Mine is excellent. One of my better investments in 50+ yrs on the ice.

Have the Composite 8″ model and it will be my last auger.

BTW….I blew up that photo to see what that dark thing was behind the shoulder. As God is my witness, it was a four leaf clover!! What are the chances…??

I had one of the original Savage 10ML-II’s and used RL7 to great effect. It was a 50cal and I used the 250gr SST. Irons were the flavor of the day as my state (WI) did not allow optics over 1X at the time. Fired “many” sub MOA 3-shot groups at 100yds using a fine beaded blade and a rear mounted peep sight. That yielded a looong sight radius and gave a very precise aim on an reduced NRA Highpower target.

Also used H110 (required a tight fit of the projectile or hangfires DID occur), N110 and H4198. Cannot help regarding smokeless powders for the 45cal and would stick to the manufacturers recommendations. The faster burn rates will likely work better than what worked in the 50cal.

The 250gr SST was instant death on a whitetail at Smokeless velocities. One that I hit at 165yds took it dead center in the lungs, broadside, then exited tight to the shoulder on the far side. Dropped it like a toilet cover and showed bloodshot meat in front of that far shoulder. It was ugly. Another was hit at 150ys and threw it to the ground like it was hit with a poleaxe.

This deer was hit at 30yds broadside and it liquified everything north of the diaphragm on a dead center lung hit. Surprisingly, it actually ran right past me as I sat on the ground with my back against a stump.

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Though many mil-wannabe types will pooh-pooh them, I still have mine installed. For rapid-fire, it seems easer to pull the rifle into the shoulder and stay on target. Legal or not…

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glenn57 wrote:

So has anyone heard of a gun barrel going bad??? I had issues last year big time hitting a deer with my Remington 30-06. Sited in in this spring, it was a bit off but not bad.

My brother used to work at a gun range and seems to think that could be an issue??? Says he seen it a few times?

Again, have washed out my share of barrels (.223, 6BR, 6BR Dasher, 308 Win and 6.5×284 Norma). As soon as I get unepected/wild shots at 600-1000yds, the throat will get scoped. When they die, X-count goes out of the window and you get wild 9’s or worse (usually, but not always, they are elevation shots).

The same will apply with barrels that are copper fouled. Simple bore solvents won’t begin to touch heavy copper fouling. Imagine how much copper will build up in that hunting rifle after firing a box of ammo each year over the course off 20-30 years….ouch!

The best way that I have found to deal with copper fouling is to brush the bore with Hoppe’s #9 and patch it dry to remove ingintion/powder fouling. Then, apply Sweet’s 762 using a loose, well-soaked patch on a nylon or stainless jag. If you use a bronze jag, it will skew your results as that ammonia will dissolve the jag slightly.

Let it sit 10 minutes and patch it dry. If you see a blue patch, apply Sweets 762 and let it sit 10 minutes. Keep applying the Sweets until you see a clear patch after 10 minutes. The first time you do this on a really fouled bore may take 4 or 5 applications. Don’t get discouraged….it takes some effort. Subsequent cleanings will be easier if you don’t let it get out of hand. It is the method I have used on State/National level match rifles and it works.

Once you get the copper cleaned out, flush the Sweets out of the barrel with a loose patch with Hoppe’s #9 and patch the barrel really dry. It will only take 0-5 shots to foul the barrel in and get it to settle down. I never oil my barrels, preferring to keep them in a dry atmosphere. If you want to see wild shots at the range, just stick some oil in it.

I will verify my zero on a clean bore and set the fouled rifle into the safe. When I take it out for serious businesss, it will hit POA right away.

glenn57 wrote:

So has anyone heard of a gun barrel going bad??? I had issues last year big time hitting a deer with my Remington 30-06. Sited in in this spring, it was a bit off but not bad.

My brother used to work at a gun range and seems to think that could be an issue??? Says he seen it a few times?

More damage is done to a barrel due to improper cleaning than anything. Doubtful that you have fired enough rounds to wash the rifling out. Copper fouling can open groups and give unexpected elevation shots. Most folks do not properly attack copper in the barrel and the cumulative effect can get ugly.

Have burned out many barrels (cut-rifled and button-rifled) and when they go, you get shots off call. The worse they get, the groups open significantly. Those make great tomato stakes.

I once worked directly for the vendor that produced polymer cased ammo in GA (PolyCase Ammo). Rifle cases are a hard pass for me. Pistol cases are a “maybe” due to far lower chamber pressures. Polymer projectiles (like the Inceptor ARX) are another hard pass.

I cannot even get excited about the bi-metal pistol cases for a number of reasons.

My advice? Stick to quality brass cases and be happy.

Have only used my brine on fish.

225F for everything

Had a couple of chances to use the Eskimo E40 Composite (8 inch) and am thoroughly satisfied. 20-25 holes through 10″ of hard ice and it was a real joy compared to other electric’s I had tried, my old gas augers or my Milwaukee Fuel with 5/6/7 inch augers sizes. No hanging up when breaking through and more power than I will ever need. Not a hard core test that MN and ND folks will give an auger mind you.

After 6 back surgeries, everying must be lightweight and this fits the bill. Increasing age doesn’t help matters either.

Have picked up a Universal Adapter for my Milwaukee Fuel setup for panfish (smaller holes) and when facing shallower ice. Breaking through using those Lazer type blades is a killer on the wrists and being able to have that handle to brace against one’s body will save from breaking a wrist.

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Bad winter Denny O….back is giving me fits and ice conditions in Central WI have been real sketchy. I have had to walk out 7/10 to 9/10 of a mile and must stop every 100yds to sit on my fold up chair. Fish haven’t been real cooperative either.

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For you fisherman with Tulibee os Ciscoe, this recipe works great with all oily fish.

Hunting feral cats with a Coehorn Mortar…..

http://www.buckstix.com/CoehornMortarHunt.htm

In my 45cal Hawken I have had great luck with TC Maxi-Balls. Never recovered a slug with shots to 125yds w/90gr FFg Goex.

Of course I hed to go hi-tech and use the 40cal SST as well as the .357″ Dead Center PRBullets (both 175 & 195gr). With 90-120gr of 777, all did massive damage on deer shot in the ribcage. These are what I currently use in my 45cal Firebolts. The 175gr took out both legs (high) on one doe at 40-45yds and made kind of a hideous exit. It put her on her chin and she plowed a furrow in the snow for about 15yds.

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The Wind River suit that I got mid-winter is pretty nice. Well thought out and is very well-constructed. Customer service on a return was excellent. If you go this route, get your normal size. They run true to size.

ALWAYS shoot the dominant eye and work on shooting from that side. Be darned sure about the dominant eye however. Tape off his shooting glass on the other eye. Start the new shooter with an air rifle at 10 yards using iron sights and stress basic marksmanship fundamentals.

There it is…..

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Bought my first front-stuffer in 1972. Have owned more than I could possibly count. 45’s, 50’s, 54’s and 58’s…even had a Savage Smokeless model. My fav for many seasons was a 45cal T/C Hawken. It was pure poison to 125yds on whitetails. Have a pair of CVA Firebolts that are my current favs. One uses 777 and a 200gr SST. The other uses 777 and the 175gr PRB Dead Center. Wish thse Firebolts could use the BH209 powder. They will hangfire, sadly.

Once upon a time I had one of the original Hiram cans. It was specific to a 22 RF and the bore was offset (not right down the middle). I will state right here and now that it was as quiet (muzzle signature) as the very best cans made today and at any price.

The rifle that I have had since the middle 80’s is a Rem 541S that AWC fitted their “Ultra” suppressor to. The barrel is ported so that the velocity of CCI Mini-mags is 900-950fps. From the bags, the rifle will shoot inside of a 25 cent piece at 50yds. Plenty good enough.

DO NOT try this at home: I stood next to the target (10yds away) as a friend fired at it from 50yds. He was a 2-time Natl Service Rifle Agg champ and I trusted him to break good shots unerringly.

As he fired the rifle, I could hear ZERO noise from the muzzle whatsoever. Not the slightest hint of sound at all. In the last 10-20yds the bullet traveled before it hit paper, I could hear a “ziiip” through the air and it was definitely the projectile. When I would take the rifle squirrel hunting, the loudest sounds were the click of the firing pin and the impact of the projectile on the squirrel’s nutcracker.

When I first got the rifle, I tested velocity, grouping and power at both 50 & 100 yards. Even at 900-950fps, that 40gr solid would go straight through a pine 2X4 at 100 yards…every time. It is by far and away the most fired rifle of any that I have ever owned. A lot of 100rd packs of CCI Mini-Mags have gone down that barrel. Gotta be upwards of 20,000 rounds. Maybe 30,000….

I started in ’66….have used many calibers, smokers, slugs, sabots, revolvers, ad nauseum for deer and in many states. Have killed more whitetails than I could ever count with an integrally suppressed 22LR rifle (dead center brain shots inside of 25yds over bait) and .223’s with a can, but those were culled animals in town, airports and golf courses. A good number of those culls were shot with .223 and 55gr Vmax projectiles. From 40-200 yards and waiting for a picture-perfect broadside shot, that Vmax was pure poison. None ever made it beyond 40yds and most dropped instantly. I DO NOT condone using that varmint bullet for deer hunting….this was used on calm animals and I had the luxury of waiting for just the right shot. I took no chances in that regard.

That said, a 223/556 with the right bullet will kill every deer you shoot at as long as you know deer anatomy and can make perfect shots unerringly. The 62gr Federal bonded Fusion or the heavier 64gr Winchester Power Points are the most readily available at gun outlets. They are a 200yd cartridge and will put them right in their coffin. They afford an extra safety factor over a frangible bullet.

Shot a few with the 243 and with a basic cup/core bullet design, will strike whitetails down like the Sword of Gideon. Will turn everything north of the diaphragm into chilli on a center lung hit. It emulsifies everything. The 223/556 does pretty much similar.

Have shot them with bigger, but it really isn’t necessary. The largest whitetail that I shot was a beast that dressed at 242# in Buffalo County WI. I shot it with a soft-loaded 6.5X06 and a 129gr SST at 20yds broadside. Had a golfball-sized exit hole and it went flat on its chin after 40yds. They aren’t armor plated……

Last night, fried Pollack at the local boowling alley. $12 with a frosty mug of root beer.

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Amazing that it still had enough poop to blow the stuffings out of them at that distance.

A high-quality blade is a cheap, life-long investment. Still have the original Grohmann Canadian Belt Knife that I picked up while fishing on Eagle Lake in ’71. Since I did a lot of urban deer culling from 2000-2010, it has seen its’ fair share of deer work. It only sees a flat alumina ceramic stone to bring the edge back (it was tested at 58Rc hardness).

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A toss up. My first “rifle” that I bought at age 18 (present to myself for going to work for our Uncle)…a Walther KKJ 22LR. This thing is deadly.

A 1935 Winchester Model 67 single shot. With plain-Jane CCI Blazer ammo it shoots great for practicing standing at 50yds.

My late husband’s guns. All of them, but particularly his shotguns from pheasant season. He was the last to shoot them and it tears me up that he’ll never shoot them again.

Very sorry lady.

Have used my share of whetstones, crock sticks etc. Many years ago I invested in a full set of diamond stones in various grits to start the angle on my blades (the angle I prefer anyway). I finish the hunting blades with a flat alumina oxide stone for a polished edge. All of my hunting blades are 56-60Rc and then there’s my basic Rapala fishing knives (definitely more ductile). The Rapala’s only see the 20 degree crock sticks and that is adequate.

900 yd shoot-off at the World’s in Bloemfontein South Africa 1999. One sighting shot and 3 for record. Iron sights and sling…7.62/308 w/155gr projectile. Wind peaked at 13-1/2 minutes full-value from 3 o’clock on the rear sight, then dropped off to 4MOA. The wind built real steadily and then held at full velocity for long enough to fire 4 shots. Unlimited time for the shots to be fired and the rangemaster handed each shooter 4 rounds of the host country’s ammo.

3 of us on the line had fired a score of 150-11X (20″ 10-Ring and 10″ X-Ring) for the prior 15 shots. The Nat’l champ from South Africa fired a score of 150-13X and won the match outright.

They gave the command to fire and the wind was building. Both shooters to my right started firing, but I waited for the flags to show full velocity. My sight was set 13-1/2 MOA to the right (121.5″ of deflection). Once the flags showed peak velocity and the mirage was racing across the target face, I executed the most perfect dead-center X that I could muster. Only….my target never went down. With that much wind blowing, a person could at least see the dust from the impact. We called for a mark and I asked my scorekeeper who was watching through a spotting scope: “Did you see anything at all…?”. He did not.

I grabbed my front sight to insure it was tight and I twisted the rear sight. All was tight. I grabbed my magnifying glass to check my elevation and windage settings…all were perfect. What in the hell went wrong?? My ONE sighting shot was spent and the next shot was for record….

The only thing that I could think of was to take my sight back to the windage setting from when we finished the 15 shot match. It was 12 MOA right wind and it was the only logical thing to try, even though I was 100% certain the wind had sped up since then (according to my wind meter).

I took 1-1/2 MOA of right wind off the sight, checked the flags and broke a solid X. The target came out of the pits with an EIGHT out the left. I put that 1-1/2 MOA back on the sight, checked the flags and fired another good X. This time the target came up with a tall X at 12 o’clock. I closed the bolt as I came off of my spotting scope and looked at the flags. They were dropping. BUT, we were in the center of the 150 target range and I knew it would take a while for that condition to hit my firing point. I got on the sights and broke what I thought was a solid 10. I had to do it fast and there was no time for perfection. My last shot must have gone high through the 6″ spotting disk…a 12 o’clock TEN!

The shooter to my right was a former US champ. He fired three EIGHTS in a row for his record shots and a score of 24-0X. The shooter on the far right was the reigning New Zealand Nat’l champ. He fired a score of 28-0X. Not sure how, but my 28-1X won the shootoff (for 2nd overall) out of 650 shooters.

To this day, nobody knows if my sighting shot was a squib round or if the projectile just blew up on the way to the target. It sure felt like it had proper recoil…nothing unusual. But, it wasn’t until the flight back to Miami that I began to think it all over in detail. I was handed 4 rounds of ammo. What if my sighting shot had been one of my record shots…?

I inherited nothing.

That said, the W1897 can be pump-fired. Hold the trigger back and just start pumping.

3″ so far in Central WI. 8-11 inches are forecast for the 2nd part of this storm, starting late in the afternoon.