Guy Miner
Master Loader
- Apr 6, 2006
- 17,496
- 4,684
I know we've got some regular posters here who've reached 70 years of age and beyond. It's been cool to hear their stories, learn from them.
I've been on this forum for a good long time now myself, looks like I've been here 18 years. Goodness! I'm not 70 yet, it's still a couple of years away. Almost didn't make it as I had a heart attack nearly a year ago, while I was hunting pheasant with my youngest son.
BTW - "youngest son" is a really variable descriptor isn't it? It used to mean my 5 year old... Now he's in his 30's... Thankfully he was present when I had the heart attack. He's EMT certified and got me back to the Jeep and then to the hospital. Probably saved my life. I'm kinda glad he was along with me, sometimes I hunt alone.
That aside, I find myself sometimes referencing lessons learned in shooting, hunting, handloading from 50 or even 60 years ago! Good grief.
It's interesting, staying relevant in today's world, long after my prime years. That's why though I'm quite content with my good old cartridges, rifles, shotguns and handguns... I'm very willing to try new cartridges, new powders, new bullets.
In recent years I treated myself to a 6mm Creedmoor in one of those big, heavy Ruger Precision Rifles. That rifle is great for what it does, but not my cuppa tea. The cartridge though... 6mm Creed is every bit as good as the 243 Win and 6mm Remington, and has some advantages. Don't trap your mind into only comparing ballistics, particularly not just muzzle velocity... There are other things to improve upon. Those two cartridges and others paved the way for the 6mm Creed. A fellow who was instrumental in the 6mm Creed had already used the heck out of the 243 Winchester in competition. He found ways to improve on that. Love my little 6mm Rem that I've had since 1974 (50 years have gone past!) but if I was to spec a new 6mm I'd likely go with the 6 Creedmoor.
A few months ago I was given a 6.5 Creedmoor in a Bergara with a carbon wrapped barrel and a muzzle brake. Well good grief! Several years back I hadn't even heard of Bergara, a famous barrel maker in Spain. I'd shot a rifle with a carbon fiber wrapped barrel, but one was never on my shopping list. Now I have one. And muzzle brakes... Hmm first used one in the 1980's in the Marines on a 50 BMG sniper rifle. I appreciated that one, and I know they do a fine job of reducing recoil, but I had no real use for them on my own rifles. I have a couple, but rarely use them. So many shooters seem to love to hate the 6.5 Creed, but it's just part of the evolution of the 6.5mm bore. Soft recoil, easy accuracy, great for medium game, just like the 6.5x55 has been for a much, much longer time. Whoever came up with the 6.5x55 did it right, long ago.
Aoudad? I'd not even heard that name and now I've hunted them! Didn't get one, but I'm going back a year from now.
Thanks Filmjunkie/Dale!
7 PRC vs 7mm Rem Mag. Wow... I've long been a fan of the 7mm Rem Mag. I've hunted with them, handloaded for them. Love 'em. About as much recoil as I can handle well. Easier for me than the 300's in similar rifles. 7 PRC... Well, I loaded and shot hundreds of rounds through one and dubbed it a mighty fine new cartridge. If you already have and love a 7mm Rem Mag, or 7mm Wby Mag, or 7 STW... Keep it! But if considering a new 7mm hunting cartridge, I'd recommend taking a hard look at the 7 PRC. It's an evolution.
So many changes over the years. When I was young, disc brakes and overhead cam fuel injected engines were found on race cars and sophisticated sports cars. I bought a base model Jeep Wrangler 12 years ago and that stuff is standard on a doggone Jeep now!
I'm enjoying these advances. That doesn't mean that I can't still thoroughly enjoy shooting my 30-06 or my 45 Colt or my 1930's Remington shotgun... They're as good now as ever! And I have a soft spot for them in my heart.
But things change, develop, move forward. Not all change is good, that's for doggone sure! But things do keep changing. I've decided long since to open my heart and mind to good changes, and to be wary of bad things. Whoever thought we'd be able to get together "online" and chat about our favorite subjects? That sure wasn't something we could do when I was a young man. We wrote letters. Made actual phone calls. Met for lunch. Went to meetings. Read magazines and books. None of that has stopped, but now there's a whole new way of communicating. Some good, some bad has come with that. I'm likely to select a movie and watch it this evening, right here on the computer. Good grief... Now it might be an old favorite like Hatari. Just watched that again a couple of nights ago. Oddly it's just as good now as it ever was. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Aging, it happens. Might as well stay active mentally and physically and enjoy it.
Regards, Guy
I've been on this forum for a good long time now myself, looks like I've been here 18 years. Goodness! I'm not 70 yet, it's still a couple of years away. Almost didn't make it as I had a heart attack nearly a year ago, while I was hunting pheasant with my youngest son.
BTW - "youngest son" is a really variable descriptor isn't it? It used to mean my 5 year old... Now he's in his 30's... Thankfully he was present when I had the heart attack. He's EMT certified and got me back to the Jeep and then to the hospital. Probably saved my life. I'm kinda glad he was along with me, sometimes I hunt alone.
That aside, I find myself sometimes referencing lessons learned in shooting, hunting, handloading from 50 or even 60 years ago! Good grief.
It's interesting, staying relevant in today's world, long after my prime years. That's why though I'm quite content with my good old cartridges, rifles, shotguns and handguns... I'm very willing to try new cartridges, new powders, new bullets.
In recent years I treated myself to a 6mm Creedmoor in one of those big, heavy Ruger Precision Rifles. That rifle is great for what it does, but not my cuppa tea. The cartridge though... 6mm Creed is every bit as good as the 243 Win and 6mm Remington, and has some advantages. Don't trap your mind into only comparing ballistics, particularly not just muzzle velocity... There are other things to improve upon. Those two cartridges and others paved the way for the 6mm Creed. A fellow who was instrumental in the 6mm Creed had already used the heck out of the 243 Winchester in competition. He found ways to improve on that. Love my little 6mm Rem that I've had since 1974 (50 years have gone past!) but if I was to spec a new 6mm I'd likely go with the 6 Creedmoor.
A few months ago I was given a 6.5 Creedmoor in a Bergara with a carbon wrapped barrel and a muzzle brake. Well good grief! Several years back I hadn't even heard of Bergara, a famous barrel maker in Spain. I'd shot a rifle with a carbon fiber wrapped barrel, but one was never on my shopping list. Now I have one. And muzzle brakes... Hmm first used one in the 1980's in the Marines on a 50 BMG sniper rifle. I appreciated that one, and I know they do a fine job of reducing recoil, but I had no real use for them on my own rifles. I have a couple, but rarely use them. So many shooters seem to love to hate the 6.5 Creed, but it's just part of the evolution of the 6.5mm bore. Soft recoil, easy accuracy, great for medium game, just like the 6.5x55 has been for a much, much longer time. Whoever came up with the 6.5x55 did it right, long ago.
Aoudad? I'd not even heard that name and now I've hunted them! Didn't get one, but I'm going back a year from now.
Thanks Filmjunkie/Dale! 7 PRC vs 7mm Rem Mag. Wow... I've long been a fan of the 7mm Rem Mag. I've hunted with them, handloaded for them. Love 'em. About as much recoil as I can handle well. Easier for me than the 300's in similar rifles. 7 PRC... Well, I loaded and shot hundreds of rounds through one and dubbed it a mighty fine new cartridge. If you already have and love a 7mm Rem Mag, or 7mm Wby Mag, or 7 STW... Keep it! But if considering a new 7mm hunting cartridge, I'd recommend taking a hard look at the 7 PRC. It's an evolution.
So many changes over the years. When I was young, disc brakes and overhead cam fuel injected engines were found on race cars and sophisticated sports cars. I bought a base model Jeep Wrangler 12 years ago and that stuff is standard on a doggone Jeep now!
I'm enjoying these advances. That doesn't mean that I can't still thoroughly enjoy shooting my 30-06 or my 45 Colt or my 1930's Remington shotgun... They're as good now as ever! And I have a soft spot for them in my heart.
But things change, develop, move forward. Not all change is good, that's for doggone sure! But things do keep changing. I've decided long since to open my heart and mind to good changes, and to be wary of bad things. Whoever thought we'd be able to get together "online" and chat about our favorite subjects? That sure wasn't something we could do when I was a young man. We wrote letters. Made actual phone calls. Met for lunch. Went to meetings. Read magazines and books. None of that has stopped, but now there's a whole new way of communicating. Some good, some bad has come with that. I'm likely to select a movie and watch it this evening, right here on the computer. Good grief...
Now it might be an old favorite like Hatari. Just watched that again a couple of nights ago. Oddly it's just as good now as it ever was. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Aging, it happens. Might as well stay active mentally and physically and enjoy it.
Regards, Guy
