GunsAndOptics

12 Gauge Shotgun Slugs For Baited Bear Hunting?

2012-01-24T20:17:00.000-05:00

I may have left out one of the most viable options for hunting black bear over bait and that is the 12 gauge shotgun slug. Most bears over bait are taken on the near side of 75 yards and the lions share probably under 50 yards. The 12 gauge shotgun slug has impressive ballistics out to 100 yards and beyond. Even the old style Foster slugs have a lot of wallop. The Barnes expander slugs pack a wallop and are serious medicine for even the biggest black bears.

My shotgun rig accounted for a lot of deer, while hunting in NYS before the state starting allowing rifle hunting in many counties. Below are photos of my Ithaca Deerslayer II Storm Model 12 GA with synthetic stock and wearing a Mueller 2X7X32 illuminated red dot scope. This is an accurate fast handling rig for either whitetails or BIG black bear within its range limitation.

Ballistics on the Federal 2 3/4" 3/4 oz Barnes Expander slug used in this set up are as follows:

FEDERAL CARTRIDGE CO VITAL SHOK PREMIUM BARNES EXPANDER SABOT SLUGS
Federal 12 Ga. 2 3/4" 3/4 oz, Barnes X Hollow Point Copper Sabot Slug
Federal takes slug load development very seriously. Their Barnes Expander Sabot Slugs are capable of 2" groups at 100 yards out of a 12 gauge fully rifled barrel. Now that is accurate. And with 150% greater expansion than conventional sabot slugs, expander is top tier, by any ones standards.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Mfg Item Num: P152XS
Category: AMMO SHOTSHELLS
Gauge :12 GA
Type :Sabot Slug
Length :2 3/4"
Ounces :3/4 oz
Shot Size :Slug
Muzzle Velocity :1900 fpsRounds/box :5 Rounds Per Box, 50 Boxes Per Case
Drams :N/A

The 16 GA and 20 GA using slugs are also serious bear fodder in a baited situation.

Dan

Romans 10:9-10

King James Version (KJV)

⁹That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
¹⁰For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

.357 Mag and/or the .44 Mag For Back Up While Hunting Bear?

2012-01-22T11:40:00.005-05:00

If you are on a baited bear hunt situation in the USA (NO handguns allowed in Canada), and decide to carry a handgun as a backup, in case an angry sow or boar wants to come up into the tree stand and visit you, what type of loads should you carry? In many locales where outfitters take bow hunters, rifle hunters etc. it might be permissible to hunt with a bow and still carry a handgun as a back up.

Truth be known, I normally carry a canister of pepper spray specifically made to repel bears, (NOT humans). I read an article sometime ago concerning a scenario that repeats itself while hunting black bears over bait.

A hunter up in a tree stand overlooking the bait had a big sow and two cubs come into the bait. Both cubs decided to come up the hunter's tree. The advice normally given is to completely ignore the cubs, keep quiet and keep still. They are just curious and after checking you out will normally scamper down the tree and go back to their mother or on to other things.

The problem sometimes arises when the hunter decides to try and scare the cubs with hand gestures etc. to try to shoo them away. In the case I read about, one of the cubs climbed the tree until he was above the hunter and then proceeded to cry for his mama. The other cub ran down the tree. Faster than I can tell the story, the sow was up the tree and biting at the hunters boots. Fortunately he had a can of BEAR pepper spray and gave the sow a snoot full of it. She ran down the tree, roared, bawled, tore up the bushes etc. and in a flash was right back up the tree. The hunter give her another snoot full of pepper spray and the sow repeated the scenario of running town, tearing up the brush, bawling, etc. and again was right back up the tree. The hunter hit her with a third charge of pepper spray and this time when the sow ran down the tree, the frightened cub followed her. The three bears left the bait site with the sow still swatting at brush, bawling etc. (ONE CAUTION using pepper spray is to make note of the wind direction and intensity when in a tree stand............IF the wind is gusting badly or has an Upward draft to it, the pepper spray could come back in your own face which besides being extremely Unpleasant could temporarily blind and disorient you at a bad time to do so)

This case ultimately had a successful outcome for the hunter, although if he had remained quiet and still, it probably would have resolved itself without incident. I am NOT sure how many one or two second sprays were in his can of pepper spray, however if the cub had not followed the sow down the tree, it could have had a different outcome. Having an angry big sow up your tree stand three separate times is enough to shake up any one's nerves.

LINK to BEAR Pepper Spray Below:

http://www.defensedevices.com/bearpepspray.html / The spray mentioned in this link has (9) ONE second sprays per canister.

The sow was NOT about to vacate the premises without her cub. One of the most dangerous situations to be in is between a sow and her cub if she believes her cub to be in danger. I too carry pepper spray in an outside of my coat easy to reach holster. I think most of us would rather NOT have to kill a sow with cubs and the memory of that would haunt most of us.

I don't think it is a bad idea to carry a .357 mag or a .44 mag in a shoulder holster if you own either of these guns, and you can legally carry in your chosen hunting area. This is the ultimate last chance back up, (IN the event you were bow hunting where it is also legal to carry a side arm for back up, OR dropped your rifle, or it was knocked out of your hands, or jammed etc.), so what sort of ammo works in these two calibers?

.357 mag - I would carry Buffalo Bore's HEAVY 180 grain hard cast LFN-GC load that moves out of of a 3" bbl at 1302 fps, a 4" bbl at 1375fps and a 6" bbl at 1707. You do not want a jacketed hollow point type load for up close and personal bear defense. You want a non-expanding hard cast FLAT NOSE bullet and in the scenario above take a head shot only after expanding all other applicable tactics. BELOW is a LINK to BB hard cast .357 load.

http://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=100

.44 Mag - I would definitely want one of Garret Cartridges for the .44 mag stuffed in my cylinder. He specializes in two calibers (45-70 ammo and .44 Mag ammo). His reputation for producing both is well known and you can visit his website to read the results of both. Since I own a Ruger Super Blackhawk revolver magnaported with a 7.5" bbl, I would opt for his 310 grain SuperHardCast Hammerhead load at 1100fps for bear protection and again take head shots. This particular load as mentioned on his website is safe for all .44 mag revolvers with one exception..........DO NOT USE THIS LOAD IN THE TAURUS TRACKER).

Dan

II Corinthians 5:21 KJV "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of GOD in him:

Another Terrific Knife and Tool Sharpener

2012-01-14T13:47:00.000-05:00

As mentioned in these pages previously, I am very happy with my Lansky LCSGM4 Four Rod Set knife sharpener. It consists of wooden base with pre-drilled holes for cermanic rods. The dark colored rods insert into the off set holes next to the plastic hand guard. You do the basic sharpening on these two rods and then switch to the finer grade white rods in the outer side by side holes to put the finishing touches on your blades. The thing I like about this set up is you can stick it in your back pack while on a hunting trip to touch up a knife in the field or help put an edge on your buddy's knife on an out of state or out of your area hunt or camping trip. It is portable and requires NO power source or batteries.

http://www.knifecenter.com/item/LSLCSGM4/lansky-4-rod-gourmet-knife-sharpener

There is a NEWER product that has come along in the past couple of years called the "Work Sharp System" and if you are in the market for a professional grade sharpener not only for knives, but for camp tools such as axes and even pruning tools around the house and garden you may want to look at this one.

I have not tried it, however I am familiar with the concept and have seen it demonstrated on TV infomercials and think it is a great buy for the money. It consists of preset angles and flexible belts for different knifes and tools that will give you a professional edge on all your knives. It is more expensive, but worth every penny. Even if you have NO talent for sharpening knives (I am in that category), you will still love this tool.

http://www.worksharptools.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=90

It runs anywhere from $89 on up to over $100 depending on accessories or specials that might be running on the product. IF I ever purchase another knife sharpening system, it will likely be the Work Sharp System.

Dan

Revelation 4:1-4

¹After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
²And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
³And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
⁴And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.

Looking For Protection In Bear Country - LOOK NO FURTHER

2012-01-07T23:11:00.001-05:00

If you own a Marlin Model 1895 .45-70 and are looking for ammo to protect yourself FROM or to HUNT the big bears, you need to look at offerings from Garrett Cartridges.

http://www.garrettcartridges.com/4570tech.html

EXCERPT:

Garrett's 45-70 Government Hammerhead Ammo

420-gr SuperHardCast gas-checked Hammerhead at 1650-fps*

THIS AMMO IS RECOMMENDED FOR USE ONLY IN MODERN FIREARMS, INCLUDING MARLIN, TC CONTENDER, ENCORE, KODIAK MK-IV, C.SHARPS, SHILOH SHARPS, PEDERSOLI SHARPS, NEF, H&R, BROWNING, RUGER, AND WINCHESTER RIFLES. ALSO RECOMMENDED FOR USE IN BFR REVOLVERS. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD THIS AMMO BE FIRED IN ANY TRAPDOOR SPRINGFIELDS OR ANY OTHER FIREARMS NOT LISTED HERE!

Energy: 2540 ft/lbs: Taylor Knockout Value: 45; Meplat: .330”; Chamber Pressure: 28,000-cup; Brinnell Hardness: 25.
Trajectory: +3.5” @ 100-yds, ZERO @ 150-YDS, -8.3” @ 200-YDS
*All ballistic specs result from 22” barrels.

Our 45-70 GOVT Ammo extends the usefulness of our 420-gr SuperHardCast Hammerhead bullet to most modern firearms not recommended for use with our 420-gr +P Hammerhead Ammo. This SAAMI chamber pressure compliant ammo is completely safe in the firearms listed above, and delivers tremendous impact-performance by virtue of our inordinately lethal 420-gr Hammerhead bullet. Although producing less energy than our +P Ammo, this 420-gr GOVT Ammo will penetrate through the heaviest North American game from end to end and provide quick incapacitation.
Since all of our Hammerheads are built to the same standards of strength, the somewhat lower velocity of this cartridge, when compared to the 420-gr +P Hammerhead Ammo, makes it an even better choice for really heavy game at short range. This is due to the fact that the amount of stress a bullet experiences upon impact is a product of the speed of impact and the toughness of the target. So when the game is heavy, and the range is inside of about 150-yds, we recommend this ammo instead of our 420-gr +P Hammerhead Ammo. This ammunition also delivers far less recoil, for those who are recoil sensitive, than either our 420-gr +P Hammerhead Ammo or our 540-gr +P Hammerhead Ammo.
This ammo has been used to take all North American game, as well as many species of African game, including Cape buffalo. Although not as powerful as our other 45-70 Hammerhead offerings, this ammo is extremely lethal and is a fine choice for the hunting of all North American game including heavy bison. It is also an excellent choice for close-quarters defense from heavy coastal grizzlies.

(MY INPUT)
Heck of a load, but is it safe in your marlin Model 1895 45-70? See excerpt here to verify that information. Dan

(EXCERPT from website)

CHAMBER PRESSURE & THE MODERN 45-70 LEVER-GUN

We are often asked how performance/pressure parameters were established for our 45-70 Hammerhead Ammo. These are important matters as they involve issues of firearm reliability and safety, as well as questions regarding impact-effect.
Given the selection of an efficient powder, the speed to which a bullet of a given weight can be propelled is determined primarily by the seating depth of the bullet and the chamber pressure limit the builder has imposed upon the load. There are many opinions regarding prudent pressure limits for the 45-70 lever-gun. They range from those advocating 28,000-cup/28,000-psi load levels, to those advocating 42,000-cup/45,000-psi load levels. It is our view that given the mechanical characteristics of the modern 45-70 lever-gun, and the enormous amount of power that can be achieved within modest chamber pressure levels, the prudent course leads to a point somewhere in between. We have chosen to impose a maximum average chamber pressure limit for our 45-70 Hammerhead Ammo of 33,000-cup/35,000-psi. It is often claimed that the Marlin 1895 is completely safe with load levels up to 43,000-PSI, and that the modern Winchester 1886 is safe to 50,000-psi. This analysis is based on the strength of the respective lockups. We do not take exception with these claims. However, it must be accepted that the 45-70 lever-action rifle is a mechanical device that, by its very nature, is far less capable of handling high pressure and its effects than bolt-action rifles. Assuming the selection of an efficient powder, 45-70 pressure levels in the high range, especially those utilizing heavy bullets, generate an extremely severe recoil pulse, which can wreak havoc with certain design characteristics of the modern lever-action rifle. The most common among these involves magazine problems and difficult case ejection. The stacking of cartridges in the tubular magazine amplifies the effects of recoil battering in the magazine. When this causes trouble, it generally takes the form of a magazine failure in which the magazine opens at the end or separates from the gun, precluding any further shooting. In a worse case scenario, magazine detonations can occur. Difficult case ejection can also result from high working pressures, and can effectively put the lever-gun out of commission. A gun that has to be dropped from the shoulder in order to force the lever open, is a gun that is worthless should a fast second shot be required. It is our view that any cartridge built for use against heavy and potentially dangerous game must first and foremost reliably function in the gun. Mechanical failures are not an option. The gun must fire each and every time it is called upon. Therefore, our over-riding performance criteria is the production of the most powerful, deepest penetrating, and most lethal big game loads possible within strict parameters of absolute firearm reliability.
Determination of meplat diameter is a compelling issue. Since wound channel diameter is far more a product of meplat diameter than actual bullet diameter, impact-effect can be considerably enhanced through the use of bullets with wider than normal meplats. Our 45-70 bullets are the bluntest in the industry, and provide superior impact-effect as a result. It is our view that proper hard-cast bullets must have wide meplats in order to quickly dispatch big game. Meplat diameter is also relevant to the issue of magazine safety. Recoil battering of the cartridges in the tubular magazine mandates the use of blunt flatnose bullets. The greater the recoil pulse, the greater the recoil battering of the cartridges in the tubular magazine. It is our opinion that when firing heavy recoiling loads, safety from a catastrophic magazine ignition is increased with bullets possessing wider than normal meplats. Our bullets have meplat diameters of .330-inch on the 420-grainer, and .360-inch on the 540-grainer. They dwarf the all too common .300-inch meplat.
Although blunt, our SuperHardCast Hammerhead bullets provide a very useable 200-yard trajectory in the case of our 420-grainer, and 150-yards with our 540-grainer. Also, to the full extent of their range, they are both capable of shooting lengthwise through the heaviest game, while providing rapid incapacitation. Interestingly, both our 45-70 loads generate as big a Taylor Knockout Value at 130-yards as does the 375 Holland & Holland with 300-grain bullets measured at the muzzle.
The velocity achieved by a hunting bullet determines how strong the bullet must be. If the bullet lacks sufficient strength to survive impact with heavy bone at close quarters, all can be lost as a result of simply achieving too much velocity. Bullet impact stress is the product of the toughness of the target and the speed of impact. Any time velocity is increased or decreased, it has a direct effect on the practical strength of the bullet. Consequently, it is essential for the bullet to possess the strength required to survive close quarters impact with the heaviest game without bullet expansion or fragmentation. This is a serious challenge for ammo builders as it is easy to overpower bullets in the pursuit of more power, and, consequently, seriously compromise their effectiveness on really tough game.
Extensive impact testing and pressure/load evaluation has led us to our current performance levels. This reflects our view of the proper chamber-pressure level for the modern 45-70 lever-gun, and the maximum velocity appropriate with high performance alloy without concerns of bullet failure when impacting the toughest targets at close-quarters. Our bullet designs incorporate the best in meplat diameters, penetration, and accuracy. They are also hand-cast by us using a special low antimony alloy with superior hardening characteristics. These are the most highly evolved, power efficient, and safest high performance 45-70 loads on the market. We are very proud of our perfect safety record and will continue to put safety first in our pursuit of maximum power and impact-effect in the 45-70.
- Randy Garrett

Bear Hunting Calibers And Bullets

2012-01-05T13:51:00.020-05:00

I find articles and stories of bear hunting guns and loads fascinating. Everyone has an opinion based on their own experience whether very limited or with a room full of trophies from years of hunting.

Over the years I find a lot of people focus on either the caliber as somewhat of an end all to their goal or the bullet. Sometimes I find articles on both which I believe is the right approach.

As I have stated previously in this blog, I am aware that black bears have been taken with a multitude of different calibers and bullet weights including those of soft point rapidly expanding types and bonded core bullets.

That being said, I think that emphasis should be on either heavier for caliber soft point loads or some sort of bonded core bullet. This obviously becomes more critical as you up the Anti from the average 200 pound black bear to the 400 lb plus category or go up another notch to grizzly or brown bear hunting. WHY? Because most black bear hunting is done over bait at close range and hitting a larger bear (350 lbs and up) at close range can wreck havoc on a bullet. Even most brown bear or grizzly are shot at closer range and by using heavy for caliber bullets (180 grain in 30:06 and .308), (250 grain in the .35 Whelen), (225 grain Nosler partition in the .350 mag) etc. etc. you improve the chances that the bullet will penetrate the vitals and hold together to hopefully punch out the other side and leave a blood trail, especially if heavy bone is hit or the angle isn't quite right etc. You dont want a soft bullet or a too light for caliber bullet to COME APART BEFORE IT DOES ITS JOB)

As an example if your bear hunting rig is a scoped Remington semi-auto or pump action in .35 Whelen, then I would opt for the 250 grain factory load (vs.) the 200 grain. The .35 Whelen is a superb black bear rifle and a darn fair brown bear rifle with the right loads.

I have a Ruger .350 Rem mag and if were going bear hunting tomorrow, I would opt for the 225 grain Nosler Partition available from Midway USA at this time for $69.99 for a box of 20. I would not hesitate to use the Remington factory 200 grain core lokt for a run of the mill baited bear hunt, but if going after brown or grizzly bear and using this gun I would want the 225 grain NP with me. Other custom ammo loaders would be Conley ammunition and Stars and Stripes.

If hunting with my 45-70, on a black bear hunt, I would use either the Hornady Leverevolution 325 grain FTX load, or the Buffalo Bore 350 grain JFN penetrator load, or one of the loads from Corbon, or Garret ammunition or on a short range baited hunt, possibly Tim Sundle's choice (Buffalo Bore) 405 grain expander. Tim indicates this is his BEST Black bear load. The BB 405 grain expander is a black bear load and NOT TO BE USED on grizzly or brown bear hunts. Visit BOTH Buffalo Bore and Garrett Cartridges websites for details on what bullet to use for the game you are hunting. The Garrett 420 grain Plus P Hammerhead would be just the ticket for a brown or grizzly bear hunt and has a fierce reputation for stopping power and complete penetration on dangerous game.

If hunting with the .35 Rem lever action, I would use Buffalo Bore's 220 grain JFN HEAVY load at 2400 fps out of the bbl. This would make a great load for any size black bear within it's range limitations.

In my .338 Federal, I would be comfortable using either the 200 grain Federal Fusion load or the factory loaded Nosler partition loading for black bear. (The 180 grain Nosler Factory Accu Bond load would be a great deer load) IF I decided to hunt grizzly or brown bear with the .338 Federal, I would definitely want the 210 grain Nosler partition. The .338 Federal is a notch above the 30:06 and plenty of brown and grizzly bears have been taken over the years with the 30:06. (I personally think this is a great balanced set up: low to moderate recoil, MOA accurate, and hits hard out to 300 yards with decent trajectory with the 210 grain Nosler Partition). My Ruger Hawkeye had a trigger job done and wears a Bushnell Elite 3200 3X9X40 scope with rain guard and firefly. Makes for a great all around rifle without the recoil of the magnums. I always figure that statistically, most game, especially dangerous game is shot on the near side of 100 yards anyway.)

Here is info from Chuck hawks on the .338 federal:

http://www.chuckhawks.com/338_federal_first_look.htm

Three Premium load offerings will be available from Federal in the spring of 2006:

P338FA1 -

180 grain Nosler AccuBond at 2830 fps.

P338FC -

185 grain Barnes Triple-Shock at 2750 fps.

P338FB -

210 grain Nosler Partition at 2630 fps.

A fourth factory load, in the less expensive Fusion line, has been announced. This is supposed to drive a 200 grain bullet at a MV of 2725 fps. When it becomes available it will probably be the most popular of the Federal factory loads.

Let's take a closer look at the three Federal Premium factory loads, starting with the bullets. All are spitzer

180 grain Nosler AccuBond -

BC .372, SD .225

185 grain Barnes Triple-Shock -

BC .437, SD .231

210 grain Nosler Partition -

BC .400, SD .263

The 180/.338 Nosler AccuBond is a boat-tail, plastic tipped bullet with a lead core bonded to a gilding metal (copper alloy) jacket. It opens reliably against light resistance, creating a wide wound channel. Its bonded core eliminates core/jacket separation, thus retaining more weight for deeper penetration than a similar Nosler Ballistic Tip bullet.

In this caliber and weight the AccuBond is primarily intended for CXP2 game. I see this as Federal's .338 deer load.

The Barnes Triple-Shok is an improved all copper hollow point design with terminal performance like that of its famous predecessor, the Barnes X-Bullet. The small hollow point in the streamlined nose of the bullet initiates expansion, which is accomplished by folding back the nose of the bullet in four copper "petals." Expansion stops when the bottom of the hollow point cavity is reached.

This bullet is noted for deep penetration for any given sectional density as it typically retains nearly all of its weight after expansion. It might be a viable choice for a combination deer/elk hunt.

The Nosler Partition is the original dual core bullet design. From the outside it looks much like a typical jacketed soft point bullet. And its partitioned lead core allows the front section of the bullet to expand much like that of a typical soft point bullet, creating a wound cavity of considerable diameter. But expansion positively stops at the internal jacket partition, which retains the rear core for deep penetration.

This is one of the best known and most successful premium hunting bullets of all time. The .338/210 Partition is entirely adequate for both CXP2 and CXP3 game. Because of its superior SD and proven performance, this is the bullet that I would choose specifically for hunting elk and other CXP3 game, or any sort of dangerous game, with the .338 Federal.

Here is the downrange velocity/energy (in fps and ft. lbs.) of the three .338 Federal factory loads based on the BigGameInfo ballistics calculator:

180 grain Nosler AccuBond -

2588/2676 at 100 yards, 2359/2224 at 200 yards, 2143/1835 at 300 yards.

185 grain Barnes Triple-Shock -

2547/2664 at 100 yards, 2353/2275 at 200 yards, 2169/1932 at 300 yards.

210 grain Nosler Partition -

2415/2719 at 100 yards, 2211/2279 at 200 yards, 2016/1895 at 300 yards.

And here is the trajectory of those loads fired from a rifle with a scope mounted 1.5" over bore and zeroed to take advantage of the +/- 3" maximum point blank range (MPBR) of each load:

180 grain Nosler AccuBond -

+2.7" at 100 yards, +1.6" at 200 yards, +/-0 at 233 yards, -5.6" at 300 yards; MPBR = 274 yards.

185 grain Barnes Triple-Shock -

+2.7" at 100 yards, +1.5" at 200 yards, +/-0 at 230 yards, -5.9" at 300 yards; MPBR = 271 yards.

210 grain Nosler Partition -

+2.8" at 100 yards, +1.1" at 200 yards, +/-0 at 219 yards, -7.8" at 300 yards; MPBR = 258 yards.

Optimum Game Weight (OGW) is a method of estimating the killing power of rifle cartridges developed by Edward A. Matunas. It describes killing power in terms of range and live animal weight. I believe that OGW has a higher correlation with reality than most other killing power formulas. Here are the OGW figures for the Premium .338 Federal factory loads:

180 grain Nosler AccuBond -

1102 lbs. at muzzle, 842 lbs. at 100 yards, 638 lbs. at 200 yards, 478 lbs. at 300 yards.

185 grain Barnes Triple-Shock -

1068 lbs. at muzzle, 848 lbs. at 100 yards, 669 lbs. at 200 yards, 524 lbs. at 300 yards.

210 grain Nosler Partition -

1203 lbs. at muzzle, 931 lbs. at 100 yards, 715 lbs. at 200 yards, 542 lbs. at 300 yards.

According to the OGW formula, shooting the 210 grain Nosler bullet the .338 Federal is a 200 yard grizzly/brown bear load and a 300 yard Rocky Mountain elk load. That much power ought to satisfy any rational hunter.

Here are some estimated recoil energy (in ft. lbs.) and recoil velocity (in fps) figures from the HuntAmerica.com recoil calculator for those loads when fired in an 8 pound rifle:

180 grain, MV 2830 fps -

23 ft. lbs.; 13 fps

185 grain, MV 2750 fps -

22 ft. lbs.; 13 fps

210 grain, MV 2630 fps -

24 ft. lbs.; 14 fps

With the 30:06 I would likely use either the 180 grain Core Lokt Ultra (IF IT SHOOTS WELL) or try the 165 grainers in a bonded bullet if it likes them better. There are several premium bullets in both the 165 and the 180 grain weight. Take the one that is the most accurate. Stay away from the 150's. My Savage 30:06 has a fondness for 165 grain Hornady Interbonds and that would be a good bullet for black bears. IF you hand load or know someone who does, your bullet choices are much larger.

The .308 is 90% of what the 30:06 is and the same rules apply. Find a good bonded bullet in 165 or 180 grain weight depending on what your rifles likes to eat.

IF I were spending $15,000-$20,000 for a fully guided coastal Alaskan Brown bear hunt, I would likely invest in a .338 Mag, or a .375 H and H (or Ruger's shorter version of the same) or even Ruger's .338 RCM all loaded with heavier premium bullets. The .338 Win Mag has a reputation for a viscious kick and a sharper recoil than the .375 H and H. I have personally NEVER fired either rifle so can't speak to that, however I have read many times that the old .375 H and H is easier on the shoulder off hand or off the bench than the .338 Win Mag. The .375 H and H or Ruger's shorter version of same would be a good choice for Brown or Grizzly bear anywhere in the world. (The Ruger Hawkeye Alaskan model in .375 Ruger can be had new in the box at this time for around $825.00 sans scope and sling) / Great buy on a great gun. IF I had the money right now to go on a BIG bear hunt and could afford this rifle, I would top it with aTrijicon AccuPoint 1-4X24 riflescope with Amber Dot Reticle which at the time of this post sells for around $800.00. An absolute deadly BIG Bear set up and all around dangerous game rifle/scope combination.

TRIJICON AccuPoint 1-4x24 Riflescope, German #4 Crosshair with Amber Dot Reticle, 30mm Tube (TR24-3)

		Tube: 30mm Reticle: German #4 Crosshair with Amber Dot		Color: Matte Black

		The AccuPoint 1-4x24 riflescope features Trijicon's improved manual brightness adjustment override, which allows you to control the light output of the fiber optics during daylight.

Quote from Craig Boddington on the 375 H and H:

"Chances are equally good, however, that next time I try for a brown bear I'll go right back to where I started and carry a .375 H&H. The good old .375 is the classic brown-bear caliber and with good reason. It will stop a charge if necessary, and if necessary it will also make 200-yard shots with ease. And although it's been very good for 85 years now, it's better than it ever was thanks to superb new bullets like the Swift A-Frame, Trophy Bonded Bearclaw, Barnes X and Winchester Fail-Safe. If you have a .375, you have your brown bear rifle." -- Craig Boddington, "Big Bear Guns," Petersen's HUNTING, February 1998, p. 58.

(Ruger .338 RCM or Ruger Compact Magnum throws a 225 grain Hornady SST out the 20 inch bbl at 2710fps and carries 2206 fps to 300 yards. Compare that with the .338 Win mag utilizing a 225 grain load out of a 24 inch bbl at 2780 and still moving 2184 fps at 300 yards) The key here is that the Ruger does this out of a 20 inch tube as opposed to a 24 inch bbl. This rifle is said to have great handling ergonomics, and is also very accurate.) Top this rig with a quality fully multi coated scope preferably with an illuminated reticle or an illuminated circle red dot type set up and it would make a great BIG bear rig)

My point is that you don't want to go bear hunting ON PURPOSE with a .308 Win or a .270 Win or a 7MM Mag etc. loaded with light for caliber bullets in soft rapidly expanding persuasion designed for deer hunting. You have to pay attention and match the bullet to the game being hunted. You also need to RE-sight your rifle in with the chosen load and make sure that is the box of ammo that goes with you on the hunt. It is difficult in remote hunt locations to go to the local gun shop and buy premium bonded ammo for exotic or seldom seen calibers. You may even want to ship a couple of boxes to your outfitter IN ADVANCE of your hunt to make sure they are there waiting for you when you arrive. Shoot a few when you arrive to certify your zero and save the rest for the hunt. By the same token you do not want to hunt whitetails with bonded or hard cast ammo designed to punch holes straight through with NO expansion.

WHERE TO HIT THEM WITH A RIFLE?

IF the bear is standing broadside (best shot) draw an imaginary line through the Bear's body lengthwise, and then divide the bear into three sections vertically from nose to tail, Midway between the front 1/3 vertical line and the middle 1/3 vertical line should place your bullet into the lungs. In essence slightly on the lower side of the 1/2 lengthwise line and just behind the shoulder. If too low you will hit the heart, the middle should take out the lungs and too high should hit the spine. On a bear quartering towards you (if your bullet is up to the task (I.E. heavy for caliber soft point or bonded bullet) you can hit the near shoulder breaking it and hopefully knocking the bear down and also hit the lungs. A 45-70 with Buffalo Bore 350 grain JFN Penetrator load or let's say the 210 grain Nosler partition in the .338 Federal would also work very well in this situation amongst many other calibers preferrably .30 cal or over.

Dan

Daniel 12:4-10 KJV

12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

12:5 Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river.

12:6 And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?

12:7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.

12:8 And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?

12:9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

12:10 Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but

Black Ice Coatings To Weather Proof Your Gun For Harsh Climates

2011-12-27T11:15:00.000-05:00

I have been looking into the Black Ice treatment for my Marlin 45-70. I hope to have that done this next year in case I ever take that rifle to Alaska, or Canada for a bear, or moose hunt etc. To have the metal parts (action, receiver, barrel etc. done) is $200 including the gunsmith charge to disassemble and reassemble the gun. The stock would be another $50 to treat it with clear coat and leave the existing walnut stock color as is. For $85 the stock can be redone in your choice of camo. For my money, I would stay with the clear coat for the stock finish.

I have already had the Wild West Happy Trigger installed and love it. I would leave the lever as is (vs.) the Big Loop levers which are all the rage these days. I have a Bushnell 1.5X4.5X Elite 3200 scope with firefly and am also happy with that set up. I have thought about doing the Ghost Ring set up on the sights along with a quick detachable scope mount, however at my age, the low power, LOW MOUNTED Bushnell suits me fine. It is fast and has a wide field of view at the lower settings.

If you would like to take a look at what Black Ice treatment is all about, here are a couple of links for you to take a peek. The first one is a TESTIMONIAL PAGE and the second one is their website. Dan

http://blackicecoatings.com/testimonials.html

http://blackicecoatings.com/ (just click on the firearms link)

Hunting Season 2011

2011-12-02T09:19:00.001-05:00

I would like to tell you that I have a freezer full of venison right now, however that is NOT the case. I had several close encounters during bow season, however for one reason or another, I didn't bring one home with me. I saw five separate bucks during bow season along with a number of does. I drew on 3 of them and still did not get a decent shot. It was exciting none-the-less.

Gun season was also exciting with the rut going on and bucks chasing does (on the run) during several days of the gun season in NY. My brother-in-law Allen and I are going out again tomorrow morning and will likely hunt till around noon. I am going to go to a hedge row that butts up against a corn field and sit there for a while in the morning. This field was a harvested oat field last year and during muzzeloader season had bucks and does in the middle of the field most of the daylight hours. They positioned themselves so that 200 yards was about your closest shot from any angle. You also had several sets of eyes to deal with.

A week ago, they were cutting the corn and I am not sure if they finished or if it is a mixture of cut and standing corn. I will likely take the Savage Weather Warrior w/accu trigger and a Bushnell 3X10X40 elite 3200 Scope with me tomorrow morning. It shoots 2.5 inch 3 shot groups at 200 yards off the bench and should be good to 250 yards plus with a decent rest. IF I see either a buck or doe and can stay hidden in the hedge row with a decent rest, I have a decent chance of taking one home with me. I will be stuffing the .308 with Federal 150 grain power shoks as they shoot real well in this particular rifle. I will travel lighter and likely will take just a grunt call and the BIG can doe bleat call with me. My son, Jeremy did not get to go hunting with me this year thus far and I miss having him with me. He is going to try and go one or two days during ML season. He works now in the Atlanta, GA doing landscape architect work. I have the TC thumb hole stocked Omega dialed in for him with 110 grains of Pyrodex RS loose powder behind a Hornady red tipped 250 grain SST saboted bullet. My TC Encore 209/50 uses (2) 50 grain Pyrodex pellets behind the TC yellow tipped shock wave saboted bullet. Both bullets are the same except for the color of the tip.

HOPE springs eternal, so I will keep you posted on how we make out tomorrow. because of work scheduling etc., tomorrow will likely be it for me during regular rifle season. After that I will only get out once or maybe twice during the NY muzzle loader season.

UPDATE 12/21/2011 - Hunting season 2011 is now behind us and I did not end up taking a deer this year. NO excuses, as I missed two bucks during bow season at around 40-45 yards (PAST my normal self imposed limit). Both were clean misses and went over the bucks backs. They were not even spooked and didn't know I was there. The wind was right, and unaware deer but just plain missed. Drew on a 3rd buck during bow season at about 28 yards broadside, however he was moving through some brush and I was tracking him waiting for him to come out into a small opening, when he abruptly turned and went over the hill. I hit the estrous doe bleat, the grunt call and finally the snort wheeze all to zero effect. Had another nice buck opening day just before shooting time at around 65-70 yards. That day I was carrying the Marlin model 336 .35 Rem with Hornady Leverevolution loads. I had had a Wild West Happy Trigger installed prior to hunting season and the rifle was putting 3 shots into one ragged hole at 100 yards. The problem was that I was moving and caught out in the open and could NOT make out whether the deer was a buck or a doe to BE SURE. I didn't have a doe tag and by the time I figured out that he was definitely a buck (as I suspected, because of his size and being alone etc.)until it was too late. He had me pegged and I was unable to do anything but watch his rack dissappear in the direction from whence he came. Hey it happens. I never got out at all this year during muzzle loader season due to work demands and a busy schedule. Still in all, it was an enjoyable season even though I did not fill my tag. I saw 4 separate bucks and several does and it was fun just being out there. I always remind myself that, "A bad day hunting beats a good day at work".

Have a "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year". By the way some guy from Northern NYS apparently shot a 20 point buck about 2 miles from where I hunt and it is reported to score between 190-200 B&C.

Dan

Matthew 6:33

King James Version (KJV)

³³But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Dan

Fixed Blade Broadhead

2011-11-09T22:27:00.001-05:00

If I were to switch next year from the G5 Backout broadheads I am currently using, I believe I would take a hard look at the TRU FIRE T1broadhead. It is a replaceable blade broadhead with 1 1/8 inch cutting diameter, .032 thick 440 stainless stell blades, available in both 100 and 125 grain persuasion and a free extra set of blades in every package.

The ferrule is precision machined from a solid piece of steel (vs.) aluminum.

A WINNING feature from my perspective is the first ever spring retention system (SRS) which secures the blades in the ferrule EVEN WHEN NOT ON AN ARROW. THE BLADES ARE ALSO HELD IN PLACE BY A TWO POSITION LOCKING DESIGN LOCATED IN THE TIP.

For old guys like me who do not see things up close as well as I used to, replacing blades on a fixed blade broadhead design can be a challenge. This is especially true, when on most heads every time you lightly touch the broadhead, one or more of the blades falls out and you start all over again. You can laugh at me, but check back wit hme when you are my age.

Here is a broadhead that flies true, has a chisel type point that cuts on impact and spring loaded replaceable blades. No excuse for not replacing those blades after a missed shot or from one season to the next.

http://soleadventure.com/gear/broadhead-review-tru-fire-t1/
Excerpt from T1 broadhead review:

Broadhead Review – Tru-Fire T1

Specifications »
Weight:	100 Grains
Number of Blades:	3
Cutting Diameter:	1.125″
Blade Thickness:	.032″
Ratings »
Accuracy:
Construction:
Ease of Use:
Penetration:
Price:
Sharpness:
Strength:
Bonus Points:

To be honest with you, I didn’t even know that Tru-Fire made broadheads, until I set out to find broadheads for this review. After testing the T1, I am quite surprised that it doesn’t have a bigger hold on the market. It isn’t a perfect broadhead, but I think it has what it takes to appeal to the masses. Let’s take a look…
Accuracy – The large vents on the T1′s blades and the low profile ferrule make for a design that has great flight characteristics and good wind resistance. It wasn’t the most accurate head in the group, but it wasn’t far off either. The T1 is plenty accurate.
Construction – The ferrule on the T1 is machined from one piece of solid steel. The steel blades, which measure in at .032″ thick, are also made very well. I really like the blade design, which has both forward and rear tabs that lock into the ferrule. There is a little bit of play in the blades when they are not installed on an arrow, but they do lock up very well when installed. I would love to see the blades come in just a little bit thicker, and the tolerances to be just a little bit tighter on the blade-to-ferrule lockup. Also, although the springs in the T1 seems to be great, you have to account for any “extra” parts that could fail at anytime, but the construction is great overall.
Ease of Use – This is a category where the T1 really shines. The Spring Retention System (SRS) is a great design which makes installing and replacing blades a snap. To replace a blade simply push it towards the rear of the ferrule, which compresses the spring and releases the front of the blade from the ferrule. Not only does the SRS make swapping blades easy, but it also holds blades in the ferrule when the head is not installed on an arrow. (One of my pet peeves are broadheads that fall apart when not installed.) Penetration – The T1 performed about average in regards to penetration. It is one of several heads that averaged around the middle of the pack when factoring all of the data from the penetration tests. I wouldn’t say that the T1 performed inadequately, but it didn’t perform extraordinarily either.
Price – The T1 comes in at the higher end of the price range, but unlike some of the others at that price range, I do believe the T1 provides some extra value for what you are paying. The construction and materials are great, and Tru-Fire provides and extra set of replacement blades as well. I have a hard time saying that broadheads at ~$35 are a great deal, but it is easy to see why the T1 is priced among the higher-end blades on the market.
Sharpness – The blades on the T1 great out of the package, and they held their sharpness quite well throughout the tests. The area the T1 can improve on when it comes to sharpness isn’t the blades, it is the ferrule. The tip of the ferrule seems strong and has a nice point, but the edges aren’t as sharp as they could be. It is almost as if the black coating on the ferrule reduces the sharpness of the ferrule edges.
Strength – Throughout the test, the T1 proved to be a sufficiently strong design. I originally had doubts about how the rear tab of the blades would hold up in the spring, and how the spring itself would hold up. Those fears are quickly eased once you install the T1 on an arrow and realize that the arrow insert supports both the blades and the spring really well. The T1 did great on the plywood tests, and the blades held up really well, especially for having such a fine edge.
Conclusion & Bonus Points – The T1 is an excellent broadhead. It is dead simple to use, and a fair value considering the prices that broadheads are going for these days. My suggestion for improvements would be to sharpen up the ferrule (possibly by foregoing the black coating), and also try to improve the blade-to-ferrule lockup. If you want an accurate, easy to use 3-blade chisel tip design, the T1 is a great broadhead.

Dan

It is a winning combination.

Dan

Do You Hunt "FUNNELS" When Deer hunting?

2011-11-09T09:26:00.000-05:00

First of all, what exactly is a funnel? It is a particular feature of the landscape whether natural or man made that cause deer to tend to use those same routes on a regular basis, or use them as escape routes when the pressure is on.

A funnel can be as simple as a ravine that connects two distinct types of terrain, such as natural or man made food plot to a thicket. Years ago, I hunted a lot with a high school friend down in the Richford, NY area off route 38 South. There was a particular hedgerow that extended from route 38 south back to the railroad tracks and on the west side of the tracks several steep ravines that made their way through the hardwoods and up to another hedgerow and several farm fields. I killed a fair number of bucks over the years by sitting about 150 yards up the hill towards the crop fields every opening day.

Early morning before sunrise, my friend and I would make our way down the RR tracks and then up to our favorite stands along the hill side. The RR tracks allowed us to get close to our stands without disturbing the woods, rustling leaves or leaving a scent trail through the woods. My friend usually climbed a tree and I stayed on the ground, partially hidden and with the 12 gauge Ithaca Deerslayer cradled across my lap. 75 yards was a LONG shot in those days and I took a few bucks at less than 25 yards.

I certainly MISS those days and think of them often. I would make the 40 min ride to Richford early opening day and then my friend and I would either have breakfast at "Red's Diner" or sometimes at the Richford Fire Dept where they would have a HUGE pancake breakfast. Every year I would enter the raffle for a new Remington Mdl 870 12 gauge Pump and of course every year, I would not win.

Some of my fondest memories are of those days spent bow hunting and shotgun hunting whitetails in Richford. My friend has since retired and moved to Ohio.

Back to funnels:

A funnel or crossing area can be as simple as a barb wired fence on the property you hunt. If you walk the fence line, you will likely find a place where there are deer hairs on the barb wire. perhaps a branch has fallen over the fence, or it just sags in that place, or it is in a low spot in the terrain or a steep ravine etc. Deer are creatures of habit and left undisturbed will take the path of least resistance. If they find a place where that fence is EASY to cross, they will continue to use it if not spooked away from it.

It can and often is where a steep ravine connects an old apple orchard, or thick pines to a crop field by passing through a stand of hardwoods. It allows the deer to pass from one type of cover to a food plot, or escape up through fairly open hardwoods to connect to another hedgerow for example by allowing them to stay at least partially hidden.

IF you own the land, you can also create escape routes through thick areas (in the OFF season) that will tend to naturally funnel the deer making them more predictable. You can then set up a tree stand or ground blind that keeps you hidden while taking advantage of the prevailing winds to give you a better shot opportunity.

Deer will take advantage of any terrain feature that allows them to move Undetected. The best way to find these is with a topo map or aerial photo of your land or simply take a hike in the off season or just AFTER season ends while snow is on the ground (at least in NYS). This allows you to bust bucks out of their sanctuary's when it no longer matters. You can mark waypoints on your GPS, and plan your next year's hunt around what you have learned.

Here in NY rifle season opens where I hunt on the 19th of November. Good luck and good hunting.

Dan

Sighting In Tips

2011-10-18T17:02:00.003-04:00

It is that time of year again and if you have not already sighted in your choosen weapon be it shotgun, rifle or muzzle loader, now is the time to do it. If you keep your gun sighted in and practice year round, then you can probably skip this article anyway.

Checklist:

check stock screws to make sure nothing has come loose
check your scope mount screws for same purpose / also check your scope to make sure it is NOT canted left or right of center of the bore and that your eye relief is set correctly for you.
KNOW if your scope has 1/4 min clicks (most common), 1/2 min clicks (on a lot of 1.5X4, 1.5X5X32 type shotgun scopes) or 1/8 min clicks
When is the last time you thouroughly cleaned your gun?

First what do I mean by 1/4 minute clicks on your elevation and windage adjustments? GOOD question and over the years, I am absolutely amazed the number of people I meet at the local gun range who do not have a clue what I am talking about.

Definition: What does the term minute of angle mean in regards to sighting in your rifle?

ans: A circle contains 360 degrees and each degree has 60 minutes in it. At 100 yards, one minute then = exactly 1.047 inches. Growing up as a kid, we had an old saying around the farm when working on equipment and other chores that when finished with a job, "It is close enough for government work".

If one fires 3 shots into one inch or less at 100 yards, the rifle is commonly called a "Minute of angle rifle" (AT LEAST with that particular load. In other words it may put 3 shots of 150 grain fodder into 3/4 of an inch and put the same brand of 180 grain bullets into 2.5 inches.

OK then, how does that relate to the 1/4 min, 1/2 min and 1/8 min clicks on my scope adjustments? BRAVO, another GOOD question.

Let's suppose for a min that you are getting a 1 inch group at 100 yards, the center of which is 4 inches to the RIGHT of your point of aim, and 2 inches higher than your point of aim. Let's futher imagine that you are shooting a quality .308 Win rifle with a decent scope on board.

What changes would I make with a 1/4 min click scope? The 1/4 min scope by definition means that every click on that scope whether windage or elevation would move the point of impact 1/4 inch at 100 yards. If it were my rifle, I would then TURN the windage 1/4 min dial exactly (16 clicks to the LEFT) or 4 clicks per inch, moving the point of impact DEAD center on the target for (left to right/windage) puposes. I would leave the elevation adjustment alone as is, since 2 inches high at 100 yards with let's say a 150 grain Federal Power Shok (WHICH is what I am using for deer hunting this fall) is about perfect to allow me to hold dead on a deer's chest out to around 250 yards which accounts for 99.9% of all deer hunting almost everywhere.

So FAR, So Good, but I am getting the cart ahead of the horse. Let's further suppose you haven't shot your rifle since last season, or that perhaps it is a NEW rifle to you and has not yet had a round through it. Your sporting goods store sold you the rifle and mounted your scope and bore sighted it for you before you left. Let's keep it simple and imagine it is a Savage Weather Warrior .308 Win with the accu-trigger and your purchased two boxes of ammo. One was 150 grain Win Power Points and the other was 150 grain Remington core Lokts. (WE do not know what your rifle likes to eat yet, so we will try both rounds to see which shoot best).

So where do you take your FIRST shot? The range is set up with markers at 25, 50, 75, 100, 150 and 200 yards. You have a 1 in 6 chance of being right. IF you guessed 25 yards you are correct. Beflore you load up and take that first shot, make sure you go through steps 1-4 listed above. Make sure the eye relief is set so that when you throw the rifle to your shoulder with the scope set at its lowest power, you have a FULL FIELD of view through the scope. IF not, then it is probably too close to your eye, so gently loosen the rings until with just a little pressure you can slide your scope forward till your have a full field of view when quickly mounting the gun. While your at it, make sure your scope is level and NOT canted to the left or the right. Snug those ring screws back down, Don't put a 4 foot length of pipe on the end of your allen wrench. Snug them down.................don't try to twist them off or crush the scope.

Okay, having done all that, make sure your rifle is set up on sand bags, or a quality range bag, or aCaldwell lead sled, or a bipod etc. so you have a steady rest. By the way, do NOT rest your rifle on the barrel/ rest the forearm of the stock on the bags. Do not grip the gun like it is going to fly backwards over the bench. Give it a firm grip, but not too firm. In our imaginery gun with the accutrigger, I suggest getting a sight picture and DRY FIRING it a few times to get used to the trigger.

Moving forward, you have fired 2 shots at 25 yards. The good news is the shots cut one ragged hole, The bad news is that point of impact is 3 inches to the left and 2 inches low of the center of the target. This is where the MATH comes into play. A 1/4 min scope moves the point of impact 1/4 inch at 100 yards, and therefore 4 clicks move point of impact 1 inch either up and down or left and right. At 25 yards (it is a multiple of 4X)................in other words it takes 16 (SIXTEEN CLICKS) to move the point of impact (1) inch at 25 yards. In this case we are 3 full inches to the left of our point of aim so we need to move the windage adjustment to the RIGHT a full FORTY EIGHT CLICKS to center our target.
I have found over the years, that if you put your point of impact dead center left to right (windage adjustment) at 25 yards, and approximately 1/2 inch LOW at the range, you will end up being right where you want to be at 100 yards and beyond. That being the case, I would then move the elevation adjustment UP 24 CLICKS. That should put your group 1/2 inch low and dead center of the target at 25 yards. You will find that you ill be in good shape when you get to 100, 150 and 200 yards with this setting. Different rifles, scopes and bullet weights can cause that equation to vary somewhat, however you will be darn close to where you want to be. Part of the reason I say that is unfortunately all scopes with 1/4 min clicks do not move point of impact exactly 1/4 inch at 100 yards. This is primarily due to manufacturing tolerences and often the PRICE of the scope itself.

UPDATE 10/20/2011: Took my .308 Savage Weather Warrior to the gun club yesterday to check it out before hunting season. My first shot at 25 yards was dead center in the bullseye. My next two shots at 100 yards were 1.25 inches center to center and 2.25 inches high. Lastly I fired a three shot group at 200 yards and results were a 1.5 inch group dead center on the bullseye. Different guns and loads will print slightly different at extended ranges, however you can't go wrong by getting dead center on the bull or depending on rilfe and load up to 1/4" or 1/2" low at 25 yards and then do your find tuning out at 100 yards. Again this was with Federal's 150 grain power shok load. This rifle wears a 3X10X40 Bushnell Elite 3200 scope with rainguard and duplex reticle. I am very confident with a decent makeshift rest and 8 seconds or more to get into position to take a whitetail out to 200 yards and beyond.

I would be a rich man if I had a dollar for everyone I have watched try to sight in a brand new rifle by starting out at 100, 150 and even 200 yards while having no clue of where that particular rifle hits at 25 yards.Trust me you will save a LOT of ammo by starting at 25 yards and getting it right than watching the dust fly at 100 yards and beyond the try guessing how much to adjust your scope. I also normally fire two shots at each range, to verify group center.

HOPE THIS HELPS. Good hunting., Dan

Selecting A Scope For Your Shotgun Set Up For Deer hunting

2011-10-11T20:25:00.000-04:00

Whether you hunt with a 12 gauge, 16 gauge or a 20 gauge, you should strongly consider having a low power variable scope with adequate eye relief on top of your shotgun set up for whitetails. I have been asked to recommend some AFFORDABLE RUGGED scope for use on shotguns set up for whitetails.

Following are some suggestions that won't break the bank and will work well on your shotgun:

Nikon Prostaff 2X7X32 with BDC (bullet drop compensator) reticle, fully multi-coated lenses, and 3.8" of eye relief listed at $149.95
Leupold 1X4X20mm with fully multi-coated optics, 3.8" to 4.3" eye relief listed at $179.
Mueller Multi Shot 2X7X32 illuminated red dot scope with fully multi-coated lenses at $149.95. I have this scope on my TC 209/50 Muzzle loader and LOVE it.
Bushnell Trophy XLT1.75X4X32 Circle X reticle with fully multi-coated lenses and 4.1" eye relief $129.99
Bushnell Banner 1.5X4X32 scope with 4.0" eye relief for $69.99
Simmons Master series fixed power 4X32mm scope for $59.99 with 4" eye relief

There are dozens more out there, however I can easily recommend these six scopes and all are available from Midway USA at the prices quoted at the time of this post. They are reasonably priced and hold up well to shotgun recoil.

Dan

II Corinthians 4:1-5 KJV

1Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;
2 But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;
2 But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.

Whitetail's Sense Of Smell / How Good Is It?

2011-10-10T11:03:00.001-04:00

With bow hunting season in NYS just 5 days away, I thought I would list some known facts about a deer's incredible sense of smell. Keep in mind that there is nothing exactly wrong with their sense of hearing and eyesight, or their ability to be running full tilt and change directions in a micro second. Last time I watched one, they have the ability to jump a little higher than I can manage too.

I think that of all the keen senses God built into the whitetail, it is their sense of smell that is the most important for their survival. Their sense of smell allows them to detect predators long before they can be seen or even heard. That applies to both two legged and 4 legged critters. Different studies have been conducted at whitetail research facilities indicating that deer can detect and react to scents from at least 425 yards, (probably farther under the right conditions). How many times have you tried to complete a stalk on whitetails, perhaps to cut the distance to ensure better shot placement, only to have the wind shift, and watch the white tails waving goodbye to you. I have read that the whitetails nose works best when humidity is between 20-80%. temperatures are between 40 degrees to 90 degrees and wind is in the 5-15MPH range.

Whitetails also can smell food sources under 1.5 feet of snow under the right conditions. If the snow is covered in a layer of ICE, that greatly diminishes the ability to detect odors. One study I read about indicated mature whitetails can detect a corn cob buried under a foot of snow from 5 feet away. Apples buried under the snow can be detected even farther due to their pungent odor.

Ever wondered how does can detect which fawns belong to them? Studies have proven that the fawns will try to nurse from any available doe, however the does smell the fawns and will turn away a fawn that is not theirs.

The sense of smell also of course plays a key role in the perpetuation of the species. The bucks nose allows him to determine if a doe is nearing or actually in estrus. This takes place because of the "vomeronasal gland" (VNO) which is a diamond shaped lump on the front of a buck's mouth. This gland has a different connection to the brain than the nasal nerves. It helps to detect and possibly control the reproductive condition of the deer while the nose's nasal receptors decipher all OTHER non-breeding odors.

Did you know:

A whitetail buck's nose is apprx 7 inches long
A human's nose is apprx 2 inches long
A deer's nose has 6 to 8 cubic inches of nasal surface
A human has about 1.5 inches
A whitetail has apprx 150 million scent receptors
A human has perhaps 5 million
A deer is believed to smell 8 to 10 times better than a human

I have read that we simply do not know exactly how much better deer can smell than humans. I have seen estimates of 100 times better, however 8 to 10 times is a LOT.

In closing a whitetails nose is his best asset. With it he determines which scents are dangerous (predators), which scents are edible (food sources), the condition of an estrus doe, thereby perpetuating the species itself.
Add to that an incredible rotating, antenna like set of ears, eyes that have more rods than cones to detect movement and the ability to go from zero to top speed (estimated to be around 40MPH for short distances) almost instantly while changing directions in mid air, and it is a wonder we are as successful at hunting as we are.

I like to think I am better at it that I was 25 years ago and sometimes I realize that perhaps I am NOT. I always remember that a bad day hunting, beats a good day at work every time. As one gets older, he ceases to equate a good day hunting as one in which he or she harvest's a deer.

Someone once told me that somewhere in the bible is a scripture that says, "God does NOT subtract days spent hunting from a man's total allotted time on earth". I have never been able to actually find that passage, but I find it comforting none-the-less.

Dan

Another Illuminated Scope Line To Take A Hard Look At / Leupold VX-R

2011-10-05T20:15:00.001-04:00

I want to add one more scope line to take a hard look at in your search for an illuminated riflescope. That is the NEW Leupold VX-R line of scopes. Leupold has a long history of producing a quality product at a reasonable price with a great warranty. Their scopes are famous for clarity, great optics, fully multi-coated lenses, generous eye relief and now illumination.

These scopes are available from S.W.F.A. and many other outlets. / S.W.F.A currently list 21 variations and magnifications of this scope line in current prices ranging from $439.95 on up to $699.95. You can't go wrong with a Leupold Scope.

LINK to S.W.F.A. riflescopes

I have purchased several scopes from S.W.F.A. over the years and have found them to be great folks to deal with. They are knowledgeable, friendly, fair and honest, and their prices are tough to beat in the marketplace.

EXCERPT:

"Sleek design with daylight-capable illumination; the Leupold VX®•R™. Patented 1-button design minimizes bulk, while allowing users to select between 8 intensity settings, including a low/high indicator. The readily available CR-2023 coin-cell battery produces remarkable runtimes, while the fiber optic light pipe eliminates the need for an eyepiece-based control module. Proprietary motion sensor automatically deactivates illumination after 5 minutes of inactivity, yet reactivates instantly as soon as any movement is detected.
Leupold’s legendary Index Matched Lens System™ combines with edge-blackened lead free lenses for astonishing clarity and light transmission, while the extreme fast-focus eyepiece ensures optimal diopter adjustment in the field. The 30mm maintube and finger-click adjustments assure maximum adjustment precision, while the second generation waterproofing resists the effects of thermal shock much more efficiently than standard nitrogen.
Waterproof, shockproof, and backed by the Leupold Full Lifetime Guarantee, the Leupold VX•R is the next generation in sporting optics."

Take a hard look at this line of scope before you buy.

Dan

Lighted Reticle Scopes For Dawn and Dusk, Deer & Bear Hunting

2011-10-04T20:43:00.003-04:00

My birthday is this Thursday October 6th, and I will be 64 years old. I find that hard to believe sometimes, however I guess I got here the same way everyone else who has passed that milestone did...............ONE YEAR at a time.

It is a fact of life that the 64 year old eyes are not quite as bright and sharp as they were when I was 21. For that reason, I am not as big a fan of open sights as I used to be when i was younger. I can still shoot a Peep sight fairly well as long as the aperture is big enough. In fact on those with a screw in insert, I like to take the insert out and use it as a "Ghost Ring" sight as your eye naturally centers the front sight anyway. I also prefer the peep sight on my bow set up to be on the larger side.

To go one step further, I prefer a scope on my rifles and deer shotguns. I really prefer AN ILLUMINATED RETICLE, OR RED DOT SIGHT OR ILLUMINATED DIAMOND SHAPED RETICLE.

Whether or not I am on a bear hunt or a whitetail or moose hunt etc., I LIKE illuminated reticle or red dot set ups.

I think possibly one of the best out there are the various reticle options used by Trijicon. These scopes do not use a battery, but rely on adjustable, self illuminating tritium triangle shaped reticles (being the most popular). The AccuPoint series is probably the most popular and they can be purchased from a number of sources for around $765 at the time of this BLOG POST. These scopes are rugged and have great fully multi-coated glass and edge to edge clarity. They are also very rugged. I know from reading Craig Boddington hunting adventures, that he likes them and to me that is a STRONG endorsement.

I also am a fan of Muller Red dot Scopes and own two of them. One of them is a 2X7X32 red dot with 1/4 min clicks and 3.25 inches of eye relief and the other is a 3X9X40 red dot with 1/8 min clicks and the same 3.25 inches of eye relief. The 3X9X40 sits on top of my Savage 30-06 and the 2X7X32 sits on my TC Encore 209/50. These can be purchased from EBACO.com (E. Arthur Brown Company) for under $150 each.

I also own (2) Bushnell 3X9X40 Elite 3200 scopes with rainguard and the firefly reticle. These are also great scopes for the money with bright clear optics, the rainguard feature worth its weight in GOLD during a rainy week of hunting. Eye relief on these runs closer to 3.5 inches.

A surprisingly good quality scope I picked up for my Marlin Model 336 lever Action .35 Rem is a now discontinued Simmons Pro-Diamond illuminated reticle scope in 1.5X5X32 persuasion. It features an illuminated Diamond reticle and multi-coated optics. It is a perfect fit for the .35 Rem and is compact enough to retain the handling qualities and ergonomics of the Marlin Lever Action. Natchez Supply was selling these at one time for around $95 each. I wish I had purchased 5 or 6 of them.

I recently put a Burris Fullfield II illuminated 3X9X40 LRS Ballistic Plex Reticle. battery operated scope with various intensity settings on a Ruger Mdl 77 .350 Rem mag. I have found this scope to have bright clear optics, multi-coated lenses and the Lighted reticle gives a precise aiming point in fading light. Currently available from SWFA for $279.95. The one pictured below with the LRS Ballistic Plex is what sits on my .350 Mag. I LIKE IT. Keep in mind that most ballistic plex type scopes must be sighted in dead on at 100 yards and only work as they should on the highest power in this case 9X

Burris 3-9x40 Fullfield II Rifle Scope

Stock # - 200157

Matte
LRS Ballistic Plex
1"
Digital Dimmer

Try an illuminated reticle scope. I don't think you will be disappointed. Dan

And that the said Constitution be never construed to authorize Congress to infringe the just liberty of the Press, or the rights of Conscience; or to prevent the people of the United States, who are peaceable citizens, from keeping their own arms; …"
Samuel Adams
quoted in the Philadelphia Independent Gazetteer, August 20, 1789, "Propositions submitted to the Convention of this State"

Should I Just Take The .338 Federal Deer hunting This Fall?

2011-09-30T21:35:00.001-04:00

Thus far this summer and early fall, I have taken several rifles to the range and sighted them in, checked all stock screws, scope mounts, cleaned them thoroughly and then kept records of each and put them away with their chosen brand and weight of factory ammo for this fall's deer hunting.

Truth be known, it is one of my favorite pastimes because I just plain enjoy shooting, and tinkering with rifles.
I have several rifles ready to go right now including a Marlin Model 1895 45-70 & a Marlin Model 336 in .35 Rem with Hornady Lever Evolution ammo, a Savage Weather Warrior in .308, a Savage bolt action in 30-06, and a Ruger Model 77 Mark II in .270 Win.

I haven't paid much attention lately to my Ruger Hawkeye in .338 Federal which is now sighted in with Federal's 200 grain Fusion load. It wears a Bushnell 3200 Elite scope in 3X9X40 with firefly reticle. It is easy to carry, has great ergonomic handling attributes and would be deadly out to around 300 yards or so as currently sighted in. It is also the ONLY .338 caliber rifle that is NOT a magnum.

I just enjoy carrying, shooting and hunting with different rifles as the mood strikes me and the situation, terrain, weather conditions etc. dictate. I have NOT taken any game with the .338 and I do not hand load. My two best options in factory ammo would be the Federal 200 grain Fusion load for which it is currently sighted in with, and perhaps the Federal 180 grain accubond load. The 200 grain fusion leaves the gate at around 2725fps and the 180 grain accubond at around 2830 fps. Both open up reliably on whitetails and yet hold together well in the process. The Fusion load shoots well in my rifle and approximate drop at 300 yards is around 9 inches when zeroed at 200 yards.

.338 FEDERAL BALLISTICS
FEDERAL FACTORY LOAD Bullet Weight And Style	MUZZLE	100 yds.	200 yds.	300 yds.	400 yds.
180-gr. Nosler AccuBond
Velocity (fps)	2,830	2,590	2,350	2,130	1,930
Energy (ft-lbs)	3,200	2,670	2,215	1,820	1,480
Trajectory (ins.)	-1.5	+1.8	0	-8.2	-23.9
185-gr. Barnes Triple-Shock
Velocity (fps)	2,750	2,550	2,350	2,160	1,980
Energy (ft-lbs)	3,105	2,660	2,265	1,920	1,615
Trajectory (ins.)	-1.5	+1.9	0	-8.3	-24.1
210-grain Nosler Partition
Velocity (fps)	2,630	2,590	2,200	2,010	1,820
Energy (ft-lbs)	3,225	2,710	2,265	1,880	1,545
Trajectory (ins.)	-1.5	+2.3	0	-9.4	-27.3

If anyone out there has tried the .338 Federal on whitetails and has anything to share on its effectiveness or possible lack thereof, I would enjoy hearing from you. Also if you have a special hand load that has worked for you, I would like to hear about that.

Part of the fun is deciding and agonizing over what rifle and load to take hunting, whether it is whitetails, moose, black bears, or even woodchucks and coyotes.

Dan

"I ask, Sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people. To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them."
George Mason
Co-author of the Second Amendment
during Virginia's Convention to Ratify the Constitution, 1788

NYS Hunting News - WOW, I didn't Know that

2011-09-21T19:43:00.000-04:00

NYS DEC has expanded bear hunting to the following 13 additional Wildlife management units / WMU's this fall.

7M, 7R,7S,8H, 8J, 8M, 8N, 8P, 8R, 8S, 9G and 9H

I hunt in 7M most of the season, so this is good to know. I have never seen a bear in 7M where I hunt, however I did have a Sow and 2 cubs on my back lawn at my old office building in Cortland, NY a couple of years ago. The bear population is increasing.

OTHER CHANGES IN NY:

Crossbows are now legal to hunt deer and bear in NY. They may ONLY be used during any big game season in which the use of a shotgun or muzzle loader is permitted and also LATE ML seasons. IF you decide to use a crossbow during the late ML season, then you must also posses the ML privilege stamp.

Crossbows are NOT allowed to be used during regular bow season or in areas of the state designated for Archery Only.

The Jr. bow hunting designation is now lowered from age 14 to age 12 / see pages 15 &17 for Jr. bow hunting regs.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Want to hunt with your 30-30 this fall and can't decide whether to use 150 grain or 170 grain bullets? My suggestion is to try both and see which one groups the best for you. Another alternative is to split the difference and try a box of the Hornady LeverEvolution 160 grain FTX ammo. Trajectory charts from Hornady show that when sighted 3 inches high at 100 yards, the ammo is spot on at 200 yards. It makes your 30-30 into a whole different rifle for hunting mixed woods and farm field whitetails.

I have done some range work with the Hornady LeverEvolution ammo in both my Marlin 45-70 and .35 Rem and both have proven to extend the range and are very accurate.

Dan

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
- Benjamin Franklin

Ballistic Reticle Scopes On Muzzleloaders?

2011-09-12T19:57:00.000-04:00

I read an article a while back that helped reinforce a post I did on mounting scopes a while back. I have been in several hunting camps where in the process of getting acquainted and passing around each other's rifles to admire and look through the scopes etc. I have found that more than half of them on average are not properly aligned with the bore. In other words the scopes reticles are canted either left or right and not centered. It seems to make little difference whether the hunter did it himself or had the sporting goods store do it for him.

If your scope is in fact canted to the left or right of center, it will throw your shots off, especially when you get out beyond 100 yards. I believe this is even more critical when using a scope such as Nikon's Omega variable scope with the round circles representing the aiming point at various yardages. If the scope is not aligned perfectly with the bore, then those little circles will be throwing your saboted ML bullet several inches to the right or left of your point of aim at 200 yards.

In an article that was published in the December 2010 issue of Deer and Deer hunting magazine by Toby Bridges, he alludes to this phenomenon. He indicates a shooter of his acquaintance who was using one of Nikon's Omega ML scopes on the rifle for which it was named after (The TC Omega .50 cal ML). His scope was NOT properly aligned with the bore. He was shooting 110 grains of FFFg triple 777 powder behind a 250 grain Hornady SST saboted bullet. His rifle was sighted in to print point of aim at exactly 100 yards. At 200 yards using the appropriate circle on the scope his load was printing 4 inches to the right and 8 inches at 250 yards.

This is NO reflection on the scope itself, but rather on the scope's installation NOT being aligned properly with the bore. It points out two things:

Check your scopes alignment with the bore before tightening down the screws (use a bubble type level or other device)
Do some extensive shooting off the bench at the farthest range you intend on using the scope during hunting season to determine point of impact with various loads

Lastly keep in mind that practically all ballistic reticle scopes are designed to work properly ONLY on the scopes highest power. On a 3X9X40, you must have the scope cranked up to 9X or it will NOT perform as designed.

If you select the RIGHT ballistic circle, but have your scope set at a lower power than the 9X, your shots will likely GO HIGH at longer ranges. You will end up shooting over a bucks back and wonder what went wrong.

Muzzle loading is a lot of fun, in fact it is a BLAST / NO pun intended. You owe it to the game you pursue to put the time in at the range working with various powder charges, primers, and different styles and weights of saboted bullets before you go hunting. ONCE you settle on your chosen load, then try your ballistic reticle scope at 100, 150, 200, and maybe 250 yards BEFORE you attempt a shot at a big whitetail buck. IF you cannot consistently make the shot, then DON'T TAKE THAT SHOT IN THE FIELD............just don't do it.

Dan

When once a republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.
- Thomas Jefferson

Top Whitetail Buck Counties in NYS for 2010

2011-09-05T17:31:00.004-04:00

Here are some statistics for the whitetail harvest for the 2010 season and a buck I took in 2001 with a Ruger Bolt Action muzzle loader using Barnes 300 grain expander.

Hunters harvested just over 230,000 deer in the 2010 hunting season, up about 3% from
2009, according to the NYSDEC. The Junior Big-Game License was popular once again, with over 16,000 junior hunters taking advantage of the opportunity to hunt big game, harvesting
approximately 4,900 deer.
“Deer hunters play a crucial role, benefiting all New Yorkers, by helping to maintain deer
numbers at levels that are ecologically and socially appropriate, and we appreciate their
participation,” said DEC Commissioner Joe Martens.

Deer Harvest
The statewide 2010 deer take included approximately 123,100 antlerless deer (adult females and fawns) and just under 107,000 adult bucks. Deer harvests in the Northern Zone were very
comparable to 2009, with adult buck take (approx. 16,100) essentially unchanged and antlerless take (approx. 12,500) only increasing about 3%. In the Southern Zone, excluding Long Island, adult buck take (approx. 89,900) increased nearly 6% while antlerless take (approx. 108,600) increased only about 2%.

2010 Deer Harvest Comparison

                            2010 Total          2009 Total Previous 5-Year Average (2005-2009)

Total Take             230,100                  222,798                                        206,848

Adult Male            106,960                    102,057                                          99,568

Antlerless             123,140                  120,741                                         107,280

Adult Female         84,806                    84,330                                           72,386

Deer
Management
Permits Issued      498,294                527,371                                          476,163

Deer
Management
Permit Take            89,855                   89,458                                             77,168

Deer
Management
Assistance
Program Take      12,384                       9,789                                               9,978

Muzzleloader      18,387                      18,773                                              16,959

Bowhunting        34,530                      34,546                                              30,771

Western New York continues to lead the state in total deer-harvest densities, but
Orange County in southeastern New York remains a strong contender. The top five
counties for 2010 were Yates (14.3 total deer per square mile), Wyoming (12.2),
Genesee (11.0), Cayuga (10.0), and Orange County (10.0). Importantly, total harvest is
strongly impacted by the number of Deer Management Permits (DMPs) available in
an area, which directly affects the harvest of antlerless deer.
A more accurate picture of relative deer population densities is revealed
by the density of buck harvest. By this figure, the top counties for buck harvest
density were: Wyoming (4.9 bucks per square mile), Yates (4.9 bucks per square
mile), Allegany (4.0), Schuyler (3.8), and Cayuga County (3.8).

Across the state, hunters took a slightly higher proportion of 2.5 year old and older bucks
than in previous years, continuing a trend that has developed over the past decade. This past year about 45% of harvested bucks were 2.5 years of age or older compared to only 33% in 2000.

Deer harvest data are gathered from two main sources: harvest reports required by all
successful hunters, and DEC staff’s examination of harvested deer at check stations and meat
processors. Statewide harvest estimates are made by cross-referencing these two data sources.
Though an average of only 45% of successful hunters have reported their harvest each year since 2005, statewide harvest estimates remain statistically accurate to within ±2%.
During the 2010 deer season, DEC tested 1,780 hunter-harvested deer for Chronic
Wasting Disease (CWD) and found no CWD infected deer. With no CWD detections since
2005, last summer, DEC decommissioned the CWD containment area and no longer required
mandatory checking of harvested deer in that area.
Additionally, DEC continues to develop a deer management plan based on input
collected during a series of public meetings held in 2009; information from a recent statewide
survey of deer hunters; and assessments from a deer biologists and regional wildlife managers.
This plan will provide a blueprint for deer management for the next five years, including a
number of reforms to strengthen the program. DEC anticipates that the plan will be available for public review and comment later this spring.
Deer populations and harvest vary widely across the state. The 2010 and previous year’s
deer harvest by county, town, and Wildlife Management Unit are available at
www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/42232.html on the DEC website.

Good luck and good hunting.

Dan

Fixed or Mechanical Broadheads?

2011-09-04T19:20:00.002-04:00

My son swears by the Rage 2 blade mechanical broad heads and even though I have seen the wound channels and cannot criticize his choice based on his success, I still shoot 3 blade 100 grain fixed (Replaceable blade broad heads).

I have nothing particularly against the wave of NEW mechanical broad heads and I have seen some of the videos and heard the stories about their accuracy. I have also seen the wound channels and the results close up.

For my money, if your bow is tuned correctly, using fixed (REPLACEABLE BLADE) broad heads is just one LESS thing to go wrong.

Here is one top pick if I were looking for new (fixed) /replaceable blade blade/ cut on impact rugged broadheads :

TruFire T1 Broadheads

Aggressive tip design creates an unsealable hole which caused massive hemorrhaging and quicker retrieval. And that's only 1 of many reasons to make the TruFire T1 your Broadhead of choice...
... here's more:

Precision machined solid stainless steel for durability and accuracy
Spring Retention System secures the blades in the ferrule even when not on an arrow
2-position locking design located in the tip
1 ¹/8" cutting diameter. .032"-thick 440 stainless steel blades.

Advantageous:

Fixed blades are traditional and mechanicals are late comers
Fixed blades generally cut on impact
Fixed blade broad heads have no moving parts and built stronger
Fixed blade types offer the possibility of MORE penetration since they do NOT lose energy opening up on impact
Fixed blades do not have the requirement of a faster arrow speed or heavier draw weight to operate properly
Less likely to glance of bone
Fixed blade types are generally LESS expensive
Can be resharpened in the field with pocket size sharpeners, or simply replace the dull or damaged blades
Availability

Points in Favor of Mechanicals:

Mechanicals generally hit closer to point of aim to your fields points
Mechanicals usually have a greater cutting diameter

I understand, your list be be REVERSED from mine and that is okay. My son as I indicated swears by the 2 blade Rage head and he shoots them very well out to 40 plus yards.

I just went on line to Cabala's and they are listing (97) options for fixed or replaceable blade broad heads as opposed to (62) mechanical listings. Looks like the mechanical's are catching up, however I will stick to the fixed replaceable blade type.

Dan

Does the government fear us? Or do we fear the government? When the people fear the government, tyranny has found victory. The federal government is our servant, not our master! -Thomas Jefferson
It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds - Samuel Adams
The essence of Government is power; and power, lodged as it must be in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse.
- James Madison

Deer Hunting With Slug Guns

2011-09-02T21:27:00.004-04:00

I have been hunting whitetails since I was 16 years old in NYS. From the time I was 16 until about two years ago, most of the deer I have taken were with shotguns. The first deer I ever harvested was with a 20 gauge semi- automatic shotgun with just the vent rib sighting plane and foster slugs. Distance as I recall was all of 10 yards. I was on state land and hunting off the ground and was backed up into a pine tree partially hidden by the boughs. Someone had shot perhaps 100 yards or so off to my left and I was in a little clearing. The 8 point sauntered on in and at about 10 yards I dropped him. I was definitely hooked.

Around that same time I was also bow hunting with a recurve Fred Bear bow and using wooden arrows with Bear Razor head broad heads and feathers. I think it was the Grizzly model and I simply shot off the padded bow shelf and with fingers using a traditional leather glove on my release hand. I would love to tell you I took another 8 point with that bow, but I didn't. Even though I now shoot a Bear Instinct compound with carbon arrows and use a release along with plastic vanes and replaceable blade broad heads, I still remember how I felt hunting in those early days. I was one with all of those who had gone before me in the pursuit of big game with the bow.

In the many years following that first whitetail with the 20 gauge, I killed all of my deer with an Ithaca Deer Slayer Model 37/12 gauge pump bored straight cylinder (.704 inch internal diameter as opposed to the 12 Gauge's nominal .729 measurement), wearing a Weaver K2.5X fixed scope with a bold reticle and firing either Remington or Winchester Foster slugs. In those days, our guns were PIE PLATE accurate. Out at 75-85 yards or so, I could put (5) into a paper plate routinely. I didn't say that I got a tight groups. I said I could hit the paper plate with 5 slugs, though some were in the center, some were high, some were low and some just cut the outer edge of the plate enough to say, I HIT IT. Funny thing is at last count before handing the gun down to my son-in-law one Christmas, I had taken 28 deer with that shotgun. I am always fond of saying that MOST deer in the N/E USA are shot even today at less than 100 yards. I never tried to make that shotgun into anything other than what it was, and yet it performed very well for the years I owned it.

For a few years after than I hunted with another Ithaca Deerslayer II model called "The Storm" which had a rifled barrel and used rifled saboted slugs. That gun had a trigger job done and the factory stock shortened slightly to fit me by the gunsmith at the King's Ferry, NY location shortly before they closed it down. Ithaca Gun which operated out of King's Ferry, NY (not far from where I now live), was sold at auction on November 29, 2005. They reopened in Ohio and can be contacted at Ithaca gun, 420 North Warpole St., Upper Sandusky, Ohio 433521. their phone number is 1-877-648-4222 and service inquires on existing Ithaca's can be done by email at (service@ithacagun.com).

That particular shotgun which I still own was the most accurate shotgun I ever fired. Out to around 150 yards, I would NOT hesitate to use it today in most of the areas I hunt. I have a previous post (8/22/08 12 Ga vs. 20Ga) on that particular gun showing a target with the best load I had found at the time. The best load I came up with for that slug gun was the Federal Barnes 3/4 oz expander slugs. They would group under 2.5 inches out to 125 yards and within 3.5 inches out to 150 yards. I still have quite a supply of those particular slugs on hand and might take that gun hunting again one day just for nostalgia purposes. I took several deer with that shotgun and load. and I would not feel handicapped in the least to hunt with it today.

ALL THAT BEING SAID, what is available to the hunter today who either is forced by regulation to hunt with slug guns or who does so by choice:

One of the most popular is Remington's model 870 Pump gun called the Super Slug. Another is H&R/NEF's single shot ULTRA SLUG Hunter, Savage's bolt action models 220 and 201 IF you can find them, and YES Ithaca's NEW Deerslayer II and Deersaleyr III. Mossberg also made their LPA pumps fitted with the new adjustable Lighting Pump Action trigger system and are reported to be very accurate. On the custom arena Randy Fritz's Tar hunt shop makes bolt action 12 and 20 gauge models. IF you already own a TC Encore 209/50 muzzle loader, then you can also purchase a 12 gauge slug barrel for your encore turning it into an accurate single shot shotgun.

Results for: "12 gauge slugs" (40 items)

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Wolf® 2 3/4" Rifled Shotgun Slugs
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Remington® Slugs
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(5.0) on 8 Reviews

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Commander® IDS Hand Loader 12 - gauge Sabots, 10 - Pk.

$5.97

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Premier® Copper Solid® Sabot Slugs
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$15.27

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5 rds. 12 - ga. 2 3/4" Managed Recoil® Copper Solid Sabot Slug

$14.57

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5 rds. D Dupleks® 12 - ga. 2 3/4" Steel Slugs
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Box of 5 Lightfield® Commander 12 - ga. 3 1/2" 1 3/8 oz. Sabot Slugs

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Box of 5 Lightfield® Commander 12 - ga. 3" 1 3/8 - oz. Sabot Slugs

$17.87

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Box of 5 Lightfield® Hybred™ Elite 12 - ga. 3" 1 1/4 - oz. Sabot Slugs

$15.37

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(5.0) on 2 Reviews

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Box of 5 Lightfield® Hybred™ Light 12 - ga. 2 3/4" 1 1/4 - oz. Sabot Slugs

$14.67

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Box of 5 Lightfield® Hybred™ EXP 12 - ga. 2 3/4" 1 1/4 - oz. Sabot Slugs

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Box of 5 Lightfield® Home Defender 12 - ga. Rubber Slug Rounds

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Box of 5 Lightfield® Home Defender HV Star 12 - ga. Rubber Slug Rounds

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Winchester® Supreme Elite Double Bond™ Shotgun Slugs
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$14.37

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(4.3) on 6 Reviews

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Federal® Barnes® Expander™ Sabot Slugs
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$10.97

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(4.9) on 13 Reviews

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10 rds. Fiocchi® 12 - ga. 2 3/4" 1 - oz. Light Rifled Slugs

$8.07

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(4.5) on 2 Reviews

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3 rds. Firequest® Double Slug 12 - ga. 2 3/4" Shotshells

$20.97

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3 rds. Firequest® Terminator 12 - ga. 2 3/4" Shotshells

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Winchester® Winlite™ Low Recoil Shotshells
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Winchester® Super X® Slugs
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Federal® Barnes® Expander™ Sabot Slugs
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Fiocchi® 12 - gauge Rifled Slugs
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(4.8) on 6 Reviews

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Federal® Truball® Rifled Slugs
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Federal Fusion® Shotgun Slugs Starting at...
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Jack O'Connor's Pride & Joy - the .270 Win Revisited

2011-08-17T15:50:00.000-04:00

Deer season is just around the corner and I am in hopes my son Jeremy can come home this year for a few days around Thanksgiving time to hunt with me. Jeremy became rather fond of my Ruger Model 77 MKII .270 Winchester. I am sure that taking two deer with it last fall, one of which was a 13 point buck that made the NYS Big Buck Magazine at 146 7/8 contributed to his liking the gun.

I went to the range today with (5) different loads and did some testing off the bags at 100 yards essentially to check last year's zero for him. I was pleased with the results and will clean the gun and put it away for him till deer season.

First up was a load that is unfortunately NO longer made. It was Federal's 130 grain Hi Shok bullet. I fired two shots which measured 1.25 inches center to center and exactly 2 inches high at the 100 yard mark. Years ago, I fired the best 3 shot group of my life out of this rifle at 200 yards with the same load.

Second target was a 3 shot group with Federal's 150 grain round nose Power Shok. Again the group was 2 inches high and center to center with (1) flyer of 1.75 inches. Two of the shots went into 1/4 inch group center to center. This will be the load I will try and steer Jeremy towards for this fall's hunting season.

Third group was with Remington's 150 grain round nose core lokt and the two shot groups also 2 inches high went into exactly (1) inch center to center. I would have to move point of impact to the left about 1/2 inch to feel totally comfortable with hunting with this load.

Fourth group was Federal's 150 grain round nose Hi Shok (also NO longer made) and the two shot groups was 1.5 inches high and 1.5 inches center to center. One shot was 1.5 inches high and the other one was 3/4 inch to the left of dead center.

Last group was Winchester's 150 grain Power point, also a two shot group. This has been the clear winner for best groups last year and is the load Jeremy used to take both of his deer. Group was 2 inches center to center with one of the two shots 3.25 inches left of center and 2.5 inches high. I obviously muffed the high left shot.

All that being said, ALL GROUPS pass the palm of the hand test and one could easily stuff the magazine with any of the above and go deer hunting tomorrow. You would have to make a slight adjustment to zero a couple of loads, however since the Federal 150 grain Hi Shoks are not getting any younger (or newer) sitting in my safe, I am going to have Jeremy use them this fall. The gun is good to go as is with this load. I love minute of angle rifles and tiny tight groups, however if the truth be known, you can hunt deer for the rest of your life out to 200 yards or maybe 250 with a rifle that will consistently put 3 shots into 1.5 inches at 100 yards.

Dan

(James 5:14-16 NKJV) Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. {15} And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. {16} Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

BEAR Season 2011 Is Almost Here

2011-08-13T21:28:00.003-04:00

Many of you are probably getting your gear ready for a September 2011 Bear Hunt either in Canada, or perhaps Maine or in the Adirondacks or Catskill Mountains of NYS. Thought I would pass along some information and recommendations if you will "Bear With Me."

BEAR FACTS:

We are talking primarily about Black Bears in this post, however much of it applies to all bears:

Sense of hearing / MUCH better than a human's, probably in the ultrasonic range.
Sense of smell / (There is an OLD saying that talks about a pine needle dropping to the earth in the forest. Legend has it that an EAGLE saw it, a DEER heard it drop and a BEAR smelled it) A bear has been known to detect a human scent trail 14 hours after a human walked by, and they can tell the direction of travel of a breeding sow just by sniffing her tracks.
Eyesight / Surprisingly bears see at least as well as humans. Polar bears actually see the best with special filters that allow them to see underwater and to filter snow glare. Black bears do have color vision and particularly sensitive to blue and green wave lengths. There is some speculation that they also see red, which makes sense for being able to visually see colored berries and fruits. They are however NEARSIGHTED, and have trouble distinguishing objects at a distance. Like most NOCTURNAL animals they have a reflective layer called Tartetum Lucidum lining the back of the eyeball which helps the light reflect back through the retina which helps with night vision.
WEIGHT / Average male is around 250 lbs and females around 150 lbs. Weights range from approximately 125 lbs to over 600 pounds.

If you are planning or looking into a hunt this fall, you cannot go wrong with looking at our neighbor to the north in Canada. The western provinces probably have more color phase bears and on average larger bear. Places such as Saskatchewan, Manitoba, British Columbia, Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba and Newfoundland Labrador, and New Brunswick in Canada are always good bets. Many outfitters advertise 90 to 100% success rates. Be sure to read and understand the procedures for crossing the border into Canada and the registration of firearms taken with you etc. LONG before going. HANDGUNS of any kind are NOT allowed in Canada.

The State of Maine is another destination with a LOT of black bears and literally dozens and dozens of outfitters willing to accommodate your hunt. Hunts there can range a little as $500 for a week with a do it yourself, bring your own food hunt to upwards of $3000 for an everything included SPRING hunt on the Passamaquoddy Indian Reservation. I understand there is also a FALL hunt with some outfitters on the same locations for considerably less money. You have to do your homework and check references and compare outfitters etc. long before you actually book.

RIFLES and SCOPES:

Black bears have been taken with a wide array of firearms including just about all rifles suitable for whitetail deer hunting, muzzle loaders including .50 cal flintlock with black powder and round balls, and of course archery gear and shotguns.

IF you are purchasing a rifle or other firearm specifically for black bear hunting over bait, my own short list would include the following:

Marlin lever Action in 45-70, .35 Rem, .444 Marlin, .450 Marlin and .338 Marlin Express
Your choice of a bolt action, pump or semi-auto in: .308 Win (with 165 or 180 grain premium loads), 30-06 (same 165 or 180 grain premium loads), .300 WSM (with 180 grain loads), .338 Federal (with 210 grain Nosler Partitions or 200 Grain federal Fusion). .350 Rem mag (With 225 grain Nosler partitions), .35 Whelen (250 grain Rem Core Lokt or your own handload) etc.
Muzzle Loaders would include .45 Cal, .50 Cal and .54 Cal rifles and my choice would be a saboted bullet combination with around 100 to 110 grains of Pyrodex, or Triple 777. I would choose saboted slugs in the 250 to 350 grain persuasion.

I cannot in good faith leave out SHOTGUNS with slugs. My favorite would be my own Ithaca 12 GA Deerslayer II with saboted slugs, however the 20 guage has come a long ways over the last 10-15 years and would be happy to hunt with one.

Scopes: A quality fully multi coated lens scope in the 2X7, 1.5X5, 3X9X40 range with at least 3.25 inches of eye relief and preferably an illuminated red dot sight or reticle or Firefly reticle (circle dot) etc. I can recommend Bushnell Elite 3200, Burris Fullfield II, Leupold, Nikon Monarch etc. without reservation.

MOSQUITO Relief: Do not leave without purchasing a Thermocell unit and know how to use it. It is quiet and effective on a baited bear hunt

Hope you get a BIG one and send me photos to put on the BLOG.

Dan

John 3:16

King James Version (KJV)

¹⁶For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Cortland County, NY Amongst Others Opened Up This Fall To Rifle Hunting

2011-08-07T15:39:00.001-04:00

LINK To Senator Seward On NYS Hunting Regulations

This year Cortland County, NY is added to list of counties approved for deer hunting with a RIFLE as opposed to limiting to only shotguns/Muzzle Loaders during the regular season:

List now adds Cortland to previously approved:

Alleghany, Cattaragus, Chemung, Chenango, Herkimer, Madison, Montgomery, Oneida, Oswego, Otsego, Schoharie, Schuyler, Stueben, Tioga and a Portion of Broome County. Good luck and be safe this fall.

LINK to 2010 NYS Deer harvest Figures

EXCERPT:

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Contact: Lori Severino, (518) 402-8000
Monday, March 28, 2010
DEER HARVEST UP SLIGHTLY FROM LAST YEAR

Hunters harvested just over 230,000 deer in the 2010 hunting season, up about 3% from 2009, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner
Joe Martens announced today. The Junior Big-Game License was popular once again, with over 16,000 junior hunters taking advantage of the opportunity to hunt big game, harvesting approximately 4,900 deer.
“Deer hunters play a crucial role, benefiting all New Yorkers, by helping to maintain deer numbers at levels that are ecologically and socially appropriate, and we appreciate their participation,” Commissioner Martens said.
Deer Harvest
The 2010 deer take included approximately 123,100 antlerless deer (adult females and fawns) and just under 107,000 adult bucks. Deer harvests in the Northern Zone were very comparable to 2009, with adult buck take (approx. 16,100) essentially unchanged and antlerless take (approx. 12,500) only increasing about 3%. In the Southern Zone, excluding Long Island, adult buck take (approx. 89,900) increased nearly 6% while antlerless take (approx. 108,600) increased only about 2%.

2010 Deer Harvest Comparison

2010 Total 2009 Total Previous 5-Year Average (2005-2009)
Total Take 230,100 222,798 206,848
Adult Male 106,960 102,057 99,568
Antlerless 123,140 120,741 107,280
Adult Female 84,806 84,330 72,386
Deer Management Permits Issued 498,294 527,371 476,163
Deer Management Permit Take 89,855 89,458 77,168
Deer Management Assistance Program Take 12,384 9,789 9,978
Muzzleloader 18,387 18,773 16,959
Bowhunting 34,530 34,546 30,771

Western New York continues to lead the state in total deer-harvest densities, but Orange County in southeastern New York remains a strong contender. The top five counties for 2010 were Yates (14.3 total deer per square mile), Wyoming (12.2), Genesee (11.0), Cayuga (10.0), and Orange County (10.0). Importantly, total harvest is strongly impacted by the number of Deer Management Permits (DMPs) available in an area, which directly affects the harvest of antlerless deer. A more accurate picture of relative deer population densities is revealed by the density of buck harvest. By this figure, the top counties for buck harvest density were: Wyoming (4.9 bucks per square mile), Yates (4.9 bucks per square mile), Allegany (4.0), Schuyler (3.8), and Cayuga County (3.8).
Across the state, hunters took a slightly higher proportion of 2.5 year old and older bucks than in previous years, continuing a trend that has developed over the past decade. This past year, about 45% of harvested bucks were 2.5 years or older, compared to only 33% in 2000.
Deer harvest data are gathered from two main sources: harvest reports required by all successful hunters, and DEC staff’s examination of harvested deer at check stations and meat processors. Statewide harvest estimates are made by cross-referencing these two data sources. Though an average of only 45% of successful hunters have reported their harvest each year since 2005, statewide harvest estimates remain statistically accurate to within ±2%.
During the 2010 deer season, DEC tested 1,780 hunter-harvested deer for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) and found no CWD infected deer. With no CWD detections since 2005, last summer, DEC decommissioned the CWD containment area and no longer required mandatory checking of harvested deer in that area.
Additionally, DEC continues to develop a deer management plan based on input collected during a series of public meetings held in 2009; information from a recent statewide survey of deer hunters; and assessments from a deer biologists and regional wildlife managers. This plan will provide a blueprint for deer management for the next five years, including a number of reforms to strengthen the program. DEC anticipates that the plan will be available for public review and comment later this spring.
********** (see below)

Deer populations and harvest vary widely across the state. The 2010 and previous year’s deer harvest by county, town, and Wildlife Management Unit are available at www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/42232.html on the DEC website.

Dan

.308 Winchester Final Range Test before hunting Season

2011-08-06T09:47:00.004-04:00

I went back to the club yesterday afternoon to run some additional rounds through the Savage Weather Warrior .308 Winchester with the accu trigger and Bushnell's 3X10X40 Elite Rifle Scope. This time I tried (4) separate factory rounds all at exactly 150 lasered and measured yards. I had not cleaned the gun since my last trip to the range, so I took my cleaning kit with me. Before shooting I ran three solvent based patches down the bore followed by two dry patches. Between each string of 3 shots at the 150 mark, I let the barrel cool for about two minutes and ran a couple of solvent (Hoppes #9) patches down the bore followed by a couple of dry ones.

First up was the Federal 150 grain Power Shok load. The group was still in the center ring of the target and center to center spread was 1.5 inches. I have a box and 1/2 of these left, so this is the load I will use for this fall whenever I take the .308 with me.

The second load up was also from Federal and consisted of a 165 grain boat tail soft point. I always want for some reason to have 165 grain loads shoot really well in a .308 simply because I look at them as a compromise between the 150's and the 180's. To me they are sort of the best of both worlds. Funny thing is, 165 grain loads have NEVER shot well in the different .308's I have owned. I started out with an early wood stocked Ruger model 77 with the old thumb tang safety. I later picked up a used Browning Lever action and now have settled on the Savage. The 165 grain Federals went into a 4.5 inch center to center group at 150.

The third group up consisted of some OLDER and no longer made, Federal 150 grain Hi Shok soft points. These proved to be very accurate in the original Ruger and the same Hi Shok bullet line was extremely accurate in my old Ruger .300 Win Mag. They are useable in the Savage, however not my choice as they printed a 2.5 inch group center to center.

Last up is still the best shooting load on average over all I have found in a factory load. It was the Winchester plain Jane vanilla 150 grain Power Point. The three shots went into exactly 1 inch center to center. The point of impact would have to be moved exactly (1) inch to the right( 3 clicks should do it at 150 yards) and I could easily use these. Since I do not have any Winchester Power points in the safe right now and am already sighted in with the Federals, I will use those. Last time out, the Federal load out performed the Winchesters at the 200 yard mark, printing a 1.5 inch group also at the 200 yard mark.

My point is this. The best way to find out what your particular rifle likes to eat, is to put in the time at the range. There is simply NO substitute for shooting a variety of loads of a bench and taking your time to see what shoots best.

What do I mean by "Off the Bench?" I mean off a set of sand bags, or a Caldwell Lead Sled or some other version of a firm, yet NOT hard, and forgiving rest. Do NOT rest the barrel itself on the bags, use the FOREARM of the gun. Do NOT grip the gun with a "death grip". Do everything the same way for each shot. Do not keep shifting the gun around and having your hand under the forearm between the gun and the bags for one shot, and then held gently on top of the scope for the next shot etc. You must be consistent for each shot. You are not at the bench to see how good a shot you are. You are there to test loads and see what your gun likes to eat and have it sighted in properly for the upcoming hunt. Do not jerk the trigger. Squeeze it and let the bags to the work of steadying your sight picture. Always fire at least two shots between scope adjustments. I have watched guys make a scope adjustment after every single shot at 100 yards and end up using up a box of shells and chasing the point of impact all over the target.

Last but not least if your rifle does NOT have an adjustable trigger, seriously look into having a trigger job done by a respectable gunsmith, or having an after market replacement trigger installed. You will NEVER shoot your best with a lousy trigger. If your gun is a Marlin Model 1895 or model 336 lever action, then have a Wild West happy Trigger installed. You will be glad you did. If you own a Savage that was built prior to the Accu Trigger, you can have an after market trigger put in which works very well. I did this on my older Savage 30-06. If you are in the market for a NEW rifle or your FIRST rifle, look for something with an adjustable trigger such as the Savage or the TC Venture etc. You are going to probably own it for a long time, so don't save $150 and skimp on the trigger. You owe it to the game you are hunting to have a crisp creep free trigger in the 3 pound range, give or take ............most of mine are around 2 1/2 and break like glass. I am used to it and like it that way.

Time spent at the range and keeping notes will pay off in the fields or woods this fall.

UPDATE 9/14/2011 - Can't seem to stay away from the rifle range as I guess I am getting anxious to go hunting this fall. Went back to the club today to test some additional ammo. I took with me some Hornady 165 grain Light Mag ammo from years ago, some Black Hills 165 Grain match ammo, and lastly Hornady's 150 grain SST load.

The Black Hills ammo put 3 shots into a strung out 4.5 inches / NOT usable for anything but plinking at close range. The Hornady 165 grain Light Mags put two into the same hole and threw the third one 2.75 inches from point of aim. (Question arises - is it the ammo or the shooter? / I THINK it is the ammo).

The Hornady 150 grain SST load printed a nice tight group at 3/4 inch center to center, and exactly 2 inches right of my point of aim. This load is the tightest load I have shot through the Savage yet and 8 clicks to the left and 4 click UP would put this load about 1.5 inches high and dead center for the .308.

Trajectory table for .308 Winchester:
100 yds 275 yds

.308 Win. (150 BT at 2800)	.435	+2.7"	+1.7"	3"@135	275
.308 Win. (165 Sp at 2700)	.410	+2.7"	+1.3"	3"@130	264
.308 Win. (180 Sp at 2610)	.483	+2.8"	+1.2"	3"@125	259

The LAST column represents the MPBR (maximum point blank range) of each load which is the maximum range at which you can shoot without the bullet rising above or falling below you line of sight by 3 inches. If you look at the 150 grain BT load, it rises above point of aim by 3 inches at 135 yards and falls below 3 inches at 275 yards). If you sight in 2.7" high at 100 yards, you will be within 3 inches of line of sight out to 275 yards.

I am still sticking with the Federal Power Shoks for this fall as they also printed very well at the 200 yard mark and are very consistent. BEFORE next season, I will have to stock up on the 150 grain SST's and after zeroing that load, try some groups from 50 yards out to around 225 yards or so.

Dan

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

TC Venture Bolt Action Centerfire Rifle - BEST BUY

2011-08-02T20:54:00.000-04:00

I am a big fan of my TC 209/50 Encore muzzle loader and also my TC thumb hole stocked Omega. Sort of makes me wish I was in the market for a new center fire rifle. If I was, I believe I would take a real hard look at the TC Venture in .300WSM. Truth be known, I could get by with just that one rifle and probably never look back for all big game up to and including under the right circumstances, grizzly bear, black bear, elk, moose, caribou, whitetails, mule deer etc. It is a little light for starting something with a brown bear, however many have been taken with the .300 Win mag with premium 180 grain bullets.

Let's look at the TC Venture which I think for just under $500 is a best buy in any one's book:

5R precision rifled barrel
Externally Adjustable trigger (A BIGGIE in my book)
Houge traction panels
Melanite coated bolt
Guaranteed MOA (minute of angle) accuracy
Made in the USA
Lifetime warranty
Comes in 16 calibers as of the date of this post
Service department is one of if not the best in the business based on personal experience dealing with TC muzzle loaders over the years
Textured grip

List of calibers available:

.270WSM, .300WSM / (NEW for 2011)
.204 Ruger, .223 Rem, 22-250 Rem / varmints, woodchucks, prairie dogs, coyotes etc. got you covered
7mm-08, .243 Win, .308 Win, 30TC, .270 Win, 30-06 Springfield. 7mmRem Mag, .300 Win mag, 25/06, .280 Rem,
.338 Win mag (a better choice than the .300WSM for the big bears

The TC Venture is now available in the new Weather Shield/ Composite stock in limited calibers

Last but not least, it is one HANDSOME RIFLE. Range reports I have read indicate the TC Venture lives up to its accuracy claims.

LINK to TC Venture Features

I also have a great deal of faith in the management of the company under Gregg Ritz (President and CEO of TC Arms)

LINK to Rodriguez Range Test Of TC Venture in .308 Win

Dan

Hebrews 2:3

King James Bible
How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him

Sharpen Your Own Hunting Knives?

2011-08-01T20:52:00.002-04:00

Over the years I have tried about every sharpener on the market I think. I guess I was never very talented at getting a really really sharp edge on a hunting knife. I have owned and used the Diamond electric sharpeners and have found them to work well with pocket knives and kept one in my insurance office over the years to resharpen pocket knives that I used to open cardboard boxes etc. I was never really able to use them much for sharpening hunting knives since the blades were too thick on most of them. I have used different hones and stones with some sort of angle attachment to keep the blade at a specified angle. In the early days, I used electric grinders (NOT my smartest move and rather hard on quality knives). I have used different grit stones etc. etc.

The best rig I have ever used to put a really really nice useable edge for field dressing deer and other chores is the Lansky 4 rod gourmet crock stick set.

The set is reasonably priced. Even an idiot like me can get a really nice working edge on his knives at home or in the field and do it quickly.

Kit includes a wooden base with a Lexan hand guard in case you slip while sharpening your knife. There are (4) 9 inch ceramic rods consisting of two medium grit and two fine grit rods. There are predrilled holes in the wooden base for 20 degree and 25 degrees angles to put a great edge on your knives.

The price is under $30 almost anywhere you can find the kit.

It fits easily into a pack for an out of state hunt or just to take along in your backpack while hunting. Can you make your knife sharp enough to shave with? I don't know as I never tried it. Can you make it SCARY sharp enough to do field dressing and skinning chores etc. on deer and other big game? YES, you can. Can you do it quickly at home or in the field? YES, you can.

I recommend this product and use it all the time.

Dan

LINK to Purchase Lansky Sharpeners

EXCERPT:

Lansky Sharpeners LCSGM4 - Sharpener, 4 Rod Gourmet Knife

$25 online

2-stage sharpening system. 1st stage: 20angle designed to thin & tune the bevel of the blade edge prior to 2nd sharpening stage. 2nd stage: 25 angle sharpens the bevel of the blade edge for durable professional results. Hardwood base. Permanent hand guard protector. Integral snap-in rod storage under the base. Four 9'' long alumina ceramic rod (2 medium, 2 fine). Ambidextrous design. - - - -

Romans 10:9-10 (King James Version)

Romans 10:9-10

King James Version (KJV)

1953 7.62X25 Romanian Tokarev

2011-07-29T18:42:00.002-04:00

I recently took a trip to Atlanta, GA to drop off one of my son's personal belongings as he took a job in that area. While there I got a chance to see some long overdue relatives and friend's on their own turf. I enjoyed the trip very much and look forward to not waiting so long to do that again.

While there we spent a couple of nights with one of my best friend's who moved his family down to Chapin, S.C. area a few years ago. During one of the day's we spent there, my friend and I went to the local firing range to wring out a 1953 Romanian Tokarev, an AR15Bushmaster in .223, along with a newer Mossberg lever action 30-30.

I have been a gunny all my life and have never owned an AR15. I have thought about it several times over the years, however the money and circumstance never crossed paths close enough for me to actually own one. I also had never fired the 7.62X25 Tokarev of which there are apparently several variations out there.

I was also amazed at the overall military perspective degree of accuracy the Tokarev was capable of off hand with crude sights and inexpensive ammo, even out to around 125 yards.

LINK to history and use of the Tokarev 7.62X25 Pistol

EXCERPTS:

The 7.62×25mm Tokarev cartridge is a bottle-necked pistol cartridge widely used in former Soviet and Soviet satellite states, China and Pakistan among other countries. The cartridge has since been replaced in Russian service by overpressure versions of the 9x19mm Parabellum.[

The cartridge is in principle an enhanced Soviet version of the 7.63×25mm Mauser. The Soviets produced a wide array of loadings for this cartridge for use in submachine guns. These include armor-piercing, tracer, and incendiary rounds. This cartridge has excellent penetration and can easily defeat lighter ballistic vests (class I, IIA and II) as well as some kevlar helmets, such as the American PASGT helmet. Although most firearms chambered in this caliber were declared obsolete and removed from military inventories, some Police and Special Forces units in Russia, Pakistan and (mainly) in China still use it because of the large quantity of stored ammunition still available.
There is a common misconception that 7.62 Tokarev surplus ammunition in the United States uses copper-coated mild steel bullets, and that this increases the chance of dangerous ricochets when fired at hard targets and can damage bullet-traps often used on shooting ranges. While steel-core ammunition in 7.62×25 is available internationally, in the United States the importation of 7.62×25 cartridges loaded with copper-coated steel bullets is illegal; federal law defines these as armor-piercing pistol ammunition. The so-called steel bullets sold in the United States are generally lead-core bullets with copper-washed steel jackets, and these do not present a significantly greater risk of ricochet than a standard copper-jacketed projectile.

SERVICE USE:

The most notable use of this cartridge was in the Tokarev TT-33 pistol, which was the Soviet Union's standard service pistol from the early 1930s until the mid-1960s. It was also used in the Czech ČZ vz. 52, which was the standard Czech service pistol from 1952 until 1982. The cartridge was also used in several sub machine guns, including the Soviet PPD-40, PPSh-41, and PPS-43, the Russian PP-19 Bizon, and the Czech vz. 24 and vz. 26

MY INPUT:

My friend and I had a great range session working with all three guns and a chance to talk about old times etc. All in all we had a great time. God willing and the creek don't rise and money permits, I would like to pick up an AR15 some day and have it tricked out and put a scope on it. GOD BLESS South Carolina.

I was also impressed with the handling qualities of the Mossberg 30-30. The trigger is better out of the box than the Marlin's I have handled and or owned, however with the installation of the Wild West Happy Trigger conversion kit, the Marlin is a better gun and feels better in my hands. The Mossberg is an affordable hunting rifle out of the box for those not likely to be as concerned about triggers as I am. Specs are 6.7 lbs, 20 inch bbl, 6 round tubular magazine, 1 in 10 twist on barrel and wood stock with blued steel bbl and receiver.

.35 Remington and Hornady's LEVERevolution Ammo Range Test

2011-07-18T14:38:00.000-04:00

I went back to the range this afternoon with the Marlin in hand along with 1& 1/2 boxes of Hornady's LEVERevolution ammo. My intent was to check out the rifle at 100, 150 and 200 yards. This I did, in addition to making some slight adjustments from my last range session.

Results are as follow:

I fired three separate 2 shot groups at 100 yards. The first one was 7/8 of an inch, the second one 3/4 of an inch and the third one 1/2 inch center to center (or) subtract the bullet hole. I am pretty happy with those results.I ended up making a 2 inch adjustment to the right at 100 yards or (4) clicks on the Simmons 1/2 minute 1.5X5X32 illuminated reticle scope.

That put me dead center and about 1 & 3/4 inches high at 100 yards.

I then went to 150 yards and fired a 2 shot group with a center to center spread of 2 1/4 inches and center of group about 1 inch low at 150.

I finished up at 200 yards with a 1 3/4 inch two shot group which was 5 1/2 inches low.

I have to admit fighting the original trigger on the Marlin Mdl 336. I honestly feel when I get the Wild West Happy Trigger installed on that rifle, that I can cut those groups at 150 and 200 yards by another 30% or so.

Even as it is, I could pretty much call my shots on a broadside deer out to 200 yards, with the use of a range finder. The Happy Trigger would just make it easier. I hope to have the funds to spare to get the trigger work done before NYS rifle season this fall.

The Hornady ammo is a winner in my book. As mentioned previously, the Federal 200 grain Fusion load is also very accurate out of this guy, however the trajectory is not up to equal that of the LEVERevolution load. For that reason, I will be hunting with this load on deer as long as I carry that rifle and Hornady keeps making the ammo.

Ever since its introduction in 2006, LEVERevolution ammunition has brought grandpa's lever action rifle out of retirement and turned it into a firearm everyone is shooting. Featuring a soft polymer flex tip, it's tough enough to stand up to a jacketed bullet, but soft enough so it won't dent the primer of the round in front of it or cause accidental firing in a lever gun. This new technology makes LEVERevolution cartridges safe in tubular magazines.

LEVERevolution ammunition features up to 40% more energy than traditional flat point loads and travels up to 250 fps faster. Feed your lever gun with a box today! This ammunition is new production, non-corrosive, in boxer primed, reloadable brass cases.

Technical Information:

Muzzle Velocity: 2225 fps

Muzzle Energy: 1721 ft. lbs.

Dan

The Fabulous Ruger 10/22

2011-07-05T18:07:00.024-04:00

The Ruger 10/22 standard version has been in continuous production since I was a junior in High School in 1964. It is probably one of the most sought after .22's in existence. It is highly reliable and quite accurate out of the box. I have owned one for over 35 years now and have never done any customization or other work on it except mounting a 3X9X32 Bushnell rifle scope.

At the end of this article are photos of my Ruger 10/22 and a recent range target. It is of course a semi-automatic .22 rifle and comes standard with a 10 round rotary magazine that fits flush with the frame. There are different brands of after market magazines some of which hold up to 30 rounds or more. Somewhere in my safe are a couple of Ram Line 30 round banana clips which are a lot of fun to empty at exploding targets, clubs of dirt, targets etc. I have killed more than a few woodchucks with the little 10/22 loaded with .22 stingers years ago. Barrel lengths run 20 inches in the rifle and 18.5 inches in the carbine. Mine is the carbine version. The rifle was made for a while in .22 mag and when I had the money and inclination to do so, I regret not purchasing one as they have been discontinued. Mine goes bang every time whether dirty or clean and irregardless of the brand of .22 ammo, I have never had a misfire with the gun. I could not begin to count how many 1000's of rounds I have put through the gun over the years, however it will still keep a 10 shot clip into less than 3 inches at 75 yards rapid fire.

There are numerous modifications to the basic 10/22 both in the do it yourself mode, or gunsmiths who specialize in tricking out 10/22's. I have looked at a lot of them over the years, and just never got interested enough to want to spend the money. After now having so many center fire rifles with trigger jobs performed on them, my range session yesterday got me thinking about having some trigger work done on the gun.

It carries so easily, and is so light weight and ergonomically easy to handle, that I am still not interested nor can I currently afford a full blown tricked out custom job. Mine is a "pinker" and I like it that way. I would LIKE IT MORE with a nice crisp trigger on it and I am going to look into that.

E. Arthur Brown Company did a trigger job on my TC Arms Encore 209/50 Muzzle loader and I notice they currently sell Timney trigger replacement kits for the 10/22 for $129.00. That is reasonable and even though I do not feel confident attempting that procedure, I could have my brother Tim who is a borderline genius do it for me, or perhaps a local gunsmith for a small fee. The Timney Trigger kit is a REPLACEMENT of the factory Ruger 10/22 trigger, and NOT a modification of the existing parts.

EXCERPT from EABCO on 10/22 triggers:

Ruger 10/22 Home Page * Ruger 10/22 Barrels * Ruger 10/22 Stocks * Ruger 10/22 Magazines
Ruger 10/22 Mounts * Ruger 10/22 Instruction Manual * ViewCart/CheckOut * EABCO Home

©2008-2011 by E. Arthur Brown Company, 4088 County Road 40 NW, Garfield, MN 56332 * sales@eabco.com * ph. 800-950-9088/Fax 320-834-3002

The Timney 10/22 Trigger system has arranged the sear and hammer mechanism differently and the result gives leverage and geometry that's far better suited to a consistent, clean breaking, and light pulling trigger. Simple to install (photo illustrated instructions are included), fits all Ruger 10/22 firearms!

This is probably the route I will take in fixing what is wrong with the Ruger 10/22 trigger as it came from the factory over 35 years ago.

Dan

The bottom row of 3 groups represents 10 shots each fairly rapid fire from a rest at 25 yards. Lower left is Remington 36 grain golden hollow points, middle is Winchester Wildcat .22 lead 40 grain, right is Rem .22 Thunderbolts 40 grain lead, (TOP) right is PMC Sidewinders 40 grain solids (BEST GROUP) and TOP LEFT is 75 yards with a 10 shot group from the Rem 36 grain golden HP again. The groups were fairly rapid fire off sandbags.

For my money all this little carbine needs is a trigger replacement and the groups should shrink by an inch or so. AS IS, it is a 75 yard woodchuck gun with the right ammo.

EABCO LINK for Ruger 10/22 accessories

You cannot go wrong with Ruger's 10/22 in any format. It is dead reliable and even before accurizing or customizing, it is a great plinker and a great carry gun while roaming the back 40.

Dan

[The Constitution preserves] the advantage of being armed which Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation...(where) the governments are afraid to trust the people with arms.
---James Madison,The Federalist Papers, No. 46.

Knight Rifles Are Back

2011-07-01T20:07:00.003-04:00

I was a fan of Knight rifles and owned two of them after NYS started allowing the use of Inline muzzle loaders and scopes for deer hunting during the special ML season. Prior to that we were only allowed to use flintlocks or caplocks and round balls. Next came the use of other saboted bullets in addition to round balls, then of course rifles scopes and inline muzzle loaders.

I also lived through the longbow/recurve (vs.) compound era and still remember when a neighbor owned one of the FIRST new compound bows made by Allen. I think that time has proven that most of the arguments of those early days have proved to be false. Today there is still controversy over compounds (vs.) Crossbows.

We seem to have more deer than we have ever had, and in working in the insurance business for over 30 years, auto collision with whitetails always led the list of auto accidents. I also see more hunters in the woods every year with salt and pepper hair, or gray or even white hair. In my case, less white hair than I had 4 or 5 years ago. The good news is that I also see more interest on the part of youth to try hunting and God Bless the Dad's and Mom's who make an effort to allow their kids to get into the shooting sports and hunting.

Back to Knight Rifles:

Knight rifles went out of business early in 2009. Tony Knight introduced Knight Rifles to us back in 1985 and is credited with starting a revolution of sorts in the way we hunt in North America, especially whitetail deer.

I believe the first Knight rifle was the MK-85 and it was a good design. Somewhere around the house here, I still have a couple of the instruction videos that came with a new Knight rifle purchases. I understand that Plastic Industries Inc. has purchased Knight Rifles and has begun producing once again. Apparently the family members that owned Plastic Industries Inc. were all hunters and primarily used Knight Muzzle loaders. Although Knight went out of business, they kept servicing old rifles and selling accessories. There was never a shortage of primer jackets, breech plugs, ram rods etc.and Plastic industries will continue the servicing.

In April of this year, PI released a new night rifle called the Mountaineer. The version I have seen a photo of is a brown laminated thumb hole stocked bolt action with a stainless barrel and action and includes rifled sights and is presumably drilled and tapped for mounting a scope of your choice on board.

Other models including, the probably most favorite (Disc Extreme), Bighorn (I owned one of these), Littlehorn, and Long Range hunter should be available before hunting season. These will be produced in the Centerville, Iowa facility with the shooting tunnel, warehouse and lots of components on hand.

I for one am glad to have them back. I am more than happy with the my TC Thumbhole grey laminated stock and stainless bbl and action Omega and my original TC Encore 209/50. They both shoot very well and take care of all my ML hunting needs.

IF I were in the market for my FIRST ML or an additional ML, I would strongly consider purchasing another Knight rifle.

Dan

A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be your constant companion of your walks.
--- Thomas Jefferson to Peter Carr, 1785. The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, (Memorial Edition) Lipscomb and Bergh, editors.

No freeman shall ever be debarred the use of arms.
---Thomas Jefferson: Draft Virginia Constitution, 1776.

Bushnell Elite Series Scopes Improvements For 2011

2011-07-01T17:20:00.000-04:00

I have been a fax of Bushnell Elite 3200 and 4200 scopes now for some time. I have always thought they offered a lot of scope for the money. I own four of their rifles scopes currently. I have an elite 3200 in 3X10X40 on my .308 without the Firefly reticle. I also have a 3X9X40 with firefly on my.338 Federal and also on a Ruger .270. I also have a 3X9X40 Elite 3200 on my Savage .243.

All have been rugged, dependable, scopes with clear bright optics.

For 2011 Bushnell has now added a NEW Ultra Wide Band Coating and the fully multi-coated lenses now deliver 95% total light transmission across more of the visual light spectrum than ever before.

Scope are now purged with argon for the ultimate in long lasting waterproof integrity. All Elite series scope of course still have the famous Rainguard lens coating which repels water and makes it easier to get a quality sight picture while hunting in rainy, foggy drizzle and snowy conditions.

I have NOT actually handled one, however since I own four of them already, the improvements can only make a great scope better. You cannot go wrong with a Bushnell and their warranty policy is 5 star in my book / *****.

Dan

.300 Win Mag (vs.) 30:06 for DEER

2011-06-26T09:53:00.001-04:00

Today I am missing my .300 Win Mag, mostly out of the guns I should have never let go syndrome. I had a Ruger Model 77 Mark II .300 Winchester mag that had a muzzle brake, a trigger job and a nice scope on board. I took it to Saskatchewan several years back on a whitetail hunt. I saw a LOT of deer and several very nice bucks, however came home empty handed. I fell into that FEAR of shooting the first buck you see syndrome. The guide drilled it into our heads, not to do so. That same buck I saw at first light the first day of the hunt, I would have shot at home in a heartbeat. I followed that same pattern for a week. I had some nice bucks come past me inside the 200 yard mark and passed them all up. I did see a buck that I would have taken irregardless, because I just KNEW it was a good one (guessing over 160 class), however my range finder at the time told me he was on the far side of 400 yards. I was shooting 180 grain hand loads my brother cooked up for me and the gun shot very well.

As Dirty Harry Callahan used to say, "A man has got to know his limitations", and I simply had not practiced on the far side of 400 yards. No one's fault but my own and I simply was not comfortable shooting at an unwounded animal at that distance. My outside limit at that time and probably still today was 300 yards, give or take a few. I do not do a lot of long range rifle shooting, partly because the longest range I have frequent access to is 200 yards at my local club. I am quite confident out to 200 yards with any sort of decent makeshift rest. In my younger days, I owned a Sako .222 with a B&L Balvar 8 scope on board and with my own hand loads, I frequently killed woodchucks over 200 yards. Even in those days however, I got more satisfaction out of sneaking up on them and closing the distance before shooting.

Anyway, back to the missing .300 Mag. I can't afford another rifle right now anyway, as I am retired now. I do have a Savage 30:06, and a Ruger .270 that will fill the bill on any whitetail out to 300 yards or more if I use the right ammo and do my part. I decided that I do NOT miss the blast, the extra weight to lug around the deer woods and the extra expense of factory ammo. If I get another opportunity to go on a moose hunt etc. my Ruger Model 77 .338 Federal will fill the bill nicely again out to 300 yards. It is pleasant to shoot and with the 210 grain Nosler partitions which it likes to eat, I am content with that rifle.

From my perspective, I don't think the .300 Win Mag offers any real advantage (ON WHITETAILS) inside my self imposed limit of 300 yards. Where I hunt whitetails in NY, I normally carry a Savage Weather Warrior with 150 grain bullets in .308 Win. Sometimes I carry my 45-70 with Lever Evolution ammo or even my .35 Remington Marlin Model 336 also with Lever Evolution ammo. By respecting other land owner's boundaries I seldom have shots offered beyond 200 yards anyway.

To wrap this up, here are some numbers off one of Chuck Hawk's trajectory/ballistic tables showing both the 30:06 and the .300 mag with different bullet weights.

LINK to Chuck Hawks Trajectory Tables

EXCERPT:

To save space, the following abbreviations are used in the table below: Wb = Weight of bullet (in grains); MV = Muzzle Velocity (in feet per second); BC = Ballistic Coefficient; MRT = Mid-Range Trajectory; yards = yds.; inches = "; MPBR = Maximum Point Blank Range; BT = Ballistic Tip; FP = Flat Point, HP = Hollow Point; RN = Round Nose; Sp = Spitzer; SP = Spire Point; SSp = Semi-Spitzer.

The Maximum Point Blank Range (MPBR), which is shown in the last column of the table below, is the distance at which the bullet falls 3 inches below the line of sight. Thus between the muzzle and the distance given as the MPBR, the bullet never strays more than 3 inches above or below the line of sight (1.5 inches for varmint loads).

.30-06 (150 BT at 2910)	.435	+2.6"	+2.0"	3"@145	287
.30-06 (165 Sp at 2800)	.410	+2.7"	+1.7"	3"@135	273
.30-06 (180 Sp at 2700)	.483	+2.7"	+1.5"	3"@125	269

300 Win. Mag. (150 BT at 3300)	.435	+2.4"	+2.6"	3"@150	321
.300 Win. Mag. (165 Sp at 3120)	.410	+2.5"	+2.3"	3"@145	303
.300 Win. Mag. (180 Sp at 3070)	.483	+2.5"	+2.3"	3"@150	303

While hunting whitetails on my Saskatchewan trip the most popular bullet weight for those hunter with .300 mags was the 180 grain loads. Around home most hunters would use either 150 grainers of 165 grain fodder in the 30:06.

Using 150 grain bullets in both calibers, the MPBR hols a 52 yard advantage for the .300 Win Mag. Using the 150 grain load in the 30:06 (vs.) the most commonly used load in the .300 Mag which is the 180 grainer, the advantage drops from 52 yards to only 16 yards.

I am NOT trying to talk anyone out of their pet .300 Mag. I really liked mine and looking back, not sure why I let it go. I am simply trying to tell myself that most of what I need a rifle to do for hunting deer, can easily be done with the 30-06, or even the .270. The ammo is cheaper, and especially with the muzzle brake I had on the Ruger, the blast is considerably less. The .30-06 has a 22 inch bbl (vs) the 26 inch of the Ruger and the gun is a lot easier to tote in the deer woods and mixed woods and farm field cover where I hunt.

Dan

All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of superintending providence in our favor. To that kind providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? Or do we imagine that we no longer need his assistance? I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth-that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the Ground without his Notice, is it probable that an Empire can rise without his Aid?"

Benjamin Franklin, To Colleagues at the Constitutional Convention

Type 2 Diabetes? Do You Have It? Check Out My Diabetes Blog

2011-06-22T22:15:00.000-04:00

I wanted to share my OTHER blog with readers of gunsandoptics.blogspot.com. If you have been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, or know someone who has, here is a link to my blog on that subject and the purpose of the BLOG. I have done a lot of research on Type 2 Diabetes and am constantly looking for the truth about the cause and cure of Type 2 Diabetes and to separate fact from fiction in a very crowded field of opinions. I have been a Type 2 Diabetic now for 7 years. I started the blog on 12/31/2010 and decided to share it with visitors and readers of this BLOG.

The blog contains 133 posts currently on possible causes and cures for diabetes, along with nutritional articles, benefits and dangers of several prescription drugs, best exercises for type 2 Diabetics and several natural supplements and why you should be taking them. It also has several posts on foods to avoid and why, articles on the PH Miracle for Diabetes, Why you need to know about interstitial fluid and so on. Hope you enjoy it and pass it along to any diabetic friends or acquaintances.

LINK to my Diabetes BLOG

HERE is my FIRST POST from December 31, 2010:

Friday, December 31, 2010

Purpose of the Type II Diabetes Blog

Hi There. My name is Dan Wafer, and I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes approximately seven years ago.
I have thought about starting a BLOG on this subject in an already seemingly crowded field for a long time. My purpose it to share my own story, my own struggle and to try and make sense out of a crowded field of books, and conflicting information. First of all, how big a problem is diabetes? These statistics include both type I and type II figures, although my understanding is that they represent 95% Type II diabetes.

STAGGERING FIGURES:

According to the American Diabetes Association, estimates for the total number of people in America with diabetes for the year 2007, is as follows:

Estimated 23.6 million children and adults have diabetes
Diagnosed 17.8 million
Undiagnosed 5.7 million

Under the age of 20: 186,300 or 0.22% of this age group have diabetes
1 in every 400 -600 adolescents have type I diabetes
Approximately 2 million people age 12-19 have PRE-diabetes

Age 20 and older:
23.5 million or 10.7% have diabetes

Broken down further:

12 million men or 11.2% over 20 have diabetes
11.5 million women of 10.2% over 20 have diabetes

Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death listed on death certificates in 2006

Annual cost of treating diabetes is 174 BILLION dollars

116 million for medical expenses and an additional 58 billion for related diabetes complications, including heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, blindness, kidney disease, neuropathy, amputation, disability work loss and premature mortality.

Having been diagnosed and treated for the last 7 years at a diabetic clinic, I can say that the American Diabetes Association look at Diabetes as a progressive and incurable disease. Essentially once a diabetic, always a diabetic. There is room to indicate that one is getting Good Control of one's blood sugar, however the word cure is not part of the vocabulary.

Admittedly diabetes is a complex issue and there is a lot of controversy on the Internet, and lots of books published claiming complete cures based on exercise, diet, and changing one's lifestyle habits. I have read several of these including the PH miracle cure for diabetes, and my latest book entitled, "Death To Diabetes" by Dewayne McCulley.

In closing this first post, I want to make it clear, that I have NO formal medical training, I am NOT trying to play doctor, or give medical advice. I have absolutely NO financial interest or vesting in any nutritional products, any books, specific diets, vitamins, minerals or specific herbal remedies. I am not affiliated with any particular products for sale either on the Internet or by name brand or in a specific store or from a particular company.

To make it simple, "I am not selling anything". I will give my thoughts and opinions on products I have tried, books I have read, and information from the world wide web I have studied. I also will NOT give anyone specific advice other than to consult with your own medical doctor. My BLOG is directed at Type II diabetes and will NOT concern itself with Type I diabetes. I will NOT encourage anyone to stop taking their medications. I will encourage you to work closely with your medical provider and to let them know that you are interested in changing your lifestyle, your diet, and your exercise program in hopes of improving your BG (blood glucose) readings. I will also encourage you to test more frequently ONLY if you are going to change your diet and exercise program. If you have NO intention of changing your diet or your exercise or vitamin, mineral, herbal supplements, then you are probably wasting your time to test more frequently. I would also encourage you to keep a record of your readings and everything that you put into your mouth for at least 30 days. This will help you to understand your own body and the effect that different foods have on your BG readings.

possible cures, and in the interim, changing my lifestyle, monitoring my blood sugar more frequently, keeping a record of what foods are well tolerated and what foods are not. I have my A1C done at least every three months and test my blood sugar sometimes 5X a day.

I hope through a series of posts on this BLOG to perhaps be able to share some information you would not know about otherwise and to encourage you to take an active role in your own treatment. I welcome your comments as long as you are not asking for specific medical advice or recommendations concerning your medications.

In closing this first post, I will leave you with a thought concerning healing.

Luke 18:27 "The things which are impossible with men, are possible with God"

Dan

Posted by Dan Wafer at 11:56 AM

200 Yard Test Of Ruger .350 Rem mag With Burris 3X9X40 Ballistic Plex

2011-06-22T19:32:00.000-04:00

I made it back to the range today for a final test on the Ruger Model 77 .350 Remington mag and Burris Fullfield II 3X9X40 Ballistic Plex scope with LRS (Lighted Reticle). I was very pleased with the final results.

You can see the target below. As indicated in my last post, I thoroughly cleaned the rifle, and then backed off both of the stock screws just forward of the trigger guard about 1/8 to 1/4 turn. I had over tightened them when I found the Ruger Ring screws were loose. There was NO need to really tighten the stock screws anyway and it ended up opening up my 100 yard groups in the last test. I knew the gun was capable of very good accuracy at 100 yards, and I had never tested it at 200 yards prior to today. I am very pleased with both the rifle and the scope set up and think this is an IDEAL rifle set up for spot and stalk, or black bear hunting over bait. The scope has very good clear optics and the tracking and adjustments of the 1/4 min clicks are very precise and the scope holds its zero despite the punishing recoil of the .350 mag.

My first two shots were at exactly 100 yards, after backing off the stock screws slightly. That two shot group measured 7/8 of an inch center to center. Without any adjustment, I then placed the target at exactly 200 yards and held on the 200 yard target with the Ballistic Plex bar for 200 yards dead center.That two shot group is exactly one inch center to center and was 1/2 inch off center to the LEFT of my point of aim. I moved the windage adjustment knob 2 clicks to the right.

I then came back to 75 yards (with 75 yards or LESS covering the distance at which 95% of baited bear shots take place). I fired my final 2 shot group which was dead on (left to right) and both shots went into 1/4 inch center to center (OR subtracting the bullet hole). Outside spread final 2 shot group was 9/16 outside spread.

This rifle and scope set up is a KEEPER, and God willing and the creek don't rise, will be accompanying me on my next baited bear hunt. I have total confidence in placing the shot within 1.5 inches of point of aim out to 200 yards with this rifle.

Ammunition used was Remington's 200 grain CoreLokt factory load.

This rifle in previous sessions with a different scope on board, put 3 shots of Nosler 225 grain Partition ammo into just under 1 inch. That would probably be my chosen load for a bear hunt, if I get the opportunity to go again.

Dan

Human government is more or less perfect as it approaches nearer or diverges farther from the imitation of this perfect plan of divine and moral government.

-= draft of a Newspaper Communication, Circa August 1770 = (John Adams)

Human government is more or less perfect as it approaches nearer or diverges farther from the imitation of this perfect plan of divine and moral government.

-= draft of a Newspaper Communication, Circa August 1770 = (George Washington)

Proverbs 1:5,6 & 7

1:5 A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:
1:6 To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

.350 Remington mag With NEW Burris Fullfield II 3X9X40 Ballistic Plex LRS

2011-06-18T11:36:00.003-04:00

I received the NEW replacement Burris Fullfield II scope recently and decided to mount it and take it to the range to sight it in. The procedure started out quite well and went rapidly downhill from there. It wasn't the scopes fault this time. It was more like operator malfunction and lack of common sense.

Essentially what happened is I forgot rule #1 of scope mounting. Although I did a masterful job of mounting the new scope and aligning it properly, getting the right eye relief etc., I NEGLECTED in my haste RE-checking the Ruger integral rings to make sure they were on tight.

My first shot rightfully so was taken at 25 yards. The shot was low 3 inches low and one inch to the right. I moved the elevation knob 48 clicks UP and the windage knob 16 clicks LEFT. This put my 2nd shot dead center of the target at 25 yards.

I then moved out to 100 yards and found my two shot group was about 6-7 inches to the left and about 3 inches high.I should have KNOWN something was not right about that group and went back to the think tank box for a recess. Instead I moved the windage knob the appropriate number of clicks and LO and Behold, my next two shot group was about a foot to the right.

OK, I was having a bad day and pushing the envelope because of time limitations, however I soon discovered I could easily turn the front and rear screws that tightened the Ruger rings down with my fingers. Of course in my haste, I also did NOT bring my tool box with all the assorted screwdrivers, etc. to check all the screws, so I had to pack it in the first day. I have now checked everything out and on my next range session can get down to business and put the gun and the scope through the test.

Back to the range 6/18/11:

With all bedding and mounting screws including rings checked and tightened, I made a slight adjustment at 25 yards and fired a 3 shot group at 100 yards. I put the point of impact low on purpose at 25 yards so as to be on the money at 100 yards. My three shot group was well centered, however (center to center) spread was one and 7/8 inches. Prior range testing has proved to me, that the gun is capable of shooting better than that, however the range was crowded and I had limited time. I would certainly go hunting with it the way it is if I had to. Next time to the club I will take the tool kit and cleaning kit and try the ballistic plex reticle at 200 yards which is the range limit of the club I belong to.

I have previously fired 3 shots groups at 100 yards of around 3/4 inches. I suspect that since I tightened all screws a little more including the stock bedding screws, that might account for the 2 inch group. I will clean the gun, take the tools with me, and fire the first group as is again, and then play with the tension on the stock screws a little and see if it makes a difference. I will run a cleaning patch and a dry patch between 3 shot strings to level the playing field. The NEW Burris scope performed well, and produced a bright and clear sight picture out to the 200 yard limit. The windage and elevation adjustments seem to track very well with the 1/4 min clicks and the scope holds a zero.

I was using Remington 200 grain CoreLokt factory ammo in the rifle. My load of choice for this gun for everything will ultimately be the Nosler 225 grain Partition load. From previous sessions with the older Weaver Grand Slam scope, the gun would keep 3 shots inside of an inch at 100 yards. Following everything I can read in the forums and historically etc., the Nosler 225 grain Partition load at 2700fps seems to fill the bill for everything you could want out of the .350 Rem mag. Another option might be the same weight in a Barnes X load. I have read many articles where shooters and hunters use if for deer, and hogs, bear etc. and are well pleased with the accuracy and performance of the load on various game animals.

Dan

Happy the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding!
-- Proverbs 3:13

LONG RANGE MUZZLELOADING

2011-06-07T19:39:00.001-04:00

I decided to go to the club with the TC Encore 209/50 today and do a short session at 75, 150 and 200 yards. Weather was HOT as in around 90 degrees, however there was very little detectable wind, even at 200 yards. Today I wanted to see what the old smoke pole was good for as sighted in from last season.

I ran one dry patch down the bore to remove any trace of the oil I used in the bore before putting it away. My load of choice the last several years has been 2 Pyrodex pellets behind a 250 grain TC Shock Wave and ignited by a Winchester 209 primer. I always swab the bore between shots with one wet cleaning patch and one dry patch. I do that consistently and many times have placed (3) shots into a 3/4 inch group at 100 yards.

Today I fired three shots at 75 yards into a 1.5 inch group impacting the target 3.5 inches high. I then fired a two shot group of 2.5 inches near the center of the black I did NOT make any scope adjustments today at all. I was using two year old previously opened Pyrodex Pellets and last years open Winchester primers and TC Shock Waves. Last winter, I took the gun apart and cleaned it and perhaps did not put the forearm stock screws back in to the same exact tightness as when hunting. I am not sure about that.

I fired four shots as best as I could hold at 200 yards with the Mueller 2X7X32 Red Dot scope. The sun was in my eyes at the club as it was late afternoon. Three of the four shots went into a 5 inch group around 7 to 8.5 inches low. The fourth was a flyer that opened the outside spread to 8 inches and was around 10 inches low.

I am NOT unhappy with the performance of that set up and it is a solid 150 yard gun as sighted in with those components. My next session will start out at 25 yards and I will be using the same bullet, however I will be using 110 grains of loose Triple 777 (FFF) grade powder and will zero the rifle to be 2.5 inches above point of aim at 100 yards. I will then repeat shots at 150 and 200 yards. The range I am talking about is a measured range and I am NOT guessing at the distance. I have also lasered it many times over the years to verify the actual yardage.

IF I can end up with a group that is 4 to 5.5 inches low at 200 and with an outside spread of 4 to 5 inches, I would then consider taking an honest 200 yard shots at a whitetail buck with the gun set up that way. I have a ton of different ML saboted bullets on hand to experiment with including Barnes 245 grain Spitzers, Cabelas 300 grain extended range loads and a host of others including some older Precision Dead Center loads.

Following is a link to E. Arthur Brown & Co. website and some advice on long range muzzle loading tips from their experts. I have bought a lot of stuff of these guys over the years and they also did the original trigger job on my Encore 209/50 when it was new. By the way, I also purchased the Mueller Sport Dot 2X7X32 red dot scope from them also.

Dan

LINK to E. Arthur Brown Shooting Tips

EXCERPT:

Loads - When poor muzzle loader accuracy is due to your load, it can most often be blamed on a magnum (150 grain) powder charge. A look at the names of the most match-accurate black powder rifle cartridges in history will give you a hint: 45-70, 45-90, 45-110, etc... The first number is 45 caliber, the second is the powder charge. They never went higher than 45-120... or 120 grains of black powder! For further confirmation, ask among experienced muzzle loader shooters and they will usually say your best accuracy comes from loads between 80-120 grains of black powder, Pyrodex®, Triple Seven, or other black powder substitutes.
Another accuracy consideration is the over blast and fouling from the 209X50 primers used by so many modern muzzle loaders. We recommend adapting to small rifle primers... Either with a 25 ACP Breech Plug or the new Variflame small rifle primer system- - Click Here for Info.
Magnum 150 grain powder charges are supposed to give you a harder hitting, flatter trajectory for long range shooting, right? Well first of all, long range shooting requires ACCURACY. If the magnum load isn't accurate, the flatter trajectory isn't going to help. Second, the magnum load only gives 100-250 fps more velocity so its not a dramatically flatter trajectory anyway. And finally, the US Cavalry was knocking over Volkswagen sized buffalo with 45-70... only 70 grains of powder. You don't need 150 grains to hit hard.
Here's the truth about shooting flatter trajectories: Smaller diameter, longer bullets have higher ballistic coefficients and shoot flatter trajectories. In 50 caliber muzzle loaders, this can be achieved by using sabots and 45 caliber bullets. For example, consider the TC Shock wave 250 grain 45 caliber bullet. Seated in a 50 caliber sabot and loaded over 90 grains of Pyrodex RS powder, it shoots approximately 1623 fps. Zeroed for 150 yards, it is about 4 inches high at 100 yds and 10 inches low at 200 yds. The load itself is an absolute one-hole tack-driver out of a TC Encore, and shoots with manage-able recoil... A 200 yard muzzleloader without a magnum load.

Velocity	BC	50yds	100yds	150yds	200yds
1623 fps	.210	+3.29"	+4"	0.0"	-9.87"

For deer, aim center chest out to 150yds, slight hold-over out to 200

Here's the truth about knock-down and penetration: With muzzle loaders, you increase knockdown and penetration by going with a heavier and/or harder bullet. The powder charges that produce accuracy are still between 80-120 grains but, the heavier bullet carries more momentum into the target. TC has saboted bullets up 300 grains. Thompson Center has soft, expanding lead Maxi-Hunter bullets up to 470 grains and hard, deep penetrating lead Maxi-Ball bullets up to 460 grains in weight. How much you need depends on the size and toughness of your game animal.
Bullet Recommendations: The relatively lightweight 250 gr. Shockwave Sabot 200 yard load listed above broke through rib bones, lungs and exited breaking more rib bones of a 150 lb. whitetail doe at 80 yards last fall. I highly recommend that load. If your local hunting regulations don't allow sabots, I would recommend the Thompson Center 350 gr. Maxi-Hunter lead bullet for Deer and their 460 gr. Maxi-Ball lead bullet for Elk or Bear.
Powder Recommendations: I use and recommend Pyrodex® RS granular powder. If you use the new Triple 7 powder, remember it's a little faster than Pyrodex so work your loads up from a lower starting point. I believe granular powder gives me more flexibility and reliability than pellets.

.35 Remington With Hornady Leverevolution Ammo Revisited

2011-06-05T16:35:00.005-04:00

Today I took the Marlin model 336 lever action .35 Remington to the gun club and checked it out for using on this fall's deer hunt. The rifle produced groups out to 150 yards in the 3/4 inch category with the Hornady 200 grain FTX bullet.

I did NOT fire the gun at 200 yards today, however out to 150 yards the drop is absolutely minimal. I believe from other forums I have read that this load sighted in 1.5 inches high at 100 will not be lower than 3-4 inches drop at 200.

For a gun as ergonomically delightful to carry and bring to your shoulder as the Marlin 336 series rifles are, I think it will be just the ticket for hunting mixed woods and farm fields type of cover. The reviews on the FTX bullet on deer are 100% dependable and puts the biggest whitetail bucks down right NOW.

I also ran into a guy at the club who is having trouble finding a chronograph, and I think I am going to sell him my CHRONY Master unit with printer etc. and take part of that money and have a Wild West Happy Trigger" installed on the .35 Rem. I did that a year or two ago on the Model 1895 45-70 and was very pleased with the results.

Since I am getting groups now under an inch out to 150 yards, it may not tighten my groups, however it will make it easier to produce those groups under field conditions.

I am looking forward to taking a nice deer or two this fall with the .35 Rem.

The rifle wears a Simmons Pro Diamond 1.5X5X32 lighted Diamond Reticle scope that is a very fast sight picture to pick up especially for woods hunting and fading light conditions. The scope has approximately 3.75 inches of eye relief and for the money the optics are very clear and bright. I am NOT sure if this scope is made any longer, but occasionally Natchez still carries them at very reasonable prices.

LINK to Schematic Of Marlin 336 Parts:

I am told by those more mechanically inclined than I am that installing a Wild West happy Trigger yourself is NO big deal. In my case it would be, because after I got it back together, I would have about 15 little parts left over. That being the case, a local gunsmith installed one on my Model 1895 45-70 for $100 including the trigger. I think just to purchase one is close to $100, so it was a NO brainer for guys like me.

At the time of this post, the Wild West Happy Trigger kit cost $89.00 plus shipping. I could not justify trying to do it myself.

TRIGGER HAPPY KITS
(Patent Pending)

A precision EDM sear and trigger that is hand polished to produce a crisp, clean 2-3 pound trigger pull on ALL Marlin centerfire lever rifles. Unique patent pending design eliminates the infamous and annoying Marlin trigger flop. Now anyone can have the crip, light trigger that has made our custom Marlin rifles well known all over the world. It's a trigger job in a package! Gunsmith fitting required. Available in Blue or Nickel.

Retail Price: $89.00

Dan

Model 336C

The flagship of our Model 336 family, and one of the most popular hunting rifles in North America. Offered in 30-30 Win. and the hard-hitting 35 Remington, it embodies our dedication to dependability, pinpoint accuracy and good looks. A 20" barrel with Micro-Groove® rifling makes it exceptionally handy in the brush and deadly accurate. The American black walnut stock and fore-end are enhanced with fine-cut checkering and our tough Mar-Shield® finish. Its solid-top receiver is drilled and tapped for scope mounts. It also features a richly blued finish and adjustable sights.

Caliber	30/30 Win. Order Online from Gallery of Guns 35 Rem. Order Online from Gallery of Guns
Capacity	6-shot tubular magazine
Action	Lever action; side ejection; solid top receiver; deeply blued metal surfaces; hammer block safety.
Stock	American black walnut pistol grip stock with fluted comb; cut checkering; rubber rifle butt pad; tough Mar-Shield® finish; blued steel barrel band with integral swivel stud.
Barrel	20" with Micro-Groove® rifling (12 grooves).
Twist Rate	30/30 Win. - 1:10" r.h. 35 Rem. - 1:16" r.h.
Sights	Adjustable semi-buckhorn folding rear, ramp front sight with brass bead and Wide-Scan™ hood. Solid top receiver tapped for scope mount; offset hammer spur (right or left hand) for scope use.
Overall Length	38.5"
Weight	7 lbs.

Update On Burris Scope Failure On The .350 Mag Range Test

2011-05-29T11:46:00.001-04:00

As mentioned in a previous post, my Burris Signature African series 1.75X5X32 LRS scope failed after (3) shots. I promptly sent the scope back to Burris who in turn promptly got back to me. I was informed the scope was indeed defective and they were not able to get replacement parts for it.

The good news is they would offer to send me a brand new in the box scope to replace the one that was defective. They offered to stay in the Signature line up for me, however none of the new Signature scopes had the lighted reticle I wanted. I realize the Signature scopes are a cut above the Fullfield II line up and I will likely be criticized for my decision, however I ended up going with the Burris Fullfield II Ballistic Plex with lighted reticle in 3X9X40. The scope still has FULLY multi coated optics and a Forever warranty. Everything I have read on the forums and reviews indicate the Fullfield II scope is a winner. The lighted reticle was important to me as I intend to use this gun on baited black bear hunts in the future. I knew the lighted reticle would NOT wash out against a black bear in fading light. The scope has 3.8 inches of eye relief when set a 3X and 3.1 when at 9X.

I rate BURRIS CUSTOMER SERVICE AT THIS POINT AS 5 STARS. *****

I have not received the new scope yet, however when I do, I will mount it on the Ruger in the Integral rings provided and get back to the range for a follow up test.

LINK to Burris Scopes

Dan

45-70 AT 200 YARDS WITH 325 FTX Hornady LEVERevolution LOAD

2011-05-25T20:16:00.003-04:00

As promised, I went back to the club today for the single purpose of shooting a couple of groups at exactly 200 yards with the Marlin Model 1895 45-70. I had a Wild West Happy Trigger installed about a year ago and that has made a difference in the groups. Truth be known, I have shot enough over the years, that I can do pretty well with any trigger if need be, however there is NO question that we all shoot better with a clean crisp trigger in the 2.5 to 3 LB range.

I stapled a more definitive target to my back stop this afternoon in order to make sure I was aiming at the right target. My last session showed a two shot 3/8 inch center to center groups at 100 yards which printed 2 1/2 inches above my point of aim. My trip today was to establish how accurate Hornady's projection of trajectory on their website is and to determine if I just plain screwed up and shot at the wrong 200 yard bulls eye target or not. I have been known to screw up over the years, but not normally shooting at the wrong target.

The Hornady website indicates if your point of impact is 3 inches above your point of aim at 100 yards, that the 200 yards impact would be 4.1 inches below your point of aim.

LINK to Trajectory table for 45-70 LEVERevolution load

HERE are the results from my 2nd range session:

The first test was NOT a fluke and I am not losing my mind. I finally got back to the range and fired a 3 shot group with the 325 grain Hornady FTX LEVER evolution load at 200 yards. The 3 shot group was in the black and center of the group was 7 1/2 inches low at 200 yards. NOT such a bad thing as the group is a decent group for a lever action 45-70 utilizing a 4 1/2 power scope at 200 yards. If I had a 3X9X40 on board and cranked it up to 9 power, I am sure I could have printed a tighter group. I am NOT unhappy with the performance of the gun or the load. The gun as sighted in is a dead on hold out to 150 yards and with a pocket size range finder and 15 or 20 seconds to make the shot, it is easily a 200 yard deer, or moose or black bear gun. That being said, I DO THINK (at least for my rifle) that Hornady's published trajectory tables for this load are a bit Optimistic.

Dan

Dan

"But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." —1st Thessalonians 4:13-18

45-70 At the Range With LEVERevolution 325 Grain FTX bullet

2011-05-17T18:31:00.000-04:00

I took another trip to the range today to check out the 45-70 at 100, 150 and 200 yards with the LEVERevolution factory load. I have been consistently getting two shots under an inch at ranges out to 100 yards. I would have done 3 shot groups, however I am on my last box of that particular Hornady load. I previously zeroed the gun at 25 yards and then shot a two shot group at 75 yards which resulted in a 1/2 inch group 1 inch high.

Today I shot a two shot group at 100 yards and got a 3/8 inch group approximately 1/2 inch to the left and 2.5 inches high.

I made a (2) click adjustment to the right with the (1/4 min Bushnell 1.5X5X32 scope with Rainguard and Firefly) and proceeded to fire two more shots at exactly 150 yards off the sand bags. That group opened up to 4 inches center to center and in the black.

I then moved the target to a measured 200 yards and fired two more shots. That group measured 3.25 inches center to center, and that group was 8" to 9" inches LOW at 200 yards. I was aiming at the top RIGHT bull and the two shot group ended up in the lower RIGHT target / I THINK?

Per a trajectory chart put out by Chuck Hawks, the 45-70 looks like this from factory specs:

100 yards   3 inches high
200 yards   -4.1 inches low
300 yards   -27.8 inches low

Below is a link to his article.

LINK to Leverevolution ammo trajectory:

I was 2.5 inches high at 100 and almost 9 inches low at 200? I will need to repeat that test when I get time.
My only other explanation is that either Hornady's published figures are optimistic OR I am more senile than my wife thinks I am and I shot at the lower target instead of the top right target. I was in a hurry, but I am quite certain I held on the TOP RIGHT target.

The only way to be sure is to go back out and repeat the 200 yards test with a cold, clean barrel and shoot a (3) shot group. I will follow this article up with an additional test at the 200 yard range. I would be delighted to find I screwed up which would make this gun a solid 200 yards performer with little or no holdover. Right now I am calling this a 150 yard rifle. After confirming the 200 yards group, it might be a 200 yard rifle with proper hold over.

Where I deer hunt for the most part, shots are under the 150 yard mark, and most of them under the 100 mark. The gun shoots well under an inch at that range.

Dan

The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government."

Patrick Henry

Hornady's NEW MonoFlex Leverevolution Bullet

2011-05-16T15:39:00.001-04:00

I have read with interest Hornady's new MonoFlex load for lever actions. This is a combination of the GMX and FTX loads without copper fouling and retains 95% of it original weight. The bullet expands and holds together and good news for 45-70 owners, could likely extend the range of that rifle for deer hunting as it comes in a new 250 grain weight. Here is a link to the new load and suggested retail prices from Hornady.

The guys and gals at Hornady have done it again.

LINK to Hornady's NEW Monoflex bullet for Lever Actions

Comment On The .350 Rem Mag From Whelen Brown

2011-05-16T10:32:00.002-04:00

I recently sent an email to Whelen Brown inquiring about the suitability of the Remington 200 grain Corelokt factory load available for the .350 Rem mag and he thoughts on using this load on baited black bear hunts. I will post his comments below along with a link to his website. I have followed Whelen's comments and articles concerning rifles and loads for some time. He has quite a following on the Internet and whenever I am searching for information on .35 cal rifles and loads, his website always pops up on Google for the first several pages. In the short couple of emails I have had with Whelen, he does NOT consider himself an expert. He is just a hobbyist and someone who likes to hunt and shoot with a fondness for .35 cal rifles, including but not limited to the .350 Mag and the .35 Whelen. In any event, when I want to look up something about the .35's I always go to his website first.

LINK To Whelen Northwoods Website

Here is an excerpt from the email I sent and Whelen's reply:

My inquiry to Whelen:

On Fri, 5/13/11, DAN WAFER wrote:

From: DAN WAFER
Subject: .350 Rem mag with 200 grain factory Remington corelokt for bear?
To: whelenbrown@yahoo.com
Received: Friday, May 13, 2011, 5:14 PM

Dear Sir: I have followed your website for some time and wanted to pick your brain on the suitability of the .350 Rem mag using the standard Rem 200 grain corelokt for black bear (even BIG blackies in the 400 plus pound range over bait).

Have you used this load or any articles or stories from folks that have used it successfully. Also I assume the actual bullet is identical to the 200 grainer used in the .35 Whelen as loaded by Remington.

Dan Wafer

http://gunsandoptics.blogspot.com/

Whelen's Response:

Hi Dan

At last count I own five different 350 RemMag rifles - I'm a fan. I am aware of the one and only factory load you mention and even have a fav reload to duplicate it using IMR3031. I buy bulk 200gr PSP corelokts to reload. But to date I have not killed anything with that load myself. But I am aware of some like Jon Sundra (link below) who have published/claimed very good results with it on big black bears. I think I would use it myself if 250s and 225s were not available to me.

The 350RemMag factory box usually reads PSP "corelokt" - so presumably that's what is loaded. It's a well made bullet IMO for bears and bigger game in general. Not much lead is exposed at the tip and the corelokt feature is designed to hold cup and core together. However as to the 35 Whelen using the same bullet, in their 200gr loads I have some doubts. This is because I have noticed no explicit mention of "corelokt" on some 35 Whelen 200gr factory boxes in the store. I forget whether I examined the bullet tips to see if they looked "non corelokt" or not - it's been a while. The corelokt is better IMO - especially when out the door velocity is almost 2800fps. So over bait terminal velocity could be close to that - a test of any conventional bullet I think. A really BIG bear has lots of fat which can be hard on a bullet upon entry.

Bears are not all equally easy to kill because they range so much in size. Around here they average in the 200 lbs area but go over 700 lbs (one live trapped and weighed 20kms from my house about four years ago) in exceptional specimens. I do not subscribe to the common view which says it's easy to kill a bear (sometimes it can be I agree) and so just grab any deer rifle and ammo for the job. As a practical consideration I often pull the trigger near the edge of dark so I prefer to not encourage runners by choosing any ole rifle/cartridge. Many bears have died quickly with lesser deer rifles no doubt. But I choose to shoot what is ideally suited to the occasion.

Lastly I have used conventional cup and core 250s (Speer, Hornady) at around 2450MV almost exclusively for bears over bait. I reload and they have NEVER given any grief - one shot where it counts - no tracking needed. Exit wounds are the norm and IMO best. I favour slower moving heavier bullets myself over bait. That said I would use factory 200 Corelokts in a heartbeat if that was my only option. It should get the job done pretty well IMO. Incidentally lots of Maine black bear hunters use the little 35Rem with 200 RN corelokts with success. I've had my 35Rem Marlin out with that bullet at 2100MV but never pulled the trigger on a bear with it yet. If a 600 lb specimen showed up I might wish I had brought my 350RemMag or 35Whelen with 250s. Nonetheless I think it would work if I thread the needle right.

Sundra's article refers to killing several big blackies (Vancouver Island and Alaska) with factory 350 RemMag 200gr corelokts (Alaska kill is not typical and tells little about actual bullet performance) here - http://www.glacierguidesinc.com/docs/An%20Almost%20Nice%20Bear.pdf

These are my thoughts since u asked.

Thanks for writing - good luck hunting.

"Don't Miss Meals"

Whelen B.

The .350 Remington Mag For Big Black Bear with 200 grain Corelokt

2011-05-15T10:18:00.001-04:00

I came across this OLDER article about a hunt that Jon Sundra had with Glacier Outfitters (Jimmie Rosenbruch). During the hunt he used his Remington Model 673 .350 mag loaded with Remington 200 grain PSP Corelokts.
Thought you might enjoy reading this one and it sheds some light on effectiveness of the 200 grain factory PSP Corelokt for black bear. See my previous post on the suitability of the Ruger Model 77 rifle in .350 Remington Mag using the PSP Corelokts. My intent is that Jon's article reprinted here will expound on the Corelokt load from his perspective.

Dan

LINK to Jon Sundra's Glacier Guide Bear Hunt with .350 Mag

Glacier Guides (Jimmie C. & Mary Ann Rosenbruch)

2011-05-14T21:05:00.002-04:00

Here is a link to Master Guides Jimmie C. and Mary Ann Rosenbruch, who run a first class top shelf hunting operation in Alaska. If you have never seen their bear hunting video, it is one of the best I have ever watched. They are NOT inexpensive, but they ARE first class and know their business. This is a DREAM hunt of mine, God willing and the creek don't rise, as they say.

If my "ship comes in" as my mother used to say or I come into a large amount of unexpected money, I plan on ear marking enough of it to go on a hunt like this. Check it out. If you are NOT familiar with these folks, look their website over. You will enjoy it.

Dan

LINK to Glacier Guide Service

3 Rifles and 4 Loads for Bear Hunting

2011-05-13T14:51:00.003-04:00

I recently made 3 trips to the range with the intent of sighting in and recording data on three separate rifles and 6 separate loads all of which qualify as great black bear loads, either over bait, with hounds or spot and stalk. Three of the loads would also be acceptable for interior grizzly or brown bear within their range limitations.

SEE LINK for shot Placement on black bear

Shot Placement On Black Bear

The three rifles are:

#1 Marlin Model 1895 lever action in 45-70, with a Wild West Happy Trigger, and wearing a Bushnell 1.5X5X32 Elite 3200 scope with firefly reticle and Rainguard

#2 Ruger Model 77 bolt action with black synthetic stock, stainless action, trigger job and wearing a Burris Signature African Series LRS 1.75X5X32 illuminated reticle rifle scope on the Ruger rings supplied in .350 Remington Mag caliber (This one did not make the test as the Burris Scope failed after 3 shots at the range / see PHOTO insert / scope is now on the way back to the Burris Repair and warranty shop. I will report on this scope after I hear back from Burris)

#3 Ruger Model Hawkeye bolt action in black synthetic stock and stainless action, including a trigger job and wearing a Bushnell 3X9X40 Elite 3200 rifle scope with rain guard and firefly in .338 Federal persuasion.

Before we get into this, I am well aware that hundreds and perhaps thousands of black bear (big and small) have been neatly dispatched with 30-30's using 150 and 170 grain factory loads such as Winchester Power Points and the classic Remington Core Lokts. On my first baited black bear hunt in Maine, one hunter with an open sighted 30-30 lever action and 170 grain Remington CoreLokts dispatched a 250 pound black bear with one shot. Even lesser calibers and handgun calibers have dispatched numerous black bears. I have read articles of blackie's being taken with 80 grains of black powder and .50 caliber round balls in caplock muzzle loaders. I have read accounts of dozen's of bears taken with the .243 Win. This post is not talking about adequate rifles and loads here. I am talking about very capable loads here. I am talking about having a 350 to 600 pound black bear come in and being able to take a shot from any angle and not worry about if the gun and load are up to the task.

The Marlin Model 1895 45-70 shoots several loads amazingly well and the two I would use for bear in this rifle are the Hornady 325 grain LeverEvolution FTX factory load and the Buffalo Bore 350 Grain Penetrator factory load. The BB 350 Grain Penetrator might get the nod hunting the Canadian provinces where the bigger bears are more common however, both the FTX Hornady load and the BB 350 grainer have taken big bears. Both shoot well, however the Buffalo Bore out penetrates every other bullet tried thus far in my bear bullet water jug penetration tests. (SEE YOU TUBE VIDEOS on this BLOG) Buffalo Bore also makes a 405 grain Expander load that Buffalo Bore's, Tim Sundles recommends specifically for black bear and has apparently used himself with great success. The 350 grain Penetrator load PENETRATES and holds together very well while the 405 grain Expander EXPANDS, but I experienced core and jacket separation in my testing. The FTX Hornady factory load is very accurate and also held together in the water jug testing and showed the classic mushroom. Penetration was on a par with the 405 grain BB expander, but without the core and jacket separation. The 350 grain Buffalo Bore Penetrator load is quite accurate and I have to imagine would give complete penetration on a big black bear from any conceivable shot angle, leaving both an entrance and an exit hole. I would not hesitate to use the BB 350 grain Penetrator load on a brown bear/grizzly hunt within the range and trajectory limitations of the 45-70.

There are numerous other loads from Garret, Grizzly, Double Tap, Buffalo Bore, CorBon and other outlets that would serve as well. Garret's Hammer Head loads are a bit much for black bear, but are certainly capable of taking any creature on planet earth within their trajectory and range limitations.

Next up is Federal's introduction of the first rifle caliber to bear (No pun intended) the Federal name. I am talking about the .338 Federal cartridge. This rifle has 4 separate factory loads, however I am only going to mention (2) of them in regards to black bear hunting. These are the 210 grain Nosler Partition loading and the Federal 200 grain Fusion load. The other two loads are a 180 grain Nosler Accubond load and 185 grain Barnes triple shock loading. The Accubond is intended for CXP2 game (deer class) and the 185 grain Barnes Triple shock would be a good deer/elk hunt loading, however would certainly dispatch a black bear if your rifle shoots it well.

In my .338 Federal, the Fusion load is very accurate and I have had 3 shot groups under an inch at 100 yards. Weight is sufficient in this caliber that one could use this load for everything he would likely hunt with the .338 Federal. The Fusion bullet is also a bonded core bullet and should provide good expansion and penetration. It is certainly more than adequate for any black bear you will encounter. The 210 grain Nosler Partition would be my choice for a baited black bear hunt and should handle any black bear hunting chore with ease. It could also be an interior grizzly gun under 200 yards and with the right backup rifle and guide in a pinch a brown bear gun if the ranges were kept close. There is NO argument that better brown/grizzly bear rifles are available. This rifle with the 210 grain Nosler Partition makes an awesome black bear rifle for bear over bait or still hunting in a spot and stalk situation.

.338 Federal w/210 grain Nosler Partition:

2630/3225 fps/ME
2590/2670 fps/ME 100 yards
2211/2279 fps/ME 200 yards
2130/1820 fps/ME 300 yards

. It also shoots flatter than you think If you set it up to print 2.8 inches high at 100 yards, you are still 1.1 inches high at 200 yards and only 7.8 inches low at 300 yards. The Partition bullet is ideal for CXP2 and CXP3 game or any dangerous game you desire to hunt with the .338 Federal.

Last up, but certainly NOT least is the Ruger .350 Remington Mag. It took me two years of searching to find a brand new in the box Ruger model 77 bolt action .350 Mag. Factory loads at this time are pretty much limited to the original Remington 200 grain PSP Corelokt and a 225 grain Nosler Partition loading. Either would be grand for hunting black bear, although some feel the Corelokt bullet may not be up to the task. The 200 grain Corelokt factory load looks like this:

It leaves the muzzle at 2775fps and produces 3419ME. Set 2.7 inches HIGH at 100 yards, it is 3 inches high at 125, 1.3 inches high at 200 yards and 3 inches LOW at 260 yards, and ends up -7.3 inches low at 300 yards. That is a lot of wallop and I have read about the demise of some very nice black bears with this particular load. As you can see from the trajectory table, it is not exactly a BRUSH GUN as it is often quoted as being. It also shoots very well in my gun, turning in groups of around 3/4 inch at 100 yards. Countless black bears have been taken with both the 30-06 with 180 grain round nose Corelokts and also the .35 Whelen with essentially the same 200 grain factory Corelokt bullet.

The Nosler Partition loading with the 225 grain bullet leaves the muzzle at 2550 fps and has a ME of 3248Ft Lbs. The partition bullet would get the nod from me for grizzly or brown bear hunting with this rifle. I recently read an article in the May issue of "American Hunter Magazine" where a hunter shot a large black bear at 5 yards with a .35 Whelen using the 200 grain Remington Corelokt factory load. He hit the bear in the right front shoulder and found the bullet stopped against the hide on the left hindquarter. The bullet retained 71.7% (143.4 grains) of its original weight and showed evidence of the perfect expansion. For black bear hunting over bait, I feel the Corelokt is up to the task. The ergonomics of the Ruger are such that this can handle all (3) types of black bear hunting to include, bear over bait, spot and stalk and even with hounds. (The Burris scope failed during the range test, and I will report on this later after hearing from Burris) This rifle is also capable of taking grizzly and brown bear hunting with the 225 grain NP load. I realize that better rifles and loads exist for the bigger bears including, but not limited to .338 Win Mag, .375 H&H etc. I also recognize that a LOT of big bears have been taken with the 100 year old plus 30:06. The previously mentioned 45-70 with Garrett Hammer Head loads is MORE than capable within its range limitations.

Attached are photos of the three rifles. These three guns will not disappoint if you are looking for a new addition to your gun safe. If you are a hand loader, then all three of these guns can be made a lot more versatile than with just factory loads. Many baited bear situations use the same bait sites for rifle that bow hunters use, and most have rifle baits placed from 20-50 yards from the tree stand or ground blind. I have however seen some offering rifle stands from 50 to 200 yards. From 75 yards and out, one gains an advantage of being able to get away with limited movement etc. and at the same time, you lose a part of the thrill of seeing a bear up close. There is also the possibility of less than perfect shot placement the farther the stand is from the bait site. ASK your guide in advance about the distance from his stands to the bait site. THEN, sight your rifle in accordingly. If he says 50 yards, then sight your gun in to be able to hit a quarter at 50 yards. If the stand is 25 yards, or 75 yards, your point of impact will not vary over an inch with most center fire rifles. These three rifles are (3) good examples of a rifle set up for bear hunting. You may understandably choose something different. Different strokes for different folks. My suggestion is to use a heavy bullet for the caliber and buy the BEST scope you can afford. For example in .270 Winchester, I would opt for a 150 grain (vs.) a 130 grain bullet. In 30:06, I would go with 180 grain load etc. I would also go for premium bonded core bullets in case you have to take a shot through the shoulders to reach the vitals etc. ( Barnes X, Nosler Partition, Swift A-Frame and Hornady Interlock & Interbond etc.) This is not rocket science, however you do not want to shell out $1200 to $2400 for a quality baited bear hunt and then have bullets that are NOT up to the task. Make sure you sight in with your chosen load, and then do not switch at the last minute and bring ammo the gun is not zeroed for.

Target photo shows 45-70 with 325 grain FTX bullet on bottom at 25 and 75 yards. Top target shows Buffalo Bore 350 Penetrator load with same sight setting.

Range Results for .338 Federal:

210 grain Nosler Partition out of the .338 Federal, when dead on at 25 yards was about 1.5 inches high at 75 yards and produced a 1.25 inch center to center (3) shot group.

200 Grain Fusion shot a 2.75 inch 3 shot group at 75 yards and a 1/2 inch two shot group at 50 yards after zeroing for the Fusion load. Group size may have had to do with a dirty and heated barrel. I have produced sub minute of angle groups with a clean cold barrel out of this rifle.

Range results for the 45-70:

Hornady 325 grain FTX Lever Evolution load 1/2 inch center to center and one inch high at 75 yards, when dead on at 25 yards.

Buffalo Bore 350 Grain Penetrator using same zero as the Hornady Load, also shot a 1/2 inch 75 yard group, although point of impact was 4.5 inches higher and 2.25 inches left of the Hornady Flex Tip load.

Dan

Compass Essentials For Hunting

2011-02-25T12:35:00.001-05:00

I am going to post a link here to an excellent article on using a compass. I always carry (2) of them. I find myself arguing with one compass, however I respectfully surrender to two compasses telling me my sense of direction is lacking. Yes I also have a very nice Garmin GPS unit that someday I am going to take the time to figure out. I am not one of those technically oriented sort of guys. I also own another model Garmin #45 which I did figure out and it still works, however it is now ancient technology. The biggest problem i had with it on an out of state hunt, was reception and locking onto satellites. You had to find an opening in the foliage and trees to be able to lock onto (3) satellites in order to get a reading. I also worried about dropping it onto a rock or slipping and having it go into a fast rushing creek or bounce down a steep incline I was maneuvering at the time, etc. Last but not least, it needed a battery. Don't get me wrong (I know those are LAME excuses), however even when I DID carry a GPS and learned how to use it, I still relied on my compass too. They are light, do not require batteries or locking onto satellites and it is easy to carry two of them with you.

Link to using a compass

Excerpt from excellent article: (Add link to your favorites and please read the article)

Compass Basics

Quick Map Basics Review For Compass Use

Part of a 7.5-minute topographic map at 1:24,000 scale

A topographic map tells you where things are and how to get to them, whether you're hiking, biking, hunting, fishing, or just interested in the world around you. These maps describe the shape of the land. They define and locate natural and manmade features like woodlands, waterways, important buildings, and bridges. They show the distance between any two places, and they also show the direction from one point to another.
Distances and directions take a bit of figuring, but the topography and features of the land are easy to determine. The topography is shown by contours. These are imaginary lines that follow the ground surface at a constant elevation; they are usually printed in brown, in two thicknesses. The heavier lines are called index contours, and they are usually marked with numbers that give the height in feet or meters. The contour interval, a set difference in elevation between the brown lines, varies from map to map; its value is given in the margin of each map. Contour lines that are close together represent steep slopes.
Natural and manmade features are represented by colored areas and by a set of standard symbols on all U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) topographic maps. Woodlands, for instance, are shown in a green tint; waterways, in blue. Buildings may be shown on the map as black squares or outlines. Recent changes in an area may be shown by a purple overprint. A road may be printed in red or black solid or dashed lines, depending on its size and surface. A list of symbols is available from the Earth Science Information Center (ESIC).

From Here to There - Determining Direction With Compass

The compass consists of a magnetized metal needle that floats on a pivot point. The needle orients to the magnetic field lines of the earth. The basic orienteering compass is composed of the following parts:

Base plate
Straight edge and ruler
Direction of travel arrow
Compass housing with 360 degree markings
North label
Index line
Orienting arrow
Magnetic needle (north end is red)

To determine the direction, or bearing, from one point to another, you need a compass as well as a map. Most compasses are marked with the four cardinal points —north, east, south, and west—but some are marked additionally with the number of degrees in a circle (360 north is 0 or 360, east is 90, south is 180, and west is 270). Both kinds are easy to use with a little practice. The illustrations on the reverse side show how to read direction on the map.
One thing to remember is that a compass does not really point to true north, except by coincidence in some areas. The compass needle is attracted by magnetic force, which varies in different parts of the world and is constantly changing. When you read north on a compass, you're really reading the direction of the magnetic north pole. A diagram in the map margin will show the difference (declination) at the center of the map between compass north (magnetic north indicated by the MN symbol) and true north (polar north indicated by the "star" symbol). This diagram also provides the declination between true north and the orientation of the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) grid north (indicated by the GN symbol). The declination diagram is only representational, and true values of the angles of declination should be taken from the numbers provided rather than from the directional lines. Because the magnetic declination is computed at the time the map is made, and because the position of magnetic north is constantly changing, the declination factor provided on any given map may not be current. Contact the National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) to obtain current and historical magnetic declination information for any place in the United States.
Taking a compass bearing from a map:

Draw a straight line on the map passing through your location and your destination and extending across any one of the map borders.
To use this bearing, you must compensate for magnetic declination. If the MN arrow on the map magnetic declination diagram is to the right of the true north line, subtract the MN value. If the arrow is to the left of the line, add the value.

(1) Drawing a straight line over the map edge

(2) Reading the compass on the map

(3) Using the magnetic declination diagrams

2010 Deer Harvest Comparison
	2010 Total	2009 Total	Previous 5-Year Average (2005-2009)
Total Take	230,100	222,798	206,848
Adult Male	106,960	102,057	99,568
Antlerless	123,140	120,741	107,280
Adult Female	84,806	84,330	72,386
Deer Management Permits Issued	498,294	527,371	476,163
Deer Management Permit Take	89,855	89,458	77,168
Deer Management Assistance Program Take	12,384	9,789	9,978
Muzzleloader	18,387	18,773	16,959
Bowhunting	34,530	34,546	30,771

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