Non-Typical Solutions Report post Posted November 3, 2014 A few years back when my Mom and Dad passed away I was lucky enough to inherit a rifle that had belonged to my Grandpa Pace a Winchester Model 1894 hex barrell 30-30. I had my son look it over, clean it up and go put a few rounds through it just to give me the assurance that it was ready to use again. I picked it up yesterday, man what a sweet 30-30. I killed my first deer with a 30-30. On the drive home, I got to thinking....what if....all hunting regs for big game reverted back in time to an open sights only? Pre-scope hunting........I often think I have spoiled my own boys by getting them some of the best hunting gear available and not making them shoot their first big game with just an old fashioned open sights gun. I know....beautiful drive home with way too much time to think about all the deer hunting stories my Grandpa used to tell me and all his deer he killed using that 30-30. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ready2hunt Report post Posted November 3, 2014 What an awesome piece of family history. Its one thing to have something like that but to still use it just like your grand dad did just makes it that much more sweet. Regarding the open sights: I took a buddy of mine out shooting. He left the Marine Corp. about 11 years ago. I was sighting in my Remington 30-06 topped with a 3-9x40. After 5 shots I had it where I wanted it at 300 yards. This buddy of mine (no joke) punched a 500 yard target with IRON SIGHTS!! He had not even touched a rifle for a few years. Gotta love military muscle memory 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snapshot Report post Posted November 3, 2014 Cool rifle And waxing nostalgic. Good stuff! I remember when my Dad and I first started hunting deer in the mid-1970's. He bought me a Remington 788 in .308, but didn't have enough money for his own rifle, so he borrowed a 30-30 from someone. It had open sights. One morning he was cooking us breakfast at camp and I grabbed that 30-30 to do a quick hunt around camp, and I jumped a mulie buck a few hundred yards out of camp. I missed that buck with the 30-30, as I had never shot it before. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rthrbhntng Report post Posted November 3, 2014 Cool rifle. I have the exact same rifle from my Dad and Grandpa. When I was young we learned to shoot with a .22 and then we got to shoot the 30-30. It was fun and still is. Not too sure I like the steel butt plate. Great memories. My Dad wasn't a big hunter but he did take a deer with the rifle in upstate NY and I have the picture of him with the deer and the rifle. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesPursuit Report post Posted November 3, 2014 Beautiful rifle and family heirloom! My thoughts on your 'what if' go both ways, would a mandate (state or family induced) on iron sights wound more deer? Or would it train one to get closer and be a more fundamental hunter? I don't know the answers to these questions I am just speculating. I'm also not saying anything bad about the long range guys, I understand it's a science of its own. Great thought provoker! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AverageJoe Report post Posted November 3, 2014 I think every kid should learn on open sights and standing position. I loved peep sights at 500 on my m16. Now the Marines only use Acogs in boot camp and irons are becoming obsolete. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Non-Typical Solutions Report post Posted November 3, 2014 Cool rifle. I have the exact same rifle from my Dad and Grandpa. When I was young we learned to shoot with a .22 and then we got to shoot the 30-30. It was fun and still is. Not too sure I like the steel butt plate. Great memories. My Dad wasn't a big hunter but he did take a deer with the rifle in upstate NY and I have the picture of him with the deer and the rifle. That is funny cause I looked at that steel butt plate and thought......this gun was built to last......and possibly crack somebody across the jawbone. I can't remember who it was that told me....maybe Lark.....these were standard issue along the border towns during the days of Pancho Villa......my Granpa farmed in the Virden area and I don't have any information how he got the gun but man that just stokes the fire of awesome and that 30-30 rifle. When the family was sorting through my Mom and Dads stuff we decided to do a draw for all the "good stuff". My number got drawn very first out of the box and that rifle was my first pick. My 5 brothers were not pleased to see that go first. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MULEPACKHUNTER Report post Posted November 3, 2014 Great gun right there. I have a few I collect but not as slick as that one. One of my favorite things to do is iron site shooting. My dad hadn't shot in 10 years and I took him out with a few 45/70 levers and dammed if he didn't bull a shoot and see at 200 on his first shot. He put it away and said he was done for the day. Lol great memory. I also love ar15 irons at 300. Its a blast to see how well you can group. I hope to tag something someday with my 30/30 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lancetkenyon Report post Posted November 3, 2014 Back about 12 years ago, my Dad and I had a Coues hunt together. I was using my Rem 700 Sendero in 7mm STW w. a 6.5-20 Leupold, and he had his old Springfield .30-06 with peep sights he shot in high school and college on the shooting teams. I shot a rock at 500 yards and thought I was pretty cool. Then he shot the same dang 6" rock with his 06' and open sights. I wasn't so impressed with myself after that. My Dad has the best teaching practices through humility. Don't get me wrong, I can shoot pretty good with open sights, shotguns, handguns too, but my Dad is a true bad-a$$ with a gun. He has been a great teacher, and I am very thankful for him. My brother used to be a "send a lot of lead downrange" kind of guy even though he learned from the same man I did. Up until about a year ago, I would let whatever game we were hunting get out of his range, then pop it. He has since learned to slow down and make the first shot count. I still school him though, thanks to my Dad's teaching. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Swivelhead Report post Posted November 4, 2014 Shot a few hi-power matches back in the day. Always amazed me how capable a practiced shooter can be with iron sights. My eyes were a LOT better then too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
singleshot Report post Posted November 4, 2014 On my bucket list is to kill a Coues with my grandpa's model 14 in 30 Remington. I didn't have access to it this year but did carry my H&R Buffalo Classic in 45-70 out for a day. I couldn't see over a hundred yards anyway and felt very confident with the iron sights. I have read a lot of stories on this site of young hunters making tremendous long range shots using the "CLAW" with the buttstock rested on a tripod and thats great, but what happens if you don't get that opportunity to set up? Will they have the skills to make a running shot? I own a nice rifle and it wears a good scope, someday I want to get it set up with turrets and increase my range. But…. the last Coues I killed, the one in my avatar came out at my feet on a knife edged ridge, flat getting out, and he was dead inside fifty yards. There has been a lot of those, mostly before I got good glass. A few years back I threw a rock off a bluff into some brush on a very windy day and a nice three point came boiling out at 15 yards. As always he had bedded to escape quick if need be. My then 18 year old son smoked him with his 6.5 Swede topped with a 60 year old Weaver K4 scope. It was an excellent snap shot on a buck running full out. I knew then that he had instinct. IMO the "claw" and such takes away some of that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lancetkenyon Report post Posted November 4, 2014 The good thing about the "Claw", tripods, and bipods is this. It allows younger kids the opportunity to get into the hunting tradition earlier. I know my 12 year old daughter cannot support a full size hunting rig offhand yet. And the aid of a tripod allows her to get into the field and give an opportunity to hunt that would not be there without the aids. I am all for that aid. But, she will learn to shoot offhand as her strength increases. She does just fine with a 10/22 and squirrels offhand, so a deer rifle will soon follow. Being able to shoot offhand is a must for spot and stalk or still hunting. Rarely does a blowing buck allow you the luxury of setting up a tripod when he bolts from 20 yards. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
singleshot Report post Posted November 4, 2014 What appears to be written here often though is that "Dad ranges the animal. Dad dials in the scope, Dad gets the rifle locked in the claw and tripod and junior reaches over and pulls the trigger." Even some of the outfitters on here have done write ups about setting up clients for the "shot". Myself and my children carry rifles equipped with bipod's so I can appreciate the mechanical advantage, but some of this stuff is robotic. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
