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Post by miketodd58 on May 18, 2015 13:03:13 GMT -5
I had a great time! Lots of nice people, plenty of good food! Didn't shoot the full competition after my first shot was pretty wild at 100yds, but I did ring the silhouette at 350 on the first shot offhand just like Hillbill. Wasn't going to try again, but Hillbill did ring it again the second try too! hillbill also took care of the approx. 3" water filled balloon @ 375yds/hillbill shot very excellent until his scope blew. congrats to kyle again! Holy Crap What kind of Scope did HillBill have?
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Post by miketodd58 on May 18, 2015 13:02:11 GMT -5
He not only beat his old man but a lot of other old men, I was silently hoping he would win the 100 but none the less everyone was very impressed.. That is some fine shooting for such a young man.
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Post by miketodd58 on May 18, 2015 12:44:55 GMT -5
The weather did increase the challenge. With the 100% humidity Bestill said the BH209 fouling turned into like a tar or gum in a few hours. His quick fix was to fire another fouler if the gun sat very long. Deadeye's groups went south so he was pulling his hair out trying to figure out what was wrong. Deadeye is a deadeye! He is a excellent trigger puller. It looks like he might have warped his brake. Half of the shooters stayed under MOA thru the course. It was impressive to watch a little side shoot that was banging the gong at 350yds freehand standing. The 350 gong got a pretty good work out during the weekend. Hillbill and Deadeye was popping small balloons at 350 and 375yds. Question?? How do you warp a break??? Im curious. How many shots did it take to get for BH209 to get to the tar or Gum in the few hours you speak of? Do you think this had something to do with the amount of heat generated by the sustained firing and then humidity coupled with down poring rain? ? Or was this a maintenance issue and would a simple swabbing of a dry patch taken care of this? I know from my own experience with BH209 that if you try and wet swab before you dry swab the barrel you will get that tar or gummy feeling with BH209. BH209 leaves a soot type of residue behind. A dry patch will remove the excess "soot" and then you can follow up with wet patches. If you start out with wet patches you are going to find yourself with a gummy bear feeling of sticky mess. I can recall shooting up to 50 rounds in a single range session with BH209 without swabbing. At home I ran a two dry patches down the tube to flush out the soot. Followed by wet patches of Hoppes #9. All was clean. During normal hunting seasons I usually will fire 1 or several rounds during the course of a hunt and bring it home and swab with a dry patch followed by a wet patch of Hoppes. Ive never had a issue like you describe so I am sort of curious as to Deadeyes condition Sat. Thanks in Advance for any information you can provide.
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Post by miketodd58 on May 18, 2015 12:21:53 GMT -5
Another great Shoot missed. I hope third time is the charm. I had big money ridding on Hillbill. What the heck happened to his 200 yard group? He was probably asleep in his camper and no one bothered to wake him. Great shooting in the rain everyone. Mighty impressive. I'll bet the average center fire owner can't shoot those groups. Something to be said there about centerfire rifles not keeping up. Those are some darn impressive groups for some front stuffers. Dare I say it? There seems to be a recurring theme going on here. Brux Barrels! HIS ignition systems. IMR 4198 and BE's . Wanna stick with a winner? Stick with these winning combinations IMHO.
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Post by miketodd58 on May 16, 2015 12:22:45 GMT -5
I know everyone is hanging with baited breath to see who the crown is going to this year so don't be bashful about posting
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Post by miketodd58 on May 14, 2015 13:50:37 GMT -5
Man I have not seen one of your builds yet that not only looks great but shoots great too! The Fit and finish on that muzzleloader is seamless. You sir are truly a great gunsmith. My hats off to you!
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Post by miketodd58 on May 13, 2015 10:45:58 GMT -5
I don't consider myself a "professional" by no means ...and I know I am going to get flamed for saying this but it is my true feelings. I wouldn't shoot that corrosive stuff through any of my guns. I don't care what they advertise about non corrosive...it corrodes.....experienced it first hand. I had a lot of inconsistency with it myself.... However that was 4years back and things may have improved. Just mu .02worth Drop It's pretty awesome propellant. when I am not shooting smokeless it's my firm choice, Thus spring I had a senior moment, I went on a coyote hunt and killed a coyote. Came home and put the muzzleloader up not thinking I had shot it and forgot about it. 3 weeks later I pulled it out and went oh crap. Looked down the bore and there was this white glaze. I was horrified. I just knew I had messed up. Ran a dry patch down the bore then a wet patch of Hopps number 9 and then ran a bore scope down the bore. It looks as clean and rust free as the day I bought it. Its ts expensive but hey what's not now days, I say it's worth every penny. Had that been some other sub or the real stuff my barrel would be toast!
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Post by miketodd58 on May 11, 2015 14:38:19 GMT -5
Are you talking about a used custom gun or buying one made to your specs?
I have never been comfortable buying someone elses custom guns. Done it before. Never been happy with exactly the way they had them set up or tuned.
The beauty in doing a custom gun from the ground up is you get it built YOUR way. Not cutting corners or settling for something that does not fit your needs, wants or desires. Plus on a new build you have a little leverage to work with the builder if something goes wrong or if you get stuck with a bad barrel. Not so much if you buy a used Muzzleloader. A used custom muzzleloader may seem like a good deal on the surface (and it may very well be in the end) but in the long run it could turn out to be a money pit. Its a gamble unless the seller is willing to back it with a buy back guarantee.
I would go with a custom build from the ground up myself. Or keep your muzzleloader stock and keep it as a back up and build yourself a custom muzzleloader. As many have found out the hard way muzzleloaders have a nasty habit of stopping in the middle of hunting season or doing weird things. Its nice to have a back up just in case.
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Post by miketodd58 on May 9, 2015 12:59:27 GMT -5
Sounds like your just pushing the bullet past the speeds in which it the jacket and core was designed for. I would suggest slowing it down to conventional velocities. If that is not a option or a preference then do what was recommended and switch out to the BAnrnes X. Have you read my recent posts? I have now. I was just trying to address your original question. I think your own advice of burning them in the Glock is going to be the ultimate answer but hey.. Have fun trying .
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Post by miketodd58 on May 9, 2015 8:49:23 GMT -5
After finding tiny bits of lead and jacket while butchering, I was trying to think of ways to keep the 200 XTP .40's from fragmenting so much. My first attempt is filling the hollowpoint with solder using a butane torch and filing flat. I have not weighed them yet to see if they weigh the same. I am going to fire them into the 100 yard berm at the range and hopefully pull out more than just the shed jacket and small chunks of lead like they were leaving. If they hold together better then I will start doing more and weighing to see how consistent they might be. No point in going there if I am not happy with how they hold up. I am doing this because I have almost 2 full boxes of the XTP's and I like to experiment with my loads. After the XTP's are gone I will most likely be using the Barnes 195's. Anybody else tried anything like this? Any ideas what might work better? Slufoot 45-70 conversion by the way. Sounds like your just pushing the bullet past the speeds in which it the jacket and core was designed for. I would suggest slowing it down to conventional velocities. If that is not a option or a preference then do what was recommended and switch out to the BAnrnes X.
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Post by miketodd58 on Apr 22, 2015 21:09:00 GMT -5
Since we are on the story telling, and I like true stories, Let me tell you all one.. Some years back, I built a custom 6MM AI for a new customer, After receiving this rifle he was so happy he ask me if I would do four more builds for him, He said he had most of the parts laying around and that he had been collection them for years. I said ,sure, I would build them, so we came to an agreement, written on an invoice, he sent me a deposit and the parts and I started building, A 338 Lapua, two, 22-250 AI's, a 6.5-284 and some re-work on a 7mm Rem Mag that he had built by another smith that totally ripped him off. (flag right there) After these were all completed he wanted to come to my shop and pick them up, so after talking with him several times over the coarse of a year, I thought he was a pretty good guy and said sure, come on down, I even offered him a room in my house so he would not have to stay in a hotel after driving 700 miles. He got to my place late, I had a dinner fixed, we ate and then we shot the bull for awhile, I spent most of the next day with him shooting all the guns and when he was ready to head home and it was time to pay me the balance, he said he didn't have it all at this time and would mail me the last $1,000.00 in a few weeks. As I am a business man and I know not to give up the product without payment in full, I told him he could take four of the rifles but he had to leave one of them until the balance was paid in full. At that time I would ship the last rifle to him... Well, He got mad and said I didn't trust him,, I kindly said, trust has nothing to do with it,, He knew what the balance due was, and he knew he didn't have enough money, but he drove down to my shop anyway. He should have told me this before he drove 700 miles to pick them up. This man was trying to get something for nothing,, and I wouldn't let him take the last rifle with him... He tried to entice me by saying if I would let him take all the rifles with him, he would order another rifle and send me some money as soon as he got home, I knew if he didn't have the money to pay for these rifles, where would he get the money to buy another rifle, So I told him to pay off these rifles first and we could talk about the next build. A few weeks went by, I received an e-mail from him saying I ripped him off and he wanted his rifle and his money back that he had paid me for the other work I did... After posting on the LRH forum that my work was exceptional and he would never do work with another smith as long as I was in business. He sued me for his money back (twice)in court, slandered my business on the LRH forum, drove to KY. twice to sue me in court... To make a long story short, I am still waiting on my money and I still have the rifle... He spent more money suing me than it would have cost to just finish paying off his bill, people like this are those you want to avoid, you never know who they are until its to late, but once you learn who they are you will remember it.. My Mom had a refrigerator magnet that said "When people show you who they are,,, Believe them" .... Mom is gone now,, but that magnet is still on my refrigerator... I see it every morning.... Thanks Jeff Hankins.. Wow what a idiot. he sued you knowing he had a balance due on a rifle. Bet the judge laughed his ass off on that one and sent him home with a spanking. You ou should send him a picture of it every Christmas or perhaps every hunting season from different tree stands or hunting peserves. Show him all the fun it could be having. OMG if I was not so,sad for you it would be Hillarious.
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Post by miketodd58 on Apr 9, 2015 13:38:26 GMT -5
Speaking of Bedding. Do you usually bed the Scope Bases as well Mr Hankins?
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Post by miketodd58 on Apr 2, 2015 23:51:31 GMT -5
MYou think? I have never been a promoter of hammerdowns. When did you come on scene?? Answered my own question Dec 2014. Bought a Savage MLII a about a year ago and started researching here. Found the load data I neede and started researching the possibilities of building a Custom SML. There were some things that stood out in many of the postings that just did not sound right that sorta made me scratch my head about joining the conversation here. The beating projectiles in with a hammer, Seems like a perfectly good way to mangle a perfectly good projectile to me. Sorta goes against everything that seems logical. Secondly the duplexing of powders. I understand it in theory, Seems like a complicated solution when there is a better way. I think Jeff has addressed both of these items in previous posts.
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Post by miketodd58 on Apr 2, 2015 17:17:43 GMT -5
Hello all.... Lately some of the guys here on the board have been giving their rifles names. I kinda like that idea so I named this rifle of mine "The Widow Maker" It is my go to ML,,, I use it for hunting and it is the rifle I shot last year at the Kentucky Challenge to take first place in both the 100 and 200 yards competitions. It is built on: Remington 700 short action Pacific tool and gauge bolt Krieger 29.250 over all length barrel with 1-20 twist. Richards Microfit stock Nightforce NXS 5.5-22X56 Nightforce 20 MOA Picatinny rail Vortex Precision Matched Rings. It carries a ram rod with a barrel band and feral, The ignition system is the HIS. Hankins Ignition System. Using LRMP's and custom priming modules.
I was asked to shoot this rifle using several different powders as I always post my results using my favorite load of IMR4198. So I finally got the time to do some shooting and here is what I was able to do. I will give a description of each group and then at the bottom I will include a picture of the target and since I like doing videos I will attach the link for those of you who would like to watch it.
Group #4 is at the bottom left of the target. This group was shot with full formed Hornady 325 grain FTX bullets that I sized the night before and pushed through the barrel. That was on a clean barrel and after I fouled the barrel I was not able to push them down the barrel. I had to hammer them down, (really Hammer them down). I used 135 grains of IMR4831 for this test. The 5 shot group is pretty bad but I am going to contribute that to the HAMMERING of them to get down the barrel. With a better fitting bullet I would think they would shoot a little better, so in all fairness to the bullet I need to try them again and see if they will do better. The 5 shot group measures 4.530 MOA. Velocity for these 5 shots are as follows... 3030, 2948, 2985, 3003, 2926. Average 2978 and ES of 104 Before you came on the scene Jeff....I would dare say the general feeling here was that a better fitting bullet was one that you had to hammer down the barrel. My how things change.
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Post by miketodd58 on Apr 1, 2015 18:19:25 GMT -5
All jokes aside I think its more of a logistics problem getting everyone together on the same sheet of music than it is anything. Im sure everyone would love to come if they could if for nothing else just to learn.
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Post by miketodd58 on Apr 1, 2015 18:12:58 GMT -5
From all accounts Jeff you set the bar pretty high last year. I wasn’t there but read the after action report. I think people were in shock that you just sorta went up to a unknown powder charger threw a charge and went yep thats good enough and dusted everyones britches with loads that just fell right down the barrel. There may be some people still trying to figure out how to beat you and just not there yet?? Might ask them how much more time they need?
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Post by miketodd58 on Apr 1, 2015 12:55:43 GMT -5
His builds are Predictable, repeatable and anything but boring. This is what happens when you match up a gunsmith with quality components.
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Post by miketodd58 on Mar 26, 2015 7:04:58 GMT -5
the barrel is no problem, but it will carbon up the flame channel in the BP pretty quick. a drillbit spun by hand is the best. sometimes even a pilot bit first This has been my experience as well. Drill bit for the flame channel. Hoppes or some other smokeless powder cleaner for the barrel. I think the key is to use a clean dry patch for the initial swabbing. BH209 tends to be a bit flaky . If you run a wet patch down there the flakes tend to get all messy and you have a real mess on your hands. Dry patch first then a wet patch followed by a dry patch and your all done.
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Post by miketodd58 on Mar 24, 2015 18:55:50 GMT -5
Jeff, I see everything but a price? The old sayin..if you have to ask.
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Post by miketodd58 on Mar 22, 2015 20:24:27 GMT -5
I raise a eyebrow when I see some of these high prices being reported on the ML II. I still see these in the $600 to $700 range they were selling for before. Mostly in the blue and black configuration.
Yes there are suckers out there and there is a suckers sellers market.
I gotta wonder if some of these reported high prices are not some cheerleaders of people wanting to sell their ML II to do a build???
Seen that type of behavior before on the online forums before. Not saying that is what is hopping here. Just saying,
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Post by miketodd58 on Mar 21, 2015 11:08:44 GMT -5
I think that's a FANTASTIC idea!! It's a real shame that somebody didn't think of that when I sent my rifle down to Jeff last Fall. I'm sure there will be others soon that the test could be done. Good idea, but I do have a question.
Why do you feel people don't already understand the difference in performance vs cost?
For me, eliminating the sabot and able to use smokeless powder was worth the price of admission.
I do think that the large percentage of people on this board probably get the performance vs cost issue. I think the general public that has never invested in a custom gun rather it be a center fire or a muzzle loader understands the value there. They see the dollar signs of say a $700 Remington Ultimate and a 5K Jeff Hankins MZ and wonder. Why do I need to spend another 4k to kill a deer at 150 yards when the Remington will do? Clearly there are some obstacles to work out in the test. A couple of loads would have to be tried and tested in the Remington Ultimate to see what it liked. Jeff already has a mastered load worked out for the Brux barrels being the master he is so that is a given. As to OHIO guys question/comment. I do feel that this conversion is more of just a switch barrel for the most part which is why I suggested the challenge. Its pretty much a stock Remington Ultimate with just a switch barrel with the HIS ignition system. Should be interesting. I feel certain the Hankins muzzle loader will win. No doubt in my mind. I would just like to see the side by side comparison.
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Post by miketodd58 on Mar 21, 2015 9:55:14 GMT -5
Jeff Its great to see you using a average hunting scope to dial in your equipment and show everyone that good accuracy can be obtained with good trigger discipline and bench discipline. There is no doubt in my mind that anything you build is going to be a top level performer. You are more than just a parts assembler. You are a true gunsmith. With that I offer a challenge of sorts. I would love to see you do a before and after test on your next Remington Ultimate. Take the Stock Remington Ultimate say with 3 pellets (factory load) and shoot 5 shots down range with the factory barrel and record your video. Then with the same scope and set up do your custom barrel and work and then shoot it with your set up. Give us all a side by side comparison. Should be very telling and give everyone a idea why there is a difference between a $700 Remington and the value you place on your custom pieces. Challenge accepted???
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Post by miketodd58 on Mar 2, 2015 17:10:27 GMT -5
Only good yote is a dead one Yep!
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Post by miketodd58 on Mar 2, 2015 4:01:36 GMT -5
What was the load and how far? He came in about 10 yards running a fence line. We were on the other side of the fence line. He never saw us but just started to pick up our wind and started to quarter away from us into the open field. He was on a trot so I put the cross hairs on the opposite side shoulder . Distance was about 50 yards. He dropped and flopped where he layee. As you can or cannot see it looks like a gut shot but the way the shot lined up the entrance shot did enter about the gut and exited the far shoulder. Load was 100 GR Vol BH209 W209 Sierra 300 GR .458 with MMP Orange.
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Post by miketodd58 on Feb 28, 2015 22:43:29 GMT -5
So I "barked" out on a journey with my CVA Optima ,My Leupold Firedot 3x9 ,my IPhone with free predator app and a $25 dollar blue tooth speaker I get from .amazon. the combination was perfect. Called in 3 Yoytes with this system. Used some TP on twigs to give it some tail twitching effect. Worked like a charm. Man I make this look easy. URL=http://s1290.photobucket.com/user/miketodd58/media/image.jpg20_zpsefikphf1.jpg.html] [/URL]
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Post by miketodd58 on Feb 21, 2015 4:04:27 GMT -5
I think part of owning a smokeless break action is accepting it's limits. I thought long and hard about my options before building, and part of the compromise I accepted was that to get the short length and light weight I wanted, I would have to shoot the lighter saboted loads. For me it's been worth it. Though I have recently gotten the itch to build a bolt action. I thought about doing a smokeless break open, My end goal was to come up with a really light fast swinging gun that handled well in a blind or tree stand. Wheni I did the math on the cost of the conversion vs shooting BH209 the choice was really simple. Bh209 and its lower pressures won out for me,.
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Post by miketodd58 on Feb 7, 2015 10:52:31 GMT -5
Wanting a one piece rail type scope base for a older Savage MLII with the flat back. Want one with plenty of adjustments for a Leupold VXR (30MM) so I can dial in shots.
What are my options. ??
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Fluting
Jan 27, 2015 9:17:28 GMT -5
Post by miketodd58 on Jan 27, 2015 9:17:28 GMT -5
norseman1, 3-45s 10.5 to 11 lbs, without slings or load. Carbon wrapped 50 Ultimate 8.75 lbs, all these in McMillan Htg stocks except 1 in a HS Precision. I know some shoot heavier rifles but I see no need, my typical hunt in Colorado starts out at 8000' to 9000 elevation and I may go to 12000' plus in a day glassing above timberline. When you put these guns on your shoulder for 3 hour hikes uphill 1 lb is huge, I dont see a need for a longer barrel or heavy contour with the accuracy and velocity I get, just my take, Ray I agree 1lb can be huge. My first trip out west humping the mountains with a 12 lb scoped 375 h&h rifle taught me something. Humping 8 miles or so a day is not the same as driving a ATV to a box stand and sitting for the day. The next year I went with a 10lb scoped 300 win mag and that seemed heavy. The following year I went with a 8lb scoped .308 and that felt about right. Most factory muzzleloaders start in the neighborhood of. 7.5 lbs from what I see. With a conventional 3x9x40 scope, mounts and sling your pushing 10 lbs. Back on topic. Fluting?? Yes it looks cool. Does it really gain you anything performance wise? Most agree NO. Fluting with the heaviest of contours usually only shave 4-8 ounces. Not worth it for the cool factor IMHO.
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Post by miketodd58 on Jan 24, 2015 11:39:36 GMT -5
I had the hots for a switch barrel bolt gun many moons ago. Spent a big chunk of change on one too. Having to to switch out scopes or re zero sort of took some of the thrill out of it, i wound up up with a TC contender with a slew full of barrels with dedicated scopes and mounts. Worked really well and was much cheaper than setting up the switch barrel 700 My brother tried the Encore route; neither of us cared for it and he sold it as a 3-barrel set. I already run one or two optics between all my guns (I can afford much higher quality optics when I only own one or two) and have data cards that allow me to adjust back to zero then confirm. It is like running multiple barreled actions out of one chassis or bedding block. You can get one stock to fit you perfectly with one optical set-up. I don't have any direct experience with the Encore system but from what I have read its either love them or hate them. Other than being restricted to straight wall cartridges for the most part I loved the Contender series and have not heard near the complaints from Contender Owners as I have heard from Encore owners.
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Post by miketodd58 on Jan 24, 2015 11:35:37 GMT -5
I have spent some time on some of the high fence places down in Texas.
They have the animals corralled in different sections of the ranches. I have seen animals feeding at feeding troths and ranch hands just drive up to the troths and push the herds out of the way to fill the troths.
Then on game day they dry those feeding areas up and start drawing them into scattered parts of the ranch with mobile corn feeders.
The guides can put you on any animal you want almost on cue because they know how to pattern the animals with mobile corn feeders. When the animals have been starved for a day or two off the corn..when they hear the sound of the corn feeders going off they know to come in on the corn.
This is no highly guarded secret. And I am not saying its wrong to hunt that way. For the guy that does not have time to put in on searching free range ranches or may only get a few days off a year to hunt I think these ranches are a great idea. Also for someone wanting to take a opportunity at some exotic animals without the huge cost of out of country travel and guide fees.. the Texan Ranches are by far much cheaper. Truth be told alot of those hunts abroad are high fence hunts as well. Try and get the meat back from those places too. Unless you have hit the lottery its almost impossible.
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