Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters APRIL - Ask Wayne van Zwoll Questions About "DEER RIFLES THAT ENDURE"

Thank you, Seafire!..... WvZ

Guy, the older I get, the more I appreciate old rifles. The Glenfield line was Marlin's bargain brand. I've always thought its lever rifles as good at heart as those labeled "Marlin." ..... WvZ

Pat, all too soon rifles made when we were two become old rifles. If we're smart, we keep them! Thank you for writing!.... WvZ

... arguably the best deer rifles ever built. Certainly the most popular lever-actions of a century! .... WvZ

Thank you for the note, Nifty250!..... WvZ

Thank you for the note Dave. Indeed, their history is much of their charm! .... WvZ

Great article! As I have added more years to my experience, I have determined that the enjoyment of my time hunting depends more on what I am hunting with and who I am hunting with instead of whether or not I am successful in bagging whatever game I might be after.

Several years ago I bought a Winchester 1894 in 30/30. In the hole in the butt stock was a note from a previous owner with his name and address. I took a chance and wrote the old Gent asking for any information he might be willing to share about the rifle. I let him know that I was using the old rifle to hunt deer with and it was now located in SE Georgia. He replied that he was now in his late 80's, had purchased the rifle in the 1930's and hunted deer in Massachusetts with it most of his adult life. He had only sold it when he was no longer able to hunt. I replaced his note in the hole in the butt stock, added his letter and one of my own.

Some Old rifles can tell their stories. My old Winchester 1894 can and now, so can several more of my rifles...

Wayne, I really enjoyed the article, and a similar one you wrote for DSC's Spring 2017 edition of Gam Trails, entitled "Naked Rifles". Excellent work, sir, and I heartily concur. I had the great pleasure of taking a pair of black bears this past spring in Alberta with a lovely old Savage 99 chambered in 358 Win. I'm falling back to old rifles more and more as I get older myself. Thanks again.

DocRocket, than you for the kind words. Those 99s in .358 are pretty scarce! Who would have thought in the late '50s and early '60s that chambering would bring a premium! Congratulations on those black bears! .... WvZ

I just purchased a mauser 2000 I'd love to find out more about this old rifle but can't seem to find any info online if only they could speak

Great article! I have a couple of pre- 64 model 70's. One from 1948 and one from 1960. Every time I pick one them up, I wish they could speak. What must have gone on in all those years? Just beautiful old guns, that bring back memories of reading Jack O'connor, as a kid.

Had you and Bob been able to attend the Armijo Springs gathering this year, you could have fondled my new-old 1941 "Deluxe" .348 Winchester Model 71, the last production year before WW2. For its age, it is in beautiful shape and while hunted, it was obviously treated well.

I found this on GunBroker in Oregon, no less!

Norm

Wonderful read Wayne thanks for sharing with us!

Like many of a certain “vintage” I killed my first deer with Daddy’s model 94 and have always had a place for the old levers in my gun rack (now safe). They truly have a magic that cannot be captured by modern rifles.

I had the pleasure of joining the Mannlicher-Schoenauer club this past Spring. It's a 1939 production 1903 stutzen (6.5X54) with a vintage Hensoldt 4X in claw mounts. I managed to take a small buck (planned to take the first legal deer possible, buck or doe) with it last week and the satisfaction level was right up there with those where I've taken my biggest trophies. Believe me, hunting with classic rifles is the real thing!

I started hunting with a 336 marlin 35 rem caliber, first deer camp was 1956 I was in awe of all the wonderful lever guns !!!!

Always enjoy your stories. I started hunting in the period when a family likely had one deer rifle. Inn eastern MT. it was likely to be a lever action because it was so portable on a horse.

My first few deer were taken with a model 95 Winchester in 1903 (30-06). I too have gone back to my roots. 25-35,250 sav,and 30-30.

Thanks again for being here on Campfire.

I also am found of older guns for the most part. Not 100%, but probably 85%.
I do own ARs and AKs as well as a Mossberg MVP in 308, but the rest of my rifles are either made on actions designed between 1880 to about 1925--- or they actually are that old.



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Really liked this article and it brought back fond memories of days past! Well written and entertaining. Being 79 years of age, I have had the good fortune to experience hunting with many of the fine old lever guns addressed in the article and in conversations posted here. Growing up in Iowa, I never had the opportunity to hunt deer with a rifle, but that changed when I went to work for the US Forest Service as Engineering Tech on the Plumas National Forest in Northern California in 1959. On my first deer hunt, I carried a "loaner" 94 Winchester in 32 special hunting black tail deer. On my next deer hunt I used another loaner from a Forest Service buddy; a really nice handling Savage 99 in 300 Savage. Then came 23 years as a Naval Aviator deployed on aircraft carriers or overseas duty; which in effect basically brought my hunting to a halt for that period of my life (1962-85). The first big game rifle I bought was a first year production Ruger 77 in 308 Win, which I used for years. It has a 3 digit serial number and I still have it and use it on occasion. But about 12 years ago I "rediscovered" the lever actions. In a short period of time (3-4 years) I had acquired a collection of 7 Marlins (5 variants of the Model 336,a Model 39A "Mountie" 22lr, and a Model 1894 in 357 Magnum). Four of my Marlin 336s are in 30-30, and one in .35 Rem. I love the quick handling and fast follow-up capabilities of the 20" barreled lever-gun; especially in the dense cover of western side of the Cascades and coastal rain forests of Oregon.

For my hunting on the Eastern side of the state I always used my .308 Win or one of my two classic caliber (dating back to 1892) 7mm Mausers. I have two of the 7x57 Mausers (one is a sporterized Peruvian Army Brno made (1938 DOM) Model 98 Mauser and the other is a modern Ruger 77 Mk II). I really love mild recoil and the great performance of this classic caliber. Yeah, I like the old rifles a lot!

Cascade Jinx

Great article, stirs memories of a earlier time in Pennsylvania as a boy

I'm sure it's been covered, but I think the Remington Model Seven is about perfect for most deer hunting. I have 2 (260 Remington and 308 Winchester); these rifles are light, handy and accurate (1.5' groups). I carried a sporterized Springfield M1903 (30-06) for years and, as I advance in age, light weight and an effective cartridge is all I want.