Gransel Fitz

[elkeater2]

Don't know why Grancel's momma spelt his name with a 'C' instead of an 'S". But she did.

 

[Guy Miner]

I'm pretty sure Gransel Fitz's rifle wasn't a sporterized 03 but a 1917 rifle or a Remington M30. IIRC from pictures it had the dogleg bolt handle and Enfield Safety on the right side of the action.

Taylorce1, thanks for digging that up!

Dad still has his sporterized Springfield, and my son and I are still using the 1917... Good rifles!

 

[filmjunkie4ever]

Hey Guy, what kind of scope do you have on your .30-06s? I have a VX-3 2.5-8x on my Model 70 right now, I love that scope. Although its almost too short for the proper eye-relief on a long action rifle.

Also, thanks for the tip about elevation Doc. I was concerned I had done something wrong and that was to blame but it seems that less powder goes farther in Idaho than it does in Oregon

 

[Guy Miner]

.30-06 Rem 700 CDL has an old (1970's?) Redfield 2-7x

.30-07 M1917 has a 6x Leupold (36mm version) with a Leupold dot on tapered crosshairs, cool scope.

Both are sighted-in at 200 yards with the 165's.

I agree that the 2.5-8x Leupold is a wonderful hunting scope. Thinking about upgrading the scope on my CDL to that...

Guy

 

[preacher]

I remember reading references made about Mr Fitz; O'Conner wrote that Mr Fitz used factory ammo. He never said what grain/make though that I can remember. I bet it was 180 grain.

 

[Stillhunter]

I searched and found some info on him. He was friends with O'Conner and completed his Grand Slam in 1948. His article "Grand Slam in Rams" for "True" A Mans Magazine . Stated he used Winchester Silvertip 180 Grain. He was also a photographer of note. Did some advertising also.
Another article referenced his Model 30 used to collect all species.

 

[Guy Miner]

What a great post, about a great hunter. Thanks!

 

[filmjunkie4ever]

Yeah thats probably true. Mr. O'Connor from all I have read considered the 180 grain bullets to be THE go-to load for any .30-06 for hunting. I remember him saying that if the users of .270s and .30-06s were limited to the 130 gr in .270 and the 180 gr in .30-06 that we would not be greatly inconvenienced.

With the "better" bullets we have today though i am inclined to go with a good 150 or 165 premium bullet to pick up a little velocity.

A .30-06 with either weight going 2800-2900 fps shoots nearly as flat as a .243. Ah but what can I say more than what has already been said in the last 108 years? There aren't many 100-year-old inventions that are the standard by which all others are compared even today.

 

[Oldtrader3]

I am certainly not JOC but I have hunted with both the .270 Win and a .30-06 for 50 years or so. I use 130 Partitions in the .270 Win and 165 Partitions in the .30-06 and about 100 deer later and one elk, I have never failed to DRT anything shot with either of these calibers., FWIW.

My other elk were killed with a .338 WM and the 250 gr Partitions.

 

[preacher]

O'Connor wrote that when the 270 came out the most common '06 factory load came in 180. He wrote it was almost impossible to find 150 gr ammo, so the '06 wasn't as quick a killer as the 270/130 combo. He also noted that if the 150 had more available, the 270/130 might have had a slower acceptance. I always liked reading Elmer Keith, but he certainly did not care for the '06 on elk ( crap bullets and hard angles caused him some long tracking jobs). He also had a crap lot of the big bullet he used in his 338 OKH in Africa, but he admitted it was the bullets fault, not the caliber. He was a stubborn guy, ha! I often think he would have loved the Nosler 200 in that '06! No doubt, a "raking shot" on a big animal does take a good bullet/caliber/speed to work properly. Elmer grew up hungry, had to provide so he wanted a caliber that he could use on any angle or to break the animal down...to get the meat. Jack could afford to wait until he got the shot he wanted...both of them were right IMO.

 

[SJB358]

Yup, I believe Bob Hagel was a good blend of them both and doted on the 7's with the 175 PT and 300 Mags with 200 PTs.

 

[JD338]

Yup, I believe Bob Hagel was a good blend of them both and doted on the 7's with the 175 PT and 300 Mags with 200 PTs.

+1

JD338

 

[filmjunkie4ever]

Wayne Van Zwoll and John Barsness for me. They both dote on the .270 and the .30-06 for filling their freezers from what of their books and articles that I have read.

I pretty exclusively use a Remington .25-06 and a Winchester .30-06 for my hunting these days though a pair of Savage 99s see a little of the action for deer now and again and I have a .22-250 for coyotes.

The older I get the more I grab my .30-06 for all hunts in all seasons.

I like OT3's remark about the 165 Partition in my .30-06 though I sometimes use the 150 Partitions as well. They shoot about like a .243 hucking a 100 grainer does trajectory-wise.