forepaw

I don't own or shoot one, but have heard good things about them. I have pretty much been a Bowtech user, and recently got an Athens Accomplice set up, and it shoots very well. I would not have any problem with a Prime, other than not needing one right now, and difficulty finding lefty bows. forepaw

I tend to agree. As I mentioned, MOA turrets are probably the most flexible, provided you do most of your zeroing and hunting under pretty much the same conditions. One friend (who is a more advanced shooter than me) keeps 2 cds dials cut for the same rifle, same load but different conditions - one is for 85 deg. F. at 2000' elev. (where he lives and practices) and the other is 35 deg. F. at 9000' elev. (where he hunts elk in CO). All I know is, it seems to work. The guy kills elk at long range pretty consistently. Cds dials don't stick out like turrets, and they don't change position when being pushed or pulled into a case or scabbard (generally speaking), and you don't have to worry about whether or not your return to zero is the same every time. If your target changes position after you shoot, you don't have to range, pull out your folded sheet of data and reset your turret. You just range, reach up and twist to the new yardage. Better if you're in the middle of a case of buck fever! If you use a smart phone with ballistic app. and wind meter, then that is a different story, however, the time required to become really proficient goes up substantially. Where I live, there is some sort of long range rifle competition almost every weekend. What I have noticed is a lot of people have electronic devices and gizmos, but they don't seem to hit targets with any more regularity than the more traditional shooters. And the guys who win the matches are usually old codgers with thick glasses and a printout with their load data. The main difference is they can read the wind (or have a spotter who can). forepaw

My experience is limited to one cds scope with dials cut for 2 loads. You would probably have more flexibility with standard MOA turrets. The cds forces you to get pretty fussy with load development. You are locked in to performance under one set of conditions, which in reality, probably covers quite a bit of changes in elevation and temp. but it won't be exact. You do need good chron. data. I like the zero-stop feature, and have not had any problem with the elev. turret moving. Sometimes the tics don't line up exactly between the turret and base. This liked to drove me crazy at first. Also, you may not have an exact and consistent number of tics between main yardage settings, in other words, between one setting your increments may end up being an odd number of yards, 12, or 14 or whatever, instead of 4 ea. at 25, or 5 ea. at 20. These are minor issues unless you are shooting clay birds at 500 yds. Overall the system works well, and is more or less foolproof once you get used to it. I do not dial for windage. That is way too complicated and time consuming for hunting, unless you know (or have someone with you who knows) how to read mirage. If you get some trigger time at different yardages in say a 10 mph full-value wind, you will get an idea how much your bullet is going to move. For example, with my main load, I know that a 10 mph wind will move my poi 18" at 600 yds. (This does not mean it will be 9" at 300 yds.) You will have to shoot through the different conditions and see what the changes are, and then memorize them or print and paste them onto your stock if you want to use the hold-off method. You may do well to research the Leupold custom shop options. At one time, you could get parallax collimated to your desired yardage for only $10. Believe this requires purchase through the custom shop - not a problem. I had them set my parallax at 400 yds. and it is much more useful than the standard setting of 150 yds. forepaw

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10-4, can see cross-bolt safety at the front of the trigger guard. I was referring to the fitting or hardware at the front of the receiver on the left side - right behind the magazine. Just curious, thought it might be similar to Browning shotguns. Thanks. forepaw

Is that a magazine cutoff on the left front of the receiver? forepaw

Also consider that your house might get tweaked a little someday - however slightly. It doesn't take much to shift weight-bearing walls if you have some subsidence or seismic activity. Then gravity can get in its dirty licks. A structural engineer could tell you in about 15 min. might cost $75 - $125. Maybe nothing if it is a quick calc. or something they have done before. forepaw

First, try cleaning the bore real well. Use some JB Borepaste. Then find someone who you know is a good shot, have them fire one round to foul, and let them shoot a couple of no-wind 3-shot groups. It sounds to me like you might be doing a pretty respectable job with your loads already if your rifle is strictly factory. The '06 is not considered a tackdriver compared to some rounds (though it can be very accurate), and out of a light rifle, I would be happy with occasional 1" groups, and 1 1/2" overall. It is not fussy to load for, and you should be able to find a load by picking one from about any manual. Decide what bullet you prefer and build your load around that. You might try switching primers, and also try another lot of IMR 4350. Make sure the guard and scope mount screws are torqued to factory specs. and there are no places rubbing the barrel along the barrel channel. Finally, assuming you have a decent trigger and bedding, have a gunsmith re-crown your barrel. forepaw

It's great to find a high-grade lefty bow. Just the right weight and draw length for all-around use. Hoyts are famous for durability, and being able to swap cams and limbs. Somebody needs to latch on to this! forepaw

Make sure you brush the inside of the case mouths. A very small amount of lube on your brush, or powdered dry lube will do it. If the case mouths are dry, you risk overstretching your brass. Plus, it is really annoying to keep dragging your brass over a dry expander ball. Regarding the dented shoulders, ditto on the comments from the other posters. Also, make sure the vent hole in your sizing die is open. You can use a paper clip or safety pin to check. This is where the trapped air is allowed to bleed out to prevent denting your brass. forepaw

You mean East Clear Cr.? forepaw

It is highly variable - depends on powder (double base, single base, composition, additives, coating, etc.) , but if you keep it closed, and stored in a dark, climate controlled space, an 8# keg could be good for 8 - 10 years. I think I have kept small quantities longer than that, but did not use them. If you ever open it and do not detect an ether smell, it has probably had it, and would be best to dispose of it. It is basically fertilizer at that point. If you match the amount of shooting you do, to the amount of stored powder on hand, you should cycle through it every 2 - 3 yrs. It can be tempting to stock up when you find a good buy somewhere, but remember it is semi-perishable, and you might end up selling at a loss just to unload it. Ask me how I know. forepaw

tomkat12, it is encouraging that you thought enough of the Tikka to at least salvage the action. They have some drawbacks, and aren't for everyone. Just curious, in general what did you end up with in terms of performance, and how much of a net improvement did you see over and above what could be done with an out of the box Tikka in terms of high quality bolt-on accessories (mount, rings, scope, trigger cerakote, bipod, etc.), tuning, handloading, and practicing? I agree the limitations of available calibers are a continuing problem with Tikkas. Thanks. forepaw

PM sent. forepaw

I have loaded and fired them with max. and just under max. handloads for years with no problems. They are harder due to the nickel wash, and to me this has been most noticeable during trimming, chamfering and deburring. Just slow down during these steps. The advantages are 1. they seem to be easier to keep clean; 2. they are easy to find after you fire them at game; and 3. if you have other similar calibers ('06 based like a .270 for example), you know what you are grabbing if you see that shiny metallic flash. I only use them for hunting in my .25-06, and they have been fine. If you want true premium brass, be prepared to pay for Nosler, Lapua, or Norma. This is all GOOD stuff, and worth the extra $$ IMO. I think commercial brass in general, like .22 rimfire ammo, has deteriorated in terms of QC over the last generation or so. forepaw

Does anyone use a thumb-trigger release aid, as opposed to the conventional wrist-strap finger trigger? They tend to be on the expensive side, but have some advantages over the wrist type. For example, you can carry them in a pocket or pouch, and not have it banging and catching on everything, you can leave it on your string loop until you are ready to shoot, and supposedly you can develop more of a surprise break by using back tension to arrive at the most stable full-draw position. However, they do give off a metallic click when they are touched off, which is not good, and could spoil a shot. No idea if some are quieter than others, of if there is a way to muffle the sound. Wrist-type release aids tend to be very quiet. It seems like their use is spilling over into hunting from target archery. Thanks for comments and info. forepaw

Might be worth calling Garmin to see if they could track your gps using the serial number you registered it under. They are generally not the easiest people to work with however. forepaw

Ok thanks. That is helpful info. forepaw

Do you happen to have the poundage category, in other words, 55/75, 45/65 etc.? Should be on the shaft. forepaw

+1. I read that book every year of high school, and again years later. Vardis Fisher was an awesome writer. forepaw

Flatlander, I have been following your posts and they have been, and are, very helpful in understanding this system. However, I am a little vague on the difference between the random draw, and the 1-2 pass. They almost seem like the same thing. Thanks. forepaw

You are exactly right my friend. Many of us fancy ourselves to be deadeyes, but punching holes in paper tells the tale, and sometimes it is a bitter pill to swallow - especially if there is a little 8 or 10 mph wind. If there is 18 - 20 mph of wind, it will truly be an eye-opener for some. Banging gongs is great fun, mostly because the occasional hits are encouraging, but there is no real way to analyze what is happening with your misses. Best use of gongs and silhouettes, at least for me, is when they have a fresh coat of paint, and there is little wind. Then they are ideal for checking your long-range zero, and taking note of how close your turret graduations match the actual range. They are also helpful in seeing just how far a little wind will blow your bullet. Both holding off, and dialing for wind are effective, but there is no substitute for seeing effects of wind, and also performance of different bullets. For those who only shoot factory ammo, and who base the limitations of their shooting on the little ballistic table on the box, field verification would be worth its weight in gold in assessing how far they are (or should be) confident in shooting. Sometimes the mfg. claims can be optimistic. I agree that a couple of trips to the range winter and summer, during both wind and no wind conditions, would make all of us better shooters, and a little more thoughtful when a long shot on a game animal presents itself. Rifle shooting, like archery, responds to practice in the same way. If you practice at long range, and from field positions (not just a bench) the 300 - 400 yd. shots (which many people should avoid) will seem easy, and the 500 yd. shots will be very reasonable. The Gunwerks guys (and some others) make consistent one shot kills at extreme ranges. Sometimes I wonder about the misses or wounded critters that don't show up on youtube, but there is no question that those guys work at long-range shooting, and take each variable into consideration. They must practice year-round. Also, their rifles and loads are really tuned - not just based on ballistics software, but from actual shooting. They must be gifted in terms of vision and hand-eye coordination as well. I know I am not! forepaw

Looks like it is a barrier to protect the float valve in the middle. The float valve works like the float in a tank-type toilet. If it was broken off (by elk jumping in), it would be the same as the float being in the down position, which would be calling for water. It would try to fill non-stop, overflowing the tank, washing out the road, etc. Not to mention depleting the upstream supply source, whatever that might be. Also, it looks like the horizontal arms might serve as cross-bracing, to add some rigidity to the sidewalls of the tank, and help keep them from collapsing. forepaw

Check out demos at www.cameralandny.com They have some ED3 8x43 and 10x43 and also ED Prime, all at good prices. Believe they honor the full warranty. forepaw

I don't have any personal experience, but from what I have read on www.opticstalk.com they are very highly regarded. forepaw