10 Classic Hunting Rifles Every Hunter Should Own (Part 1)
These classic hunting rifles bring a good dose of nostalgia, and plenty of real-world performance
1. Springfield Armory Model 1903 Sporter
Many, if not most, of our modern bolt-action hunting rifles have their roots in military rifles of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After the World Wars, an abundance of surplus rifles was quickly taken advantage of by hunters. The 1903 Springfield was commonly “sporterized” by pulling the action and putting it in a shorter, more-handy “sporter” stock. Of course, they were often re-barreled, re-chambered, and highly-modified for specific hunting purposes—all based around the robust 1903 action.
It was common for gunsmiths to “sporterize” surplus rifles for customers, turning them into heirloom hunting rifles. If I was to buy one, I’d take the original .30/06 chambering, although they were often re-barreled in other calibers like .270 Win. The 1903’s action was built for battle, and its heavier and more robust than most of our hunting actions today. There’s no doubt though that it would make a fine hunting rifle even today.
2. Winchester Pre-64 Model 70
If there is a ubiquitous American hunting rifle that transcends time and space, it’s the pre-64 Winchester Model 70. After being introduced in 1937, the Model 70 became known as “the rifleman’s rifle,” and a favorite of long-time Outdoor Life editor Jack O’Connor.
The Model 70 was more refined than previous copies of Mauser-style controlled-feed actions and featured a three-position safety. A redesign of the Model 70 in 1964—including conversion to a push-feed action—almost instantly made the pre-64 Model 70’s collector’s items. Even today, pre-64 actions are popular for custom hunting rifle builds and original rifles are as collectible as ever.
Although O’Connor noted—in his introduction of the “new” Model 70 in the March, 1964 issue of OL—that the “new Model 70” featured a stronger action, better case head support, and several other features he viewed as improvements, he still believed that the Model 70’s produced prior to World War II “were probably the best factory-produced big-game rifles ever turned out.”
3. Savage Model 99
Somewhat odd-looking, this design from 1899 was one of the most popular American hunting rifles in the early 20th century—and still carries quite a following.
It was a lever-action that featured a unique rotary magazine that allowed for spitzer-style bullets to be used—something tube-fed lever guns couldn’t do. It was offered in a variety of cartridges, but if I had to pick one, I’d probably go with the .250/3000 Savage. It was a screaming-fast cartridge when it was released in 1915 and doesn’t lag too far behind the .25/06.
In just about any offering, the Model 99 would be a great deer or black bear rifle, and the aforementioned Frank Glaser noted that in .250/3000 Savage, it was his favorite all-around market hunting rifle.
