pl
play
ayss sc
ay
school spo
ports.
po
s.. She is the daughter of JOCHHEC member Treve
er
Yochum.
560
00 Hellsgat
te Road, Lewiston, ID 83501 • Office: 208-743-5043 (Fax: 208-798-4980) • jack
k-oconnor.org
Hunting Heritage & Education Center
Lewiston, Idaho Est. 2006
Mark Yocchum, Co-Chairman, Jack O’Connor Hunting Heritage and Education Center, sh
hot a
nice 4x4 w
whitetail killed on his birthday while walking on foot from his cabin in "North Cen
ntral
Idaho". M
Mark makes the challenge to other O’Connor fans…...........”I am the first to show
w off a
JOC logo
o (on my cap)....so where’s yours?”
Blairr Ha
B
H nsen shot this Missouri whitetail buck and cappe
ed a bit of a reunion with
h both an
old frrie
end and a farm on which I hun
nte
t d deer last in the late '70s. Arriving a day before
tth
he Missouri season, I sco
cout
u ed
d some of my old haunts a bit, found this buck's terrritory
an
a
nd foun
u d a spot where
e I wan
ante
ted
te
d to sta
tart
rtt my hun
unt the ne
next morni
n ng (open
ni
e ing da
d y,
Nove
No
N
emb
mber 10th). Arrivin
ng ea
earl
rlyy in
rl
n the pre--da
dawn
wn dar
arkn
knes
kn
ess,
es
s, the
e wi
w nd was where I had
d
hoped, and I took up a spo
h
ot in the
he edg
dge
e of
of some
so
ome tim
mbe
er ovver
e lo
ook
o in
ing a be
bean
a fie
an
ield
ld
d and
d
other fing
o
n erss of timbe
ng
ber. As
A the day dawned,
d deer were reallllly movi
mo
ov ng
n , a co
c up
uple
le
e
560
00 Hellsgat
te Road, Lewiston, ID 83501 • Office: 208-743-5043 (Fax: 208-798-4980) • jack
k-oconnor.org
g
Hunting Heritage & Education Center
Lewiston, Idaho Est. 2006
o smaller bucks were chasing does and generally being rambunctious, but by
of
about 8 o'clock I'd seen nothing of a bigger buck.
a
I decided I needed to move a bit, still hunting the edges of timber and pasture an
nd bean
fiields when I saw a group of deer standing in the middle of a large bean field. Th
hey
were silhouetted against the eastern sky. Even at nearly 600 yards I could clearrly see
w
th
he buck's antlers, and I realized that my heart was skipping a beat. I rememberr Jack
O'Connor's words "The big ones always look big," in "The Art of Hunting Big Gam
O
me in
North America," and this one did. I was able to sneak through some brush and into an
N
overgrown fence row to what looked like adequate range (it was 285 yards, acco
o
ording to
my laser range finder) and I had a pretty good rest on the top of a fence post in the
m
fe
ence row. The plot began to thicken as I realized when I raised my .270 Mause
er rifle
(built by Al and Roger Biesen) and peered through its six-power scope that I cou
uld see
only the top quarter of the buck's body, due to the slope of the terrain and the
o
unharvested beans. I held high on the back, squeezed off, heard the bullet strike
u
e, and
re
ecovering from the shot and working the bolt, could not see the buck, just the do
oes
moving off.
m
C
Cautiously
waiting from my shooting position for a minute orr so, I left stepped intto the
open and began walking to where I expected to find the buck. After about 50 ya
o
ards or
sso, he jumped up and began running toward me, really carrying the mail. As I ju
umped
to
o the ground for a sitting shot he closed the distance to a bit under 100 yards, th
hen
apparently seeing me, changed course, offering a quartering shot. I swung the rifle
a
th
hrough him
him, squeezed off knowing that my bullet would need to traverse nearly the
le
ength
h of his body to reach the heart lung area. I heard that bullet hit as well, and saw
him ma
h
make
e a big flinch as he disappeared into a wooded area. I fol
ollo
lowe
lo
w d, and fou
und him
qu
q
uitite
e cl
clos
ose,
os
e, exp
x eriencing
g that
at mix
i off elation and
d mel
e an
anch
chol
ch
olyy th
ol
t att only hunters
know
kkn
ow. The firrst 130 gra
ow
rain
in Nossle
er Pa
Part
rtititio
ion
io
n bu
bullllett had apparently stunned him and
d
knoc
kkn
ocke
oc
ked
ke
d hi
him
m do
down
wn witih a sh
hot hig
igh
h on
on the back just back of the left shoulder; the
e
seco
sse
c nd had struc
uck him
uc
m in
in the lef
eft ham and had ranged forward into the right lung
g as I
had
h
d hoped. Bo
Both
th bullets
l
exi
x te
ted.
T reuniion with my old
The
d fr
friend and
n quail hunting partner Charlie and fine hunting
g
ccountry that seemed to
o be sp
s eak to me again after all these years was a wonderrful
exxpe
e
erien
e ce
c and
d a lifel
elon
el
lon
ong
g me
m mory. The buck, killed with my favorite rifle, made the
expe
ex
e
eri
r en
ence
c mag
gnificen
nt. I'I d lilke to th
hink Cactus Jack would have approved...
A the
At
he Ja
ac
ck O’’Connor Hunting
g Her
e itage and Education Center:
x
Ac
co
copy
opy
py of Jack O
O’Conno
Conno
orr’s
’s .3
.375
375
75H&
75H
H& H rifle
H&
iiffle
e, cu
curr
rre tly on display
rrently
rren
rr
displlay
y as th
the 2013 ra
affle
gun off the year, will be raf
gu
a fled off to so
som
me luc
me
cky
k ind
div
ivid
idua
id
uall. Thi
ua
h s ri
rifl
fle,
fl
e,, mad
ade
e by
by
h
Ro
oger an
nd Paula Bies
esen, is
i the 1st
st of three rifles to be bui
uilt
lt in th
the “A
Afr
fric
ic
can
an”” se
eri
ries
es
s.
560
00 Hellsgat
te Road, Lewiston, ID 83501 • Office: 208-743-5043 (Fax: 208-798-4980) • jack
k-oconnor.org
g
Hunting Heritage & Education Center
Lewiston, Idaho Est. 2006
Th
he drawing will be held on June 1, 2013 at the Jack O’Connor Center. Be sure to
co
ome out on that day!
x
Th
he Winchester “Show and Shine” for 2013 is now in the planning stages. Anyone
tha
at has a Winchester or custom rifle or shotgun collection is encouraged to
o
pu
urchase a table and show off their favorites. If you have an interest, be sure
e to
giv
ve us a call (208-743-5043), stop in, or visit the website for more informatio
on. We
willl get you on the list for the drawing/gun show and shine.
x
Th
he Winchester Model 70 Jack O’Connor Triibute Rifles are on the streets an
nd only
lim
mited supplies are still available. Iff you are lucky enough to own one of the
ese
“lim
mited run” rifles be sure to order your gun case from the Center. Please read the
accompanying paperwork that came with your rifle for ordering details.
In our ne
ext newsletter:
x
Brruce Young, an O’Connor fan, will discuss one
e of his favorite topics in the next
Te
ech Corner.
x
An
n exciting Alaskan sheep hunt entitled, “Last Chances in the Chugach” By
y Chet
Fittzgerald.
x
“T
The Ambler Experience”
T
Experience by Jim Cox prov
vides an interesting recount of a ca
caribou
aribou
aribou
hu
unt out
ut of an Eskimo village near Ambler, Alaska.
x
Pllu
us, anoth
ther
th
er great artic
icle fr
from
om the Jack O’Co
Conn
onn
nnor
or col
olle
lect
le
ction.
ct
560
00 Hellsgat
te Road, Lewiston, ID 83501 • Office: 208-743-5043 (Fax: 208-798-4980) • jack
k-oconnor.o
org