Thread: Calibre Choice in the 1970's

Originally Posted by grandpamac

Greetings All,
Reading through the posts on Hermitage's thread I realised how spoilt for choice we are now compared to the time I bought my first new center fire rifle in the mid 1970's. I plunked my money down and bought a Remington 700 ADL in .308 Win at the long gone Carlton Sports in Hastings. It cost $243.00 and I still have it. My other option was a Winchester M70 in .270 Win but it was $30.00 dearer. US made rifles had just become more common with import controls easing. Previously BSA and Parker Hale were the standards of the day, cheaper in .308 Win and, I think, .222 Rem due to less import tax for some reason.
I fished out an old 1979 Shooters Bible from my library and found that the 700 ADL was offered in only nine cartridges. .222 Rem, .22-250 Rem, 6mm Rem, .243 Win, .25-06 Rem, .270 Win, 7mm Rem Mag, .308 Win and .30-06. Other models and manufacturers added a few more but didn't widen the choice much. The .223 Rem was only offered in Varmint rifles and all stocks were made out of dead trees. A look in the scope section looked pretty thin as well.
There would not have been much to support an internet debate, not that the internet even existed.
Regards Grandpamac.

Owen Bold in Market Street in Napier, another shop in Lower Dickens Street and Jack Lockyer in Taradale. A young hunter got sold a pig of a rifle called a BSA 270 in 1975. Should have stuck to his guns and bought that sako 243.Life. Holdens book mentions a Kaweka culler using a Husqvarna 270.