Never has there been another writer who championed the dainty, shy, Coues’ whitetail of the Southwestern U.S. like Jack O’Conner did. He and his wife, Eleanor, were serious hunters of big game in much of the world, but with the elusive gray bucks, the two made a romance out of hunting them near their Arizona desert home and throughout much of northern Mexico before they moved to Lewiston, Idaho, in 1984. For much of their hunting in the Southwestern U.S., trusted rifles were chambered in .270 Winchester, .257 Roberts, .30-06 Springfield, or perhaps the 7x57 (7mm Mauser), all of which were, and still are, excellent for hunting the bucks today. ...Read More >

For the past couple of years, primers have been nearly impossible to obtain as a component for handloaders. Even ammunition manufacturers have struggled to either produce enough primers, or purchase enough original equipment manufacturer primers to allow them to meet the demand for their ammunition. As a result, both ammunition manufacturers and handloaders are frequently substituting primers. In other words, primers are being used in applications that are not within their intended purpose. I am aware of handgun primers being used in rifle cartridges and vice versa, with both practices potentially posing problems. ...Read More >

Recoil. I don’t like it. Some shooters are fond of saying, “Recoil doesn’t bother me a bit.” I have trouble with that statement; being as how for a half century, I’ve been no stranger to rifles delivering noticeable recoil. Recoil will bother everyone’s shooting if enough rounds are fired, especially if shooting from a benchrest. It’s just that some people have a higher tolerance than others. One of the keys to becoming a good shooter is discovering at what point recoil begins to degrade your ability. ...Read More >

At one time, all rifles, with the exception of a few target models, left the factory carrying some form of open iron sights. Many folks were not happy with run-of-the-mill open sights and mounted aperture target sights (peep sights) on the rear tangs of their hunting rifles. These were dangerously close to the eye on rifles that had much recoil. The aperture was quietly moved forward to the rear of the rifle’s receiver. There was nothing wrong with these sights (for folks having good eyesight) in the 1920s, 1960s or today. ...Read More >