Thread: Hunting Rifles / Handguns - New, Old, Restored

Post them up with the stories, of how you got them, how great they are, or how great they will be

If you post pics of kills PLEASE !!! make them tasteful

Remember any load info is to be taken the same way you would in any Loading Table, it is to be worked up to, it is not a starting point...
Use any info at your own risk..



Hunt On !!!


Remember, there is NO talk of laws pertaining to owning or using a weapon allowed on the forum, and will be deleted post-haste..

When things come together you just go with it

I happened to look at our local "Yard Sale" site on FB last night

Two things caught my eye

A Gas Grill that Shan has been wanting and a Smaller Snow Blower we have been wanting for Remi's yard

The yard sale had both

We decided to go look this morning BEFORE some of the SJW's called the PoPo to try and wreck it hehehe

It was funny because I was only going to bring $500 in cash but for some reason, I decided to grab $1000 just in case

When we got there the Grill was perfect, and the price was good, I told the guy "We'll take that"
We looked at the Snow Blower but it was a little bigger then what we wanted even though the price was good

What I noticed was the table of about 3 rifles and a few pistols

I looked because as I said above I am after a .338 but of course no luck, they are just not that popular up here.

Shan see me looking and says "Are any of them the SIZE you are after" hehehe
I tell her no, and the guy says "What Caliber are you after" I tell him and he smiles and says "Wait a sec"

He walks into the house and walks out with a Winchester Mod 70 XTR Sporter, with a Laminate Stock already bedded, and has a Muzzle Brake on there..

.338 Win. Mag

We do some haggling and I walk away with the rifle and the grill grinning like a Cheshire Cat

Shan was laughing all the way home


We get home after Grocery shopping and I head out to the shop...

I find the last one of 4 scopes I bought 20+ years ago on a closeout special 3x9x40 Tasco WhiteTail with the MilDot reticle that I wanted to put on this rifle, I love MilDot scopes for hunting rifles..
Then I find a set of brand new scope rings, and mounts to match, tucked away for a later date about 25 years ago.
Pull out all the toys, clean everything up, get the scope mounted and bore-sighted in.

I went through the Reloading bench and I have just enough Brass and Bullets to get her run-up and get some loads worked up...


Still Grinning






Things that go BOOM !!!

Originally Posted by TCMichigander

What a surprise that must have been when they brought out the 338 Glen.. Talk about timing because that was it for sure.. Dont see many of these in Michigan so not real familiar with the Caliber so what grain round are you thinking?? And what is the difference between the Lapua and Win Mag? And those old Tasco Whitetail MiliDot's where a Super underrated scope years ago..

I like them and the recoil isn't bad at all, especially with the cold weather hunting gear we wear

I switched to Barnes bullets many years back in Colorado, I would have a Ballistic Tip load for Deer in one pocket and a Partition load for Elk in the other I knew what the clicks to change zero had it all figured out hehehehe What a Pain

But I looked at the Barnes data and went with it one year, and switched every caliber to them the next year for hunting..
They have done me right over the years, I use the TSX now

For the .338 I had in the past I went 185gr and love it, you get a nice flat shooter that hits hard, and the controlled expansion works as advertised

I ordered in new brass for this rifle, once they get here I will use some 200 gr Balistic tips to fire form the brass to this chamber and start Load work up from there.

I suspect I will end up with the Barnes TSX 185's coming out of the barrel at about 3000fps, it will handle any shot I am likely to take in Idaho easily.
The last .338 I owned was a Ruger Mark II and that same load dropped a nice Timberline Buck at a Lazed 562 yards near Mt Sopris CO.

The Lapua is just More power and designed to REALLY reach out... I bought the Weatherby 30-378 when it first came out, I just HAD to own that cannon.
I can't say I didn't like it, but I can say I didn't NEED it hehehe

I just wanted a simple hunting rifle this time that can drop anything that walks in North America without breaking the bank, my shoulder, or my much older aching back when hunting

Plus I already owned all the Reloading Dies

New hunting Rifle got me motivated to clean up and Organize the new gun bench I built years back




This is the 338 all up now





I weighed her in a 9 lbs 7 oz with 3 rounds in the hopper and 4 on the sling

So heavier than I wanted but lighter than my last one by almost a full pound

Looks like you got exactly what you wanted in that combo. Hope you have some luck with it this hunting season.

Bob

From left:
7.62x39 that I built for hog hunting, equipped with an ATN day/night scope. Really serves it's purpose.

.223 Wylde that I built to be a tack driver, it has all the good stuff. I have a Nikon P-223 sitting in the safe that would be better suited for the round.

.300 Winchester Short Magnum purpose built so that I could get in to 1000yd shooting. Sadly its only shot out too 200yds. I believe it would do fine as I have a target somewhere with a .40" five shot group at 200 yds. I sent the Winchester receiver to Douglas for a 26" hand lapped tapered barrel with 4" muzzle brake. It's 1.4" at the receiver and .78" at the muzzle brake. Douglas also trued the bolt face. One day I hope to stretch her legs.

Lastly is a rifle I saved for years. Armalite AR10(T) Carbine in .308 Winchester with a few extras for comfort and accuracy. I actually sold off my sniper rifle when I took them both to the range. The Armalite was just as accurate without having to cycle the bolt. This is my "if you had to choose one rifle".

A honorable mention was my very first and only "nice" rifle I ever had. It's a Sauer 200 in .25-06 Remington. Old German engineering at its best. Deep bluing, hand rubbed walnut, a bolt that cycles like its in butter, and a trigger as good as any Timney. I bought it in my early 20's and it is still my go to deer rifle. I will try to remember to get a few pics of it. Oh ya, it has an outstanding cold bore shot!

BTW Glenn, outstanding score! I understand why a .338 would suit you well with the size of critters you have up there.

Did a little more research on the Serial Number and found that it is an XTR Sporter Magnum built in 1985

Lapped and Polished the Bore and Bolt she is slick as snot now
Ordered in a Burris Turn In single piece mount as well as the Burris Signature rings with the Nylon inserts, I have used them in the past and like the way they zero the scope without using hardly any internal adjustments
New Butler Creek Flip-Up scope caps are on
Put that sling back on my 300 Custom and ordered the newer longer one for this rifle so I can carry slung across the chest too

Pretty much settled on the newer TTSX Barnes 210 gr for hunting, the BC difference between the Tipped TSX and the older one is impressive

Finally scratched the itch I have had for a few months now

Although the 338wm I got at the start of this thread is a serious Thumper, I have wanted something in between my 45-70 Marlin and the 338..

I settled on the 35 Whelen and I just found a Single Shot break open well equipped for what I want and in 416 SS
CVA makes this Scout V2 which has the upgraded trigger..


Believe it or not it was the first time I bought a weapon over the internet, I have a friend up here with the FFL so he sure made the process much easier

Now I have to find bullets, pretty well settled on the 225gr but Barnes are scarce, I haven't found Brass yet but I can use 30-06 or even 270 brass and resize it, That I have tons of, thinking I will work up ladder loads with some cheap bullets and hopefully have some Barnes TSX in hand before next season

This rifle should be perfect for our terrain and game up here, pretty much a Middle range hammer, out to 400 yards using the right scope it will be point and shoot, and less velocity than the 338 for those most common 100-200 yard shots


Stock pic

Although I'm in a family of hunters I've never really been into it. Several years ago my parents moved to a small ranch with a hog problem. I knew my 22 Winchester wasn't going to cut it and looked around and it seemed a 30-30 was a good SIZE and I'd heard of it.

I grabbed my father in law (also a hunter) and went shopping. I fell in love with an A303, 30-06, and figured it'd probably work because it had a 30 in it and I know some people use them for deer. Sadly I don't have pictures of the gun with the cobbled together green light mount because I left it with my dad in case someone can use it.

First time I showed up with it, my cousin got a good laugh out of me when he held a 30-30 shell next to 30-06 shell. Needless to say anything near an accurate shot should hurt the hog.

Sad thing is that i can't mount a scope to it (without kinda ruining it) and I can't see through the peep site in the dark. So it is basically just a fun historical piece to me. Very expensive fun compared to the 22s I usually plink around with.

Once everything settles down I'll try to get me a Marlin 30-30 lever action with a scope and a light and try again. I'd love an old 30-30 Winchester to match my 22, but can't really justify the price in my covid economy.

I do hope yall get a kick out of this big city redneck's ignorance and semi-fail.

PS: Glen, I've enjoyed your thread, but don't think I should just go "like" all you posts.

Still waiting on the Pony Express to bring the Scope, Rings and Sling

Why to I even bother checking the Tracking, it is just an effort in frustration ***SMH***

I am REALLY glad I watched a few YouTube vids on the rifle, one of the biggest dings about it although a minor fix would have been frustrating.
Although I found the Barrel to be extremely well cut and polished, they do leave the cutting oil from the Scope Mount taps in the holes..
I took it down did my normal 91% Alcohol soak during mounting of the parts and cleaned out the holes with Alcohol and Q-Tips

I resized both 270 brass and 30-06 brass to test both out, I read that the 270 brass comes closer to neck length after resizing but it is more work..

One of the huge advantages of the caliber is the ability to use so many different pieces of Brass in a pinch.. Also to make it really a great SHTF / TEOTWAWKI caliber is the fact that it can be loaded light using .357 pistol bullets and handgun powder for a close range plinker and small game rifle.. The near Straight wall allows for this. I guess some of the Eastern States are allowing it in the new Primitive Straight Wall hunting seasons too.
I can't believe it took me over 4 decades of shooting to find it..


Oh Yeah,, I weighed it on my digital and in 35 Whelen it comes in at almost exactly 8 lbs just an oz under with the Brake on, by my calculations once I put on the Burris DropTine and the sling with 9 rounds I should be at just over 9 lbs so not a light rifle by my standards,,, but not bad for an Elk rifle

More Pics , can't wait to actually get to shoot it








It is good to have Family LOL just the ones I have on the bench