The Bad News

2 weeks ago I took the Ruger Model 44 out to do a final sight-in with the ammo I was going use for hunting. The first round went off and was perfectly placed on the target, but I just could not find the brass. I finally checked the rifle itself– the bolt was locked up tight. Ooops. Time for a trip to the gunsmith.

I got the bad news a few nights ago. Mister Fleming at Heritage called me to tell me that the prognosis was not good.

That’s just pot metal, and it shattered. Bill Ruger rethought the design after a decade or so and built a new Model 44 without the lip that sheered off. Folks have tried to repair the trigger housing with various methods, but the metal just is not strong enough.  This is why you don’t see so many Model 44’s out there. My buddy, Bob, told me about this years ago, but I thought the one I got from his estate was the new design.  As I said, ooops.


Sulking in My Tent

After sulking for a couple of days, I got down to rethinking the situation. I’ve got two 30-30 WIN rifles all set to go. I just haven’t taken a 30-30 out deer hunting since the 2002 Opener. I know. It’s just me. Other people swear by the Thutty-Thutty. Me? Here’s the tale:

Ode to a 30-30 Part 3

The good news is this incident caused me to start seriously exploring deer chamberings. It directly lead to my Savage 99 in 308 WIN– my favorite all-time GOTO deer killer and the Rem 7600 in 35 Whelen, the Whelenizer. The bad news is it put me off the 30-30 for a good long while–18 years and counting. I’m toying with the idea. More on that possibly later.

The Good News

The good news is that after spending some time in my tent, pondering  ineffables, I emerged ever more determined. A quick check on Gunbroker.com produced:

It’s a nice slightly-used Thompson Center Compass in 7mm-08. I’ve been really intrigued by the TC design. The 3 position safety is reminiscent of the Winchester Model 70. 7mm-08 is a chambering that is been on my short list for a decade or so. I got a really good price on this one. As you may remember, I decided in 2014, when I bought my last 30-06, that age was going to catch up to me sooner or later. It was time to start planning for it. 7mm-08 delivers great numbers with reduced recoil.


So shaman. . .

How do I go looking for a Ruger Model 44 replacement and come up with a 7mm-08 bolt gun? The way I see it, the Model 44 was good out to about 100 yards. That’s a chip shot with 7mm-08. I can bore sight this puppy and probably be on the paper at 100 yards. I can use it as a short-range treestand gun this fall and then work on getting the accuracy straightened out over next summer to start pushing the envelope.

I’m still going to re-explore the 30-30. It’s high time I rid myself of that bugaboo. I’ll be out for all two weeks of season this year, so I’ll have plenty of extra sits.

BTW:  There’s another TC Compass in 308 WIN sitting at Hibberd’s Armory if anybody’s interested.  I just called them to see if they could handle the FFL-transfer.

 

This post has already been read 203 times!

Views: 0