... on military bolt actions.
I am, in no sense of the word, an expert, but many of the r---es I've owned were military surplus bolt actions.
My first military BA was a 30-40 Krag Jorgenson, US military bolt action adopted by US Army about 1892. I bought it when I was 12 for $15. It was the carbine model. For deer, it worked well, though the side loading magazine was a bit odd. The action was very smooth. I sold it some years later for $75. Love to have another, but now they command prices of about $900.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krag-Jorgenson_rifle
In the early 1960s a Target department store opened in Duluth. British Enfields, American Enfields, and American Springfields would come in 50 gallon drums, full of cosmoline. The British and American Enfields would sell for between $8 and $12, and the Springfields, a few dollars more. I bought quite a few of each and resold them.
I did not like the American Enfields - kind of a clubby, unbalanced thing. My grandfather carried one during WWI, and I wish I'd hung on to that one (he was a combat engineer and was in Europe until almost 1920, and just brought his Enfield home when he was released from service. He couldn't figure out who he was supposed to turn it over to - the American military so downsized by that time).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1917_rifle_(American_Enfield)
The Brit Enfields were nice for hunting because of the removable magzine. You could carry an extra magazine in your pocket and be good to go. Many are still in use in our area. I always liked the WW I models as they had a brass butt plate and generally looked better - but were more likely to have worn bores. I never did get used to the extra push required to get the bolt seated, and they were not quite as easy to do fast following shots with as some other bolt actions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee-Enfield
The Springfields fell into three different categories, the "O3," the O3-A3," and the "Ford Ordinance." The O3 was considered to be the best of these, though the bore was more likely to be worn. The actions were good, and you could get off fast following shots, if you kept the stock at your shoulder.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springfield_M1903
I've owned a number of Mausers, and some of the best were straight bolt Argentine or Spanish Mausers. Mausers generally have a relatively smooth action and, though some are heavy to carry, make a fairly good deer rifle. Probably the best one I owned was a short Spanish Mauser - re-barreled for the .308 Nato cartridge. Most, however, were German Mausers in the 8 mm cartridge. While this cartridge is factory loaded down - due to the large variety and ages of rifles that use it - it is a good deer cartridge, and is acceptable for larger game as well.. While most military bolt actions have gone out of sight, price wise, Yugoslav mausers can still be purchased for about $150 and Turkish mausers can be purchased for $100. Both take the 8 MM cartridge. When I purchase such, I always make sure to get a guarantee of an accurate bore. The Yugoslav, especially, have nice slim lines, and seem to be slightly lighter to carry.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauser_rifle
I am, in no sense of the word, an expert, but many of the r---es I've owned were military surplus bolt actions.
My first military BA was a 30-40 Krag Jorgenson, US military bolt action adopted by US Army about 1892. I bought it when I was 12 for $15. It was the carbine model. For deer, it worked well, though the side loading magazine was a bit odd. The action was very smooth. I sold it some years later for $75. Love to have another, but now they command prices of about $900.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krag-Jorgenson_rifle
In the early 1960s a Target department store opened in Duluth. British Enfields, American Enfields, and American Springfields would come in 50 gallon drums, full of cosmoline. The British and American Enfields would sell for between $8 and $12, and the Springfields, a few dollars more. I bought quite a few of each and resold them.
I did not like the American Enfields - kind of a clubby, unbalanced thing. My grandfather carried one during WWI, and I wish I'd hung on to that one (he was a combat engineer and was in Europe until almost 1920, and just brought his Enfield home when he was released from service. He couldn't figure out who he was supposed to turn it over to - the American military so downsized by that time).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1917_rifle_(American_Enfield)
The Brit Enfields were nice for hunting because of the removable magzine. You could carry an extra magazine in your pocket and be good to go. Many are still in use in our area. I always liked the WW I models as they had a brass butt plate and generally looked better - but were more likely to have worn bores. I never did get used to the extra push required to get the bolt seated, and they were not quite as easy to do fast following shots with as some other bolt actions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee-Enfield
The Springfields fell into three different categories, the "O3," the O3-A3," and the "Ford Ordinance." The O3 was considered to be the best of these, though the bore was more likely to be worn. The actions were good, and you could get off fast following shots, if you kept the stock at your shoulder.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springfield_M1903
I've owned a number of Mausers, and some of the best were straight bolt Argentine or Spanish Mausers. Mausers generally have a relatively smooth action and, though some are heavy to carry, make a fairly good deer rifle. Probably the best one I owned was a short Spanish Mauser - re-barreled for the .308 Nato cartridge. Most, however, were German Mausers in the 8 mm cartridge. While this cartridge is factory loaded down - due to the large variety and ages of rifles that use it - it is a good deer cartridge, and is acceptable for larger game as well.. While most military bolt actions have gone out of sight, price wise, Yugoslav mausers can still be purchased for about $150 and Turkish mausers can be purchased for $100. Both take the 8 MM cartridge. When I purchase such, I always make sure to get a guarantee of an accurate bore. The Yugoslav, especially, have nice slim lines, and seem to be slightly lighter to carry.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauser_rifle
. It is the law that say it isn`t powerful enough.
