Jack O’Connor’s Lost Sketches

The long-obsolete .22 Savage High-Power was also known as the .22 Imp. Faster and more accurate cartridges such as the 222 Remington doomed it. The Springfield '03 was the battle rifle for the U.S. Army when Jack O'Connor made these drawings. The British-made B.S.A. in .22 High Power was one of the rifles O'Connor lusted after. In this drawing of a Winchester 1895, O'Connor wrote the rifle was chambered in .30 U.S. Gov. Mod. 1906- what you and I would know as the .30-06. The detail of this Anson-Deley double rifle shows that Jack had expensive tastes that far outstripped his youthful earning potential. O'Connor was dreaming of hunting foreign lands even as a youth. The bolt gun on top is a ".35 Newton for Elephant, Buffalo, and Rhino," O'Connor wrote. The silhouette of this Marlin is instantly recognizable to modern shooters. Even at a young age O'Connor was fascinated by high-performance cartridges like the .280 Ross. Some of Jack O'Connor's favorite cartridges- long before the .270 Winchester existed. Even in the early 1900s the Savage M99 in the hot 250/3000 Savage (as it was then called- we've since dropped the "3000") was considered the lever-action for those with refined tastes, a fact reflected in its $30 price tag. It is doubtful whether more than one rifle of this type, an Adolph Express in .40 Newton, was ever produced. Nonetheless, it caught Jack O'Connor's eye. In the days of O'Connor's youth a Winchester 1895 could be had for $24 and was chambered for the .30-03, .30-06 and .405 Win. Childhood drawings by OL's shooting editor reveal his passion.

OUTDOOR LIFE+