Thread: Brno rifles

Originally Posted by Wullie

I don't dislike anything about the load other than the price of new ammo these days. It a great load for just about everything N America has to offer. Might be iffy for elk unless you damn sure know your capabilities.

My two favorite loads are 6.5X55 Swede and 7X57 Mauser.

Little known fact about the 6.5X55 is that with the 139/140 grain bullets, it has more energy past 600 yds than a 7.62 Nato............................

Less recoil up front and more spank if you want to reach out and touch something.

The venerable old 7MM Mauser is plow horse and will do anything you want it too.

I guess my 3rd choice is the old '06.

I've owned and shot over a thousand rifles in WILDLY varied assortment of calibers from small to HUGE. Everything is a trade off. Now that I'm 60 years old with arthritis in my wrists and shoulders, I don't care for getting stomped by the bigger, faster, louder stuff. Hurts too much. That 257 doesn''t hurt a bit to shoot, nor does my Swede. THe 7MM and the '06 are a bit less pleasant. BUT, they are my "go to" zombie repulsion" devices that I happen to have a large amount of fodder for.

Gents we have had two Mod 2 Brno .22 rifles in the family since 1954, great little rifles, finest balance and I reckon one of the finest little pea rifles ever made, they were very popular over here in Australia in the 50's through to now I guess although the quality has dropped a little over the generations. The bolts cycle like silk, and using Winchester long rifle take rabbits and foxes at good long ranges. Best open sights ever, still able to use them at over 50 !! My mothers Brno has a lovely fiqured stock, my late Fathers is rather more plain. Allways wanted a Brno hornet with double set triggers. Wullie and old American cowboy mates widow is giving me her .257 roberts on a remington action I think. A lovely rifle, she took white tail with it in Montana back in the early 50s


Cheers

Heelerau

Yea, got to agree with you on those Brno 22 rim fire rifles, very smooth and accurate. I have a Model 1 from 1946, I think, and a friend had a Model 2 from the early 1980s. Both shot just as well but the fit and finish on the later rifle was no the same. I did notice, like you, that the wood for the stocks varied from plain to really decently figured wood. Never did figure that out but I guess a stock blank was a stock blank no matter the figure in the wood in those days.

Bob

Originally Posted by BobH

Yea, got to agree with you on those Brno 22 rim fire rifles, very smooth and accurate. I have a Model 1 from 1946, I think, and a friend had a Model 2 from the early 1980s. Both shot just as well but the fit and finish on the later rifle was no the same. I did notice, like you, that the wood for the stocks varied from plain to really decently figured wood. Never did figure that out but I guess a stock blank was a stock blank no matter the figure in the wood in those days.

Bob

Bob the funny thing is there is only a couple of numbers different between both rifle as they were ordered and payed for at the same time

Cheers

gordon

WOW, great thread.

28ga. SWEET to shoot. Kill anything you want to. E-X-P-E-N-S-V-I-V-E ammo from the factory for what you get. I had a 4 gauge Citori set and rarely used anything other than the 12 ga tubes simply because of the cost of ammo for the smaller stuff. Used to LOVE to shoot skeet with 410 gauge. After shooting a 410 on a skeet range for a few months and then switching to 12 ga, it was WAY too easy to run 25 or a 100 straight. LOL

I shot sporting clays for a while. It was fun, and I was always using the second shot to shoot the broken bits ( showing off ) and running my cost up. LOL My shoulder finally gave out on me and I sold the set to do away with temptation.

Had my hands on a 4 digit serial number Mod 70 Winchester in 375 H&H back in 1968. It came off the author Pearl S. Buck's estate. It had the provenance and the guy wanted 60 bucks. All I could come up with was 45 and he wouldn't go for it. That was a LOT of money for a 16 year old back then. Don Heath bought it for $200 the same night. Dammit.

BobH, I LIKE that little rifle! Double sett triggers are NICE. I have a Timney set on my 6.5 Swede. Got a Canjar on my Ruger 77. Works a bit different and I prefer the double trigger.

Side by sides? LOVE the looks. Can't shoot 'em for shyte! I've had several over the years by such as Ansley H Fox, L.C. Smith, Parker, Stevens, and couple others I can't recall. Never could make 'em work for me. Had a couple of old English underlever double rifles in 500 BPE (black powder express). One was an R.B. RODDA and the other escapes me. Old age creepin' up on me I guess.

I need a drink.

I too had a couple of express rifles, on a .500 BP H&H, swapped that for my Lancaster .40, and an Indian Made, 500/450 underlever double rifle with Henry rifling and tiger hunting scenes on it. Both long gone now.

the 500 sounded like an 18lb field gun going off !!

Jez Wullie, shame you missed out on the Mod 70 375 H&H. Not just a great rifle but a super provenance to boot. That would have been a heart breaker for me.

Yea, double set triggers take a bit of getting used to and if you don't use the set, the pull on trigger unset left a little to be desired. Oddly enough the Brno 375 H&H came with two sets of triggers, regular single and a set single trigger, that were easily swapped out. I had the set trigger on it for awhile but too many people would let the gun get away on them when they tried it. The look on their face when that happened was pretty priceless.

Never shot a double rifle, that Rodda must have been a blast when you touched one off. Talk about an African experience.

Another rifle I always wanted to shoot was a Sharps. A fellow I knew had a Shiloh Sharps made up for himself.

Starting to feel old now too, might have a drink myself.

Bob

Originally Posted by BobH

Jez Wullie, shame you missed out on the Mod 70 375 H&H. Not just a great rifle but a super provenance to boot. That would have been a heart breaker for me.

Yea, double set triggers take a bit of getting used to and if you don't use the set, the pull on trigger unset left a little to be desired. Oddly enough the Brno 375 H&H came with two sets of triggers, regular single and a set single trigger, that were easily swapped out. I had the set trigger on it for awhile but too many people would let the gun get away on them when they tried it. The look on their face when that happened was pretty priceless.

Never shot a double rifle, that Rodda must have been a blast when you touched one off. Talk about an African experience.

Another rifle I always wanted to shoot was a Sharps. A fellow I knew had a Shiloh Sharps made up for himself.

Starting to feel old now too, might have a drink myself.

Bob

That old 500 was pretty impressive when it lit. I was having trouble finding enough cases to really see what it could do so it didn't get shot by me more than a few times on rare occasions. The rims on the cases for those old doubles are really thin compared to what we're used to.

I've had the privilege of owning a Shiloh Sharps in 45X3 1/4 SS ( 45-120-500) and a Sharps that had the Maynard tape primer feed that was converted to 50X3 1/4 SS ( 50-140 ). The latter weighed 14.5LBs. It needed wheels. When you torched that beast off with a full house load, the earth moved. It also had a receiver tang sight and even with a Scheutzen style stock and nice pistol grip, the recoil would drive that sight into my eyebrow. After 10 or so shots, my eyebrow would be bleeding into my eye and I'd have to hand it off to the next sucker or quit. It was NOT fun to shoot with full house loads. Loaded back to 70 grains and it was a delight.

The Shiloh was their "Business Rifle" version. It had a straight stock with no pistol grip and rifle butt plate. It was a beautiful gun with the classic single shot lines. It ate three stocks before Shiloh got one bedded right to where it wouldn't split at the wrist. The biggest problem I had with that beast was recoil. My middle finger on my right hand was wont to bust my bottom lip if I didn't get my hold right. It was tough to keep from flinching after getting abused by those damn things.

Best shot I ever made with it was up in Wyoming. I was out assing around at the old Schmalle Ranch in Lookout, WY and one of the ranch hands had heard about my cannon. He wanted to see it in operation. That old ranch like every other one in that country had its own junkyard of dead vehicles and stuff. There just happened to be a 60's sump'm model IH pick up sitting out there about three hundred yards out with its hood open and facing away from me. I sat down and figured my shot. I told the kid to watch to left tail light. I plugged it. I was shooting 458gr JHP's that day and the slug went through the front of the bed after evaporating the tail light, into the back of the cab where it exploded part of the seat on the way through, at some point it raised its trajectory and then went through the radio, out the dash, through the windshield and tore about a foot long gash in the open hood. It looked like that truck exploded! Dirt from ages of ranch use was shaken loose, glass flying, hair and straw from the seat cushion. It was a sight to behold.

I tipped my hat back and grinned at the kid and asked him if he wanted to shoot it. He allowed as to how he didn't think he was qualified to shoot an artillery piece like that. Had a lot of fun with that rifle and NEVER did kill anything with it. I scared half of the antelope in Carbon County to death with it, but I would take a shot at less than 800 yards with it. I hit all around 'em but never made a connection.

I sold the 50 and traded the 45 for something I thought I wanted at the time. Can't even remember what now. Got a few rounds of ammo for each of 'em yet laying around some where and a furrow in my right eyebrow to remember 'em by.

Originally Posted by Wullie

Got a few rounds of ammo for each of 'em yet laying around some where and a furrow in my right eyebrow to remember 'em by.

LOL! Good times...

Well, it sounds like it was one of those times when it was better not have gotten my wish than to get it as far as shooting a Sharps. Goes to show you what mayhem a slow heavy large diameter bullet can cause. I think Elmer Keith would have appreciated that Wyoming farm shot. Thanks for sharing those experiences.

Bob

Well just for the fun of it.... who here believes that speed kills? As in a bullet traveling at a certain speed hitting the body of say a deer, will cause a collapse of the blood stream?

I like speed for no other reason than A. today's bullets can handle it and that means B. I don't need to mess with the sights all that much lol.

That said - I do still LOVE those big thumpers now and again ie. 45-70 etc.