L Cazador

Vary well put!! Thanks Willie!

The agreement, and this is on the ranch rules web site, is access will be granted to the ranch with a valid big game tag or access to certain pastures as designated by the lessee for prairie dog/varmint hunting will be granted by purchase of an access permit provided by the Diamond A ranch headquarters. Price of this permit is $60 for a one week access for prairie dog/shooting, and $60 for a big game tag holder ( turkey, javelina, tags are obviously not included since they fall in the spring), are they not considered big game at the Boquillas??? Yes , some of this is state land that we're being denied access to!! Please note that Diamond A is a lessee not the land owner. Diamond A leases from the State and the Navajo Nation. It appears that Diamond A has been granted full discretion as to access of the ranch, since they have now closed the ranch to all hunting with no clear date as to when or if it will be open to any hunting!!

Here's my bore cleaning method . Two patches with Sweets down the bore , let sit for about five minutes . Next brush the bore with a bronze brass brush and Butch's bore shine , two strokes for every shot you have put down the bore , use a bore guide and don't let the brush exit completely , that will save the crown . Push the brush down the bore from the breach slowly , this is not a race , till the brush just begins to exit . Now pull it back and repeat this once for every shot down the bore . Run one patch with hydrogen peroxide after brushing , this is going to foam out the copper and powder fouling and neutralize the solvents . Dry patch till the bore is completely dry and there is no more black , blue , or green . Otherwise you will have to start over . Next don't forget to clean the chamber . There will be a tough ring from powder fouling that will form at the end of the chamber . Remove this by twirling a larger diameter brush in the chamber ( add one caliber larger diameter ) with Bore Shine . Now dry the chamber with several patches . If you don't remove the chamber ring , you will eventually have pretty wacky shooting rifle . Keep in mind that factory bores are very rough , and they will require more frequent cleaning . Finally use a good oil such as Butch's gun oil to protect the bore . Always shoot a fouler through the bore before shooting for score or hunting . Most gun owners never put in enough work to clean their rifles properly and have no way to verify their cleaning process . This process has been verified by a bore scope and years of experience shooting paper and game ( thousands of rounds a year ) ! Never leave anything in your bore overnight !

You are way off base with RL-17 and 180g bullets ! That powder is way too fast for the heavy bullets . Read my prior post on this , Win. 760 or Hunter both sperical powders that will give you the best velocity , and the best extreme velocity spreads . And yes by all means use a magnum primer , Fed 215M's are great . Too bad all you got for brass is that junky Winchester stuff . Just check it all real well before you use it , Winchester will make it good if you get too much junk . I save all the junk and send it back . They've been very good about it .

I've seen alot of 243's get shot out in one weekend in a prairie dog town , and that goes for AR-15s in 223 as well . After viewing many barrels through a bore scope , long barrel life is waiting a few minutes between shots and letting the rifle cool or owning several rifles and switching off between cooling periods if you shoot it a lot in one sitting . Hence a great little reason to tell the wife you need two or three rifles at least !! The 243 is particulary one of the worse because of it's 20 degree shoulder and the amount of powder that the case holds vs. the bore diameter .

The 300 WSM does it's best with Win 760 ball powder . The problem with any of the stick powders like 4831SC or RL-19 is that you can't get enough powder in the case for any added velocity . I did a lot load work for a freind about a year ago on the 300 WSM . The load work included the use a chronograph , and a computer ballistics program . The main problem with the 300WSM is the short neck and having to deal with a short action magazine length . Usually a 165-180g bullet is well below the neck/shoulder junction , enfringing on what little powder room there is . Seating bullets out further out of a long action or single loading is best for the 300 WSM .

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