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February 25th, 2009
There are many television shows about hunting. But the Freedom Hunters series, we believe, deserves special recognition. Freedom Hunters arranges “once-in-a-lifetime” outdoor hunting adventures for American military combat veterans. Footage from these hunting trips, along with background stories on the service men and women chosen for the hunt, are packaged into weekly cable broadcasts. Click the image below to visit Freedom Hunters’ Video Archive. There, click on the “PFC Josh Reilly” link to view great clips from a Wyoming hunt.
Freedom Hunters Seeks Female Veteran for Wyoming Pronghorn Hunt
Freedom Hunters is looking to present an all-expense-paid Wyoming pronghorn hunt to a female veteran. Freedom Hunters producers are specifically looking for women who have served in Afghanistan or Iraq. The hunt will be guided by Llano Outfitters (Casper, WY, 307-235-4865), one of Wyoming’s premier elk, deer and pronghorn outfitters. The hunt will take place in late October 2009. Applications must be received by March 15, 2009.
The woman selected to participate in this hunt will receive gifts from product sponsors and will be featured on a future episode of the Freedom Hunters television show. Those interested in applying for this opportunity should apply via the Freedom Hunters’ Application Page on the web.
Freedom Hunters is a 501(c)3 charitable organization serving the American military family. It is dedicated to honoring those who protect our freedoms. For more information about Freedom Hunters Programs, visit FreedomHunters.org or e-mail info [at] freedomhunters.org. Freedom Hunters airs Fridays at 4:00pm MST on the Altitude Sports and Entertainment network.
February 24th, 2009
 On LongRangeHunting.com, you’ll find a good article about wind reading by Shawn Carlock. Shawn Carlock is a veteran law enforcement marksman and the current USPSA national precision rifle champion. Shawn offers good advice on how to estimate wind speeds and directions using a multitude of available indicators — not just your wind gauge: “Use anything at your disposal to accurately estimate the wind’s velocity. I keep and use a Kestrel for reading conditions….The Kestrel is very accurate but will only tell you what the conditions are where you are standing. I practice by looking at grass, brush, trees, dust, wind flags, mirage, rain, fog and anything else that will give me info on velocity and then estimate the speed.”
Shawn also explains how terrain features can cause vertical wind effects. A hunter positioned on a hilltop must account for bullet rise if there is a headwind blowing up the slope. Many shooters consider wind in only one plane — the horizontal. In fact wind has vertical components, both up and down. If you have ever piloted a small aircraft you know how important vertical wind vectors can be. Match shooters will also experience vertical rise when there is a strong tailwind blowing across an up-sloping berm ahead of the target emplacements. Overall, Shawn concludes: “The more time you spend studying the wind and its effect over varying terrain the more successful you will be as a long-range shooter and hunter.”
February 12th, 2009
Site contributor Chris Long (aka “TechShooter”) has crafted a report about his July, 2007 Prairie Dog Expedition in Wyoming. Ralph and Lenora Dampman of Trophy Ridge Outfitters served as guides for the trip. Trophy Ridge runs ‘Dog hunts near the town of Carlile in the NW range of the Black Hills, near Devil’s Tower National Monument. Primarily big game outfitters, Ralph and Lenora have access to thousands of acres of private ranch land. They run guided prairie dog hunts during their off-season. Chris reports “The terrain is beautiful, a welcome change from the South Dakota prairie, with lots of hills and Ponderosa pine trees. [These] ranch lands are home to some prodigious dog towns.”
Chris continues: “The goal of this trip (besides having a great time) was to get in some long range (1000+ yard) opportunities, and possibly even a shot over 1500 yards, in order to qualify for the VHA 1500 yard certification. I had worked up some really good loads for the 6.5-284 TubeGun and the .260 AI using the new 130 grain Berger VLDs, and wanted to see how they performed at these extreme ranges. I also wanted to see how the trusty 6 Dasher performed as a long range varmint cartridge.”
Chris Long was joined by two friends who came all the way from Virginia. Chris reports, “Our plan was to get in four days of intense, long-range shooting. We were not disappointed! The shooting was from 100 to over 1000 yards, and the dogs were everywhere. There were plenty of targets close in, so there was a lot a variety. It is especially challenging to move in and out in range by these extreme amounts. It gave me a lot of practice estimating range and wind conditions, then seeing if I could get the come-ups and windage right on the scope for the first shot at the new range. By the end of the trip, I was getting it pretty close, with some 1-shot hits out to about 600 yards.”
Chris’s primary long-range rifle was his 6.5-284 Tube-gun (photo above) running 130gr Berger VLDs at 3165 fps. Chris reports the 130s can be shot at 3165 fps with no excessive pressures, and “scary, one hole, 5-shot 100-yard group accuracy.” With a B.C. of about 0.6, the 130s shoot flatter and exhibit less wind drift than the 140gr class bullets at 2950 FPS.
Chris’s second gun was a more conventional bolt-action in a Franklin LowRider stock, set up with both 6mm Dasher and .260 AI barrels. Chris notes: “The Dasher has proven itself in spades as an extremely accurate cartridge for F-Class Open competition, and I was anxious to see how it performed as a varmint cartridge. The performance was excellent, with many hits out past 1000 yards. This rifle is set up as a switch-barrel rig, and is the platform for the 260 AI. I made a portable barrel vise that mounts in the trailer hitch receiver on the Suburban. That, with a rear entry action wrench, makes barrel changes a 5 minute affair. I would shoot until the barrel got a bit hot, then switch and proceed with the other caliber.”
CLICK HERE to read the complete story. It contains more load data, details of hits made out to 1330 yards, and many great photos of the Wyoming scenery. For .260 AI and 6 Dasher tech tips, visit TechShooter’s Shooting Pages.
Photos and quotes copyright © 2007 Chris Long, All Rights Reserved, used by permission.
February 3rd, 2009
 The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation’s 25th Annual Elk Camp & Hunting, Fishing and Outdoor Expo will be held March 5-8 at the Fort Worth (Texas) Convention Center. The event features many interesting demonstrations and “how-to” seminars. You can learn how to call elk, pack a horse, hunt backcountry, get more from a hunting guide, field dress big game, cook venison, train a retriever and hunt predators — all under one roof. In addition there are seminars on bow-hunting and black powder shooting. These seminars and more, each presented by noted authorities, are free with the price of admission. Daily admission is $12 per person or $25 per family, and free for kids 5 and under.
Photo courtesy Rimrock Elk Hunt Ranch, Rexburg, Idaho
The Elk Foundation’s Elk Camp & Hunting, Fishing and Outdoor Expo also features the RMEF/Leupold 2009 World Elk Calling Championships, hundreds of exhibits, displays, activities, auctions, raffles and more. It’s all a public-welcome showcase and fundraiser for one of the nation’s premier conservation organizations. Since launching in 1984, the Elk Foundation has enhanced or protected habitat on over 5.5 million acres.
January 25th, 2009
Barry O. (aka “TheBlueEyedBear”) of Montana is a long-term Forum member and “friend of the site”. Barry owns some pretty spectacular rifles, all built with premium components. His latest ‘Pride and Joy’ is a mighty impressive piece of field artillery. This is one serious “big boomer” chambered in the 338 Snipe-Tac® cartridge (based on 408 CheyTac®). The rifle was built by Dave Viers of Black Diamond Rifles (Viersco.com). Viers tell us: “The 338 Snipe-Tac® was developed in 2001 for extreme long-range hunting and target applications. The parent case is the 408 CheyTac® necked down and shoulder improved to 35 degrees. H2O capacity is a whopping 165 grains! For velocity, 140 grains of Hodgdon BMG-50 powder propels a 300gr Sierra MatchKing bullet to a average speed of 3300fps. Accuracy is half-MOA or less.”
Barry successfully took elk with this rifle this season. The .338 Snipe-Tac certainly offers more than enough “knock-down power” for any North Americcan game. Barry explains: “Success must have come from the gun — it could not have been the ‘Nut behind the trigger’. My elk load this season was a Henson 265gr aluminum-tipped bullet pushed by 140+ grains of US-869 powder. Muzzle Velocity was 3496 fps (recorded by my PVM-21). Muzzle Energy approached the ‘Mack Truck’ mark. The bullet impact at 424 yards destroyed the off shoulder of my elk.”
Gun Specifications:
Action: Lawton 8000 Action with Jewell HVRST trigger.
Barrel: 32″ Lawton chrome-moly, 1:11″ barrel with Viersco Muzzle Brake.
Stock: Manners carbon Tactical Stock with custom camo paint by Dave Viers.
For more info, contact David Viers, Viersco Mfg., 58896 – 866 Road, Allen, NE 68710, phone: 402-635-2333 or 712-266-5083 (cell).
December 30th, 2008
Forum Member and Univ. of Wyoming college student Adam Teeter (aka “Cowboyarcher”) is building sets of ultra-light shooting sticks for hunters and varminters. The shooting sticks are made from camouflaged arrow shafts and 550 para-cord. Adam can build the sticks to your specs with a variety of para-cord colors: white, black, green, olive drab, tan, and dark brown (chocolate). Custom sticks (your choice of colors) cost $27.00 per pair delivered, and he has a few sets already made for $25.00. Buying a set of sticks would be a good way to help a young man finance his college education. Adam is currently studying Rangeland Ecology and Watershed Management.
Adam tell us: “These shooting sticks are custom-built to your specs. Very light, they are great for walking varminters or for big game hunters. I use brand-new arrow shafts and 550 para-cord for the construction. The camouflage sticks are approx. 35” long and the black ones are approx. 32” long. I simply insert the arrows like one would for shooting them and add a field point. I am looking into the possibility of using blunts, or adding a fender washer under the field point for a little floatation. For now, field points will vary some from pair to pair. Since these are custom, I can do any combination of colors you choose, up to two, or cut them to different lengths.” Adam added: “I guarantee these sticks to be of the highest quality and to your satisfaction. If you’re not happy with them, I will make it right. And… I will accept trades. If you’ve got something [interesting], let me know and we’ll see if we can’t work out a trade.”
Colors shown above are: Dark Green/Black, White/Tan, Tan/Black
To order, contact Adam via email: teeteradam [at] gmail.com. Or you can postal-mail your order (with your specs and Postal Money Order) to Adam Teeter, 6011 Southview Rd., Laramie, WY 82070.
For more information and photos, VIEW THIS FORUM THREAD in our Shooters’ Forum.
December 14th, 2008
 The Varmint Hunters’ Assocation (VHA) publishes an excellent print publication, the Varmint Hunter magazine. In addition, the VHA offers a wealth of online resources. On the VHA Website, VarmintHunter.org, you’ll find lots of useful features, including Event Calendar, online store, shooting and safety tips, and select reprints from Varmint Hunter magazine. Right now you can read a free feature article by Thomas Tabor on the 20 VarTarg cartridge in a Cooper model 21 Montana Varminter. If you’re a fan of small, efficient cartridges for varminting, this article is a “must-read”. Here are links to the 20 VarTarg story, and three other excellent articles from Varmint Hunter Magazine:
• 20 VarTarg in Cooper Montana Varminter
• Precision Ballistic Charts–A Critical Aid To Long-Range Shooting
• Trials And Tribulations Of Making The Long Shot
• Stand And Deliver: 10 Tricks… To Be A Better Coyote Hunter
Files are Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format. Copyrighted photos courtesy Varmint Hunters Association, All Rights Reserved.
November 29th, 2008
 Increasing the numbers of women involved in the shooting sports is vital. We need more women shooters to grow our gun clubs’ membership rolls and expand the consumer base for firearms products. From a political standpoint, getting women involved in shooting strengthens the gun rights movement, and helps counter efforts to close gun ranges and shooting facilities. And remember, women are important decision-makers at the family level. Wives often decide if there will be a gun in the house and if children in the family are allowed to participate in shooting sports.
The NRA’s Women On Target program has been very successful at getting the ladies involved in shooting sports. The Women On Target program offers new lady shooters the chance to receive handgun, rifle, and shotgun instruction by other women, in a low-stress situation. Program Coordinator Beth Hellman reports: “We have had a record-breaking number of Women On Target® Instructional Shooting Clinics so far this year — 239 — and a record-breaking number of participants — more than 7,000!”
CLICK HERE To learn more about Women On Target® Instructional Shooting Clinics for your club or organization, or call (800) 861-1166 for more information.
Women On Target Hunting Program
The popular Women-Only Hunt Program allows women to enjoy the outdoors with experienced outfitters guiding all female clients. A wide variety of hunts are offered in the second half of 2008 including duck/goose hunts, pheasant hunts, turkey hunts, whitetail deer hunts, and even a Rocky Mountain Elk hunt. This program has been operating successfully since 1999.
CLICK HERE for Hunt Dates and Outfitter List
Photos courtesy National Rifle Assn., All Rights Reserved.
November 12th, 2008
Tred Barta is a well-known hunter and angler with a television show on the VERSUS cable network. Barta has strong opinions about modern hunting methods — he thinks they have made things too easy, so the ethos of hunting has been lost. Modern hunting aids have transformed a noble pursuit into mechanically-aided harvesting. Barta wants hunters to return to simpler methods — to earn their trophies the hard way.
As a fisherman, Tred has set several world records. He has caught more tuna on rod and reel than any other man alive. Tred’s motto is to do things “the hard way, the Barta way.” He believes that the pursuit can be as meaningful as “bagging the trophy”, so he avoids using modern gear such as game cameras and feedstands. In fact, he usually hunts with a longbow and homemade cedar arrows.
In a recent interview on the Women’s Outdoor Wire, Barta observes:
“We’re lazy today, and we’ve lost the morality of hunting. Before you go out, you spray on nine chemicals to kill your scent, put on $2,000 worth of odor eliminating camo and download the photos from your nine game cameras [.] Then you get on your ATV and ride to your box blind that has windows, heat, and an internet connection because we don’t want you go get bored while you’re ‘hunting’. Then you take a customized rifle capable of taking an animal at 650 yards and whack one. The animal gets winched onto your ATV, driven to your truck, hoisted into the back, and then hauled off to the butcher. And you call yourself a hunter.”
 Hunting Should be Simple, But Not Fishing?
Barta’s views on hunting appeal to those who want a return to the “simple ways”. We agree, in principle, that hunters should learn the skills of the stalk and “work for their prey.” Part of the core experience of hunting is the “walk in the woods” and the age-old challenge of out-witting a wild animal. So, there is merit in Barta’s message.
On the other hand, Barta can be criticized as employing a double standard. He advocates using “primitive” skills when hunting, but when fishing, it’s a different story. When Barta goes tuna fishing, he’s not using a dugout canoe and a home-made spear. Instead he employs a modern twin-diesel, 33-foot Rampage sport-fisherman. This is a $400,000+ yacht, equipped with full electronics, including radar, GPS, and fish-finders. Tred sure enjoys his high-tech fishing boat, yet he mocks hunters who use an ATV to haul in their game. Hmmm, that doesn’t seem right…
While we’re sympathetic to Barta’s philosophy, we don’t think going all the way back to bows and arrows is the answer for everyone. Barta acknowledges that he fails to harvest an animal 70% of the time he hunts. That may be fine for Barta, who gets paid to hunt where-ever and whenever he wants, but for the “regular Joe” who has saved his hard-earned dollars for a once-in-a-lifetime Alaskan hunt, it makes good sense to use equipment that improves the odds of success. Should a hunter carry an inaccurate rifle, or leave behind the binoculars, just to increase the difficulty factor? We don’t think so. That’s no knock on the bow-hunters or those who prefer to hunt as native Americans did. We just think that one can remain true to the “hunting ethic” even when using modern equipment.
Photos courtesy VERSUS Country and Rampage Sport Fishing Yachts
November 8th, 2008
Some months ago, AccurateShooter.com and Robert Whitley teamed up to build a new 20-caliber AR15-based rifle. Our project goal was to create the “ultimate” semi-automatic prairie dog rifle. We wanted a low-recoiling, flat-shooting AR that worked great with a front rest and rear sandbag on a transportable field bench (such as the Coyote Jakes bench). We knew the basic AR15 design needed some “upgrades”, so Robert developed Delrin bag-riders for the forearm and buttstock. But we wanted the bag-riding components to be removable so the gun could be easily returned to standard configuration for shooting with sling or bipod. Robert worked with EGW to develop machined Delrin bag-riding units front and rear. The 3″-wide front “sled” attaches to the threaded anchor for the sling swivel stud, while the rear bag-rider mounts in place of the standard rear sling loop.
 
Our Ultimate Prairie Dog Rifle (PDR) features a 24″ Bartlein 11-twist cut-rifled barrel, DPMS side-charging upper, and a Jewell trigger. It is chambered in “20 Practical”, a cartridge popularized by Warren “Fireball” Brookman. This is simply the .223 Remington necked down to .204. You can use your existing .223 brass — no special case-forming required! The 20 Practical is accurate, flat-shooting, and has almost no recoil. The advantage over the standard .223 Remington is that, grain for grain, the bullets have a higher BC and travel at a higher velocity for more dramatic effect on a small varmint. The ultra-low recoil allows you to easily see your hits, even without a muzzle brake. The 20 Practical, launching 40-grainers at about 3750 fps, shoots flatter than a .223 Rem with 55gr hollowpoints.
Robert has lots of experience building AR15 uppers and he has developed advanced features that make the gun much more ergonomic and easier to shoot from a prone position or from the bench. First, Robert offers a side charging handle. This lets you keep your head in shooting position while charging the gun or retracting the bolt. Second, he has fitted a GG&G extended scope rail. This permits the scope to be mounted far enough forward to allow proper eye relief while using a high-magnification scope. Without an extended scope rail you typically have to move way back on the gun to get enough eye relief and then you can’t seat the buttpad properly on your shoulder.
 In the video above, Robert shoots the Ultimate PDR with Berger 40gr BTHP bullets. Robert is using the Caldwell Fire Control front rest and rear sandbag. The Fire Control Rest is an affordable, joystick-style mechanical rest that allows you to easily adjust windage and elevation with a single movement of the joystick. The rest is solid and sturdy; Robert says it worked well.
In this session, Robert shot three five-shot groups. Each group could be covered by a dime, which measures 0.705″ in diameter. Subtract the 0.204″ bullet diameter, and you can see this rifle easily shoots under half-MOA, even rapid fire (groups 1 & 2). For the third (and last group), Robert slowed down the pace, aimed more precisely, and put five shots in 0.257″. Not bad for shooting off a wooden bench without wind flags! Like what you see? As soon as accuracy testing is complete, this rifle will be auctioned off to benefit this website. EGW will be offering the front and rear Delrin bag-riders. They will cost $40 each or both front and rear for $75.00 total. Robert will also be offering 20 Practical uppers for your AR15. Email rcw3 [at] erols.com or visit 6mmAR.com for upper specs, options, and prices.
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