Monthly Archives: May 2023

New Hampshire Lake Fish for Breakfast, Lunch Or Dinner

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Got Fish License and Rules?

https://www.eregulations.com/newhampshire/fishing/freshwater

Yup! Lets go catch a New Hampshire Lakes Region bred fish or two and cook em’ up.

There are fish species that make great table fare besides trout and salmon. And some fish species you never heard of or perhaps mistaken for another. I put a night-crawler on a hook and cast it 20 feet from shore. In just seconds, I caught a few tiny yellow perch and recasted in the same spot. And my rod bent sharply. The 12 inch fish fought mightily but I pulled it to shore. Oh, I saw that it was a warm water species that is plentiful in New Hampshire lakes and rivers.

Some call it a sucker or whitefish but it is really a giant minnow called a “Fallfish” Genus Species Semotilus corporalis. And it is very edible but not a sought after target species.

You wont find it listed in the NH Freshwater Guide. 


 

It is a minnow that can grow to 20 inches! Good fighter too! As table fare goes, it is very edible but by many, not considered a target species. I caught several  in the Androscoggin river as a boy.

I had fun wrangling this fish!

So what… if its not high on the “elite” fish list.

I filleted these and removed the scaly skin and pan fried coated with flour salt/pepper/garlic. Today with folks smoking meats/ fish on grills, like my Traeger, with seafood rubs, this fish is a keeper by those who know how to chef/cook in the wild.

Another recipe is to make Fish Cakes with this fish or with Yellow Perch. And I did…

The meat of perch is delicious and holds together well. I chose to make fish cakes. I sauteed the fish in a shallow pan and mashed the cooked fillets with mashed potato, salt/pepper/herbs/garlic. I mixed in a raw egg and bread crumbs. I made fish cakes and added more fine bread crumbs and parsley to coat and fried to a golden crust. I created a remoulade sauce as a condiment but ketchup works too.  Wow!

In the future, I intend to smoke some of these fish too.

Delicious!

Good Fishing!

 

© Copyright 2023

 

 

 

Muzzleloader Bullet Thoughts

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I ran into a friend who shot a doe with spitzer type muzzleloader bullet. The deer ran hundreds of yards before dropping. And he recovered the bullet, which never mushroomed to deliver killing energy.

I advocate for semi-spitzers with rounded nose, round/flat nose or hollow point bullets for muzzleloaders that deliver sufficient energy to open/ mushroom the bullet. 

Do your homework and read up.

Avoid spitzer styles that are difficult to open and mushroom.

Most shots are taken at 40 to 60 yards and do not need sharply pointed bullets. 

You will be glad you changed bullets. I like a 300 grain semi-spitzer/hollow point for my 50 cal.  and at least 100 grains of pyrodex. 

Some examples of better mushrooming bullets.

Powerbelt Copper Plated Muzzleloading Bullets 50 Caliber Hollow Point PackPowerbelt Copper Plated Muzzleloading Bullets AeroTip

Powerbelt Platinum Muzzleloading Bullets 50 Caliber 270 Grain AeroTip 15PKHornady XTP Bullets 50 Caliber Sabot with 44 Caliber (.430") 240 Grain Jacketed Hollow Point Box of 20

Thompson Center Maxi-Hunter Bullets 50 Caliber

Now is the time to shop!

I avoid sharp sleek pointed bullets that are not designed to readily expand. 

Good Shooting!

 

 

Hornady 7mm 175g ELD-X and Nosler 175g ABLR – 3000fps in Browning Speed 7mm Rem Mag/w Timney Trigger and Leupold Scope

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Browning X-Bolt Speed SR Bolt Action Centerfire Rifle

Using Alliant RL 22 powder, I have experimented to find my max load and best accuracy for long range moose hunting this fall. At 500 yds I still have 2000 ft-lbs of energy. 

Reloder 22

I found that each bullet type responded well to incremental loadings of Alliant Reloader 22 powder. This powder has been known by some hand loaders, including me, finding lot to lot variation thus load data I worked up is for my rifle and this powder lot only.

My first objective was to be safe and inspect each round before proceeding in incremental increases until either I achieved my velocity/energy goal or ran into case/primer concerns. I was able to achieve just over 3000 fps with nary an issue, even with a 9.5 barrel twist. 

My COAL objective was to set it at 20 thousandths less than the rifle lands and chronograph each bullet, then shoot for 3 shot groups at 100 yards. .On  the first pass, I achieved a 7/8 inch group at 100 yards with outside temp around 70 degrees and a cold barrel.

My Timney trigger was set a 3 pounds and worked crisply. Thanks Timney!

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Leupold VX-6 3-18 was set at 10x. Love my Leupold!

Leupold VX-6 CDS Rifle Scope - 307376, Rifle Scopes and Accessories at ...

I believe 3 shot bench groups are all that is necessary for hunting accuracy.  It is very rare to fire more than 3 rounds at one big game animal. My confidence is very high with this Browning in hand. Next is to shoot off hand and with a tripod type rest and shoot a fast follow up shot with the short 60 degree bolt throw.

Good Shooting!

 

Browning X-Bolt Speed and Cartridge Overall Length Surprise

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Hand-loaders love to experiment with bullet seating depth to increase accuracy.  In a new rifle, I sometimes discover that the magazine length or clip is the limiting factor for OAL and not the bullet distance to the rifling. This can be disappointing as it limits bullet OAL and can affect best accuracy. 

Pleasantly, I have been surprised to find the clip length for my Browning 7mm Rem Mag is 3.57 inches.

X-Bolt Rotary Magazine – Burnt Bronze Cerakote

 

SAAMI lists the max overall cartridge length OAL at 3.29 inches for off the shelf ammo. The chamber and magazine in my Browning allows me to hand-load longer than published OAL, thus leaving room for accuracy experimentation we hand-loader often do.

The caveat here is that the bullet must contact the case neck at least to bullet diameter. In my case that length is .284 inches. 

OAL can vary from spitzer to round nose.  I measure max OAL for each cartridge and bullet and subtract 20 thousandths (give or take) for spitzers and 50 thou or more for round nose.

Experimentation will tell where your best accuracy is.

I find that in my 7 MM Rem Mag, I’m not be limited by SAAMI OAL of 3.29 inches. I can use OAL’s out to 3.4 inches with my Nosler 175 g ABLR. Very nice indeed!!

Good Shooting!

©Copyright 2023

 

 

Reloading: 6.5mm Lapua Mega 155 bullet now in stock at Midway

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May 2, 2023 In stock

One of my favorite New England deer/bear hunting 6.5 mm bullets for my Creedmoor. It hammers them and puts brown to the ground in brushy terrain. 

Lapua Mega Bullets 264 Caliber, 6.5mm (264 Diameter) 155 Grain Soft Point Box of 100

Quote from Midway-

“Mega soft point bullets are constructed to be an ideal hunting bullet. The bullet’s flattened nose causes a powerful shock immediately after impact. The jacket extends all the way to the tip of the bullet, protecting the nose both in the rifle and flight, if it hits a branch or twig. The crown-headed jacket tip is thinned toward the point and deliberately folded to ensure even opening and mushrooming on impact up to 2.5 times the original diameter.

The jacket is substantially thickened at its middle section which arrests the mushrooming at precisely the right stage. The “step” farther inside the jacket holds the lead core within the jacket. This construction combines maximum weight retention (averaging 90%) and ideal penetration with superb accuracy.”

See my article below using Superformance powder.

6.5 Creedmoor Superformance Load Data with Lapua Mega 155 grain Soft Point Flat Nose

Another article on round nose bullets below.

Round nose bullets drop them faster! Hornady makes round nose for 6.5mm too.

Round Nose Bullets, Too Often Overlooked

Good Hunting!