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solamente73

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Everything posted by solamente73

  1. Update: Bull Elk Mission (Late Aug 2022 in Utah with Dad's Weatherby Mark V chambered in 300 Weatherby Magnum) First, ongoing thanks to all those who post here and on the Gun Owner's Thread - tons of great information, leads, and insights shared that have helped directly and indirectly. Second, here's what's going on with gear (sorry for longcat): Tried to balance between 1) Elk mission, 2) utility in Texas, and 3) potential future western hunts New Rifle Scope: After a ton of research, it seems @686 nailed it from the get-go. I'm likely going with the Swaro Z5 3.5-18x44 as it seems to have great glass for my shitty eyes and is versatile enough for Elk and anything else I might need it for in the future (looking at you, Muley). @williemackgarza and others seem to be Swaro fans, too. I'm still mulling reticles - illuminated or not, go plex with ballistic turret or go BRH. Anyone have thoughts on reticles and/or BTs? Leupold VX-5HD 3-15x44 CDS-ZL2 Side Focus and Zeiss Conquest V4 4-16x44 rounded out my top three. Ammo: @Gladeite provided some great insight, and agree with those who say it comes down to shot placement. Decided to go with the Weatherby Select Plus 200gr Accubond - go big or go home. Sling: @686 nailed it again with the Slogan sling - got the long magnum version. Will really help when traversing uneven terrain. Binocs: My old Vortex Diamondback HD 10x42. Work great for Texas deer and hog, but might be a weak link for Elk. Outfitter has spotting scopes (and sticks). Bino pack TBD. Clothing/Camo: Layers made of synthetic materials. Lightweight but rugged. Boots: Won't need serious mountain boots as this is an early season hunt maxing at 9500 feet and I wanted something suitable for Texas, too. Danner Pronghorn uninsulated fit the bill. Break-in was quick and comfort impressive. Rain Gear: Redhead Squaltex parka and pants; also provides extra protection in case of unexpected cold weather. Celebratory Libations: My dad liked to drink either Wild Turkey 101 or Chivas. Since this trip is in his honor, I'm bringing both. Third, the prize: A lot of this we're still learning about. Butcher: Local place called Jerry's Meats will "cut, wrap, freeze the meat." I do not yet know if they will process the meat entirely or if we'll just bring back iced meat for processing in Texas. Trophy: The ranch can set us up with Accurate Services, whoever they are. I'm looking around DFW for someone to do a Euro. No word on cape - seems a lot of elk hunters leave it to nature rather than keep it for themselves. Bringing it all home: Getting everything in the F150 will be a challenge. Ranch recommends three to four 40qt coolers per animal. Plus two racks and two capes. That's A LOT to keep on ice and not much space in which to do it. Working on an upper deck solution for the truck bed to hold a few coolers. We'll keep an eye out for "fuck waffles" as we make stops on the way home. I'll update as more is known and as we plan things out further. Oh, and this will be the only orange I'll be wearing on this hunt (yay private land): @Spaulding Smails how is your elk trip shaping up? @deadshank, now that you have the 7mm worked out, any other issues in planning your elk hunt? I miss anyone else?
  2. This guy came by to say “hi.” I said “hi” back.
  3. Shit I cooked for the family - shells stuffed with grilled chicken fajita; sautéed onion, bell pepper, jalapeños; cream cheese; Mexican cheese mix; Bolner’s southwest fajita seasoning. Topped with roasted hatch green chili sauce (roasted Hatch chilis, chicken stock, onion, garlic, dash cumin) and more cheese. Baked. Decadent.
  4. 2018 F-150 Lariat Super Crew FX4 44k miles checking in with the dreaded SYNC APIM failure. Typical onset with delayed response to inputs, then failure of GPS and compass, then failure of Apple CarPlay… Yay. Two questions: 1) I haven’t had to take my truck in for service since COVID started, so the following was a surprise: I had to make my appointment at the dealership three weeks in advance just to see a service salesman. Then after I see the salesman, my truck must stay onsite for a minimum of four days for a tech to diagnose the problem. Resolution sometime after that - no timeline given. Is this the new normal? In 30 years of car ownership, I don’t recall this kind of process before. WTF I have to leave my truck for a week just to get looked at… and that’s after I made an appointment weeks in advance to drop it off? 2). My understanding is that only dealerships can work the APIM issue, but perhaps this is incorrect. Anyone know of a shop in the DFW area that could replace the APIM and program it for my truck? Apparently there are DIY secondary market options but I don’t want to fuck it up and end up with the heater blasting all summer or some shit.
  5. Checking in from the Burger Bar in Cleburn. Solid rec, @CHIEF. Perfect day for it, too, with stunning weather here in North Texas. Nice move with the salet under the patty and cheese on top of the patty, completely melted. Between this thread and the Texas BBQ thread, eating well on the road has never been better or easier.
  6. (I posted in Dec 2021 that I was on a mission to take a Bull Elk in 2022 with my dad’s Weatherby Mark V chambered in 300 Weatherby Magnum, the rifle given to him for that very purpose 35 years ago upon his retirement but that he never got to shoot before cancer took him. Here’s where I am now.) Finally getting to work on zeroing the Mark V. Been a busy spring, but now all I can think about is Utah at the end of August. Set up a range at the farm for 50, 100, 200, and 300 yards. The Mark V is on the lead sled, buddy’s suppressed Ruger American .308 on the table. I was able to dial in a decent grouping in the orange at 100 yards, but rain cancelled the session before I could work at the 200. The action initially was very tight but loosened a bit as I ran it though its paces; need to be able to quickly initiate follow-up shots. Before long, she’ll be purring like a mountain lion. However, there is an issue. I was hoping to run with the original Zeiss 3-9x36, but, with a nasty astigmatism in my dominant eye and generally shitty vision, I think I’m going to need more magnification for a potential 250 yard shot in the field without the niceties of a shooting bench and lead sled. Indeed, I feel like I’d get better results at 200 with my 5-20x ATN X-Site II HD day/night scope. Anyone have any suggestions for a good Elk scope (lightweight, magnification, objective lens size, etc.) ? I’ve never had the need to venture beyond the 3-9x40 glass universe before. @686 had mentioned some manufacturers. @Brisketexan, you mentioned that you had the same rifle but wanted to upgrade the glass. Have you, and if so, to what? Been working on the cardio and techniques to prepare for the shot, as @686, @BabaYaga, and @deadshank advised. With regard to the ammo we discussed, mostly all the 300 Weatherby Magnum ammo I’ve found on the market this year has been Weatherby Select and Select Plus 165 and 180 Grain Hornady Interlock with a box or two of Remington Core-Lokt 180 grain softpoints here and there. I decided to go heavy (and cheaper) and went with the Select 180 interlock to shoot-in the rifle. That said, just last week, more variety started hitting the market, including Weatherby Select Plus 180 grain Barnes TTSX and 200 grain Accubond, plus tons more Remington 180 grain Core-Lokt. @Gladeite, thanks for the recs for the 200 Accubond and others in your post. Anyone else have any thoughts on ammo? Guide is supposed to contact us in June with more details; he gave us the basics earlier this year so that we could start planning (good call, @686). More posts to follow more frequently. Shaping up to be epic. Thanks again for any and all input/advice/insight.
  7. On Gunbroker. Just a GORGEOUS revolver. https://www.gunbroker.com/item/932443335 Worth a look at the other 48 pics. Royal Blue plus Ivory (mammoth or not) is one my favorite combinations. Plus Python and engraved by Valade. If only I had the cash…
  8. My NV rig is an ATN Night Sight HD II 5-20x mounted on a DPMS GII Hunter chambered in 7.62x51. (IIRC, Cabo started with the same or similar ATN.) Over the years, with this rig I’ve taken about 15 pigs at a friend’s place by Port Lavaca, but this post is about my first at my place in NE Texas. My rig: Home sweet home. Feeder is at 180 yards. Bought an ATN OTS-XLT 160 2.5-10x for scanning: Used the thermal to spot the sounder coming in from the far fence line, about 300 yards. White hot worked beautifully. Switched to NV and bang: No NV video because I was fumbling with my first use of the thermal and wanted to get the shot off; should have had shot-activated video on but I was off my game. No thermal shots because I didn’t bother taking any photos - though the packaging was correct, inside was the 1-4x model, so I just returned it to Amazon and will pick up the correct model at the ATN store in Grapevine where I can ensure I get the correct model. Really looking forward to using this set-up through the summer.
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