Setters4life

The FAA has recorded more than 10,000 bird strikes by aircraft for the last three years. 2012 looks to be on track to equal that number. Maybe we should ban planes?

I was a bit miffed last week when I heard that the Arizona crazy (Jared Laughner) who shot Rep. Gabby Giffords and 17 others in his shooting spree was sentenced to multiple counts of life after pleading guilty. (And that shooting occurred only last year.) That was swift, and equally as high profile a case as the Ft. Hood shooting. Meanwhile, the Ft. Hood shooting occurred in 2009, and the bum is still awaiting trail? Last week his lawyers filed their appeal of rulings that he can have his beard forcibly shaved before his murder trial. (Ahh gee, too bad.)

I get the gist of illegal trade. I never saw this treaty as an afront to rights of citizens in the U.S. And while the U.S. is the largest arms trader in the world, we're not the ones shipping AK-47's to pocket dictators in third-world countries. I'm speaking out loud and questioning if this treaty could restrict international sales to police, military and commercial markets from companies like Ruger, Colt, S&W, Remington, Mossberg, Barrett, etc., all who do business there today. The last fifty years we've seen most of the anti-gun legislation implemented in this country, including some that involve/restrict importation of certain arms to the U.S. (BATFE criteria defined that in the GCA of '68.) We've seen death by a thousand cuts for quite a while now.

Maybe he won't take away our guns just yet, but his administration is enaging with the U.N. over that arms treaty that came out earlier this year. Saw this on Reuters yesterday (the old U.N. Arms Treaty is back in the limelight): http://www.reuters.c...288381481237582 And while many have said that 2A rights in the United States will not be fiddled with should this go through, it still strikes a nerve if export sales are curtailed. U.S. armsmakers export a sizeable number of firearms overseas for commercial sale. Will that change? (My friends in Greece bird hunt with their Rem. 870's and Mossberg 500's.) They'd be upset if they couldn't buy another one someday. And I'm certain U.S. armsmakers would be upset at a significant loss of revenue.

A big difference. The 7mm Mag. I had was a comfortable shooting rifle, but it had a well-designed stock and it was heavy. But was it ever heavy! (Probably why I sold it.) My .30-06 760 carbine from the 60's kicks the most of my 06's because of that skinny, narrow little thing they call a stock with its aluminum buttplate. But it's a handy, accurate rifle; which is why I like it.

Recoil-wise I'd say they are close to being the same. Muzzle blast from the 7mm Mag. I was always accutely aware of. Use this recoil calculator and compare similar loads in a rifle of the same weight. (You'll need to know the powder weight to complete the calculation. If you don't reload simply grab them from reloading data you can find anywhere on the internet. I.E. http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp) Recoil calculator: http://www.handloads...calc/recoil.asp

You can, if you look hard enough, find a good used one. Unfortunately they won't drop out of the sky. Sometimes the search is part of the fun too. Old American doubles are classics, but there are some good imported ones too (new and used) that are worth looking at. Just about everyone has a "Grandpa's shotgun" that was a classic, old American double.tucked away that they cherish and still use. They are the lucky ones. Here is a good article by Chuck Hawks that offers alternatives, and stays away from suggesting the better quality side by side's like L.C. Smith, A.H. Fox, Lefever, Parker and WInchester M21's. The only one that may be difficult to find is Ruger's Gold Label; which disappeared as quickly as it appeared. Unfortunately many of these won't sell for a "few hundred," but if you find the right one it will be worth paying the extra scratch. http://www.chuckhawk...ble_doubles.htm

I've already passed that stage. They are at the point now where they all have their own cars!

There are times I wish all my kids were 2 again.

It seems that certain regions are not really safe havens to place a U.S. ambassador. The last five killed in the line of duty were in such regions, and look at the groups that claimed responsibilibty for their deaths. Any similarities? Christopher Stevens - Libya (Supporters of Shariah) - 2012 Adolph Dubs - Afghanistan (Islamic extremists) - 1979 Francis Meloy - Lebanon (Palestinian separatist group) - 1976 Roger Davies - Cyprus (Greek Cypriots) - 1974 Cleo Noel - Sudan (PLO) - 1973

With proper 12 ga.loads, an IC choke is adequate for pheasants out to 35 yds. The pattern is still enough to prevent a bird to fly through and hit will bring it down and it will still suffice as good tablefare. You should pattern your gun with a variety of chokes and loads so you can determine how it shoots each one. Stick with #6's or #5's for pheasant and you'll be successful. Both sizes will handle a variety of situations and presentations. With a pointing dog on upland game, I'll use SKT/MOD in my 20 ga. double. It's more than enough even with light loads. I pass on those going-away shots of far-out birds because the kill area is small, and a pheasant's backside is like armor plate. Quartering and crossing shots are a different animal. Full choke is something you use for wild Kansas pheasants on a windy day when they flush wild out in front of the dogs. When you hit them with the right stuff, they come back a lot less fiesty.

Grouse or quail usually are specifically targeted. In NJ here, it was often the case to find quail in pheasant habitat and vice versa. Ditto for other states like IL, MO and MD where I have hunted them. The grouse is the prince of the forest, and probably the toughest of game birds to take. Hope to get out for some this year. I have hunted them in PA, NY, NJ and ME. I have hunted quail in VA, MO, IL, MD. and in my home state of NJ. New Jersey which had a sizable population of native birds in the southern portions of the state like Ocean, Cape May and Cumberland counties some forty years ago. (As a kid, I can remember piling into Dad's 1948 DeSoto and later in his 1962 Plymouth station wagon with him driving 3 hrs. one-way to hunt quail in southern NJ for the day, then coming home at night dead tired.) Up until the late 70's it was pretty good. Farming practices and encroaching civilization changed all that. Down here they have closed quail hunting on all the WMA lands except two, which the state stocks for a period of time until the end of the year. As you can imagine, stocked quail are not the same as wild birds. As part of a Quail Unlimited initiative, they has shortened the season as well (ditto for grouse) to try and bring back the population. I suspect their efforts will be futile. Each day brings less open land in this state. Habitat is key. For quail you can use small shot (9's & 8's) and for grouse you can use the same size shot. Some use 7 1/2's but I don't think I've ever used it. Quail are tiny like a woodcock, they don't need much to bring them down. They appear fast on takeoff and they can unnerve you just like a grouse when they rocket away. Grouse are taken up close, so tiny shot works fine on them. I've never hunted in a grouse woods or taken a shot or hit one farther than 25 yds. away. Cover us usually thick, and their presence is limited and fleeting. Everyone knows you can't hit a grouse in open cover anyway.

Very nice. Congrats.

The tail feathers make nice table arrangements your wife or mother will love.

Correct. Some areas up there regularly record a snowfall average of 12' each year. 2011/2012 they recorded slightly less that 2', making for an early Spring and a drier season. My friend recorded a higher count of birds dusting themselves and picking gravel along the roads this summer. That was always the big argument pre-season at family get-togethers when planning our hunt came around; what week to go to Maine;. Should it be "first week, second week, third week or fouth week?" was the dilemma. Early season holds lots of foliage still and flights aren't moving. I've been up there as early as the first week, and as late as Halloween when the leaves are down, hoping for flight birds. I remember some years wearing just a tee-shirt and vest because it was so hot, and other years finding a dusting of snow on the ground every morning to reveal fresh moose tracks outside the cabin. The North Maine Woods roads are comprised of more than 3,000 miles of permanent gravel roads and then unmaintained roads that lead to nowhere. Any place along these routes in logging country with new clearcuts offer good grouse hunting. Not to hijack your post, but it makes me long for going back there. Pic my friend sent me of Gary Grouse strutting on the North Maine Woods Road this summer:

Nice pictures and story. There's nothing like a trip to Maine. When I was a kid my dad started taking us along the eastern coast by towns like Ellsworth, Cherryfield and Machais. My first trip there was in 1970. (My Dad had been going since the 40's right after the war.) He and my uncle were the best "guides" I knew when they took me. We used to get into some big flights of woodcock back then and the old abandoned farms in that area with new alder growth were perfect covers for woodcock. Lots of grouse too. Most recently I've hunted up in Ashland, north of Baxter State Park. That area was the most populated with grouse that I've seen in years. I was hoping to go this year but life didn't allow for such. I am hoping I get up there next year. Yes, locals patrol the woods roads and it's common practice for them to take their grouse by resting an elbow on the hood of the truck and popping one or two while they're picking gravel along the road. Early-season grouse are easier to get this way vs. late season grouse.

Another plug for the .243 (or its bastard cousin the 6mm Rem.) Bullet weights from lightweight 55 gr. can break the 4.000 fps barrier and you can go up to 115 gr. VLD types for long-range shooting. This covers anything from target to varmint to medium-sized game. Recoil is mild, and the cartridge has a good reputation for being accurate and easy to reload for. Whether the twist in your barrel can handle all those weights accurately can only be determined through trial and error. (I've had good luck with 65 grs. through 105 grs. in a 1x9 twist in my 6mm Rem.)

Always liked the numbers on this wildcat. Weatherby even chambered this round in their Mark V action some years ago trying to breath some life into it. I was tempted to get one of their lightweight versions when they came out but I never progressed on that thought. I think there are better .33 caliber bullets out there (thanks to the merits of the .338 Win. Mag,) vs. the selection of bullets for the .35 calibers should you handload for this. There is still some factory Weatherby A-Square ammo loaded with Nosler bullets floating around for sale but it's not cheap. Just my $.02.

Yes, buy and try as many as you can that are designed for smoothbore barrels. You might be surprised at the accuracy you get, if you are staying within 50-70 yards, you will find something that works well.

You can't go wrong with any 7mm. Everyone I know we shoots a 7mm-08 today sings nothing but praises for it as the perfect deer rifle. (I shot a 7mm Mag. for some years, and liked the range of bullets offered for the 7mm's, but the Magnum always seemed a bit much for Eastern deer for me.) I'm a big fan of the 6mm Rem. & .257 Roberts today, but a 7mm is a great bullet diameter that offers both good B.C. & S.D. in a large variety of bullet weights.

Obama is our out of touch president. Robo-signatures - http://www.thegatewa...y-electric-pen/ Mr. Gutsy Call: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1x-5pCSI84& And my favorite story in the news right now, ICE chief Suzanne Barr, another Obama appointee gone bad - http://www.independe...awsuit-alleges/

His administration and first term have been laced with similar gaffs, from ones such as this example to his unfeeling robo-signed form letters sent to the parents of the deceased Navy SEALs killed in that helicopter crash.

Same load I've used for years: 430 gr. Maxi-Ball w/ 110 grs. of Pyrodex out of my .54 Renegade. Accurate and powerful.

$75 is a steal. I've never had the patience for PRB's. Had good luck and accuracy with the Maxi-Balls in the T/C. Good luck with it and great find!

Based on the pictures floating around on the internet, I don't see a lot of evidence markers surrounding the shooter. http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=050_1345831111