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Story time
Nov 15, 2023 21:26:24 GMT -7
via mobile
Post by Junior on Nov 15, 2023 21:26:24 GMT -7
Ok, story time.
Decided today after getting some chores done such as moving firewood and plowing the driveway that it was too nice of a evening to stay at the house, so I grabbed some gear and headed for the hills.
The plan was to stop at one spot where I used to do a lot of rabbit hunting as a kid and see how the population was. We have had a very low small game yield the last few years, and although I could shoot 25-30 snowshoes a day in that spot as a kid, I haven’t seen one there in awhile. I took the super wrangler as my side arm with the 22 mag cylinder, and my Tikka T3x. Figured I’d hike in a ways and set up and call a bit with my fox pro. If anything came within 50 yards I was gonna try with the 22 mag, but for anything further, or a wolf I had the 6.5 manbun on the ready.
Hiked in a good ways, not much for snow shoe tracks, but several sets of fox and coyote tracks, and one set of wolf. Decided I liked a spot for a calling stand, and went to set the call on. Flipped the switch. Nothing, and at that moment my mind raced across the tundra to my truck, where a brand new 8 pack of batteries was sitting in the center console. I had stopped on the way out to hunt and bought said pack of batteries since I haven’t used the call since last year, and figured they might be dead, but somehow I decided it was a good plan to leave them in the truck.
I sat for a few before heading back to the truck. When I sold my old truck, I cleaned it out and put all the stuff that was in that truck in a box, including my lanyard full of mouth calls, and that box seems to have vanished, so I had no back up plans when the electric call failed.
I get back to the truck, and decided to head down the road about 10 minutes and try to hurry up and do one more stand before dark. Park the truck, grab my gear, and hike until it’s just a few minutes of shooting light left. Drop the speaker and hike another 250 yards up to the top of a small hill to watch. hit the play button on the call. Nothing. Try a couple diffent sounds. Nothing. Screw around with it and then realize it’s about 2 dark to see anyway so headed out. Grabbed the call speaker when I got down the hill and realized that somehow I had flipped the switch to external speaker, which is why it wasn’t making any noise.
Oh well, at least it was a nice day to get out of the house. Temp was 22 when I left, but it was down to -1 by the time I got back to the truck after dark.
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Post by missionary on Nov 16, 2023 4:17:58 GMT -7
Well it all has purpose. But the learning curves are either very interesting and valuable or they become another "oh bother".
I would have to get out my hunting journal to remember far better the facts but I have recorded a couple similar episodes.
But for sure if you can eliminate some of those hungry 4 legged predators all those bunnies will bounce back into that spot. Back before my pickle suit days we got real serious about hunting red fox. For two years as soon as the snow fell we were out running Fred's beagles. He was real good at out thinking fox. First year we got 21. Second year took 26. The 3rd year there were only 6 or 7. Then the farmers began talking home the rabbit population was abounding. Home gardens over run with furry friends. So we took a year off on fox and became "wabit hunters".
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Post by Bullshop on Nov 16, 2023 9:25:08 GMT -7
Murphy's law was in full effect for you that day. I went out yesterday too and had maybe not as bad but similar results as you did. It seems that this year the white tail population which has always been so abundant that it was no chore to fill deer tags is nearly wiped out by the chronic wasting bug in our area. For that reason and since we dont have snow yet I went up to elk camp yesterday to look for a mule deer to fill my A tag. Three weeks ago there were a couple nice bucks hanging around the camp area. Yesterday I hiked up on the ridge tops to glass but could only find antelope for which I have no tag and of course since I already used my tag elk. I set up a stand to call coyotes but had no luck with that but from that first stand spotted 24 head of elk about 1 1/2 miles away.
I watched those elk for about an hour and was very focused on how cautiously they moved. They were being led by a cow and all bulls were to the rear of the column. When they finally moved out of sight into a a ravine several ridges away I decided it was time to move a ways and try another stand. I went about a mile and found a good looking spot looking down a draw that was the connecting head of two other draws that each lead to a different location at the top of a very long main ridge.
I had just gotten set up to call when I spotted those elk again clearing a ridge heading in my direction but still two ridges away. I thought well that is good because coyotes often follow these heard because they expose small game and even get mice excited enough to scurry about where the coyotes can spot and catch them. When they were all over that ridge and down in the ravine out of my sight I started calling again but again without success. It was very nice weather and getting toward mid day so I just stayed put and enjoyed the day. I was considering stretching out for a nap when those elk popped up again on my side of the ridge and right at the confluence of the three coolies that led up to the main ridge.
I didnt want to spook them and have them run off wildly to other hunters especially after watching them for a bit and seeing how cautiously they had moved to get to where they were. I thought I would just sit and watch to see which of the three coolies they would take then when they were out of sight I would slip out without spooking them. Down in the bottom where the three gullies met there were some springs so drinking water as well as the willow that always grows up there where there is water. Watching their movement they passed the first then the second and wouldnt you know it right into the one I was in. Once I saw they were committed to that choice I knew I had to move quickly to get out undetected. When they started up the draw but still into the willows I grabbed my pack not putting it on to save time and shooting sticks and rifle and in a crouched position made it to cover unseen by the elk. When I finally got up to move they were about 200 yards.
There was one legal bull in the heard four spike bulls and the rest cows. With a general tag the one brow tine bull was legal as well as the cows but not the spikes. At the end of the day it had been a nice walkabout but no harvest was made either of meat or fur. So you see #1 that my luck ran in parallel to yours where the only game I saw was that which I was not permitted to take. OH and BTW I still use the little soft rubber open reed call you gave me. I make a new reed every year but that soft call body is my favorite for the different sounds that can be made with it by squeezing it closed and to different shapes. Got a bunch of coyotes with that call since you gave it to me.
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Post by todddoyka on Nov 16, 2023 10:29:06 GMT -7
Junior didn't want to shoot nothing, so he was taking the guns for a walk. i do it all the time.
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Post by Junior on Nov 16, 2023 11:44:15 GMT -7
That geeen “catnip” call is a good call, island I also had one on my misplaced call lanyard. When I ordered some new calls. One of those was included. I’m getting mother old calls show up just as soon as the new ones show up.
I bought the fox pro a couple years ago because I never had any luck calling in critters and figured maybe my hearing loss was not letting me produce sounds that actually sound like coyote food. Since then, I have called in 2 critters, a wolf and a fox, both with the mouth calls. Go figure.
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Post by Bullshop on Nov 16, 2023 18:24:15 GMT -7
I learned a long time ago that the actual sound you make is not critical just dont over do it. About thirty seconds of calling every 30 minutes is about right. You dont want them to pinpoint your location and that is what over calling does. I once called in a coyote and at about maybe 80 yards shot off his lower jaw. While he was thrashing about dying he was making the most awful squawking sound because his vocal hardware was blown away. Wouldn't ya know it that awful squawking sound called in another coyote which I also shot. After that I figured the actual sound was not that important but the set up is and most important of all is dont move. If you must make a movement move slowly and try to conceal it. I filled my deer B tag today for a WT doe. It was 200 yards out and on our side of the river. The river is high this year and I cant cross it. I have been waiting for one to show on our side and in range of the reapers roost and today was the day. I shot it with a 250 Savage in an Encore. I was using some of those Canadian Imperial 120 bullets I gave you with the 25-06.
This barrel has a 10" twist so shoots those really good. I thought they might be a bit too tough for the 2600 fps I get with them in the 250 Savage but today I learned that is not true. I took a raking shot at 200 yards and picked a line for the heart. What I expected was slight bullet expansion and clean through penetration. What I got was that the bullet exploded in the heart/lungs and as far as I can see stopped right there. We will know better tomorrow when it gets skinned. I was very surprised to see her drop right in her tracks with the hit being far from the spine. I will have to re-evaluate the performance of those bullets. I was going to try them on coyotes thinking they would just punch a small hole in and out but after seeing what they did in that deer maybe they will not be a good choice for coyotes. I don't care for stitching up big holes in the hides.
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Post by Junior on Nov 16, 2023 19:45:19 GMT -7
I shot s young spike white tail Buck with those bullets out of the 25/06 with those bullets. I also thought it would be a good choice for big game hunting. I shot that particular spike at just over 400 yards and you could put your arm all the way through the body where that bullet went though. Very drastic.
The only other 2 deer I shot with rifles were both at that 200 yard line, and both Mike deer does. One with a 165gn hornady from a 308 which performed nicely, and that one I shot with my 300 blackout in Dillion which I shot in the head at 192 yards with a 130gn Speer TNT. The only other deer I’ve shot was the one I shot in Texas with my 32 mag single six in Texas. Nice little 8 point Buck about the size of a big dog. Maybe 10 yards out the window of my truck when I got home from work.
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Post by Bullshop on Nov 17, 2023 17:10:50 GMT -7
I skinned out that deer today and was surprised to see that it was hit in the spine which explains why it dropped so fast. The bullet entered about the middle of the rib cage in front of the diaphragm and since I was up in the reapers roost the entry angle was downward. What it looks like is when the bullet started to come apart it angled back upward and clipped the spine between the shoulders. All I found of the bullet was a few small lead fragments at the top front of the off side shoulder. The bullet path to the heart/lungs was straight because both lungs were shredded but from there it seems to have angled back upward parts of it stopping high between neck and shoulder on the off side. Not too much damage otherwise. No big clots around the wound to spoil meat. I imagine the bullet at impact was doing about 2100 to 2200 fps after starting out with a 2600 fps muzzle velocity and travelling the 200 yards to the target. The lower velocity of the heavy bullet in the 250 Savage seems very forgiving in that regard. I changed my mind about those bullets though. Now I regard them as an extra heavy varmint bullet not a tough big game bullet as I originally but wrongly assumed. From your 25-06 you were likely starting them out at about 500 fps higher velocity than I can get with the little Savage case. Since you were shooting twice the range as I did our impact velocities were likely very close to the same. I have some old Speer 120 grain hot core spitzer boat tail bullets and I think I will switch to those for poking holes in coyotes. These Imperial bullets should be about perfect for shooting chucks and other similar sized vermin where your not concerned about salvage of meat or hide.
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Post by shootist---Gary on Nov 17, 2023 20:21:46 GMT -7
Use head shots on woodchucks so there's no damage to the meat. I used to gut & skin them out, cut them in quarters, soak them in salt water over night to draw the blood out, then mom would cut up a large onion & par boil the meat, to take the wild taste out, then roll the meat in flour & fry it like chicken. Here in Ohio, I wouldn't shoot them until after Memorial Day, to give the babies time to eat on their own. The adult is tender after coming out of hibernation. About late August & into September, they start building up fat for winter, so the meat has a stronger taste. Back about 1971 or 72, with the Winchester Model 92, .25-20, & my .30 Carbine, I shot 76 groundhogs on our 181 acre farm, & left some for next year.
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Post by missionary on Nov 18, 2023 4:17:48 GMT -7
Gary... That was an infestation ! Out in a pasture there would have been many livestock with busted legs. The two fellers ground I hunted for years only had one requirement, eliminate all the hole diggers. Every year I was north here there was ample practice time with the recurve slicing and dicing groundhogs and racoons. One farm was half bottoms and the other half tree lines and small wood lots.
I guess I will always be a bow hunter at heart. No noise but the need to put a second arrow into the victim so it would not crawl away with my shaft. But the smack to the head or shoulders with a 32-20 never failed to anchor even the big ones. But they were so nasty greasy we ate few. Those one year old "hogs" are good eating.
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Post by shootist---Gary on Nov 18, 2023 8:31:23 GMT -7
Mike, most all of the ones I shot had their holes in fence rows, or under an old barn. I have shot 2 out of trees with a K-38 S & W, & my Colt S.A.A. .44-40. 1 was in a wild cherry tree, & the other in a pear tree. Yes, the younger they are, the tastier the meat. Hope you are doing well in your new home.
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Post by Bullshop on Nov 18, 2023 11:17:26 GMT -7
Hunting chucks was something I did as a kid on summer vacation from school. It was a normal thing for boys to do then. Local farmers were happy to finance ammo purchases. Of the likely hundreds I have eliminated I dont recall ever eating one. The idea of there being an ethical issue never occurred to me until much later in life.
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Post by missionary on Nov 19, 2023 5:53:09 GMT -7
We certainly are affected by the culture we are reared in. The only family I knew of that ate all things were a Potawatomy family that lived abut 2 miles from us on the last chunk of the family group reservation. The SW Michigan farmers and hunters I knew looked at ground hogs, possums, raccoons and crows as a pest critter. My first home cooked ground hog resulted from my Tennessee neighbor taking me ground hog hunting on his uncles farm. My ILL-nois wife had never tasted anything but beef and chicken. I still have not eaten a possum or crow though. I still consider both along the lines of a "portable garage can".
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Post by shootist---Gary on Nov 19, 2023 10:13:10 GMT -7
I have a brother in law on my wife's side of family that grew up in Goshen, Indiana. His grandfather, a farmer lived near Shipshewanna, IN, & Richard, his brothers & cousins would go rabbit hunting on the farm. One time, grandfather had a cow die, so drug it way back towards the woods. Richard & his cousin were walking close to it, & saw movement in the dead cow, so cousin kicked it where it was moving, & an opossum crawled out of it's rectum. No way will I even taste one of the South's roasted delicacies.
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Post by missionary on Nov 20, 2023 0:09:34 GMT -7
I have heard a story of a corn cruncher that was arrowed through the breathers. Ran away into the gathering dark and cold and was not found. Next morning early it was located and at least one possum had got inside through the "grill door" and ate out the area. It is no wonder they "play possum" when cornered.
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Post by Junior on Nov 20, 2023 1:01:37 GMT -7
When we first got to Texas we were staying in this old camper, and had a cooler outside which had a 12pack of coke in it. Heard something banging about about midnight and my alaska instincts kicked in and I thought it was a bear. Opened the door to fine that cooler knocked over and the biggest possum I’ve ever seen out there wirh ever since can ripped open. That was a tough old critter. I emptied my 454 into him and still had to stomp his head into finish it off.
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Post by Bullshop on Nov 24, 2023 19:04:22 GMT -7
This evening of the 24th I had what may be the most unpleasant hunting experience of my life. It is also I believe the first time I have ever shot a deer and not recovered it. I have in the past made some poor shots that required tracking but in such matters I muster a never give up attitude that has always resulted in recovery those there have been some exhaustive searches that back tracking to find where I lost the right trail. In this case the deer never left another track past the ones he was shot it. Sounds weird huh.
I have been going out each evening with the 50-70 but today since our weather is changing for the worse and there are only two days of season left I decided I would just sit in the roost with a long range rifle and take the first legal deer I saw on my side of the river anywhere out to 300 yards. For this I chose the 6mm-06 loaded with the 100 grain Hornady interlock bullet loaded to 3200 fps MV.
The problem with the smallish bullet is I have to have a totally clear shot. The problem that arose is that I could see this very nice buck headed straight for me from 250 yards away but there was always some willow brush in the way. As he came closer I followed him in the scope at its lowest setting 6x until he was nearly under me in the reapers roost. When his head finally cleared the brush ay maybe 40 feet not yards I settled on the top of his head as he looked in my direction but not up. I was thinking at that close range the intersect between the bullet path and line of sight might be off a bit though the rifle is zeroed for 100 yards. Either way I knew I would hit the brain or spine at the base of the skull.
At the shot he just dropped to his belly stone dead but since I had been following in the scope didn't realize how close he was to the water. He dropped dead but was right at the waters edge and his momentum from dropping caused him to slide off the edge and into the water. I watched in horror as he quickly began to sink out of sight. I had a length of paracord in my pocket so I quickly got down from the roost but had to run to a RR bridge that crosses the creek about 100 yards away then run down the other side of the creek to get to where the deer was. By that time there was no sign of him at all. Since right under the roost is the confluence of Little Sheep Creek and the Red Rock River and even though he fell into the slower moving Sheep Creek the spot where he fell in was only about 25 feet or so from the swift deep current of the Red Rock.
All I can do is guess that he didn't sink to the bottom but had some small amount of buoyancy so even the slow current of the creek moved him to the fast current of the river before I could get there. We probed the area with long poles to see if he might still be lying on the bottom and we walked the river where possible but to no avail he was lost.
The whole incident left me feeling sick and helpless. The only way I could have saved it is if I had jumped from the tree maybe 15 feet and dove into sheep creek which is beginning to ice up. As they say hind sight is a precise science but not knowing before hand had the creek dive on the no can do list.
So that is it a first for me to loose a shot deer and impossible to track. I likely wont sleep well tonight because I cant get it off my mind and like I said I feel sick and helpless about it. Helpless is something I am not used to feeling.
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Post by grasshopper on Nov 24, 2023 20:22:20 GMT -7
Listen to me my friend, I know without you writing another word that you did everything in your power to try and recover that deer. I know for a fact you went over all scenarios in your computer in order to try your dead level best to harvest that deer. I know you, I know the man, you could never convince me that it just wasn’t convient to recover the animal. You are and always have been an ethical hunter, I’m sure that important bond with nature was passed down to you early on by your father when you were learning to hunt with the 22 hornet and the 303 British. I’m also positive it mattered not if it was a rabbit or a deer. Each animal was taken cleanly and harvested. I absolutely hate this event happened to you my friend, you know I truly am. It did happen however and you will analyze the hunt a 100 times and from your report I can’t find fault with the Hunter at all. Unfortunately this was a case of Murphy, you know his law and you know it always happens at the most I inappropriate time. If it didn’t bother you , you would not be the the Hunter and man id say I know better than most. Just do the best you can my friend. You know the members are all here and ready to help if we can.
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Post by Bullshop on Nov 24, 2023 21:05:26 GMT -7
You got it right Rob I went over every possibility in my mind and I did everything twice from probing the area with long poles to walking the river and penetrating any holes in the thick willow brush that I could wedge through to get a look from a different angle on the river. I did it all twice. There was just no more that could be done that would change the outcome. I had to accept it and it was a bitter pill I had to swallow. Normally at this time of year there wouldn't be enough water even in the river to have been a problem. This year though both the river and the creek are swollen and is why the deer had to be on my side of the river because its just too high and swift to cross. The creek I can cross and it may be up to my knees and that is where I messed up. I think now that if I had gone right from the tree and waded the creek I might have made it in time. That is the part I am having trouble with. Once I started down the tree though I could no longer see what was happening and wrongly guessed that I could make the 200 yard dash and have time. I know now that was wrong. I thought I would get to the deer in time throw a loop on him and tie him off. Even had it worked out in my head to tie him off and go get help. The plan was to then tie a heavy weight to the opposite end of the paracord throw it across the creek then cross back over on the bridge and then pull him over. I thought I would have the deer and an interesting story to tell but was only half right about that. It comes down to the fact that to retain my comfort I made a bad call and that bothers me. The discomfort of getting cold and wet would have been short lived but I will carry the discomfort of my failure for much longer. Its not about the failure of taking a trophy its the failure of recovering the meat that is bothersome to me. We will do just fine without it because we already put a deer and an elk in the freezer.
The thing is that all my life I have shunned waste and I detest it and feel it is sinful so the thought of a whole deer being wasted is contrary to my being. Myself being the cause of the waste is quite a bitter pill !
I told my girls at home that the bible says "" all things work for good for those that love the Lord and are called according to his purpose"" Joy then said maybe it had CWD and we were being saved from it. Joy makes good sense!
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Post by grasshopper on Nov 24, 2023 21:27:20 GMT -7
I have another scenario you may or may not have considered yet. I was concerned when you said you were limited to your side of the river. I was really praying you wouldn’t get caught up in the heat of the moment and decide “I can make that” you are far too experienced an outdoorsman for anything foolish but your desire to not be wasteful while admirable could of potentially put you in a deadly situation. When you said you could of gotten across the creek since it was only to your knees. Perhaps 9 out of 10 times you could of without incident but it only takes that one pard. Simply stepping in a beaver or muskrat hole could of compromised your balance and potentially trapped you under just enough water to drown. I believe you had a guardian angel looking over you my friend. I know it bothers you to no end the deer was lost but maybe it will surface downstream and provide a much needed meal to many animals before they settle in for their long winters nap. I’m smart enough to know I can’t change your mind and make it all better for you. However I refuse to let you blame yourself for a totality of issues that Murphy used to his advantage. I’m happier than you know you didn’t try to go after that deer, I’m a little far right now to save that butt so you better take care of it!!😁
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Post by Bullshop on Nov 25, 2023 8:04:54 GMT -7
You know Rob that thought did occur to me last night while trying to sleep. I thought that if I had tried to cross because of the angle of the creek coming into the river I would have been only a few feet from the river current. One slip could have been a really bad seen. Thank you for trying to ease my situation. It could easily have turned into a pain unbearable for my family Its very slick with mud bottom right where the river and creek join. There is also a kind of line right at the very edge where the bottom drops away from the creek into the river. That is a swimming hole for the girls in the heat of summer. You are spot on in that it could have very easily been a lot worse. Understanding that is somewhat of a comfort. Thanks Rob for being a true friend.
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Post by grasshopper on Nov 25, 2023 8:15:55 GMT -7
You got it my friend! It will sting for a bit because only a jerk and non ethical would not be bothered after losing an animal. You have seen it like me and you know so called hunters are just plain sorry and lazy. Like my Nanny use to say “they wouldn’t hit a lick at a snake!” I wasn’t trying to say it should not bother you because you would not be the fried I’ve had all these years if it didn’t. I was just trying to provide an aspect of what could of very well happened perhaps you had not considered. Of course I should of known if I thought about it I should of just known you had already run thru that scenario. I hope you have a better weekend pard! Thanks again for the info on the Husky!! So I’m correct in thinking that the Husky overall is a better rifle than a pre 64 model 70? I know the 70 will book for more, I’m not concerned about that I just want a quality rifle that will shoot!
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Post by Bullshop on Nov 25, 2023 9:54:06 GMT -7
""So I’m correct in thinking that the Husky overall is a better rifle than a pre 64 model 70?""
If its fair to base one mans opinion on one experience then yes in one mans opinion. The only pre 64 model 70 I have ever had was the one mentioned chambered for the 375 Scovill and that rifle absolutely refused to feed that cartridge from the mag.
When I had the shop in Ak. I was getting rifles from Jess Ocumpaugh (Jess reboring ) chambered in 375 Whelen. When ever he had a milsurp rifle weather Springfield or Mauser with a trashed bore he would re-bore and rifle to the 375 Whelen and send them to me. I bought every one he could come up with for a few years. At the time Dave Scoville became the editor for the handloader and rifle magazines from Wolf publishing. Those two rags were the Holy grail for serious riflemen and re-loaders.
At about that time Dave developed the 375 Scoville and then the 375 Hawk Scoville. I didnt bite on the first version because it was based on the 9.3x62mm case that has a slightly larger head diameter than the 30-06 case. If you use 30-06 brass you get the dreaded bulge just ahead of the solid web section of the case. His second version was based on the 30-06 case for that reason . When based on the 30-06 case I went for it and bought a chamber reamer. It was a simple job to finish ream the 375-06 rifles I was getting from Jess to the 375 Hawk Scoville. Hawk labs was publishing load data for the cartridge at the time. I would ream the chambers then sell the rifles with load data and some of our bullets and formed brass.
This was kind of an exclusive thing to our shop and a very good all around Alaska set up. This was early on and before I had tested all the versions of a 375 caliber based on the 30-06 case. Of all the rifles I chambered the original one I bought already chambered the model 70 was the only on that refused to feed. I didnt mess with it any further but sold it to a model 70 guy that had it re-chambered to 375 H&H. It may have been something simple with the mag but I didnt bother with it and since I had so many others that worked well and had no special affection for the model 70 I just went with the milsurp rifles.
Later on I acquired the Husky rifle I have now. This I believe is a 1917 dated receiver but not milsurp it was a commercial husky action that had been barreled in the Euro fashion with a 27" long barrel and already chambered to the standard 375 Whelen when I got it. The combination of the Husky action and the standard Whelen case makes it a most dependable feeder from the mag for repeat shots as it should be for a rifle that may be used to hunt potentially dangerous game. It as the original Husky Bass wood stock with lots of drop at the heel, too much so for comfortable use of a scope. I have a receiver peep mounted and that fills the bill for the rifles intended purpose.
At one point I acquired a modern laminated stock with little drop at the heel and mounted a low powered scope but those so changed the character of the rifle I didnt like it so went back to the original stock and peep sight. I like it best exactly the way it is now. I still have the lam. stock setting beside the rifle in a gun cabinet but the thought of putting that fine barreled Husky action back into it seems to me to be something of an insult or dishonor to the Husky parts that I just wont do it. If I need a scope on a rifle there are plenty of others. I felt the same way about old B00 like it would be a disgrace to be seen with a scope mounted on it.
I dont hardly have a need of the rifle any more but I still like to have an occasional shooting session with it. I did take a decent WT buck with it last year because as we were getting home from town he was standing right next to the creek and it was almost dark and I knew that rifle had a loaded magazine so being in a hurry I grabbed it. The shot was likely slightly less than 100 yards and with a snow covered bank behind the deer I was able to draw a good bead even in the poor light. It was a broad side high lung shot and just like the caribou was something of an over kill with our big 375 grain bullet. Got it done though right at the close of last years season. Thats what I really like about the rifle , you can grab it and be ready for anything big or small .
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Post by grasshopper on Nov 25, 2023 17:05:18 GMT -7
That’s really interesting, from what I’ve been reading and listening to you it seems to me that a husky rifle compared to a pre 64 Winchester is certainly a better value rifle. What I mean by that is if you take the two brands and compare them side by side they are both quality rifles but the 70 is almost always 3 or 4 times the cost. I’m not a collector I shoot all the guns I have, some more often than others of course. Plus looking for guns I’ve never owned keeps me outta trouble(for the most part) thanks again pard, I’ll keep you posted on the hunt.
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Post by Bullshop on Nov 25, 2023 17:13:31 GMT -7
I sat up in the roost again this evening with the 6mm-06. There is lots of ice flowing in the river now and all the slow moving eddies are frozen over. I could see five different bucks in a frenzy chasing does and each other. No fights that I saw but a pair of nice ones followed a doe out of my sight for a while so they may have mixed it up a bit and they never came back into view though the doe did. All were on the wrong side of the river so no shots were taken. Tomorrow is the last day of season so I get one more try in general season. A week after the close of the general season our heritage muzzleloader season opens for one week so there will still be a chance of filling my last tag for this year. After that when all other hunters are gone I hope to do some coyote hunting if time allows. Right now business is brisk so most of my time is taken up with that. If I dont get that tag filled tomorrow I will get out my favorite ML rifle a very early Lyman plains rifle in 45 caliber. I load it like a 45-90 with 90 grain of FFG and a 400 grain conical bullet. It also shoots good with the traditional 45-70 deer bullet the Lyman Gould 330 grain hollow point. Either one in pure lead should do the job on a deer if I do mine.
It aint over till its over so I will hang in there and keep trying. I am afraid that the cost of food is going to get a lot worse before it gets any better if ever. Having the freezer filled to excess means canning some both of which are a comfort in the times we are in. Say A-MEN !
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Post by grasshopper on Nov 25, 2023 17:59:29 GMT -7
I have never tried a ML or any other BP shooting for that matter but I’ve always wanted too. A couple of years ago I stopped at a yard sale and bought one of the CVA ML kits they used to sell in gander mt catalog and such. If I remember correctly it’s in 54 cal maybe? I just couldn’t pass it up and I’m pretty sure I can get my $100 if I really need too.
I believe you are correct about the food prices and that they will continue to rise. Yesterday I had to pick up a few things for my lovely bride at Wally World and I always look at the meat because if it’s been on display more than a couple of days it gets marked down by 20-30 percent. I paid $35 for four nice thicker than average ribeye steaks and thought that was a good price! It’s crazy to me how much even regular food has gone up in the last five years. You can’t even get something as simple as a can of chicken noodle soup for a dollar anymore! I’ve spoken about it before but each time we go grocery shopping we buy extra dry foodstuffs to store just in case. The average American has no idea what it’s like to be really hungry. I’m not talking about missing lunch. I mean not eating at all for a couple of days. With that type of hunger comes desperation and hungry desperate people will do things they normally would not. This includes taking from weaker folks who have what they desire. I don’t wanna sound like chicken little but like the man says, “chance favors the prepared mind”.
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