The Guns We Own

[Torch]

I drew a doe tag about 6-7 years back, so since I deemed a doe not worthy of my .300wsm I bought a S&W .460. Put a 4x Leupold on Weigand bases and had a damn accurate high powered hand gun. Never got a chance to take a shot at a deer but back in the base I decided to pop off a round at a rock about 100 yards away, told my friends fire in the hole ,hit the friggin rock but lost my hearing in my left ear. All was fine at the range with hearing protection but I could not hear out of my left ear for a couple of days,plus that damn buzz. So I got rid of the gun. I couldn't imagine taking a shot at a deer or more than one without permanent damage. And wearing ear protection hunting is just a no go. I have no problems with my .300wsm or other .300 win mags that I've had in the past. But what a gun, 1.5 inch groups at a hundred yards,recoil straight back........hmmm starting to miss it again.

 

[Aaron Brooks Wolters]

When I get some more cash saved up I look there Mike, thanks. My next purchase will more than likely be a Para Ordnance PTZ14 or Elite with 5" barrel.
Dave I got this for my treks in the woods. We now have two resident mountain lions and the bears have really picked up. I don't want to shoot them with a gun, rather do it with my camera, but I wanted something that could take one of these down if I had to.

 

[Torch]

If you want a bear gun look at a short barrel Ruger .480, or a S&W .460 or .500.... I would not do anything less than a .44mag for mountain lion on up. Or at least a Glock 20 in 10mm.

 

[GrauGeist]

A cat is fairly stoppable but a bear is like a boar, in the fact that a headshot is out of the question unless you have some serious artillery. Most rounds will skip off their skull, which in turn really irritates it.

If a mountain lion is around, just maintain situational awareness, avoid stooping, bending over or presenting your back to it. Unless it's hurt, sick or starving, it will tend to avoid human contact. Bears can be the same way and in either case, if there's young nearby, time to leave. Period.

 

[mikewint]

Torch, I posted this before but nowadays, shooting my XDm .45 or the .44mag or really any gun I wear ear muffs. Now back in the olden days in Vietnam with everyting in the world going off full auto, explosions, bombs, grenades, etc. no one ever wore any type of ear protection and no one even considered it necessary...
A .44mag HP round should take care of anything in N. America but you better hit it and you only have 6 rounds. S&W has their .500 handgun and their .460 XVR and the Desert Eagle automatic is .50 cal. Magnum Research has their 45-70 Government hand cannon and a German company WTS has a handgun shooting the .50BMG cartridge Baring one of these it's best to do as Dave suggests unless it is life or death.

 

[GrauGeist]

I'm pretty used to bears and mountain lions and all sorts of other critters...I grew up around them and the irony is, they'll pretty much leave you alone if you extend the same courtesy.

By and large, it's humans that suck.

Anyway, like I said, I'm used to things with sharp, pointy parts and here's an example: Mom's front yard at night...the mountain lion is heading down towards the front porch (to the right). Folks, this is a bigass cat, that juniper hedge seen behind it is over waist-high.

 

[Torch]

It's funny Mike, when I touch off a round when hunting with either .50 muzzle loader, .300wsm or my .270 I don't remember hearing it. I geuss concentrating on the sight,breathing etc gets enough adrenalin going that I don't hear the sound, thou I do hear the thwack of the round hitting the deer/elk, kinda weird. As for bear/cat protection I would rather avoid and get out of the situation then actually resorting to using a handgun...

 

[mikewint]

This is the "HAND-gun" I mentioned by the German firm WTS Waffentechnik in Suhl. Caliber .50BMG weighing in at 16lbs (Yup same as a bowling ball) or 7.2kg with a 17in (43cm) barrel. Better hit it on the first shot 'cause your numb hand and arm won't work very well

 

[GrauGeist]

Mike, check out a Zestava "Black Arrow" if you're wanting to see a badass .50 BMG rig.

Be warned, cover the keyboard in plastic, because of potential drooling...

 

[mikewint]

Dave, first and foremost it is good to have you back. You and your input are highly valued
I am familiar with the "Black Arrow" and it is indeed a really nice cannon. In that respect there are a number of Bullpup .50BMGs on the market which can actually be fired from the shoulder standing. The Leader .50BMG at $7000 is supposed to recoil like an M1 Garand. A really cool one is the GM6 Lynx. Available in Canada on special order for a cool $14,700 it features a reciprocating barrel. The thing that caught my eye on the WTS is its classification as a PISTOL!!

 

[bobbysocks]

GG, your mother better not leave the dog out early in the morning....lol. we have a lot of bear up where i have my camp. they never bother anything unless you let food or garbage out....and you have to clean off your grill right after cooking. i usually carry or have a firearm around but its more for possible rabid anmials than anything else.

 

[GrauGeist]

Dave, first and foremost it is good to have you back. You and your input are highly valued

Thanks Mike, I appreciate it!

I am familiar with the "Black Arrow" and it is indeed a really nice cannon. In that respect there are a number of Bullpup .50BMGs on the market which can actually be fired from the shoulder standing. The Leader .50BMG at $7000 is supposed to recoil like an M1 Garand. A really cool one is the GM6 Lynx. Available in Canada on special order for a cool $14,700 it features a reciprocating barrel. The thing that caught my eye on the WTS is its classification as a PISTOL!!

I own several SA rifles that can produce a high RoF and I have fired weapons over the years that can simply squirt a full box down-range in the blink of an eye. But my personal preference is to take it easy and lay down the rounds one at a time. Of course, that's not as exciting

GG, your mother better not leave the dog out early in the morning....lol. we have a lot of bear up where i have my camp. they never bother anything unless you let food or garbage out....and you have to clean off your grill right after cooking. i usually carry or have a firearm around but its more for possible rabid anmials than anything else.

Not to worry, Mom's shepherd doesn't go out unattended between sun-down and sun-up. There's plenty of Black Bears around the homestead, some can be pretty large, too. The bears around there are more interested in Mom's fruit trees or scrounging around in whatever one of the Cougars have killed.

One of the main reasons it's becoming a freakin' "mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom" around her place, is because of those dang deer. The population has exploded because of hunting limitations and naturally, the predator's population has increased in response.

 

[mikewint]

DEER!! I've got at least +20 in the front and back yards every day/evening/night. They drive the dogs crazy. Cheyan would just love to catch one. Deer season starts on Nov 8th. So about 7AM I'll have a seat on the deck, coffee in hand, 30-30 in my lap, and wait for Bambi to come strolling by. Most likely by 7:30 there will be one less Odocoileus virginianus in Arkansas. Venison steaks on the grill Nov 15. LG

 

[Wildcat]

Sound good Mike!
My brother and I took our two sons out for some target shooting today. They fired my Bro's .22 while we had some fun with these. The Winchester 30-30 is his, the A303 re-pro is mine with the rest belonging to our Dad. The A303 is brand new and was the first time I had fired her, man what a beauty! We reckon it had the biggest kick out of them all.

 

[Siddley]

All nice rifles but the Springfield is a beauty. The parkerising on the receiver has that authentic greenish hue which is so difficult to reproduce.

 

[mikewint]

My very first BIG rifle was an old .303 Enfield SMLE I bought for $12.00 in Chicago. The old Kleins Sporting Goods store where Lee Oswald got his Carcano. Cut down the stock and added new sights to "Sporterize" it. I really like the 30-30. Mine is posted in this thread

 

[bobbysocks]

One of the main reasons it's becoming a freakin' "mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom" around her place, is because of those dang deer. The population has exploded because of hunting limitations and naturally, the predator's population has increased in response.

what they did over here years back to quell the deer population was release coyotes. so now we not only have deer ( since it didnt work that well ) but coyotes everywhere!

 

[GrauGeist]

Hoping that Coyotes would bring the deer population into check wasn't the brightest idea...lol

In the large majority of areas, the balance is haywire because of the absence of Wolves and/or Grizzly Bears, especially in California and I know of other areas having the same problem. The wolves kept the other top predators in check as well as game, and the Grizzly Bears contributed to this in a large way as well. Without competition, the Mountain Lions and to a lesser degree, Bobcats, have the blooming Deer population to themselves. Now, with the limitations on hunting and an overall decline of the sport, the Deer population is growing and this is even threatening Elk populations in certain areas here in California, too.

It's a big mess, really...

 

[Wildcat]

Thanks mate, I'm very happy with it too.

 

[mikewint]

Oz is the shining star on how to screw up an ecology with introduced species. Starting with domestic animals like cats, goats, pigs, donkeys, brumbys, camels, and water buffalos that escaped and have become ferral. Then the introduced wild species like the cane toad, red fox, deer, and birds like the rock pigeon, starling and mynah just to mention a few