Parker

AR's with the weird stock, or AR's which lock the magazine in place are your options. The SKS has become real popular now, as is the Mini-14/Ranch Rifle. An M1A will need cosmetic work to pass muster. One example: https://www.facebook.com/SmithEnterpriseInc/posts/586703081421729

For the non-mil-dot/mil-rad crowd- When I graduated from a plain/fine crosshair reticle to a duplex reticle scope back in the 70's, this was good to learn: http://artoftherifleblog.com/holding-for-elevation-part-ii/2011/11/holding-for-elevation-part-ii.html I recall every Weaver, Redfield and Leupold manual that came packaged with the scope back then had similar instructions on how to use the duplex to judge range based on known objects. 18" of "deer" from top to bottom was the general rule of thumb as that was usually the intended quarry. http://www.longrangehunting.com/articles/ranging-reticles-1.php

Nice offer.

You do need to handload to get the most out of a rifle for "fine tuning." Try the Speer 125 gr. TNT-HP bullet someday. A mild load but very accurate, good out to 300 yds. and under. I was skeptical but some scribes on the M14forum made mention of it for the M1A, so I tried it.

Waterfowl? + The SBE II is less hideous looking than the Vinci.

There was a blurb on the NJH forum this week from Council members regarding NJF&W changing the bear regs. to make an earlier season (mid-October) to include archery and muzzleloader, remove the lottery and make it first come, first served for a permit, open management zones 5 & 6 to hunting, in addition to the regular 6-day season.

HE - I would have a gunsmith check the action before trying, but if it's tight and he gives the okay you should be fine with light 2 1/2" shells which will chamber and shoot fine in that gun. Something like this would be fine: http://www.rstshells.com/store/m/3-16-Gauge.aspx

Belgium gun, Leige Proof House proof marks Nitro-proofed for smokeless powder, post-1924 16 ga. w/ 65mm chamber length (2 9/16")

Thanks. I appreciate the try.

PM inbound.

The state is now proposing to legalize the sale of deer meat for commercial use. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/11/11/nj-bill-would-reduce-deer-herd-by-letting-hunters-sell-meat/18886849/

Conservation laws are complex, in all 50 states. New Jersey Statute 23:4-27 http://law.onecle.com/new-jersey/23-fish-and-game-wild-birds-and-animals/4-27.html Also a case that tested this: http://law.justia.com/cases/new-jersey/appellate-division-published/1993/261-n-j-super-339-1.html Also review N.J.S.A. 23:4-1 regarding the original "possession seal" or tag that was to remain affixed to your bear, turkey or deer. (Now there is electronic registration.) Other oddities: - In the case of road killed deer, only the meat is allowed to be possessed provided a road kill permit is attained. "The possession of all other parts such as antlers, under terms of this permit, are expressly prohibited." - Shed antlers found are legal to possess, the skull of a dead deer with antlers affixed is not. Finding a deer head and possessing it is illegal. (I.E. Taking this home would be a no-no.) [Pic posted on NJH forum yesterday] - Finding a dead deer and cutting off the antlers is illegal. "Possession of naturally shed deer antlers is legal. Parts of deer possessed, other than shed antlers, must be from lawfully harvested deer. Proof of lawful harvest (Confirmation Number or seal) should be retained for verification. Road killed deer with a permit are intended only for consumption; antler possession from these deer is not legal." "Antlers," depending upon how they were acquired, are considered property of the state. *And we thought our gun laws were crazy.

One note: Those carrier lock screws on either side of the receiver have a tendency to "disappear" because sometimes they vibrate loose. Put a drop of Loctite on each one and they'll stay in place. Old 12 ga . Featherlights with plain barrels were listed with a weight of 6 3/4 lbs., ventilated rib barreled ones a bit more. With dense wood and a vent-rib barrel, the new ones seem to weigh more than the old ones and could top 7 lbs. or more for a 12 ga.

Beautiful gun. Enjoy it, M37's are special. 12 or 20? I've mentioned this before on another post here last year. William Baker, Ithaca's founder, saw to it that a Setter was engraved on most of their guns over the years, for he had a deep passion for them. You will also find English Setters engraved on higher grade Parker's, L.C. Smith's, and Lefever's. All the gentlemen who started these gunmaking companies were English Setter fans. Besides English Pointers, English Setters were the original gundog and are one of the oldest gundog breeds in existence today. Now go find an Ithaca Flues or Field grade, a Lefever Grade B or C, high grade L.C. Smith, or a Parker GH grade and you'll have a nice collection of soulful shotguns engraved with English Setters to add to your collection. *If you want to see some real fancy engraving, Google-search Ithaca Model 37's known respectively as the "$3,000 Grade" and the "$5,000 Grade."

I see the anti bear hunt folks were in Trenton yesterday trying to make a statement.

This would be my personal preference.

Yep, been running into them since the late 60's up there. During deer season I'd run into them occasionally, some toting semi-automatic Remington 742's, no blaze orange, conducting highly-orchestrated deer drives. They were quite the organized sight. If you research the county archives, Bergen County was once an area rich with hunting up until the late 50's, early 60's, believe it or not. It's changed drastically. Then again, that was a half-century ago. Time marches on. This is under review in Montvale now regarding bow discharge: http://www.northjersey.com/news/officials-rethinking-ban-1.1115528

With modern bow costs today, the sky is the limit. Shop around, but go to a good shop and stick with a middle of the road bow for your first one. Plenty of people upgrade every year to the latest and greatest, and you can find lots of good, used bows on the market. They are always for sale on NJH or over at Archery Talk. In addition to bow, another way to broaden your deer season is to hunt with a muzzleloader. Judging from the number of treestands, gut piles, dead deer and arrows that I've found over the years, along with incidents of guys caught hunting illegally over the last forty years, I'd say I've seen and heard of a fair share of these goings-on in Bergen County towns like River Vale, Emerson, Woodcliff Lake, Old Tappan, Washington Township, Upper Saddle River and Hillsdale. Too many big bucks running through neighborhoods and into small and large pieces of woods where some folks simply ignore the laws. In the town I live in, just fifteen years ago I used to shoot in my backyard all the time. As the season drew close, I'd set up my portable tree stand in my oak tree and practice. Can't do that anymore with the "No Discharge of Anything" laws. A close and covenient place for you to bowshoot would be the Campgaw archery range. Bergen Bowmen, Inc. are in Bergen County and they use the county's Campgaw Road range: http://www.bergenbowmen.com/ You can join the Bowmen to shoot or register as a Bergen County resident to get your state parks county card and you can access the range: http://www.co.bergen.nj.us/DocumentCenter/View/1121 Ringwood State Park is an area close to Bergen County that is close for you to hunt if you don't want to travel upstate or to the Western corridor of NJ. You'll see lots of bear and coyotes in this area too. Ramapo Mtn. & Ringwood SP both offer areas that are open to hunting. Just steer clear of the hikers, bird-watchers and those mountain bikers in their spandex shorts. http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/docs/hunting_areas.pdf

That's too bad. But, any day out in the field is a good day. On broken wing hits a pheasant will go down, sometimes will tumble spectacularly end-over-end in the air only to hit the ground running like Usain Bolt sporting latest pair of Puma's. Birds hit from behind can absorb a lot of pellets and keep flying. (Larger shot sizes like #5's & #4's have an advantage in these situations.) One telltale sign to look for is a leg drop. When they drop their legs it means they've taken a pellet or two and one or both legs are broken. They won't go far once they land. The only kicker to that is they may not land as long as their wings are beating and they often will fly off until out of sight. In this case unless you have a general direction of where they went, lots of patience, and/or a good dog; chances are you'll never find them. They can hide pretty good even in plain sight!

That's too bad having one getting away. The euphoric high of knocking down a bird tempered by not finding it is a bummer. Pheasants have that knack of vanishing into thin air at times and ruining a good day. A good bird dog is the only remedy for that. I've had dogs find pheasants in all kind of weird places; buried completely under snow, hollow logs, woodchuck holes, under a hollowed bank in a small stream, and small rock crevices. I'd have never found any of them if it wasn't for the dog. Point on a hen bird that was hiding in some rocks at Whittingham WMA some years ago:

Check your 088 and contact H&R if your model can accept a replacement barrel per their requirements. http://www.hr1871.com/Support/accessoryProgram.asp

As T Bill noted, make sure that area is clean and the ejector is riding in its groove so it aligns with the boltface to eject the case when fully rearward. The ejector should protrude as shown like the one on this boltface:

You can hunt in NJ for varmints and furbearers (although a .22LR would be a minimum round for the larger species) during their respective seasons. You can small game hunt in NY with a 10/22. Go right over the NJ border to Sterling Forest. Lotsa land, lotsa squirrels.

I like the blued S&W classics. The M581 is a no-nonsense solid gun and that's a sweet little M34 too.

Agree, I would not call the BLR a 300-400 yard 'chuck rifle, but for under 200 yards this would be an adequate fox/coyote rifle given the rifle's limitations (lightweight barrel and sometimes mushy trigger-pull.) When calling critters, shots often aren't far out, so furbearers should be well within the rifle's and rifleman's limitations in NJ's wooded areas. You can get a BLR to shoot MOA with some judicious handloading, and some tinkering of a trigger spring, at least that's been my experience; although I'm not familiar with one chambered in .223.