Schmitty

Casey, You only have to reload if you want to get the benefit of the improved case. You can still shoot regular 25-06 cases through it as they have the same headspace. Accuracy with new brass isn't quite as good as with the fireformed cases, but that's just as true with conventional brass. While you do need to work up a load using the formed brass, you can get plenty of good shooting practice using the unformed cases. For ex. with my .20-221 AI, I've shot multiple 3/8" 5 shot groups using new brass. No single hole groups like with the fireformed brass but more than accurate enough to take off a p-dogs head at 250 yards. As for performance, you'll see around 100 fps gained over the standard case. Feeding shouldn't be much of an issue with the long case and the high BC bullets. Kevin Weaver has a big write up on the 25-06 AI on his website. www.weaverrifles.com. It should be located in the cartridges, load data section. take care, Schmitty

Black Swarovski 15x56 SLC WB bino's for sale. These aren't the SLCnew model, but have the swarobright coatings. Bino's are in immaculate condition, have all the end caps, box, booklets, zipped case, swaro neoprene necstrap and a green swarovski padded case. Pics available on request. $1425 Tripod adapter not included. thanks, Craig

Swaros still available.

I'd buy the bino's before building the rifle. You need to find game before you can shoot it I built a 6.5-06 AI this past fall ahd hoped to have it ready for 3 different hunts. Guess what? it's still at the gunsmith's getting problems sorted out. I just returned from TX where my trusty, only shoots 1" groups" .243, took care of 2 deer and 2 hogs with 4 shells fired. So much for needing the "hot rod" that's been parked at the smith's shop. Thanks for the offers on the daughters, but I've already got two who love hunting. The 18 month old prefers deer hunting movies to cartoons and The 5 year old just got a "Crickett" .22LR for her birthday. I feel your pain on the tags here in AZ, and don't know what I'm going to do when the girls are old enough to hunt the bigger critters. I just paid $6 for my 8 year old Nephew's youth license in TX, where he can shoot 5 deer and year along with everything else on the one license. I just bought these swaro's for what I'm selling them for. I can't afford them either, hence the selling. take care, Schmitty

Why the smilies? Is the price too low for you?

Tripod adapter come with it?

I don't think that Lester will do anything other than rebarrel bench guns now that Gary has left his shop. It's not in Phoenix, but I'd strongly consider Dan Pedersen in Prescott ( www.cutrifle.com) as barrels are his specialties. He'd be able to tell you over the phone if you'd be able to flute it or not, and costs, etc. Everything I've had Dan do for me has been top notch, not to mention that he's a great guy. good luck, Schmitty

Thanks for sharing the pics and story and congratulations on a true WHOPPER!

Congrats on a good hunt! Nice pics, How was the weather for the Nov hunt? Schmitty

Great buck! Glad to see your scouting pay off!

I own a Landscape company up here in Prescott. WE don't work down in Valley much, but Dec. wouldn't be too bad. Regardless I can help you out with some ideas/planning/construction details. First thing since the house is currently under construction, see if you can have your builder at least stub out gas to the backyard for you to tie into for the outdoor kitchen and fire pit. Is the front yard coming landscaped as part of the home package? If so speak with whoever is landscaping the front and have them run the pressurized waterline into the backyard and leave an access stub as well as running some extra wire (3 strand) for valves from the conroller to this point as well. You will want the pressurized line to run to your water feature so that it automatically fills itself. Also make sure that the controller they install will have enough stations on it to take care of your backyard's irrigation needs. A separate electrical circuit devoted to the backyard will probably be necessary as well. This usually isn't a big deal as most electrical panels are located alongside the house and it's easy to run a line down the side of the house. If they haven't poured the driveway or patios yet, make sure that they put a couple of sleeves in so that you can pull lines under the driveway if the need arises in the future. As for the flagstone, If you want it to have mortared joints, you'll need to lay it on top of concrete. If they haven't poured the patio in the back, make sure that the concrete sits 3" below the threshold of the back door as you'll need to allow 2" for the flagstone to be layed on top. Most spec homes give you such a tiny pad that you'll need to extend it a bit. You DON"T want to pour this until you have run all of the necessary utilities to the new kitchen area. Anyhow, I've got to get packing for my hunt, but hope this helps. I'll be back on the 31st if you have any questions. take care, Schmitty

Ron, There isn't too much truth to your aforementionedcomments. Both cartridges are very similar in nature as their cases are based off of a shortened H and H. There is only ..030" difference between the two win mags with he .338 pushing the same bullet weights as the .300 125 fps or so faster. In realistic hunting yardages (400 yards and in) the .338 will get the nod in both energy and trajectory. You get out past 500 and the .300 starts to shine. With the .338 you have the option of shooting heavier bullets which will indeed have more energy (inside 400 yards) Neither of them are pussycats and bark loudly and kick like mules. Both require earplugs and recoil with the same bullet weight will be identical in matching rifles. The BC will be higher in the .30's over the .338 in identical weight, but as I mentioned above the .338 will be faster. As a Coues rifle, neither would be my first choice. I have owned both the 300 and 338 and really don't see much of a difference unless you want to shoot the real light bullets in the .300 which doesn't appeal much to me. As for price of factory fodder I don't know as I reload. The two elk that I did shoot with the .338 fell pretty hard with shots to the boiler room with only rib meat lost. That being said, I'd feel comfortable shooting elk with my 6.5-06 with a 140 gr partition or triple shock. The .338 is a good one to have in the safe if big (elk or larger) game is part of your plans. Most .338 WM's weren't finicky and shot most anything I fed it quite accurately. Here's a link to an article about the .339 http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQ..._46/ai_65574867 Good luck, Schmitty

Minox BD 15x58 ED BR For Sale I've only had them out on a couple of scouting trips, these are in excellent condition. I still have the box, instructions and a the warranty card that was never filled out. $650. I am in Prescott, but I"ll be down in the valley and tucson in the next few weeks. Here's a review on the Minox 15's from an article about Big Eyes. The whole article can be found at www.24hourcampfire.com Minox BD 15x58 ED BR "Big, heavy, and bright." First impressions can mean a lot, and with the Minox 15x58 ED BR, what you see is what you get. What you do not see is the price, and because of its MSRP of $1,050, reviewers unanimously voted the Minox as the "Best Value." The largest (225x159x69mm) 15x that we tested, as well as the heaviest (52.55 ounces), it was — as the reviewers noted — "very heavy for a small hand," "bigger and heavier than the Geovids," and "massive glass." Despite its weight and bulk, reviewers were very impressed with the Minox's optical performance: "Very, very close optically to the Swaro and Leica," "98% as good as binos costing twice as much," and "incredible optics, at any price." When Minox introduced the revamped 15x58 ED at the 2006 SHOT Show, the big news was the ED flouride glass, which, according to Minox, aids in accurate color rendition. Compared to the earlier versions of the Minox 15x58 without the ED glass, the new ED BR is a noticeable improvement, not only in color fidelity, but in sharpness and resolution as well. Reviewers noted that the Minox stayed with the Leica and the Swarovski into the far edges of twilight, with image quality constant well past legal shooting light. Resolution was excellent, if a fine hair less sharp than the very best. Clarity and brightness were also excellent, partly because of the 58mm objective lenses, the largest of any 15x binocular that we tested. Reviewers noted "no eye strain,” “easy to get properly adjusted," and "great tripod adapter." A few reviewers noted that it "does not adapt well to bifocals," that its "objective covers felt cheap,” “the Swarovski-type tethered covers are much nicer," and "very big ocular housing, tricky to fit in eye socket." However, these observations did not detract from the overall impression that the Minox 15x58 is truly a lot of glass for a great price. Runaway best "bang for buck." MSRP: $1,049. Four-plus stars.

Congratulations on a very nice buck.

My understanding is;( correct me if I'm wrong Scott is that these drug mules when caught, are processed and sent back across the border without punishment, similar to the way the non drug toting illegals are processed. My understanding is that they may be flown down deep into the interior of Mexico, but there is no legal punishment. If you or I got busted with 50 plus pounds of dope, we'd be spending a fair portion of our life down in Florence. We can get tossed into a Mexican prison for looking at a federale the wrong way, but we just toss these burros back across the border without even slapping their wrists. There needs to be a punishment to fit the crime, no matter the nationality or expense. Good hunting, Schmitty

Well, I spoke with somebody in the know today and it looks like ground has been broken for the new SW in Prescott Valley. It will be located near the new Walmart (Kohls, etc.) on the W. side of Glassford Hill across from the Tim's Toyota Center. I guess there are a few issues with the city of PV regarding a stoplight on Glassford Hill that have slowed Construction progress, but they are still shooting for a Spring 2008 opening date. I still wonder how Yavapai county can support a store like Sportsman's Warehouse, but I'm sure they did their research beforehand. I really don't think that it will have a huge impact on Prescott's gun stores except for maybe High Country. J and G's will still cater to the shoot em up crowd and Bill's Trading Post will still be cheaper than SW. We don't really have any real suppliers when it comes to optics, camping, fishing, outdoor wear, hunting gear, etc. so it will be nice to cut an hour off of the drive time for me. take care, Schmitty

While helping a friend's son with cow tag last year, we saw several bulls while up scouting and hunting. The Most interesting was still wearing velvet in October and had a bunch of odd growth, including a palmated antler on one side. He was running with a real Dandy of a bull, which looked very similar to the picture of the skull posted above. He had very good main beams, and pretty decent tine length all the way around. Most of the other bulls that we saw were raghorns, or pretty busted up from the rut. BTW, we were on the melatone mesa side of the unit. good luck, Lots of elk in that unit to chase. Schmitty

Congratulations on your new family, My only advice is that you better hunt all you can while you've only got one child. It's amazing how when the kids outnumber mama, she doesn't like those 10 day birdhunting trips to Canada anymore. Fortunately for you, you'll have it all in your new backyard. Once again congrats on your little girl. Our two girls are alot of fun. While I'm not looking forward to the teenage years, I"m trying to raise them up right. My four year old is all excited to go out for her second year of dove hunting, and the one year old is driving Mama crazy blowing the duck and goose calls. Best of luck to you and you're wife. Schmitty

They all are whoppers, no doubt! A big thank you for posting these pics. If all 3 were standing together broadside at 30 yards, I'd have to take the typical. He is flat out gorgeous. (Can you talk that way about a stinky critter?) He's got it all, deep forks, height and width and a nice mug to boot. I'll be thinking about those dandies while I'm sweating my cajones off down in the desert chasing pigs in 95 degree heat reminding myself of what a fool I am. good luck to your buddies, Schmitty

AZGFD needs to take lessons from the South Dakota Fish and Game. I applied online for a rifle antelope tag on August 10th. The draw took place on August 14th. Results were posted on August 15th. (BTW, I didn't draw) Received Refund check in today's mail; August 21. I was absolutely amazed. I guess they get enough from those high dollar small game (pheasant) licenses that they don't feel the need to earn a bunch of interest off of my money. Still waiting on my AZ sheep refund. Schmitty

Well I received Permit #1 for the Oct. hunt in 36C in the mail today. Hopefully that refund check for sheep isn't too far behind to help pay for that new swaro spotter I put on layaway. Anybody else seeing tags/refund checks? Does anybody know how the numbering system on tne permits work? i have a hard time believing that ALL of the December tags had been drawn before a single tag had been assigned to the early hunt. I won't complain, as I'm still going hunting. Good luck to everybody, Schmitty

Mine likes the 100 grain Barnes triple shocks the best behind a stiff load of IMR 4350. My buddies is partial to accubonds that I load with H4831sc. Other bullets that shoot well out of my rifle are the 100 grain gamekings and ballistic tips. good luck, Schmitty

plus 1 for PV archery. I think that TC and his Dad will be making arrows for awhile to come yet. PVdon't have quite the inventory of SW, but prices are comparable and service goes a LONG way in the archery business. As for Popular, that store was more or less a joke when in came to inventory and employees. There is a similar store in the new location, Manzanita Outdoors, but I only spent 2 minutes in there while the wife was grabbing something from Old Navy.

Well, it has been 20 years since I sat in Hunter Safety Class along with my fellow boy scouts down in Yuma. I still remember the instructor, a fellow named Gene and quite a few of his stories and lessons. For our field day, we camped out at the Adair range the night prior and experienced a good AZ flash flood and the entire range was under 6" of water. I remember shooting at (I didn't hit any) clay targets over the water and envisioning that I was shooting ducks over a marsh. I'm sure that the online course, while more convenient for many, has no way to equal the experience of sitting in a classroom with other excited kids and a lively instructor. At least they retained the field day. However, I know that when my own kids come of age in a few years, that we will be attending one of the live classes. I do believe that the online version is a benefit for those in remote locations, or experienced adults with a limited schedule. But, for the kids sake, I hope that most if not all will attend the live classes so that they too can reflect on fond memories after two decades have passed. I did follow the link for the practice test and used the birth year of my father (1946) to go for the full gusto. It looks like I'm a bit rusty and scored an 83%. Looks like I'll need to sit in on a few classes with my kids when the time comes. Good huniting, Schmitty

I haven't heard anything new yet, but I imagine it will be over off of Glassford or perhaps just W. of PV across from Glassford Hill (the actual hill) off of HWY 69. When I'm in the irrigation store on Monday I'll ask Bruce to see if he knows who got the Construction/Landscape contract as I'm sure that he's had to bid the drainage/irrigaton materials for the Contractor. I'll keep you posted. Schmitty