Gunfight Friday: Anniversary Rifles
Today’s rifles both date to 2006, when they commemorated important anniversaries in the world of firearms. One rifle is a...
Today’s rifles both date to 2006, when they commemorated important anniversaries in the world of firearms. One rifle is a Savage 10, the designation for the short-action Savage 110. The 110 was introduced in 1958 but designed in ’56, so 2006 was chosen as the year of its golden anniversary. The other rifle is a Ruger Model 77, which dates to 1968 (I would have guessed 1977 and been wrong). It’s not a commemorative per se, but it is chambered for the .30-06, and its owner picked it up during a 100th-anniversary special on .30-06s back in 2006.
Dad J’s Savage 110
This my 50th-anniversary Savage Model 10 in .300 Savage. It’s a limited-edition 1-of-1,000 rifle, and features beautiful wood, custom checkering, lots of gold lettering/emblems, and a gold Accu-trigger. I mounted on it an older Savage-Suwa 4×33 scope I found online that came with the retro leather covers and plain-wire crosshairs. I added a leather Savage-logo carry strap to complete the outfit. The rifle is a great performer—accurate, light kick, not too loud, and it packs a good punch. I think the best feature was the advice I received from the owner of our local gun shop. I asked whether he would recommend putting the rifle up as an investment or taking it out hunting. His answer should be on t-shirts or bumper stickers: “Life is short—shoot the gun.” I did take the gun out that fall and killed my best 8-point buck to date.
Mickey’s M77 Mark 2
This is my Ruger M77 Mark 2 in .30-06. I bought this new in 2006, when all .30-06-caliber firearms were on special in honor of the 100th anniversary of the cartridge. It is topped with a 3x9x40 Nikon Prostaff scope. It is my go-to rifle for big-game hunting, and has accounted for my best deer. To me, it’s the epitome of a classic rifle in a classic caliber.
There are your choices: Ruger vs. Savage; .300 Savage vs. .30-06. Vote and comment below, and keep the gun photos coming to fsgunnuts@gmail.com.
