Thread: Calibre Choice in the 1970's

I thought everyone hunted with spears in the 1970's.

1970BC...........

Originally Posted by zimmer

In 1967 I bought a Sako Forester ..59 pound 17/6.. My take home pay as an apprentice was 10 pounds a week.
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Interesting to do the mental arithmetic on prices. I have no real idea but guess a current apprentice might take home $400/week. Multiply that by six weeks and that's nearly $2400. Less than current basic Sakos. I'm probably underestimating what apprentices earn though.

I can't remember what my BSA Monarch .270 cost me in 1973 but do recall the Pecar 4x81 (actually a 4x36) was $105. As a highschool kid working on the neighbour's fishing boat, that rig was a fair few weeks work.

Originally Posted by 6x47

Interesting to do the mental arithmetic on prices. I have no real idea but guess a current apprentice might take home $400/week. Multiply that by six weeks and that's nearly $2400. Less than current basic Sakos. I'm probably underestimating what apprentices earn though.

I can't remember what my BSA Monarch .270 cost me in 1973 but do recall the Pecar 4x81 (actually a 4x36) was $105. As a highschool kid working on the neighbour's fishing boat, that rig was a fair few weeks work.

I bought a 4x81 Pecar around the same time as the rifle. Cost was 26 pounds. Never fitted as I couldn't source 26mm rings at the time. Got a refund and took a Weaver K4 which IIRC was 18 pounds.

Finnwolf cost me $241 ( from memory) and I got a free rifle sling with it for paying cash. Sling was priced at $1…

.222, .243, 308. 7x57, 270, 7mm mag, 30-06. If we were to be really honest with ourselves we could ditch every other calibre and new fangled slightly different offering and be perfectly well catered for, for anything and everything still. Ah, the 1970s. Back when Sako was forging the reputation for quality that it is still living off now and has been for some time Right that should get a few comments coming in..................

Back in the mid '60's BSA Majestics were 42 Pounds ($84) except for .222 and .308 which were about 38 Pounds. Parker-Hales were slightly cheaper. 20 rounds of ammo was about 2 Pounds for .308 etc.

Originally Posted by 6x47

Interesting to do the mental arithmetic on prices. I have no real idea but guess a current apprentice might take home $400/week. Multiply that by six weeks and that's nearly $2400. Less than current basic Sakos. I'm probably underestimating what apprentices earn though.

I can't remember what my BSA Monarch .270 cost me in 1973 but do recall the Pecar 4x81 (actually a 4x36) was $105. As a highschool kid working on the neighbour's fishing boat, that rig was a fair few weeks work.

Over 800bucks a week on minimum wage

I bought a secondhand Winchester Featherweight in 30-06 about 1983-84.
From memory $660 when my shepherding wages were about $160 a week before tax.
So a months gross wages.
I had got into reloading for a .303 before this because a box was $45 bucks.
Then free trade kicked in.....

Pecar Berlin 4x scopes were a go-to back then. I did like the BSA centrefires - esp Majestic - still a well regarded rifle. Certainly a cut above the entry level Brit offerings at the time like Alpine, Midland, and Parker Hale.

Refurbed a Midlands 243 for a farmer recently and it was quite okay - grouped just over 1" at 100m which is certainly minute of wallaby. Gave it to the farmer reblued and with lovely new Danish oil finish, he looks at it, admires it, says thanks, then puts it down on the gravel. Whaaaaaat!! Like a bloody shovel or something.. Farm boys!!

Bunji..I had a little Ruger .44 Magnum carbine too. Loved it! I walked onto a group of 4 hogs in semi open bush, nailed 3 with 3 quick shots, then months later, snuck up on 8 pigs feeding in a tight group and whacked 4 in literally 2 seconds. Just for those memories alone I wanted to keep it till the day I fell off the perch, but Aunty Jacinda had other ideas.

Originally Posted by mudgripz

Pecar Berlin 4x scopes were a go-to back then.

There were other reasonable scopes around as well, some very expensive as well and not common on the ground here. Macro Zeil (Kahles?), Lyman All American, Kowa (early Japanese and very good), Nickels, Hertel and Reus plus others. Weaver (El Paso Texas) was there. I had one but wouldn't rate it as great. Rugged steel tube. Mine fogged and later on the objective lens delaminated.

Shooters mostly used fixed power as vari powers were not trusted to be reliable and in some brands rightly so. Fogged scopes not uncommon.

The Pecar 4x81 was a good scope except it was reticle moving not image moving like all its competitors of the day. It meant that if you didn't have windage adjustment in the mounts and you needed to do a bit of windage correction the reticle could end up very off centre. Very off putting.

The Pecar and the Nickel 4x81 were probably close competitors. The Pecar had the advantage of a steel tube, the Nickel had image moving but an alloy tube.

I still have a Nickel 4x81 (now going on 60 years old). The optics are still as clear as and would probably give the mid range scopes of today a good run for their money. No fancy coatings in the Nickel. Has fast adjust eyepiece, something Leupold hasn't long introduced on their scopes.

Originally Posted by Ranger 888

Bunji..I had a little Ruger .44 Magnum carbine too. Loved it! I walked onto a group of 4 hogs in semi open bush, nailed 3 with 3 quick shots, then months later, snuck up on 8 pigs feeding in a tight group and whacked 4 in literally 2 seconds. Just for those memories alone I wanted to keep it till the day I fell off the perch, but Aunty Jacinda had other ideas.

They were a great little gun IMO & carried really well into the thick stuff ,l would still rate them as the best bush pig type gun l have ever hunted with .Often wondered why a carbine pump 44mag has not been released by a big manufacturer

I had one of the .44 mag Rugers but didn't like it because of having to bush stalk with it cocked and the safety on. Likely safe, but I didn't feel comfortable.
One day I was travelling along a creek and was in a deep rut that animals had made travelling the same route over the years. I had my head down looking at my feet and when I looked up my GSP was solid on point. A stag was in the causeway about 15 yards away. It saw me and lunged up into the Kanuka - and I jacked a round into the chamber and let strip with the .44 Ruger. Well, I never got it inspite of emptying the magazine, but I reckon I cleared about an acre of scrub I hit at least two stout young Kanukas' and they were leaning over looking pretty sick. Not so the deer.

Later I bought a Ruger lever action in .44 mag. That was a far better gun and could be carried in half-cock/half chambered. Shouldn't have sold it but it was pretty restricted in range really.

Originally Posted by Tahr

I had one of the .44 mag Rugers but didn't like it because of having to bush stalk with it cocked and the safety on. Likely safe, but I didn't feel comfortable.
One day I was travelling along a creek and was in a deep rut that animals had made travelling te same route over the years. I had my head down looking at my feet and when I looked up my GSP was solid on point. A stag was in the causeway about 20 yards away. It saw me and lunged up into the Kanuka - and I let strip with the .44 Ruger. Well, I never got it inspite of emptying the magazine, but I reckon I cleared about an acre of scrub I hit at least two stout young Kanukas' and they were leaning over looking pretty sick. Not so the deer.

Later I bought a Ruger lever action in .44 mag. That was a far better gun and could be carried in half-cock/half chambered. Shouldn't have sold it but it was pretty restricted in range really.

Greetings Tahr,
The 44 Mag was restricted in rifles by an extremely slow twist which would not stabilise the heavier projectiles. A common theme in the US.
Regards Grandpamac.