lancetkenyon

What tag, and how soon is the hunt?

For most big game, I could not agree more. The two pigs we took last year were close enough to the truck that they were brought out whole, and gutted at the truck. Much nicer when you have water on hand to help clean up at the site of field dressing.

North valley, about 1/3" of rain. Supposed to hit harder today.

I have been REALLY lucky. I have only had one stuck case....knock on wood. A .223. Yes, a real PITA to get them out. Knowing the cases are .300WSM, I would think you could get 5-10 years out of them, if you shoot them as much as I shoot my .300RUM. I shoot it about 20 rounds per year. If you got more than 20 for the $30, you are doing pretty good. I wouldn't worry about it.

I actually do carry a scale with me! I use my bow scale in the field for pigs/turkeys. I also have a fish scale on my boat. So when I say my daughter caught a 4lb. 8oz. largemouth, it is an accurate reading. Not for deer or elk of course. I am too short to hold those up off the ground. And I have a scale at my house where I skin/butcher my pigs too. Deer and elk are usually cut up in the field, as I am never lucky enough to get one close enough to a road to load it whole. Like I could be so lucky. I read a ton of articles/threads where people state live weight for the deer they shoot. Especially the bruisers from the mid-west, down south, and north of the border, but out in the west too. Always talking about deer that are 250# on the hoof (or live weight). A lot of times it is accompanied by the approximate score as well.

I am most definitely talking about live weight being higher than meat weaight, and what everyone states. Just like with fish. You weigh a live fish and post the weight, not how much the fillets weigh. Or live weights of deer or elk. We got 410 pounds of meat from my daughter's elk, I would assume approximately 700 on the hoof? My deer netted 101 pounds of meat approximately. I figured 200+ on the hoof. Who talks about meat weight when judging game? Would you look at a mule deer and tell someone that it was a 100# deer? Or see a mature bull elk and say it was a 400# bull? Or a 110" Coues and say it was a 45# buck? Or a 5' long catfish and say it is a 25# fish? No one I ever met would. Our two javis last year were 52 & 53 pounds respectively. Field dressed weights were 43 & 44 pounds. Meat weight was about 20# each.

After reading about 5 articles, and 15 forums, it seems like it is about a 50/50 split on results. Some would think that means it could work, or it could not. What that means to me is with a 50% chance annealing will not work, I would never try it again. I am usually a "glass is half full" type of guy. But not with safety, or a $6k gun. I would either load and fire until they give up the ghost, or call it a learning experience and ditch them. I think for a hunting cartridge that might get shot a few times a year, they should be fine. For a round that will get shot a lot, burn them up and toss them after the first case neck split. For me, I will keep my 7mm rounds loaded, as they will only get shot a few shots a year, depending on draw results. The .223, I will use the nickel plated rounds as hunting loads, and after firing them, if I lose them in the field, no big loss.

Good to know. I have never heard that. Maybe that is one of the biggest reasons they say nickel cases do not last very long. I know most people have the necks split after a few loadings. Great info!

Someone got a beautiful rifle.

I have a few for .223 and 7mm RM. Never seen a difference, but they are harder, so you need to make sure you anneal the necks. Case capacity should be very close I would assume.

69 SMKs work for all kinds of targets. Rabbits, coyotes, lions, javelina, deer, steel, and if the occasion would ever arise, self defense. Carry what your gun shoots well. FMJs have never proven to be the most accurate round in my guns. If my life depends on it, I want to know my bullets will go where I aim them.

I have been considering the March line also. Looks to be in the S&B PMII range as far as cost. Looks like you went with the Long Range line, correct? What reticle did you order?

Depends on your price range. I LOVE the Rhinehart targets, but they are pricey. They do not last as long, but pulling arrows is a breeze. I have a McKenzie javelina and a McKenzie Mule deer now. Both are over 5 years old and still doing well. I do not shoot nearly as much as I used to. I used to shoot at least 200 arrows a week, and had a McKenzie last for 3 years. Replaced the center section and got another 3 years out of it before donating it to a friend's kid. I usually leave them in the tack shed when not shooting, which helps a LOT in life span. I also had a McKenzie black bear that stayed out year round. It lasted OK to shoot, but got so hard I could not pull arrows.

Yep, still have them. PM inbound.

A "normal 20-25# pig"? Normal is 35-40#, with a big pig being 50#+, up to 65# or so. But that is going to be way more tender than an old boar! Like a spike buck. Better eating. Congrats on a successful hunt. And think of it this way (glass is half full). You hit a small target at 360 yards. Great shooting! Looks like the ballistic lessons are paying off. And I bet the pack out was pretty easy. Just put it in your cargo pocket!

A quick example of their customer service: About a year ago, I had been looking for H414, and over the period of a year, stopped in to look numerous times, usually not buying anything. On occasion, I would pick up bullets for various cartridges. Well, one day out of the blue, I get a phone call from Bruno's letting me know they just got some H414 in a shipment. I had never asked to be put on a wait or contact list, they just remembered me looking for it, and remembered my first name. Looked me up in the customer data base (thank goodness my first name wasn't Mike or John) and called me to let me know. I was there 30 minutes later and picked up 4# with a huge thank you.

Amazing build so far. Looking forward to future updates.

Bullet prices have always been $1-5/box LOWER than Cabelas and Sportsman's. Powder went up during the shortage, as they were buying wherever they could to keep on the shelf. Still cheaper than HazMat fees and shipping if you are semi-close. Supply and demand. But, if you don't want to shop there, fine by me. Leaves more for me to pick up when I need it.

LRX has a different shape to the ogive and the boat tail. Longer, more streamlined, going towards a VLD type shape rather than the conventional short BT. BC is higher than the TTSX as well. I shot the 175s out of my .300RUM for a while. They shot really well, at under 1/2MOA. But I never connected with any game with them. It was too long between tags for me for elk.

With a shorter than 700 SA box length, I would build something short between a .22 to 6.5mm. Like a .22-250, .22 Dasher, .223 WSSM, .22 PPC, 6x47L, 6 BR, 6 PPC, 6 Creed, 6 Dasher, .243 WSSM, .250 Ackley, .25 WSSM, 6.5 PPC, 6.5x47L, 6.5 Creed. Any of the 6.5s would need to limit the bullets to the 120-130 grain class, as the 140s would take up a lot of case capacity in the shorter action length. I really like the 6mm Dasher and 6 Creed myself. I have been considering it for a future build with a fast twist long barrel shooting the 95 to 105 Bergers.

dang mountain lions...

Starting a thread on my daughter's upcoming November elk hunt to chronicle her first elk hunt. We found out last week that she has drawn her first AZ rifle elk tag for unit 7W. She drew this tag with only two bonus points. This will be her third big game hunt, but first real "big game" hunt. She took a javelina in February of this year, and she has a turkey tag for the end of April through end of May. First off is some upgrades to the rifle she will be using on this hunt. It has been a proven game getter, but some upgrades are long overdue to bring the rifle up to standards. It has been my "loaner rifle" for friends and family for 15 years, for those learning to hunt or old timers who' vision has gone downhill and need a scope (my Dad). It has been used by three generations in my family: My father who taught me to hunt had actually never taken any big game until 10 years ago when he used this rifle on a mule deer hunt and took his first buck ever. I have used it on hunts, but have actually never taken any large game with it. My cousin has used it to take a deer and an elk, a good friend has done the same. My older daughter took her first elk at age 11 (she is now 22), a great cow at 200 yds. that went a total of two steps. The rifle: Interarms Mark X (Mauser 98) LA in .270 Win 24" 1-10" twist stock barrel with KDF muzzle brake Bell & Carlson Carbelite stock Leupold 1 pc. base Leupold rings Cabela's Alaskan Guide 4.5-14x50 scope The original loads: Barnes 150gr. XFB @ 2950fps (has taken a few elk) Sierra 130gr. Game King @ 3120fps (has taken a few deer) Berger 140gr. VLD @ 3090fps (latest load worked up as an all around and shot about .800 MOA) The new load I will be working up: Nosler 150gr. Accubond LR (.625 BC) COAL of 2.8855 Jammed .005 leaves me a lot of case space Going to try RL22 and H4831SC Winchester brass CCI BR-2 primers Hoping for 2950fps± Rifle upgrades: New Bell & Carlson Medalist stock w. full aluminum bedding block in tan web (ordered from Red Hawk Rifles on Wednesday) Used SWFA SS HD 5-20x50 scope in TPS rings (picked up from Mike @ Southwest Ammunition yesterday, thanks Mike!) If you don't know SWFA scopes, you should! Amazing glass. New Brownell's steel Picatinny rail base (ordered today) Back-up/long range rifle will be my Rem700 in .300RUM w. brake. She has shot this a couple times and can handle it for a few shots at a time. My daughter has been shooting a lot in the last year. She can go 10 for 10 on a 12" steel at 600 yds. with my AR15. She has first round hits on the 12" steel with my .25-06 Ackley at 865 yds. We will be doing a LOT of shooting in the upcoming months to get her ready, along with a lot of hiking to get in better shape. Scouting will start in a couple months once the bulls start growing horns again. I have a good buddy with a cabin about 2 miles outside of our hunting area, and he has graciously offered its use to me, along with trailer parking and hookups for my 31' 5th wheel. So weekend scouting trips will be a lot easier and more comfortable. On to some photos for the first of many posts. Hope you all enjoy the 8 month journey as much as we are going to. Hopes are high, and any mature 6x6 bull is the hope, but any decent bull will be on the hit list. A good time with family and friends, and meat in the freezer, will be the top goal. But if a giant is spotted throughout the year and makes it through the archery season...who knows. She might hold out for a few days. The .270 that has served many people well Muzzle brake makes the .270 kick like a .243 The action has been moving a bit over the years in the cheap stock Cheap scope and base removed (going to my brother for a "throw in the truck gun") Mounted the SWFA on my AR to temporarily try out tomorrow 150gr. Accubond LR vs. 140gr. Berger VLD

Sorry to hear about you got bit by that SOB. A shot of penicillin might help.

Dead on guess. Average for the load is right at 2910fps, +/- 8 fps (2902 to 2919) across a total of 20 shots, with 5 seating depths. 43.8gr H4350. COAL was 2.831", or 2.178" to ogive. Tolerances with the competition seating die had less than .001 runout on the bullet seating depth across all loaded rounds. I was really happy with the consistency of the bullets. Environmentals were 65° @ 28.11" barometric pressure.

Awesome! Way to start them young! Good job to all. Love the photo of testing the pig with the stick.