forepaw

Rebarrel to 6.5x55 AI. Buy excellent bulk Lapua brass (I am on 19th firing 6.5x55 with no incipient case head sep. and no neck cracking) at better prices than other calibers to fireform. Post your progress here so we can all learn something! forepaw

Sent e-mail to confirm. forepaw

Never mind. Should have read the post. forepaw

What carrier? forepaw

The main advantage to using the grooves milled in the top of the receiver is it allows you to mount your scope as low as possible, thus contributing to a positive cheek weld. I used Warne rings, and they clamp on with a bulldog grip, they look good, are lightweight, and don't have anything sticking out to catch on stuff. If you plan to wear your barrel out and rebarrel right away, you can always get the quick-release option for easy return to zero. Warne's are great rings. I understand Talley's are also topnotch. I can't imagine a rail on a 6 1/2 # rifle, but all the Chris Kyle wannabes seem to love those things. Pretty useful I guess if you want to shoot targets the size of a Volkswagen at 1200 yds. forepaw

Also recommend you start an account on www.hotgunz.com This is free stolen guns database, with many many pairs of eyes on it. Tough break. Just makes you sick to have a gun stolen. forepaw

Man, you have it figured out! I shoot all the dam time, and seems like all I do is wear out barrels and turn money into noise. I have tried Leupold's CDS and like it, it is just too tough to match shooting conditions with those laser-cut dials (unless you do your zeroing and hunting in the same spot). Using Strelok now, and it seems pretty good. forepaw

Well good question. The real hurdle is, and has been, public perception, and allowing the masses to be manipulated by a very clever animal rights PR campaign, that so far, has had no means of providing for effective, informed opposition. I don't know exactly how AZGFD will go about it, assuming they are successful in landing one of the funding sources. It will be uphill work, that's for sure. Much of the younger generation has no frame of reference for the natural world, wildlife, or even livestock and agricultural settings. Some of the mature generations are just as woefully ignorant, as they come from urban backgrounds, and have been subjected to years of propaganda by leftist professors, Hollywood, the media, and all the sierra club types, and have firm convictions (that are mostly wrong) about wildlife, hunting as a wildlife mgmt. tool, animal populations, natural boom and bust cycles, predator-prey relationships, etc. forepaw

No. The idea is to cultivate a better informed electorate and public at large. And to inoculate the public in general against the disingenuous, frivolous, and deceptive campaigns by the animal rights extremists and eco-whackos, that result in misinformation being perpetuated as scientific fact, and making the job of professional wildlife people and scientists much harder. forepaw

PM sent. forepaw

Very nice rifle and performance. What length barrel and twist? What overall weight? forepaw

One of the outdoor legends from my generation, I believe Jack O'Connor, once wrote something to the effect that when you get ready to squeeze the trigger on a game animal, you should not hope you can hit it in a vital spot, you should not guess that you can hit it, you should KNOW you can hit it. This takes serious, intelligent, practice. Shooting accurately from field positions, is not easy. I understand times have changed, and now we are bombarded by, and in many cases influenced by, non-stop promotions, marketing glitz, and advertising - and worst of all, Hollywood. When these people get involved, all the goodness seems to evaporate, no matter what the activity is. And we are suckers for it, along with all the new Chi-com camo clothing, accessories, optics, and electronic gizmos. One of these days, the Chinese will hand us our lunch. Good luck finding a place to hunt then, or even having anything to hunt with. forepaw

What class of cartridges match the hash marks? I see you can dial elevation also, just curious. forepaw

It's a long trip, will require an overnight stay but Boulder Rifle and Pistol Club has xc (200, 300, 600), F-class, 1k NRA, Palma (800, 900 and 1k) and silhouette out to 1,100 yds. Also 2 - 200 yd. benchrest and 1 - 200 m. benchrest ranges. Multiple courtesy bays 25 - 100 yd. www.brpc1.org/ forepaw

Those are great tires. Have them on 2 vehicles. The load range E version can be a little stiff, but I think they are as tough off road as the BFG Tri-gard radials. If you keep them rotated and balanced they should be 55k tires. forepaw

Just curious, what was the custom shop contribution? The throw lever, or the grey body? Is that a zero-lock on the windage knob? Looks like a nice scope. forepaw

That's interesting. Care to enlighten us? I have contracted with ZGF for one hunt, may do so again, but definitely want to find out what I need to beware of. Thanks. forepaw

That country looks like 19A, but your avatar says UT. Is it an AZ or UT buck? Or a NM buck? VERY nice critter, by the way, no matter where it's from. forepaw

To me the main benefit is they keep you from having to constantly clean the lenses. This is what speeds up deterioration of the delicate coating. I brush mine with a lens pen about every other use, but only clean them maybe once a year. forepaw

I have sets on 2 scopes. They are pricey but offer positive lens protection. They are machined to pretty close tolerances, the neoprene (?) O-rings seal, and they seem durable. forepaw

What aftermarket stock is that? Looks like a nice outfit. forepaw

53 grains of IMR 4320 and any good flat - base 150 gr. bullet (I don't think Barnes makes anything but boattails, but they are good). Try to stay within 0.025" of the lands. Sort brass, clean up primer pockets and flash holes. Don't over trim. Remington 9 1/2 primers have a good reputation for accuracy. forepaw

What range would that be. Doesn't look like the Gallatin or the Bridgers. Maybe the Crazy Mtns. which are quite a ways E. of Bozeman? forepaw

You graduated in 1970? Me too. What school? forepaw

The OP reports quite a bit of jump with Bergers loaded to mag. length. Possibly, he could try single loading the first round, seated out far enough to get better accuracy, then have the mag. (and a couple spares!) loaded with 168s set to mag. length, or 140 gr. seated out for minimal jump. Has anyone ever tried that? It does complicate things somewhat. With a light rifle like the T3, 450 yds. is still a respectable distance from a field position. First round hits are always best, as that light skinny barrel is going to heat up fast. Beyond that distance, it would be most helpful to have an eagle-eyed spotter, calm nerves, and a rock-solid rest. Oh, and swap out the trigger spring for one of the after market kits. The 1 1/2 - 2 lb. reduction in weight is helpful. forepaw