Category: The Gun Thing

Not just the guns, but all the stuff that goes with them

Boomershoot 2023 ULD / Hunter

Boomershoot

Reader (and previous winner) Topcat hasn’t let his disqualification from this year’s drawing get in his way, oh no. His email to me two days ago read:

Possible Boomershoot candidate

Best of both worlds?

I have to say that I like the look of the thing(s):

Essentially, it’s the same rifle — the Precision is a pound or so heavier because of the adjustable cheekpiece, and I think the larger magazine — which no doubt accounts for the extra C-note in the price thereof. Other than that: same barrel, same adjustable trigger, same bolt action; we may actually have a winner. (I can also do the same for the Hunter/Precision combo in .308 Win, depending on Reader preference: I myself have no favorites, but the .308 costs a couple hundred more than the 6.5 Creed.)

However: unless there’s somewhat greater interest in any rifle, this may be the Boomershoot 2025 drawing, because to date I think I’ve received but a few entries for the draw, totaling some $400 in ticket sales.

…worse still, I’ll have to hitch-hike up to Idaho, and nobody wants to see that.

So get onto it, folks, and send those entries in: $20 per ticket, up to five tickets per person. Zelle to kim-at-kimdutoitdotcom, or paper checks/money orders to the Sooper-Seekrit mailing address.

In drawings past, I’ve bought the rifle and scope ahead of time and waited for the ticket sales to catch up. Thanks to Bidenflation (LGB!!), that’s no longer an option. [200 ranty swear words deleted]

Thank you for your support.

(Aiming) Point Of Order

Boomershoot, Optics

In the Comments on the 2023 Boomershoot gear, Reader Beaner49 says:

“A scope with a BDC is a good choice rather than a simple crosshair.”

I will call mea culpa on myself on this one.

I am so accustomed to using a crosshair sight that I seldom look at any other kind;  but Beaner makes a very good point, and I may be selling the scope part of the ULD rifle short.  We’re talking about this:

  vs. this: 

I have to say that I’m in agreement — never let it be said that I’m so stuck in my ways that I can’t make a change (although by and large, it’s a safe assumption — except when this kind of reasoning comes into play).

So I think I’ll be going with the Meopta Optika6 3-18×50 Illuminated BDC 30mm FFP (first focal plane).

It costs a couple hundred more than my original choice, but Let’s Go Brandon.  Before anyone asks, the larger and pricier 56mm scope can be a POS to fit onto a rifle for not much more utility — but I’ll be ruled by the consensus of shooters more knowledgeable than I.  (Scary, this new Kim, innit?)

It’s That Time Again

Boomershoot

Yes, it’s time for all good men who seek a fine gun to step up and open their wallets:  I hereby announce the opening of the Boomershoot Rifle Boondoggle.

I tossed out PayPal earlier for their wokist, gun-hating reporting policies, so this year you will need to send either paper checks/money orders to the Sooper-Seekrit address, or through Zelle via my email addy (kim-at-kimdutoit-dot-com).  Sorry, but there it is;  I refused to be party to PayPal’s bullshit, and I hope you understand my position.

Tickets are $20 each, and you may buy up to five ($100 total) per person.  If you send more than $100, I will allocate you five tickets, and use the rest to defray my travel expenses from Texas to Orofino ID.

Now onto something much more important and interesting.

What kind of rifle do you, O My Readers, want the chance of winning:  a heavy-barreled long distance rifle (ULD) as in the past, or a premium hunting rifle, both topped with a quality scope?  If you plan on doing (say) competitive long-distance shooting or long-range hunting, then obviously you’d prefer to own something like last year’s rifle:

…whereas if you’re looking for a do-it-all premium hunting rifle that will do its job with confidence out to (say) 500 yards, there’s something like this one to consider:

Email (NOT in Comments) your preference (ULD vs. PHR) with “Rifle Choice” in the Subject line so I can do a proper tally and make the decision.  In the event of a tie, I’ll toss a coin or make an executive decision.

Here are my thoughts, to help you make up your mind.  Remember that the more money I get in, the better-quality rifle/scope you’ll get.

ULD:  I absolutely loved the Howa from last year.  The trigger was exceptional, the accuracy WAY better than I could shoot it, and my niggle with the cheekpiece adjustment, I was assured by the manufacturer, was a one-off issue.  Here’s the HCR APC:

That said, I’d also look at the Bergara B-14 and the Ruger American Hunter (again):

All three are superb rifles, and sub-MOA results are all but guaranteed.

ULD Caliber:  in your email to me, if you pick this rifle, tell me your preference between the 6.5 Creedmoor and the .308 Win.

Now for the new category.

Premium Hunting Rifle (PHR)

Everyone has their favorite hunting rifle brand and type, so I’m going to go outside the box on this one.  Firstly, as it’s a do-it-all rifle, I’m going with only one chambering:  .30-06 Springfield  (unless everyone shouts me down).  I want a cartridge that does the job (any job), AND is readily available at Bubba’s Bait & Ammo everywhere in the U.S.A.  And the choices, as you will see below, are not the typical ones…

Tikka T3x Hunter:

CZ 600 Alpha:

Mauser M18:


…yes, a Mauser for under a grand.  (They also come with some funky-ass camo stocks.  I make no guarantees…)

All three of the above would make any hunt a good one (as long as the hunter does his job).

Scope:

Whichever rifle is finally selected (ULD or PHR), I’m going with the Meopta Optika6 3-18x50mm FFP, because I honestly don’t think that you can get anything better without spending a boatload more money (Swarovski, Steiner, Kahles coff coff).

So there you have it.

ULD in either 6.5 Creed or .308 Win, OR PHR in .30-06, both topped with one of the best-value/quality scopes on the market.  I see no bad choices.

Email me with preferences, thoughts and/or abuse.  All input (except the last) will be welcome.  Please get going, as there may be availability issues and I don’t want to grapple with those.

Isn’t this fun?

Changing Times

The Gun Thing

I have mentioned in the past that I planned on giving Connie’s Browning High Power to Daughter for her birthday, for hereditary reasons.  Well, I broached the topic with Daughter, and was surprised when she showed no interest in the Browning at all.

“I have enough handguns.  I mean, I have as many as you do.”  (true)
“But it’s your Mom’s gun.”
“It’s like offering to give me her favorite hammer — it really doesn’t mean anything, but thank you for the offer.”

She’s completely unsentimental about the gun — although I wouldn’t be surprised if the Browning didn’t also trigger some unwelcome memories along the way, but I’m not going to explore that little issue.  She doesn’t want the High Power, and that’s that.

Which is fine by me.  I love the BHP, its Europellet chambering notwithstanding, so it’s not going to go anywhere.

I also listened to Hackathorn and Wilson discussing the 9mm cartridge, and Bill Wilson is of the considered opinion that in terms of tissue damage and even stopping power, the new breed of 124gr 9mm hollowpoints are as effective as the lighter 185gr .45 ACP cartridges — which are exactly what I’m carrying in the 1911 because of recoil (pain) issues with the heavier 230gr.

So the plan has changed.  Son&Heir will indeed be getting my old Springfield 1911 .45 ACP for his birthday, and…

…I’m going to be carrying the High Power 9mm in its place:

…loaded with these: 

You may all pick yourselves up off the floor, now.

And yes, I’m aware that these may be the End Times.

Gratuitous Gun Pic: Ruger SFAR (7.62x51mm)

Gratuitous Gun Pics, The Gun Thing

Okay, it seems as though the writer of this article really likes the new Ruger AR variant (“Small-Frame Autoloading Rifle”), although when last did you see a gun writer say about a new gun: “Nah, this really sucks”?

My longtime reservations about the AR-15 platform notwithstanding, I have to say that I like the look of this little thing, especially when I read about how light it is, for a .308 rifle.

What I’d like is to have one of these… in .270 Win.  Why?  From a hunting perspective, there’s not much the .308 can do that the .270 cannot;  and the reduced recoil of the smaller bullet takes away the need for that anti-social, range-emptying muzzle brake.  (I’m quite serious about this;  the last half-dozen range sessions have been spoiled by the guy next door shooting an AR-15 with a muzzle brake, with earsplitting consequences for me despite the combination of foam plugs and ear protection which have become standard gear for me at indoor ranges.)

Of course, the mechanics (and magazine) of the SFAR would be unaffected by the change to .270 Win as it uses the same casing as the .308 Win;  so all that’s needed is a rechambered barrel for shooty goodness and Happy Days Smileyface Kim.  (Why not the 6.5 Creedmoor?  Because I don’t have any of that on hand, whereas the .270 Win is, let’s say, well represented in Ye Olde Ammoe Locquere.)

But nobody’s going to listen to me;  so there I go, shouting into the uncaring void, again.

On a tangential note:  a kind Reader once offered to send me a replacement extractor for my busted M1 Carbine.  For the life of me, I can’t remember who it was, so please drop me an email if it was you, and we can get the thing taken care of, financially speaking.