airedale

Did the final sight in today with the 6.5 PRC, I use just a two shot cold barrel group for pencil barrel sporters like this Featherweight Model 70. These are the 123 Gr Hornady SST bullets with a Norma MRP powder charge at 100 yards traveling in the 3300 FPS range. I believe these will do the job on Deer and hopefully they will get to prove it in a few weeks. Al

I cut my teeth on reloading with the Lyman number 44 Reloading Handbook back in 1967. I picked the Lyman manual to start out with for several reasons. Lyman covered all phases of reloading, handguns, rifles, shotshells along with casting and loading your own bullets. The other brand specific manuals like Hornady or Speer would have data for only what bullets they themselves manufactured, same with powder manuals listing only loads for what powders they produced. Lyman had data for everyone's components. Lyman also gave very good explanations and instructions on how to actually reload along a specific accuracy load with each bullet which I found to be pretty much spot on. As I got into reloading more and more I obtained all the manufacturer's manuals and all have proven to be useful. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since Lyman number 44, many new cartridges and many new powders have come on to the scene, some really good ones with longevity and stellar performance and others that were pretty much flashes in the pan and faded into obscurity. With all the new cartridges that keep popping up new additions in manuals appear from time to time to keep abreast on the handloading front Just picked up both the new Hodgdon and Lyman number 51, Hodgdon lists 161 powders for reloading and goes into detail on the use and burn rates of each one, talk about selection! The new Lyman is as good as ever keeping up with all the new cartridges that have appeared on the market the past few years. What I did not care for is Lyman dropped some of the old cartridges and their loading data. Looking to update I would say the new Lyman is still a top choice for the handloader. If you are not handloading you should be, the ammo situation is steadily getting worse and as long as you have Democrats in power it will continue to do so. Al

It is called natural selection, LOL! Al

I checked out the outfitter's site and looked over the photos of some of the Sitka stags taken at his place. Some nice trophies they are for sure, they remind me of miniature Elk. Seems to have a good population of them in that area, which is a good thing I think, gives a hunter a crack at something unique. Al

They look great and are very unique. Al

Not at all, the Hornady SST bullet is an upgraded version of the time tested tried and true interlock bullet, having a more aerodynamic profile with a plastic tip and a boat tail. I have used the regular interlock bullets for years with zero complaints, I think they are one of the best hunting bullets made at any price and expect the SST interlocks to perform much the same way. High velocity, flat trajectory and gilt-edge accuracy far outweigh any possible meat damage from my perspective. A well placed shot will pole axe a Deer most times right where they stand and if they do run it is not very far. Almost every shot I take at big game is a heart lung shot behind the front shoulder, there is not a whole lot of meat wasted when taking and making that shot. Al

You had a heck of a season Charlie , congrats to both you and your canine partners.

So the handload I will be using for the most part out of this rifle will be the 123 gr Hornady SST interlock bullet made especially for whitetails. I ran the load through Hornady's ballistic calculator out to 450 yards and will be sighting the 3300 FPS load close to the info is on the chart below, a little over 2inches at 100 yds. Sure looks good on paper! I have access to a 300 yard range so I will be doing a check there to tell the truth. I have found Hornady's calculator to be pretty much spot on. Al

LOL, According to the fellow in the video you did. Unless one gets hold of a complete dog, I have found most firearms with a little tweaking with ammo, trigger and sometimes bedding shoot pretty well, especially for hunting. Al

This week I really put the TC Encore to the test with that 458 barrel. I am amazed at how inherently accurate these big calibers like 45-70 and 458 mag can be out of a good rifle firing quality ammunition. Getting this rifle dialed in without too much problem was due to the recoil reduction of the Caldwell Lead Sled. Firing a light weight 458 mag rifle from the bench with stiff loads is unpleasant and that is putting it mildly. The Lead Sled took care of all that unpleasantness making concentration of taking the shot easy. The muzzle brake on the barrel prevented me from using any of my bore sighters as the arbor would not reach the inside of the barrel, the muzzle brake is made from aluminum so my magnetic bore sighter would not work either. With a bolt action I would have just rested the rifle, removed the bolt and looked down the bore centering the bullseye and then dialing the scope in on the center of the target, with the Encore I could not use that technique unless I took the barrel off. After wasting a bunch of shots trying to get on the paper, I just held by hand the magnetic bore sighter on the front of the barrel and had my buddy dial the scope into the center of the sighter's grid and that got me on target. Once on target getting her precisely sighted in was easy and like I said the accuracy was amazing and all largely due to the Caldwell Lead Sled. Al

Never heard of it either, if established and being well known as a law it sure would be a heck of a lot easier than tacking up signs. Al

Me along with one of my Sons and buddy Tim got at it again yesterday. Tim had his Low Wall 223 again with some new loads, my Son Mike shot his 1895 High Wall 45-70 and I brough out the Thompson Center Encore with the 458 Win Mag barrel and the new Winchester Model 70 Featherweight in 6.5 PRC. The Caldwell Lead Sled with 50 lbs of lead shot holding her down earned it's keep, Son's 45-70 with curved metal buttplate and stiff handloads and that light Encore 458 mag had their recoil tamed down, both are brutal from the bench off regular bags. Got the 6.5 PRC sighted in with the handloaded 123 gr Hornady SSTs and even with that pencil thin barrel it shot great, I am more than pleased. It was a good day. Al

What is not to like on this one? Great family participation, some actual hunting for a change and not sitting in some tree house or stand with all the comforts of home. Woolrich PA tuxedos, Savage 99s, Bean Boots, Mannlicher stocked rifles. Good job Tim. Al

Anyone with experience in the shooting sports knows fully well that accuracy guarantees have to be taken with a grain of salt. There are just way too many variables, barrels, triggers, bedding, bullets, powder charges, optics, weather conditions, just to name a few. There are some manufacturers that do get most of their ducks in a row when it comes to build quality. What stood out for me with the CVA Cascade was not the company's sales pitch, it was the many videos and articles of owners actually testing the rifles and getting super performance and raving about it, I have yet to read anything really negative. I believe even the guy in the video above shot a Cascade and gave it a thumbs up. On the other hand I have seen many reviews of so called sub minute guaranteed rifles not do so well. I have my own criteria for accuracy and group my rifles in categories as to what their purpose is. Target rifles, Varmint rifles with heavy barrels, Varmint rifles with sporter barrels, Big game hunting rifles and Plinkers they all have different requirements in the accuracy department as far as grouping goes. Al