Old School Deer Caliber

[ar-newbie]

So you want something between .243 and 7-08? That doesn’t leave much room...257-08 and .277-08 pretty well fills that range out.

But then again the thread title is old school deer cartridge...so I’m going with one that I want to acquire, 35rem.

Ah, the classic northeastern brush gun. The 35 remington is not particularly great, or fast, or anything else. BUT, it excels at knocking down deer on the first shot at 100 yards or less in a heavily treed environment. This is one I would consider a true classic, but has lost favor in recent decades. Definitely from the previous generation of hunters. I still have my father's thompson contender pistol chambered in 35 remington sitting around as a family heirloom.

 

[J-Bar]

The .270 Winchester is about 10 years older than the Bob, coming onto the market in 1925. The .257 Roberts shed its wildcat status when Remington began loading it in 1934. The Ruger #1 single shot falling block rifle was designed to externally resemble the Farquharson rifle developed in 1872. It's hard to get more old school than a rifle design more than 140 years old shooting a cartridge just under 100 years old. It is a light, short combination, handy in a deer stand or still hunting through the woods. The .270 Winchester does not need to be shortened or magnumed; every deer I have hit with it has been a one-shot kill. I save the spent cases that took a deer in an old turtle shell I found while hunting with it the first year I owned it. I used to use Federal Premium ammo, but could not find a box locally several years back, so I bought a box of Remington Core-Lokt 150 grain round noses and the deer die just as quickly. Core-Lokt bullets came out in 1939 (same year as Gone With the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, and Stagecoach...pretty good year!!), so I'm using a bullet that is only 79 years old. I turn 74 later this month, so I am the youngest element of the combination when I go out to hunt.

 

[ccoyle]

I like seeing that I'm not the only person who saves all of his brass from successful harvest shots.

 

[eastbank]

i do a lot of hunting with single shot rifles-ruger#3 in 45-70

 

[DM~]

My "old school" deer hunting rifle was proofed in Oct. of 1935,



The 8x57 cartridge it's chambered for is from the 1880's...

It's been working pretty good for me,



Is that old school enough??

DM

 

[tark]

Old? Odd caliber? How about a Ross M-10 sporter in .280 Ross. Circa 1911 or so. North of a 280 Rem in power, just south of a 7MM Mag. Great deer and elk gun, not so hot for charging lions.

apologies for the upside-down pic. It looked right-side up on my puter when I opened it

 

[Catpop]

Well it started 50 some years ago with a .30 gov Krag
followed by a 35 Rem Marlin 336
but then it got a little crazy
25 WCF
32 WCF
38 WCF
32-40
38-55
45-70
Today for the woods, I’m back to the 35!
But I prefer my SA .357 or .44 mag.

 

[midland man]

well I been using my Winchester 94 30-30 since dad and mom bought it for me when I was 12 years old now being 42 I still use it and reload for it as well! when I took my first deer in 1994 its was 12 point buck, field dressed 132lbs and my dad had his head neck shoulder mounted for me. so being this rifle is the angle eject ranger model I put a scope fixed 4x32 with see thru mounts so I can if needed use the sights as well! I have taken hogs, deer etc! and to this day I still use this gun and will to my death! so also I load the 170gr sierra bullets using 33.6gr win 760 powder and this been a great load for a long time! I love this rifle very much!!!

 

[adcoch1]

Very first year hunting I used a 1917 eddystone in 30-06. Packing around a full sized battle rifle through thick forest is no fun...

 

[eastbank]

you had to go and bring up the old lever actions

 

[Offfhand]

you had to go and bring up the old lever actions

Speaking of lever actions: here's what Griffin & Howe did with a Winchester 94.

 

[Dr T]

Maybe an 1895 Winchester in 30-40 Krag...

 

[J-Bar]

I inherited a ‘95 in .30/06 from my uncle. It was made in 1921, but I have not taken it hunting yet, and the .30/06 is larger than the OP wanted to talk about. But thanks for the excuse to show it off!!

 

[stiab]

How about a Winchester M70 in .284Win? Don't see many of those. Maybe not old school enough for the discussion.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Old? Odd caliber? How about a Ross M-10 sporter in .280 Ross. Circa 1911 or so. North of a 280 Rem in power, just south of a 7MM Mag. Great deer and elk gun, not so hot for charging lions.

apologies for the upside-down pic. It looked right-side up on my puter when I opened it

WOW! That's the purtiest Ross I ever done seen! Very nice!

 

[Dr T]

Maybe a Win Model 88 in 284 Win. Afterall, it is a lever gun (and one of the two that the 284 Win was chambered in originally).

 

[tark]

WOW! That's the purtiest Ross I ever done seen! Very nice!

It IS pretty, but It has been completely re-finished both metal and wood, so it has no collector value. It is, however, a beautiful and graceful arm from a bygone age. All markings are present and intact. It's bore is pristine and I took it to the range many years ago, with a box of Kynoch "280 Calibre Full Metal Patched Bullets. Ross Pattern". I don't know what the bullet weight was, the marking on the box wasn't legible.

I had four rounds. After firing one fouler shot the rifle put three into a nickel sized group at 100 yards. I had a lot better eyesight in those days !

I don't shoot the rifle any more, Ammo is difficult to make (from .300 H&H brass ) and .288 diameter bullets are available, but expensive. With the proper size bullets and modern powders the Ross will come close to a 7mm Remington Mag in performance. One cannot hunt big game in Illinois with a high powered rifle anyway so it sits idle today. It will go to my son when I am gone.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Very first year hunting I used a 1917 eddystone in 30-06. Packing around a full sized battle rifle through thick forest is no fun...

Even less fun in a gas mask and people are shooting at you......

You're not kidding about the M1917 though. Makes you wonder how many doughboys said they preferred the Springfield just because it feels 10lb lighter (even though the actual difference is less than 1).....