Parker

It's a shame the .54 is falling out of favor these days. You can still find .54 MaxiBalls at Track of the Wolf and Dixie Gun Works. http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_99_311_313&products_id=1364&osCsid=f4vmqg51jdk5ev8a9jmkluenf0

Coyote's are everywhere. My nephew was walking to his bus stop early one morning last week and had a coyote following him. This was in Hackensack, on Forest Ave/Maywood Ave., a half mile from the Bergen Town Center mall that's on Rt. 4. (I asked him if he had a pork chop tied to his leg.)

Completely off the general topic, but as a last resort, you can shoot a grizzly/brown bear in self-defense in Alaska, only you need to surrender the skull and hide to authorities after the investigation. Even Alaskan F&G recommends the .44 Mag. as an appropriate handgun caliber for bear defense. Proper rifle calibers or a 12 ga. shotgun are preferred. http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=livingwithbears.bearcountry

They all have a slight taper to them to aid extraction, with a slightly defined neck, but they could be referred to as straight-walled cases. Actually, a valid description would be "nearly straight walled." That would suit the "magazine" fellows. These certainly aren't bottleneck cartridges.

There is a good forum on the Beartooth Bullets site along with lots of load data for lever guns and big bore straight-walled cartridges.

Sweet! Nice selection there. A lot of your pistol powders will work in your big bore for reduced loads. I've used a few of them off this website, which I found on the MarlinOwners forum. http://www.gmdr.com/lever/lowveldata.htm

(2 oz. lead turkey loads from a 7 lb. pump-action shotgun is the worst recoil I've ever experienced.) The recoil of any shotgun or rifle cannot be predicted. There are recoil calculators out there where you can plug in the values of gun weight, charge weight, projectile weight, and velocity to determine the recoil energy, however the recoil effect is dependent on many factors which are not readily calculated. The configuration of the stock is very important: The drop in the stock will determine how much muzzle rise will occur, as will how you hold the rifle/shotgun The amount of cast off in the stock will partly determine whether the rifle/shotgun rising in recoil will slap you in the cheek The construction of the butt pad will determine how deeply the butt digs into your arm The pitch of a buttplate (the angle of the butt in relation to the barrel) so that it makes full contact with the shoulder, rather than digging in at the top or bottom The surface area of the buttstock will determine how the recoil will be spread out and absorbed by your shoulder The muzzle blast will affect your perception of recoil

The .45 ACP on grizzly: http://straightforwardinacrookedworld.blogspot.com/2010/07/45-acp-big-bear-medicine.html

It's been said that the .30-06 represents the high water mark for recoil that can be tolerated by a shooter in a standard rifle cartridge. Anything more, including the ".30 and over" belted-case magnum's, folks get squeamish, pass out, or shy away from. This link has a good chart for review that compares different cartridges and their recoil numbers. Most that generate 20 ft.-lbs. of recoil energy or less are comfortable shooters, provided the rifle is within normally acceptable dimensions for weight. http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm

Thumper hops, compared to Bambi, who has burst speeds up to 35 mph, can clear fences higher than 8', and can bound off in 30' long jumps. They are tougher to hit on the run. There was a time in New Jersey 'way back when' where you could do this on parcels of land that weren't posted. Now you need to know where the state forest boundaries are, where the WMA's are and their safety zones, and when and what is in season. Private land is a luxury these days, and many pay a premium to lease the right to hunt for a season each year. The wildlife management areas (WMA's) are large and extensive and many. You can find these in the Digest: http://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/wmas.htm

Bob.............that M71 is beautiful.

Most people match the rifle, caliber and action-type to the game, terrain and style of hunting they do. Once you do it, you may find you'll want more than one rifle. One rifle is never enough. When you travel halfway across the continent to hunt, you bring more than one anyway. A pellet gun would be perfect to start your son off with, and yourself as well. You can hunt small game with it in New Jersey too! Centerfire rifles are heavily used in other states, not so much in New Jersey. Their use is limited here, both on game and location. The appeal and use broadens in 2014 with the advent of a centerfire rifle fox & coyote season. When it comes to other rifles, a primitive muzzleloader rifle season (now it's not so primitive anymore) has been available in New Jersey since the late 70's, and varmint hunting on private land with a rifle has been available as well for certain centerfires. T/C Maxi-Ball's can be found here - http://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/129/1

Ah, get both. They are both great rounds if you like .30 caliber. If you want to hunt, there are other good hunting cartridges too. And it's true, while .308 Win. was scarce for a while, .270's, .280's, .260 Rem, 7mm-08's, 7mm Mag. and various other "hunting" cartridges were found on most every shelf in a store that sold ammo. As for recoil, stock design and gun weight are the two mitigating factors.

I guess folks don't know it's still hunting season? (Today is the old, original "doe day." Only deer hunting is allowed today in the state.) https://local.nixle.com/alert/5109586/?sub_id=1000005667 #GTPD Media Release: School Put In Precautionary Lock Out After Parent Reports Hearing Gunshots In Wooded Area- J.W. Lilley Elementary School, 1275 Williamstown Road, Gloucester Township, NJ On December 18, 2013 at approximately 07:45 am, a parent dropping their child off at the J.W. Lilley Elementary School reported hearing gun shots, from along a wooded area near the school grounds. As a precaution the school staff and Police Department initiated emergency LOCKOUT procedures due to a possible threat outside the school. This which resulted in a large police response to secure the school area. A large search of the surrounding area was conducted, which yielded negative results. Reports of a hunter in the area were received. There is a special deer permit hunting season is open this week. The investigation is on going. The J.W. Lilley School remained open during the incident, and all the children are safe.

I agree with Chris. Check the M14 forum. There are links there where you can search to determine how much of your SA is comprised of USGI parts based on markings/numbering, etc. of parts. Earlier ones assembled by SA had USGI bolts, trigger groups, op-rods, etc. in conjunction with SA cast receivers. Later ones had cast op-rods. As they progressed, fewer had USGI parts.

NYSP went to the GAP, ditching their G17's.

No, hence the reason those plants grow as they do and are listed as an invasive species in NJ. Birds eat the berries, and that is how the seeds are planted elsewhere. If deer ate them like they do anything else, they wouldn't be such a nuisance.

I believe that's Japanese barberry. An invasive plant species in New Jersey.

Very nice!

That torsion bar is serious business. There are YT videos for DIY'rs, but it can be dangerous. My neighbor had a professional over a couple of summers ago, installing one. He heard a noise that sounded like a scream, and ran out to his garage to find the installer lying on his garage floor, spitting blood, and two teeth lying close by next to him. The fellow who installed mine last December told me he had just got back on the job, he was out because one had kicked back on him and the bar used for leverage snapped down on his wrist and broke it. Hmmmmmmm.

Someone actually owns one?

The infamous made-for-TV movie shootout from 1986: The FBI recap:

The author (Alan Berlow) seems to have an axe to grind with the NRA based on his articles. "N.J. state rifle champion?" I doubt it. http://www.salon.com/writer/alan_berlow/

If you redo the stock, get some Winchester red stain to refinish it in the color that was correct for that period. Brownell's, Tapadera's or Connecticut Shotgun Mfg. Co. carry Winchester red stain.

Sorry, I got caught up in the hype. All the media has talked about is "bear." Then again, 6-day used to be the traditional firearm season, but it has lost its luster since deer seasons have expanded, where bow opens as early as September, followed by permit bow, followed by permit muzzleloader, then 6-day firearm, followed by the continuation of permit muzzleloader, then permit shotgun, then winter bow, and winter permit shotgun depending on regulation set #. Depending on zone, deer hunting extends to Feb. 15th. Dizzying.