I was able to hunt seriously for the first time since I acquired this rifle in January of 2011 this season. I owned it for a year before getting a Zeiss Conquest 3x9 on it and getting to the range with it. I really didn't shoot it much until this last summer. I found two loads for it that are often 5/8" or better for 3 shots. 58 grains of Ramshot Big Game and a 150 grain AccuBond and 58.5 grains of Hunter will easily keep them under 1" for 3 to 5 rounds at 100 yards. I have also managed several 3 round sub 2" groups at 200 and 2 1/2 groups at 300 off the bench.
Several health issues limited my outdoor activities, including back surgery in 2011, wrist and elbow surgery in 2012, Right knee replacement in 2013 and hamstring repair last January prevented my from pursuing my outdoor activities of hunting, fishing, skiing, hiking and bicycling fully since the summer of 2011. Having exercise induced asthma doesn't help much either. Living year round at 9,000 feet elevation doesn't help much while hunting at lower elevations if you don't stay in shape either.
This week I found out how important conditioning is as you age. I am 71 now and the last time I killed an elk (cow) was in 2009 on a relatively easy Colorado Ranching for Wildlife hunt. This year my RFW hunt was much more difficult. We, our guide and one other hunter, did a lot of hiking and climbing for two days before finding a herd of cows on some rolling plains yesterday morning. We two hunters were successful and I finally blooded my Nosler M48 received in January of 2011. I ache all over today from the hunt as a result of not being in top shape physically, but it was worth every minute of effort to finally get to use this rifle on game. Thank goodness for NSAIDs to help me recover. You can bet I will be doing my best to be in top shape for my hunts next year. I have two other Nosler rifles, a M48 Custom 308 and Nosler Professional 257 Roberts that I hope to use on game in 2015.
Congratulations to all of you who are able to hunt, whether you managed to fill your tag or not. Just getting outdoors to enjoy our sport and nature in all its beauty is a wonderful gift!
Bruce
Several health issues limited my outdoor activities, including back surgery in 2011, wrist and elbow surgery in 2012, Right knee replacement in 2013 and hamstring repair last January prevented my from pursuing my outdoor activities of hunting, fishing, skiing, hiking and bicycling fully since the summer of 2011. Having exercise induced asthma doesn't help much either. Living year round at 9,000 feet elevation doesn't help much while hunting at lower elevations if you don't stay in shape either.
This week I found out how important conditioning is as you age. I am 71 now and the last time I killed an elk (cow) was in 2009 on a relatively easy Colorado Ranching for Wildlife hunt. This year my RFW hunt was much more difficult. We, our guide and one other hunter, did a lot of hiking and climbing for two days before finding a herd of cows on some rolling plains yesterday morning. We two hunters were successful and I finally blooded my Nosler M48 received in January of 2011. I ache all over today from the hunt as a result of not being in top shape physically, but it was worth every minute of effort to finally get to use this rifle on game. Thank goodness for NSAIDs to help me recover. You can bet I will be doing my best to be in top shape for my hunts next year. I have two other Nosler rifles, a M48 Custom 308 and Nosler Professional 257 Roberts that I hope to use on game in 2015.
Congratulations to all of you who are able to hunt, whether you managed to fill your tag or not. Just getting outdoors to enjoy our sport and nature in all its beauty is a wonderful gift!
Bruce
