wildcat junkie

Range Report: We made a change to the "package" by swapping out the "Chinese Weaver" for my 3-9X40 Leupold VX-I 3-9X40. It barely fit between the OE rings/mounts but there was about 1/8" to spare. Not ideal, but acceptable. I split the difference. I had also previously adjusted the "Accu-trigger" to just under 3#. The end result was a quite pleasing to the eye IMO. When we got to the range I helped Curtis (the young man that purchased the rifle) settle into the sand bags & had him dry fire the rifle several times. Since the weapon was no longer "bore sighted" we stated of at 25 yds. After making adjustments after the 1st shot, I had it pretty well dialed in @ 25 yds. We moved the target out to 100yds & he fired a 5 shot group to assure we wouldn't be chasing flyers when we fine tuned it. Now bear in mind that Curtis had anly fired 1 round from a ,270 sometime in the past & he shot a few rounds out of my Dad's 30/40 Krag @ a milk jugs a few weeks back. He seems to take instruction well. After a bit of coaching the results were quite impressive. The bullet hole marked "1" @ 7 o'clock low on the picture below was the 1st shot @ 25 yds. The hole marked "2" is the next shot after reticle adjusment. The 100 yd 5 shot group circled @ 11 o'clock high is the very 1st group this young man has ever attempted W/a CF rifle. The group @ 12 0'clock on the center bull was after I made adjusments for 2 1/2" high POI. If you discount the flyer @ 11 o'clock, that's about a 1 1/2" group. Pretty damned good for the 1st try by a novice. As is sometimes the case. His 1st attempt was his best & I think he got to trying too hard. The group on the bull lower right was mine & I was having a hard time seeing the small bull through the glass W/my 60+ year old eyes. it was blending into the larger bull in the center. After shooting the 4 CF rifles we had brought to the range for a few hours, we took the 7mm-08 & my 8X57 to the 200yds range. The backstop is a high bank where the range was dug into a hill side. The berm is about 250yds from the firing line. We took turns firing @ volleyball & larger sized rocks on the berm. Using dead on holds we were all able to cosistantly hit the large rocks W/the 7mm-08 resulting in a satifying thump & clouds of dust. Everone got to take a few cracks W/the ful power Euro spec loads from the 8X57 which resulted in a deeper "whump" & even larger clouds of dust. Curtis is quite pleased W/his purchase. He is going to apply his $50 rebate & what ever we can get for his Kaspa on e-bay towards a Boyds Classic laminated stock. W/ the addition of a stable platform for the action, I think this weapon will be a real tack driver, especially once he gets a lttle more trigger experience.

Loading Bench Report: First we'll go over the results of my brief bit of load development. I had data from my previous load experience with the 7mm-08. I develope my base data from "Quickload", a very reliable software program for predicting internal ballistics. It can be uncanny in its predictions of Mv/pressure. As with "book data" one needs to back off starting loads if unfamiliar with the case/bullet/powder combo or the particular weapon that is being loaded for the 1st time around. There is a thread about this particular weapon here. http://huntingny.com/forums/topic/26124-savage-axis-ii-im-impressed-and-im-pretty-picky/ I had found in the past that "high energy" powders such as Vihtavouri N500 series will achieve up to 100 fps better Mv at similar pressure compared to the various old standbys like IMR, Hodgdon, etc conventional powders. More recently, Alliant RL17 has been developed for the new breed of "short magnums" & it will perform similar to Vv N550 in medium case volume/bore ratio cartridges. I had nearly a pound of Vv N550 on hand, so that was the powder I used. My previous 2900 fps load for my M700 7mm-08 was 47gr of Vv N550 behind a 140gr Nosler BT. Since the chamber of the Savage AXIS-II was considerably tighter than the M700 I backed off 2gr. I felt this was a good starting point since the magazine length of the Savage allowed me to seat the bullets out .050" farther to get them close to the rifling lands, thus somewhat mitigating the higher expected chamber pressure from the tight chamber. "QuickLoad" predicted about 2825 fps @ 48K chamber pressure W/the 139gr SST @ 2.850" OAL. As usual, Vv N550 reached a bit more Mv than predicted & the bullets were leaving the barrel in the 2875 fps range W/ some hitting just a bit over 2900. I felt I had room for just a bit more powder so I bumped it up .5gr. Mv icreased only slightly, but it became more consistant. Quickload predicted about 2860 fps @ 50K chamber pressure. Actual Mv indicated chamber pressure closer to 60K so this was close to SAMMI max spec & still perfectly safe in a bolt action rifle of modern design. There where no physical signs of high pessure. No hard bolt lift, ejector pin marks on the case head or severely flattened primers. Below are the results. 5 Shot String Data: High Mv: 2928 fps Low Mv: 2901 fps Av Mv: 2912 fps Ex spread: 26.2 fps Std dev: 11.4 fps Av dev: 8 fps This is some of the best consistancy I have ever seen. I decided to load up the 75 remaining 139gr SSTs for a range session.

I bought my son an RWS M48 Diana .22 pellet rifle a few years back. I figured he could roam our farm & learn to shoot W/O having projectiles reach any of the neighboring properties in our rural area. Mv is about 900 fps W/14gr pellets. It shoots pretty flat out to 30-35 yds W/Crosman premier pellets. They are a tiny bit heavier than the cheaper daisy pellets & they have a domed head. They start ot W/a bit less Mv but retain velocity much better & don't start to fall off as quickly. They have good energy retention at those ranges. The Premiers will pentrate the breast of a barn pigeon & make a pretty good whack when they hit the 1" roof deck planks after a pass through. With the extra heavy 21gr Beeman "Kodiak" pellets it will penetrate 1" rough sawn pine planks with plenty of remaining energy at close range. They pass completely through a 1 gal milk jug full of water & penetrate into a 2nd at 60yds. There are some good Mv/retained energy/trajectory charts for various pellets on some of the air rifle sites. The Crossman Premiers seem to be the best compromise.

On nearly vertical shots, there would be no difference in the lethality at ground level of a 22lr or 22rf mag with the same weight projectile. There wouldn't even be that much of a difference in a 22 pellet rifle with some of the really heavy "Kodiac" pellets on steep shots. Gravity will pull the bullets down after they heve spent their energy. Mv will only make the bullet travel farther upwards & to a lesser extent horizontally before they start to fall to the ground. After some distance falling, the bullets will reach terminal velocity & the speed will not increase any more no matter how far the drop. For arrows I used flu-flus. For me, blunts didn't work that well to "anchor" squirrels reliabley (at least not widwestern Fox Squirrels) & pointed arrows stick into tree trunks if that is what is meant by "backstop". Radial fletch on flu-flus shoot fairly flat until the fletch fluffs out as the arrow slows down to put on the brakes & act like a parachute. I used something similar to the 2nd from the top with less of the helical feathers. I trimmed them with a feather burner. Plain radial fletch like that in the center tends to get crushed in the quiver & the short helical fletch like the example just above it helps support the small radial fletch near the nock. They would give another 5-10 yds of flat trajectory than helical fletc flu-flu & then drop almost straight down. Total distance would be less for the radial fletch. (these are not arrows that we made)

In theory, atmosheric pressure & humidity affect long range trajectory.

Then again, maybe he would enjoy taking you fishing/lobstering.

It's the low angle shots with a 22lr that are the most dangerous. In a high angle shot, say 60° or more, the bullet will fall to earth from gravity alone. There will be no more energy than if you shot the bullet skyward at the steep angle with a slingshot. There would be little or no chance of serious energy from a 40gr lead bullet falling at terminal velocity unless you were looking skyward & it landed in your eye. Low angle shots with a 22lr can still have enough energy to be lethal up to 1mile or more. Somwhere around 25° angle trajectory will result in the longest lethality distance depending on drag coeffecient of the bullet. Hunting with 22lr in a populated area is never a good idea. Using a .410 when the squirrels are cutting in the tops of S. Indiana Hickory trees wouldn't fill the game bag very effeciently. Even when I used a 12ga, I killed a much higher % of the squirrels I shot at with a scope sighted 22lr.

Some midwestern states that were shotgun only are now allowing "straight wall" rifles cartridges. (not sure about the exact wording) They have also always restricted handguns to .357 or larger bores. Nobody is going to shoot a .35 caliber or larger magnum rifle cartridge out of a pistol. Bottleneck cartridge CF rifles have lethality ranges measured in miles. No shotgun is going to lob a projectile much over 1/4 mile.

Scoped Savage 99 in that 1st picture. That's state of the art stuff in 1952. My Dad always wanted a Savage 99 in .300 Savage. What is that rifle in the 2nd picture?

I alwyas had my best luck on COLD sunny mornings. The colder the better. The bunnies will stay above ground to soak up the sun. Look on South facing edges like the north edge of a power line or similar openings.. I had Beagles when I moved here, but cottontaisl are scarce. I cn't eat snowshoes, YUCK!

I talked to the young man that bought the AXIS-II this morning. He was unaware of the rebates & had to go "dumpster diving" yesterday to get the UPC tag from the box. lol We have decided to take the scope off the rifle before shooting it so it can be sold as new with paperwork & warranty registration sans original packaging on e-bay. They are asking $100 to $130 for them NIB. I think a buy it now price of $80 with a reserve of $60 should move it. If we put that with his rebates it will pay for a Boyds "classic" lamintaed stock. I'll loan him my 3-9X40 Leupy VX-II for the time being. He can buy a VX-1 as finances permit over the summer. The OE mounts/rings should suffice on a light recoiling 7mm-08. With a good stable stock & dependable servicable glass it should serve him well. I would expect it to be a tack driver set up like that W/properly tuned handloads.

Short, lightweight bolts from a crossbow might make it harder. They lose velocity faster than heavier full length arrows.

Don't forget to download the $50 rebate coupon. http://www.savagearms.com/promotions/ The savage rebates page also has a link for rebates on federal ammo. $25 rebate if you buy $50 worth of Federal Premium ammo within 30 days of the savage rifle purchase & before 12/31. The 140gr NBT loads qualify. http://federalpremium.com/downloads/promotions/OT822_2014_FederalSavage_Coupon.pdf

The VX-1 has the same optics as the old VX-II & the same 1/4 minute clicks. Pretty good basic scope. The old Vari-X II of years gone by became the VX-I & the VX-II became the VX-1. I paid $299 shipped, a few years ago for my VX-II & that was the best price around at the time. I hope the competition from Vortex & others that have their moderately priced scopes made in the Philippines & China doesn't force Leupold to do the same. Somewhere along the line the American consumer needs to realize the true cost of lower prices when it costs American jobs.

Yeah, you can buy the AXIS as a gun only, but the AXIS-II is only available as an "XP" package. Decent glass can be bought for $199 right now as Cabelas has the VX-1 Leupy on sale.

My earliest deer hunting video memory is "Bowhunting October Whitetails" by the Gene & Barry Wentzel along with their huntig buddies. That was about 1987 or so.

I like "Into High Country" & "Dropped". Both shows are about the experience itself & often the hunters don't connect. On one episode of IHC the host actually shot a Grizzly bear when the cameras weren't rolling. he did some footage of the bear after the fact. How many times have you heard "we ran out of camera light" on the "trophy" shows? (even though it was still legal to shoot) On those shows, it's all about the $$$$.

What is really crazy is that the Cook County Forest Preserves are like small county parks. They have picnic areas & such. When I was in the Boy Scouts we had Camporees at the very Foreest Preserves these guys were probably hunting.

A little personal experience with Hornady 139gr .284 (SST) Interlocks. There is a little slough behind my barn with a high bank on the far side for an effective backstop. The water is only about 12" deep & the bottom is flat stone. I used to set up targets on the near side. I found empty SST interlock jackets in the water from spent rounds out of my .280. Not a trace of lead left in them. they were peeled back evenly so it appears that impact with the water caused jacket separation. Unlike the NBTs that have thick jackets near the base, the SST interlocks are straight (thin) cup & core bullets relying on a ridge near the base to prevent separation at high impact velocity. I definately wouldn't trust SST Interlocks in a high velocity (3000fps+) cartridge.

I used the .323 180gr NBT in my 8mm/06 Ackley Improved (wildcat) that was right at 3000fps Mv. On 2 different occassions I hit deer cleanly through the rib cage, no large skeletal impact. I found walnut sized chunks of lung on the ground in both cases. Never failed to recover a deer hit solidly with that bullet, 1 buck that I hit a bit far back through the liver only managed to go about 50yds & left a copious blood trail smeared on the nearly waist high ferns he ran through.. Sadly, even with the stellar terminal performance, the .323 180gr NBT doesn't suit the rifling twist of military 98 barrels as well as heavier bullets. Still acceptable accuracy, but 200gr bullets are tack drivers. I don't care for the Accubond, small exit wounds & too much meat damage on entry. I wish that Nosler made a .323 200gr BT or Hornady a 195gr Interbond.

Wow, 78 cows. That's horrible. I hope that had good insuarnce.

Some guys claim that they have had "bullet failure" with BTs but I think it is "bullet placement failure" that is the culprit. Still if the Mv is getting to 3000fps or higher, then it's time to look for a bonded bullet in case of very close range shots at less than optimal angles. Just for $hits & giggles here are some PIX of a bonded bullet that impacted at very high velocity at less than optimal circumstances. This is a .284 139gr Hornady interbond that impacted a 220# (live weight) doe on the shoulder blade quartering on @ about 20yds. Mv was 3150fps. It went all the way through her diagonally & was under the hide on the opposite hind leg. You can see how the angular impact affected the expansion. 86% weight retension & 280% expansion. You can also see how the violent impact/expansion was trying to pull the bonded core from the jacket by the concave base. In this particular instance I don't think a BT would have worked out that well. Then again we're talking about 300fps more impact velocity than what is likely with a 7mm-08. Cartridge was a hand loaded 280 Rem using Norma MRP powder.

My local packer will do batches of 40# or more well after the season & do them separate. They explained that they do the individuel patches at the end of the day before they clean the equipment. Once they do venison they have to clean & sanitize their equipment before doing any USDA meats. By doing batches at the end of the day they just work it in as a normal routine that includes cleaning & sanitizing the equipment at the end of the day. I won't let my venison to get mixed in with road kill & gut shot garbage.. I freeze the trimmings in 1gal zip-locks & take it in around mid January.

I reload so that hasn't come to my attention. Just another example of the idiocy of the SAFE act. My advise is to find a local gun shop that is willing to order you some. It is still available. 7mm-08 availability seems to be a regional thing as it is fairly easy to find around here, but I imagine not so much W/the Partitions. One more thing. Since the Mv of the 7mm-08 factory loads is under 3000fps by a considerable margin, a Partition isn't really neccessary. I have had great resuts W/140gr Nosler Ballistic Tips. Always good blood trails & short ones at that. Most of the time they drop with a few feet of the shot. With my 280 that left the muzzle @ 3150fps, I used the 139gr Hornady Interbond.

Tracking in my area is most likely just going to push a buck into someone else. About 1/2 of the area is so thick you can't see more than 5-10yds if that. Even still hunting is tough. I can see the value of back tracking to learn where the deer came from, but in deer season I stay pretty much to my horse trails or the more open (hardwoods) habitat to minimize disturbance & keep the deer feeling secure. Nobody else is hunting my property & the adjoining property sees little hunting pressure. I like for the deer to feel like they are in a sanctuary & it seems to work. I shot a buck last year at 2:20PM & this year at 3:30PM. The last time I saw deer in obvious escape mode was Thankgiving day of '01. Since I rely on natural movement, it sometimes takes a lot of patience.