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catclaw

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Posts posted by catclaw

  2. Posted · Report reply

    Tim, I have looked at everything made prior to what may have been released in the past 9 months or so. The absolute best, is the Kowa Prominar 88mm. It kills anything else out there. Period.

     

    Another fantastic one is the newest Vortex. You can look at them at the NRA show in Phx next weekend.

     

    Also, some makers add Flouride to the glass of high end scopes. Some are made with pure Flourite crystals, (Kowa). Each company chooses how to identify their product. Flourite crystal is not as hard or durable as glass but renders a nearly perfect image. Swarovski calls theirs HD. They are arguably tougher than the pure flourite crystal lenses but not as sharp.

     

    I have compared pretty much everything there was side-by-side and the Kowa TSN-883 and 884 are heads and shoulders better than the rest. I couldn't even pick a second place but the Vortex were right there.

     

    Dennis

  3. Posted · Report reply

    There is no practical advantage to a short action these days unless you are trying to shave every gram of weight. Not only are the long VLD bullets infringing on the powder space, but in some cases, (pun, of course, intended) you can't seat them deep enough to use the magazine without getting past the bearing surface of the bullet. They won't work that way- a perfect example is a 284 Win and 180 Bergers or a 6.5-284 and 140 bergers.

  4. Posted · Report reply

    There are some nice mulies in 10, but there are few deer period. I spent 18 days last september hunting and saw less than 10 the entire hunt. Most of what I did see was from the truck- driving to new areas. Did have 4 nice ones cross in front of me one day, the nicest of which might go 180. I wouldn't put in for 10 unless I lived in Williams or Seligman myself. I have seen more and better deer in 19 than 10.

  6. Posted · Report reply

    I spent 2 days in 27 last week. Saw about 20 mule deer, 10 whitetails, a handful of turkey, but no bears or elk. I was alot further south and east in the unit than I normally go. I was just checking out some areas that I wanted to see, and was not really hunting.

     

    I was hiking in and over 2' of snow at times. I saw most of the elk driving in the early mornings. Saw a grouse which is the first one in 2 years for me!

  9. Posted · Report reply

    I have spent a lot of time in 8 recently and don't think it is worth 7 points for wt. I only see them sporadically and they are not wide spread. Saw lots of elk. A B&C bull on the late hunt in 8 is pretty optimistic me thinks. You better stay real low and way back in- like Sycamore or something to find a hold- out bull like that. It is soo thick that glassing is really tough.

  12. Posted · Report reply

    Regarding the 22-250 for deer, there are better choices, IMO. ie 243, 257 Roberts, 260 Rem for those wanting light recoil and better deer performance.

     

    A 55 grain Ballistic Tip at 3600 fps will have retained 1900 FPS and 450 FtLbs Energy at 600 yards. Enough speed to expand the bullet, but would raise question to penetration if required to go through a shoulder or paunch.

     

    I have seen a 55 gr Hollow point blow up and penetrate only 1" into the shoulder muscle of a deer at 100 yards. This goes to proper bullet choice. Most 22 caliber bullets are lightly constructed for varmints. Better bullets like the 60 Nosler Partition will require a faster twist than the common 1-14.

     

    I have shot 40 grain HP at 420 yards at soda cans and have found a bullet laying atop the sand bank. The bullet was totally reloadable with no expansion at all.

     

    I have seen a coues taken at 400 yards with a 53 gr TSX from a 223 WSSM. Penetration through the chest, no shoulders.

     

    Doug, according to Nosler's manual #6, a 55 grain BT will be down to 1600 at 600 yds, not 1900. This is not enough to count on reliable expansion.

     

  13. Posted · Report reply

    I have had best luck when using copper jacketed bullets if I COMPLETELY clean the bore first. Gilding metal jackets (they contain zinc) seem to act like a tinning compound or a "primer" to copper jackets and facilitate faster fouling. The TSX bullets foul less than the un-banded X bullets for sure.

     

    All my X bullets have shot best with at lest a .050 jump, not the .005 jump that Schmitty likes.

     

    As for using them on bigger stuff- I saw an elk shot with that bullet two years ago- 6 times! It was still hanging on when finished off at close range. They are NOT magic. I would use them on elk only if I didn't have anything better and then hope that he didn't run too far because they leave a marginal blood trail.

  14. Posted · Report reply

    The answer is that yes, you can use both. I use the hold-over marks for reasonable distance shots. What these distances are depends on the caliber and velocity and BC of your projectile. I am not familiar with the Vortex reticle but the instructions should tell you how to zero it, as Doug said, either 100 or 200 yds. Then reset your turrets to zero and use them for shots too far to be taken with the hash marks.

     

    I don't like to set scopes to 300 yds as it can really screw you up on close stuff.

     

  15. Posted · Report reply

    Ryann and Amy should not be issued tags. Shootin 600 yards at deer with a 22-250 is just plain STUPID. I don't even believe they could hit a deer under field conditions with the varmit rifle.

     

     

    BAD BAD BAD BAD !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DUMB DUMB !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

     

     

    Shooting deer with a 22-250 is a short range proposition at best. It will kill them but it takes a much better placed shot than even a 243. A typical 22-250 round at 600 yds has less energy that a 22 RIMFIRE magnum and barely more than most 22 LR loads. Would you feel comfortable shooting deer with a 22 LR??? The bullets wont' expand at these velocities and the BC on a factory 22 cal bullet is so poor that any wind is going to blow the bullet way off course. A lot of us starting out hunting them with 22-250s but eventually realized that it wasn't humane and certainly wasn't optimal.

     

    I don't want to see restrictions on caliber, but assinine comments like these will be just what it takes to get to happen. A 22 hornet is legal for elk, does that mean we should try it?? Come on people, use enough gun to be fair to the game. These aren't prairie dogs!

     

     

    I had to go to the Phx office to get a FOPE stamp :D

  16. Posted · Report reply

    As I recall, AZ had to extend the deadline one year as well. There is a difference between "forgetting passwords" and having their entire system crash. It wasn't just their application computer than crashed, it was the entire system. I talked to a guy in accounting and he said that even the accounting computers were down. They had a colossal failure and that would have been hard to wiggle out of. Some agencies allow Postmarks to suffice, Arizona doesn't. You can't wait too long with the mail process either. Just because the mail man or the UPS guy doesn't get it there in time does not mean that the state has to change the rules. If NM has any heartache with this computer stuff- they need to take it up with there IT guys.

     

    On another note, the AZGFD is completely wrong to have their MAIN phone number as the one you call to check the draw results. The public has absolutely no way of conducting business with them during this time. They have a lot of other things going on besides the draw. They need a different number you can call so that they don't keep the main number out of service. What a nice few days to work there- especially if you are an operator! You wouldn't have to field a single call!

     

    None of these systems are perfect, but they know there will be a crunch and they need to prepare for it. It is easy enough to do in the private sector but they have tenured Govt employees who either don't have the expertise to do it or are constrained but other reasons. I hope they fix it because they will make one side or the other mad no matter what course they take should it continue to happen!

  17. Posted · Report reply

    I don't consider it procrastinating, I call it good fiscal sense. I will wait as long as I can to take money out of my account when I am losing or paying interest on it. If they say you can apply up until the deadline time on the 8th, then that is what they have to be prepared for. I am obviously not the only one who feels this way. Their system broke and they stood to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars on it- this is their budget money. Not only did their computers crash, but their phones crashed as well.

     

    They know there is going to be a crunch and they weren't prepared. They really had no choice but to fix the problem. The IRS gives us until April 15th to file. All those who have to pay will wait until then. That is just business.

     

    There was no doubt in my mind that this was going to be extended. If it had only "broke" during the last few hours of the last day I would say that they would not have been obligated to extend- but it was screwed up for 3 days. I know a number of people that stayed up until 4 and 5 am just trying to get through for two days prior. This is not acceptable in Government. They knew it and they did the right thing.

     

    Those of you that are pissed because you paid early and want better odds because those of us that waited until the last week couldn't get in should be ashamed for being so self-centered.

     

    This didn't need to happen- they should have either let an outside vendor that had the capacity to handle it run it or updated their systems. They didn't and it broke!

  18. Posted · Report reply

    Anyone else having fits getting this done?? For three straight days we have tried to get this done and the website is either down or so bogged down that it times out about 3/4th through the process. On top of that, their phone lines are down...

     

    I thought Arizona was bad- if they don't extend the deadline, they will have some serious retributions from folks! :angry: :angry:

  19. Posted · Report reply

    All you experts that are defending G&F and all you experts that are crucifying them need to sit back in your easy chair and sip on a beer. This isn't over by a long shot. There will be indictments before this is over. There will be people either retiring or losing their jobs. This was obviously done without the proper channels and permits being utilized and certainly a lot of deception has taken place.

     

    Every agency, no matter how good, will have its bad members. There are those who always have an agenda. This will not have a happy ending! Mark my words.

  20. Posted · Report reply

    I have two of each and I got shot down on most of the names I suggested. I wanted to name one of my boys Fred but my wife wouldn't have it. We went with Austin and Levi.

     

    My grandson is Porter. I think name popularity comes in cycles or waves. Just don't name him LeeRoy, or Ashmahl or Rosheed...

     

     

    Congrats..;

  21. Posted · Report reply

    I'd be for mandatory harvest reporting, actually being transplanted from the midwest, it was weird not having to report my harvests here. The new thing back east is tele-check, call a number, give them some info, they give you a confirmation number and you are checked in. Maybe have to then write the confirmation number on the tag (or something along those lines), maybe give 48 hours or so to check your harvest in. If you are stopped after the time period and not checked in, you would be ticketed. No processors or taxidermists would allow animals without the number on the tag, meaning you checked it in. I think it would allow for a little better harvest data, instead of all this guesstimating which is probably costing us tags in the end.

     

     

    Now THAT would be an obstruction! I am all for mandatory reporting,but it needs to be convenient for the hunter- You have until the end of the year or so. It could be all set up online so you just input your tag # and check yes or no...

  24. Posted · Report reply

    Dick King and others have been pushing this for years. Two years ago Leonerd Ordway's reason was that "G&F" did not want create more obstructions or roadblocks for hunters. Gee, thanks Leonerd!

     

    I always suspected that G&F did not want good data. Good data would be more difficult to manipulate.

     

    Mark

     

     

    That's why they want to implement a baiting ban- so there are no more obstructions for hunters...

     

     

    Make a heck of a lot of sense.

     

    I am for it. I think the current survey is a joke and useless. They have no statistics to show that the surveys being turned in are representative of the real story. I quit doing them about 5 years ago when I realized how many were not turning them in- I, like many others I have spoken to, quit sending them in hopes that they would be forced to make it mandatory. I don't think this is a huge deal people. You could do it online in conjunction with your bonus points. It could be as simple as costing you a bonus point for failing to report. They make lion, sheep, buffalo and bear reporting as well as archery deer reporting mandatory, what's the big deal with including the permitted hunts as well. This would only add elk and general deer to the equation. The only ones I think should be voluntary are the non-big game surveys such as small game or waterfowl.

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