Hey Chicken little!

Okay the garden is tilled and the horse manure and lime tilled under, strawberries are showing strong, and I have my beets and spinach in the ground. So far so good, what does all that mean to you and I? Turkey season my friends Turkey season! That is right in just a few short days we will be having the youth day, and immediately following the reg season for ol long beard himself. Now I don't know about you guys but I am an old school type guy so a box call I made from a pallet of wood from the Philippines, with a black walnut sound board, and a wing bone call made for me by the Web Foot himself is all I am carrying as far as calls go. My full choke 870 in 2 3/4 with a number 2 goose load (black cloud) is my weapon of choice, yea that is my duck/goose slaying weapon and has been for 20 years, bought her used from Dave's sport shop. Sitting on a square of rubber roof material in full ghilie I will wait patiently for the long beard to come to my decoy go into full strut and get himself all ugly in the face. Then I will administer to him a jelly head, full on at about 30 yds. I will tag him, draw and take my bird, home and take the required pictures. Very simple nothing extremely exotic or additional to buy.
So why does the main stream outdoor marketing beast tell me I need The latest 3 1/2 inc shell with a tungsten core, and a box call costing hundreds of dollars, whole magazines devoted to just one season of hunting. I love capitalism! Better yet I love seeing all this stuff and dreaming of owning the latest and greatest decoy or the new shotgun made with the latest technology and constructed of the space age materials for stocks and scopes. Okay I like to hunt within my budget, I like to make my own gear whenever possible, and I am selective of my harvest.  I buy very little of the latest and greatest gear, except for clothes then I like  to stay warm , dry and in camo. But recently I have been selective and bought a new gun after doing some horse trading and topped it with some really nice optics, first gun and scope combo I have ever bought, but I like to shoot. I guess as I get older I like nice things if I can afford them and now that the ranch is paid off I can do that, besides the kids will love it one day I am sure!

Gun rest

I am wanting to find a rest for Ms. Lucy and went looking thru my shooting catalogs and out of 100 pages all are basically the same, with various degrees of quality and accessories. So I am thinking about building my own rest for her since, I have the skills I believe necessary to accomplish a project of this scope, and I am cheap like that. My wife says I will spend $100 to save $10 and I have to admit sometimes she is right, but I have learned a lot of good stuff in the process!
So let's look at what my requirements for this would be, first it should be light enough to carry fox hunting a field but heavy enough to take a 243 recoil. Be able to anchor on the bench (sand bag) and in the field, while allowing me to stay on sight with a moving target.. I guess holding the weapon rock steady while protecting the gun itself is a important consideration also. Easily and quickly adjustable to elevation and point of impact would be an important factor to keep in mind and last but not least cost no more than the cheapest one I could find in my local Gander Mountain store.
I would like to build it all from recycled materials to keep with that green thing that is so popular right now, and barter all of the work I could not do myself in exchange for my welding skills. I see some machining might be in order if I get carried away, and some sewing. I will keep you posted on my project as I progress, and think I might wander down to the junk yard and see if anything looks like it might fit into this project. You cannot be an inventor or artist if you have to buy everything new!

Ms. Lucy

This is Ms. Lucy, a 700 Remington in 243 caliber. she is wearing a Nikon Monarch BDC scope, and leather woven sling. We are still getting to know one another but I am bringing her in line. I may put her in a lead sled one day to see just how accurate she can be.

Day at the Range

I got to the range today and I wanted to share with you the results of my shooting. As I get to know this gun I am amazed at how flat it shoots. You are looking at the 200 yd target the first I have shot with her (Ms. Lucy). The first three shots are the ones in the white. I held the scope one ring centered in the Bullet drop compensator scope by Nikon. The group is avg 1.5 inch not bad but I feel I will get better. The next four shots are the ones in the black you can see the group size is not bad for 200 yds the one at 12 o;clock in the 8 ring must have been made by aliens! So for my second trip out with Ms. Lucy I am pleased. I was shooting V shock 70 gr ballistic tip nossler  bullets on this target. temp was 71 degrees and wind was 0-2 south west, in a woods range, mid day with  good light. Let's see if I can get her tightened up , I mean me tightened up to exploit the guns full potential.

Remington model 700

Okay I have been running on here about getting a new gun since I started this blog and the time has come to finally bring it all together. I sold my M1 Garand to buy the new gun a 700 Remington in 243, but like most things in my life I wanted to put good optics on it so I was saving for the scope. Now if you are like me and have a new toy you can't play with you get impatient, like a Christmas toy with no batteries! So my wife god love her gave me the green light to buy the glass for it, a beautiful Nikon Monarch BDC. So I drag it all into Ted the gunsmith at Gander and he puts it together, does some trigger and bolt work, gives me a bore sighting, and calls me to say she is ready. I don't mind telling you  she is looking good and I am ready to go to the range. I got some ammo  for her and off I went to the local Good Ol Boy range we have cut out of the woods 400 yds of relaxing! I shot her first at 50 yds and got her into the red after two groups of three shots. Moved out to 100 yds and brought her a little to the left and up a notch. At 100 yds I am able to cover the shots with a nickle. The next set of 6 were crazy all over the paper I figured I need to take a break and stretch some. After a ten min break I went back to the bench and put the last 6 through her all in the red and grouped tightly. The bench is not equipped with the latest mount we use bags filled with sand so we practice like we shoot. I am having 100 rounds worked up now by a man who reloads and will have the best load for my gun soon I have no doubt. Hopefully I will be able to post some pictures this afternoon when I get back from the range of the targets. But until the hand loads get in I will continue to shoot off the shelf ammo.   

Scopes and optics in general

Okay you are working and saving some hustle money so you are ready to get some new glass for the top of your hunting rifle. Now one thing for sure when it comes to the average guy trying to get or upgrade a scope, you should always have a plan and a budget. Let's look at your plan. What is it you expect the scope to do for you, and what are you using it for? First a 22 rifle is only effective in the hands of the average person out to 100 yds. max. So the optics you get should fall into that range most effectively. One of my friends has a 22 with this huge long range scope, that I admit you can dial it down to determine the sex of a fly at 100yds. but when we hunt squirrels in the woods, my 1 inch smokes him. The reason being in my opinion is that he is shooting out of the effective range of his gun. 150 yds is not a good thing when your bullet will only get out to 100yds effectively and accurately. All my shots are in the 25/75 yds. range and the bullet is dropping at 75 but hold to the top of his head and you are dead on, on his chin at 25 yds makes him dinner!
Let's talk cost for a min. this is the budget part for most of us, how much to spend? Well using the above as a start, I personally think that buy buying the best you can afford is the only way to do it. I know you have that new Remington model 700, sitting in the safe while you try and find the cash to get the scope. Because if you are like most of us just walking in and laying out the plastic is just not happening. Looking thru the Cabellas shooting catalog, you see prices from $150-$1,500 for a scope, more than a few manufactures, and a huge selection. One thing that did catch my eye was the Cabellas guide series of scopes, and if you are talking quality I would think that it would be top of the line to carry the Cabellas name, just  a thought there. Now here is the hard part holding out until you get the cash to buy what you want. You get that first $100.00 and set it aside and if you are like me, something comes along to nibble at that bill, I mean fishing is coming up right, and hunting season is a ways off. Then you get another influx from a side job and now you have enough to get some glass on it, you are dying to shoot it. Not what you wanted but at least it is something to get out with it. But you know that you will not be happy, that scope will never perform for you like you wanted it to and you will have a first class gun and  second class piece of glass on top of it.
So to avoid all that keep to your plan and work on the budget, buy the best you can afford and not more than the gun will deliver, you will be happier for it.

Target shooting

I like to shoot targets, cans, skeet, pumpkins, watermelons, just about anything that gets a hole in it or goes splat! So in the off season to stay sharp I will shoot my 22 rifle at some 50 foot  NRA targets. I have a couple of metal  post with  3 inch mesh wire fence stretched between them (from when I built my goat pens,) that I stick the targets on. It sets in front of a bullet trap I built out of 1/4 plate steel and set at a 45 degree angle with a sand trap to catch the bullets. I attach the targets with clothes pins to the wire. Much better than wood but strictly for 22's and 17's! If I shoot my scoped 22 target rifle I am out to 75 yds. and the 17 is a 150 yd hole sticker on the rest, bigger than 22 I go to the local boys range where the dirt piles are out to 300 yds. I find that if I practice the basics with a small bore rifle it cost me a lot less money, my shoulder is not wore slam out, and when I do drop that $$$ for large bore I am much quicker getting back on track before deer season.
So lets say you are breaking the ol kan killer out for the first time in a bit, and the kids been shooting it some out back so It could be out of alignment some for you.  Good old iron sighted 22 your daddy bought you from the Sears Roebuck catalog, back in 69. You shot many a squirrel with her and knows she is a good gun. So first you set up a target 15 feet away and shoot three rounds at the target, and she is shooting a might high but dead on center, and you are thinking  that she will be dead on at 50 feet, and an inch low at 100yds. So out you go to 50 feet and she is still shooting high for you, and on this gun you only have up and down that adjust easily so what do you do? Move the sight back toward you one correction at a time and shoot three rounds again, you should now be closer if not on your bulls eye. If you have to raise the shot placement move the sight forward, and if you can adjust left to right move the sight in the direction you need to move the bullet placement. Keep in mind that you should always make small corrections, be very stable and  on a bench when sighting your rifle. Then when you get out in the field shooting tree rats you will be dead on, Like the Patriot said "aim small, miss small" god I love that movie!

Predator/Varmint shooting

I have decided to get into shooting varmints and some paper for fun. I shot as a kid and was pretty good earning several medals from the NRA. So a low impact sport on me while allowing me to hunt stuff and assemble some new stuff at Christmas naturally. I have decided upon a rifle and looking at optics and accessories. Ruger 223 in lam. stock with bull barrell, optics still up in the air and price is a factor believe me. I would like to eventually add a red light and bi pod for low light applications.
I have a VW thing that is a great hunting vehicle, like a big 4 wheeler you can drive to the hunt, and drive it home, but I will admit it is cold! That THING is never warm, I really hate to take it out much now and it is bright yellow so I wind up walking when I hunt anyway. My wife suggest I sell it and look for a  4 wheeled  vehicle that is better suited for hunting like a Polaris Ranger. So that is a consideration plus it would make a good critter getter. It could be outfitted with a light bar, tow package for the john boat or accessories for establishing food plots. Something to think about.
The Garand is gone  for a fair price making the Ruger 223 possible now, and a start on getting the money together for the optics. It will take me a good year to get it set up like I want I am sure but when I am done she will be accurate to 300 yds I hope.  Let me know if any of you shoot varmints as I have never done it as a hobby and would like to learn from someone first hand. Maybe groundhogs this Spring?

Target shooting in your neighborhood

Hey if you like to shoot targets and the cost of shooting the magnum is costing you more than it should, consider putting in a backyard range. Air guns today are capable of propelling a custom pellet up to 1200, fps now that is pretty dang fast. However they also lose that energy quickly when encountering sufficient resistance, and they are quiet to match. Being a good shot has as much to do with the mechanics of trigger squeeze, breath control, sight picture and shooting position as a good scope or gun.
So by shooting an air gun and practicing the basics you can improve your shooting with your magnum also. What does it take to shoot safely in your backyard or neighborhood, even your basement!
First is safety equipment and gear. Safety glasses at all times in the slim chance of a ricochet.
Space; a low velocity range can be 15 feet, but if you are shooting one of the newer high velocity guns you need 30 feet min.
Third you have to catch the pellet, a box of plywood 24x24x12, lined with a thick piece of carpet, several layers thick. this will catch the fastest of pellets with no chance of it coming back at you if you get it in the box.
Fourth you have to have a backstop behind your box, a heavy canvas, or blanket, with the bottom left loose will help you keep your pellets in your yard.
Now when you set up to hold your targets, get a pair of pipes and drive them in close to the front of your trap. Between these place a piece of wire mesh like 2x3 wire fencing and wire it between the two poles. Use clothes pins to hold your target in place and shoot away, sharpening your skills in a safe manner that is not offensive to anyone. So hone your skills, and increase your accuracy so when the time comes you place your shot where you want it, for a clean and ethical harvest.