forepaw

Friend, don't be too quick to buy one of the "Flagship" bows i.e. Hoyt, Matthews, PSE or Bowtech (though I am a fan of Bowtech). There are some ma and pa companies that are building great bows, and hoping to stay competitive through good customer service and excellent warranties, though you might have to accept buying a bow without shooting it first. Some examples are Athens, Obsession, Elite, Parker, Martin. Also, for a first bow, Matthews makes the MIssion product line, and Bowtech the Diamond. I believe they are both good, just fewer bells and whistles than the fully equipped bows. Both BBA or PSE could get you measured up and let you shoot a couple of demo bows. If either acts like they don't appreciate your business, there are other shops to visit! I doubt if that would happen however. Archery shops like new shooters. Mostly at this stage, try to find something that feels comfortable and doesn't try to jump out of your hand. Once you get some miles behind you, you can upgrade to something a little faster or shorter for hunting, and keep your original for a backup. forepaw

Keep in mind that what to us are now cheap scopes, may have been the standard on medium-range rifles when your dad was young. Some of the made in Japan scopes, including Tasco scopes, were actually pretty decent. Some of the small, off-brand Japanese companies turned out some fairly good optics back in the '60s and '70s. Not in the same league as alpha glass, but not bad either - and affordable. But then, few people would think of shooting an elk at 600 yds. Most of us tried to follow Jack O'Connor's advice - mount a good scope, in strong rings as low as possible on your rifle, sight it in, and leave it there. Steel tube Weavers were pretty standard, and Leupolds were the cat's pajamas. If someone had a pre-64 Model 70 with a Latigo Quick-set sling, and a Leupold scope, they were considered to be ready for anything, at least in AZ. forepaw

You might take a quick look at the article on www.24hourcampfire.com/ by John Barsness entitled "Riflescope Brightness". forepaw

PM answered. The Leupold is SPF.

Howdy CWT amigos. The following items are for sale. Made in USA North Face backpacking tent. No rips or stains. Screens and zippers are in good shape. Not ultralight (est. 8#), but works well as spike camp or backyard shelter for kids. $75.00 Cardoza Creations portable bow press. New, only used once on my Hoyt Raptor to check fit and function. Works with split limb and solid limb compound bows, right or left hand. $25.00 Leupold 20x60 non-HD spotting scope. Used primarily on rifle range. Good condition, good choice for entry-level spotter. Clear, reasonably bright, with wide field of view. Includes lens caps, sunshade, and fabric cover. $95.00 FTF in Kingman, or TYD (shipping extra) forepaw

North Face tent is SPF.

I am not sure, it doesn't weigh much, cost would probably be around $10 but that's a guess. Depends on whether UPS or FedEx, or USPS. forepaw

Correct. forepaw

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You're welcome. Tikkas are a lot of rifle for the money. forepaw

Probably, but the owner should have spent a little more and got higher rings. Either that or a different scope. forepaw

Sorry about your Mom. Never an easy thing to handle, along with all the other demands of life. CO regs. just came out, you can hunt elk OTC in CO, or start building points if you want to hold out for a more popular unit. Last year I bought a leftover rifle bull tag, pretty easy to do. Not a sure thing but at least you can count on getting out and camping and hunting. You can also buy a cow or either sex archery if you prefer. Unlike AZ, they give you a break on the price of a cow. forepaw

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I guess since I paid full price for my Tikka then it's ok for me to order a McMillan lol! Let us know how the Boyd's laminate works out, they have some nice stuff at decent prices. What lefty Tikkas do you have? Got pics? forepaw

Actually, that would be FRCP - fiberglass reinforced co-polymer. Just about indestructible unless you burn it. forepaw

Looks like a spike bull, out on a long recon trip. forepaw

Hey Lance, not a problem, appreciate the input. We all have gaps in our knowledge, and discussions and chit chat like this is how we learn new stuff. For the record, I am not an expert or advanced shooter or handloader, and certainly am not a metallurgist. I was just trying to help the OP with some basic info without overwhelming him with technical jargon. Hopefully he will stay involved and keep tapping into the knowledge base on these forums. By the way, I didn't go into detail on the candle method, as I did not save the full write-up. (I know, I goofed.) Also the original source can offer a much better explanation if you would care to get in touch. This would be a guy named John Barsness. He IS an advanced shooter and handloader (and writer) and has provided some tips which have helped me a lot. He writes for Rifle and Handloader magazines, and I expect Wolfe Publishing Co. could provide contact info. Or you could just go to the forums on www.24hourcampfire.com and post a question on "Ask the Gunwriters". Hope that helps, and thanks for your useful photos and comments! forepaw

It is perfectly normal, and you should be good for a number of reloads as long as you keep charges below max. according to your manual. I would recommend annealing your cases after every 4th or 5th firing. To do this, get a household candle and a damp paper towel, hold the case in your fingers (by the base or rim) and heat the neck in the flame. When it becomes too hot to hold any longer, pull it off the flame, and quench with the wet paper towel. That's it. Be sure and check your case length, and trim any time they go beyond SAAMI spec. In fact, by the 3rd firing you probably need to trim, unless you have a minimum dimension chamber, and have been using mild loads. The other posters have given some good info, and it would be a smart move to research your manual or the internet for what the different terms mean, and how to "read" your brass. Some of the clues can be pretty subtle, and you are doing the right thing by watching for pressure and failure signs. As long as the fired case chambers easily in your rifle, and you set your die up according to the instructions, you should be fine. Don't forget to check for case neck splitting, it is common unless you are using premium brass. Neck splits go in the recycle bin, don't try to trim them. Hope that helps. forepaw

Normal compression during full length sizing. This is where the die body can't size any further because it is stopped by the lock ring clearance setpoint. If you sized further toward the shellholder, you might collapse the case. forepaw

Good choice. That's a lot of rifle for the money. You have a choice of the T3 Hunter (Walnut), T3 Lite (Tupperware) or the Ultra-lite (fluted barrel). I have a T3 Lite and it is almost too light for accurate shooting from field positions. Nice to carry though. forepaw

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That's some scary stuff right there. forepaw

It mostly depends on the source you are using. If it is a protected spring, within a predominantly backcountry or wilderness area, I would just use the bottled iodine tabs available at REI or Sportsman's. You could also use fresh household bleach, at the dosage of 8 drops per gallon of water. I almost always have an eyedropper with me for this purpose. If your source is surface water, or in an area with known recreational use upstream, you probably should filter first, then disinfect. There are a number of good backpacking filters such as the Katadyne, PUR (Hiker, Scout) and others. You can google this info, or go right to REI for more details on their products. If you are someplace with really roily, turbid water, you will need not only filtration and disinfection, but also some sort of pretreatment. Sometimes filtering through fine mesh (pantyhose) or even a clean t-shirt will remove enough sediment for you to treat and drink the water. If it is really bad, use about a tablespoon full of alum (aluminum sulfate, powdered) per gallon. Colorado river water for example, won't settle by gravity enough to produce much clarification. Even letting it sit overnight will not clear it up. It will settle out some, but not all of the particulates. You need to hit it with a metallic salt such as alum (or ferric chloride) to really settle the water. Decant the clear water into another container for treatment. I would not recommend drinking any backcountry water without treatment. forepaw