1st Quarter - the Jack O`Connor® Center
Transcription
1st Quarter - the Jack O`Connor® Center
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 nnor.org 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 nnor.org 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 nnor.org 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