lancetkenyon

Great looking dog. Wish I could convince my wife.....hmmm....she is out of town through tomorrow.......

Non-game species in AZ. GFD has no control over the taking of non-game animals other than what is written in the regs.

There are deer up there, and some nice ones. Just not in the numbers there used to be it seems. I hunted 7 a lot last year in preparation/scouting for a friend's daughter who had a bull tag. I saw a few deer, and even some decent ones. Put a stalk on a nice 3x3 but could not close the deal, and I was not hunting hard. The more remote you get, the more deer you will see. Get away from the roads.

We used to shoot this every year. My older daughter used to rule her age group, I didn't do too bad either in my class. Usually great weather. We dry camped a little away from the crowds. A 3 day shoot, Friday, Saturday, Sunday with awards on Sunday afternoon. Used to be put on by AZ Bowhunters. Great club.

Have you checked into your homeowners insurance? Mine covered items that were in my truck when it was stolen. Worth a shot.

I had 22 points this year....and did not draw a unit 7 tag. My only unit I applied for. She should buy a lottery ticket. With that being said, I am really happy for her! I hope she kills a toad!

I have tried both with the same load. I found no point of impact shift or difference in velocity. But...the SC or SSC (IMR7828) sure do meter a lot nicer and it is easier to get more consistent powder throws. I was sometimes cutting IMR7828 granules in half to get a very precise weight.

Any help offered will not be turned away. I am going to do my darndest to get my baby a bull. I do not expect any help, but I really appreciate all offers of help, information, and good wishes. Thank you for the offer of the help, it is nice to know that the offer is out there. Great hunting community we have here.

I noticed that in the photo too. Trying to burn up the last little bit of the regular H4831, about 1/4 pound left. The H4831SC is in the cabinet. About 5# of it. Good catch!

5X 12X 20X

I will definitely keep velocity in mind. If it was not going to be windy on Saturday, I would be going out to shoot my ladder testing over the chrono. I have a wide range of powder loads, so I am sure I will have a couple starting nodes to refine. The most accurate load will be used for this rifle. I am just hoping for 2900-2950. Anything over that will be a bonus. Slightly under will be acceptable too. Then it is "load a bunch and shoot all summer/fall long" time! She will be putting in hours behind other guns this year too. Practice practice practice. .25-06, .250 Ackley, .223, .270Win, .22-250, .22LR.....my goal for her is 800-1000 rounds before season opener. Ranges out to 1000 yds. too. 600 is easy for her, and she had a 1st round hit at 865 with my .25-06. So stretching it out to 1000 or beyond will make closer shots a piece of cake if one presents itself. And a longer shot not nearly as stressful if needed.

Was stoked when Brown Santa came back on Friday..... Until....Houston, we have a problem. The rear mounting holes don't line up at all. So I quit working on the gun for the weekend. Called up Phoenix Custom Rifles on Monday and dropped it off to have them drill and tap the action to fit the Picatinny rail. They told me they would have it done by the next day for a very fair price, so I left with the expectations of having a new Picatinny rail mounted by middle of the week. Then it happened. About 30 minutes after I left Phoenix Custom Rifles, I got a call...."Hey Lance, this is Keith....ummm....I have your rifle complete." Seriously, Keith jumped right on my small job and completed it in 30 minutes at the price quoted, and even mounted the rail for me! To PCR...thank you so much! I will be back for other work I want done in the future. Great guy, nice clean, well organized shop too. Got some photos of the rifle with the scope mounted up. I tried a few variations of scope mounting (forward/back) until my daughter was comfortable with the set up. I also moved the scope level around a bit. I had it where I thought was best and most visible (behind the rear scope ring), but when I worked the bolt I hit my knuckle. Can't have that happen when it is cold, so I moved it just in front of the rear ring after the scope was in the correct position for my daughter. Scope with level mounted on rifle My lucky little sucker checking positioning... If this doesn't make it all worth while...nothing does!

Reassembled I know you all like my wallpaper... I also started some loads for a ladder test. Going to be shooting Nosler Accubond LR Winchester Brass CCI BR-2 primers H4831SC Nosler book has max load at 55.0gr. Hodgdon book shows max load at 55.7gr. Other sources of reloading data show up to 58.0gr. I started middle of the road and will work up watching for signs of pressure. My 140gr. Berger loads are 58.3gr. of H4831, and these NAB LR are loaded longer than the 140s with more case space for now. I can't wait to get the scope mounted (base is on order and should arrive this week) and start load development.

Brown Santa arrived yesterday with the new stock. Being a "drop-in stock", but knowing all the variables a Mauser 98 can have, I had about 3 hours of inletting to get everything to fit and work properly. Not a big deal, and just makes it a little more rewarding. Biggest thing was the safety assembly on my Mauser is nothing like an original. Took some Dremel work. Also has to clearance a few areas, push-button release for the floor plate, bridge in front of the trigger area for the safety bar to clear, a little bit in front of the lug area for the round receiver, etc. Clearance for the thumb safety and safety bar (in the bridge) Clearance for the push button floor plate release Paint touchup at the clearance areas Reassembled with proper clearances

First "big game hunt" as in an elk is big. Javelina was her first big game hunt but they are a relatively small species compared to deer, pronghorn, elk, etc. I will update this with some more photos later today if I get a chance. Got the gun ready to shoot, and some rounds loaded for a ladder test.

A friend and I had one for a few years. 55 gallon drum cut in half with a float, and an additional 55 gallon drum with a larger steel "funnel" for rain water above to gravity feed it from a hose. We would pack in supplemental water every so often too. It worked quite well for a while, then one weekend it was totally gone. No tire tracks into the spot, nothing. Maybe alien abduction? We had visits by deer, javelina, coyotes, fox, bobcat, and a coati that we saw. This was before trail cameras, so I am sure more visitors were using it. We floated a 1x6 in it for small birds and insects so they did not drown and foul the water source. We also had a mesh steel paint roller screen as an escape exit in case any other small animals fell in.

I think my wife might kick me in the nads just thinking about it, but I will ask. My labs passing late last year has left a hole. And my two GSPs are both crazy energetic.

Nothing for me again this year. But my 11 year old daughter drew a 7W late general bull tag! Let the fun begin! Going to spend some money on my .270Win this year to bring it up to par for her. Looking at a new stock and good glass and see how much that helps the 1-1.25 MOA rifle. My .300RUM with a brake will serve back-up and long range duty for her.

Only other thing I can add is buy the absolute best glass you can. Even a $500 pair of glass is significantly better than a $300 pair of glass. Going up from there improves so much quality it is amazing. I would buy a super cheap LRF and the best glass before buying a $250 pair of each. If you have a $500 budget, spend it all on glass and borrow a LRF from a friend. Rather than buying two mediocre pieces of glass (8 & 15 or 10 & 15), I would put it all on a good pair of 10X. Plenty of glass for most hunting, but not too much for close in stuff. Besides, even in mild weather, mirage will render a 15X bino no better than a 10X. You can see through it, but not clearly enough to pick out minute details that the extra 5X should give you. Even last week with 55° temps above Roosevelt Lake, the mirage killed viewing over 800 yds., even with good 10X binos.

I hope it is correct. My 11 year old daughter drew a late rifle bull tag in 7W!

They are up again.

I got skunked again this year. Frustrating for sure. But my 11 year old daughter drew a 7W late rifle bull tag! So I am very excited about that.

I like 10s too. I have put thousands of hours behind mine over the years. Probably already hundreds this year (2014). I have glassed game up from a single spot as close as 20 yds. to as far as almost two miles with the 10s. I could see antlers of a large mulie buck with the 10s at a mile and a half, and still see a quail at 20'. Love them. My suggestion, I am not sure the quality of your glass, but if they are only so-so, buy GOOD glass in the 10x range. You will see a ton more stuff with them over just average glass.

Yes. Deer in Mesa. Not hanging out at Fiesta Mall or anything, but deer within Mesa City limits for sure.

Been checking about 4-6 times a day for the last month....