airedale

This old photo reminds me of a spot I used for hunting both Deer and Squirrels. There was a big old hollow log like the one in the picture laying on a side hill overlooking a Beech grove frequented by both Deer and Squirrels grubbing for Beechnuts. That log made a perfect blind for concealment with the big old log in front and the hill behind I could tuck in there and dry gulch game using the log for a steady rest. I used it for the last time a few years ago killing a Deer with my Marlin 44Mag, It is rotted away now, I pass by what is left of it just about every fall and it brings back some good memories. Al

Have to wonder if these boys hunted in those outfits or when they got back home changed into suits to pose for the photo. Al

Nice haul Charlie, Gunner looks to have had a good time. Al

This is going to be my first experience with a 264 cal cartridge, from what I have read, that caliber size has always interested me. Jim Carmichael the Outdoor Life gun editor was a big proponent of the 260 Remington and his writings really was the start of this 6.5 phenomena that has taken hold recently. My choice of the 6.5 PRC was because I believe it to be one of the most efficient case designs ever, the ballistics it produces with the right handloads are almost too good to be true. I can basically duplicate the 264 Winchester mag factory loads and even surpass them performance wise. Al

Did some stump shooting yesterday and tried several different points, all are supposed to be for small game and I think all of them would work well for that. For stump shooting I have settled on the large black one on the left for the simple reason it does not penetrate deep into old stumps and is easy to remove. Accuracy wise it is a toss up for me using recurve bows and fingers. This stump shooting is a blast and makes practice fun and interesting. Al

When I was a kid my dream cartridge was the 264 Winchester mag, looking at the ballistic charts of that cartridge made that young barefoot country boy drool. When I talked to my Dad about the 264 he talked me out of getting one, it is a barrel burner he said. To re-enforce the barrel burner propaganda my brother purchased a used model 70 in 264 Win mag and the throat was eroded so bad that he was lucky to hit a pie plate at 100 yds. So that kind of ended my desire for a 264. Fast forward to these days and both old and new 6.5 cartridges have become all the rage in the shooting and hunting world with the Creedmoor leading the charge making me take notice. I again seriously considered a 264 Win mag and also 6.5-284 got my attention, but the one that checked off the most boxes for me was the 6.5 PRC (precision Rifle Cartridge. The thing that held me back from getting one was the rifles being chambered in that cartridge, while I know the fiberglass and composite stocks and muted finishes are great performers I am more of a traditional wood and polished blued steel sparkler type. Always on the lookout for what I wanted I found on Guns International a beautiful Riflemans rifle, a Winchester model 70 Featherweight chambered in the 6.5 PRC at a very good price. To make a long story short by the end of the weekend (getting under the wire of the new state horseshit law) I should have the rifle and all of the loading components and Dies to make her go bang and hopefully kill a Deer with this upcoming season. Al

Probably some of both, one thing for sure permits handouts are sure different these days. When I was a kid we had to have four hunters assigned to one permit, and the only one that could make a kill was the hunter in that group who had the permit on their person. This year I have five tags that I can use just for myself. Al

I grew up in a time where most of the guys I knew all hunted, today it is hard to find folks that hunt for a whole lot of reasons. Al

This is the time of the year I start getting my hunting gear ready, my leather boots are treated, clothes are in a large metal wardrobe, they get a good dose of permethrin. The choice of what firearms I am going to use, hunting ammo loaded and tested on the bench sighted in for where I am hunting. Knives, Binoculars ropes compass etc. are checked off and put in a place where they are readily available to go. Don't know what firearm I will use this year, the past eight or nine years I have killed Deer with different guns and calibers and am looking to use something new again this year. Season will be on us before you know it. Al

Have a good one young fella. Al

I would leave it alone. Al

I have never seen a more complacent group of people than those that enjoy and participate in the outdoor sports. I had one x member tell me this board is not the place for politics that have a direct relationship to the outdoors. If this is not the place to discuss such things where the hell do you discuss them. Some of these people stick their heads in the sand thinking all these crap laws are just going to go away, don't talk about it! Of course many were closet Democrats and so called Independents and just can not stand to be reminded of what their voting is doing to this country, so just eliminate it. As our freedoms keep crumbling away day by day they have no one to blame but themselves for not speaking up and doing something about it. Shhhhhhh! is their answer. It is a fight! Grow a pair!! Al

There is nothing wrong with your price Billey, in fact it is a "steal-give away", those high pressure Benjamin hand pumps cost a couple of hundred bucks alone. It is just a question of need or want and maybe the distance. Just takes times to find someone looking for that type of gun. Al

Christensen Arms Ranger come on down, let's see what you got. Yesterday I shot the challenge with the little Ranger, only a score of 7. More than anything this was a case of the equipment (namely the scope) being ill suited for the task. Having only 6X the little Burris made seeing those flies tough, even though the crosshairs are fine they still covered the fly making it hard for precise aiming. I know the rifle is capable of doing better even with the 6X scope. Most of my misses were off to the left and slightly low, I think with a small scope adjustment the hits would go up. I will be giving it another go when I get a chance and see what happens. Regardless I am leaving the Burris scope on the Ranger because the theme of this rifle for my use is a light weight run and gun Squirrel hunter and that it can do with no problem. Al

I am hoping to score on some large rifle primers, I would like to buy a bunch if I can get a decent price. Al

Like most wild gamebirds I find them just a tad on the tough side and that can be neutralized with proper cooking, as for the taste I like them a lot. Al

Way to go guys, nothing more fun than hunting with your Dog. Al

Something I look forward to, it will be interesting to see how things go with new regs. Al

Hit the timber late afternoon with the Kimber 22 rifle for the Squirrel opener and took my first Squirrel of this season. After shooting those tiny flies in that Fly Swatter Challenge with that rifle the Squirrel looked as big as an Elephant. Weather was beautiful and the woods had quite a bit of wildlife activity, saw a couple of Deer and a Gray Fox, was great to be out there. Al

Winchester Model 52B, "come on down" you will be the next participant in the Fly Swatter Challenge. Did a bit of work on my vintage model 52, the trigger was a little too light so I increased the weight of pull just a tad. I was also not getting the scope aligned and back to my eye exactly where I wanted. So a pair of a little higher extension rings brought the scope back where it needed to be and at the right height for my eyes.. This rifle had a single shot style magazine installed, it was too time consuming to load one round at a time so I acquired a five shot magazine. The vintage Redfield 3200 scope is a fine and accurate piece of equipment but very slow to get focused right where I want it compared to the newer scopes of today. It took me some time to get this Winchester right but when they are right they will shoot and it is understandable why they are called the King Of 22s. Al

Some nice table and bench tops. Al

To be on the safe side you can log on to their website and put in your name and it will tell you when your new certification is due, that is what I did last spring and for me it was Sept 1st. Al

There are vendors on Gunbroker that have it for sale, you can still buy powder and get it shipped to your door. Al

Reassembled and checked the trigger weight on a trigger scale and got a consistent crisp 3/1/2 lbs, much improved over the factory setup. If there is one thing I do not tolerate on a firearm it is a lousy trigger, a lot of aggravation getting this one where I wanted but worth it in the end. Al

I am going to be getting up to crossbow speed shortly, I picked up one of those Excaliburs that I have not shot much that I want to get at once I get done messing around with other equipment. One thing for sure it is a heck of a lot different than my Bows. Al