When I started deer hunting in 1970, I used a brand new Winchester Model 94 lever action rifle in 30-30 with open sights. Even then, that rifle was pretty much state-of-the-art. Most of the other deer hunting rifles were old military rifles like the Springfield ‘03s, Eddystone 1917s, or German Mausers.
Sure there were exceptional bolt actions and lever guns then — Remington 700s, Winchester 70s, Weatherby’s, Savage 99s, Marlins and more. They sported beautiful walnut stocks and well polished blued steel.
Boy, have things ever changed.
The bolt gun standard
“It’s been years since I have seen anything in any deer camp in this state other than a bolt action rifle,” said Gary Adams of Marshall County. “I guess it’s easily the No.1 choice of most deer hunters across the state that use firearms. There are some new single shot primitive guns around and still once in a while I see a true black powder rifle being used, but those are fading, too.”
Let’s face it. A modern production bolt-action rifle is the epitome of hunting firearms. They are precision made, super accurate and they come in a mind-boggling array of models, calibers, stocks, barrels, materials and features. Other than getting a case of buck fever, it’s really hard to miss with one of these rifles.
The evolution
Few things stay static in the world of hunting especially firearms, ammo, scopes, and other gear.
Consider for 2013 the Remington Model 783 that retails for an affordable $451. It is a new concept bolt-action hunting rifle following up on the new Ruger American series with an MSRP of $449. The 783 comes in .270, .30-06, .308, and the 7mm Remington Magnum in barrel lengths of 22-24 inches. The new idea is to make a completely new rifle with a synthetic stock in a price range all hunters can buy.
Then Thompson-Center brings out a new out-of-the-box rifle in their Dimension® model. This hunting rifle allows the user to change out the barrel and bolt from one caliber to another in a matter of seconds, quite an idea.
No doubt, there is more to come keeping the bolt action on the top.
Be the first to comment