Jack O'ConnorThe late, great, Jack O'Connor is often considered to be the Hemingway Wanting to refresh my memory I went online and quickly found the Board Member Mr. "Buck" Buckner, who knew O'Connor, says this image was thought to have be made in the mid 1960's. It's worth a visit to the website, if only to see his famous Al Biesen stocked Model 70 Winchester. Many young people have never seen such a fine example of what a hunting rifle should be. Jack O'Connor was a great fan of this rifle and the .270 cartridge. He surly helped the Winchester sales, and the .270 is one of the most popular rifle calibers. I continue to believe the Model 70 is difficult to beat, and that no cartridge is greatly superior to the .270 for most North American big game. I was fortunate to be a young boy when heroes such as John Wayne, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry… filled a young mans head with excitement and adventure. 
This picture of me was taken about the same time as the O'Connor picture. I'm holding my first centerfire a Model 70 .243. Thanks to O'Connor and otherwriters I knew a lot about guns and reloading. These were great days for the gun business. I was somewhat interested in Mr. High Velocity and Bling: Roy Weatherby. I liked Bill Ruger's new guns. The great bow-hunter Fred Bear was exciting, but I was a gun hunter. They all influenced me in one way or another. I couldn't get enough when reading about guns. I even read Elmer Keith an extreme big caliber fan. I didn't much care for what he said or how he said it. He was sometimes critical of O'Connor; I thought envious. Jack O'Connor, his adventures seemed real; less Hollywood. He felt comfortable; I trusted him. Somewhat like sitting on my granddads lap while he told of his hunting adventures. His writing made sense, it was reasonable; he chose a gun based on what he was hunting and where. He taught that enough bullet, in the right place, was better than tons of sloppy power. Even a kid could understand the honest quality in his writing. I now realize that no celebrity had as much influence on me as his writing did. I read many other outdoor articles... but I couldn't wait to get a new issue of Outdoor Life Magazine. His down-to-earth style was entertaining and flowed easily into ones mind. I was almost unaware of the sometimes technical nature of what I was reading. A young boy or an old man could learn while being entertained at the same time. As an adult I am very aware that this man (and the others) surely had shortcomings. I prefer to keep him on a pedestal of honesty and integrity where few sit. I'm sure many who remember would agree. There are more than 100 pages of information, Go to Deer Rifle Calibers
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I contacted the O'Connor Center and was graciously given permission to use this copyrighted image of my hero. 