By David E. Petzal

For the past few weeks, Phil Bourjaily and I have been doing a series of talk-radio interviews extolling the virtues of "The Total Gun Manual," which is rapidly being recognized as not only the greatest firearms book ever published, but possibly the greatest book ever published, period—greater even than "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,"  "Leatherstocking Tales," or "Tess of the d’Urbervilles." 

Recently I did a crude and boorish interview, the kind I enjoy, but in the course of it I was asked how many guns I own. I was asked this because the talk-show guys were not shooters, and this is not a question one shooter asks another, at least in the circles in which I travel. You would sooner ask how much money someone makes, or if their livestock is afraid of them at night, or if everything below the belt is working OK.

But I digress. [ Read Full Post ]

By David E. Petzal

Some time ago, I wrote about Ryan Breeding, a uniquely talented custom gun maker whose specialty is huge, horrifying rifles to be used on huge, horrifying animals. If you’re looking for a .505 Gibbs done right, Mr. Breeding is the guy to see.

However, he can build them small and light as well. This rifle was made for a woman hunter whose husband wanted to get her something special and, as she stands just a little over 5 feet tall and weighs 114 pounds, a hand cannon was not in order.

Here are the specs: The action is a Granite Mountain reproduction of the wonderful and long-gone G33/40 Mauser, with double square bridges. The blind magazine and all the hardware, including the trigger, and scope bases, are custom made by Breeding. The stock is a piece of Turkish walnut that probably grades out at Strike Me Blind, and because highly figured wood tends to be heavy, the lines of the stock are quite slim. The recoil pad is leather covered. [ Read Full Post ]

By Chad Love

In the wake of the disturbing news that an Oregon farmer was apparently eaten by his own hogs last week, the always-entertaining "Explainer" section of the news site Slate tried to determine if livestock deliberately targets humans for attack.

From this story on Slate: 
Do livestock intentionally kill their owners? Yes. Cattle kill approximately 22 Americans per year nationwide, and the animals deliberately attack their victims in 75 percent of those cases, according to a 2009 study. About one-third of bovine killers have a history of aggressive behavior. Swine likely kill fewer people than cattle do, but there are no reliable data on this question. The CDC’s mortality statistics group together all mammal attacks apart from those perpetrated by rodents, dogs, and humans. The death count in the mammal-attack category averages about 73 per year, including cattle-related mortalities. [ Read Full Post ]

By David E. Petzal

I’ve whined at you so many times about the enormous advantages of handloading that going over it again would be beating a dead elk. The other side of the coin is that handloading introduces the chance of error into the equation, and can leave you standing there in the wilderness with a useless rifle in your hands. Here are some of the ways in which you can go wrong:

Using a very hot handload, which you worked up in cold weather, in hot weather. Air temperature affects chamber pressures, and a load that was stiff but usable when it was 20 degrees will shoot differently at the least, or blow its primer at the most, when it’s 80 degrees. Say “pressure spike.” Say “My rifle is jammed. Someone please help me”

Brass is expendable, like people, and gets tired, like people, and has to be replaced, like people. Taking old, tired brass on a hunting trip is asking for it. Say “Case head separation.” Say “You mean the nearest gunsmith is 280 miles from here?” Go hunting with new, strong brass. [ Read Full Post ]

By Chad Love

In an interesting twist on the traditional top 10 list, Gore-Tex maker W.L. Gore Associates conducted a survey to find the nation's top hunting destination...with the worst weather. And the top pick? Think really, really big bears and really, really wet conditions. Yep, Kodiak Island, Alaska.

From this story on flatheadbeacon.com:

“Serious hunter athletes know that the most exciting and rewarding hunts often involve battling the elements,” said David Dillon, hunting category leader for W.L. Gore & Associates. “Gore is committed to making sure hunters don’t miss any experience, or pass up any great hunting destination because of wind, rain, sleet, freezing temperatures or other challenging weather. We gear them up so they can stay out longer in any conditions and experience more. We hope this ‘Best Hunt / Worst Conditions’ list inspires some epic hunts for hard core hunters.
[ Read Full Post ]

By Chad Love

Voters in the Cornhusker State will go to the polls this November to decide if the right to hunt and fish should be a part of their state constitution.

From this story on kearnethub.com: 
Nebraskans have hunted, fished and trapped since frontier territorial days. Hunting and fishing are part of the state's legacy of conservation and stewardship of the natural heritage. And they are big business. Hunters and anglers spent $709.1 million on trips, equipment and other related expenditures in Nebraska last year. Now voters will be asked on Election Day whether to enshrine a right “to hunt, to fish and to harvest wildlife'' in the Nebraska Constitution. [ Read Full Post ]