Gunfight Friday: Model 700 Mountain Rifle vs. Sako Coltsman

Vollmer

Founder
Administrator
Joined
Jul 2, 2014
Posts
6,344
Likes
854
Points
483
Location
Surrey, ND
Now that stable, durable synthetic stocks are the norm on hunting rifles, it’s easy to forget that generations of hunters carried walnut-stocked rifles into the field and did not feel one bit sorry for themselves. Many still do. Today we have a pair of classically styled rifles with wooden stocks. One is an accurate .243 pushing 60 years old; the other is a .270 that's a veteran of many hunts over three decades. Both still look great and are ready to square off in a today’s gunfight. Here they are:
Model%20700%20270.JPG


Mike’s Model 700 Mountain Rifle
This is my pet rifle. It's a Remington 700 Mountain Rifle in .270 that I bought back in the mid-80s. Along with the Winchester Model 70 Featherweight that came out about the same time, the Mountain Rifle represented a return to more classical stock design and helped lead the way to lighter, handier rifles. This one is a joy to carry, accurate as all get out, and completely original. The scope is a relatively inexpensive Bushnell variable that sits on very low Weaver mounts, and the gun has given me 30 years of excellent service. I put the Whelen sling on it when I bought it. I've carried this rifle in west Texas desert and canyon country, through Wyoming snows and deep piney woods and I have never felt handicapped once. It has at least 40 deer, half a dozen javelinas, a number of exotics and I have no idea how many hogs to its credit (I really like hunting hogs). I would as soon sell one of my children as turn loose of it.

Sako%20Coltsman.JPG


Kudukid’s Coltsman
Here's a Sako L57 action as stocked and barreled by High Standard for Colt and marketed as a "Coltsman." It’s a .243 Winchester and it will keep five shots inside of an inch at 100 yards with my handloads. This came with the Sako medium rings, and a Lyman 6X All-American scope fits perfectly with no more than 1/16-inch clearance to the barrel. These actions are getting very hard to find as only a very small production run of 10,090 were made between Jan. 1, 1957, and Oct. 9, 1959. It was replaced with a revised version, the L579 which, as usual, was cheapened in the process. Extremely well machined and finished, these push-feed actions are incredibly slick. They are also lightweight and have a smaller diameter bolt than is typical for either the .243 or .308 cartridge head.

There are your choices: a Sako/Colt .243 or a Model 700 in .270. I am torn. The first (and one of the only) centerfires I ever shot was a Model 700 Mountain Rifle in .270. On the other hand, I am a sucker for retro gun names like “Coltsman.” I’m not voting so it’s up to all of you. Vote and comment below, and keep the gun pictures coming. I got a nice batch of guns after pleading last week, but I still need more to keep Gunfight Friday afloat. That address again: fsgunnuts@gmail.com.
 


svnmag

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2015
Posts
16,880
Likes
2,394
Points
773
Location
Here
Coin toss for me. That's some fine weaponry.
 


DirtyMike

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2015
Posts
12,063
Likes
360
Points
418
Location
Bismarck, ND
My brother is too damn cheap to buy himself a new rifle so my dad wrapped up his model 700 in .270 and GAVE it to him. Gets me warm just thinking about it. Mind you, I won a weatherby 12 ga one week after buying my benelli m2 and gave it to my dad since he's never owned a 12 ga. Bitter. Bitter I tell you.
 

Recent Posts

Friends of NDA

Top Posters of the Month

  • This month: 159
  • This month: 133
  • This month: 116
  • This month: 108
  • This month: 103
  • This month: 86
  • This month: 82
  • This month: 76
  • This month: 74
  • This month: 74
Top Bottom