WampusCat

I know there are a few threads here and a few initial reviews that can be found on the interweb but I am wondering if we have any CWT.com members who had personal experience with this glass this season in Coues country. Was anyone able to compare the new 15x56 HD Swaros with the 12x50 ELs this year while Coues hunting? I would enjoy hearing your thoughts.

PTG has multiple reamers out for both of those chambers (diff necks and freebore). GAP and Sherman are both selling dies as well as Copper Creek. Easy necking down with a bushing die where you are able to neck down in multiple steps by simply swapping out bushings. They have been built and tested for over a year now. Two specific 6.5 4S rifles I can think of have over 4,000 rounds on their first barrels. Again accomplishing this by not maxing out loads to chase the holy grail 3,000 fps mark They both enable the use of slower powder to keep pressures down while doing better than 3,000 fps and the byproduct of longer barrel life achieved. Sounds like some kind of voodoo but to me but they have my attention. Other than obvious initial downsides of expensive brass and case forming I think the juice is worth the squeeze on one of these. One cannot shy away from 6.5x284 because of low barrel life and then load a smaller case maxed out on powder trying to chase the same velocity without suffering from the same effects as the x284 barrels. I will be interested to see what chamber you pick and the OP as well. I also saw DesertBull looking for an action the classifieds so maybe he is about to build as well. Lots of different routes/opinions that are working for guys on here. Another interesting note is the wide range of goals/needs of guys on here when looking to buy/build a rifle. Everyone has different needs/limits for their setup so there will never be "the one" that does it all for everyone. You like longer barrels and I avoid them. Neither are wrong/right, just what works for us. 'Merica

None in a bolt gun. Only advantage is the case was designed to fit heavy for caliber bullets in an AR type mag. (shooting across the course with Tubb gun/Creedmoor space guns). A large disadvantage is Hornady is the only manufacturer of brass. My Creedmoor shot great but so would the other 6.5s in the same rifle. It could bang steel at 1k easily but lacked the gas tank to hit with authority at distance. Any of the 3 main SA 6.5s or improved versions of them are capable of slinging 140s at +2900 fps with the right barrel. The problem is they are doing it at the cost of very high pressures and barrel life.

Same boat as several on here. Before I took off in June I dropped off a Krieger 6.5mm 1/8.5" barrel and a 700 short action with my smith. The plan was to have a "lighter" Coues slaying 6.5x47 Lapua waiting when I return. I say lighter but when it was time to buy the barrel I couldnt convince myself to go smaller them a Rem Varmint profile. Old habits die hard I guess. I chose the Lapua for several reasons; better barrel life than 6.5x284, long neck, very accurate cartridge, low powder consumption, quality brass availibility, less wear and tear on the suppressor, and I had great experiences with a creedmore i owned. Pretty solid plan until I discovered the 6.5 4S (Super Secret Squirrel Sh*t) and the 6.5 SS (Sherman Shortmag) recently developed. Everything I wanted plus lots more velocity. Loaded slightly under max potential with 140s between 3000-3100 fps guys are experiencing 4,000+ rounds of barrel life (huge to me) with the lower pressures invloved. If you dont want an oddball chambering or messing with lots of case prep then these are probably not for you. To me its a small trade off for obtaining the perfect match of charcteristics for my goals in a rifle. I am not a speed freak as most of my arsenal lobs long heavy for caliber bullets at relativley tame speads compared to most of the western magnum needing crowd. I cannot however, argue with more fps without punishing the throat of the barrel. One of these is definitely right for me and other like minded folks. Now I cant decided what to do. OP - The 264 WinMag is more than capable of launching some great 6.5mm projectiles at blistering speeds but, all (4) of the 264WMs I have experience with were very tempermental and the barrels didnt last long. My advice would be if you want 6.5mm with ammo available off the shelf I would stick to the .260 Rem or Creedmoor. The natural abilty of these cartridges make up for their slighlty slower speeds than the 264 WM. My .02

Awesome post! Congrats to all of you. I look forward to experiencing this with my boy someday.

While you can certainly get one big enough. It will be very difficult to actually get a coyote to commit to a live trap. Not impossible but very difficult. I would guess a coyote living/hunting close to civilization may be more apt to get caught in one. Any of the popular cage manufacturers cages will hold a coyote. I have seen them caught in Briarpatch as well as CamTrip cages. This embarassed fellow found his way into one of my cat sets. Clearly a younger dog and curiosity got the better of him. Cage is the largest of a nesting set of camtrips from Mercer Lawing. Good luck to you.

Pm sent for the other

Yes you can do that but I was looking to utilize the 3d features and panning ability. This got me thinking tonight so I fired up the google machine. It appears its rather simple and involves clearing the cache and letting the new images fully load while you are connected to wi-fi. They will retain a small amount of memory in the cache. The Trimble pro app looks like it may be the ticket though.

This is something I have wanted to do for a while. Is there a way to use google earth offline? Like maybe just save the map portion you want to use?

Some wild looking headgear on that deer. Congrats on connecting with a buck you had been following. Great year for you guys!

Awsome video! Thaks for sharing

Take note of the battery orientation. The older larger models with the AA batteries installed with their long axis parallel to the bore of the weapon have been known to shut off upon recoil. EOTech countered this problem by switching to CR123 batteries and mounting them sideways where recoil can not act on the electrical connections. The newer versions are also more compact.

Sounds like simple transportaion to me. Or maybe there is a bunch of sidexsides that are in violation. Wish I was painting fellow.

I have been watching a lot of videos posted on the interweb this season where the hunter needed 3-4 shots to anchor what they are shooting at. More people trying the long range game or just more people with video capability this year?

My only complaint is they are pretty much for prone shooting. AZ doesnt always lend itself to prone. I get prone when able, but it seems there is always a bush, rock, funny angle, or other terrain that forces a sitting position. I find myself in the sitting positon with a longer harris fully extended when predaor hunting. Other than the height, I think they are the best out there.

No problem. I'm no expert but I have seen a lot of fmj's hit stuff and do crazy things. Glad this post sorted itself out.

Great job. First of many I hope.

The one in the picture is a heavy 20" I built. Its a bit heavy to lug after the first couple miles but I still do it. I would recommend a mid weight 18" barrel.

Barrel twist rate will be your limiting factor on how heavy you can go in the 223. Lots of slower twist older rifles out there designed to shoot the 55 gr stuff. I stick with the 75-77 gr pills for long pokes but I believe that 64 gr bonded Nosler would be a great little Coues round when properly guided through the pump station. Id be happy to get you a starting place on some heavier loads when you decide to try.

Please understand I do not want to argue the subject but since you asked I will try to help see it from a different angle. I am also not advocating breaking the law but believe game managers are able to make rational decisions in the field. True most bullets start their journey with the bulk of the weight to the rear along their longitudinal centerline. There are exceptions like the ones you mentioned and more, but the difference is what happens after impact. Hardcast lead being a different subject all together. 1. The one thing for certain when talking about bullet performance is that nothing is certain. 2. Bullets designed to expand and deliver/impart their energy into the target do so at such a rapid rate that the nose (meplat) begins to deform (mushroom) and the shape that induces the yaw is gone before it happens. 3. The fmj shape doesn't so easily deform and thus the heavier rear will normally attempt to overtake the lighter front end. This yaw or tumble creates a notable cavitation. Add in a bone or two and many times the force is great enough to tear the bullet apart. 4. Rifling spins a bullet to stabilize it. When that bullets enters tissue that spin is not sufficient to continue the stabilization and the bullet will begin to yaw. The depth in the tissue that yaw begins is a huge variable dependant on unlimited different variables; thickness of mass traveling through, bone impacts, tissue density, see #1 5. In some cases (usually short range) the bullet attempts to yaw and is stressed enough to seperate the jacket from the core and fragment. It is my belief that what is the right tool for the masses is not always right for everyone. We can argue about high velocity FMJ rifle bullets for fox and coyote being ethical yet there are people shooting elk in the hind quarters with archery equipment? Bottomline... Know the capabilties of you and your equipment and operate inside those limits.

A 75gr Hornady BTHP leaving the muzzle at 2850 fps from a .223 worked just fine on this one when it connected on the other side of the canyon a couple years ago.

To answer your question... YES, 5.56 will damage fox. This topic will bring a hundred different opinions from a hundred different guys. When I think varmint bullet, I think vaporizing P-dogs or exploding jacks. Not the same quality i seek out for a fur bullet. When a screaming fast V-Max hits a shoulder blade or rib it violently expands (like it was designed to) but it does it right on the surface of the pelt. We call this a splash. I stood there in awe a few times staring at baseball size entrace holes from .20 and .22 cal projectiles. Also should be noted that just because a bullet is "hollowpoint" doesnt mean it is of the expanding variety. Match hollowpoints are typically a byproduct of bullet manufacturing. (filling jacket with lead from the nose instead of base) Not designed to expand and typically do not. Some guys like to sew but not walk 20 extra yards to grab the odd dog that got a few extra steps in before running out of gas and will reccomend larger calibers. I seem to drift down to smaller and smaller calibers and try to take well aimed shots. I used a .17 hornet all last season and never lost a critter that absorbed one of those little pills. I was not calling contests but trying to fill stretchers. I am sold on that little CZ for coyotes and smaller inside 200 yds. I have found lead BBs out of shotguns .22 mags and .17 cals are gonna treat your fox pelts the best. As always your mileage may vary.

I never saw the other post mentioned but I can imagine the "expert opinions" that chimed in. I am sorry your son experienced that from this site but this is just another part of the real world and I am sure he hasnt had his last taste of knuckleheads. Hope its a learning point for him and he doesnt get down about it. Most of these "experts" would be surprised to know what actually happens when a military style full metal jacket with its center of gravity well toward it's rear travels through a "mass".

Heck of a meat buck. Glad I could go on the hunt with the play by play. Congrats. I can think of a few bucks/critters that normally would have been passed but friends or family along for the hunt made the decision to shoot easy.

Congrats to your dad. I like the OpSec in the photo. Guilty of it myself a couple times. Too often those honey holes are few and far between.