Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters This just in, ultimate cartridge

Dunno what you consider "closer range mule deer, whitetails, etc." but have taken mule deer and whitetails beyond 300 yards with the .257, and both Eileen and I have taken numerous pronghorns from 350-450. In fact took my latest large-antlered pronghorn buck with a fast-twist .22-250 at 350 yards.

I’m a certified loony, that’s why. And there are a lot of wankers out there with rifled 12 ga barrels.

386yds on this one. .257 Roberts, factory Nosler 110 NAB. One, 110 NAB behind the shoulder, broke the off side leg. Stumbled forward and gave it up.

I think you’re onto something. Watch out Gunner will be calling up soon and ordering reamers.

That depends. Will it fit in a short action?

Smokey, uh, short action? I dunno. Brass shot shells are 2.5” long. Whaddya think?

Anyhoo, I was thinking about a double barrel. Open sights. Black powder. Maybe paper patched.

I love the smell of BP in the morning.

I could roll with a contraption such as that.

Basically, a 12 gauge hull necked to accept a 36 gauge slug.

Throw a bipod and a bubba buddy on it, and you're set. Maybe a set of turrets for that front site.

😁👍😎

I think the ultimate cartridge is what was passed down from previous generations. If you didn't come from a family that hunted or used firearms, that puts you in a very important position. You will provide family heirlooms for future generations.

Either way, you are part of a great legacy. A custodian of your family's possessions.
---

Joe Grinder's Heirlooms

Joe Grinder was a quiet man,
Who spent a lot of time at the range.
He was a hunter,
A father,
And a Gulf War vet,
Who didn't deal too well with change.

It wasn't because he was older,
If sixty could make you that way.
He just wished folks would mind their own business,
Like he did, himself, every day.

"Stop livin' in the past, old man!
It's time for a new Creedmoor gun!
It's like your frozen in time,
And you've fallen behind,
Your 30-06 is all done!"

Joe smiled when those fools started speaking,
And recited in their uppity way,
The mistakes Joe was making,
And how to improve,
As if Joe was the one who had strayed.

But he never paid much attention.
He just sipped from an old coffee cup.
And pondered on all of his targets,
And if he could tighten them up.

But then came that morning, one Tuesday,
When a young fellow they called Jimmy Jay,
Saw Joe in his chair,
And decided right there,
To reward him with counsel that day.

For twenty minutes, Jimmy Jay jabbered.
For twenty minutes, Joe's interest swayed.
But Jimmy kept talking,
And Joe kept on thinking,
'I'll ignore him, and he'll go away.'

Then the range clock struck the half hour,
And young Jimmy asked of old Joe,
If he'd learned anything of importance,
From the story that young Jimmy had told.

Joe sat silent, considering his options,
Now it was his time to speak,
And tell off foolish, young Jimmy,
And rebuff his silly critique.

"I only shoot four guns, you see,
'Cause that's all that I'll ever need,
And in the forty odd years that I've used them,
They have never failed to succeed."

"The first gun I got was dad's old 44,
That he got from his dad, at ten.
It's been in the family for one hundred years,
Passed down from past Grinder men."

"The next two, I got from my uncles.
And neither came back from the war.
The hippies protested them going,
But I was proud of their time in the Corps."

"This last was from my lovely wife, Sarah,
When I returned from my war in Iraq.
It was a 30-06 from her daddy,
Who used it, himself, some time back."

"These things are constant reminders.
They're heirlooms that fed us,
And symbols of service,
But to me, they are much more that that."

"They remind me of family,
Now long gone in my past.
The youth of my father.
My granddad's great vigor.
And fun teenage times,
When the world was less angry,
And before my innocence passed."

"So go buy your new Creedmoor rifle.
You need to create your own merit.
When you're done,
Pass it down,
And remember my words,
It's a memory your children inherit."

With that, Jimmy Jay started speaking,
But Joe shook his head to say no.
The young man looked confused and frustrated,
Then waved and said he must go.

And Joe took a sip of his coffee,
He leaned back and let out a sigh.
He thought for a moment,
Then started to laugh,
Jimmy Jay was too young to know why!

He just didn't get it.
Youth got in the way.
But he'll realize it,
In time.
That old heirlooms remain bright and shiny,
When fads are all covered in grime.

- 2018, Stephen Redgwell

👍👍👍

Well done Steve!

Thanks Dan.

Here's a new rallying cry for North America.

Make memories, not magnums!

Yes indeed. Nice work S Redgwell.

Well written Steve ,, that rates right up there with your 30-06 tribute.
I think I will save it for remembering.

Thank you. Both were published in my first Campfryer book, available at amazon.

I used this ultimate cartridge almost exclusively for a decade, from 2007-2016. I'm a loony at heart and like to use lots of different rifles but during that time work, including a few years overseas, restricted both my rifle work and hunting opportunities, so I kept it simple when the hunts occurred. Rifle is a Rem 722 made in May of 1951, with a Leupold 4X Compact (which I think JB has written is actually about 3.3 power in the Compact version). The original stock had been cut short so I found a M700 SA beechwood takeoff on eBay and fit and bedded it to the M722, and added a pad to restore the LOP.
Shots ranged from around 180 to 380 yards and I never lost a critter. I was shooting the 100 TSX for all of those years but recently laid in a supply of those stubby ogive 115gr partitions from SPS that are just perfect for this rifle and shoot even better. If I hunt it in the future that's what I'll use, for sure. Recently acquired a couple hundred Nosler +P cases as well so this rifle is now ready for another lifetime of hunting.










And yes - that IS my lucky shirt. And my lucky hat.
Cheers,
Rex

Nice mess of critters there TRex.

Thanks, I just looked back and saw I left out a young Coues Deer buck and a coyote. Here they are.


I saw the coyote out at several hundred yards while antelope hunting, and hunkered down and used a blade of grass between my thumbs to call him in. But when he came in he came in 90 degrees right of where I expected, and very close. I couldn't move enough to shift my body without being busted so I slid the rifle to my left side and shot him left handed and "left eyed." Never did that before or since.
Rex

Used to have a Remington 700 chambered in 22-250 with a 1:8 twist. It loved 80gr A Max. I never had a chance at a short any longer than 125 yards. Most white tails dropped in their tracks. The ones that didn’t were all does.

I could be wrong, but it also looks like you hunt that one area quite a bit. Looks like the very same mountain in the background in five or six pics, so if I'm right you got yerself quite a honeyhole.

And BTW...you're using .257 Roberts, right?

Yes Sir on the .257. I reckon I thought that was implied since it was the subject of the thread. I should have clarified.
All those critters except the Coues Deer were on the same ranch in MT. We call that hill with the cliffs in the background in most of the pics "The Buffalo Jump." Back before the Indians had horses, they would stampede the bison over cliffs like that. You can still find old bones and teeth at it's base. It is rolling prairie above that cliff. It's a tradition to try to get the Buffalo Jump in the background for all the pics. I have been hunting there almost every year for almost 30 years. Used the .257 mostly from 2007-2016. Sometimes I just left it there so I could get there and back easier. It was a busy time and I didn't do much other hunting during that decade.

Cheers,
Rex