Gettin' Started

[EricStratton]

I've never been much of a hunter. Never owned a gun....however, I've had a great time huntin' this weekend and would like to start huntin' more....Any suggestions: first gun, first place to hunt, etc.....

[Fotno]

Squad Automatic Weapon made by FABRIQUE NATIONALE FIREARMS.

Pistol Ridge.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squad_automatic_weapon

[Fotno]

Or any decent 12 gauge will do.
I'd get a 30-06 rifle.

[EricStratton]

Holy crap, futno, where do I get a SAW? I think the 30 aut 6 sounds better...how much do them cost? Is they deer and hog in Pistol ridge? I don't want to pay big bucks fo no huntin camp membaship if I can shoot varmit fo free!

[EricStratton]

Seriously, is the 30 06 the best deer/hog rifle? How much do one cost?

[Guru]

Don't forget to throw in a basic Remington 870 pump shotgun / 12 guage.

[Fish-Bait]

30-06 or .270 for deers/hogs. 12 ga. with 3" chamber will handle everything else...just buy your loads appropriately...like #8 for dove...6 for squirrel and rabbit....steel shot for duckies...etc....buckshot for bucks and stuff. You can get a decent 30-06 for 400. put a decent scope on it and you will invest at least 700 in it. Or you can just wait til' after huntin' season and watch the classifieds....always one in there around the end of Feb. beginning of March.

[bpitt]

Get a .50BMG sniper rifle, like made by Bear or Mountain Arms. Then you can kill anything, literally, from like half a mile away. I'm gonna own one, one day, just for the hell of it.

[pooker]

He is just a beginner no reason to get the kid killed, here you go , here is you a little 4/10 no go have funs. :PatsESonhead:

[Fotno]

I like .410's.
I have killed a lot of creatures with one.
I like 22's,10-22's,17 cal's,22 mag's also.
I think it's illegal to deer hunt with a 22 rifle in MS though.
That's stoopid.Shoot'em in the eye or in the neck.

[Hawkeye]

I like .410's.
I have killed a lot of creatures with one.
I like 22's,10-22's,17 cal's,22 mag's also.
I think it's illegal to deer hunt with a 22 rifle in MS though.
That's stoopid.Shoot'em in the eye or in the neck.

Ya, it's illegal if caught but I have taken many more deer with 22 than HP'd rifle and never wounded one. Always one shot clean kill to nasal canal or behind ear. I have wounded deer with HP rifle and had to track.

Wiff 22, I am very close and careful. Some folks take too long a shot with HP rifles and mess up meat.

[Hawkeye]

Stratton must be duck huntin again. You think we might have to sew him up in the sheets and beat his arse with a broom stick, again. :D

[Fotno]

He must have one hell of a hang over.

[Queen Mother]

It must have been SOME hunting trip this past weekend. He earlier posted that he didn't particularly like hunting - preferred just sitting at the camp, watching football and drinking!

I guess he's trying to bag him a big buck!

[BassCatter]

He shoulda tagged along behind me when I was after squirrels when he was a boy.....

[bpitt]

Get a .270, .280, .308, or a .30-06. They'll do anything you need them to do. Don't give in to the 'magnum mania' unless you plan on hunting Grizzly or Kodiak's. They're all accurate rounds, hit with enough energy, and the recoil is manageable. You can get ammo for them just about anywhere (except maybe the .280). Winchester, Ruger, Browning, Remington, and Savage all make great rifles.

As far as shotguns, get a 12 gauge pump. Mossberg, Remington, and Browning make great shotguns. Make sure you get a changeable choke, then you can use a x-full for turkey, a modified for dove, and a smoothbore for buckshot.

[bpitt]

As an aside, I know a fellow that has killed many deer with a .22. Most at close range, with a shot to the head.

[Fish-Bait]

My grandma on my dad's side had two huge crab apple trees right outside of her pump house. My uncle would come down twice a year when the deer started comin' to feed on the apples and sit in the pumphouse. he would pop em' from about 50' with a 22 magnum right in the neck just below the jaw. They would drop a mere 30-40 ft. from where they stood. I have an old Marlin' heavey barrel .22 mag bolt action. It is the most accurate rifle I own at 100 yds. That thing is sweet, but I have shot it more than my others so it may just be I can shoot it better than the others.

[Hawkeye]

Here is an example of how accurate a tuned 22lr can be. If y'all didn't now, Nana was Mississippi State Champ in 2005 with the Sporter weight rifle and the combined four rifle weight aggregate.

This is one of her targets from the match. It still holds the National Record of .040 inches center to center of bullet impact. Keep in mind that this is competition for smallest group of five shots on one target, not bulls eye. We purposely keep the point of bullet impact off the bull so the bullet holes do not cover up our point of aim.

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x137/mselle01/ElleTarget.jpg

This target was shot at 50 yds from the benchrest position with a sporter weight (hunter weight) Sako, super-tuned rifle. five shots went in that hole on a windy day.

[Fish-Bait]

The best I have ever done with my .22 mag was three in a 50 cent piece from 100 yds.
That's some might fine shootin' there Nana.

[bpitt]

Okay, so we now know NOT to piss off Nana. If we do, do so and run away in a zig-zag fashion. LOL!

[Queen Mother]

Who would've thought a grandmother would be a national marksman???? Now that's woman power!!! Congratulations Nana! I'm soooooo impressed!

[Hawkeye]

The best I have ever done with my .22 mag was three in a 50 cent piece from 100 yds.
That's some might fine shootin' there Nana.
That is good shooting for a box/stock 22 mag hunting rifle. With the 22LR target rifle, we saw average 100 yd five shot groups inside a nickel, but I'm talking custom target rifles. My best shooter is a 14 pound Winchester 52 single shot made in 1946. It is hard to beat when the right nut is behind the bolt.

http://www.22arg.com/gallery/DixieRimfireRange/P4010026

http://www.22arg.com/gallery/SouthernSportsCenter/P1010327a

[Fish-Bait]

I said 100 yds. It was actually about 80 yds. though. I been wantin' me one of those lead sleds rest they have now. Now that I have a place to shoot when the cows ain't in the way I am gonna' fabricate me a shootin' table. I have a nice backstop to shoot in to via a high hill down into a gulley and some nice soft dirt.

[Echo Four Bravo]

I'm thinkin' bout getting into some trap shooting. Anyone have any experience with a Mossberg 935 auto loader? The price is right, but I've always believed that you get what you pay for.

[BassCatter]

My shotguns are a Browning Auto 5 20 gua from 1957 and a Remington Tactical Magnum.....I'm afraid I have little experience with anything else. Fish-Bait????????

[Hawkeye]

I said 100 yds. It was actually about 80 yds. though. I been wantin' me one of those lead sleds rest they have now. Now that I have a place to shoot when the cows ain't in the way I am gonna' fabricate me a shootin' table. I have a nice backstop to shoot in to via a high hill down into a gulley and some nice soft dirt.
FB, are you talking about a one piece rest? I sold one not to long ago for $600. They cost around $1000, new. You have to have a benchrest flat botton forearm stock to use one. The rest I'm using in the pic is a Bald Eagle with windage and elevation dials. With these, you can change out the front bag to fit the type stock you have. It's all you need for very steady platform.

here is a link showing various rest styles;

http://accu-shot.net/

[carsalesguy]

oh lawd-

if i piss her off this fat man don't stand a chance

[Fish-Bait]

FB, are you talking about a one piece rest? I sold one not to long ago for $600. They cost around $1000, new. You have to have a benchrest flat botton forearm stock to use one. The rest I'm using in the pic is a Bald Eagle with windage and elevation dials. With these, you can change out the front bag to fit the type stock you have. It's all you need for very steady platform.

here is a link showing various rest styles;

http://accu-shot.net/

No hawk..I am talkin' about a steel table (for left and right hand shootin') that I can fab just like the cheap plywood ones you see at the shootin' ranges. the lead slead is just simply the rifle rest..(adjustable rifle holder/helps you clean it too deal)...just google leadsled.

[Hawkeye]

No hawk..I am talkin' about a steel table (for left and right hand shootin') that I can fab just like the cheap plywood ones you see at the shootin' ranges. the lead slead is just simply the rifle rest..(adjustable rifle holder/helps you clean it too deal)...just google leadsled.

Okay, I googled it and see what you're talking about. There are better ways to go but you kind'a hard-headed so I hesitate to give you the benefit of my many years experience as a competitive rifle accuracy nut :D

[Fish-Bait]

I have seen all kinds. If I make it heavy enough so that it won't move then no one will want to borrow it because it's be so hard to load and unload.:D

You always see them made of plywood at the ranges. I figure out of steel it's way upwards of 300 lbs. roughly 150 bucks in materials. about 3 hours drafting @ 55 an hour, 1/2 hour on the cnc torch @ 65 an hour. 1/2 hour on the saw @ 65 an hour and 3 hours fab time @ 50 an hour. So that 465 dollars.....oh year 1 hour for blasting and prime coat...50 bucks. so what ummm 515.00 if my math is right this early.:buttrock:

[TheCapitalist]

Wow. Thanks Hawkeye. Don't mess w/ nana is good advise.

[pooker]

Dang shes a good shot , she should of been on walker texas ranger , "when the eyes of the nana are up you " .... eh I talk to much :D

[Fish-Bait]

Like this Hawk only made of iron.

[Hawkeye]

Like this Hawk only made of iron.

Like that shape and okay to build frame with steel, but pour concrete top in angle iron frame.

Look how simple these tables are. Used concrete blocks for legs. bonded them with construction glue. Framed table tops on ground using 2x4's and poured concrete, then set on block legs.

http://www.22arg.com/gallery/DixieRimfireRange

Marc McPhil and I built this range. He's a very talented steel fabricator. He built a portable still bench using 1 inch plate for the top and mounted on single axle trailer with adjustable tractor seat. The whole table and seat swiveld 360 like an AAC AAC gun.

There are valid reasons however for using concrete top vs. steel, when one seeks extreme accuracy. Harmonics is one.

[threekidspa]

Hawk, is that a public range?

[Hawkeye]

Hawk, is that a public range?
I afraid not. It's a private range for sanctioned 22LR matches only. To shoot that range, you would have to join the ARG discipline.

see details at

www.22arg.com

[threekidspa]

I afraid not. It's a private range for sanctioned 22LR matches only. To shoot that range, you would have to join the ARG discipline.

see details at

www.22arg.com (http://www.22arg.com)

Looks like a very active schedule!

[Hawkeye]

Looks like a very active schedule!

Nana and I use to shoot somewhere almost every weekend but last year we totally took a break. Sanctioned competition shooting is sort'a an expensive hobby. We'd spend about $3000 each on ammo, fees and travel every year.

Add to that the cost of truly competitive rifles, occasional gunsmithing and accessories, and you're looking at around $5K for your first year of competition.

We do let juniors (kids under 15) shoot free but they pay for ammo used. If I had youngsters and wanted to get them started right, I'd look into the CMP Marksmanship Programs. The closest range affiliated with the Civilian Marksmanship Program is located near McComb, to best of my memory.

The CMP program teaches them 3 Position shooting and can be a stepping stone to Olympic Shooting competition. Some schools with 4-H offer CMP programs.

They usually start them out with extremely accurate air rifles. FYI, a top notch compressed air rifle will whoop any custom built, high dollar 22LR rimfire rifle at 25 yards. Never, I say never put money against a modern compressed air target rifle at 25 yards or less.

[Fish-Bait]

Nice there Hawk. Concreting would be very easily done. It needs to be what? 2" thick or more?

[Hawkeye]

Nice there Hawk. Concreting would be very easily done. It needs to be what? 2" thick or more?

You can get by with 2 inches in a metal frame if you put rabbit war or fiberglass in the crete. A stand-alone concrete top needs to be 3-1/2 inches thk.

since we poured our bench tops at the same time we poured slab, we prolly didn't have over $50 in each table and they are rock solid, no vibrations.

See, what we feel is important about a bench and rifle for extreme accuracy is when we make our rest set up, we don't want nuttin but de rifle moving on recoil. Dat's why I no like dat rest you showed me. It limits recoil and that is not good. Rifles are meant to recoil. If you inhibit recoil you are doing damage to your rifle. When you have one locked down the energy has to go somewhere so your action will be digging into your stock and upsetting its seating (bedding).

The other thing you seek in extreme accuracy is RTB (return to battery). If your rest moves on recoil, you can't come back quickly to battery (POA) point of aim. Even the high-tech rail guns have recoil springs or pistons. A rest will slide on steel bench top unless you bolt it down; even if shooting only a 22. The rests we use have adjustable height hardened pins that contact the concrete bench top and we use a rubber mallet to set them, sort'a like tapping a pool ball with another to get it to seat.

Bottom line when shooting to achieve maximum accuracy from your rifle:
You don't want your rest to move or vibrate, and you don't want to inhibit recoil too much. If fact, most bench shooters shoot free recoil, meaning they let it come back all it want until the bullet is out of the muzzle. What you DO want is when you slide your rifle back forward into the bags of the rest, you want it to be back on target as near as possible.

Guys that shoot the railguns in competition, site the target once and then fire 5 rounds to POA. This way they have only the wind to calculate before firing.

[Fish-Bait]

The wood frame one I showed you. that's the one I was gonna' make, but out of steel.
then I was gonna get me a Lead Sled. (http://www.chuckhawks.com/caldwell_lead_sled.htm)

I don't competition shoot. Haven't comp. shot in 10 to 15 years or so that I can remember and it was with revolver. My reasoning was simple. I usually shoot just before and midway through hunting season. that's about all I really shoot anymore unless I go with my stepfather to the DCM range down in Pasem' goula and we burn up a thousand rounds of .45 and the like just for the sake of havin' a little mano-e-mano competition or we go to the PD range down there from time to time and work on training exercises for service weapons. he likes tryin' out his teachin' techniques on me so I am sort of a guinea pig of sorts.

[Hawkeye]

The leadsled inhibits recoil. If you site in the leadsled, you will not get the same POI as when you go hunting and shoot offhand. Plus, it is bad for your rifle. Get it yet?

[Goobersmooch]

im gonna go ahead and ask you fools

why would you mess with nana anyway?