The way it used to be when you bought bullets.

My Uncle was a fairly well established gunsmith and every time I went over to his house there would be another row of boxes fresh from the postman and I would soon be picking at the tape and loudly "wondering" what was in the wrinkled boxes that smelled like cosmoline. Sometimes he'd let me pull them open and set the greasy articles on one of the many barrack racks full of rifles behind his workshop. One day I pulled out a Colombian Army FN-49 in 7x57 along with 2000 round of surplus (Boxer N/C, IIRC) that he'd paid the outrageous price of $72 for the rifle and I don't remember what for the ammo. Once I saw that pristine FN, I could think of little else for the next year or so...~Muir
 
And this is one of my favorite hunting outfits.~Muir

Haenelhuntinggear.jpg%7E320x480
 
I regret not buying a minty FN-49 which I found two years ago. They are neat, and a bit of history.

That single shot is gorgeous... what chambering?

On the other end of the scale, I love hunting with old military rifles, perhaps because of shooting them as a boy, because that is what many men had as their hunting rifles. ( Enfield, Springfield, Krag, Swedish Mauser, Rolling Block, Trapdoor .45-70s). Not that many people had a Model 70 ( or Rem 700, Win 88, or Win 100), unless they had a big farm where they could hunt deer on the ground, or went out West or to Africa, and that was very uncommon.

As I collected or was given ( or liberated ) 1888 Commission rifles, K98s, more Enfields, etc, I just had to hunt with all of them.
 
I regret not buying a minty FN-49 which I found two years ago. They are neat, and a bit of history.

That single shot is gorgeous... what chambering?

On the other end of the scale, I love hunting with old military rifles, perhaps because of shooting them as a boy, because that is what many men had as their hunting rifles. ( Enfield, Springfield, Krag, Swedish Mauser, Rolling Block, Trapdoor .45-70s). Not that many people had a Model 70 ( or Rem 700, Win 88, or Win 100), unless they had a big farm where they could hunt deer on the ground, or went out West or to Africa, and that was very uncommon.

As I collected or was given ( or liberated ) 1888 Commission rifles, K98s, more Enfields, etc, I just had to hunt with all of them.

I had an FN 49 in 8x57 and it was a splendid rifle. One of the finest autoloaders I have ever shot for function and accuracy. Rough on brass so I didn't shoot it too much with handloads. Eventually another child on the way sent that to a collector.

I also like the Mils. A lot of mine are ba&tardized milsurps I like to hunt with: One of my favorites was a M71-84 that had been shortened. I put on a Krag Jorgensen rear right with the flip up peep and windage adjustment, a fine lyman front bead, and checkered the wood 20 LPI. RCBS made a mold for it and I shot 400 grn bullets over 4831. It was Eyesight MOA, or, shot as well as I could hold. A rancher in Wagon Mound, New Mexico offered me too much money for it but I have a second rifle, of the same general condition, and another Krag rear sight. I will remake it.

I have several Lee's that have been sporterized as well. I mounted a MOJO rear sight in place of the arsenal sight on a Model 1911 Swiss a while back. I'd like to try hunting with it. Krags and Trapdoors are two of my favorite Grand Pa rifles. The Commission Mauser in that photo was a sporter made in Europe as an estate rifle. It has a two leaf rear sight and some light engraving on the receiver. It'sa a true .318" bore but the throat is .322" so i shoot some 170 FPGC bullets made for the 32 Winchester Special and such. It loves them and shoots to the aiming point with either leaf. My only complaint is that it kicks with a not so subtle ferocity. It's just one of those rifles that is recoil enhancing for no apparent reason. IT is also one of those rifles that would speak volumes if it could. The finish is almost completely gone and the stock has so many overlapping dings in it that it is almost smooth again. Like so many of these rifles, the places the rifle has been is half the enchantment of taking them afield.~Muir
 
My 1888 Commission Rifle is .318 bore, and I load Hornady .321 diameter 170-gr, same as I load for the .32-40, to about 2,400 fps. Remington CoreLokt 8x57 Mauer ammo, being also .321 inches and mild, shoots well enough to take seven deer.

It has Turk writing on its original Mauser sling, along with Chinese stampings on the sling further down. The NVA who was carrying it had Winchester ammo made for Chiang Ki Shek in 1939. So don't I wish that rifle could talk.
 
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Visited my father last week and had a look at his Columbian or Peru?? 1910 Mauser in 7x57. She has a long stepped barrel and beautiful stamps on the ring. I think a scope would ruin it, she'll stay as she is. Only thing changed was that she is sitting in a hunting stock.
edi
 
What's the story on this beautiful little thing? It is really perfectly scaled, styled, and put together.
The Hyper Singles were built by Sam Lair of Jenks in the early 70's. Apparently Lair was a "crusty old SOB", but was quite a craftsman. This is serial #002 and was built for a Charlie Williams. Charlie made the Benchmaster brand receivers and the predecessor to the Shilen trigger. Sam and Charlie were Buddys. It had a nice myrtle wood stock, but was too European for the current owner's taste so wood was sourced from Tom Turpin. Tom said it was French walnut that he'd purchased years before. Bernie Harrell carved the stock, Kathy Forster did the superb checkering, Bailey Bradshaw started the quarter rib and then was real busy with his double rifle business and the Owner had David Christman finish it and he did a wonderful rust blue. It is chambered 257 Roberts.‎

K

Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone.
 
I hope that Hyper is yours! .257 Roberts is just the perfect caliber for that. What a stalking rifle! Just add a little 4x scope and go.

Some of the nicest rifles ever built are by collaboration of various artisans, especially when they are friends.

This 7x64 I am building may get sent off to someone else to checker, for a better job than I can do myself.
 
I had an FN 49 in 8x57 and it was a splendid rifle. One of the finest autoloaders I have ever shot for function and accuracy. Rough on brass so I didn't shoot it too much with handloads. Eventually another child on the way sent that to a collector.

I also like the Mils. A lot of mine are ba&tardized milsurps I like to hunt with: One of my favorites was a M71-84 that had been shortened. I put on a Krag Jorgensen rear right with the flip up peep and windage adjustment, a fine lyman front bead, and checkered the wood 20 LPI. RCBS made a mold for it and I shot 400 grn bullets over 4831. It was Eyesight MOA, or, shot as well as I could hold. A rancher in Wagon Mound, New Mexico offered me too much money for it but I have a second rifle, of the same general condition, and another Krag rear sight. I will remake it.

I have several Lee's that have been sporterized as well. I mounted a MOJO rear sight in place of the arsenal sight on a Model 1911 Swiss a while back. I'd like to try hunting with it. Krags and Trapdoors are two of my favorite Grand Pa rifles. The Commission Mauser in that photo was a sporter made in Europe as an estate rifle. It has a two leaf rear sight and some light engraving on the receiver. It'sa a true .318" bore but the throat is .322" so i shoot some 170 FPGC bullets made for the 32 Winchester Special and such. It loves them and shoots to the aiming point with either leaf. My only complaint is that it kicks with a not so subtle ferocity. It's just one of those rifles that is recoil enhancing for no apparent reason. IT is also one of those rifles that would speak volumes if it could. The finish is almost completely gone and the stock has so many overlapping dings in it that it is almost smooth again. Like so many of these rifles, the places the rifle has been is half the enchantment of taking them afield.~Muir

I've always enjoyed hunting with milsurps . I lugged a Llungman AG 42 B for a few years when I was young ( just after the ice sheets had retreated as I recall ) It was probably one of the most accurate semi - auto rifles I've ever owned . It was a heavy pig and pointed like a 2X4 , but I took a few deer and a LOT of coyotes with it . I paid $ 75 dollars for it........... they cost considerably more nowadays .

I've experienced the same recoil effects with different rifles , including the 88 . One that really surprised me was a Martini that had been re-barreled to 303 British . It was one of the nastiest little rifles I've ever shot . It didn't help that I forgot the golden rule of shooting any Martini , I wrapped my thumb around the stock wrist and promptly punched myself in the nose when I fired , I'm sure some of you can relate . That being said , I'd buy another one in a heart -beat lol .

I've owned , and regrettably sold , all the SAFN - 49 variants with the exception of the reworked 7.62 Argentinian model . I had a Venezuelan in 7 X57 that was very accurate , oh well , you can't keep them all .

AB
 
Like Hugh Hefner - if you can just have them in your hands for a little while, it's better than just looking.
 
I've always enjoyed hunting with milsurps . I lugged a Llungman AG 42 B for a few years when I was young ( just after the ice sheets had retreated as I recall ) It was probably one of the most accurate semi - auto rifles I've ever owned . It was a heavy pig and pointed like a 2X4 , but I took a few deer and a LOT of coyotes with it . I paid $ 75 dollars for it........... they cost considerably more nowadays .

I've experienced the same recoil effects with different rifles , including the 88 . One that really surprised me was a Martini that had been re-barreled to 303 British . It was one of the nastiest little rifles I've ever shot . It didn't help that I forgot the golden rule of shooting any Martini , I wrapped my thumb around the stock wrist and promptly punched myself in the nose when I fired , I'm sure some of you can relate . That being said , I'd buy another one in a heart -beat lol .

I've owned , and regrettably sold , all the SAFN - 49 variants with the exception of the reworked 7.62 Argentinian model . I had a Venezuelan in 7 X57 that was very accurate , oh well , you can't keep them all .

AB

I shot a Hakim for a while; this is the 8x57 Egyptian army version of the Ljungman. Beat the brass up badly with hotter loads.

That's right! It was the Venezuelan army that had the 7x57 FN. Ever owned a Colombian contract Madson M-47 ? I owned a minty one once. It as a superb shooter. That s one (of many) that I wish I had back.~Muir
 
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