Firearms, Hunting, Shooting Sports

surfishjoe · Jul 27, 2025

South Jersey duck hunter here checking in. I also love sporting clays anyone else hunt ducks in NJ. Also love upland hunting but I have only done it once.

TimHerald · Jul 27, 2025

GreyO said:
People may talk s* about Alabama, but we have an amazing outdoorsman’s paradise. I can catch redfish, flounder, speckled trout, bass, and blue cats within 10 yards of fishing the same bank. Being this far South, a 120 inch deer is a trophy for us. Our deer season is 4 months long with bow and rifle and gives me and my kids something to do all football season. Our turkeys are some of the hardest to hunt and Spring is a very special time here. Our camp is 4300 acres and it is surrounded by camps all twice the size or larger. Everyone practices good management skills. My father in law’s club butts up to ours and is 20,000 acres. We have to deal with river flooding and sometimes go in by boat. We hang limb lines during the high water and catch a mess of catfish on the way in and out. It’s a great place for an outdoorsmen to live.

Y’all have some mean turkeys for sure

Viktorv1961 · Jul 27, 2025

Hello from Rhode Island!
We have a very dense deer population here, but I would rather visit North West Maine for deer hunting. Beautiful nature and find a nice buck is a real challenge. Have seen few black bears, but I do not care for them because I do not like bear meat I wish we had some wild boar hunting opportunities since I got use to it from my younger years in Eastern Europe.
So in RI I just hunt to fill my freezer and I visit Maine to enjoy the beauty of Northern Woods.
Land Cruiser is a great vehicle for 350 miles trips, but my previous 4Runners were great too.
I always travel with aluminum cargo carrier for 2" hitch and some tarp to cover a deer if I am lucky enough to get it(ticks are my major concern).
Already looking forward to my trip to Maine for grouse hunting in early October.

NoMe cruiser · Dec 6, 2025

Scored one early in the season.

grandsons · Dec 6, 2025

NoMe cruiser said:
Scored one early in the season.

Where is the other one?

NoMe cruiser · Dec 6, 2025

grandsons said:
Where is the other one?

There’s a good chance it’s still on the moose. It’s rare to find a matching set. I found a matching set once.

BlueCruiser · Dec 6, 2025

So did you shoot it or just run over it?

RUN-8 · Feb 18, 2026

Time to set get the Accuracy International AT-X a barrel for prairie dogs and coyotes. No one is stocking pre-fits in .22 Creedmoor, so I had to custom order.

Debated going with 1:7” twist to guarantee stabilizing 85-90gr bullets but that twist rate has a nasty habit of spinning lighter bullets so fast they blow up due to excessive RPM’s when loaded for max velocities. So I elected to go with a 1:8” twist at the suggestion of Greg at Southern Precision Rifles given my main goal of varmint shooting and predator control. I’ll have to settle for up to 80gr bullets at 3400-3500fps, and 69gr ELD-VT’s at a around 3650-3700fps.

Now the wait begins, estimated 8 week lead time.

Name, address, and invoice # redacted.

NoMe cruiser · Feb 18, 2026

TimHerald · Mar 2, 2026

On a heck of a trip in NZ. Been driving a 70th anniversary 70 around- wife took a giant stag, I jumped out of a hovering helicopter in the Southern Alps 3 times today hunting tahr, and we are only half way done.

GrayBeard · Mar 3, 2026

TimHerald said:
On a heck of a trip in NZ. Been driving a 70th anniversary 70 around- wife took a giant stag, I jumped out of a hovering helicopter in the Southern Alps 3 times today hunting tahr, and we are only half way done.

What is a stronger word than envy?

NoMe cruiser · Mar 3, 2026

ultane · Mar 4, 2026

TimHerald said:
On a heck of a trip in NZ. Been driving a 70th anniversary 70 around- wife took a giant stag, I jumped out of a hovering helicopter in the Southern Alps 3 times today hunting tahr, and we are only half way done.

Lucky kids…

ATbuckhunter · Mar 4, 2026

surfishjoe said:
South Jersey duck hunter here checking in. I also love sporting clays anyone else hunt ducks in NJ. Also love upland hunting but I have only done it once.

Time for you to get a dog then! A lab will do great at both or a wirehair if you want a pointing dog. I have a Small Munsterlander so i can do both, but I don't really do much duck hunting now. Mostly just deer, turkey and upland.

wpage · Mar 4, 2026

RUN-8 said:
I too am afflicted with the precision rifle bug currently. I live 10 minutes away from a range with steel hung up out to about 840 yards, and I’m a 25-30 minute drive from national grasslands if I want to bring my own steel and set up for longer range training.

Currently playing with an Accuracy International AT-X wearing a 6.5CM barrel, sighting courtesy of a Zeiss LRP S3 6-36X56 (Mil turrets and reticle), in a Spuhr mount. Barrel is a “factory” AI supplied by Wintac from a Bartlein blank finished at 24” 1-8” twist 5R rifling. So far I haven’t found anything it won’t shoot well.

View attachment 34793

Load development is proving to be a pain in the ass though. This stupid Bartlein refuses to show a preference that is significant enough to not be shooter inconsistency on my part. AI snob problems

View attachment 34794

130gr Hornady ELD-M in Lapua brass, Reloder 16, CCI BR primer. All but one load were a single digit SD for velocity. Kind of disgusting how easy 6.5CM is to load.

Prepared in Short Action Customs dies.

^^^ Wow, that is one nice looking accurate rifle.... !! Well done!

RideWithYanu · Mar 4, 2026

RUN-8 said:
I too am afflicted with the precision rifle bug currently. I live 10 minutes away from a range with steel hung up out to about 840 yards, and I’m a 25-30 minute drive from national grasslands if I want to bring my own steel and set up for longer range training.

Currently playing with an Accuracy International AT-X wearing a 6.5CM barrel, sighting courtesy of a Zeiss LRP S3 6-36X56 (Mil turrets and reticle), in a Spuhr mount. Barrel is a “factory” AI supplied by Wintac from a Bartlein blank finished at 24” 1-8” twist 5R rifling. So far I haven’t found anything it won’t shoot well.

View attachment 34793

Load development is proving to be a pain in the ass though. This stupid Bartlein refuses to show a preference that is significant enough to not be shooter inconsistency on my part. AI snob problems

View attachment 34794

130gr Hornady ELD-M in Lapua brass, Reloder 16, CCI BR primer. All but one load were a single digit SD for velocity. Kind of disgusting how easy 6.5CM is to load.

Prepared in Short Action Customs dies.

AI rifles are so gucci. Have had the chance to put a few rounds through them at the 1k yd range and it re-ignited my long range fire! I’m strongly considering the Tikka T3X Tac A1 as a cheaper alternative to the AI. My capability will absolutely be the limiting factor, not the rifle.