Pygmy

It also gives us something more to discuss on these forums... ... I enjoy discussing technical stuff regarding guns and gear.. I also have some personal opinions regarding asthetics, but I realize that they are very much that..PERSONAL opinions... I'm aware that asthetics are very much individual views... I grew up thinking that bolt action rifles with walnut stocks , classic configurations and blued finishes are a thing of beauty, and although I admit I own a few UGLY but FUNCTIONAL firearms, I still think that life is too short to hunt with an ugly gun... That said, I will concede that beauty is in the eye of the beerholder...SCUSE ME, I meant to say beholder.. ;D .. What is ugly to me may be beautiful to the next fellow... Some guys like stainless steel and composite..( GAG...!!..CHOKE..!!).. : .. Still, my preference for high quality, relatively low powered scopes goes further than that... It is based on pure utility and dependability... How many times have you or your buddies jumped a game animal at close range and been unable to get it the field of view because your variable was set too high..?.. It has happened to most guys that I know.. With my fixed Leupold 4X , I am all set to take a moving shot at close range, and if I get a chance at 300 ( or 400 for that matter) I can kill it, provided I have a good steady rest... I have done it a number of times, and people like Jack O'Connor and Bob Hagel were doing it years ago, with lower quality optics in the same power range.. I think that what bothers me most is the idea that many hunters seem to have the opinion that you can't shoot REALLY GOOD unless you have high magnification optics...I have shot too many sub-MOA groups with my 4X scopes to believe that... For bench groups that are measured in fractions of an inch, maybe so...But in the real world of hunting, at normal hunting ranges ( I consider normal ranges from 0-400 yards) a good 4X or 6X will defintely cut the mustard, and I think for many hunters it would be a BETTER TOOL than some high powered variable... Woops.. There I go again.... : .. : .. ;D ....

Yeah, it is mostly a matter of personal preference. For what it's worth, I don't think I have ever influenced anyone to buy a good quality fixed power scope, no matter how much I have preached thier merits... .... They'll listen as I prattle on about advantages such as lighter weight, smaller size, longer eye relief , generally superior optics, durability, etc. nod thier heads and smile at this crusty old fart (just to humor me) and then go out and buy some overpowered, oversized contraption to ruin the appearance and balance of a nice hunting rifle... It's no skin off my snout...I'll just continue to go out and kill stuff at all practical ranges with my sleek, wooden stocked rifles and thier antiquated 2.5X, 4X or 6X Leupies... ;D .....

I can't understand why so many hunters choose to handicap themselves by putting high magnification variables on a hunting rifle. If you are hunting prairie dogs or ground squirrels, it's one thing. They are very small targets and are nearly always stationary when you shoot at them. However prairie dogs and ground squirrels are rather hard to find in New York. A coyote is a 20 to 40 pound animal and more often than not will be moving when you shoot at it...A high power scope is a definite handicap on a moving target. I can see much more utility in a 3x9 for a coyote rifle than a 6X18 or some other such monstrosity. Especially with a .223, which limits your to shots of say 400 yards max. A 9 power scope has plenty of magnification for target aquisition on a target as big as a coyote at that range. For some reason, many hunters seem to think that the higher the magnification, the better the scope is. They would be better off buying lower magnification scopes with better optics.

Glad to help, Moosie. Good luck. You planning to fish ?

There is not a public boat launch on the south end of Keuka..The state has tried to get access for one for many years, but has always been fought tooth and nail by the residents of Hammondsport, who consider Keuka THIER private pond. It's a damn travesty. There is a launch at a motel in Hammondsport.. can't miss it..It's right on the southwest corner of the main branch of the lake.. Costs you $10, is not very elaborate, not much parking and the proprietors are a pain in the ass. However, it's all you got. The village of Hammondsport has a very nice launch for residents only..You buy a card for $30 or thereabouts for the whole year, but it doesn't do the general public much good. The Town of Wayne has a primative launch on the east side near the bluff at Keuka Village...No charge, but a long alleyway to back down and very little parking. Just south of Gibson's landing on the west side there is a small marina ( Jake's boat livery), but it is tight and parking is an issue. Keuka State Park at Branchport has an excellent launch facility, as does Penn Yan on the tip of the east branch. Other than that, I don't know much about Keuka Lake..

Cool stuff, Eddie..Thanks for sharing... It would be fun doing the shooting...LESS fun doing the bull work filling all the barrels with H2O.. For folks who haven't fired fully automatic weapons... It isn't NEARLY as easy to hit anything with one as it appears on TV... I takes a lot of practice to hold an automatic rifle or submachinegun on target for more than 2 or 3 rounds.. Generally, the more powerful the cartridge, the more difficult to control it on full auto fire.. M-14s and FNFals like the British L1A1 were notoriously difficult to fire accurately on full auto due to the power of the 7.62 x 51 cartridge... When on active duty in the Navy, I had a chance to fire a Thompson Submachine gun, which weighs 10 pounds and is chambered for the .45 auto , which is an awesome pistol cartridge,but is not very powerful compared to most battle rifle or assault rifle rounds.. It was hard to keep it on target for more than 2 or 3 rounds...

Triple ditto...The pin is the front sight and the peep serves as the rear sight. In order to get the bow to shoot lower, you must LOWER the rear sight... Works the same way with firearms...My Old Fat Father( my affectionate nickname for him..He was skinny little guy) told me something years ago that I always remember for sighting in a gun. Always move the REAR sight in the direction that you want the shot to go. If you want to shoot higher, raise the rear sight. If you want to shoot lower, lower the rear sight, etc. etc.

My local gun club is The Addison Fish& Game Club on McCarthy Road in Addison..And I just paid my daily dues this evening and it is $25 per year, rather than the $35 I quoted earlier..Just my rusty memory. I won't devulve the location of my buddy's 300 yard range, since it is on a dead end road and is private.. There are a couple of other membership ranges nearby, however.. The Painted Post Field and Stream Club in Gang Mills.. They have a very nice 200 meter range and ample covered benchrests and The Corning Fish & Game Club on Dyke Road near Corning. They both have good facilities for not a whole lot of $$...

This makes me really appreciate living out here in the sticks... I may not be able to get a NY deli pastrami sandwich, BUT, my local gun club has a shooting house with benchrest, 100 yard and 200 yard target butts, and it is open to members all day every day ... For $35 per year.. The only time it gets busy is when they shoot trap and skeet two evenings a week and on weekends. I can go there on weekdays in the morning or early afternoon and usually have the place all to myself. I also have a friend who has a 300 yard range with a bench rest that is no cost ( to friends with permission) and is open all day every day..

I just learned that bear season in PA will be open the first week of deer gun season ( Nov 28- Dec 3) in units 3A, 3C and a few other portions of other units, for hunters posessing a bear tag. The NR bear tag ($36.50 plus the $101.70 NR hunting license) must be purchased prior to the season. This may be of interest to people like me and lawdwaz, who hunt deer in unit 3A. On the property I hunt, members of my party nearly always see bears while deer hunting. Last year I did not fill any of my PA deer tags, but I could have shot 2 bears, and they were both BIG ones.

Reminds me of opening day of duck season on the Canisteo River back in the 60s.... ;D ......

Allegro Bay 31 foot Motorhome 1994 Only 25,000 miles..Starts and runs fine.. Very good condition... loaded...air conditioned, furnace, generator, self leveling system, microwave, awning, more.. Manuals and paperwork for all appliances and work that has been done on it since it was bought (used) in 2004 for $25,000. It has been used very little since then. It was checked out by a local camping center ( State Line Camping in Presho, NY) and they said everything works and the furnace has barely been used. Good tires...3 new batteries... Currently registered and NYS inspected. I have a picture on email but will need help posting it. $6500

I'm spending the day at my sister's place on Keuka Lake.. When I'm there I try to catch enough panfish ( perch & bluegills) off the dock for a meal for my sister & BIL... He has a doctorate in chemistry, but he can't fish worth a damn... ...

Hmmmmmm.... I've spent all of my life in the Southern Tier, and to me "wiped" means... Well....ER.......We won't GO there... ??? ....

Sorry something bad happened to your trail cams... As a non-computer literate dum$hit, I am not aware of what WIPED means in regard to trailcams..What actually happened.?.. I'm guessing perhaps somebody erased all your pictures, in a layman's terms...

Thanks, Covert...I have it bookmarked... I loaded up a few rounds for the .280 this afternoon..I'll report on the results. I spent the afternoon at my loading bench.. Sometimes I'm just in the mood to fiddle around with my loading stuff..Along with putting together a few .280 rounds to try, I prepped a bunch of cases in 30-06 ( Lake City military ) and 7mm08.. As soon as my buddy who has a benchrest and 300 yard range gets the HAY off his range, I am looking forward to having a few range days involving the .280, my 30-06 M1 Garand, my 7mm08 and my new squirrel rifle, a NEA single shot in .17 mach II... Is it just a co-incidence that GUN rhymes with FUN..??... ;D ....

Thanks, Eddie....The TSX and TTSX should be the same, because the bearing surfaces that contact the rifling are the same. The only difference in the bullets is that the TTSX has a plastic tip to improve the BC and help the bullet begin to expand when it hits meat. That is exactly the type of info I was looking for. I'll start a few grains below and work up to that level carefully..I was hoping for an APPX. 3000 FPS MV, which is what I get out of my Nosler BT load..

I want to work up a load for my .280 Rem featuring the Barnes 140 TTSX bullet. I don't have a Barnes manual. My pet load is currently a 140 Nosler BT with 59.5 grains of RL-19. My plan is to drop back a few grains and work up cautiously with the Barnes bullet, but I would be interested in any published data on this bullet in the .280, if anyone has any info to share.

Yeah, Eagle, I know what you mean... My Dad ( who was my hero) served on a tin can in the Pacific from 1943-1945 ( USS Cony DD-503). His GQ station was on a twin 40 MM mount, as gun captain. His ship saw lots of action.. At one time he never set foot on dry land for 6 months...Took on stores at sea, refueled at sea, took on ammo at sea.. They endured many Japanese air attacks ( and took some casualties from bomb hits) several sub attacks and supported several amphibious landings, including the one at Leyte Gulf... Another WWII vet , who was sort of my FISHING mentor, and taught me how to ice fish, tie flies and bucktail jigs, stream fish for trout, etc. served on a sub in the Pacific ( SSN Pargo) which sunk around 20 Japanese ships..His boat was running on the surface in the Sea of Japan and heard the detonation from the Hiroshima bomb... They are both gone now and I think of them and miss them every day...

Newbreed... Do my eyes detect a couple of GENNY LITE cans sitting around the boat..?.. ;D ... Gotta use the proper bait.... ...

I put a tang peep sight on my TC Hawken about 15 years ago..Seems like it was made/marketed by TC..I really can't remember.. I had to adjust the rear peep UP quite a ways, but the bead front sight works well with it.. I shot PRBs for deer for years, but tried the Noexcuses 460 conicals when working up an elk load in 2004...They shoot so well and are so easy to load, I never went back to the PRBs.

Sounds like you had a great day, Noodle... That 22" male brownie must have been gorgeous.. Whatcha fishing on that centerpin...bait..? Nymphs..??..

A very hearty congrats, Eddie... Maintaining a relationship that long is a real challenge in this day and age.. Beware, though..Within a couple more years, the HONEYMOON may be over.. ....

Nice catch...That walleye has my mouth watering... The pict of the northern looks like the south side of California Ranch... My fiance and I were on Honeyoye the 29th, too, targeting bluegills, We kept 25 slab gills, two perch and one unfortunate largemouth that was hooked too deep to release... Just finished a fish fry featuring the panfish filets...YUM !!

I've been a member since 1967.... Whether or not you like thier modus operandi , the NRA is still the NUMBER ONE reason that we still posses our gun rights in this country. If you don't believe this, just listen to how the anti gun LEFT whines about the influence that the NRA has. Politicians are scared SHITLESS to run afoul of the NRA, and for good reason. Through that organization, supporters of the Second Amendment can MAKE or BREAK a national election , and have many times. If you are a gun owner and don't support the NRA, that is your perogative, but understand that your rights as a gun owner probably would not exist today, except for the efforts of the NRA and its members..