300RUM

Some of the gun shops like Healy arms have a website you can look at their inventory online might be worth checking a few of them out

Nice group. Sometimes we get all hung up on using the latest and greatest products when the old ones that we've had for years still work perfectly good.

There is a simple little trick that makes hanging chains much easier. I mentioned it in another thread recently. I pulled out my chains to inspect them today and thought I would shoot a few photos and get it up here. It is one of those things that can make life much easier at a moment when it will be much appreciated. Lay the chain out, make sure the tightening cam is to the outside. Place a 4 x 4 block several sections up, inside the chain. Drive onto the block. Pull the chain up over the tire. Work the chain tight, starting down by the block and working toward the end with the hook and cam. Engage the hook and cam. It is like installing the chain with the vehicle jacked up and you can get the chain fairly tight. I do not carry bunge cords.

The velocity loss due to a case split or loose primer will vary depending on how much gas leaks. Basically, the worse the leak is the more velocity you will loose. I have had a chrono on a .308 with 168's at 2650 when a few case leaks occurred and seen velocity drops of 50 to 200 fps depending on the severity of the leak. I don't see how a bullet could be crooked once it is in the bore. The bullet has a bit of length to it and fits very tightly in the bore. My guess is the issue is where the barrel pointed when the bullet exits. Barrels vibrate like a tuning fork when the gun is fired. Consistency in this vibration leads to accuracy, the barrel is always in the same position when a bullet exits. A bullet that entered the throat out of alignment would have to be forced straight to enter the bore. This could cause a spike in pressure that could vary with the amount of misalignment. That could alter the pressure curve as the round traveled down the barrel. The altered pressure curve could change how the barrel vibrates and change the point of impact. I'm sure some precision rifle manufactures, benchrest shooters, and possibly organizations like the USMC Scout/Sniper program have done research on this. If you dig around on the internet you can probably find some studies on this subject that take an engineering degree to understand. Can't help you there, I don't have one.

It's a reasonable assumption that case failure cause a flyer. Gas definitely vented through the action which means it didn't go down the barrel therefore MV was reduced. There would also be an inconsistency in how the barrel vibrated in relation to the rounds without a case failure. It's got flyer written all over it.

I frequently get radial cracks like that with federal brass. I got several .50 cal cans of mixed R-P and FC .308 brass off a L/E range master years ago. With the R-P the failure point is consistently a loose primer pocket. With the FC it is a radial crack like that, varying distances from the head. I have not seen many open up like that. I have learned the failure starts from inside the case and works it's way through the wall. To check for weak cases I insert a angled pick and drag it along the inside wall from the head toward the neck. If you feel the pick catch on something it is a crack forming.

My partner has an old M-77 that he fell and broke the stock in half. We are talking about getting a inexpensive new stock for it and putting one of my old scopes on it to make a decent loaner rifle. If we find a factory take off would an M-77 MK II factory stock fit an older M-77 with the tang safety?

Wrk2Hnt has it nailed. I was looking at some aftermarket stocks and the M-77 and M-77 MK II are listed separately. Definitely not interchangeable.

Yeah, you're right. If they work good for you go with Litz's BC's and shoot them. I had always had good results with BT's and AB's. My reason for dumping the ABLR was that it couldn't match the berger for accuracy, not the inflated BC. Still, it really irritates me when a manufacturer provides false specifications to make their product look more appealing. I had my little temper tantrum. I feel better now.

For anybody wanting high quality cut-resistant gloves companies like Grainger will carry them. They are commonly worn by employees working around sharp blades in Industrial applications. Some of them can get pretty exotic. At one time I did some independent Contracting for a company that did a lot of ballistic armor work. The guys who operated the saw that cut the sheets of Spectra or Kevlar wore gloves that were made out of fine interlocking stainless steel links, kind of like medieval chainmail armor.

You are dead on with that one. With the gutless method your hands and the knife are in sight. There is a lot less chance of screwing up when you can see what you're doing.

Inflating the BC of a bullet by 10% plus on the part of the manufacture is not a mistake, it is a flat out lie. I have used Nosler bullets for many years. Right now there are not as many of them on my shelf. If they currently feel it is OK to engage in a campaign of using falsified BC's to attempt to gain market share I will choose to use another manufactures bullet. There are lots of Berger bullets on my shelf right now.

Can I have one too?

I appreciate the offer. Cheap in Tucson tends to be a bit more expensive by the time it gets to Phoenix.

I found this blade while hunting during the archery deer & turkey season in 4B this year. It was in the area of the recent fire. In my opinion the blade was fabricated by a hobbyist knife maker. What I find unusual about it it is how the blade arches up placing the point well above the centerline of the handle. Any ideas as to the advantage of a blade this shape?

I found it near fork tank east of FS 170 in 4B. Saw a few small bucks but just couldn't stalk quite close enough, the challenge of archery. The attachment points are rivets. They are the proper width to indicate they held handled on each side. Majority opinion so far supports my best guess of skinning, but I am no knife expert. Thought it would be interesting to see what everyone else thought.

Once you get it fixed if you're not already using them try getting a tempered glass screen protector. I've broke about five of those protectors but they saved the screen every time.

returning a chainsaw after a year? 11 months. They gave me store credit. I bought a Paulen instead. Home Depot has a lax return policy. I had the opportunity once to ask a Hot Shot crew what brand of chainsaw they recommended. The unanimous answer was Sthil. These are guys that definitely do not have time to put up with a junk chainsaw.

Sounds like you're Mr. Murphy's chew toy.

Can you push him over to 4B for December 1st rifle? LOL. Seriously though it's very generous of you to put that offer up.

When you practice shooting your bow practice from sitting and kneeling positions as well. You are likely to shoot from these positions in the field. You will see some archers raise their bow arm about 45 degrees to draw then lower the bow to be on target. It makes drawing easier but creates lots of unwanted movement. Try to hold the bow on target and draw straight back. It is a little harder but less likely reveal your position. Ideally you will draw when the animals head is down or looking away but you never know when they may look up or in your direction.

Ironically I am. I've never hunted elk with a rifle, always archery. I don't have a rifle tag this year. A 4B bull tag was just donated to Hunts for Heroes and I've agreed to guide it. I know the unit well and have a cabin Forest Lakes so we're off to a good start. If you have any words of advice for a arrow flinger heading out for late rifle season send me a PM.

It's great to see that others were able to step in and keep this hunt going. Congratulations to all.

You can go lighter but you get to compromise. I've got a 700 that is 7 lb 8 oz field ready. I use an NSX compact 2.5-10x42 that is probably about 8 oz lighter. I also have a 20 in number 1 Barrel. Lightweight was my priority when I built it. At 8 lb 11 oz and shooting groups like pictured above that rifle is one sweet package. And I just got done telling myself I wasn't going to build another rifle...... My .280AI was built to MY "lightweight" specs. 8lbs 15oz all in. Plenty light to carry, but still has enough mass to shoot well fairly easily. I could have gone lighter, but I was not really interested in a featherweight. I put some heavy bullets downrange at a high rate of speed, and recoil isn't bad with the Hawkins muzzle brake. I personally think 8-9# is a perfect carry weight hunting rifle. I suppose featherweight is a fair description of my rifle. I set out to go as light as possible and still mount a decent scope (thanks again for all the input on the scope). It is not a rifle I would carry on every hunt, but when I choose to carry it I love it. It really helps lighten my load when I am going to hunt in a more mobile style. With an ankle that is screwed and plated together every pound can really make a difference. That said, a rifle in the weight range the OP and yourself built does seem very appealing.

I was raised Lutheran and rejected it in my teens. Sounds like you and I found the same "church".