duckhunter175

Go get a new breech plug and start shooting some Blackhorn 209. You can tweak it just like handloading instead of just shoving two pellets down and hoping to find a bullet that shoots well. I found a load that shoots very well in my CVA Accura v2--- 1.5" at 150 yards... can't ask for more than that. ***CAVEAT*** Blackpowder measurements are done BY VOLUME... not by weight. However-- this makes it hard to get precise, repeatable charges when measuring by volume in a charge tube. So I measure my charges by weight and do the math to equivalent charge volume to ensure they are safe... For example--- Most modern muzzleloaders warn not to use more than 150gr of poweder... BY VOLUME. If you stuffed 150gr by weight that would be over 200gr by volume and it would make for a bad day. Most accurate in my rifle was 85gr BY WEIGHT of BH209 and a Scorpion Gold PT 260gr Sabot. This equates to roughly 110gr of volume so it is still well safe and it shoots awesome.

Really dont want a detachable. The wilderness has a floorplate and a magazine model. The tikkas are really smooth but I don't like the 22" barrel... or the stock. I think I'd go with a longer barrel on an xbolt before a Tikka but that is personal preference. Glass is the hard part- I'm not opposed to Vortex, I've run lots of their stuff past and present. There are some good prices on VX2 and 3 with CDS. We will see- depends on what rifle and which price!

Bummer to hear about the matrix. The barrel twist does seem to be an issue- not gonna put a custom barrel on the back up gun. Still drawn to that cartridge for some reason. Just spoke to a gentlemen who has that Weatherby Vanguard Wilderness. He loves it-- it comes with a BC stock and 24" fluted tube for $700ish... not a bad deal.

I killed one in a salt marsh near Savannah GA when I was stationed there. Limit is 1 per day but its the only one that I've ever seen.

While I have not adjusted any of the turrets, I think the ballistic turret has the 3 rings that you set when you find your own zero and your correct dial for 4 ranges. Zero distance, and then 3 other distances, like green=300, yellow=400, red=500. The turret rings align to show you when you at that distance. Like a yardage marker or custom turret, but is adjustable by the shooter for the load used. I could be totally wrong though. That is my take on them. Lance is right. I messed with one at the Outdoorsmans this past winter. Here's the link to the Swaro youtube explanation. On paper-- http://www.eurooptic.com/swarovski-bt-ballistic-turret-instructions.aspx The adjustments are still in 1/4MOA but the color coded rings basically give you a quick spin for a known range. Example- If you set the baseline zero at 200 yards you would use a ballistic calculator to determine how many clicks needed for 300 yards and then set the first ring. However- you can set the 3 color coded rings to whatever range you prefer. Just know that if you set them for 300, 400, 500 and the animal steps out at 450 you spin to your 400 ring and dial however many additional clicks needed to get to 450. It is important to note that on the Z3 and Z5 models (I don't know about Z6, etc) that once the zero stop and BT are installed you only get one revolution of the turret (13.5-14 MOA). They have 58 MOA of total adjustment but not after you set zero and the turret.

Crazy looking! His jaws seem misaligned--

The more I look the more I like the 270 or the 270wsm. 165 and 170gr available (with a fast twist barrel) Seems like they should fit in a Rem LA mag box as well with room to spare. Would there be a drawback to that fast 1-8" twist in a 270 if you want to load 130s for deer/antelope and 170s for black bear/elk? Do you lose anything by fast twisting lighter bullets?

I've got the 6.5 angle covered with the 6.5x284 but it is definitely going to be a 'primary' gun for chasing whitetails here in Texas and hopefully pronghorn next year in Wyo. I know everyone is in love with the creedmoor but I like the option of being able to go a good bit faster with the 270 or alot Heavier with the 30-06. I also feel like since I don't own a rifle in either of those two classics that it would fill a good niche in the safe. If Remington put a decent stock on their SPS we might already have a winner but since they basically need a stock and trigger right off the bat I've opened the aperture.

RUM- I think you bring up a great point on velocity vs barrel length and I've read enough of your threads to know you're a huge 7mm-08 proponent. I think the only 22" barreled rifle I've ever owned was an abolt II in 7mm-08. I never even killed anything with it but my roommate when we were stationed in Oklahoma killed his first deer and a nice hog. Of the rifles I've handled lately I think there is also personal preference for the 24" barrel over the 22". The Kimber Hunter, Remington, Weatherby and Brownings that I handled all had 24" and I preferred that over the 22" on the normal xbolt. Of all the rifles I handled the Weatherby Wilderness had the best 'feel' and I think its a Bell and Carlson (or similar) stock they are using. The browning would be in high contention (even with the magazine) but I feel like they downsized the stocks on those Xbolts-- all the dimensions feel a hair smaller than what they should be and I'm not a duratouch fan. I had that on my Maxus and it gets chewed up wayyyyy to easily.

Hadn't thought of Tikka or Bergara-- need to open my aperture a little bit. I think I handled a Bergara at Cabelas and wasn't crazy about it but that was when they first came out. Has anyone spent much time behind one? heck I didn't include Savage-- I owned a LRH that I liked but was much to heavy for what I want this rifle for. All great points on alternate cartridges-- not sure on availability/price of 270wsm or 7saum but I see 7mm-08 around a good bit and everyone has 7RM.

x2 on the sticky

Wow. Stud buck!

How much for the just the scope (no rings, etc)?

Price without scope? How many rounds through it?

Looks like a great time, very cool snake.

For the price of .257 cal bullets it looks like you can find accubonds and bergers for $.10/bullet cheaper with better quantified results for accuracy and terminal performance.

Great hunt and great pics!

Quick sanity check-- For species like Bison, Turkey, Javelina where they have a spring and fall draw--- you can only earn one point per year total, correct? Then I can cash them in for either spring of fall when I decide to try and draw. Ex- When I started applying in AZ the OCT draw (for spring) was over already. So I put in for points for all 3 species in the draw in June along with my Deer app. Since my strategy is just to build points for a bit there is no harm to gain my points during the 'fall' draw?

According to my draw sheet on the website I didn't put in for Javelina at all in 2016 so I guess it must have gotten cancelled out at some point.

Good to know! I checked my account at AZGFD and I can see my Bison and Turkey points from last year but no Javelina point-- I'm gonna dig through emails because I don't remember not being able to apply. Did they take my $ and then no point?

I had plans for a 22-243 build and had ordered a barrel from pac-nor but a few other priorities got the in way (Swaro 10x42 EL). There is plenty of load data around for that round and the various 22/6mm. For availability of components I think 22-250AI is the all around best option and it can handle those long, heavy bullets. BUT-- If you want a classic I think a .220 Swift in a old Ruger #1 or 77 would be pretty awesome! Heck you could AI the swift and probably get a little better barrel life, coupled with slower burning powders and bigger bullets... plus you get that "no one else has it" factor.

Hope the crews stay safe and can get things contained quickly.

Just got back in off the next to last leg of the Turkey Season. Spent 3 days in OK, 2 days in KY and 4 in Missouri (thanks to the floods). OK-- Met up with more old Army buddies and went hard for two days in the blind. Day 1 we struck a bird while hiding in some round bales. He scurried into the dekes, never presented a shot to my buddy with his bow and when he tried to make a hasty exit I ensured there would be no witnesses. Double bearded RIO-- this made two birds for the season and 4 beards. Day 2 we returned to that spot with Mike's daughter and her great grandfather's shotgun. In a repeat of Day 1 the bird strutted in and she dropped him at 30 yards!! Her first bird ever and certainly not her last. This little girl was TOUGH- temps that morning were in the low 40s and she was soaked from the dew when we crossed the field. Day 3-- Saw 22 birds on public land but couldn't work the flock in. On the walk back to the truck 3 Jakes squirted across the path in front of my truck and I opted to leave my 1500 intact so they got a pass. Oh we also slammed some monster 2lb+ crappie! KY-- I drove all day to KY and hunted for a day with my old duck/goose hunting buddy. It was a slow morning but we struck a bird about 1030. Long story short we had to belly crawl down an old hedgerow as the bird hung up in the middle of a field. Once we closed the distance he came over the crest but refused to come any further. My buddy slipped as far up as he could but the result was a swing and a miss. The next day I had to head to Missouri but I squeezed a quick public land hunt in with two other hunting buddies. Nothing seen that morning but most likely because we were cutting up in the blind. I was supposed to leave at 11am for a 6hr drive but we struck a bird at 1030 and worked him for nearly 45 min. He circled completely around and slipped up within 40 yards of Tim, who had been doing the calling. Without his turkey slayer in hand he only got to briefly enjoy the show before that wise old Eastern slipped on out. MO-- Made the drive Sunday to Missouri and got in right before I-44 was closed because of a washout. I was hunting with another Army buddy who was itching to scratch out his first ever turkey. Monday was a bust because of 30mph winds but we saw a few hens. Tuesday we got up earlier and got into the thick of things quickly. We heard 4 birds that morning and worked one who got picked off by hens and up the hill he went. A large bird was still in the field gobbling his head off so we low crawled, snuck across the creek and stayed below the bank. Mind you-- at this time the creek was ankle deep. The bird hammered back at us and came towards the creek bed. Knowing that birds had been hanging up I opted to flip out a jake fan and when he caught sight through the weeds he sprint in to 20 yards and got dumped!!! When we got to him he had a Triple colored beard. Even a 30 year DNR employee we were with had never seen anything like it-- if you have ideas please let me know!! Wednesday we slipped back across the creek and set out our blind and dekes. It was raining but once the thunder closed in we high tailed it down to low ground and out of the open.... leaving our blind and everything but our guns. An hour later (after the storm)when we tried to cross back the creek had risen nearly 4 feet and it was obvious we weren't going to be crossing back any time soon. The submerged rock I'm pointing at in the pic was 4ft tall when the creek was down. We headed out for another blind on the farm and did our best to make things happen with a tail fan and a little ingenuity. No dice, but after nearly 12 hours I was able to retrieve our gear and head home the next morning. One more hunt in TX and then my season is over; needless to say it's been an adventure!!

They definitely share some disdain, hence the crow locator call being so effective. However- in the east many places I hunt have resident Canada goose populations and those calls work well also for locators. And I've seen big turkeys and geese chase each other around on small farm ponds. Turkeys will be where you find them. If you aren't hearing birds then look for sign, if you aren't seeing sign, move.