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The hunting rifle
Book by O'Connor, Jack
- GenresOutdoors
314 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1970
3 people are currently reading
132 people want to read
About the author
Jack O'Connor
81 books18 followersJack O'Connor was best known as a writer for Outdoor Life, magazine, where he served as Shooting Editor for 31 years.
Jack O'Connor taught English at the University of Arizona, and became its first journalism professor. His first love was the outdoors and writing about hunting, firearms, and the natural history of big game animals. As the longtime firearms editor for Outdoor Life magazine, O'Connor hunted and collected trophies throughout the world, and introduced millions of readers to hunting and firearms. O'Connor moved to Lewiston, Idaho in 1948 and he lived there until his death in 1978.
O'Connor was well known among shooters and hunters as a proponent of the .270 Winchester and 7x57mm Mauser (.275 Rigby) cartridges. His knowledge of hunting and shooting was extensive, and he had a firm opinion on everything. He was one of America's greatest hunting and gun writers of the twentieth century.
Jack O'Connor authored over a dozen non-fiction books including "Game in the Desert" "The Rifle Book" "The Complete Book of Rifles and Shotguns" "The Big Game of North America" "The Art of Hunting Big Game in North America," and "Sheep and Sheep Hunting" He also wrote two western novels, "Conquest," and "Boom Town," and the autobiography of his formative years: "Horse and Buggy West: A Boyhood on the Last Frontier."
According to his son Bradford, in an introduction written for the 2004 book, "The Lost Classics of Jack O'Connor," Jack wrote more than 1200 articles for hunting and fishing magazines, and also wrote romantic novellas and articles for Redbook, Mademoiselle, Reader's Digest, Cosmopolitan, Esquire, the literary magazine Midland, and other magazines popular in the 1930s and 1940s.
Thanks to his education and teaching experience O'Connor's writing skills and style were far above the norm for outdoor magazines. An O'Connor story always taught the reader something about hunting, shooting, or sportsmanship. He had the ability to make the reader feel as if they were right there with him, and he usually closed a hunting story with a bit of humor or an exclamation by one of the characters, leaving the reader eager for more.
Jack O'Connor taught English at the University of Arizona, and became its first journalism professor. His first love was the outdoors and writing about hunting, firearms, and the natural history of big game animals. As the longtime firearms editor for Outdoor Life magazine, O'Connor hunted and collected trophies throughout the world, and introduced millions of readers to hunting and firearms. O'Connor moved to Lewiston, Idaho in 1948 and he lived there until his death in 1978.
O'Connor was well known among shooters and hunters as a proponent of the .270 Winchester and 7x57mm Mauser (.275 Rigby) cartridges. His knowledge of hunting and shooting was extensive, and he had a firm opinion on everything. He was one of America's greatest hunting and gun writers of the twentieth century.
Jack O'Connor authored over a dozen non-fiction books including "Game in the Desert" "The Rifle Book" "The Complete Book of Rifles and Shotguns" "The Big Game of North America" "The Art of Hunting Big Game in North America," and "Sheep and Sheep Hunting" He also wrote two western novels, "Conquest," and "Boom Town," and the autobiography of his formative years: "Horse and Buggy West: A Boyhood on the Last Frontier."
According to his son Bradford, in an introduction written for the 2004 book, "The Lost Classics of Jack O'Connor," Jack wrote more than 1200 articles for hunting and fishing magazines, and also wrote romantic novellas and articles for Redbook, Mademoiselle, Reader's Digest, Cosmopolitan, Esquire, the literary magazine Midland, and other magazines popular in the 1930s and 1940s.
Thanks to his education and teaching experience O'Connor's writing skills and style were far above the norm for outdoor magazines. An O'Connor story always taught the reader something about hunting, shooting, or sportsmanship. He had the ability to make the reader feel as if they were right there with him, and he usually closed a hunting story with a bit of humor or an exclamation by one of the characters, leaving the reader eager for more.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 8, 2022
3 1/2 years later…
March 17, 2014
Jack O'Connor's prose is invariably charming, informative, entertaining, and occasionally sassy. I went through most of his bookshelf while hunting in Montana last year and, like many other American deer and elk hunters, I was sold on his arguments for the .270 and bought one for the trip. The result was two Bambi in the freezer. There are many excellent authors of books about hunting and O'Connor is among the best.
July 12, 2011
O'Connor was an outdoor writer and hunted throughout the world during his lifetime for many species of game. He discusses the firearms requirements for many types of game and what one should look for in a rifle.
July 18, 2022
I credit this book for starting me down the rabbit hole of hunting and I am so glad it did.
April 7, 2022
Still good advice.
October 8, 2021
A wonderfully awesome book in its time
I'll give a list of my preferences, and a general strength chart for people
---
My personal list:
22 LR K0.8
204 Ruger K4.4
22-250 Rem K8.0
240 Weatherby K25
257 Weatherby K33
308 Marlin Express K38
6.5x65 RWS K39
303 British K49
270 Weatherby K54
30-06 Springfield K55
7mm Blaser K58
30R Blaser K68
300 Blaser K71
300 H&H K87
300 Weatherby K91
338 Blaser K94
8.5x63 REB K108
375 H&H K129
375 Blaser K136
378 Weatherby K187
416 Remington K192
416 Rigby K225
---
Year of Introduction
1887
22 LR K0.8
1889
303 British K49
1906
30-06 Springfield K55
1911
416 Rigby K225
1912
375 H&H K129
1925
300 H&H K87
1943
270 Weatherby K54
1944
257 Weatherby K33
300 Weatherby K91
1953
378 Weatherby K187
1957
22-250 Rem K8.0
1968
240 Weatherby K25
1988
6.5x65 RWS K39
1989
416 Remington K192
1992
30R Blaser K68
2004
204 Ruger K4.4
2007
308 Marlin Express K38
2009
7mm Blaser K58
300 Blaser K71
338 Blaser K94
375 Blaser K136
2010
8.5x63 REB K108
I'll give a list of my preferences, and a general strength chart for people
---
My personal list:
22 LR K0.8
204 Ruger K4.4
22-250 Rem K8.0
240 Weatherby K25
257 Weatherby K33
308 Marlin Express K38
6.5x65 RWS K39
303 British K49
270 Weatherby K54
30-06 Springfield K55
7mm Blaser K58
30R Blaser K68
300 Blaser K71
300 H&H K87
300 Weatherby K91
338 Blaser K94
8.5x63 REB K108
375 H&H K129
375 Blaser K136
378 Weatherby K187
416 Remington K192
416 Rigby K225
---
Year of Introduction
1887
22 LR K0.8
1889
303 British K49
1906
30-06 Springfield K55
1911
416 Rigby K225
1912
375 H&H K129
1925
300 H&H K87
1943
270 Weatherby K54
1944
257 Weatherby K33
300 Weatherby K91
1953
378 Weatherby K187
1957
22-250 Rem K8.0
1968
240 Weatherby K25
1988
6.5x65 RWS K39
1989
416 Remington K192
1992
30R Blaser K68
2004
204 Ruger K4.4
2007
308 Marlin Express K38
2009
7mm Blaser K58
300 Blaser K71
338 Blaser K94
375 Blaser K136
2010
8.5x63 REB K108
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews