Handsome Rob

'fraid I can't narrow it down to just one, but these 2 I will never part with. First is my Lyman Great Plains Rifle in .54 Shoots a patched round ball into 3" groups out to 100yds. At 50yds, I can print a one-hole group, offhand. It just balances so perfectly for offhand shooting.... Next up is my professionally bubba'd Long Branch Lee Enfield. I had the barrel lapped, shortened to 19¾" & recrowned by Hero Gear. They also headspaced it for the Prvi Partisan 150gn ammunition it seems to love. The scope is a cheapy Barska 4-12x42 that has held zero for the last 2 years. It shoots way better than I can at 300yds.....

I have a seemingly obvious question, but I can't seem to find the answer. Other than optical clarity, what is the advantage of an expensive riflescope, over a cheaper model, all other things being equal? Say I'm looking for a non-adjustable AO, fixed power scope to fit a hunting rifle, a .308 for argument's sake. What advantage would I have picking a Swarovski/Zeiss/Leupold scope over a Bushnell/Tasco/Barska with the same basic specs? The reason I ask, is that my eyesight is such that I can't notice a discernable difference in optical clarity between cheap & spendy glass. Do I have any reason to spend several hundred on a scope, when a sub-$100 model looks exactly the same to me?

I think 'shine & distilling of moonshine is one of the most fascinating subjects going. I have sampled various illicit spirits over the years & experimented with distilling myself a few times, on a tiny scale. I sincerely believe that it ought to be legal to produce a small amount of liquor for personal consumption. A good friend of mine in east TN gave me a pint of Popcorn Sutton's brew a couple of years back. Uncut 160 proof (I tested it) & apart from a very subtle oiliness, it's pretty much tasteless. I would happily pay to spend a few days with some knowledgeable 'shiners (hint, hint) & learn the craft.

Depends where I'm hunting & which weapon I'm taking along. My 'ready to go' pack is a leather possibles bag I made containing at least; 1 bottle of water bow hanger cellphone flashlight Lifesavers (Wintermint) 20' camo paracord puffer bottle (wind detector) If I'm going to be out all day, I'll add an extra bottle of water & a couple of granola bars. My smokepole hunting involves throwing in a pre-loaded ball block (6 patched balls) my powder measure & a capper with 24 #11 caps. 10 cleaning patches, a ball-puller & nipple pick. If I'm taking the rifle, I'll throw in 6 rounds of whichever ammunition fits If I'm bowhunting, I throw in a broadhead sharpener (file), spare string, flagging tape & a cork & lighter (face camo) Usually though, if I'm just going out for 2 or 3 hours, I cram a bottle of water in my pocket & I'm good to go.

Hunt as far downhill from your truck as humanly possible. The farther & steeper, the better. If rappelling gear is needed, awesome. I guarantee you'll kill a 300 pounder & have to drag the heavy sumbitch all the way back out. Somebody once told me a story of an old guy who supposedly shot a 200lb deer at the top of a hill, allowing him to drag it dowhill all the way to his truck, but I call BS on that.

For a plain gray color (like shown above) go to your local hardware store a buy a bottle of Naval Jelly. It'll have it looking like that in 10 minutes.

Easiest way (I've done this on a lot of knife blades & muzzleloaders) is plain Clorox bleach. Strip off the paint & spray on a good coat of Clorox. Run your shower until the room is humid & steamy & then leave your hammer in there for 10-15 minutes. It'll be very rusty & it'll be starting to get pitted. 'Card' off the rust with a rough cloth & see where it's at. Be careful, because this works VERY quickly. You can rinse & repeat as much as you like to get it as rough-looking as you need. Once it's where you want it to be, patina-wise, wash very thoroughly with a baking soda

Please don't take any offence at this, I mean none by it, but those of us with private land to hunt have had to do all the leg-work involved in getting it, up to & including paying out craploads of money each year. It is hard come by & hard won & expecting someone to ask a complete stranger to come in & join the fun is unreasonable. There are millions of acres of public land in the State, but again, those who hunt it successfully have spent many hours, days & weeks walking it, learning it & scouting it. Those of us with pre-scouted public land or private land or leases are very defensive & secretive about it. If there's a chance that I may see one nice deer on a piece of TVA/TWRA land that I've scouted, you couldn't torture it out of me! You need to get onto the TWRA website & find out what public land is available in your area. Once you've found it, get on Google Earth & do some virtual scouting. When you have an area picked out, get your boots on & go walk the land. Look for sign. Try & jump deer out of their beds & remember where their bedding areas are. Find their food sources & try to establish trails & travel corridors between the food & the bedroom. If you get setup on these trails with the wind in your favor, you'll find deer. You really need to be staring your scouting the day after deer season closes & then continue it until the opening day the next year. This is what the rest of us have to do, year in & year out to be able to fill our freezers. It's a lot more work than the TV would have you believe, IF you want to be successful. Again, please take this as advise, not criticism, but you'll be hard pressed to find someone who's prepared to do all of this work & then just hand it over to someone else.

In my .54 Plains Rifle, 90gn of FFG Goex Black powder, a .530 round ball with a .018 pillow ticking patch. I use CCI #11 caps My .50 likes 70gn of FFFG Goex, a .490 ball & .018 patch. In the .54 flinter, 80gn FFFG Goex, a .530 round ball with a .020 canvas patch, prime is 3gn of hand-ground Null B Both loads will hold a 3" group at 100yds, benched. My little .32 Sqwerl gun gets 12gn of FFFG, a .311 ball & .015 patch. CCI #11 caps. It'll shoot a 1 hole group at 40yds.

Hunt where the deer are. Sounds obvious, but many folks just throw up a stand & expect the deer to just walk by. Year round scouting, as in boots on the ground, not just trail cameras, will go a very long way to getting you on deer.

Cool beans Adam! Sent from my treestand, using tapatalk.

Any recommendations on a vest guys? I keep looking at the Gorilla vests in Wally's but I'd like a proper opinion before I commit to one. I'm currently using the one that came with my Summit climber & I find it really easy to use, just not very comfortable although I do like the idea of not having the vest while it's still warm....

Here's one from a good buddy of mine down in Georgia (He's a little......primitive. Bless his heart.) "Thag kill deer with arrow. Thag cut leg off deer with knife. Thag dip leg in batter. Thag throw leg in hot grease. Eat leg."

Everyone, at some point or other, asks me what I miss about England. Honestly, there ain't much. One thing that often creeps, unbidden, into the forefront of my mind though, is our pies. A lunchtime Cornish Pastie (pronounced pass-tee), Cheese & Onion Flat or Pork Pie (Growler), a Lamb & Rosemary Pastie, Steak & Kidney or the humble Meat & 'tatie Pie. You can buy good quality, easy to eat, pre-wrapped pies & pasties at every gas station, corner shop & convenience store in the country. It's the 'driving food' of choice. Eaten hot or cold, they're all good. Even the crap pies are good! I miss pies...... So, I figured I'd make some. This is my, gamey, take on a Cornish Flat. What I used; 1 Pack of frozen, pre-rolled flakey pastry sheets, 1lb finely hand-ground Vanison (Any ground meat will work), 1 large potato 2 large carrots 1 small turnip (rutabaker?) 1 medium onion, finely diced salt & pepper (LOTS of corse ground, black pepper) Basil Thyme Cayenne pepper flour for dusting egg wash (equal parts egg & milk) Here's what I did; Pre-heat the oven to 400º Brown the ground meat in a large skillet & season well with plenty of salt & pepper. Dice the potato, carrots & turnip into ¼" cubes & boil unil done. Cook the carrots & turnip for 5 minutes before adding the potato to the pot, so they're all done together. You want your veg well done, not crunchy. Mix the onion, Basil & Thyme & fry in a small amount of oil until the onion is clear. Drain the meat & vegetables until dry & mix them all together in a bowl. Add the cayenne pepper to taste (or omit) & a good tablespoon of gound black pepper. The pie is supposed to be peppery. Allow the mixture to cool & thaw out the pastry sheets for 40-45 minutes. Once the pastry is thawed & the meat/veg mixture is cool, you'll need to lightly flour a flat work surface. Lay out the pastry sheets & cut into 5"x5" squares (quarter sheets, roughly) Pile the mixture onto half of the pastry squares (a good handfull) leaving an even ½" clear around the edges. Brush the edges with egg wash & cover the whole thing a square of empty pastry. Make sure to seal all the way around the edges. (pressing with a fork has always worked for me) Cut a 1" slit in the top of each pie to allow steam & juice to escape & to stop the seams splitting. Transfer all your Flats onto a greased baking sheet & brush them all over with egg-wash. Put them in the middle of your pre-heated oven at 400º for 30-40 minutes. Once done, transfer from the oven to a cooling rack & allow to cool for at least 15 minutes. They're now ready to eat! Enjoy them hot or cold, with or without sauce/ketchup/gravy (HP sauce, if you can find this English wonder-condiment is perfect!). As your Sommellier, I must insist, however, that they be accompanied by a good, cold, Dark Ale (or 6) :clapper:

Been using this home-spun recipe for a while & I've never managed to have any leftovers yet! Prep time/Cooking time --- 10 minutes/5 minutes per patty Feeds 4 to 6 (Depending how big you like your burgers) Ingredients; 1lb game meat (works VERY well with antelope or elk) ground as finely as possible 1 small onion, finely diced 2 jalapenos, de-seeded & finely chopped 3 cloves of garlic, freshly crushed & chopped 2 dill pickle spears, finely diced 6 drops of liquid smoke salt & black pepper 1 large egg 1 tbsp BBQ sauce 1 tbsp plain flour Throw everything BUT THE FLOUR in a big bowl & mix well. Make sure all the small ingredients are blended right through the meat. If you find the mixture is very wet & sticky (It sometimes gets a little too wet to hold together, but not always) add enough plain flour to bind it together) If you have the willpower, or forethought, this is much tastier if left in the fridge for 24 hours before cooking) Form into burger sized patties & fry over a medium heat in a skillet. Best served in a good Kaiser Roll, with Ketchup & a cold beer or six. Don't try these on the grill, they'll fall apart, but fried....DAMN they good!

Awesome, simple recepie to keep you warm around the campfire on those cold, long winter hunts.... Prep time/cooking time --- 5 minutes/20 minutes Serves 2 (Or just me, cos I'm a greedy plumper) Ingredients: Bush's Baked Beans, 1 can, any variety 1 small onion, roughly chopped 1 or 2 fresh Jalapeno peppers, sliced or chopped as fine as you like 3 rashers of good thick bacon, cut into 1" sections ½lb game meat, any kind cubed into 1" cubes salt & pepper to taste Your choice of BBQ sauce. My preference is Kraft Original 1 BIG handfull of Strong cheddar, grated. Okay, all you do is fry up the meat & bacon in a large saucepan, until browned & done. Add your onion & jalapeno & fry for a further 2 or 3 minutes (You don't want to over cook them, you want a bit of 'crunch' left) Throw in the can of beans & a good dollop of BBQ sauce & boil the snot out of 'em. Cook the whole shebang for a good 15 minutes. Season to taste (Don't be scared of the salt pot, it will end up pretty sweet if you don't season well) Stir in the cheese until melted & the whole 'stew' becomes all sticky & gooey. Best served in huge quantities with a big hunk of crusty bread & a glass of Whiskey (It doesn't matter which, I've never come accross a bad one yet. Believe me, I've done the research!

A really good stool. I'm going to be hunting on the ground quite a bit this year & a comfy, quiet seat would make it a LOT easier. I keep looking at the Huntmore 360 stool, but I'm damned if I'm paying that for a bum rest.

Hmmm. A Winchester Wildcat will hold it's own all day long with a CZ452, for about ½ the price. Never shot the Savage, but I hear nothing but good things. My personal preferenec is the Winchester bull-barrel model. It's actually boring to shoot, it's that accurate. 1" 100yd groups are a regular occurrance on a windless day. You've actually got to try to shoot it badly.

M77 Mk1 It's a really nice rifle, but I think I just need to do a little work to get it shooting how I'd like. It looks like it's had a fun life, someone, or several someones have really enjoyed i over the years.....

It's nothing too serious, but there's quite a bit of bolt-slop in the receiver & I'm not sure about how good the rifling is. I'll admit, I haven't tried a whole lot of different ammunition & it could be that I'm crap, but I just don't get the accurracy I'd expect from a good hunting rifle. It's mounted with an older Weaver K6 scope & I'm struggling to hold better than a 3" group at 100yds Converesly, since I had the barrel piked down to 19¾" on the Enfield, I can manage 1½" groups at 100yds, with a cheap Barksa scope & Prvi Partisan 150gn ammunition. I don't do any reloading yet, but I'm thinking I ought to send the Ruger to someone who does & let them try a few different loads, see if that makes any difference.

The reason I ask, is that at the moment I have 2 rifles (a old Ruger .243 & an older Enfield .303) that I'm considering trying to trade for just one, but I'm wanting something I can use for just about everything. I dunno..... The .243 is geat for 99% of things I'd ever hunt & it's fairly cheap to shoot, the .303 is good for the other 1% and luckily, the cheapest ammo available also shoots the best & at $13.00 a box it takes some beating. I was really thinking about a .25-06 or a .270 Maybe even a newer, not as worn out .243..... What would you do?

It crossed my mind, but I figured it would contain waaaay too many possible choices! I am very surprised that no-one has chimed in with any wildcat or improved calibers (thankfully!)

What's your opinion? If you discount the largest of big game animals (Moose & Grizz) what would you consider to be the best all-round caliber? I know that everything is a compromise, but I'm trying to figure out a caliber that is enough for Elk, but won't tear up a coyote with lighter bullets. I don't buy into the whole 'magnum' thing that seems to prevail at present (".223 for Whitetail??? You need a 7mm Ultramag at least!) & I'm aware that whilst not optimal, smaller calibers are more than adequate for larger game, as long as shot selection is paramount. Yes, a .30-06 will do everything, but so can a .600 Nitro. What I'm looking fo is something that comes in a good range of bullet weight that can be loaded down for small game & loaded hot for big game. At the moment, my thinking is that a .25-06 is about the most versatile caliber around, closely follwed by .243 Back in England, the .243 is the most prevalent caliber for deer hunting. From tiny little Roe deer (Think Florida Whitetail size) right through to Red deer (Elk sized) What say you?

Not a PC/HC club, but there's Elk River Longrifles down here in Tullahoma, though I suspect it may be as bad a drive for you as Lawrenceburg. We shoot the second Saturday of the month on a private field just off AEDC. Just a friendly bunch of folks who enjoy getting together & shooting our sidelocks. Monthly matches are all for fun/bragging rights (with, possibly, a little side betting ) This coming Saturday (weather permitting) is out annual Fun-Shoot. Card cutting, bullet chasing, ball splitting, string cutting, long range balloon shoot etc.... Prizes are up for grabs, but only whatever anyone is willing to donate

Yup, I have one. Very nice gun for the money, but don't expect CZ quality. The fit & finish isn't perfect & the wood feels & looks like brown plastic. The bluing isn't as deep or lustrous, but I've put well over 1000 shells through mine with no wear or thinning. One small issue, if you go for an ejector model, you may need to do a little 'fettling' to get the selector to work correctly. My top barrel constantly ejected wiithout being fired, but 30 seconds with a file cured that. I get great patterns from my gun with all loads on all chokes, but they seem to be one grade tighter than you'd expect. At 30yds, my Modified choke throws a 16" spread with 7/8oz of 7½ shot in a 2¾" shell. I generally choke mine as Cylinder on the bottom, Imp Cyl on the top. I would definately recommend a Huglu from my experiences. Yes, there are better guns, but not many at this price point. The only other gun I would look at in this range are the Tri-Stars (Made by Kral in Turkey) I was 50/50 between the 2, but the Huglu just fit me a little better. Fit & finish is about the same, Tri-Star is about $40-$60 cheaper.