Parker

The MAIG 100 day "No More Names" bus tour made their second stop in Augusta, ME yesterday. They aren't going away anytime soon. http://nomorenames.org/blog/2013/06/no-more-names-comes-to-augusta-maine/ I hope they go to Chicago, IL before the summer ends. Last weekend's 7 deaths and 41 injured in various shootings has to be some sort of high watermark for Chiraq.

So, how far are we away from Soylent Green?

A heavy gun might be more accurate if you wanted that weight for steady holding for offhand shots with something like a slug gun. But a 6 lb. shotgun swings and feels fine like a 6 lb. shotgun should. A 5 3/4 lb. is nicer if it's a 28 or 20 ga., so the magic number for a field gun is usually under 7 lbs. Closer to 6 is ideal for an upland gun. As Chris noted, some folks dislike light shotguns in the field because inexperienced folks stop their swing on winged game. But a lighter gun is quicker to get into action and up to your shoulder, especially when hunting woodcock, grouse, quail and to some extent; pheasant. On the skeet/trap range or in the goose blind, an 8.5 lb. to 9 lb. shotgun is preferable to soak up recoil and help promote a smooth swing and aids follow-through. Slug-shooting shotguns between 7 and 8 lbs. seems a good mix for portability for hunting while still having enough weight to soak up recoil. There are two schools of thought on turkey guns: To some, they recoil a lot because of the excessive payload they throw, so they are usually all 10 or 12 ga., heavy guns, so folks who hunt blinds in woodlots and open fields can handle the weight by carrying with a sling. Often, they don't travel too far for their quarry. For folks who hike and walks lots of mountain ridges in search of turkeys, lighter guns rule.

I've been shooting a 6mm Rem. for years, and like that cartridge a lot for its dual-versatility. But I like the .257 Roberts a lot as well. It gives up only 100-150fps in the heavier bullet weights to the .25-06 when handloaded properly. But, there's not a lot of factory ammo out there for the Roberts compared to the .25-06, and .25-06 brass is more plentiful for reloading. (BTW- Compare Hornady's Superformance factory loads of the .257 Roberts and the .25-06 Remington. They are awfully close in published numbers in certain bullet weights.) PS - A Model 70 is a nice rifle.

Certainly doable with a .22 under "ideal" circumstances. But in most of the contiguous 48 states, rimfires are illegal to use on big game. Most states have a caliber minimum for game species, while others specify "centerfire" as a legal means to take deer/bear. For example, a 17 Fireball, ..22 Hornet or 222 Remington would be legal to hunt deer or bear, like it is in PA.

The .25-06 is a great round. The same can be said for the .257 Roberts, which is no slouch either. The .25 caliber's are not as wildly popular as they should be, but the 6mm's (.24 cal.) are more popular and offer more bullet choices. The .243 Win. is very popular today, and is chambered in a plethora of models and actions too. You can kill any whitetail deer in North America with a .243 Win./6mm Rem. and the right bullet. Just to confuse the issue, the .260 Remington is also a good bet and should be more popular than it is in hunting circles. In contrast, it's earning quite a reputation in the long-range target circles as an accurate round and the .264 bullet's has a great B.C. for flat flight and its sectional density makes it an excellent bullet for deep penetration. If I didn't have a pair of .25's I would seriously look at the .260 Remington as my next rifle.

In New Jersey, you can hunt squirrels with shotgun, bow, crossbow and a small-caliber muzzleloader in certain areas. Should NJF&W pass the pending air rifle change, you will be able to hunt small game with pellet guns in 2014. In New York and Pennsylvania, you may also hunt squirrel with a rimfire.

If the rudimentary bow & arrow has successfully taken critters up to the size of elephant, it would be assumed that a well-placed round from a 12 ga. would be sufficient to take most game under ideal circumstances. There are a lot of four and two-legged critters still roaming the face of the Earth to the surprise of others despite having been shot with some serious hardware. Killing as opposed to wounding is the difference between a well-placed round versus a poorly placed one. One example of a gun built for "lark to elephant": http://www.newsystemarms.com/new-system-arms_news.php?language=2&Id_news=62 More reading: Google "12 ga. from Hell." (Can be found in the Slug Shooter's forum on ShotgunWorld)

Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's

Alaska's DNR seems to think a 12 ga. is enough to stop a brown bear. http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/safety/bears.htm Has your "hunter" friend ever shot anything with a 12 ga. slug? He would think otherwise if he has.

Beautifully-made shotgun. You should have no concerns using it. Post-war Superposed's from the 50's and 60's are considered the best years for Browning's O/U masterpiece.

Very nice!

The reason for that is simple. At 16.5", 18", 20", or 24", the .30-30 carbine or rifle weighs anywhere from 6.5 lbs. to 7 lbs. With only about 12-13 ft./lbs. of recoil, you shouldn't feel much at the butt. But because of their stock design, limited LOP, varied pitch of the buttplate; most .30-30's feel like they kick more than they should.

Keep in mind that there are ten to twelve times the number of hunters in other states like PA & NY compared to the number of hunters in NJ. Granted the states mentioned are large in size, but you do share the woods with a lot more hunters. Historically, deer hunting has the most fatalities, followed by turkey hunting. Last year in PA they recorded no hunting fatalities for the first time since 1915, when they began recording such data. NY had a couple of fatalities during deer season, but that state's fatality number has been declining as well. All states have seen a decrease in hunting accidents and fatalities since the hunter education programs went into place.

Once you get the NJ Hunter Education certificate, you can buy a "big game" license to hunt deer or bear in another state with that certificate.

Haven't used this for hunting but it is designed to produce tighter patterns by reducing the the standard 9-pellet count to 8 and packing it inside a PowerPiston wad along with shot buffering. A common tactic handloaders use.

As noted, your 10/22 is a no-go. Fall is the only time rifle is permitted, and in certain zones it's still restricted. Hitting a turkey in his topknot would be quite a feat, since that is the portion of him that bobs, weaves, dips and ducks continuously! Regs.: http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/document/1337623/page35_turkey_season_bag_limits_pdf PS - Turkey is considered "big game" in PA

Belgian Flobert parlor rifle.

My prize should have been having the wherewithal to buy that Hawkeye years ago. If anything, it was unique.

The Marlin trigger is two-piece. The Wild West trigger is two-piece as well in order to work in conjunction with the lever safety, only it uses a small spring for tension to eliminate that "flop."

Single-shot, with a breech block that rotated out for loading. I almost bought one way back in the late 70's. They had a pristine used one at PR&G in the old Hawthorne store.

The half-cock notch is for carrying should you have a live round in the chamber, or sitting on stand, etc. The trigger is two-piece by design so as to work in conjunction with the lever safety. So long as you have a crisp trigger I wouldn't worry about it. The half-cock notch and full-cock notch for the sear are evident in these pictures -

Ruger Hawkeye?

.256 Win. Mag. in the Marlin M62?

Look at New Jersey back in 2011.