Newfoundland Moose Hunt Prep 2023 and .375 Ruger Rifle Choice

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Moose hunting provides an opportunity for lots of delicious meat and maybe a large rack to display in remembrance of the hunt.. I have been blessed with successfully hunting Newfoundland moose bull in October 2019 and a New Hampshire bull several years back, neither had great racks. Below is the New Hampshire moose.

So I am trying for a larger mature bull (more meat) with perhaps a larger rack. We shall see. 

This new moose hunt is expected to be a river hunt using the Gander River Canoe or some say Gander River Bay boat. Newfoundland moose hunts are in September and October and are prime times for crazy weather.

I shot my last bull, quartering forward, in Newfoundland in a late September snow squall with 30 mph zero degree windchill. A one-shot kill at 100 yards with a Nosler 300g AccuBond. My bullet did not exit and was recovered under the skin on the far side after wrecking the lungs. He stood for just a few seconds before collapsing where he stood.. 

 

You’d think that I had dozens of rifles to choose from but in truth I have only 5 rifles. Two are muzzleloaders. My really big game modern rifle is the Ruger M77 African in .375 Ruger. I hand load it. My bullet of choice is the 300 grain Nosler AccuBond™ because it is a tough bonded bullet and has a high ballistic coefficient and a superior sectional density for long range hunting. Below left is the Nosler 260 grain and right is the 300 grain AB. 

I like the 308/30-06/7mm/.270 type cartridge or greater for moose hunting. No, you don’t need a .375 Ruger, but I have one in my gun safe and it is accurate as all get-out. I shoot it very well.

For those not familiar with the .375 Ruger, it is slightly more powerful than the .375 Holland and Holland of African fame for Cape Buffalo and is a non-belted round.

With a state-of-the-art recoil pad, it reduces my .375 felt recoil by approximately 50%, like a .270 Winchester.

These recoil pads like the Pachmayr Decelerator™ and Limbsaver models are excellent and tames my .375 Ruger very well.

I can shoot it off hand, in my t-shirt. Get one of these pads today and stop whining about recoil!

 

Many Newfoundland bogs, that are prime moose habitat, are hundreds of yards in size and you need a rifle to reach out and maintain speed and energy. 

I use the BOG Deathgrip tripod below for longer range shots. I have shot it prone and accurately out to 600 yards. 

My scope of choice is the Leupold VX-6 3-18. What a combo! Below are the ballistics as calculated by JBMballistics.com with a muzzle velocity of 2550 fps with the Nosler 300g AB. Zeroed for 250 yards. With a 20 mph wind at 45º angle. The .375 Ruger with this Nosler AB bullet delivers over 2000 ft lbs. at 450 yards. Wow!

 

Trajectory
Input Data
Manufacturer: Nosler Description: Accubond™ Spitzer
Caliber: 0.375 in Weight: 300.0 gr
Ballistic Coefficient: 0.473 G1 (ASM)
Muzzle Velocity: 2550.0 ft/s Distance to Chronograph: 10.0 ft
Sight Height: 0.70 in Sight Offset: 0.00 in
Zero Height: 0.00 in Zero Offset: 0.00 in
Windage: 0.000 MOA Elevation: 0.000 MOA
Line Of Sight Angle: 0.0 deg Cant Angle: 0.0 deg
Wind Speed: 20.0 mph Wind Angle: 45.0 deg
Target Speed: 0.0 mph Target Angle: 90.0 deg
Target Height: 40.0 in
Temperature: 40.0 °F Pressure: 29.92 in Hg
Humidity: 50 % Altitude: 0.0 ft
Vital Zone Radius: 5.0 in
Std. Atmosphere at Altitude: No Pressure is Corrected: Yes
Zero at Max. Point Blank Range: No Target Relative Drops: Yes
Mark Sound Barrier Crossing: No Include Extra Rows: No
Column 1 Units: 1.00 in Column 2 Units: 1.00 MOA
Round Output to Whole Numbers: No
Output Data
Elevation: 7.521 MOA Windage: 0.000 MOA
Atmospheric Density: 0.07925 lb/ft³ Speed of Sound: 1095.8 ft/s
Maximum PBR: 302 yd Maximum PBR Zero: 255 yd
Range of Maximum Height: 136 yd Energy at Maximum PBR: 2658.9 ft•lbs
Sectional Density: 0.305 lb/in²
Calculated Table
Range Drop Drop Windage Windage Velocity Mach Energy Time Lead Lead
(yd) (in) (MOA) (in) (MOA) (ft/s) (none) (ft•lbs) (s) (in) (MOA)
0 -0.7 *** 0.0 *** 2556.6 2.333 4353.2 0.000 0.0 ***
25 1.1 4.2 0.1 0.3 2508.0 2.289 4189.5 0.030 0.0 0.0
50 2.6 4.9 0.3 0.5 2460.0 2.245 4030.7 0.060 0.0 0.0
75 3.7 4.6 0.7 0.8 2412.6 2.202 3876.6 0.091 0.0 0.0
100 4.4 4.2 1.2 1.1 2365.7 2.159 3727.3 0.122 0.0 0.0
125 4.7 3.6 1.8 1.4 2319.2 2.116 3582.5 0.154 0.0 0.0
150 4.6 3.0 2.7 1.7 2273.4 2.075 3442.1 0.187 0.0 0.0
175 4.1 2.3 3.7 2.0 2228.0 2.033 3306.1 0.220 0.0 0.0
200 3.2 1.5 4.8 2.3 2183.1 1.992 3174.3 0.254 0.0 0.0
225 1.8 0.8 6.2 2.6 2138.8 1.952 3046.6 0.289 0.0 0.0
250 -0.0 -0.0 7.7 3.0 2094.9 1.912 2923.0 0.324 0.0 0.0
275 -2.4 -0.8 9.4 3.3 2051.6 1.872 2803.4 0.360 0.0 0.0
300 -5.2 -1.7 11.4 3.6 2008.9 1.833 2687.8 0.397 0.0 0.0
325 -8.6 -2.5 13.5 4.0 1966.7 1.795 2576.0 0.435 0.0 0.0
350 -12.6 -3.4 15.8 4.3 1925.0 1.757 2468.0 0.474 0.0 0.0
375 -17.2 -4.4 18.3 4.7 1883.9 1.719 2363.8 0.513 0.0 0.0
400 -22.3 -5.3 21.0 5.0 1843.4 1.682 2263.3 0.553 0.0 0.0
425 -28.1 -6.3 24.0 5.4 1803.5 1.646 2166.4 0.594 0.0 0.0
450 -34.6 -7.3 27.2 5.8 1764.2 1.610 2073.0 0.636 0.0 0.0
475 -41.7 -8.4 30.6 6.2 1725.6 1.575 1983.2 0.679 0.0 0.0
500 -49.6 -9.5 34.3 6.5 1687.6 1.540 1896.9 0.723 0.0 0.0

 
08-Oct-22 09:19, JBM/jbmtraj-5.1.cgi

Wind at long range becomes a serious factor, understand your limitations. If you have a heavy wind at 90 degree crosswind angles, keep your shots at much shorter ranges. Quartering wind or wind blowing at you is a better situation, but you may need to move for a better shot opportunity. A trajectory and wind table printed in your pocket can be helpful. 

Good Hunting!

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Take your Flintlock Out for a Walk

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Just like my Labrador retriever, my rifles and especially my 1776 50 cal. Pennsylvania flintlock, needs exercise.

So I took it out for a fun walk at the range recently to ensure all was clean and in working order.

The lock mechanism also needs to be regularly lubed and inspected for rust.

And the barrel needs to be periodically cleaned even if not used. The sulfur residue from black powder is hard to totally remove, and can cause weak sulfuric acid to form, resulting in rust in sufficient quantity to lose accuracy. Unfortunately, many of us learn that cleaning lesson the hard way, including me. I cleaned and swabbed my swamp barrel several times over a year leaving a coating of oil in the barrel. Thus far, I have put a pound of black powder through it, so the barrel, like a frying pan is cured.

Off to the range I went, .and bench rested two shots at 50 yards at 3/4 inch, below.

 

My Pennsylvania Flintlock amazes me every time. Several years ago, I created this rifle from a very high end Chambers Kit in honor of Jacob Dickert who was the the most prolific Lancaster, PA master rifle maker of the American Revolution.

Below a boar I took with this rifle a few years back.

 

Good Shooting!

 

 

 

August is for Archery

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August is just a month before Archery season begins in New Hampshire.

 

 

Sharpen your shooting skills and get your arms in shape. Distance judging is another skill that we can work on. Shooting downward from a tree stand at say my max range of 40 yards with a crossbow

or 20 yards with recurve make practice a must.  

 

 

I use a Leupold laser rangefinder that accounts for the down angle such as the TBR True Ballistic Range models.

Leupold RX-1600i TBR/W with DNA Laser Rangefinder 6x OLED Selectable

 

Shooting your practice broadheads vs field points can ensure hunting accuracy. If you hunt from a tree stand then practice in one too, or at that height.

Watch out for branches and clothing that can brush your string and send your arrow off the target.

I developed a mental pre-draw checklist, for branches and clothing/armguard you should too.

 

Good Shooting!

 

Sporting Dollars Going to China?

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In January of this year, New Hampshire Rifleman Magazine sent letters to Bass Pro headquarters and Dick’s Sporting Goods Headquarters urging them to seek alternatives to selling billions of dollars of China made goods.

It is now August and we have never heard back! See my article below.

China Sporting Goods Dollars Sold in USA – Is China an Adversary? Yes! Updated

As a concerned American sportsman I know  purchases are helping our adversary, China. It is time to stop feeding money to this Marxist regime.

What can you do? Call your legislators and write to businesses to seek alternatives.

Seek out American made products wherever possible.

 

 

Our First New Hampshire RV Trip

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This article is about our first camp experience with our USA made 2022 Mini Lite Rockwood 2104s 22 ft trailer.

2022 Forest River Rockwood Mini Lite 2104 S in Wilmington, NC

It was July 26 when we drove my Toyota Tacoma with the Mini-Lite in tow, from Plaistow to Wolfeboro. The trailer hitch had stabilizer bars that worked very well and came with the trailer.

We did use the ECT power feature of the Tacoma, which was adequate for this trip. Speeds of 45 to 55 mph were the norm and achieved up to 15 mpg.  The stabilizer bars limit the turn/back up radius to a max of 45 degrees.

The jack like stabilizers on each corner are not really levelers but make the floor much more stable and not intended to lift. 

The RV AC unit worked like a champ as did the fridge and freezer. 

Electric and water hookup, Sewer hookup was easy too. 

The Mini-Lite comes with a outside mountable, 17 inch gas griddle and was used to cook breakfast each morning. It worked well but needed better leveling by me for cooking runny eggs. 

The rv queen murphy bed feature worked well to stow. The bed was firm to sleep on. When the bed is stowed, a sofa is created as the sofa back can lay flat or flip up. We did not use the inside gas stove.  

The shower unit worked very well. 

It rained 6 inched in our RV park overnight and it was very noisy on the roof but we stayed dry. The awning was deployed and handled the rain runoff well. 

Overall RV performance was excellent.

 

So far a big thumbs up.

 

 

 

NH Congressional Candidate Karoline Leavitt and Interview with Kayleigh McEnany

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Big Second Amendment Candidate!!

For Immediate Release

CONTACT: info@karolineforcongress.com

 

WATCH: Karoline Leavitt and Kayleigh McEnany on Fox Nation at Turning Point USA Summit

 

Hampton, NH — In case you missed it, Karoline Leavitt joined her former boss and the former White House Press Secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, on Fox Nation at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit. Leavitt was endorsed by Turning Point Action and it’s founder, Charlie Kirk, and was invited to speak at the summit ahead of President Donald J. Trump.

 

Watch Karoline’s interview with Kayleigh HERE!

Big Game – Max Point Blank Range

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Ethics are essential. I stick to my cartridges max point-blank range (MPBR), or often much less. What does that mean?

Accordingly, MPBR is the furthest distance your bullet can go without dropping out of your game animals kill zone and still have sufficient energy for a clean harvest. Example: Your game, a whitetail deer has a kill zone of say six to eight inches or so. If your bullet falls to the bottom of that kill zone at longer distances, then you are at your maximum range without adjusting your scope (MPBR).

In my case, using ballistic software, my MPBR often falls in the 250-to-300-yard range. Really, I have never had to shoot at game beyond 300 yards. 

It takes long-range practice with the cartridge and bullet you hunt with and know the effect of wind on your bullet. Hunting ethics are essential!

A book that I have in my hunting library below. 

If you are like me, experimentation is fun.

 

Good Hunting!

Outdoor Camping: New Rockwood Mini-Lite – Made In The USA

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My wife and I took the plunge and purchased a new USA Made 2022 RV, the Rockwood Mini-Lite Model 2104S for camping. We tented when we were young but now we will camp and travel in comfort and style.

https://www.rvusa.com/rv-guide/2020-forest-river-rockwood-mini-lite-travel-trailer-floorplan-2104s-tr45035

2022 Forest River Rockwood Mini Lite 2104 S in Wilmington, NC

2021 Forest River Rockwood Mini Lite 2104S in Raleigh, NC

 

My  2021 Toyota Tacoma 4×4 tow capability is up to 6800 lbs. and set the stage for RV size. This RV dry weight is 4841 lbs. and can have a payload of up to 1933 lbs. We figure our load will be 600 lbs. or less for most travel. Our murphy bed is a short queen size and can be stowed to increase room. The U-Dinette converts to a long bed and is nearly a queen in width. We have a gas stove, microwave, fridge/freezer, TV, sink, bathroom and lots of storage. And outdoor mountable grill.

We will be in training for it next week and take it on our first New Hampshire camping trip soon, up in the NH lakes region. 

More soon…

USA Made or China Made?

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Some folks, like myself, are trying to avoid purchasing from adversary countries, aka China, and prefer to buy USA goods. Sometimes you can’t.

Looking for USA made Outdoor products can be a daunting task when the majority of outdoor goods are made in Asia/China. If you are concerned and want to buy American then you are in luck for some gear.

Coleman makes some US made goods but majority appears to still be  Asia made.

When searching for goods, look to find where it is made.

The truth is USA businesses are still importing from China and you may not be able to avoid buying Asian/China goods. But stay at it. I found some alternatives. You can too.

In your Internet search bar use words like “USA made” does help some.

On Amazon you can read “answered questions” on a product and can give you a “where made”. I was able to sometimes find alternative goods but we are still forced to buy some China goods. 

Some US businesses are getting the message to seek other non adversarial manufacturers.  Example: I believe it is not “If”China invades Taiwan but “when”. And then we will be forces into change.

Start Now! You can do this!

Good Searching!