eagle rider

Glad to hear it and even gladder to hear the 40 cal is a hipster deal 2nd string gun for the deer woods. The is a nice pistol, I like mine. I use a Glock for service, but I am way more impressed with the in all things but trigger reset length. The 700 is awesome. I love mine too. Happy hunting.

I don't have any issue with AR's at all. Great for small gaming in 5.56 or 223, I wouln't shoot at a deer with either of those chamberings. I have an R25 myself, its a great rifle (a word to wise take your time seasoning the barrel, I didn't and I had some problems that had me sending the gun back twice for service). Anyway, what I wrote was that I picked on Hydrashocks because I have familiarity with that round. We use them in our service guns. I know first hand how they work and what they were intended for. You may not be aware of this but the 40 was developed as a result of a Justice Dept study of the inferiority of the 9mm as a combat round for law enforcement. The 40 is all combat and it even replaced the 10mm standing in the LE community within two years of the 40 being available. What I did do was provide an answer to the question of why I felt it was unethical and inappropriate use of that firearm and caliber for deer; and it primarily goes to intent of purpose behind the design. You can do whatever you want to. We all choose our own path. My opinions, are my convictions and I live and die by them. For me weather I'm hunting or going to work, both involve a firearm for me. I can tell you, I've never second guessed my decisions in either realm of my life. I hope you never need to either. I honestly feel that way.

nice, that's good tuning.

Warren- thanks a big aspect of ethics teaching for hunters is understanding their limits and the limits of their firearms. I have and frequently use a 270 WSM Weatherby SubMOA, a rifle well capable of 500 yard shooting. Believe it or not, I have had 500 yard opportunities on our leased land. And while there are deer at 500 yards that I can see in the cross hairs, and the 270 WSM is capable of carrying the mail that distance, I am not that good and I know it. So I don't shoot deer at 500 yards. Can I legally, yes, should I ethically no. By the same token if I went afield with a 40 S&W and a 140 class buck stepped out in front of me, what do I do? Ethically I should not take the shot, but again what's the human impluse going to be like? Yes it MIGHT be enough gun for a 90 pound one and half year old, that I probably shouldn't be shooting because it has not yet had a chance to mature. So again ethics lace into all of it. We don't have referees running through the woods telling us what to do, we have to know in our heads and in our hearts. Back to the 40 cal, there's all kinds of wounded, but there is only one kind of dead. That's the difference with Mr. 140 class. So no don't use a 35 Whelen (also a favoite of mine) to Texas Heart Shoot because that's just a low percentage shot even if it is a 140 class buck. As far as I'm concern on our land, if you show up to hunt deer with a 40 S&W, you're going home. Sorry, that's just how it would be. Just like if you intentionally shot at a buck at full gallop you're gonna go home too. Both are perfectly legal, neither are ethical (and safe in the case of the later). ER

Midsouth Shotter Supply has great prices and Fedex Ground to NY is only two days over the road. They also have cupon codes all over the internet. If you've never looked at them before it worth checking out.

awesome, again what is possible/legal vs. what is ethical. Most recommend 1,000 ft lbs for humaine harevest at terminal distance. The S&W 629 has been the long held hallmark of a whitetail handgun. Its a 44 mag and will make the 1,000 ft lbs without an issue. I was asked to support an opinion, I did. We can all Monday Morning Quarterback each other all day long. I worry about preserving a sport for generations to come. If we're all doing the right thing, which in this case is also the best thing, it will be here for our grandkids to enjoy long after we're looking at the root side of the grass.

I shot my rage practice heads again this morning. They are really as consistent as field tips. As good as I was able to get Muzzys to group in the past, these are definately tighter.

for the same reason that a 22-250, although leagl to use on deer woun't be appropriate. Why do we hunt deer? To help (1) manage what nature cannot, (2) to promote an ancient and honorable tradition, (3) to provide food for our family or neighbors, all while humainely harvesting the game we seek. I've often said hunting isn't about killing, its about hunting. I've been teaching NYS Sportsman Education for 15 years, we spend a lot of time talking about ethics. Let me tell you a story,.....a couple of years ago another instructor reached out to help me with a large class, I did not know him until then. During the discussion on firearms, he spent an uncanny amount of time talking about the defesive characteristics of firearms. He, weather he realized it or not, gave an appearance of what instructors refer to as "slob hunters." After that nights' class I asked him to not come back to teach with me ever again. Over the next few days I recieved several calls from students and some parents of students questioning what was being taught. Hunters who care little about public perception and how it impacts ethical hunters everwhere. Here is a little statistic about 10% of New Yorkers hunt, about 10% of New Yorkers are staunch avid antihunters and the 80% of New York in between don't have much of an opinion but are easily swayed by the lobbying efforts of others,... mostly the antihunting community because they are,.... lets face it much better funded and organized around their agenda than we are. The 40 is a self defence combat weapon manufactued in Croatia and sold in the USA by Springfiled Arms. It, as hunting implement, promotes an unsavory image as a hunting firearm to many. While it questionably capable of harvesting a deer, so is a 22-250, and for that matter so is a flame thrower and we probably wouln't hunt with one of those either (the flame thrower bing illegal). Lets get back to purposes of why we hunt,.... can a 40 help as an implement for deer managment, sure it can,..... so can the illegal flame thrower flame thrower, so can the ineffeicent for deer little 22-250, so can the front of your truck, but none it doesn't provide the most efficient way of humaely harvesting deer as a more suitable handgun can like a 44 mag for example. The golden rule of thumb is 1,000 ft lbs at terminal range for any CPX Class 2 Animal. The 40 is incapable of that meeting that demand at except point blank range with some loadings which isn't going to happen while deer hunting. Lets discuss the ammo that has such potential like TAP or Hydrashock ammo. Yes they are lethal rounds but not intended for game animals. They are designed to mortally wound human beings. Human beings have a totally different perception of what it is to be shot. A human will say, oh my god I've just been shot and will start the emotional process associated with being in pain and potentially dying. Its much more dramtic. Moreover, combat shooting, i.e. gun fighting is something that I am unfortunately quite familiar with. In gun fighting to survive one frequently puts more than a single round into the target in the fight. In fact most tactical shooting happens at distances of less than 10 feet in the dark under conditions of extreme light discipline and typically its three rounds into high center mass of your target while on the move towards protective cover. ALL VERY DIFFERENT FROM DEER HUNTING!!!!! The ammo designed to be effective in these conditions are again all very different which is why there is no manufacturers intend to use them as hunting rounds. Let's talk about the aspect of getting food from your harvest. Ammo like Hydrashock, I'm picking on them because I know what it is capable of since its my 40 cal service round for the last 10 years, will not pass through cases on center mass hits. Its designed to expend all of its energy in its target which with three rounds center mass will hopefully immediately fall down and NOT SHOOT BACK at me!!!!! The bullets' rapid radical expansion properties is teh reason why I have heard Medical Examiners say,..... "THEY MAKE A MESS." Therefore your ability to use the meat of what you have taken is greatly impacted. So even if you weren't planning on eating it yourself, you might have been donating it to a community pantry. Now lets go back to the fact that a deer conecptualize being shot differently us humand. They will run away, you will have no exit wound. Your ability to have trackable blood will be a lot less. That deer may dye a distance away infront of someone elses house or a school or a church for everyone to see a shot lost animal, dying, in pain, scared, confused, crippled animal. Rember the 80% without an opinion of hunting, they all just got one. If you hit that deer with something more suitable that will perform the way you need it to like a rifle or a handgun that is capable of big game harvets you probably wouln't have to deal with that scenario. In fact I would bet that a vital hit on a deer with a hunting bullet from a more suitable big game firearm would probably lay any deer down within sight of you. Is it legal to hunt with a 40 S&W sure, but what is legal is not always ethical, just like the little 22-250. Unfortunately, human nature is that people will give in to their impluses over what is the right thing to do everytime. I see it everyday. I'll get off the alter now.

feasible yes, ethical, in my opinion a 40 is a great gun in a shoot out but not in the deer woods.

aaaahhhh the pleasure and pain of good broadhead tuning.

Seems like its all in good fun, way to go NY!!!!!

Put three Rage 100 2 Blade practice tips on three Easton Epics's this morning in a Block target at 20 yads usingthe 70 pound Bear Strike. You couldn't fit a match stick between the arrows. The group was field tip tight!!!!! Very impressed.

With 53 grains or Varget and 180 gr Speer Hot Core, the 35 Whelen will produce 2900 ft lbs. The 200 grain Core Lockt ammo 2600 ft lbs.

you will love the 750. Really all of the 7400 kinks are gone!

Agreed. Sierra urged me away from their 220 (225?) grain hunter bullet because they felt is was too hevily constructed for deer and would not perform as well as it does for elk. Hornady components are in scarse supply, got to love the war effort for that, so options become narrow. I will see how they do, like I said I want a real whallop kind of round. The Speer Hot Core has a great reputtaion for energy shedding and its constructed a lot like a core lockt round. With 30-06 I ususally used 150 grain bullets on whiteys' so this is a 20% increase with a wider wound channel. The paper tables are giving me something like 2900 foot pounds at the muzzle. Then there is whole lets see how it prints factor. Remember that this is going through a semi-auto so the falke factor on performance is at a higher premium. I will let you know how it does.

Thanks, this helps a lot. I'm looking at a loading with Hodgedon Varget. I know the heavier bullets will carry the mail greater distances. I was hoping you'd say you love the 180 grain Hot Core's from Speer. There are no 200's to be had anywhere. I have used 270 WSM with 130 gr SST's in the past loaded to 3,100 FPS. The deer get up from that round. The exit wounds are impressive but its nota bulldozer of a slug whacking them. I'm planning on switching that to a Sierra Sierra Gameking to see if that does any better. All and all they don't go far with the SST head, but they still go a bit. UUUUGGGGHHHHH to many variables.

35 cal reloading components seem to be getting scarse...... again

G-Man, Pygmy thanks a lot!!!!!

Okay so I am considering the 35 Whelen for whiteys' again this year. I'm thinking about a 200 grain Hornady Spire Point with 53 grains of Hodgedon Varget. That should keep me up around 2500 FPS out of the muzzle. So I won't beat the semi auto Remington action that much and still get plenty of thwack at 100 yards for the deer. Thoughts,... or should I go down to 180 gr Speer Hot Core. The SD on the 200 looks a lot beter. The 200 gr bullet should give me about 2800 foot pounds with a nice wide .358 wound channel (expansion not withstanding). Looking for a hit em in the boiler room put em' right down kind of round. I used the similar logic on the Russian Bore with a 250 grain bullet last year. I dropped the 300 pound tusker in his tracks. I think the 250 grain slug might just be a little too beefy for deer.

Flinging is good, just as long as its not blowing its primers out, LOL. Keep an eye on it. The mag fitting takes a little getting used to. The tolerances on the mag well are tight. Make sure the chamber and throat are always clean. I've done really well with #9 bench rest to clean semi autos, you might want to give that a shot. I brass brush the chamber to lossen the crud than I wrap a #9 br soaked patch over the chamber brush brisstles and work that for a while changing the patches often. Then the bolt face with a tooth brush and #9 br. I use a bore snake to do the barrel (with #9 br infront of the bristles). The piston, action rods, spring and shaft is a tooth brush again with #9 br. Wipe the whole thing down then put the stock back. Then I run the snake through again dry and a few dry patches into the chamber and the bolt face. I don't oil, the #9 br has rust inhibitors in it. Like any amonia based solvent cleaning just watch for copper oxide buildup where there was copper deposited (barrel and chamber). If there is patch clean that out. It might take a day or show to see that, you'll notice it quickly, its very blue in color. Hope this helps. Let me know if you need anything else. Biggest issue is to make sure that chamber is spic and span clean!!!!!! Happy hunting.

The ammo is full lenghth resized to spec it should slide into that chamber smoothly and teh bolt will lock. Make sure you use the angled chamber brush to clean the breach and throat of the chamber or you will get buildup in the throat. That will develop into seating and extraction problems. Its a semi-auto so cleaning is at a premium or you will have lots of trouble. Look for primer flattening and brass flow to ensure yu are not developing head spacing problems. If the rifle is maintianed correctly you should never need to assist the bolt in locking when you are feeding it. If it persists, take it to a qualified gunsmith and stop shooting it until its is checked out. TRUST ME!!!!!!!

The 270 is a one of the greats. Not to snub the 25-06 because it does a phenominal job, but whitetails are its upper limit in my opinion. The 270 is a bit more versatile and was made famous probably because of 1950's and 60's writers like Jack O'Connor. Bottom line a 117 - 120 grain 25-06 moving at 3000 fps into a whiteails boiler room is going to be just as deadly as a 130 grain 270 smacking into the same spot at 2900 FPS out of the muzzle. The lighter bullets seems to make a lot more syrup of the lungs and heart than the 270 does.

Ruger SRH in 454 Casull, Magnaported with a Bushnell Trophy scope. If the bullet doesn't get them, the sound of it will.

I most certainly will.

Our bow season opens on Oct 1, Its the Long Island Reg Season opener. Honestly, there isn't a ton of movement then. It seems that things really don't start to pick up until the last week of Oct. Entirley my own experience where I hunt.