Most Handsome Bolt Action Hunting Rifle?

[2152hq]

Had to nekropost on this one. Love them Mannlichers but for pure sexy, Ross model-10 in 280. There was one at my local Cabelas a month back but was slightly outta my price range. Oh someday!
-Jesse

Here's my 'well traveled' .280 Ross Sporter I mentioned in an earlier post above.
It's been given an extra wood coating or two of shellac over the years. The metal finish is gone. The front sight blade is a replacement made from a War-Time penny and there's a chunk missing from the toe of the stock.
But it works well and it's just what I usually look for,,unusual and in need of some help.

It'll get a complete restortion.
I've shot it already in it's present condition though. I used standard 7mm bullets instead of the .289d Ross projectiles and seemed to work OK.
Brass I make from .375 Ruger.
A set of .280 Ross RCBS dies I bought at a show for $25 way before I owned the rifle.
This one has the optional spring loaded 'Porter' flip up rear peep sight on the bridge. The standard bbl sight is a fold down single leaf sight rated for 0 to 500yds (!). Sir Ross was quite a marketer I think.

No the bolt doesn't fly out of the back of the rifle if you have the bolt assembled correctly. You can see the bolt head rotate into position as you close the bolt.

But,,,,If you try, you can assemble the bolt incorrectly, and then place the incorrectly assembled bolt into the rifle.
It will then fire with out the locking lug head rotating into the locked position. That's not good.
The bolt stop blocks the exiting bolt assembly from the rec'vr, but it will come back far enough to punch a hole in your noggin especially if you're a stock creeper.
Just make sure it's put together right, don't worry,, and go have some fun!

This is the rifle (and cartridge) that got instantly blacklisted in the sporting life when an upper crust Englishman used it to shoot a charging lion. The lion payed it no mind dispite 3 hits I believe and mauled him to death.
Probably more to do with poorly constructed bullets in the Hi-Vel cartridge at the time than anything else. But it didn't help the Ross Rifle track record in any way that's for sure.

Clint used a Take-Down 280 Ross Sporter w/a 'scope mounted on it (backwards) in one of his westerns to make a long range shot.
..So it must be a good one.

 

[Texas Star]

Here's my 'well traveled' .280 Ross Sporter I mentioned in an earlier post above.
It's been given an extra wood coating or two of shellac over the years. The metal finish is gone. The front sight blade is a replacement made from a War-Time penny and there's a chunk missing from the toe of the stock.
But it works well and it's just what I usually look for,,unusual and in need of some help.

It'll get a complete restortion.
I've shot it already in it's present condition though. I used standard 7mm bullets instead of the .289d Ross projectiles and seemed to work OK.
Brass I make from .375 Ruger.
A set of .280 Ross RCBS dies I bought at a show for $25 way before I owned the rifle.
This one has the optional spring loaded 'Porter' flip up rear peep sight on the bridge. The standard bbl sight is a fold down single leaf sight rated for 0 to 500yds (!). Sir Ross was quite a marketer I think.

No the bolt doesn't fly out of the back of the rifle if you have the bolt assembled correctly. You can see the bolt head rotate into position as you close the bolt.

But,,,,If you try, you can assemble the bolt incorrectly, and then place the incorrectly assembled bolt into the rifle.
It will then fire with out the locking lug head rotating into the locked position. That's not good.
The bolt stop blocks the exiting bolt assembly from the rec'vr, but it will come back far enough to punch a hole in your noggin especially if you're a stock creeper.
Just make sure it's put together right, don't worry,, and go have some fun!

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[URL="http://home.roadrunner.com/~mburcke/scribbler/ross2.JPG"][URL="http://home.roadrunner.com/~mburcke/scribbler/ross2.JPG"] [/URL][/URL]
[URL="http://home.roadrunner.com/~mburcke/scribbler/ross3.JPG"][URL="http://home.roadrunner.com/~mburcke/scribbler/ross3.JPG"] [/URL][/URL]
[URL="http://home.roadrunner.com/~mburcke/scribbler/ross4.JPG"][URL="http://home.roadrunner.com/~mburcke/scribbler/ross4.JPG"] [/URL][/URL]

This is the rifle (and cartridge) that got instantly blacklisted in the sporting life when an upper crust Englishman used it to shoot a charging lion. The lion payed it no mind dispite 3 hits I believe and mauled him to death.
Probably more to do with poorly constructed bullets in the Hi-Vel cartridge at the time than anything else. But it didn't help the Ross Rifle track record in any way that's for sure.

Clint used a Take-Down 280 Ross Sporter w/a 'scope mounted on it (backwards) in one of his westerns to make a long range shot.
..So it must be a good one.

That'd be Sir Charles. Men are knighted under their first names. I don't know why Americans so often find that hard to grasp. But he was indeed a good marketer.


If you can locate a copy of, "Elephants and Ivory", author John Alfred Jordan is seen in a photo sitting on a dead elephant while holding a Ross. He and the man the lion killed are the only examples I've seen of its use in Africa, but some were surely used there. I used to know the name of the dead man. He had a famous brother and both were noblemen, so the incident got a lot of publicity. Sir George Grey??

 

[2152hq]

That'd be Sir Charles. Men are knighted under their first names. I don't know why Americans so often find that hard to grasp. But he was indeed a good marketer.


If you can locate a copy of, "Elephants and Ivory", author John Alfred Jordan is seen in a photo sitting on a dead elephant while holding a Ross. He and the man the lion killed are the only examples I've seen of its use in Africa, but some were surely used there. I used to know the name of the dead man. He had a famous brother and both were noblemen, so the incident got a lot of publicity. Sir George Grey??

I'm not concerned how they knight people, why, or by what name they use.
Americans don't have to bother grasping the concept of a King bestowing some sort of Royal pompous honorary title in front of your name.,,Unless you like that sort of thing,,

As a marketer,,Ross was only prone to slightly wild claims,,probably no more than others of the time.

Grey does sound familiar as the victim of the lion attack.

I'd guess the Ross was used all over and for about anything. The 'marketing' claims are quite something for the 280caliber if you read the old ads.
Some one with the money and time to hunt Africa as a hobby would surely have to have the latest toys.
The caliber was chambered in quite a few double rifles & singles at the time too. High Velocity small bore was the new thing. The high profile mauling of the man did slow that in the dangerous game catagory though.
280 Lancaster or 280 Flanged Lancaster
it's called with a rim on it for double rifles and single shots

 

[Texas Star]

I'm not concerned how they knight people, why, or by what name they use.
Americans don't have to bother grasping the concept of a King bestowing some sort of Royal pompous honorary title in front of your name.,,Unless you like that sort of thing,,

As a marketer,,Ross was only prone to slightly wild claims,,probably no more than others of the time.

Grey does sound familiar as the victim of the lion attack.

I'd guess the Ross was used all over and for about anything. The 'marketing' claims are quite something for the 280caliber if you read the old ads.
Some one with the money and time to hunt Africa as a hobby would surely have to have the latest toys.
The caliber was chambered in quite a few double rifles & singles at the time too. High Velocity small bore was the new thing. The high profile mauling of the man did slow that in the dangerous game catagory though.
280 Lancaster or 280 Flanged Lancaster
it's called with a rim on it for double rifles and single shots

I'm not going to get into a debate with you over the issue of knighthood, but if you cite a man's name, it's best to get it right. I think that Ross would appreciate that.

P.S. I just looked this up. The victim was indeed George Grey, brother of British Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey. Happened in 1911.

 

[O2Guy]

I agree with the ones that said Colt Sauer. I had one in 7mm Rem Mag, beautiful wood, an action as smooth as melted butter, and Python type blueing.

 

[Malpasowildlifer]

I'll vote for the Winchester/USRAC M-70 Fwt. Classic.

me too!

standard and target pre 64 model 70's are cool too

 

[woodsltc]

I'm a fan of the Remington 700 Classics.....nothing flashy, straight stocks, no contrasting forend tips, etc.

I still hunt with my two that I bought in the early 80's, one in 30.06 and the other in .243 ..... taken alot of game with 'em. I still have the wood stocks, but I've put H-S Precision composite stocks on both of them for hunting.

Don

 

[PALADIN85020]

The one, the only, pre-1964 Winchester Model 70. To us old-timers and purists, the argument about "best looking" ends right here.

John

 

[Rastoff]

And here I thought people were knighted under their whole name. Who knew they had their names truncated. At least I'd never heard that before.

 

[Leonard]

Custom Pre 64 Winchester w/ extended magazine most classic looking bolt gun

 

[Dashriprock]

First bolt action I ever bought, Model 70 Classic Super Grade:

 

[David LaPell]

The nicest looking bolt action hunting rifle, well the pre-64 Model 70 is at the top of the list for me. I semi-inherited (just caretaking for now) this pre-64 Model 70 Featherweight .308 rifle with a Lyman peep sight. I haven't had a chance to shoot it yet, but I do plan on it.



For the nicest looking hunting rifle overall, there is nothing like an early Savage 1899, especially the B model with its graceful octagon barrel, a friend of mine had one in .38-55 that was just the nicest thing I recall, and one cannot get past the look of a Model 1894 Winchester in .30-30.

 

[RonJ]

In the AFFORDABLE rifle category I'd have to put in a vote for the Weatherby Vanguard with wood stock.

For one that I can't afford my vote goes to the Colt Sauer.

 

[Texas Star]

And here I thought people were knighted under their whole name. Who knew they had their names truncated. At least I'd never heard that before.

You may be misunderstanding. The whole name is the whole name, but the family isn't being knighted; only the honored recepient is.

When the Queen dubbed with her sword, she (or the King) said, "Rise, Sir John (or whoever.) Didn't say, "Rise, Sir John Smith".

In the case of the Grey brothers, if they were "Sir Grey", you wouldn't know whether it was George or Edward who was the knight. Of course, brothers could be knighted, but as individuals, not as the family (last) name.

Churchill was Sir Winston, not "Sir Churchill." But he was still Sir Winston Churchill, K.G., etc. if you saw his full name. See now how it works? BTW, he was not knighted until 1953, soon after the present Monarch ascended the Throne.

It bothers me that the famed tiger hunter Jim Corbett was never knighted, despite his great courage and expertise that allowed him to save so many lives. But a singer like Elton John was! Or Paul McCartney! Sheesh!

No one mentioned double rifles. I think H&H has the best looking. I've handled them, but can't afford one. But this isn't about me or anyone else of limited means. It's about the rifle. I hope we can evaluate them that way. BTW, I also like H&H's "magazine rifles", built on Mauser actions. And like David Wilson, I find the Mannlicher-Schoenauer very attractive in classic form. Some of the 1950's versions with exaggerated combs were too much. However, because of the forward location of the butterknife bolt handle, I cannot cycle the action of the M-S as fast as I can Mauser system rifles. M-70's made after about 1968, when the bolt guide was added, are the quickest I've found, other than the Lee-Enfield. For the matter of that, the old Lee-Speed and similar sporting rifles built on the .303 action are very handsome in the better examples.

I regret upsetting some fans of the pre-'64 M-70, but some editions, like the Fwt., have rather clubby stocks. The present Fwt. is simply cleaner and trimmer.

 

[Texas Star]

BSA Lee Enfield #3 Pattern Carbine, .303 British - YouTube


Here's a BSA-made .303 sporter. This is a LONG way from the Bubba'd Enfield sporters we usually see.

 

[TAROMAN]

Real easy choice for me.... the old Mannlicher-Schoenauer full stock rifles.

Add me to the M-S camp.

 

[olskool]

i know this is an old thread but here is my model 300 h&r ultra rifle in 22-250 it has a vintage 3x9 leupold. these guns had a douglas premium barrel and a fajen aristocrat stock, i think they qualify for this thread. i also have a model 301 manlicher carbine in 243 with vintage 2x7 leupold.

 

[olskool]

here is the 301

 

[BAM-BAM]

IMHO...... the CZ "FSs"/fullstock........aka Mannilicher........ micro,mini and fullsize Mauser Actions and Turkish Walnut...........

All at a price we all can afford.... rimfire at $450 to centerfires in the $700-800 range.

 

[M29since14]

I'd forgotten about those H&R Ultras. They were nice rifles - well, I've only seen one in person, but it was nice.

Nothing wrong with reviving a thread about pretty rifles! Reading along here it occurs to me I neglected to mention the Dakota. They are way up there on the list for me too, as is the new magnum length Mauser, which has some nice features in addition to being pretty.