steve1

I guess I am behind the times some. What exactly is sub sonic 22 ammo? I assume this is loaded slower than the speed of sound. Why would that be an advantage?....(unless you have a silencer)....Are these loaded with a heavier bullet? Is that the reason they have less speed than standard 22 long rifle ammo.

And that reminds me of another story. I've ruined many shots by blinking and then jerking the trigger. Shooting targets can help a lot. When I was young, I had a chance to go into the Bob Marshal Wilderness. A friend of mine was working for an outfitter, packing horses and mules, and guiding hunters. My friend was sick for several days and he had to go into the back country by himself, to the hunting camp. He was young too, and his mother wouldn't let him go by himself. It took two days of hard riding just to reach that camp. It was about 50 miles back in the Wilderness. The first morning out we spotted a herd of elk up on a timbered ridge above camp. It was surrounded by a large burned area. The plan was to stalk the elk from below. One of the outfitters took a dude up one ridge. My friend, and I, and another dude, hiked up the ridge the elk were on. Well, our dude wasn't much of a hiker, and he couldn't make the climb. We told him to hike over deeper into the trees and wait. We figured if the elk spooked they would stick tight to that timber and possibly run past him. Which they did. When we got close we slowed down, and started looking for elk. We peeked over a ridge, and there they were. I had never killed an elk and my hands were shaking. We crawled even closer. I rested my gun over a log and picked out a big cow. They were less than 40 yards away. So close, I knew I couldn't miss. But that is just what I did. I blinked my eyes and jerked the trigger. Then I shot again....another clean miss. And then they disappeared into the timber. I couldn't believe it I was truly discouraged with myself. I walked over into the timber. A spike bull took off running and I dropped it at close range, with one shot. Then we heard some more shooting. One of the dudes shot a big six point. This is a good example of what buck fever can do to you, and what not to do. Blinking your eyes and jerking the trigger can ruin a hunt every time.....

In shooting, I think muscle memory plays a big role. I used to be really good at concentrating on the exact spot I wanted to hit on a big game animal. Then I had trigger control and was able to squeeze off that shot to the point where it almost surprised me. Of course practicing getting steady helps a lot too. Without practice I have a tendency to blink and jerk the trigger. (Particularly with a heavy recoiling rifle.) If I spend hours at the range I can overcome that, and make a good shot when hunting....

A couple years ago, I was almost hit by a guy doing a hook turn at Lost Prairie. I was walking down the fence line, off the field. I wasn't really watching very close. Out of nowhere this jumper came whistling right in front of a friend and I. A couple steps closer and I'm sure he would have nailed both of us. That jumper never said a word. He just swooped right past us. If I was about to send two people to the hospital I would have at least hollered. This really made me aware of how dangerous this is....

For a while I had a bullet trap (that I built) to shoot 22's into. It was inside my shop. I had a couple 22 rifles and a couple pistols that I used. After a while the fumes from the gun powder and lead were starting to get to me, so I quit. It was a way to keep sharp, and it was easy to do, without driving out into the country. Shooting on a regular basis is important. I used to shoot a lot and it really paid off during hunting season. The past few years I haven't done much shooting. As a result I've started making some terrible shots on game. I hate to do that! You can easily lose the ability to concentrate and squeeze the trigger if you don't practice. So, no excuses this Fall! I'm going to get my wife and kids out there shooting too. I've seen them mess up on easy shots on game too. Not enough practice is the reason. When I was a kid, a friend and I were hunting fanatics. We were shooting continually. Sometimes we would hunt with his older brother and his buddy. This sometimes evolved into a contest.....It was myself and friend against the older brother and his friend. It didn't matter if we were hunting gophers, ducks, or even deer.....my friend and I always outdid the other two. This was every time we went hunting. Part of this was hunting ability, because my pal and I were hunting every chance we got. Part of it was shooting ability. Yes, we were plinking with 22's or shotguns. Practice really does pay off...

It seems that I am continually looking at the psychological aspects of things. I do agree that our nation is becoming more and more unfit. Kids are playing video games, watching TV, and eating, rather than playing. Adults aren't doing much better. We went swimming a while back, with some other families, and I've never seen so many fat kids. I didn't see much of that when I was young. Life was different then. Kids were more active and probably eating better than they do today. But there are people on the other extreme that I wonder about too. I know several people who spend sometimes hours a day working out and running. Many of them look great, but for others this has become an obsession, just like eating is for many. The reason I am bringing this up, is because at one time I was like that. It is something I did to deal with all the troubles I had inside. Exercise is good (it changes the way you feel). But for some it becomes an obsession.....There were many times when I didn't feel right unless I was in the gym working out. This was my crutch, and it did help me a lot. But it was also going too far... I guess it beat becoming an alcoholic like everyone else in my family. But I was also neglecting other areas of my life. I've seen body builders so weak that they could hardly stand from dieting and dehydrating for a contest. I've known others who were very much into steroids. I think many would do about anything just to place well in a contest. Then there are those who spend hours and hours each week pounding down a road, running when they should be spending more time with their kids. Our world is truly a crazy place at times. It is full of stress. Many people are carrying a ton of baggage from their dysfunctional past. For some, exercise is their answer. For otheres it is compulsive dieting. Many are to the point of anorexia. Having control is a real need for some people. They may not be able to control much else in their life, but dieting is one way to get that feeling of control. So, I guess my point is, many who are obsessed with diet and exercise may not be as fit as they look.... And I'm not saying all people who diet or exercise are nuts. I respect people who have enough discipline to control their weight and do the hard work required for exercise..... What I'm really trying to say is that balance is important in a person's life. If diet and exercise becomes a compulsive thing there may be something else wrong. I'm just talking about what I have seen and felt in my own life....

I've got two 270's. They both shoot extremely accurately with near maximum loads. But I have to admit that these loads are too hot. I can only use the brass a few times, before the primers no longer fit tightly. So, I have to throw them out. Yes, there are other pressure signs too. I've got probably 80 rounds that I need to pull the bullets on and start over.....

And I did not have sexual relations with that woman.

I may be bald, I may buy ammo, and I have a lot of guns. But I want to make one thing perfectly clear....I'm not a "skinhead"!

I've been reloading for so many years, that sometimes I forget there is some danger involved. One of the big dangers is not getting your powders mixed up. Yes, been there, done that, and I still have both eyes and I'm still a handsome old fart! I had some powder in my powder measure that I thought was 4831 but it was really 4064 (a faster burning powder). I ended up loading up some 270 rounds that were way, way, too hot because of this. There is slight difference in the size of these granules, but not much. I didn't notice the difference. Luckily the gun didn't blow up. I ended up with a face full of hot gases. The bolt was nearly frozen shut. Reloading is a lot like skydiving. You need to check and double check things, so this never happens. I always mark my powder measure now, when I put powder into it. Some powders look almost the same, but they have a different burning rate. I never want to do that again. Sometimes I would get a little sloppy with my powder when reloading. One time I spilled a fair amount on the floor and forgot about it. This was in my shop. I decided that I liked reloading in my basement better, so I moved everything back inside. That spilled powder was still laying on the floor. One day I was grinding on a piece of metal with a side grinder. I threw some sparks over onto that powder. Instantly I had a wall of flame three or four feet high. It went out just as quickly. It took a minute or two for me to figure out what had just happened. It's important to remember that gun powder is extremely flammable. Don't get sloppy like I did. In the army, mortar rounds had little packets of powder under each projectile. You would tear off packets depending upon how far the round would be traveling. You had to be extremely careful with this too. I remember watching someone throw a match on a pile of these packets once. There was an instant, huge hot flash, that burned itself out just as quickly. This can be dangerous stuff....

Thanks for the info. on this John. And I thought I was picky about my reloads! You can truly learn a lot from people who shoot like that. I remember one old bench rest shooter. Every chance I got, I'd pick his brain for tricks he used to win turkey shoots in our area. One day he said, "Ignorance is Bliss". It took me a while to figure out what he meant. The less you know about guns and shooting, the easier it is to be satisfied with a gun. Old "Betsy" might be something you might want to sell once you figure out it doesn't shoot very well. I'm a real perfectionist on my rifles. If I knew as much as some bench rest shooters, I'd probably get rid of half of them....

I thought maybe a bore light. But then again that is too much stuff just for a light. Barrels take forever to cool down after they heat up. So, it very well could have something to do with that. I guess I don't have a clue....

Many years ago my brother moved to L.A. During the riots there he found out that calling the police was a waste of time. When he came home for a visit he wanted to buy a pistol. Since he was then a California resident the sporting goods stores wouldn't sell him one. I went in and told them I was buying this gun for my brother. I don't know if that was legal or not, but that's what I did. I also think that it happened long enough ago, that the Feds. won't come to arrest me now....

***The far right wing has been laying the groundwork for violent action for decades. Long before they turn dangerous, political and religious groups take their first steps down that road by adopting a worldview that justifies eventual violent action. The particulars of the narrative vary, but the basic themes are always the same: First: Their story is apocalyptic, end ] Is this really factual. It seems like someone from the far left is trying hard to sound intelligent. There is more to this than just saying that people on the right are a bunch of crazed, ignorant, idiots who want violence. That is more or less what these words are saying..... Sometimes violence is used to bring about change. Sometimes the only way left to affect a corrupt government, is for revolution. This is hardly a new idea conjured up by the far right. It is going on in many parts of the world right now. Isn't that how our country started. Isn't that why our constitution was written. I hate war and violence. I think every other means should be exhausted first. Some countries are left with little choice in that..... I don't think of myself as being a member of the far right. I even voted for Obama. But I also believe in the right to gun ownership without more rediculous laws that only punish honest gun owners. I'm sure more gun laws do make people on the far left feel safer, but what else do they do? I own guns for a lot of different reasons. I hunt with them, and I use them as a tool for many other purposes that people in the city may not understand. Am I plotting to overthrow the government. The answer is no. But who knows what the future may hold. As poplulations continues to grow, as economies become weaker, possibly even climate change may factor into this, What do you think the future holds? You don't have to be crazy to realize that a gun might be a good thing to have even then. It's also not too far fetched to think that our own government could one day become corrupt. Wasn't that a real concern when our country started. You don't have to be a member of the far right to understand that!.....

I talked to one smoke jumper who said the worst part of a tree landing was getting your chute out of the top of whatever tree you landed in. Not sure exactly how that is done, but it doesn't sound like fun... I think smoke jumping would be a great life. It is hard on marriages though. Most smoke-jumpers I know have been divorced.... You would be traveling all over the country during a good fire year. Often that includes Alaska. I've heard you have some very long plane rides in Alaska, before jumping. If you look at the size of that state you can see why. I'd think all that smoke in your lungs, year after year, would be a good way to die. I remember some fires where everyone was coughing like hell after of few days of breathing smoke and dust. I'd think that would take it's toll after a while....

Some of these new gun laws are starting to scare me. Being sent up the river to the big house has never been one of my lifetime plans. I went into a sporting goods store recently where a sign said..."buying a gun for another, is a ten year sentence." Holy crap! I remember buying guns for my daughters. I remember buying a pistol for my brother. Am, I now a wanted felon. Remember now, this was many years ago....

I've been looking at some guns on gunbroker.com. They have a huge selection to bid on. Do you have to pay a firearms dealer much cash to have them receive it for you? None of my friends have a federal firearms license, so I'll probably have to go through a sporting goods stor. I like the Butler Creek, flip up caps, that have a clear lens on them. I hate to take extra time to flip things, if an elk is standing right in front of me. With the clear lens you can shoot without even flipping them up. Remington bolt action rifles come in a short action and a long action. The long action was the same length used on magnum cartridges. So, if you have a 30/06 or 270 there is some extra travel on the bolt, that isn't really needed. But, sometimes that is a good thing. In reloading for accuracy, one of the biggest tricks that I know is loading the bullet out to where it almost touches the lands. This can bring a group from one inch down to 1/2 an inch at 100 yds. The older Remingtons have a long throat. I have to load my bullets really long. Loaded that long, they might not even fit into a standard box magazine. The long action on Remingtons have plenty of room to spare. You can load your bullets out as long as you want and they will feed just fine, because of the extra length of their action. But don't get them too long! If the bullet hits the lands you won't be able to close the bolt. This also greatly increases pressure. I once had a bullet stick in the chamber because it was loaded too long while hunting. Another time I went out hunting and couldn't even close the bolt. These were important lessons. I since, started crimping my bullets, and I also try to be more careful on their length. Remington triggers used to be fairly easy to adjust. If I recall there were three screws to play with. I used to adjust my own, but this is serious work that really should be done by a gun smith. I mailed off three trigger assemblies a while back and had a professional do the work. They are all light, crisp, and they break really nice. That is an important ingredient for accuracy. I hate a rifle that doesn't have a good trigger. The old Remingtons had a great trigger. I've heard the new ones have an even better trigger. One time I was antelope hunting. I had adjusted my triggers myself. I didn't put lock tight on the screws. My rifles were bouncing around in my jeep for a couple of days. When I went to close the bolt the firing pin went forward. It wouldn't stay cocked. So, that rifle was useless. I didn't have the tools I needed to fix it. My other rifle had a cheap Tasco scope on it. It was out of zero, from all the bouncing around in that jeep. I had to resight it in, to continue on hunting. Sometimes you learn the hard way on what not to do while hunting. Those lessons aren't easily forgotten....

Remington 700's come in so many different models these days that it is hard to keep up with all of them. I own probably four or five of them (in different models and calibers). Actually most of them are BDL's. They are a super rifle for the money. With a little work, and the right handload you can make them even more accurate. Right out of the box they normally shoot great, even with factory ammo. The first Remington 700 BDL that I bought sold for around $135. I can't believe they cost close to $900. now. I'm thinking of buying one with a fluted barrel. I like stainless and laminated stocks too. I just hate to lay out that much cash for another rifle. The model that you have pictured looks like it comes with a shorter, light weight barrel. This would be nice for short quick shots. I've never hunted pigs, but I'd bet a close range shot, in thick brush, could happen quite often. This gun might work well for that. It would also be lighter to pack around. If you are planning on a long range gun, I'd want a longer, heavier barrel. It's really tough to get maximum velocity out of a short barrel. I'd want at least a 22 inch barrel in 270, or 30/06. But a 20 inch barrel might be long enough in a 7mm/08. I'd check that out in a reloading manual, though. A 7mm/08 is fast and flat shooting. Their might be better cartridges for shooting through thick brush. It just depends on the type of hunting you are likely to run into. It's hard to pick an ideal brush gun, and still have one that will shoot flat for long range shots.... I bought my wife a 243 years ago in a short barrelled Remington. I wish I'd bought a 7mm/08. I think it would work better on deer sized animals than a 243. I think a 7mm/08 is a great cartridge... It might be harder to find ammo for it than some other cartridges. If you reload you won't have to worry about that.... I have a 3X9 scope on most of my hunting rifles. Three power works well for close shots. Just don't forget and leave it on nine power. That's too much magnification for close up work. Nine power is plenty good enough for long shots, while hunting.....

I think there is craziness and lies on both sides of this issue. If you go to the extreme right there are many who are dead certain that the Obama government is plotting to take away their guns tomorrow if not sooner. On the extreme left, you have news people saying that Mr. Nut Case shot it out with the police because Obama and the government were plotting to take his guns away. Maybe the real reason was that Mr. Nut Case was just that....Nuts! Don't you wish Journalists would just report what really happened without all the sensationalism. I get sick of reporters trying to make a story into something bigger than it really is..... I don't see how any of this is an armed rebellion against the government!....

My Dad flew co-pilot in tr-motors and travel-airs when he was a teen-ager. They dropped smoke-jumpers and cargo all over Western Montana and Northern Idaho. Dad started out working for Johnson Flying Service in McCall, Idaho. He later moved to Missoula and lived with Bob Johson, and worked at Johnson's Flying Service there. He was a kid looking for a home, and Bob Johson and his wife Bubbles took him in. That is where he learned to fly. I grew up in the Missoula area. I always wanted to Smoke Jump. It is very difficult to get on with them. I made the alternate list (to smoke-jump)one year. That is the closest I came to getting hired by them. Fire experience is the main thing they look at. I had a few years of that, but I didn't rack up enough pts. to get on. I hate to say it but being a minority of some sort is a big plus in their scheme of things. At least it used to be that way. You could really rack up the points (in their hiring system) if you were a disabled, black woman, who was also a veteran. We used to joke about that when I worked for the forest service as a fire fighter..... Fire experience is necessary, but these other things may be what gets you the job.... Smoke-jumping is demanding. I went through Special Forces training with a couple different Smoke-Jumpers. One of them said that S.F. training was easier than Smoke-Jumper training, but I don't know about that. I've talked to more than one smoke-jumper trainee who didn't make it through their training. You have to do a minimum number of pull-ups, and be a good runner. There are also some other demanding physical requirements. Today there are women fire-fighters. I think they give them a break in doing pull-ups etc. There are some bad ass women fire-fighters though. Some of them are hard to keep up with when it comes to digging fire line or just plain physical stamina. I was at a jump boogie once in Western Montana. Our jump plane flew up a rocky, tree covered canyon in the Selway Wilderness Area. I was sitting next to a smoke-jumper (Mark Wright). He said, "This reminds me of a fire jump." I looked out the door, and wondered, where in the hell could you land safely. There were nothing but timber, and cliffs everywhere you looked. Many Smoke Jumpers get hurt each year. Mark Wright has been medi-vacked out twice, making fire jumps. He's smoke-jumped for over 25 years. Bill Newmiester is an old guy who is as tough as they come. He too smoke-jumped for around 25 years. He's ex-special forces. He was a mercenary in Africa. He now mans a look-out tower. He's been busted up too many times to continue Smoke Jumping......

Thanks for the info. provided in this thread. I still have one of those little cheap plastic bastards on one of my rigs. It's going in the garbage first chance I get. I have a Jack the Ripper sewn on the leg of my jumpsuit. Sometimes I use a different jump suit though, or I sometimes jump without a jump suit, so I'd like to have another one on my rig too. A hook knife is something I often overlook when I do a safety check.... I'd like to have another small one on my rig. That way I won't be without. Any recommendations on a small knife for that? Where do you stash it? In the old days I had a small hunting knife, next to my chest mount altimeter. Never had to use it, but I felt safer knowing it was there....

My dad flew a 172 for a jump club in Great Falls around 1967. It was run by a guy named Watson. I've yet to find anyone that was there at the time or even knew anything about it. I'm thinking that it was a handful of USAF guys that just started a small club up. As I understand it, they got permission to use the base's loft to do all of their rigging. I know you've mentioned that club before Dave. That is the first I've heard of it. I think the air base is more or less abandoned today. Many of the buildings and houses have been sold and hauled away on trucks. Glasgow is in the middle of nowhere. There's good antelope, deer, and even elk hunting nearby. There's great fishing on Ft. Peck Lake. It's hot in the summer and extremely cold in the winter. A good place to be "FROM"....Most people wouldn't want to live there.....

Did you ever know Mark Wright? He was from Helena and jumped there occaisionally during the 70's. He's also a smoke jumper. Mark mostly jumped in Missoula. Probably but I don't recall a face to go with the name. I jumped with most the Missoula folks at one place or another when I was in Montana, 78-81. Made it to Missoula a couple of times also and they came up to Great Falls for our meet when I and friends ran the club at the Fort Benton airport. I jumped in the early 70's in Missoula. I quit for a long while in about 76 or so. I always thought that Great Falls would be a good place for a jump club. This is the first I've heard that someone tried to start a club there....I didn't know that anyone jumped at Ft. Benton either.....

Can I have (at least) a roll of duct tape and heavy stick? Give me your address and I'll mail them to you....I like to help... send to the DZ 1 (one) roll of duct tape 1 (one) heavy stick of Butter This is starting to scare me a little, but I'm trying to look beyond that? Could you give any hints on what you need these tools for? Remember now, I'm an old fart, whose brain might not be firing on all cylinders....

I have two daughters in their twenty's. I while back I bought each of them a short barrelled 38 special. They've grown up with guns, shooting and hunting. They know gun safety. I've spent time with them at the range shooting targets and silhouettes. I've trained them the best I can in shoot, no shoot scenarios. I want them to get a concealed carry license and further training. No, this won't stop all assaults, but in many cases you don't have to be a victim.....