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February 26th, 2010
The basic AR15, with upgrades to barrel, trigger, optics and “furniture” has evolved into an extremely effective varminter, chambered in .223 Rem, or a .20-caliber such as the 20 Practical. Hunters have also adapted the AR10 platform, with its ability to fire a .308 Winchester-sized cartridge, for use on deer and Elk. Now ArmaLite has “re-introduced” a handy, compact AR10 carbine that should be ideal for hog hunters.
The folks at ArmaLite received many requests for a lighter, more compact version of the AR10. Armalite responded: “We did a small limited run and we’re pushing its use as a varmint hunter… especially good against wild boars. One of our ArmaLite gunsmiths got the idea from some buddies in Texas who are using their Ts against the wild hogs. This AR-10(T) Carbine combines the light weight and compact size of the carbine with the accuracy of the Target Model.” This AR10(T) carbine features a 16″, 1:11.25″ twist barrel, fitted to a forged, flat-top receiver with built-in Picatinny rail. With a compact 37.5″ length, the gun weighs 8.6 pounds (3.9 kg). Included with the rifle are one 10-round mag, and one 20-round mag. MSRP is $1892.00.
February 10th, 2010
Right now Cabela’s.com is running a major Hunting Gear SALE with some popular items discounted 30% or more. You’ll find great deals on Bushnell, Leupold, and Nikon optics. Rifle ammo for a wide variety of calibers is on sale, and you’ll find good deals on knives and hunting accessories.
To make this sale even more attractive, Cabela’s is offering $5 flat-rate shipping, now through February 16, 2010. To qualify, your order must total AT LEAST $150.00, and you need to use Promo Code 2XFLAT when checking out.
January 26th, 2010
Though the use of high-tech materials, such as carbon fiber and kevlar, modern riflestocks have become stiffer, stronger, and lighter. Wild Dog, a small company in Queensland, Australia, is producing some of the nicest carbon-reinforced hunting and tactical stocks you can buy. Wild Dog stocks sport innovative features, such as a trap door for ammo storage in the side of the buttstock. Wild Dog’s hunting stocks are sized right and comfortable to hold — the comb height and drop angles are “just right” for a classic sporter.
And when Wild Dog says they can build a stock that’s “ultra-light”, they aren’t kidding. Wild Dog’s Bruce Simms showed us a lightweight sporter stock that weighed just 20 ounces! We were sufficiently impressed that we may choose a Wild Dog stock for an ultra-light, walk-around varminter project AccurateShooter.com has in the works.
This Editor was also very impressed by Wild Dog’s tactical stocks. The Wild Dog thumbhole will work for shooters with any hand size. The grip section of some other thumbhole stocks (notably the Accuracy Int’l) is very thick and fat (way too fat for this Editor’s hands). By contrast, you’ll find the Wild Dog thumbhole is comfortable and controllable even for shooters with medium to small hands. Wild Dog’s adjustable cheekpiece system on the tactical stocks is better than most — the hardware is simple but sturdy and the cheekpiece fits flush when retracted.
Overall, the Wild Dog stock designs — both hunting and tactical, are carefully crafted and very well thought out. The tactical stocks feel right in both offhand and prone positions. The hunting stocks are easy to handle and the hand-painted camo finishes really do work in the field, as you can see in the photo below.
January 21st, 2010
 We had a long chat with Eric Stecker, Berger Bullet’s Master Bulletsmith. Eric had some interesting revelations. First he noted that Berger’s production in 2009 was up 50% compared to the previous year. Berger is now running 24-hour shifts to meet demand. And Berger isn’t resting on its laurels. A new .338 bullet is going into production, and Berger now has the means to produce .416s and even 50-caliber bullets. Berger also has multiple new prototype long-range bullets in development. Eric let me look at them and hold them but he requested that we NOT publish photos as the bullet profiles are somewhat radical. Eric revealed that a new series of short-range 6mm bullets in the 60-grain range are probably going to be released later this year. These borrow some design ideas from the successful Euber FB bullets, with refinements to improve ballistics.
We covered many other topics during our interview, including the status of the new Berger Reloading handbook, and the differences between the G1 vs. G7 Ballistics models. Click on the video link below to learn all the latest info from Berger.
January 10th, 2010
30-caliber magnums are the chamberings of choice for North American big game hunters. Although the venerable .30-06 and .270 remain popular, Boone and Crockett Club records show that the 30-caliber magnums (of one variety or another) take more North American trophies than any other caliber/chambering. (Note: “30-caliber magnum” includes .300 Win Mag, .300 WSM, .300 Wby. Mag, 300 Ultra mag. Records do not distinguish specific 30-cal magnum chamberings.) Boone and Crockett compiled the data from records-book entries from 2007 through 2009. Surprisingly, the second most popular trophy-taker isn’t a firearm—it’s a bow.
Here are the most commonly used calibers across all Boone and Crockett categories over the past three years, along with percentages of trophy entries credited to each:
30-cal Magnum (all types)—18 percent
Bow/crossbow—16 percent
.270—12 percent
.30-06—11 percent
7mm Magnum—11 percent
Muzzleloader/shotgun—10 percent
6mm—3 percent
.338 Magnum—3 percent
.257—2 percent
.30-30—2 percent
.308—2 percent
.375 Magnum—2 percent
Other—8 percent |
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30-caliber magnum cartridges appear among the top three calibers for 11 of the 15 species recognized in Boone and Crockett trophy records. Species for which records are kept include: Whitetail deer, Coues’ whitetail deer, Blacktail deer, Mule deer, Black bear, Brown Bear/Grizzly, Pronghorn, Elk, Moose, Caribou, Bison, Muskox, Cougar, Rocky Mtn. Goat, Sheep (Bighorn, Dall’s, Desert, Stone’s).
January 2nd, 2010
Here’s a simple procedure that lets you get a solid zero for a hunting rifle in just four shots. Of course you probably want to fire a few more rounds to confirm your zero before you head off to your hunting grounds, but this will let you get on-target with a minimum amount of time and ammo expended. (This assumes your scope is securely mounted, and the bases are not drastically out of alignment.)
1. First, remove the bolt and boresight the rifle. Adjust the position of the rifle so that, looking through the bore, you can see the center of the target with your eyes. Secure the rifle in the rests to maintain its position as boresighted. Then, without moving the rifle, center the reticle. That should get you on paper. With the rifle solidly secured in front and rear rests or sandbags, aim at the center of a target placed at your zeroing distance (50 or 100 yards). Confirm there are no obstructions in the barrel! Then load and fire one shot. Then, return the gun to the exact position it was when you pulled the trigger, with the cross-hair centered on the target as before.
2. Locate, in the scope, where your first bullet landed on the target. Now, while you grip the rifle firmly so it doesn’t move, have a friend adjust the turrets on your scope. While you look through the scope, have your friend turn the windage and elevation turrets until the cross-hairs, as viewed through the scope, bisect the first bullet hole on the target. In other words, you use the turrets to move the center of the reticle to the actual position of shot number one. Dial the crosshairs to the hole — don’t move the rifle.
3. After you’ve adjusted the turrets, now re-aim the rifle so the cross-hairs are, once again, positioned on the target center. Keep the rifle firmly supported by your rest or sandbag. Take the second shot. You should find that the bullet now strikes in the center of the target.
4. Take a third shot with the cross-hairs aligned in the center of the target to confirm your zero. Make minor modifications to the windage and elevation as necessary.
5. Now shoot the rifle from a field rest (shooting sticks, bipod, or rucksack) as you would use when actually hunting. Confirm that your zero is unchanged. You may need to make slight adjustments. Some rifles, particularly those with flexy fore-arms, exhibit a different POI (point of impact) when fired from a bipod or ruck vs. a sandbag rest.
If you recently cleaned your rifle, you may want to fire two or three fouling shots before you start this procedure. But keep in mind that you want to duplicate the typical cold bore conditions that you’ll experience during the hunt. If you set your zero after three fouling shots, then make sure the bore is in a similar condition when you actually go out hunting.
December 28th, 2009
 The NSSF, through its “Step Outside” program, suggests you invite someone to go hunting or shooting this Holiday season. An outdoor shooting adventure can be more memorable than any gift that arrives in a box.
Through NSSF’s StepOutside.org web page, you can send a customized invitation to go hunting or shooting. Your e-mail invitation will feature an outdoor photograph with a personalized message from you.
CLICK HERE to Send a Hunting/Shooting Invitation to Friends or Family.
If you go on a shooting excursion before the end of the year (Dec. 31, 2009), you can enter the Step Outside Sweepstakes, and get a chance to win one of five $1,000 gift certificates to Bass Pro Shops. To be eligible, you must “mentor” a new shooter and complete a survey describing your experiences. Submission Deadline is January 1, 2010.
CLICK HERE to enter STEP OUTSIDE Sweepstakes
December 26th, 2009
 HUNTX3, a new all-digital hunting magazine, launched this week. You’ll find a full-featured website at HuntX3.com. There you can access gear reviews, videos, news feeds, and popular articles. But that’s just the beginning. The “heart” of HUNTX3 is a flash-based, interactive e-Zine that displays like a conventional print magazine with “double-truck” layouts, flip-page navigation, and full-page ads. The e-Zine even has embedded video and audio — and all content is FREE.
As a rule, we generally don’t favor these print-magazine mimicking formats. They take a long time to load, and seem less reader-friendly than conventional web pages. On the other hand, HUNTX3’s e-Zine layout allows for large photos, and impressive two-page spreads.
The premier issue of HUNTX3 Digital Magazine features many articles of interest for bow-hunters and big game hunters. There are excellent stories about elk hunting in Utah, Red Stag hunting in New Zealand, and Dall Sheep hunting in the Canadian Yukon.
High-Tech Hunt Planning with Google Earth
HUNTX3’s premier issue also includes a fascinating article by Toxie Givens explaining how to use Google Earth satellite photos to monitor game stands and plan a deer hunt. The article shows how you can define club boundaries, and plot the location of feeding stations, deer stands, and trail cameras. Using Google Earth, you can even mark locations where game has been taken in the past, link trail cam photos, and superimpose current weather conditions.
Givens explains: “I keep a record of the location where every deer is taken… for every year we have been hunting. This is great information to see where the most successful areas are on the club. Using Google Earth you can get the Weather Radar superimposed on your location. Furthermore Google Earth is capable of geo-caching [trail camera] photos to GPS points.”
December 24th, 2009
The NRA’s NRA Women On Target Hunting Progam organizes a popular series of women-only outdoor adventures every season. Currently, there are 11 Women on Target hunts planned for 2010. For a woman looking for a “no-stress” hunting holiday guided by skilled outfitters, this is an excellent choice. Starting as $276 for a two-day duck hunt, many of these events are quite affordable, so they would make a unique Christmas present for a female family member or your favorite lady shooter. CLICK HERE for Women on Target hunt details and pricing.
NOTE: One spot is still available for the combo hunt at Addisson Ranch in Oklahoma. Ladies will have a chance to stalk and shoot Whitetail Doe, Wild Hog, Coyote, and Bobcat.
| 2010-2011 Hunting Excursion Schedule |
| Whitetail Doe, Wild Hog, Coyote & Bobcat |
Oklahoma |
January 1-3, 2010 |
| Feral Hog Hunt and Bass Fishing |
Texas |
January 22-24, 2010 |
| European Pheasant and Walk up Hunt |
Michigan |
March 5-6, 2010 |
| Rio Grande Tom Turkey |
Texas |
April 9-11, 2010 |
| Alaskan Black Bear, Wolf |
Alaska |
August 17-23, 2010 |
| Pheasant & Chukar |
Nebraska |
October 22-24, 2010 |
| Mallard & Wood Duck |
Michigan |
October 22-24, 2010 |
| Whitetail Doe/Spike, Axis Doe, and Hogs |
Texas |
October 22-24, 2010 |
| Whitetail Doe/Spike, Axis Doe, Rio Grande Turkey (Tom/Hen), Hog |
Texas |
November 12-14, 2010 |
| Whitetail Doe/Spike, Axis Doe, Rio Grande Turkey (Tom/Hen), Hog |
Texas |
December 10-12, 2010 |
| Whitetail Doe, Hog, Coyote & Bobcat |
Oklahoma |
December 31, 2010 and January 2, 2011 |
December 6th, 2009
 Women’s participation in hunting and the shooting sports is going up, according to new data from the National Sporting Goods Association. Between 2003 and 2008, the number of women hunting with firearms rose from 2.1 million to 2.9 million; women who bowhunt rose from 400,000 to 600,000; and women who target shoot increased from 4.1 million to 4.8 million. Guides and outfitters are seeing women as a growing market, and gun clubs seeking members are often shocked at how many women will sign up, if simply given some friendly instruction. There is now even a dedicated magazine just for lady hunters, Woman Hunter.
These nationwide figures are consistent with the participation trends NRA has seen in its Women On Target program, which began in 1999. Women On Target conducts women-only hunts and instructional shooting clinics. Both provide a venue for experienced women hunters and shooters to mentor newcomers.
 While the mainstream media may be surprised that women have any interest in guns, the Women On Target program proves otherwise. The number of clubs running Women On Target shooting clinics rose 37% from 211 in 2007 to 289 in 2009. A total of 6,066 women attended those clinics in 2007, and there should nearly 8,000 by the end of 2009—a 32% increase. The program’s women-only hunts are growing steadily. Ten hunts are planned for 2010. Click here for 2010 hunt schedule.
Editor’s Comment: Signing up more women members may be the single most important thing gun clubs can do to improve “public relations”. In mainstream media reports on firearms, the bias is too often negative. However, when women shooters/hunters are the focus of a media story, the overall slant is often very positive. The news media like stories about women who succeed in a male-dominated sport such as shooting. Moreover, women-only shooting events are usually shown to be fun and “empowering”, while women shooters are, more often than not, portrayed in a positive light.
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