airedale

2400 is my favorite powder for both 357 and 44 mags, the Win 296 has no flies on it from the limited experience I have with it. Unique is a good powder also giving good all around performance at a lower cost per shot. I have shot ammo with both powders you list, the H110 I think is better for a 357 and it has worked ok for me but my main use for it is loading 22 Hornet ammo. The 4227 is a bit slow I think for 357 in handguns, would probably work a bit better if used in a rifle. A friend of mine gave me a box of 44 mag ammo he loaded using 4227, I did not get very good accuracy with those particular loads out of my Redhawk. If I get around to it I will give what is left of them a try in my Marlin 94 rifle. I never used Titegroup powder but it has a good reputation for medium loads. I did buy several pounds of Titewad for use in shotguns, relatively new for use in handgun cartridges it is pretty much the same as Bullseye. Al

I think I may have mentioned it here once before, years ago myself and some of my hunting compadres went on a Squirrel hunt and it was anything goes, Grays, Reds and Chipmunks. We got ourselves quite the pile of rodents, cleaned them all up and one of the guys took them all home and his wife made up a big stew and did some up in tomato sauce. We were all invited over for a Squirrel feast, the eating was good and other than body size I could not tell the difference in taste between any of them. Chipmunks are on the small side but when you think about it I would say they amount to be about the same size wise as Quail. Ammo is a little tight these days so a good quality pellet rifle would do the trick hunting Chipmunks on the cheap. My little Benjamin P-Rod parlor gun would be just the ticket for them as it will easily shoot dime size groups at 30 yds, should be plenty good on Squirrels at moderate range also.

Of Modern Times??? This guy is the all times worst!

Like Humans our dogs and especially hunting dogs in the field are subject to Ticks, I have had several come down with Lyme and one of my best Airedales died from Ehrlichia which the Vet said was from a tick bite. Been using the purple cattle tags for a few years now and so far so good when it comes to ticks. Al

Rachunter I picked up the same revolver a year ago, the GP100 is a good solid reliable shooter. I did a write up on how I tuned it to my preferences in this section a few pages back. Ammo for everything these days is hard to come by, I have had decent results in finding bullets for reloading. Right now Midway USA has bullets in stock. As for bullet weights I almost always fall to a middle of the road weight with just about every cartridge I shoot, these give the best balance of both trajectory and energy. If I do my part and put the shot on target I get good results. Back when I got my first 357 I found a load in one of the gun magazines I subscribed to using Speer 140gr hps and 146gr hp half jacket bullets. I used that data and had very good results for both accuracy and on several Deer along with a pile of Woodchucks. This year because of difficulty getting 2400 powder and Speer bullets I went with something different component wise because it was available to purchase, Win 296 powder and Hornady 140 gr XTPs, accuracy was good and I used the load on a Deer out of my Henry single shot. A heart shot that was a complete pass through at about 75 yards, the Deer did not go far, I think the same ammo out of my revolver will produce the same results with a properly placed shot. I believe 158gr bullets from a good maker will work just as well. Midway also has Berry's copper washed lead bullets in stock, they are bargain priced and shoot great. Al

I have eaten the Reds and as far as I can tell they taste the same as Grays but they are much smaller so you have to knock off a bunch to make a good size meal. As for Rabbits I like domestic Rabbit the best, had it only a few times but can say the meat is not as dry as the wild variety and very tasty. Cottontails come in next for flavor with Hares bringing up the rear, I believe their diets are a big factor in how they taste. Al

I believe it is an alert call and classify it more of a locating call, what it will do it make other Squirrels in the vicinity start to chime in, from there the actual fun comes in, it is up to me to make a spot and stalk into shooting range and make the kill. Al

When you get to be my age most of your friends will be lame-Physically You hit the nail on the head Dan, I was with some friends shooting the breeze this past fall and got to talking about baseball and softball which I played a lot of when a young feller and come to realize that out of a couple of dozen teammates just me and one other guy are still alive. Same with many of the folks I hunted with, man have passed on or are not able to get around well physically. As for concerts I went to quite a few back in the day but the bands I prefer are now mostly older than me and pretty much shutdown. The stuff that is tried to be passed off as music today I have no desire to see or listen to. Al

The sounds most of the Squirrel calls I have duplicate pretty much what the Squirrel in the video is saying. I also have a whistle call that is supposed to help make a hiding treed Squirrel expose itself. You can go on youtube and see and hear many hunters demonstrating calls and hear how they actually sound. The calls I use most of the time when after Squirrels are pictured on the lanyard below, they have produced for me both predators and Squirrels, I stick with what works. Al

I have several Squirrel calls and have had very spotty results using them. For the most part they seem not to do much good in producing shots, that being said I have had several times using them where they actually worked. Once on a stand using one of those rubber bulb type calls I had a Squirrel come in from behind me and jumped on my back and go right up on my head and leap up on to the tree I was sitting against. I let out a scream that would have made Fay Wray proud. The best I can figure is they sometimes trigger a territorial response. Al

Like Rabbits Squirrels can be hunted with dogs, I can say a top Squirrel dog is not easy to come by and they are special. A video below shows a bit of insight, these folks are knocking off Fox Squirrels which are quite large compared to Grays. Also a photo of some of my Airedales that were half way decent on a hunt, a buddy of mine from PA came up to my place to pick up an Airedale pup. He brought along his Kemmer Cur "the blond dog" which is one of the best breeds for Squirrels. Al

I have been out a few times, my Squirrel population is a bit low in my usual spots so I have taken it easy on them. Want to knock off one more and I will have enough to make a good pot of stew. Al

One of my favorite places, been down there several times. It is Airedale country, got my first Airedale Terrier from Mooreland Kennels Sparta Tenn back in 1970, went down and purchased another 20 years later. Another Airedale breeder I exchanged dogs and visited with several times lived in Viola Tenn and another in Manchester, some good times and good friends. Hunted hogs many years ago on the Tellico plains. Saw plenty of game. You will like it down there. Al

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!! Just for the Hell of it take a good look at the last 100 or so posts you have made! You are a Troll "Par Excellence", if you have contributed one thing that would help me in the outdoors I must have missed it! Al

The first half of my hunting life all my Deer hunting was done with various slug guns. My first new gun was a 20 ga Ithaca Deerslayer, went to a 20 ga Remington 1100 with a 2.5 Weaver scope, from there to a model 51 Ithaca Deerslayer semi auto. My final piece is a Winchester Super X Model 1 which I still have. I had Lefever Arms in Lee Center NY make me up a special slug barrel for the Winchester as per one of my gun nut buddys (A Toolmaker) who swore he came up with a tack driving winner. A 28 inch plain barrel was purchased, Lefever cut the barrel to 25 inches and I had them install a set of Browning open sights on it. With the old Remington 7/8 ounce slug I was getting groups at 75 yards with most if not all shots touching. Sent the gun back up to Lefever and had them drill and tap it for a scope base, mounted a straight Leupold 3X and was one happy chappy. Used the Winchester for many years and killed a pile of Deer with it, one of the better ones pictured below. Moved to rifle country back in the mid eighties and that was pretty much it for the Super X1 Winchester, slugs and Deer hunting. Al

Congrats folks, you will not be sorry you took the plunge, Grampy's advice about reading everything you can get your hands on is sound. I have at least a dozen reloading manuals and have gained solid information from all of them, older manuals can be purchased on ebay for a song if you shop right and the info within is still relevant and useful. Also online sites providing sound reloading info are many. The 243 was the first cartridge I loaded for and still have and use the equipment that was purchased over 50 years ago. IMR 4895 was the powder I used for several bullets and rifles with perfect success. A lot of water under the bridge since those days and powder and bullet choices have jumped tremendously. Good score on the Varget powder, it is hard to come by, I have my name on Midway's list for some when they get it in. Al

I am a big fan of double shotguns mostly because of the old school tradition and look they evoke, but they do have the advantages you listed of having two different loads to cover different situations afield. I admit I have zero experience hunting Turkeys with a double but I have used them for all other wing shooting and small game up to Fox size with good success, there is no reason why a quality double would not make a good Turkey gun. Mine are not the high end fancy jobs, they are of medium quality and will pattern as well as my dedicated Remington 870 Waterfowl-Turkey gun. Also I like double triggers over a single selective. Mine are all side by sides except for one 28 ga over and under. Al

Cover is the key for sure, those thick briar patches make it tough for the varmints and hawks also. I liked hunting old hillside grown up crab apple orchards and briar patches for Cotton Tails, I have found that Grouse like the same cover too. My Airedales worked real well to flush them out of that type of habitat for a shot. Below is a photo of Airedale (Dill) owned by a woman from England on my Airedale board, they call their method of Rabbit and Hare hunting "Bushing". They use various Terriers to root them out of the thick stuff, rough work for rough dogs. Al

Beagles are one of the most refined hunting breeds in existence, they have been specifically bred to hunt Rabbits and Hare for hundreds of years. I have had other dogs breeds that could put Rabbits in the bag for me, I had a pretty fair English Coonhound that was good and even had an Airedale that put out quite a few for me but all and all a well bred Beagle is the way to go. There are nuances within the Beagle breed relating to size, nose and speed, I hunted mostly Hare on snow so I wanted Beagles up on legs and that had cold noses. Al

Not many things more fun than good Rabbit-Hare habitat, a good Beagle and a suitable firearm. Want to get a newbie or kid hooked on hunting there is nothing better than starting them out on rabbits. Nice little film than explains things, brings back many good memories for me. Al

The only thing I put away was the rifle and ammo I hunted Deer with and switched it out for shotguns and varmint rifles, small game is in full swing for me so I have a couple of months to go before everything gets put away. It is the best time of the year. Al

No, his name is Richard Ley, he is an old time Houndsman that lives in New Mexico, he has a long history hunting successfully Mountain Lions. Al

Yes he did and if one does any amount of actual game tracking they would know exactly what was meant. Al

Carlos I picked up one of those Frankford Arsenal case cleaners a few years ago and it does a real good job. One thing you have to check before seating your primers is the flash hole in the primer pocket, after cleaning I found about one in ten cases had a piece of tumbling media stuck in the flash hole, to prevent any ignition problems I used a correctly sized punch to push it out. Al

As one of my mentors once told me. "Blessed is the tracker for he drinks deep where others only sip and animals write their life's story for him" Al