The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Hide > The Art of the Rifle: Bolt, Lever, and Pump Action

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old July 25, 2013, 01:22 PM   #1
Mystro
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 26, 2004
Location: Central Pa.
Posts: 1,528
Winchester Model 70 Jack O'Connor Tribute rifle....WOW!

I have owned and been around a lot of fine guns in my days. Every now and then there is one or two that puts me to my knees......I have found such a gun this year. For Winchesters 75th anniversary of the great Model 70, they teamed up with one of, if not THE biggest hunter and outdoor writer of the last century Jack O'Connor. For those who do not know, Jack O'Connor was one of Winchester's biggest supporters. Jack's love of the Winchester 270 caliber and love of the Model 70 made the gun and caliber legendary hunting all over the world with the gun/caliber combination. Winchester teamed up with the Jack O'Connor Foundation to bring out a limited edition Model 70 worthy of Jack's name. The foundation loaned Jacks famous #2 rifle to Winchester so it could be exactly reproduced. Everything from the stock to the checkering is a mirror image of Jack's #2 custom M70 rifle.



Winchester spared no expense in this rifle using only the finest grade French Walnut for the stock and the engraving is outstanding. The "Jack O'Connor" signature is in nickel across the finger guard. One of Jack's signature Ram trophy's is engraved on the floor plate in great detail. The motif is carried out on the pistol cap.

The action on this gun is all Winchester Custom shop. That is to say "perfect". Free floating barrel with custom match crown has the best tolerance I have ever seen on a rifle. Metal to stock tolerance is absolutely as tight as I have ever seen.

My Sako's and other high end guns are extremely good but this particular Winchester sets the standard in elegance and action. I actually plan on using this fine gun and not hunting with a "Jack O'Connor" gun just seems wrong....

Jack died in 1978 and left a legacy and wealth of knowledge on what makes a good hunting rifle/caliber.
For those that do not know who Jack was as a man, hunter, and outdoor writer, take some time to investigate his accomplishments.


(My pictures do not do this gun justice.)
__________________
"I'm a good guy with a gun" What do I care if I give up some freedom or rights?....The Goverment will take care of me. This kind of thinking is now in the majority and it should concern you.

"Ask not what you can do for your country, but what free entitlements you can bleed from your country"

Last edited by Mystro; July 25, 2013 at 01:44 PM.
Mystro is offline  
Old July 25, 2013, 01:23 PM   #2
Mystro
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 26, 2004
Location: Central Pa.
Posts: 1,528
Here is a few scans of some of the info that accompanied my rifle.










__________________
"I'm a good guy with a gun" What do I care if I give up some freedom or rights?....The Goverment will take care of me. This kind of thinking is now in the majority and it should concern you.

"Ask not what you can do for your country, but what free entitlements you can bleed from your country"
Mystro is offline  
Old July 25, 2013, 01:57 PM   #3
salvadore
Junior member
 
Join Date: January 1, 2007
Location: Idaho
Posts: 2,282
Best thing JO ever said, "Just because you wear a big hat doesn't mean you know what you're talking about."
salvadore is offline  
Old July 25, 2013, 02:01 PM   #4
TheBear
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 11, 2011
Posts: 303
thats a very nice rifle! im planning on getting one of those myself...

What kind of accuracy do you get with it? I`d expect it to give at least moa accuracy up to 300 yard.
TheBear is offline  
Old July 25, 2013, 02:19 PM   #5
jmr40
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 15, 2008
Location: Georgia
Posts: 10,792
They only made a limited number in 2012 and prices were high then, MSRP of $2000.

http://www.winchesterguns.com/librar...ail.asp?id=397

They are no longer on Winchesters current website, so finding one could be a challenge.
jmr40 is offline  
Old July 25, 2013, 03:17 PM   #6
Mystro
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 26, 2004
Location: Central Pa.
Posts: 1,528
I promise to give a range report with pics. I needed to move my scope back 1/4" and need a reverse front Luepold base. I should be getting the part this week and will be hitting the range. Unfortunately most of these JOC Rifles will never be shot. Mine will be getting blood on it this fall.
JOC was a very educated man and intellectual hunter. What he did with the 270 was incredible. Jack believed a bigger caliber could not make up for a crappy shot. He was ahead of his time and I am sure he would have embraced today's advanced bullets. He was very good friends with Weatherby but never cared for magnum calibers for anything but large dangerous African game. This is why he loved the 270. He never said a bad word about Elmer Keith but Keith went out of his way to take cheap shots at Jack. Historians believe Elmer was jealous of Jacks superior writing style. Jack always took the high road. Jack took his 270 and a 375H&H with him on his African hunts. The 270 took 95% of all his trophies. Jack also liked the 30-06 but prefered the 270 because of its longer shooting potential. I am older and wiser now and personally have got to a point where I am tired of being over gunned with my 300 win mag and carrying around a big 26" barrel for PA game. I shoot it well and have taken many deer and bear but will admit it was over kill for all my hunts. My ego doesn't need it anymore. I was looking for a excuse to move back to a 30-06 or 270. The JOC gun was all it took.. When I see Jack killing big moose at 300 yards and dropping them in their tracks with older style bullets, it brought me back to reality of a well rounded hunting caliber. I am embracing Jacks philosophy.
__________________
"I'm a good guy with a gun" What do I care if I give up some freedom or rights?....The Goverment will take care of me. This kind of thinking is now in the majority and it should concern you.

"Ask not what you can do for your country, but what free entitlements you can bleed from your country"

Last edited by Mystro; July 25, 2013 at 04:44 PM.
Mystro is offline  
Old July 25, 2013, 05:02 PM   #7
AllenJ
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 11, 2009
Location: Northern California
Posts: 1,766
Beautiful rifle, can't wait for the range report.
AllenJ is offline  
Old July 25, 2013, 05:41 PM   #8
VTRich
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 3, 2005
Location: Vermont
Posts: 288
Ah, I ran into one of those a couple months back a local shop and wasn't about to leave it there. I have yet to shoot mine, but plan to. There was actually two versions of this rifle. I believe the Tribute, and the Custom Tribute. The Custom Tribute is supposed to have slightly better wood, has a steel butt plate, and comes with a special edition rifle case (soft case). The shop I purchased mine from also hade the higher grade, but I really didn't think the wood was any better (not $600 better anyway). Bud's has both in stock right now. The Tribute goes for around $1600, and the Custom Tribute around $2100. Here's mine.

VTRich is offline  
Old July 25, 2013, 08:16 PM   #9
kraigwy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 16, 2008
Location: Wyoming
Posts: 11,061
That is one heck of a rifle,
__________________
Kraig Stuart
CPT USAR Ret
USAMU Sniper School
Distinguished Rifle Badge 1071
kraigwy is offline  
Old July 25, 2013, 10:25 PM   #10
Boomer58cal
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 18, 2013
Location: closer than you think
Posts: 967
I'm officially jealous and I hate you

Too bad it's in 270

Boomer
__________________
The number one cause of death in the 20th century. 290,000,000 citizens were first disarmed and then murdered by their own governments. This number does not include those killed in war.
We're from the government, we're here to help
Boomer58cal is offline  
Old July 26, 2013, 12:17 AM   #11
Slopemeno
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 19, 2007
Posts: 2,663
As cheap as I am I hear "That's a good deal for $2100" coming out of my mouth...
Slopemeno is offline  
Old July 26, 2013, 07:03 AM   #12
Mystro
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 26, 2004
Location: Central Pa.
Posts: 1,528
I look at a purchase like this as a genuine heirloom to hand down to my son. Its also a good investment but it is ALOT of money to swallow up front. Consider you have another $750-$1000 on top of the gun for good glass. Cheap glass on a gun like this is not gonna work. A high quality Levy strap completes the package.
__________________
"I'm a good guy with a gun" What do I care if I give up some freedom or rights?....The Goverment will take care of me. This kind of thinking is now in the majority and it should concern you.

"Ask not what you can do for your country, but what free entitlements you can bleed from your country"
Mystro is offline  
Old July 26, 2013, 03:28 PM   #13
Dirty_Harry
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 11, 2006
Location: Kalamazoo, MI
Posts: 1,484
That is a beautiful rifle. One more thing I could never afford.
__________________
"The only purpose for a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you never should have laid down."

"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people and I expect the same from them." -John Wayne
Dirty_Harry is offline  
Old July 26, 2013, 03:45 PM   #14
JerryM
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 4, 1999
Location: New Mexico
Posts: 1,889
It is a beautiful rifle. However, at 7 1/2 pounds it starts too heavy for a hunting rifle in .270.
Jerry
__________________
Ecclesiastes 12:13  ¶Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14  For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
JerryM is offline  
Old July 26, 2013, 04:12 PM   #15
Paul B.
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 28, 1999
Location: Tucson, AZ
Posts: 3,795
I remember when Jack O'Connor retired, he was interviewed by the incoming Jum Carmichel. Carmichel asked O'connor if he were to be restricted to one gun/caliber to hunt all of North America, what would it be? O'Connor said without hesitation, "A 30-06!" Kind of says it all.
I saw one of those tribute rifles, the more expensive version at a Sportsman's Warehouse. Nice rifle but I felt the wood could have been better. Still, I came very close to whippin' out that friendly credit card.
I'll be interested to see how that rifle shoots.
Paul B.
__________________
COMPROMISE IS NOT AN OPTION!
Paul B. is offline  
Old July 26, 2013, 05:15 PM   #16
Mystro
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 26, 2004
Location: Central Pa.
Posts: 1,528
Its grade 3 french walnut. The wood alone in raw stock form is $500-800. Winchester never uses this high a grade of wood for its rifles.
I can't see Jack ever shooting the 30-06. He spoke of it often and while admiring the caliber, he prefered the flatter shooting 270 and went into it in great detail why. The 30-06 hits slightly harder before 150 yards but the 270 hits slightly harder after 150 yards. Its a wash. They don't call the 270 280 and 30-06 sisters for nothing. Lets face it, Jack could shoot anything he wanted to if he felt it offered a ballistic advantage. This was way before endorsements clouded up what professional hunters shoot. I think today's modern bullets would've only solidified his choice to shoot the 270.


Check out the prices of French/English Walnut as raw material..
http://www.oldtreegunblanks.com/shot...html?woodid=18
__________________
"I'm a good guy with a gun" What do I care if I give up some freedom or rights?....The Goverment will take care of me. This kind of thinking is now in the majority and it should concern you.

"Ask not what you can do for your country, but what free entitlements you can bleed from your country"

Last edited by Mystro; July 26, 2013 at 09:47 PM.
Mystro is offline  
Old July 26, 2013, 05:40 PM   #17
CharlieDeltaJuliet
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 25, 2012
Posts: 755
Now that is craftsmanship. I honestly am in awe at how beautiful it is. I would not have the heart to shoot it.
__________________
" The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to
keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect
themselves against tyranny in Government.
..." - Thomas Jefferson
CharlieDeltaJuliet is offline  
Old July 28, 2013, 07:04 PM   #18
MattShlock
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 8, 2013
Posts: 251
Anyone else catch the engraving on the pistol-grip cap is noticeably off-center? Custom shop is in the U.S., right!?
MattShlock is offline  
Old July 28, 2013, 08:59 PM   #19
steveNChunter
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 14, 2012
Location: Southern Appalachian Mtns
Posts: 1,520
That is a beautiful rifle for sure. I must say I'm a bit jealous. Its a little over my budget but if I owned one I would do exactly as you're planning to and hunt with it. (only in fair weather of course) Even rifles as nice as that one were made to be taken out of the safe every now and then.
__________________
DEO VINDICE
steveNChunter is offline  
Old July 28, 2013, 09:19 PM   #20
reynolds357
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 10, 2012
Posts: 6,161
Salvadore, the man under the big had was much more correct in what he was saying than Jack. Keith dealt in real world application. Jack dealt in idealism that relied on bullet technology that simply was not present at the time. Had the Barnes X been around at the time, Jack would have been right. It was not around and Keith had much more practical application given the bullets that were available at that time.
reynolds357 is offline  
Old July 28, 2013, 09:43 PM   #21
Savage99
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 17, 2004
Posts: 567
JOC was ok back then because the magazines were all that we had. He was a reasonable writer.

Warren Page did more and knew far more.

Most of us know more about guns and as much about hunting as JOC did.

The last thing I want is his name or initials on a gun.

The fluer de lis is over done on that rifle. The wood is second rate.
Savage99 is offline  
Old July 28, 2013, 09:50 PM   #22
steveNChunter
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 14, 2012
Location: Southern Appalachian Mtns
Posts: 1,520
P.O. Ackley probably forgot more than they all knew.
__________________
DEO VINDICE
steveNChunter is offline  
Old July 28, 2013, 10:01 PM   #23
reynolds357
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 10, 2012
Posts: 6,161
Keith's wildcatting is directly responsible for some of the fastest / hardest hitting rifles we have available to us today.
reynolds357 is offline  
Old July 29, 2013, 07:13 AM   #24
Mystro
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 26, 2004
Location: Central Pa.
Posts: 1,528
Winchesters custom shop is in the USA..

I won't respond to Savage99 comments:
Quote:
Most of us know more about guns and as much about hunting as JOC did.
i know everyone is entitled to their own opinion but damn, Savage99, what's the color of the sky on your planet???
Must have another agenda or and not a fan of JOC. But the comments were classy about one of the top rifleman of the last century.

Jack OConnor didn't deal in theory, he was a world hunter and practiced what he preached without being sponsored by a dozen companies. He was the father of "over gunned doesn't make you a better hunter". Meaning, a magnum caliber can not make up for poor shot placement. This humble guy killed about every thing with a 270 effectively. Today's advanced bullets only fortify the JOC hunting style. Considering the 270,280,30-06 are all ballistic sisters, it deflates the need for a magnum cartridge for non dangerous game. In fact the very idea that the 270 is under gunned is crazy, then and now. JOC wasn't a salesman and wast trying to pimp products like today's professional hunters that are sponsored by 10 companies. The phrase "beware the hunter with only one gun" was Jack O'Connor.

The general consensus about why Keith couldnt stop bad mouthing Jack was that Jack was a highly educated and that's what drove Elmer Keith crazy with jealousy. History has shown Jack never spoke a bad word about Elmer Keith and certainly had the platform to do so if he wanted to but didn't. That says more than anything about what kind of guy Jack was on and off the pages.
Looking at both sides of each mans hunting philosophies, it is easy to see why Jack drove Elmer crazy....Here is Elmer toting these big magnum guns around and Jack was killing the same game as Elmer just as cleanly with his simple 270....

As much as I like about Elmer's advancement with pistol calibers, mainly the 44mag, I detest the personal insults he made when he shot his mouth off. I am a student of both great hunters.


Yea, you could say I am also a Elmer Keith fan and have been handgun hunting more than a few times.....



__________________
"I'm a good guy with a gun" What do I care if I give up some freedom or rights?....The Goverment will take care of me. This kind of thinking is now in the majority and it should concern you.

"Ask not what you can do for your country, but what free entitlements you can bleed from your country"

Last edited by Mystro; July 29, 2013 at 08:50 AM.
Mystro is offline  
Old July 29, 2013, 08:29 AM   #25
Jim Watson
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 25, 2001
Location: Alabama
Posts: 18,484
Quote:
I can't see Jack ever shooting the 30-06.
He was apparently a bit superstitious. While preferring the .270 for most game, he carried a .30-06 when in bear country and season. He wrote "I can't get out of camp with a .30-06 in my mitts without stumbling over a bear."

What did he furnish Eleanor, who was also an avid hunter? A 7x57.


If you want something nice to go with your .270, the O'Connor Foundation is raffling off a repro of his .375.
Jim Watson is online now  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 09:57 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.08080 seconds with 9 queries