Jack O'Connor: Outdoorsman, Writer, and Big-Game Hunter

where would a kid in 1919 get $150 to buy a 30-40 krag? in those days that rifle would be $10

Nice work, I particularly like getting the “cows deer” pronunciation correct

My father and Jack were the most important people in my target shooting and hunting that began several decades ago. I will always appreciate their effect on my life.

Very good...nicely done.
My dad (R IP), introduced me to Jack's books...I read them continually throughout the year. I learned alot from both...

My literary intro to shooting was two fold, Townsend Whelen and Jack O'Connor. I owned two, .270 rifles but never hunting larger game than deer and antelope, settled on the .243 which I learned to shoot from either side and knew exactly where the bullet was being placed. It destroyed less meat than the .270, in my opinion. In over forty years of hunting only one animal received a second shot and that was with my .270, I flinched!

I imagine the .270 Winchester was developed so that Americans wouldn't have to use the similar German 7x57mm Mauser cartridge. 😮

Im currently reading Jacks 'The BIg Game Rifle'.
Absolutely fantastic.

I used to love to read the "This happened to me" section in Outdoor Life.

He was a great hunter. This last custom rifle he had built was in the 280 rem. He passed away right before it was finished. I would've loved to see how he liked it. I live in Arkansas. I wonder if i have walked some of the places. That he had been to.

Elmer Keith fan myself, but Jack O’Conner on rifles was perfect. Still can’t bring myself to own anything smaller than a .30-06 for game, but a great writer nonetheless.

Thanks for the great story! I have owned and hunted with several rifles in .270 Winchester since the late1960s...all because of articles penned by Jack O'Connor.

I own only one centre fire rifle and it's a Winchester Model 70 controlled feed in .270 Winchester and I have it because of Mr O'Connor's writngs.

Loved those outdoor magazines. Outdoor life was my favorite but Sports Afield and Field and Stream were also read. Jack O'Conner was always read first. Today I go on Ebay and get the magazines of the 50's and 60's. They aren't the same today. I like the old commercials in them as well.

I bought my first rifle, a used Savage 110 in 270 30 years ago. I've owned dozens of rifles since then and have taken quite a few deer with a variety of cartridges, but a few years ago I wanted a rifle to do "everything" and not get beat up with recoil 😮 so I bought another used Savage 270.. shoots as well as the first one ( thats now buried in the safe, waiting for me to refinish and restock it, including replacing the iron sights) 😀

The art of writing was a large part of his lore, and I still remember describing how some writers wrote piffle about Elk cartridges because of the "cruel pinch of want" was just trying to survive as a writer.

This is not in response to Jack O'Connor I have three of his books and has reloading on 270 he loved 270 since I had one I wanted to know everything there was about it mine was custom heart barrel with a VZ 24 Mauser action custom floating barrel stock wait 4 lb and it kicked your ass you better make sure your first shot can't because you were hurting American reason I'm saying this he didn't spend $350 on a 3040 Craig it said he paid a $1.50 which was 50 cents more than the gun was worth because of that gun we have the 30 odd 6 thanks to Teddy Roosevelt. And the announcer maybe want to go do a little more research a female deer is not referred to as a cow it is a doe😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅

He Was The Real Gun Authority

I have his "Shotgun Book". It's a great read.

Great man

Coues deer

He was a .270 advocate but it is my understanding is that he knew its limitations and he also liked the 30-06 and recommended it as well especially when a bit more umph would be required.

Proud to have had him in my home town in Lewiston, Idaho.
Met him a few times at the local sporting goods store, which is still there.
There is a Jack O’Conner Museum near by.
Also home of CCI and Speer bullets.

I always read his articles in Outdoor Life. Part of growing up with my dad and uncle

You do a good job narrationing ❤

I used to read Jacks stories…

In 1974 I had a white tail buck scored by Mr O’Connor. I remember vividly his trophy room adjacent to his home in Lewiston.

As a boy l subscribed to Outdoor Life just to read the articles by Jack O'connor. Through his eyes and words l traveled the world over and felt like l hunted every animal he did. I bought my first 270 because I felt like he would want me to have one. I have owned a lot of different guns in my 77 years but I have always owned a 270 of one kind or another. I visited the Jack O'connor museum in Hells Gate National Park in Idaho and looked at his 270's Eleanor's 7X57 and all the other rifles that were made famous in his writings. I was like a kid in Disneyland! When my wife and I left l stopped at the front desk and made a donation as admission was free, my wife who did not hunt asked the man behind the counter "Who was this Jack O'connor?" The man looked at her and said "Sweetie that question is grounds for divorce in Idaho"! It's a shame so many youngsters hunting today will probably someday ask the same question. Mr O'connor was one of my childhood heroes and shall remain so.

Jack 270 O' Connor

He is the GOAT of hunting. thanks for this

I guess he didn’t have any shotguns.

It's spelled coues and pronounced kouse, like house with a k, not cooes or cows.

Had the great fortune of growin up in south east Idaho, while O'Connor and Keith were boxing with each other in the pages of my Dad's magazines. Never met either of 'em, but O'Connor was damned sure an easier read.
For many years, indeed, clear through my military stint, I never went over 5'8", and a buck forty. Best Bud, Jim turned me on to his 270 while stationed in Montana, and as I used it more 'n more, my 308 and 35 Whelen stayed home, or at least stayed in camp with the scatterguns.
Honest, I miss both them old Idaho transplants. Hope they kept huntin an writin on the tuther side!

Thank you!

I went to Catholic school as a kid, and in our modest library was a copy of O'Conners "The Big Game Rifle".I must've signed it out constantly, and it changed my life.

jack was not a nice person, back in the day our wildlife association went and saw him to ask him to come give us a talk on his experiences, money was offered , he told us to get lost and he was not ever interested in talking to other hunters. We lost total respect for the man and he left and very bad test in out mouths.

I have done a lot of reading over the past 60 years. Mostly by hunters / outdoorsmen from both this continent and Africa. I am not saying it is true, but I have seen where other hunters state that Jack shot a hell of a lot more animals with a typewriter than with a gun.

What a legend 👏🏽

He lived a life that most of us could only dream of.

Elmers buddy....

Just discovered your channel. Excellent content. Great production. Keep up the good work

I started reading Outdoor Life in 1954 and was attracted to Jack OConner but there was always Elmer “big Hat Keith my buddies and I would always argue about who was right Jack or Elmer. He’s the reason scores of boys my age are avid readers and shooters. Still love my rifles!

I have hunted with a 270 starting in the 1970s. Love it, inch and half high at 100 yards. If I missed it, it was not the guns fault. Great gun.

Great tribute to Jack O'Connor. But, I'm pretty sure it's "Coo-eez" deer (Coues), and, I know it's "bows-man" Montana (Boseman).

Jack was the driving force behind the 270 Winchester’s popularity, but when painted into a corner, freely admitted the 30-06 was more versatile. Jack’s final custom rifle he commissioned before his death was a Ruger 77 in 280 Remington.

Jack is THE legend, second only to Fred Bear.

I didn't start hunting until my early thirties and I had moved to north central British Columbia. My first rifle was a third hand, Interarms Mk. X in .270 Win. I still have it and it's still my all time favourite big game rifle. Moose, deer, elk, caribou, black bear, sheep and goats have all been taken cleanly with this rifle. I admit I balked at going after grizzlies with it and "up gunned" to a .375 H&H for Ursus arctos horribilis back when you could still hunt them in B.C.

I first started hand loading for my .270, going with 150 Gr. Nosler Partitions on the advice of my local (very knowledgeable) gun store owner. Having had great success with this .270 bullet, I have yet to see the need to change. I know Jack himself preferred the 130 gr. for the .270, choosing velocity over weight but hey, "if it ain't broke...".

When it came to rifle scopes, Jack was a big fan of "less is more". He liked plain Jane, fixed, low power scopes. My .270 only had open sights and the scope I chose for it was a fixed four power, mostly because that was all I could afford. It's still on that rifle.

In the early 70s at my junior high library I read Outdoor Life and dreamed of going on hunts that he did routinely. That is all it was dreams but it was still fun.

Probably a reason my dad started me out with his 270 never has let me down love that Carthage as much as he does and anthing is in trouble if I'm hunting with that rife and Carthage

Thanks Jack. The .270 Win is still the best.

I grew up reading Jack O'Connor's stories in outdoor life from the age of 7 years old , I am 71 now and still use my .270 Winchester model 700 Remington for deer , bear and moose ...thank you Mr . Jack O'Connor !