We paid untold millions for this FBI study, I figured it would be nice if the group benefited from the ballistics data. Enjoy!
http://p2t2solutions.com/fbi-finally-decides-on-standard-service-rounds-for-its-use/
March 2015, the inaugural “Boys Adventure Club” trip.
As a group, we’d been discussing this on and off for the last couple of years. The javelina hunt has been less and less about a hunt, and more about seeing new areas in the state. This year, we decided that it was just best to let the hunt fall by the wayside, and just have an adventure.
(Building from Bullwrinkle’s FB post.)
We, the Hairy Legged Boys, decided the best starting spot would be at Bullwrinkle’s Garage. We’d consolidated down to two vehicles for the trip. Bulljeffe and I needed to climb up out of the valley, so we did that the night before, and celebrated our getting away by having a couple of strong adult beverages once we crossed over the magical threshhold of Bullwrinkle’s garage.
The following morning, we met up with PTBNL2 and started our adventure. The first planned stop was Speedy’s for some red chili burritos. There we encountered our first delimma, as there were four of us, and they only had three red chili burritos. Thankfully, Bullwrinkle gave in, and volunteered to have the green chili (and there was much rejoycing.)
Having satiated our appetites (and potentially clearing the last of a hang-over), we proceeded on. The goal was to get to Fredonia, AZ, with a destination of the Buckskin Tavern. It’s claim to fame is that it is the longest bar in the State of Arizona, and we figured that was a redeeming enough quality that we needed to pay it a visit. We were not disappointed.
Now, there is a side trip that we took in here, but there are potential legal ramifications if I post any pictures, so it didn’t really happen
Leaving the Buckskin Tavern, we finally turned off-road, beginning what ended up being 270 miles of dirt roads. The roads were varying quality, but all passable with our vehicles. The goal was to find a camp site, set up camp, and get to the rim so we could watch the sunset over the Grand Canyon.
Toroweep
Hike up Vulcan’s Anvil & Vulcan’s Throne
Adam’s Leaning Wheel Grader
Nampaweap Petroglyph Site
Mount Trumbull Wilderness to the Hurricane Cliffs
Mount Trumbull Schoolhouse
Mount Dellenbaugh, just missing a bucket-list item of Bullwrinkle’s
Unit 8 Hunts listed in the 2013/2014 Main Regs
So, I just noticed that the new regs are out. Going through the list of what is available in Unit 8:
Deer$42.25 for hunt, $34.75 for archery tag.
Hunt 1010, Nov 1-Nov 7, 2013 for any antlered Mule deer, 650 permits.
Hunt 1081, Oct 25-Nov 3, 2013 for any antlered Whitetail deer, 75 permits.
Archery, Aug 23-Sept 12, 2013 for any antlered deer.
Archery, Jan 1-Jan 31, 2014 for any antlered deer.
Turkey$25.50 for hunt, $18.00 for archery tag.
Hunt 4509, Oct 4-Oct 10, 2013 for any turkey, 600 permits.
Archery, Aug 23 – Sep 12, 2013 for any turkey.
Bear$22.25 for tag.
OTC Tag, Oct 4 – Dec 31, 2013 for any bear except sows with cubs
Mountain Lion$14.50 for tag.
OTC Tag, year-long
Quail
Oct 4 – Feb 9, 2014
Squirrel
Oct 4 – Dec 31, 2013
Rabbit
Year-long
To Jav or Jav-not-elina
Sorry I haven’t posted a trip report for 2013 javelina.
The sad fact is there were no 2013 javelina.
I will update this later with more info about where we were and what we saw, but much of the actual hunting time was utterly forgettable.
We are currently opening discussions on what to do for future javelina hunts.
Our current options:
1. Move the javelina hunts to the bottom end of Unit 8, and utilize the time to not only hunt javelina, but get to know every square inch of the unit. We talked about this on our elk hunt, but interest seemed to fizzle out aafterwards.
2. Put in for javelina in different units, using the time to investigate areas of the state we’d like to get more time in. (I’m looking at you, Galiuro Mountains)
3. Put in near Sedona (or the White Tanks), and leave from home every morning.
4. Skip hunting, and make it a “boy’s weekend” for shooting, 4x4ing, etc.
5. Save the time off for deer, elk, antelope.
Please add any other ideas you may have.
9mm results
Just got back from shooting my first box of my own 9mm reloads and I thought I would share some results.
These were all 115gr plated RN HSM bullets. I bought them just for making target ammo. They are sold in boxes of 250 and are pretty cheap so I inspected them and measured some random samples and they were very consistent. +1 to HSM for a quality target round.
The Hodgdon site suggests 4.0 gr. min and 4.5 gr. max for this bullet and the “Universal” powder. I wasn’t ready to manufacture 100+ without some quick testing and I’m glad I waited.
I manufactured 20 of each at 4.0, 4.2, and 4.5 gr of powder. Crimp and seating depth were unchanged through the cycle.
I didn’t measure but I was roughly 25 feet from my targets, I’m pretty comfortable from this range especially when trying out new stuff (more on that in a minute).
I had problems right off the bat with the light loads. The 4 grain loads had feed problems in my XDM. Every 3rd or 4th round was stovepiping which was very unusual, this pistol has been a rock-solid performer with factory ammo. Not good. Here’s my target:
I was extremely comfortable with my mechanics. Those low-fliers? Not me. And yes, I did mislabel all my targets with 40,42 and 45 instead of 4.0, 4.2 and 4.5. Pretty consistent load, but the feed problems kill it and I think they were also responsible for the low shots.
Next up was the 4.2 gr. I had 2 more stovepipes with these so they were just a little light on the powder. Check the target.
A few rounds are a little high and again, I think 2 of those can probably be credited to the stovepiping and the lack of a solid chambering afterwards. Pretty damn consistent! This was my best target of the day.
On to the 4.5 gr.:
I made the mistake of putting down the 9mm, changing out targets and then deciding to have a little fun with the new .44. I did! It was! Shooting a silky smooth piece of history like that Super Blackhawk was awesome. Unfortunately, I think it made me nervous for the rest of the time I was shooting. I was running HSM “Bear Loads” through it and they were vicious. 305 grain bullets and man did they pack a punch. The new Hogue grips took care of the pinching problem, but unfortunately didn’t save my palm from a big ol’ gnarly blister. I also failed to bring a screwdriver with me that would fit the sites, stupid mistake. It is consistently high and a little left.
Anyway, the 4.5 gr. rounds. All of the feed problems were fixed with a few more grains of powder. No problems whatsoever. I could feel a little sharper recoil with these that I didn’t notice going from the 4.0 to 4.2. However, here’s the target.
Now, I know a couple of those fliers were just plain old me. I was a little shaky and “gun shy” after blowing some very large holes in a beetle killed Ponderosa pine. The whole tree was shuddering every time one of those massive .44 mags hit it. Bullwrinkle can attest to how much fun those Ruger’s are, but they are stressful to shoot more than 18-24 rounds through. ( I put a full box of 50 through mine +12 .44 specials)
For the most part, those 4.5 loads were very consistent, but a couple of those rounds are sort of “inbetweeners”. I’m confident that I could dial back just a little on the powder (say 4.4 grains) and get the best of both worlds with good consistency and good feed.
Comments? Suggestions?
Looking forward to hearing about the pig hunt.
Cost per round calculator
I was just having a conversation with a buddy on the merits of reloading 9MM. He didn’t think it was worth it because 9MM is already pretty cheap.
Found this nifty online calculator for determining cost per round and thought I would share.
http://www.handloads.com/calc/loadingCosts.asp
Here’s some steel case garbage for $379/1000.
I’m using once-shot brass, Hodgdon Universal and HMS 115gr. plated RN.
Here’s my calculated results:
$206 per 1000 cheaper!
Forming .224 cases from spent .22LR brass
It’s $833 bucks for the kit, but if .223 remains rare/expensive, this would pay itself off after about 5,000 bullets.
A Primer Primer
Ran across this article yesterday trying to figure out the differences between small pistol, small pistol magnum, and small rifle. I still didn’t quite get the information I was looking for, but this was good stuff.
2013 Javelina Hunt on the Horizon
Less than a month to go to javelina season. After a very successful elk season, and with very little vacation time in the bank, the excitement level is tempered somewhat for this trip.
Bullwrinkle Jr. gets to come out and join us for his first trip. I had thought he might be mature enough (he’ll have just turned 10 before the hunt) to carry a .22 and scare up a rabbit for the pot during the hunt, but recently decided otherwise. I had to break it to him a week ago that this wouldn’t happen. He was appropriately devastated, and I felt appropriately awful about it. Of course, I broke it to him with my usual tact and grace, which I’m sure helped leaven the blow. I think that I’ll carry my .22 pistol on my hip, and hand it to him if we run across Peter Cottontail. We’ll see how well he copes with the “you shoot it/you clean it” policy.
Pizza King also finally gets to join the fun with tag and rifle in hand. He’s been gearing up, literally, since his Sta-Puft Marshmallow Man days.
Uberbrewer returns to the circle as well, he was missed during Elkapalooza.
Pops should also be coming out, which means every last cubic inch of every vehicle should be filled with firewood and/or Vitamin G (I find myself secretly hoping we camp on another ant hill). Plus, I kinda hope I get to help get his new FJ Cruiser dusty.
I’ve been thinking about what firearm to carry on this trip. Since the last javelina I shot was at about 40 feet with the ol’ grocery getter, I thought that less than sporting. I carried a .44 revolver last year, and might as well been carrying a pen knife, for all the wildlife we saw. With all the anti-AR15 hysteria in the news this year, and all the times I’ve had to listen to the blathering about “what do you need that for” or “it’s not a hunting rifle”, I’ve decided to throw the 5-round mag in the AR and take it. And I’m going to encourage Uberbrewer, Gerfunken, and Uberjeffe to do the same.
Take that, hippies.
Gear Review: Body Glide Anti-chafe Balm
Review: I figure I better get this one out of the way first. Perhaps later updates will push it to the far corner of the dank basement of this blog, where we can all forget about the sordid details of balming my undercarriage.
I’m not a small man. In fact, I’m a big, fat, hairy, sweaty dude. I’ve been prone to monkey butt since childhood, and hunting for several days without a proper shower used to be quite painful from the second day on.
Not anymore, since I discovered Body Glide. Holy crap does this stuff work. (Well, in tandem with the camp shower gear, but that’s for another review.) Body Glide, I think, is manufactured using NASA’s own scientific formula of mother’s milk, ground unicorn horn, pixie dust, asbestos, and a sprinkle of stripper glitter. In fact, the more I sweat, the better Body Glide seems to work.
I’ve become so protective of my undercarriage that my hunting gear checklist goes: 1. license/tag, 2. gun, 3. sleeping bag, 4. Body Glide, and 5. maybe some food.
The beautiful irony is that I learned about Body Glide while eavesdropping on a conversation between two long distance runners. I thought to myself that I could cheat the game, and use the product without having to learn how to exercise. I mean, what the hell, I’ve seen people drinking Monster without competing in the X Games, and I’ve seen Gerfunken drive a Subaru without switching teams, so my confidence was high.
I didn’t even have to humble myself much when I first puchased it. I found it at the local outrageously priced mountain town outdoor gear store. They wanted approximately $400 for an amount not much larger than a tube of Chapstick. I gladly paid the money, it was a big relief to not have to waddle my fat ass into the local runner’s store to buy it. In the few years since I’ve discovered it, it has shown up in several other places, some of which even sell the larger size at a reasonable price (I’m too lazy to go look at the actual size, it’s maybe the same as a small stick of deodorant, about 3 times the size of the dinky one). Hell, even Big 5 has it now, which is awesome, since even I look thin and pretty in the Big 5 crowd.
A liberal application before the morning hunt (about the only thing I do liberally), a touch up and coverage of any hot spots before the afternoon hunts, and I can survive the day without cutting my underwear off and doing the penguin walk for hours. Uberjeffe can attest to how much less awkward that can make a hunt. Granted, I still need a shower (or at least a good whore’s bath) every other day at the least, but this bridges the gaps between showers like nothing else I’ve ever tried. And, baby, I’ve tried it all.
Rating on the 5 Orange Whip Scale: 5 Orange Whips!
Cost: Most places want 6-7 bucks for the teeny, tiny stick. Do your research and you’ll find the bigger, happier size for about 10 bucks. I’ve found the smaller size at locally-owned sporting goods and hiking/outdoor shops, and the bigger size at Big 5 and the New Balance Store.
Gun Toting Meat Eaters 