KETCHUM, ID – In a move that sent ripples through the precision rifle community, legendary long-range advocate Jack “The Ram” O’Connor, 69, last weekend defied his own long-held stance on the physical demands of competitive shooting. O’Connor, who once famously declared the sport “a young man’s game,” made a surprise appearance at the Summit Scramble PRS Invitational, a grueling, multi-day event held at elevations exceeding 8,000 feet in Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains.
O’Connor arrived not with the ubiquitous 6 Dasher or 6GT, nor a modern chassis system, but with a meticulously preserved Winchester Model 70 Featherweight chambered in .270 Win, topped with a vintage Leupold M8-6x fixed-power scope. His ammunition, a handloaded 130gr Nosler Partition pushed to an anachronistic 3,100 fps, was accompanied by a meticulously handwritten DOPE card, eschewing contemporary ballistic solvers. Density altitude fluctuations, common in the high alpine, were reportedly accounted for using a pre-calculated table and mental arithmetic.
The invitational, known for its extreme positional stages, including rope climbs to unstable platforms and extended prone engagements across high mountain passes, proved a stern test for the elder statesman. On “The Alpine Traverse” stage, requiring a dynamic movement across 150 yards of loose scree to engage targets from 300 to 900 yards, O’Connor reportedly maintained an average speed of 0.7 mph, methodically placing his single-point sling between rocks for support. His wind calls, though slower than most competitors’ Kestrel-aided estimations, displayed an almost mystical accuracy, accounting for localized thermals and ridge effects.
While O’Connor’s final score placed him squarely in the lower quartile of the 120-shooter field, his participation itself was a profound statement. His methodical, deliberate approach, often taking minutes per target compared to the 60-second stage PAR, nonetheless netted consistent hits when he managed to settle into a firing position. The event underscored that while speed and modern tech dominate, sheer, stubborn persistence and an intimate knowledge of one’s rifle still retain a certain, albeit slow, efficacy.
