Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Quemado 2015...

No reason to feel that way. It was my own damned fault for not using the isosceles stance.

I have the .45-70 case that Tom gave me for a souvenir at eye height on my reloading bench to remind me.

Mudhen, You are welcome to shoot my rifles, I am bringing plenty of ammo, whats this about blood I guess I missed it??
Should I bring my big First Aid Kit?? Rio 7

Blue, I have seen no mention of Smoke. Is She doing OK? miles

At the first Quemado get-together, I tried a hot hand load in Tom's .45-70 Contender pistol. I didn't have a good grip and it bumped me right between the eyes. No need for a first-aid kit--I am a single trial learner. Thanks for the offer, though.

Miles, Smoke, is doing fine and getting fat sense hunting season is over, we put on fat in the summer and work it off in the winter.
Mudhen, My 45-70 Marlin, bumps me pretty good, no way could I handle 45-70 in a contender. bet that left a smart mark! I will bring my small First Aid Kit anyway. Rio7

I seem to recall one of Paladin's pistols getting Jon in the face one day too. miles

Took scope off my .405 yesterday and put the skinner peep back on it, I am a little sore from sighting it in from the bench. shot it a couple of times at 1/2" steel plate,blew a couple of holes thru it that looked like I shot it with a 50 BMG, guess I got this load about right. Rio7

Well it will be good to get to shoot! Since I left the shop in January I haven't had the chance to shoot at all! Except for one round I used to dispatch a grinner here in the yard.

All of this gun/shooting talk portends a fine event and lots of enjoyment.

Ben, guess that little bloody incident had slipped from my mind - but now remember that you took it like a man. I think that fellow Isosceles died about the same time as Socrates and Pythagoras, so it's nice that Kent and Thomas have accepted responsibility and feel bad about it.

For anyone who would like to bring something to help, and if you will arrive by Thursday or early Friday, will probably need some strong string/twine to tie up/off corners of the big tarps intended to shelter the main sitter and the rifle shoot areas.

Paul, I will have my usual assortment of rope and tarps. miles

I can have some cordage available as well!!!!

I need to pick up some anyway.

Thanks guys. I have acquired a rather huge tarp to cover the sitting/eating area (including a long main support rope), and a fairly big tarp to shade the rifle shoot station. Will need to measure/cut three or four support poles from stuff in the slash piles. Your cord should get the corners done. Someone please remind me to bring a ladder.

Well its not like the trip back home would be a killer. miles

If he walked back?

I had 45-70 contender and think it was a lot less punishing that the same load in a rifle.

Dennis and I have gotten together the criteria and info for the Saturday rifle shoots, as provided below. I will help him run the Steel shoot and he will help me run the Prairie Dog and Turkey Rim shoots. We hope/plan to have a sighting target station set up by Friday but, for the sake of an excellent overall group experience, both of us recommend that shooters get their rifles sighted before arrival at camp, if at all possible. No sighting-in or practice shots during any shoot, and we will use a timer/dinger in order to keep it moving and in fairness to all.


JULY 2015 NEW MEXICO CAMPFIRE GATHERING RIFLE SHOOTS (Saturday AM start - order and times for shoots will be announced at camp.)

Turkey Rim Shoot

Shooters may use any .22 rim fire sporting rifle with any sight from any hunting position – but NOT FROM A BENCH OR STATIONARY REST. Sitting, prone, free-standing shooting sticks or tripod, etc. are OK. Once at the firing line, total time allowed for shooting is 4 minutes.

Target will be a reduced-size picture of a turkey, at somewhere between 30 and 50 yards, with a 1/2” dot at a vital place. Smallest 5 shot group HAVING AT LEAST ONE SHOT WITHIN THE DOT scores highest. There may be second and third place winners.


Prairie Dog Shoot

Shooters may use any firearm, any sights, and shoot from any position. Total time allowed once at the bench is 3 minutes.

Shooters will fire one shot from a cold barrel at a simulated PD with 1/2" dot on chest at a distance of approximately 200 yards. Shot closest to the center of the dot is the winner. There may be second and third place winners.


Steel Shoot - varying sizes and ranges for varying points.

The intent is to make the steel targets very visible for everyone so, once the steel is up, everyone will have a chance to see where all targets are positioned. Shooting order will be determined by hat draw at the announced time. The targets will be color coded and scored accordingly. Each low value target can be shot only one time.

Once at the firing line, the shooter will have a total of 6 minutes to take 5 shots. Shooting will be done from ANY improvised position one might use while hunting - prone, standing, shooting sticks, bipod, tripod, etc., but NOT USING THE BENCH.

Rifles must be sporting rifles - no match rifles – and cartridges will be limited to non-magnum rounds with case capacity similar to or less than a 30-06 (to save the steel). There will be no coaching - shooters must set up and shoot alone - and there will be no spotting help by others. The match director can call out a hit or a miss should the shooter not be able to determine.

OK - load 'em up, start squinting, shoot your best, and let's have fun.

I assure that this was much more punishing than a rifle...
The 405gr factory loads were pretty mild. The load Ben touched off was a 325gr leverevolution that was pushing the limits of a Contender. When you fired from the 11" barrel it pulled one hell of twist that wanted to wrench the gun from your hands, and batter your knuckles.

My barrel was a 14" but I shot home swaged 500 grain grab your hat loads. I do have a scar on my traffic finger of my left hand from learning how to use a two hand hold on a contender.

I am a PUSSY, when it comes to heavy recoil in a hand gun, my right hand has 35 old fractures, looks like a bag of cracked ice in the ex-rays, my days of shooting anything bigger than a .45 acp are over. and i am not wonderful with a .45 after a few rounds. that's my reward for a life time of ranch work.Rio7

That bust be tough Blue. I may stagger when I walk but I can still handle recoil.