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I have a friend that is new to hunting. Matt comes over sometimes for a chat. I gave him the Nosler (#7) Reloading manual, and the 10th edition of Cartridges of the World. As I have newer editions in both. Matt doesn't have a rifle yet (he borrows one of mine) however he decided to buy a 270 Winchester. I'm trying to convince him to buy a 30/06.

For our next chat I pulled out the 10th (1993) edition of Records of North American Big Game. It has a great chapter about cartridges titled "The Caliber of Record". It explains how the 30/06 is the #1 caliber. It wasn't until today that I noticed it was written by John Barsness AKA Mule Deer!

Now there's a blast from the past!

That chapter was assigned by the late Walter White, whose family owned the White Motor Company, and who wrote the prologue to the 10th edition. Walter was very successfully retired by the time I got to know him, and heavily involved in Boone & Crockett. His name still shows up here and there in The Book, most notably alongside a 30-2/16 skull from a brown bear taken on Uyak Bay on Kodiak Island in 1954.

Walter told me the story of the bear, which was pretty exciting because the Winchester Silvertips from his .375 H&H kept coming apart on the wet hair of the bear. He didn't know exactly how many shots he fired, but did remember topping off the magazine of his Model 70 Winchester more than once. Luckily, the bear was across a small river, so couldn't charge very quickly, and eventually succumbed. Walter was also one of the last Americans to hunt tiger in India, taking a big male. By the time I met him he was doing less strenuous hunts (we went after pigs in California and turkeys in Florida) but he liked to hunt anything, and was great fun in camp.

I don't like the new Boone and Crockett system. There were so many heads of big game being turned in that they should've raised the minimum. Instead, they only take heads from the previous three years. And then publish a new book. But the new book only shows those three years. I bought a new book about 10 years ago. And that's when I found out about the new system. So all the all-time records are not listed. I prefer the old method. Especially when (American Elk, typical) The number one elk was taken in 1899 number two was taken in 1890. However, under the new system you would never find out about those old records.

How does everybody think about that?

Since Photobucket will no longer show my pictures I'm going to re-post two showing project guns I've made in the last two years. This gun was finished in 2016.

This is a CZ 452 American that was extensively modified before I stocked it. It's a 17 HMR and I shoot it a lot in local rimfire matches.

This image is from Imgur which seems easier and much less a PIA that dealing with PB.

I just got this project finished and have shot it in a few local benchrest matches. It's a .222 Rem and was intended to be a competition rifle since day one. I wanted a gun like the single shot rifles with Unertls that I fell in love with in the 60's.

This is an Imgur image.

had to look that up,,,,,,,,,,,but just KNEW I'd learn some good stuff if I joined this forum!!

That is a very fine looking rifle if I do say so myself. I had a 452 in 17 HMR but it sure didn't look that nice!

I've often wondered - Do gun writers have FFL's to receive the guns they are sent for testing, or do they go through a gun shop or other FFL holder?

It would seem more convenient to hold your own FFL, but since they are not in the "selling business", it might be easier (less hassle) to go through someone else.

Anyone?

Just wanted to thank all of the writers here. Have read most of you over the years. Hunting and shooting (rifles, handguns, and shotguns) since I was old enough to ride along with my dad and grandpa in South Dakota (mid '50s). Waterfowl, pheasant, deer, turkeys, prairie dogs, coyotes, and of course what we call gophers. Not a pro by any means, but have spent many, many hours learning and being entertained by you all when not outdoors. Thank you again for what you do.

And thank the Lord for this forum! Been lurking for a while, lurking and learning.......... I grew up reading JOC in Outdoor Life. I remember being enthralled also with the "this happened to me" page. One day I realized I could be writing the "this happened to me" stories. Skipped school one day with two friends to go duck hunting. Frozen, windy day toward the end of season (last chance, you know?). We decided we would use a hatchet to chop a hole in the ice on the slough so the ducks would have a place to land. Found a place to set up and started chopping ice. Turned around and saw a mallard drake and hen too cold to fly right behind us. My friend was holding my shotgun while I chopped ice, so I jumped the ducks and got the hen with the hatchet. The drake managed to fly off without getting shot at. 'Course I promptly fell through the ice while holding my duck and my hatchet. Hip deep, no waders (we were poor high school kids), so I headed for the car and sat in it most of the rest of the day trying to get warm and/or dry. Spent time in detention as well, since my mom refused to write me a "sick" note. Those were the days..........

41fan,

I had a similar experience many years ago, when hunting the prairie of northeastern Montana late in the season for both pheasants and ducks. A much older mentor took me on a tour of a dozen stock ponds, just when they were starting to freeze up. The ponds held ducks, and the cover around 'em held pheasants--and the temperature might have been 15 degrees.

I was doing most of the hunting and shooting, while my old buddy kept the pickup warm. On the third pond (if I remember correctly) I shot a couple of mallards after sneaking up to the dam from below. They fell in the pond, but the water around the edges, full of cattails, had maybe 3/4" of ice. The only dog we had was the relatively small and ill-trained Lab-cross belonging to my friend, and he wouldn't go after the ducks.

So I started breaking through the ice in my hip boots, at a point where the wind would push the ducks into the cattails. At that point the dog decided he wanted to go out after all, and swam behind him as I broke the ice. About halfway to the open water, however, he tried to climb up my back, dumping me.

I slogged back to the pickup, emptying my hip-boots and getting into the passenger seat in my wet pants and wool socks. After an hour and a half in front of the full-blast heater, while driving to a couple more ponds which my mentor jump-shot, I'd dried out enough to put the hip-boots back on and start hunting again....

Let me tell you about the time two of us crawled through a muddy picked cornfield at about 15 degrees on a flock of snow geese. After about an 1/8 mile crawl, some idiots pulled up on the road nearest the geese (well more than 150 yards away), piled out and emptied their guns, laughing their ***es off until we stood up well within range of where the geese had been. Surprise, surprise........ My dad (91 YO now) has a great recipe for snow geese. You clean and dress the snow goose on a new piece of pine board, then put the board in the oven 350 degrees for one hour and ........

41Fan,

Eileen and I had a similar incident while pronghorn hunting once. We were stalking a little herd, when some nitwits shot at 'em from the nearest road, which wasn't near at all, not even coming close. (It's not as funny when rifles are involved!)

Have heard that same basic story about cooking jackrabbits too. That said, Eileen can make snow geese quite edible (and jackrabbits too, believe it or not). Some of the recipes are in her latest cookbook about marinades, brines and rubs for wild game, TENDERIZE THE WILD. Half of it's on big game, the other half on gamebirds.

djs,

I somehow missed your question on gun writers and Federal Firearms Licenses on 4/20.

Have had my own FFL since the Reagan administration, which sure makes being a gun writer in a small Montana town a lot easier and cheaper. I know some others who have 'em too.

Mr. Wright

I used to get Precision shooting. It was a very good read. You have created rifles that look to me to be some of the best I've seen.

I have a couple of stories on hunting in the cold. One I'll remember:
We were muzzle loader hunting in the Sand Lake refuge near Aberdeen, SD. We were using 54 caliber rifles made from Lyman kits. I forget the year, but I believe it was in the 70's. The temperature - a high of 40 degrees below. I belly crawled up to a small 4x4 and had troubles and ended up loading a double load of FF, about 240 grains, I think, behind a Maxi-ball. I got a kick out of that.
We didn't have a lot of cash. The money we had went to Budwieser and hamburgers. We had planned on camping out, but it was too damn cold. We found a very cheap motel room (about $5 each). There were five of us and there was a small double bed. The lucky ones slept on the concrete floor, The bed had about the same slope as a hammock - the guys on the bed got cozier than planned.
In the morning, showers were in order and we soon realized that we needed to pick up our sleeping bags post haste as the water from the shower drained into the bed area to a drain in the middle of the floor.

Just had to say thanks to the writers here. Those still here and R I P for those who went ahead of me. ( No I'm not a writer ). Rusty

This is a great Forum. We are very lucky to have it. Thanks to the great writers who make themselves available !!

I have enjoyed your articles and post here for several years and always wanted to ask you what it is about big bears that trips your trigger?

Phil 458 win, sorry the above was supposed to be directed th Phil .

Have at me.
Jon R.