Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Romantic notions and the outdoors...

Most reenactors ain’t actually shooters, much less hunters, but I gotta say there is something intrinsically relaxing about camping out pre-1840 style.

Only reservation I have is the limits of the old weaponry need to be kept in mind to minimize the chances of non-lethal hits on game.

There's nothing wrong with people being romantics about shooting and using old cartridges, black powder, etc.

Problems sometimes break out when those romantics are uninformed or lie about the capability of those weapons compared to modern equipment.

Words right out of my mouth and excellent, well-reasoned post, Pugs...

Enjoying the outdoors and lack of civilization is the common bond. I enjoy it more when dry and warm and like carrying gear that works under the most adverse conditions. The only items I now use that I was using 10 years ago are a compass and a knife. As I deteriorate I'll take every advantage that I can find.



mike r

Yeah, I know. People saying how the 6.5 Creemoor is a better elk cartridge than a 300 (anything) gets kinda old...

I am definitely not a technology guy, the phone is a struggle.
Myself, I am pretty traditional and unless something is practicle, I don't go for it.
Some look at me as a relic, no camo, digital stuff in the bush and never go outside without a felt hat or straw hat, jeans or wool pants, long sleeve shirt etc.
I am usually horseback out there, have some form of leather leggings, neckerchief and leather gloves.
I prefer leverguns not because of romance but because they work better for me , but use some more modern leverguns and chamberings.
I honour my families history and stick to traditional ways, and leather bags etc help keep some of them working for a living. Don't import any of this stuff from China and Mexican quality is less than I want.
Standing in a spot on the mountain where my Great Grandad did, hunting the same basin, the same way ,tugs at my heart.

Don Currie, who is a Level III Sporting Clays instructor and head coach of the National Sporting Clays Association, says there is no disadvantage using a side by side vs. an over/under. That's because the right way to shoot is to mount from a low gun position, so you can see the bird, and not occlude the bird with the barrels anyway. That said, he usually shoots an O/U, maybe because he gets one free and free shells. Also his side by side is choked full and full with no tubes. But he won the side by side championship with his Fausti.

My definition of "rifle" includes something with a walnut stock and blued metal, though I took a plastic stocked stainless barrel rifle to Alaska, where it seems to rain for three hours every three hours.

I do not appreciate the "tacticool" trend. I don't think AR15s are very good for hunting because of all the sharp pointy things sticking out all over, even though they're fun to shoot and useful for protection.

Let me know when the .308s have a premium bonded bullet that exceeds the BC and SD of the .264 160gr protected point Weldcore. And then let's see how fast they can drive it.

Until you can show me such a bullet, the .308s are just inferior for elk and that's all there is to it

Llame Bob. I wish I were as much a genius as you. You will not get me to be nostalgic about the Crapmore. Hunt with it if you wish, but Shrap and the rest of us who like to shoot old guns will drop things on our hunts with alacrity using all lead bullets much of the time. And we won't waste all that modern powder doing it. Try a Savage 99 in 303 or 300 Savage make about ten kills,and then tell me what you think. Excuse me while I load for my 9X56 Mannlicher. Be Well. Rusty

I was expecting a mixture of coitus and poison ivy when I opened this thread.

Nothing wrong with preferring "old school."

There's nothing wrong with O/U shotguns if your eyes are so arranged!

OK first: Pat...no serious clay shooter would ever use a beat to hell Rem 870 express with a bent barrel....( granted no one can outshoot him with that gun...but still.....) The ONLY proper shotgun to shoot at anything outdoors has two barrels, side by side, and two triggers.

Second I do shoot a .223AI

But if big game is afoot...I use the .275 Rigby......hows that?

The closest I can afford to being romantic in the outdoors is sleeping on the ground. But I love your tastes in the finer things.

Head games....

I need a F-1 car like a hole in the head, but without it, I’d be driving a Model A.

I like old guns, but have a couple plastic stock rifles.

Imagining a huge bull tusker charging out of the TX brush............................. I could imagine that too wielding a 7x57.................

aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh romance. Color me a victim of my imagination.

I think that as we get older, we long for the simpler days of our youth. Therefore, we like to use the type of equipment that we used in that period.

Recently watched a man with a CSMC side-by-side in 16 ga. run a clays course. He seldom missed. Seemed like a serious enough fellow.

A two trigger SXS improves my bird to shell ratio. Might lower the final count of bag at end of day tho.

Jim - Me too. I see "tactical" and go blind.... read/look no farther.

Was in Anchorage Cabelas a week or so ago on way to backpack caribou hunting among the ATV's. Haven't been in there in a year or so, but needed a couple sets of slings and sling mounts and a scope cover. (I have them, somewhere- disappeared during family room renovation- probably in the bottom of a box of wife's stuff....) I bought one sling swivel set and re-rigged an old military leather sling for the wife to carry the .260 Rem 725 with broken extractor. Hey, it took 2 bulls as a single shot! Gotta get that replacement extractor in before moose season!

What a bunch of crap in Cabelas. They had a bunch of military/tactical/combat slings and some other POS stuff. No scope covers worth spit. I ended up hand carrying the 10.3 pound (ithout ammo or sling - I weighed it after!) M98. And here I thought it was just "pushing 10# fully loaded and slung".. It does put 'em into one inch at 300 yards tho.

There is more to this , but not here... Point being Cabelas has gone to hell in their stores. Have to lookonline to see if they still carry the sling and scope covers I want. .