Guns, Dogs and Blades QnA

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Waterfowl hunters: please educate me on your preferences for "non-toxic" shot shells. Looks like I'm going to have to buy some for upland wing shooting in my new state. So I like using my under/over for grouse and pheasant and have always run an extra full choke over a skeet choke. Lower barrel for those close ups and the top for reaching out and sealing the deal if I miss the first shot. I think that I hear folks say not to run steel in restrictive chokes. Also I have a 28 gauge side by side that is tough to score kills with and is limited to 2 3/4". What do ya'll think about Tungsten vs bismuth for heavier hitting power in smaller shotguns? The Tungsten folks are claiming I can kill stuff with No.7. Man I'd have a hard time buying that, at the price of Tungsten, if it doesn't deliver. Please advise and thanks in advance.
 
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I'm not going to be much help and you probably know this but I'll give my 2 cents. I bought some steel field loads by accident last month for a pheasant hunt because it was the only #6 on the shelf. Didn't pay attention to the label. I wasn't sure how it would pattern, so I left it at home and used 35 year old #5 and #4 shot Remington Express loads in my Peerless over/under. #5 in the bottom barrel with IC choke and #4 and Modified for the longer follow ups. Combo worked well. If in your situation I would be inclined to go with the bismouth rather than steel for any gauge. It patterns and hits the closest to regular lead shot. If you can get to a patterning board to figure out what choke to use and shoot some trap to figure out the velocity and how much to lead them, then I would be temped to use the steel. Steel doesn't carry energy like lead does so you need the bigger shot which makes for thin patterns in standard length shells. I don't have any experience with tungsten.
I shoot ground squirrels in northern CA and understand your pain. The lead free bullets are expensive and don't perform as well.
 
like_A_pike said:
Waterfowl hunters: please educate me on your preferences for "non-toxic" shot shells. Looks like I'm going to have to buy some for upland wing shooting in my new state. So I like using my under/over for grouse and pheasant and have always run an extra full choke over a skeet choke. Lower barrel for those close ups and the top for reaching out and sealing the deal if I miss the first shot. I think that I hear folks say not to run steel in restrictive chokes. Also I have a 28 gauge side by side that is tough to score kills with and is limited to 2 3/4". What do ya'll think about Tungsten vs bismuth for heavier hitting power in smaller shotguns? The Tungsten folks are claiming I can kill stuff with No.7. Man I'd have a hard time buying that, at the price of Tungsten, if it doesn't deliver. Please advise and thanks in advance.
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Rather than run my mouth on a topic I am not well versed on I am checking with a couple local duck hunting gurus. We are in Arkansas so no shortage of opinions on duck hunting gear or duck hunting! When you host the world duck calling championship every year ya got resources! Hah!
 
like_A_pike said:
Waterfowl hunters: please educate me on your preferences for "non-toxic" shot shells. Looks like I'm going to have to buy some for upland wing shooting in my new state. So I like using my under/over for grouse and pheasant and have always run an extra full choke over a skeet choke. Lower barrel for those close ups and the top for reaching out and sealing the deal if I miss the first shot. I think that I hear folks say not to run steel in restrictive chokes. Also I have a 28 gauge side by side that is tough to score kills with and is limited to 2 3/4". What do ya'll think about Tungsten vs bismuth for heavier hitting power in smaller shotguns? The Tungsten folks are claiming I can kill stuff with No.7. Man I'd have a hard time buying that, at the price of Tungsten, if it doesn't deliver. Please advise and thanks in advance.
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So the results are in, keep in mind my references are all duck hunting guides here in Arkansas. To a man and one woman the vote was unanimous, Tungsten for the win. Hope this helps.
 
So out here on the farm we run around with 22s on the front of our four wheelers for the occasionally need for a bit of rodent control! Typically you put something on the front that can get wet, stolen, muddy, or covered in cow poop and you don’t care As it never leaves the rig. For me that is a Ruger 10/22 topped with a ancient leupold 4x fixed. I decided today to rezero it as it has been many moons. Took a couple three shots to get her zeroed back in but she still purrs! Yes I know, I know, twenty yards is not exactly long range but frankly that is pretty typical for an engagement.

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Sublime one said:
So out here on the farm we run around with 22s on the front of our four wheelers for the occasionally need for a bit of rodent control! Typically you put something on the front that can get wet, stolen, muddy, or covered in cow poop and you don’t care As it never leaves the rig. For me that is a Ruger 10/22 topped with a ancient leupold 4x fixed. I decided today to rezero it as it has been many moons. Took a couple three shots to get her zeroed back in but she still purrs! Yes I know, I know, twenty yards is not exactly long range but frankly that is pretty typical for an engagement.

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It is an awesome platform. When dad was alive, we put thousands down the barrels with just a good WD40 bath every now and then along with an annual cleaning. Sub gopher grouping. Lol
 
Sublime one said:
Ok BP I love ya Brother but that post just begs for all kind of responses! This thread is officially heading for the ditch! Hah! Good thing Fred ain’t on here!
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Hopefully it flies under the Radar. lol Pickles work too. :lol:
 
So, to come clean, I don’t have a dog and haven’t had one since I was a child but I have been an uncle to a host of dogs and take them into my home if a friend or family needs some help. Them dang wieners are the best reward I have come up with.
 
Ya got caught holding your weiner BP. LOL
I love dogs but I don't have one, I'm waiting till I can safely let one in the garage to hang out with me but now to much chemicals and bad dust and don't want a sick dog.
I do like to spoil my friends dogs with good treats and looks like next time I hang out with ya John I'll have to double up on the Jerky.
 
Fred Scigliano said:
Ya got caught holding your weiner BP. LOL
I love dogs but I don't have one, I'm waiting till I can safely let one in the garage to hang out with me but now to much chemicals and bad dust and don't want a sick dog.
I do like to spoil my friends dogs with good treats and looks like next time I hang out with ya John I'll have to double up on the Jerky.
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Same here. On the few times I brought my dog down to the garage, she stayed in the vehicle.

You guys are lucky getting a high energy pup to focus on a treat. Being green to raising a pup, I learned real fast that once outside on a walk there were higher priorities. Occassionally she would take a treat - such a as hot dogs - then spit it out just to make that point clear! Took a couple months of training in less distracting environments before food type rewards were useful any distance from the house and yard. Blame it on the chow. LOL
 
Mattax said:
Same here. On the few times I brought my dog down to the garage, she stayed in the vehicle.

You guys are lucky getting a high energy pup to focus on a treat. Being green to raising a pup, I learned real fast that once outside on a walk there were higher priorities. Occassionally she would take a treat - such a as hot dogs - then spit it out just to make that point clear! Took a couple months of training in less distracting environments before food type rewards were useful any distance from the house and yard. Blame it on the chow. LOL
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I miss having a good dog around and think someday one will find me, My best dogs found me.
 
I had a dog find me once. He was pretty old and about half deaf. It was the morning after Independence Day. He was soaking wet and on my front porch when he found me. I named him Gus and he responded well to that name. I made up some "found dog" posters and posted them around town. I suppose Social media would have worked better but it did not exist at the time but the posters did work.

You should have seen the dogs reaction when his owner pulled into the driveway in a beautiful black first generation Camaro. He was running back and forth between him and me like a big THANK YOU! The dogs' real name was Travis. He was about three miles from home.

I took the dog with me when I put up the posters. We walked from my house and he minded well.
When it came time to cross the highway, he did not want to go. Unknowingly to me, it was in the opposite direction of where his house (still 2 miles away) was but he kind of knew where he was at that point I guess. He was almost pointing the way to his home but he finally listened to me and we crossed the road to the supermarket where the dogs' owner saw the lost dog poster.
 
This is Ted.

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Ted sleeps while sitting upright.

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Ted slides off beds and sofas

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My other dog is thinking "WTF?!"

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He's a weird dude...
 
Fred Scigliano said:
I miss having a good dog around and think someday one will find me, My best dogs found me.
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10K+ perfectly good dogs are destroyed each day, in this country. Pet-finder.com
Find a shelter or pound. Rescues have the dogs out of the kill-cycle. We've rescued 9 adult/older Huskies from these places. They know they've been saved., and our live crazy long lives. My wife believes their clocks reset.
 
MMissile said:
10K+ perfectly good dogs are destroyed each day, in this country. Pet-finder.com
Find a shelter or pound. Rescues have the dogs out of the kill-cycle. We've rescued 9 adult/older Huskies from these places. They know they've been saved., and our live crazy long lives. My wife believes their clocks reset.
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All of our Shepard’s have been rescue animals. We have had so many dogs over the years some bought, some gifted, some rescued. As we got older the rescue plan just fit our lifestyle better. Dogs are still my best friend. Wife is a close second! Hah!
 
Sublime one said:
All of our Shepard’s have been rescue animals. We have had so many dogs over the years some bought, some gifted, some rescued. As we got older the rescue plan just fit our lifestyle better. Dogs are still my best friend. Wife is a close second! Hah!
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Jodie probably say the same. Lol
 
Sublime one said:
So out here on the farm we run around with 22s on the front of our four wheelers for the occasionally need for a bit of rodent control! Typically you put something on the front that can get wet, stolen, muddy, or covered in cow poop and you don’t care As it never leaves the rig. For me that is a Ruger 10/22 topped with a ancient leupold 4x fixed. I decided today to rezero it as it has been many moons. Took a couple three shots to get her zeroed back in but she still purrs! Yes I know, I know, twenty yards is not exactly long range but frankly that is pretty typical for an engagement.

View attachment 1716044921
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Had 2 when I was a kid! When my dad got us with a 50 round teardrop clip, after he Passed, everything was stolen, including an actual bulletproof vest several handguns several rifles including an M1 carbine, already prepaid for a full auto Ingram and his license didn't come in the mail, till 2 weeks after he died. Think ive whined n cried about that on this post before. Anyhow on back to the second 10/22, purchased about a decade later... you can buy some new stuff for those little folding stock little flash suppressor change the whole wood part out with some synthetic crap.... hell, the only thing I couldn't find, was a bayonet lug!
 
Ironracer said:
Had 2 when I was a kid! When my dad got us with a 50 round teardrop clip, after he Passed, everything was stolen, including an actual bulletproof vest several handguns several rifles including an M1 carbine, already prepaid for a full auto Ingram and his license didn't come in the mail, till 2 weeks after he died. Think ive whined n cried about that on this post before. Anyhow on back to the second 10/22, purchased about a decade later... you can buy some new stuff for those little folding stock little flash suppressor change the whole wood part out with some synthetic crap.... hell, the only thing I couldn't find, was a bayonet lug!
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They offer all kinds of stuff for the Ruger 10/22s there is no end to it. Clearly a testimonial to the popularity of the rifle. They are cheap and reliable. Mine gets used pretty regularly and is in the rain as often as not. It is bone stock and looks just like it did in the box! For me there was just no need to gussy it up! Throw a scope on it, bungee it to the luggage rack on front of four wheeler and let er go! Poor thing gets bounced to kingdom come most every day, wonder it still shoots!
 
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