airedale

Starting with the Ruger number 1 rifle, if it is in nice condition $950 is a very good price. Good minus a scope Number 1s are going for 1500 to 1600 dollars all day long and some want much more. The 45-70 cartridge is a classic that has been around since the late 1800s and remains popular to this day largely because it was once a US military cartridge and there are a pile of rifles over the years that have been chambered for it. With the right loads just about anything that walks can be taken with a 45-70. I have some experience with the cartridge owning a Marlin 1895 lever action and a Thompson Center single shot Encore, have killed three Deer with the Marlin and can say it will do the job. As for being a single shot I personally do not find that to be a handicap, many moons ago my first hunting gun was a Savage single shot 22 and that rifle took it's share of small game. Today I am a big fan of single shots and own several including a couple of Number 1s. The last two Deer I have taken have been with single shots and down through the years have taken quite a few others. The Ruger Number one is a Rifle that exudes class, there are not many firearms that can equal it's classic lines and look. Al

Greg Hertel Wyoming rancher and on the side Lion hunter has posted some of his adventures on my Airedale board. He has had some pretty good success this winter and I thought I would share some of his photos and a story over here. Al We took a couple of days off after the last run, dogs were tired and it was really really cold. I hiked a few drainages every day just to scout and see what was around. This morning it was -5 and clear. Right at daylight we headed up a route to the base of the Mesa that sits about the ranch. It was going to be a warmer, sunny afternoon and I knew it was going to be the last day of snow on the Mesa, so our plan was to check all along it this morning. I had my bluetick hound on a leash, Stitch and Etta were running loose. Etta was above me as we were approaching our high point and Stitch was across a gully checking out a small patch of juniper and cottonwood. All of a sudden he started barking like he does when looking at a grizzly. I turned Buddy loose and Etta went charging over there. They were all treeing hard as I approached to see a cat down low in a small cottonwood. As I approached, Stitch climbed up in the tree, which he usually never does. He was able to get right under the cat and grabbed its tail in his mouth and started pulling. I was videoing but quit when he got under the cat. The first picture shows him starting to climb up there. The cat came out of the tree and landed right on the rest of the dogs. I hit it with my ski pole and it took off and treed a short distance away. Buddy, my bluetick had a small cut on his leg but the rest were unmarked. Stitch was going nuts treeing but did not try to climb up that tree. I don't like them to climb up with the cats, too much can go wrong. Was a pretty exciting morning. Greg

More Jim Thorpe

Did not watch it but caught some highlights on the local news, that old liver spot Pelosi sitting behind sleepy Joe is a perfect complement. She looked like a trained chimpanzee jumping up and down clapping and smacking her lips cheering on her hero's lousy first year's performance. Al

Some years back before the Ruger Number 1, the Browning Hi Wall and Marlin 95 were chambering these modern firearms in 45-70 the Siamese Mauser conversion to that cartridge was a fairly popular option to make and get the most potential out of the old military shell. Some of my old loading manuals have special loads exclusively for that conversion. Your Siamese Mauser is one of the better ones I have seen, with the right ammo you could hunt just about anything with that rifle, congratulations. Al

Nice trailer Moog and a smart move going with aluminum. I was in the market a few years ago and even considered good used as a first option but it seems like every steel trailer I looked at had rust problem and that carried over to brand new ones on the lot. I said the heck with that and went with an aluminum model. I have a steel dump trailer and I found the best way to hold the rust at bay with that is to use truck bed paint. Zero rust and it wears like iron. Al

This is a solvable problem that is happening not because they are 38 spl, it is the particular loading of this ammunition I am betting. Run off a dozen empty cases through your sizing dies and load them up with a moderate load and see if they still stick, also powder itself has a lot to do with dirtiness, there are some powders that perform well and are pretty clean burning. Al

And he gives his typical deflection answer, If I was a betting person I would bet no and the same for his alter ego Left Field! Al

The loose fitting cases of the 38 ammo should not effect their performance, they in fact load in the cylinder easier when using a speed loader. The 38 special cases also work better for light target loads especially with very fast powders like titewad or bullseye, their smaller case capacity gives better ignition with those light 2 to 3 gr powder charges. Those 38 cases can also be loaded with very heavy plus P loads that can come close to 357 ballistics. Make sure they are never used in a 38 spl gun. Al

I cringed every time I saw what was probably an expensive rifle getting dropped and banged around. I once had a Ruger 77 458 Winchester mag, it was a heavy recoiling rifle but nothing like the 700 nitro in the video. I think half the problem was those guys were holding the rifle way too loose. Al

Some Arab guys trying out an 700 Nitro Elephant Rifle

Was a good day to hit the Squirrel woods, they were moving good, got a couple this morning and have enough for a good meal, am done for the year on Squirrels. Al

And above we have another one of his typical trolling posts! Can not seem to post anything useful! Al

I have heard of putting heated smooth stones in old wool socks and keeping them in pockets for hand warmers, I like the egg idea and having them for a snack. I once read somewhere that live Button Quail were kept in pockets as hand warmers. Al

As far as I am concerned they are one and the same, they are "THEE" definition of being a message board trolls. They use a facade of being some kind of outdoor sportsmen for being a member but yet rarely if ever post anything useful within those lines, they look like a couple of phonies. It is abundantly clear that their sole mission on this board is to push their liberal socialist agenda and do it with no debating just deflection and cheap shots to stir the pot, plain old fashioned trolling. Al

He and his alter ego Versatile Hunter are nothing more than libtard trolls, sez a lot about a person when they are supposed to be vacationing and they waste time day and night trolling and stiring the pot. A full fledged dedicated troll that should have been canned a long time ago. Al

Congrats, a good savings on a good manual, I have the number nine version and still use a couple of loads I found in it. I sure wish Speer would bring back those half jacket pistol bullets in both 44 and 357. Al

Getting around the second amendment 101, and just the beginning, frivolous lawsuits, fees and licensing schemes, permits, insurance to own, banning lead ammo, creating as many hurdles as possible making gun ownership as hard as they can. Al

He alternates with his alter ego Left Field

I have used swaged lead, hard cast and Berry's plated lead, they all have their uses depending on what kind of shooting you want to do. I bought bulk swaged lead back when I first started reloading and learned some hard lessons fast. They have to be loaded at very low velocities or you will have a lead plated bore. I had my first reloads loaded just a bit hot and was getting severe leading in my 357 handguns of the day. I made good use of the Lewis lead remover pictured below. I regulate swaged lead to plinking and target shooting. Hard cast is much better when it comes to leading, with the right alloy they can be loaded hot with little or no leading, in semi wadcutter style they work great for hunting also. Their drawback is the lube used on them can be very messy and dirty. Just started using the plated lead recently and I like them a lot, they are accurate, can be loaded fairly hot with zero leading and are reasonably priced. I have been using the 158 gr hp pictured below. I have not hunted with them yet but I think they will work fine with a properly placed shot. Al

Jim Thorpe one of the best all around athletes ever and a hunter. Al

Congratulations on your new 25-06, the cartridge is one of my favorites. Had the pleasure to own two rifles, one was a semi custom job setup strictly as a varmint rifle base on an FN Mauser action with a 26 inch Douglas premium barrel and topped with a Redfield 20x straight power scope, made a few unreal long shots with that one. The second one I set up fairly recently based on a Thompson Center Pro Hunter Encore single shot, this one I wanted to use as a dual purpose rifle for both Deer and Varmints. This one wears a (discontinued) Burris Timberline compact 4.5x14 which is very light and small to help keep the weight down. If you are a stand hunter not doing much walking carrying long distances and watching over open land a heavy high powered scope is great especially for long shots on Woodchucks. Firearms I use when on the move and especially when hunting woods I keep the weight down and use a bit lower power with big fields of view. Al

I have only saw one Fox Squirrel ever, it was of the gray colored variety and was probably twice the size of an average Gray Squirrel. I have seen plenty of photos of them and they come in a wide variety of colors some of which are quite striking. Don't need many to make a good meal. Al

The Lyman manuals are a good choice, I started out with the 44th edition and a few years ago grabbed a 49th edition. I still use a couple of those original loads today as I have found nothing better. I used to subscribe to Ken Waters Handloader Magazine, he had what he called a pet load section in the issues where he would wring out everything he could from a cartridge performance wise. Some years ago they took all of those pet load articles and put them in one over 1100 page massive book called "Pet Loads", it is my go to book when I start getting real serious. Sometimes one can find a used second edition fairly cheap on ebay, it is well worth having in a serious reloader's arsenal. The only drawback is it does not have data for the latest new cartridges. Al

Congrats, I can tell you I am satisfied with my 6 inch GP100, you will have fun for years to come. Al