by David E. Petzal

In 1959, Jack O’Connor bought a Winchester Model 70 .270 Featherweight in a hardware store in Lewiston, Idaho. He had bought his first Winchester .270, a Model 54, in 1925, and in the ensuing years had made the cartridge synonymous with his name. He already had several .270s, but as we all understand, one or two of anything is never enough.

The new gun—O’Connor called this the No. 2 rifle--turned out to be very accurate (MOA or just under, which in 1959 was sensational), and so O’Connor took it to his favorite custom gunsmith, Al Biesen, of Spokane, to give it a level of elegance befitting its performance. Biesen completed the work in 1960. Biesen was not only a first-rate craftsman, but had a very good feel for ergonomics. All his stocks had a very slim pistol grip that belled toward the bottom, and they have a very distinctive feel. You can mount a Biesen rifle blindfolded and pick it out of a bunch of rifles.

by Dave Hurteau

Last week the Muskegon Chronicle added to the anecdotal evidence that the venerable .30-30 Winchester--despite it’s long track record--is in fact a little underpowered for use on modern television sets.

According to the article, a 66-year-old man from Oceana County allegedly fired a .30-30 deer rifle at his television Monday night. The television, however, was still functioning when police arrived. It's unknown what show the man was watching. And, you’ll be shocked to learn, he was intoxicated. Now, I know that none of you would ever get drunk and shoot your television set with a deer rifle, but if you did…