azsugarbear

OK - I gotta ask: Is the camo really purple, or is it just the way the pics turned out?

The umps may call me for piling on, but I couldn't leave this one alone. Trphyhntr, not trying to call you out, but some of your posts in different threads seem to be very critical of the OP. There are a thousand possible reasons why kooter is not able to keep the dog, most of which would be personal and none of our business. kooter - good luck to you. If I had room for a third dog, I would take him in a heartbeat. Looks like a great prospect.

Cosmetics can often be a good indicator of how the gun was treated. But the real danger is what you cannot see - the throat. If it is damaged or worn, it will never shoot accurately. And isn't that the point of owning a rifle in the first place? Replacing the barrel can cost you as much as what you paid for the entire rifle. Custom barrels run $300 to $400, plus $250 to $300 for the gunsmithing (chambering, threading, crowning, headspacing). Most gunsmiths have a bore scope and they will usually check out the throat area for a nominal fee. Bruno's (near Deer Valley airport) does it for $10. Most gun stores will allow you a two or three day inspection and return period - as long as the rifle has not been fired. Just tell them what you want to do. On a worst case basis, pay for the rifle and have them keep the bolt until you return. If the rifle is a real bargain, then condition of throat may not matter. If it is a shooter, then keep it. If it doesn't shoot well, the complete action with bottom metal is usually worth $450 to $475 by itself, The wood stock may bring $50 if it is in good shape.

I dial up for elevation and then hold off for wind using std. moa turret and stadia/hash marks in the reticle. I often find that the wind tends to gust when I am shooting, so the hold-off allows for some last second corrections. Mostly second-guessing myself, but I prefer the hold-off for wind.

I had something very similar happen to me when I was younger. It was a great lesson to have happen early in my life. From that hunt forward, I have always taken the time to cycle every round I plan on taking on my hunt through the action. If I feel anything out of whack, it goes in the pile to be shot at the range.

Unit 1 late bull hunt. Been up there scouting a lot, but trying to stay out of other people's hunts really limits my time to scout. I've located my #1 bull and my back-up bull just in case my first choice is a "no show". He has survived all the hunts so far. Currently, late archery bull hunt going on. Only 25 tags, but those archery hunters tend to be dialed in on where the good bulls are. Kinda nerve racking, waiting to see if he is still there on Nov. 28. Going up a few days early to see if I can relocate him. If not, then at least a couple of days head start on finding my back up bull or something else worthy of my wall. Hoping to post a pic and story like everyone else, but the thought of tag soup is always lurking in the back of my mind. Best of luck to everyone. Go find the bull of your dreams.

Spent a lot of time in 36 B/C. As a general rule, the IA stick to the lowlands. The traffic ebbs and flows. The drug mules seem to prefer the high rugged mountains. They hole up during the day and travel hard by night - but I have seen them all hours of the day. Drug mule activity seems to cycle with the moon phases. I tend to see more during the full moon. They seem to move in groups - kinda like a blitz. They all go at once, betting on the come that Border Patrol won't get them all and that some will slip through. Just keep your eyes open and you will be fine. here's a pic of a drug bust I participated in down in 36C a few years back.

I have a late bull tag in Unit 1. Gonna be interesting. Lots of tags issued, so not sure what hunter pressure will be like in my area. Too many variables for me to even speculate on what to expect opening morning.

Set your zero at 200 yds and go verify the drop chart generated by your software, The drop chart will get you close, but you will need to alter your velocity and bullet BC inputs to get the software to spit out a table that accurately portrays what your actual drops were out in the field. Then get to where the elk are for a scouting trip, or arrive a day or two before the hunt and re-zero your rifle for the hunt at the desired elevation. Your revised/corrected drop chart will still be accurate out to 500 yds. Altitude change will not make that much of a change, if you keep it under 500 yds. (Play with the software and you will see what I mean). As Ionne said above, wind becomes the boogeyman for long distance shooting. Gravity is a constant and once you have it dialed in for your altitude - it doesn't change. On the other hand, wind varies greatly. It ebbs and flows. It swirls, gusts. etc. Probably best to think of it like water in a stream. It moves around objects, flows faster when funneled, moves in different directions as it encounters obstacles - you get the idea. A constant wind is rare. And a gusting or variable wind will wreak havoc on your accuracy. A wind meter is a good place to start, but it doesn't tell you what is happening down range. Watching how vegetation is reacting to the wind down range will give you some idea. But only with lots of practice in the field under different conditions will you overcome the wind. That is one thing you cannot rush. If the wind stays 5 mph or under, you will probably be alright out to 500 yds - providing your reticle or windage turret allows you to make the necessary changes suggested by your ballistic software. If the wind is steady at 10 mph, or gusting - then you should limit your shots to 300 yds and under. You need to practice wind hold-off or wind correction before going on your hunt. Just like your drop chart, you need to confirm the solution it gives you. What I have found is that most ballistic software overestimates what your bullet and load will do down range. I always seem to need more clicks to get to the desired distance out past 400 yds. I have also found that it underestimates the ability of your bullet to buck the wind. I rarely need to make as much correction as the software tells me I need. Maybe it is my fault in overestimating the wind? Good luck on your late hunt.

I used a Shooting Chrony for years and it served me quite well. I did hit one of the bars that holds up the difuser - but that was easily replaced. The are a bit of trouble getting set up, but you get used to that. There is both accuracy and consistency to consider. My unit may have been off a little on fps/velocity, but it seemed to be pretty consistent with its readings. I used it to get an idea of speed when doing load development. I was looking for the smallest spread/difference of different loads. When final load had been selected, it gave me a general idea of what to enter into ballistic software. After that, your actual drops will establish your drop table and you will vary your velocity and bullet BC to get your ballistic software to match up with your actual drops. I now use the Magnetospeed II and will never go back. Ease of set up, ease of reading results, more accurate readings and rarely get an error reading because it does not require the bullets shadow to trip the photo-electric eye. Downside is you cannot use it for archery and it does shift POI on medium & lighter barrel contours. The shift doesn't bother me as I don't use it when shooting groups. BTW - I could give you a good deal on my old one.

Hard to keep warm when your clothes are wet. Wool doesn't lose its thermal properties - even when wet. Other than that - Gortex. I bought one of these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/WalkStool-Comfort-XL-55cm-22-Hiking-Camping-Lightweight-Folding-Camp-Stool-/141460582592?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20efb530c0 Great investment. Keeps you comfortable and up off the ground.

I thought I was over this girl vs. boy competitive thing.....and then you go and post something like this. Well, congrats on the great deer. I may never shoot one that big in my lifetime.

I was up in Unit 1 the weekend of Oct 24-26. At that time, bulls were still running with the herds. Still got some bugles that ran as late as 10 AM. I expect by late November the bulls will be solitary or in small bachelor groups.

PM sent.

I've got a late bull tag in Unit 1. Starts the day after Thanksgiving. Lots of bulls located, but not sure they will still be there in 4 weeks.

What power is the eyepiece? Zoom or fixed?

230 gr. Berger OTM. Same load for all the game I hunt. 300 RUM is a barrel-burner for sure, so don't want to waste barrel life having to re-zero scope every time I switch from heavier loads to light loads. Just set and forget.

and yet another one succumbs to the addiction........

He shoots.........He scores!!!!! Looking forward to the whole story.

I have one of those plastic dog kennels w/door for a large dog 50-70 pounds. Approx. size: 36L x 26H x 24W. In great shape. Similar in style to this: http://www.ryanspet.com/petmate-vari-kennel-36-x-25-x-27-linen-50-70-lbs-pz-D21949.html Retails new for $88 + tax at Ryan's Pet Wholesale (cheapest in Phx). I will sell mine for $50.

I'd be all over them, but I don't see my size tire (285/70R/17) anywhere on the package.

My experiences with AZGFD have always been very positive. I finally drew a rifle hunt for Buffalo on the Kaibab in September 2005. The actual hunt was an absolute failure for everybody in both early and late hunts (total of 40 tags), except for one lucky hunter who got one over water the first morning. Other unsuccessful hunters included an older lady who only needed her Buffalo to complete her AZ Big Ten. There were simply no animals in the NF to hunt. The Governor's tag hunt was a biggest reason for the failure of these fall hunts. Understandably, the holder (having spent hue $$$) would come down to the ranch with his crew of guides, family & friends, camera crew, etc. They would scout all the herds looking for just the right bull. Needless to say, the pressure became so great that the herd ended up being pushed off the ranch and up to the NP just to get away from hunter pressure. By late August, all the animals were safe within the NP borders. When I got home, I was fuming. Only 1 in 40 tags was successful. I started to do some serious research and came to the conclusion that the herd could be managed better. At that time, the herd was estimated to be over 300, but the target carrying capacity of the habitat was only 175. When you took into account birth rate for the herd and then subtracted out depredation, normal mortality and finally hunter success - it became clear that the herd would only continue to increase in size. I requested some time during their normal board meeting in February/March to present my findings. After filling out the correct forms, I was actually allotted ten minutes for my presentation. Long story short, due to the meeting running long I was not allowed to give my PowerPoint presentation. They did, however, give five minutes for verbal comment (they already had a copy of my presentation prior to the meeting). From the discussion that followed, it was clear that most had already read my presentation before the meeting. I was given the impression that they did not realize just what was happening up there. They listened, they discussed and even tried to find a way to give me another tag or restore my bonus points. Unfortunately, there was no legal way provided them to take such action. I left the meeting satisfied that I had been given a chance to educate - and vent just a little. I too was working on my AZ Big Ten and I knew I had very little chance of ever drawing again. Fast forward three years to 2008. I'm sitting at my desk at work mid-morning when I get a call from AZGFD. You know that separate depredation hunt form some of us fill out, but never get called for anything? Well, I was finally getting a call for a depredation hunt. I was hoping for cow elk, but knew it would probably be javelina. I was stunned when she said Buffalo on the Kaibab in early July. She told me that AZGFD was trying to better manage the herds up there by increasing the success rate of hunters. Now for those of you that are savvy to what is happening with the buffalo at that time of year on the ranch - you should appreciate the tremendous risk that AZGFD was taking just to be responsive to the hunters and the overpopulation of buffalo. AZGFD listened, they debated and then they responded. Yes, like most government agencies, they are strapped for additional funds. But it is my belief that most of their actions are based on trying to keep that delicate balance between what the animals need, what the habitat can support, what the hunters would like, what the animal rights groups demand and what can reasonably be done given the budget they have. Given all the directions they are being pulled, they will never get it 'just right'. Dropping the companion tags and limiting the other tags shows it isn't just about the money. It does suggest that they have either been successful in reducing the numbers, or that what they were doing was no longer working. I think AZGFD deserves our respect and our patience as they try come up with viable alternatives for managing the buffalo on the Kaibab.

Once the herd moves onto the NP, it can become a very tough hunt. When they first move onto the NP, they tend to congregate south and east of the main entrance. There isn't a whole lot of water in the NP for them, so if August has little to no rain you will find then southwest of the main gate. The buffalo would rather drink out of a wheel rut inside the park than drink from a tank outside the park. PM sent.

If you are just asking about a barrel for an AR/M4 then just about any smith out there can get or build one for you. No special license required on their part. The one that attaches the barrel to an action needs the license/stamp. If you are talking about a complete short-barreled weapon, then you need to find a smith with the correct license

Just curious - does the T3 Superlight model have enough steel at the muzzle to accommodate the thread dimensions of your suppressor? If not, would you be using an adaptor for it? As far as caliber goes: 7mm Rem Mag. Lots of choices for ammo.