A $9 dampener that works on your rifle? Yes, to even up the odds if you compete. It is not cheating! Maybe worth a try. It works!

I have tested these Barrel Dampeners before on a few big game rifles.  Cost is $9 dollars on Amazon. Cheap enough! They do work! 

The question becomes; How much accuracy do you really need? For hunting say at 50 yards, one inch is fine, but for competition 1/2 to 1/3 inch groups is more the norm.

 Ammo used for hunting and plinking is inexpensive compared to competitive target ammunition, $6 a box of 50 for plinking and $10 to $20 competition. In the middle are $8 or $9 dollar boxes that can work magic in some rifles. I know these barrel dampeners can help tighten groups of so called lesser ammo. 

Today, I found that at 4 inches from the tip of my semi- auto Savage A22 barrel my groups shrunk today but I did not make it a science project.

Give it a try if you are interested. Money talks, right!

Good Shooting!

I purchase bricks of ammo and test by Lot #. Using my Garmin chronograph, I test 5 shot groups at 50 yards for speed (MIN MAX AVG) Extreme Spread and of course Standard Deviation.

Product          

SK Match Lot 004

Min          Max       Avg         ES        SD

1081       1096.7   1091       16.7      5.4

SK Match Lot 002

Min             Max       Avg         ES        SD

1077.2       1104.2   1089.2       27     10.8

As you can see there is some ES/SD variation of SK Lots.

Wolf Match Extra Lot 135

Min             Max       Avg         ES        SD

1135.9       1156.8   1146.2      20.9     7.3

Eley Match Lot 143

Min             Max       Avg         ES        SD

1125.2       1137.2   1130.1      12        4.2

Serious Competitive Shooters like low SD’s like the SK Lot 004 of 5.4 and Eley at 4.2. Ammo cost goes up dramatically with low SD’s. 

Good Shooting!

I am afraid the 22 rifle bug has bit me.

The remedy is to shoot often with friendly competition. I am in week 2 of the disease and spending cash like a silly kid in a candy store. I am buying another slightly better tactical scope in mill radians known as MRAD. For target shooters, MRAD, or “MIL” for short, once learned, is more helpful in point of aim detail among many target shooters. It is divided finer than MOA. If you already know MOA, you do not have to learn MIL. I am going to see what changes in ease of mental calculations. Stay Posted…

I spent most of my life as a hunter and used MOA (Minute of Angle). So “MIL” is new to me. Calculation differences below. 

Good Shooting!

Archery is great fun for young and old. Most backyards have enough room to shoot at targets or even balloons. We all need to get outside and away from cell phones, etc. 

Interestingly, archery is a way to focus and merge your inner thoughts and outer self. It is a mental game of focus. Your reward is hitting the bullseye.  Oriental’s used Zen archery to extend the arrow in one’s mind to become one with the bullseye at the moment of launching the arrow.

Some people shoot at a target, others shoot/focus at the bullseye on the target. In riflery, we aim small and miss small, a similar concept.

To accomplish this requires correct conscious awareness of breathing, body stance and form. A merged focus on the inner and outer self. 

Success, an inner positive feeling can be achieved by focusing your outer self. 

In the case of bow hunters, 3D Animal foam target archery is a way to walk an archery course with other like minded folks and focus on, distance to target, how to stand with bushes and branches around your feet, and recall breathing and focus to launch your arrow. I did this for many years with my son.

Today, I shoot my bows in my backyard achieving focus and success.

Perhaps you can have backyard success as well. 

Good Shooting!

Wild Boar taken in Maine

Many hunters like myself, who cook, understand that frozen vacuum sealed game meat improves in flavor and tenderness over time. I call it “freezer aging” under vacuum. 

Animal hormones and blood in the meat hold stronger wild tastes we know as gaminess. I have used buttermilk to aid in drawing hormone laden blood from meat and aid in tenderizing. It helped!

Enter Freezer Aged Meat.

Freezer aged meat (more than 3 months) loses much of this gamey flavor. Further, that vacuum sealed venison and moose meat become increasingly tender and flavorful past several months in the freezer.  My wife and I love the meat from my 2023 Newfoundland cow moose but we noticed that it got even better after months in the freezer.

So If you have game meat vacuum sealed in the freezer, take heart, you can say you are “freezer aging” your game meat. 

Soon, I will write more about my new found very pleasant experiences with my black bear meat.

Good Eating!

There are dozens of basic hunting laser rangefinders out there. Most rangefinders accomplish both close range e.g 4 or 5 yards to the furthest rating of the model you are interested in. All at a cost from 50 dollars to many hundreds. My criteria is simple. Compact, reliable, battery operated, handles angle distance, cost effective.

If you are going to spend thousands on hunts in far off lands, you need quality and reliability. 

Usually that means a brand name like Leupold, Nikon and SIG for example among many. As a bow and rifle hunter consider the following criteria;

Good customer ratings. e.g Amazon.

Ease of use

Light weight

Reliable measurements

Angle compensation

Display in a bright color

Some magnification

Battery operated

Water resistant

A lanyard for carry around neck

Carry case.

Warranty

You can accomplish all of this today for under $200. Seek to find youtube video reviews to narrow your choices like below.

Good Luck!