What did you do today?

[bigpete]

Good shooting (not sure of bowhunting nomenclature), bigpete

Cheers

[Wapiti]

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Working on internal fencing to complete the deer-proofing of the cottage yards. 1900 high.
Gateways around the area are from the literal truckload of scrap beams I had left over from a job, with A105 LNG seamless pipe strainers, but generally all the posts are SHS with 115 cattlerail diagonals to keep up the cattle stud look.
Generally posts are concreted in a 1000mm deep hole, 300mm diameter drilled by hydraulic auger, unfortunately the beams needed jackhammering the hole due to the sheet of granite under the gateway position.
Those into making stuff can see the different ways of tying off neatly, half links welded to SHS posts, and 6mm drilled holes in the web of beams. Keeps the mesh horizontal wires always aligned.

This mesh, being internal, doesn't have the 300mm apron facing outwards that stops anything entering where you don't want feral animals.
And the height is needed or the fence isn't true "exclusion" fencing.

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[Flyonline]

We'll see what the results from Fridays biopsy say first lol.

Ahh, feck! Hope it's good news.

Yes,the brown ones are 300 spine with a 250gn insert and 130gn heads total weight 575gn,and the black ones are my Africa arrows, 200 spine with 350gn insert and 150gn head total weight 775gn

775gr seems a bit overkill for a lil' goat but better finding out now that they don't work perfect than one half sticking out of a Kudu that's exiting the scene at a high speed Bet she's quiet being a longbow and that heavy

[Flyonline]

Working on internal fencing to complete the deer-proofing of the cottage yards....

Looks like you might have done a few in your time Always like watching skilled people work or the results of the work even if it's not relevant to me

[Wapiti]

Thanks Fly.
I hate fencing. By yourself, this is quite a challenge of mind and body.
But I won't have to do it again, and this stuff won't rot away.

Actually the biggest bonus on that awesome day yesterday were the Superhornets from way east 300km at Amberley screaming down the Pike Ck valley in the background, then climbing up and chasing one another in huge figure-8's with vapour trails across the sky like a noughts 'n crosses game up there. Awesome power.

[bigpete]

We'll see what the results from Fridays biopsy say first lol.

Ahh, feck! Hope it's good news.

Yes,the brown ones are 300 spine with a 250gn insert and 130gn heads total weight 575gn,and the black ones are my Africa arrows, 200 spine with 350gn insert and 150gn head total weight 775gn

775gr seems a bit overkill for a lil' goat but better finding out now that they don't work perfect than one half sticking out of a Kudu that's exiting the scene at a high speed Bet she's quiet being a longbow and that heavy

Yes its " overkill ", and yes its quiet. And yes,better off finding out now. But also,overkill is not a word I use. I tend to try to set up for the biggest animals I'm likely to hunt,and I have hunted bovines so 775gn is goooooood lol.

[Flyonline]

Yes its " overkill ", and yes its quiet. And yes,better off finding out now. But also,overkill is not a word I use. I tend to try to set up for the biggest animals I'm likely to hunt,and I have hunted bovines so 775gn is goooooood lol.

Hey I'm with you! I don't think you can have too much (other than dealing with rainbow trajectories) - two holes are better than one

[Flyonline]

My 6'6" fly rod blank I'll be turning into a spinning rod showed up last week, so I turned up a UL reel seat from a cork tile and some CF tube. I was pleasantly surprised at how secure it appears at the moment - the final truth will be using on the water of course!

I bought a set of el cheapo guides with the blank of roughly the right size to try the spacing before buying some better quality ones for real, but of course it's bloody hard to:
a) get actual sizes as opposed to 'sizes'
b) find the right size guides of models I do have info for
c) get a full set of the same model guides from one place
d) not pay $25/guide for titanium guides to keep the weight down

And of course the list of stuff available here is a lot smaller than the US or EU. Still, just waiting to hear back from one supplier and I'll hopefully have everything soon. Even with a rough set of guides taped on it was crazy light and responsive, should be fun with a decent fish on.

[bigpete]

My 6'6" fly rod blank I'll be turning into a spinning rod showed up last week, so I turned up a UL reel seat from a cork tile and some CF tube. I was pleasantly surprised at how secure it appears at the moment - the final truth will be using on the water of course!

I bought a set of el cheapo guides with the blank of roughly the right size to try the spacing before buying some better quality ones for real, but of course it's bloody hard to:
a) get actual sizes as opposed to 'sizes'
b) find the right size guides of models I do have info for
c) get a full set of the same model guides from one place
d) not pay $25/guide for titanium guides to keep the weight down

And of course the list of stuff available here is a lot smaller than the US or EU. Still, just waiting to hear back from one supplier and I'll hopefully have everything soon. Even with a rough set of guides taped on it was crazy light and responsive, should be fun with a decent fish on.

Nice ! Sounds like a good finesse rod

[Wapiti]

In between some awesome storms today, we went out for a cottonseed and barley run to check out some of the stags I'm keeping an eye on.
I've been chasing this boar, he's number one on the list but so was his son, "mini-me" who looks just like him, but only half grown.
There are quite a few in this particular paddock of 600 odd acres, they have been exclusion-fenced in and cannot get out, and of course they are multiplying.
Anyway we were motoring thorough this creek cutting when Mini-me does a runner across in front of us, and runs up this heavily grassed, boggy gully that runs right up to these two big dams, surrounded by swampy country with that tall huge elephant grass stuff.
Anyway, it turned out he only ran 30 or so metres and pulled up under these fallen logs and this grass. A second sense told me he was still there somewhere, and we were just about to leave because all the deer were showing up, when I saw him lying doggo. His black spots on his dirty white hair gave him away.

Bang, through the grass and logs at 3m. because he wasn't going to leave. Up he got and bolted up the creek bed, through all the logs, wallows and thick grass patches. His big mistake was cutting off up the slope in the open when my last shot knocked him down.
I had 4 shots to stop him, finally I swung a body length in front and got him stone dead, the bullet hitting with a huge whack like an old lady flogging a dusty carpet hanging off the clothesline.
If I didn't have the gel-blaster at the time, instead of anything else, no way. The fast follow up shots, the scope on 1x and the red doughnut with the little centre dot turned on (big storm again just about to hit, it was a very dark 2pm), he would've still been out there.
Every month I see an ad in something shooting-related that says "game changer" but there is only one game changer, and it's these firearms.

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I'd decided to run a 10-shot mag, "I won't need a 20-shot today" but had neglected to check it, it only had 6 cartridges in it, and I'd already used two on two other troublemakers prior to this bloke showing up. I looked down to make the PWS safe and saw the action open on an empty mag. Talk about luck.

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I went off to get the buggy, which always has everything in it to dress anything, including a winch on the back frame I always use to lift heavy animals to dress, or carry them to the pig-trap to save my back. By the time I got back, the Mrs had all 4 legs off and other good bits, "nothing goes to waste". We probably easily got $120 of meat off him, virtually no fat, and beautiful.
Now to find his old man. I reckon I know where he lives, but it gives me the creeps going in there myself.
Behind the SxS is the gully, you can't see all the cover in it but it gives an idea of the country he likes to live in, and what we have here typically.
And then the next storm hit as we flew into the shed.
What a life, get into it and make it work for you.

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[jezzab]

Wanted to try out some amboyna burl I had so I made this. Packing up the ute to head to White Cliffs for a couple of weeks

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[Wapiti]

That's beautiful, Jezzab

[Wapiti]

When I was looking down into the gully looking for Mini-me, I looked up at my wife and she was about 10m to my left with her prized 7615. I said, Turn the s cope down all the way, if the boar runs to your left you'll have to take the shot as I won't shoot past you. I got the thumbs up.

So we get to the dead pig, and I say, "Have you unloaded your rifle? Just checking". (as a bloke who's took a bullet before)
"Don't need to, didn't put one up the spout"
"Next time, do it, you won't have time when it comes screaming past and knocks you over"
So I look at the scope. It's a 2.5-8x VX3i, a greater scope for hunting hasn't been made yet. It's still set on 8x.
8x would've been impossible at that time. I can't believe the number of people putting 5-25x power scopes on hunting rifles. Too many people watching that YouTube clown Backfire.
62gn bonded bullets make the 223 acceptable as a small-medium pig rifle, and the 1-7 twist in her gun shoots them like a varmint rifle.

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[Wm.Traynor]

There are some very good stories on here this morning.
Thank you jezzab and Wapiti

[Wapiti]

Thanks Wm.
There's two pressure-cookers worth of great pork based stew here, we did the first one last night.
Completely safe eating due to the pressure cooker process.
Wild pork is so often overlooked, but it's super healthy meat and high protein. Of course, you pick your animals for use here.
Not much fat although most people need more fat in their diets than they are told by the grain and seed-oil industry.

[Flyonline]

Nice ! Sounds like a good finesse rod

That's the plan, I'll be taking some time to get the guide placement properly done because I'm hoping I'll be able to cast lightly weighted flies (buggers etc.) straight off like a jig. It just fits a fly reel so I can put that in the bag in case I hit a termite hatch or something on the way

Have just been playing around with my cold smoker and thinking I might be able to use it to chase up a suspected turbo hose/seal leak. It looks like I can just bust up small twigs and feed them in, rather than planing into slivers/chips like I have in the past so my fingers will thank me for removing that risk
I need to do another cold smoked ham for christmas, haven't done one in a while.

[bigpete]

Today I woke up at 1.30am,showered etc,then drove the 5 hours to my goat and pig patch. Have spotted a fair few goats but couldn't really get on to them. To be honest I'm tired and cranky and its too warm and its blowing a gale and I'm wishing I'd stayed home. I'd head home but I desperately need sleep before driving back. Ah well. The things we do

[bladeracer]

Did the final five stages of "Rawhide" run by Little River Raiders this morning then drove home. 500km round trip. Went up on Thursday.

We shot long-range matches on Friday. Sharps single-shot rifles off crossed-sticks at 400yd and 500yd. Rifle-caliber lever-actions (.45-70, .30-30 and similar) offhand at 200yd and 300yd. Pistol-caliber (.45 Colt, .44-40, .357, etc) offhand at 100yd and 150yd. .22LR offhand at 50yd and 75yd. In the afternoon we did four stages of Wild Bunch. Lots of .45 1911 pistols, and lever-action rifles and guns. I didn't shoot the 400/500yd as I don't have a suitable single-shot rifle, and I didn't shoot Wild Bunch as I don't have a 1911 yet. So I scored, reset targets and collected brass.

Saturday started with a five-stand clay shoot at the Cypriot clay target club. I wish I'd made more blackpowder shells as that would've added to the fun After that we had a Cowboy practice session, but I'd discovered there was a hangun silhouette match on, so I walked down to see that instead of practicing. After lunch we did the first five stages of the main Cowboy match. The shotgun stuff was causing me serious pain by mid-afternoon but I tried to go easy on my right shoulder and arm and managed okay today with painkillers. The silly things we do when we're having fun.

This morning we finished the main match right around midday. After lunch was the shoot-offs and presentations. But when I rang Rose she said she thought she'd cracked the head on the Landcruiser last night so was using the buggy to get the electric fences set up today to move the cows down the road. So I came home to help. I wouldn't have been in the shoots-offs and I don't expect any awards so I don't think I missed out

Was a terrific event, as they all have been.

Tomorrow I'll have to look at the ute to see what's happened, hopefully just a ruptured radiator hose. Then into the club for a few hours practice in the arvo. Got to load more .44-40's this week for the monthly shoot at Warragul-Drouin on the weekend, and Rose needs one more centrefire pistol attendance, which she'll do on Saturday morning.

Rose tidied my office while I was away but amid the chaos I came home to I found a carton of 400 pieces of .357 brass I ordered from Rebels and never opened, so that'sa wi . When I was loading the car last week I found the ammo crate that Tubs gave me when I was in Sydney last month, including nearly 400 primed .44-40 cases and another couple hundred handloads that came with the pistols. I came home from Qld with so much ammo I had to jam it into whatever spaces I could find in the crates I had, and the huge crate I bought at Cleavers. Of course, it all got thrown around and mixed up so I have no idea what is what. I took a box of what I thought were blackpowder loads but they're smokeless and barely crawled out the muzzle of the pistols, bloody glad I didn't try those in the rifle

[bigpete]

Missed a big boar this morning,survived a dust and rain storm last night,then spent 2 hours driving 7km along a " surveyed " track that required the use of an axe every 50 to 100m. Fun fun. Then drove 5 hours home

[Wapiti]

Hey mate that's what it's all about! Don't have a chainsaw? Scared of them? Just kidding.

Well at least next time you can tool along there and the track will be clear for you. Hopefully that boar will be hanging around, they usually have their patch unless get a huge fright i.e. somebody attempts to murder them.
Then they'll find somewhere quieter.

[Wapiti]

.........I found a carton of 400 pieces of .357 brass I ordered from Rebels and never opened, so that'sa wi . When I was loading the car last week I found the ammo crate that Tubs gave me when I was in Sydney last month, including nearly 400 primed .44-40 cases and another couple hundred handloads that came with the pistols. I came home from Qld with so much ammo I had to jam it into whatever spaces I could find in the crates I had, and the huge crate I bought at Cleavers. Of course, it all got thrown around and mixed up so I have no idea what is what. I took a box of what I thought were blackpowder loads but they're smokeless and barely crawled out the muzzle of the pistols, bloody glad I didn't try those in the rifle

Mate we are blessed with some good shops in SE QLD hey, damn Cleavers still has that PMC 308 150gn and Winchester 135gn Sierra HP's ammo on special for the price of handloading... with the empty once-fired cases as a bonus...
I think I'd better get a bit online quick and pick it up at Chrissy when I get down to socialist city I mean, Bne on the coast to visit the oldies...

[bigpete]

Hey mate that's what it's all about! Don't have a chainsaw? Scared of them? Just kidding.

Well at least next time you can tool along there and the track will be clear for you. Hopefully that boar will be hanging around, they usually have their patch unless get a huge fright i.e. somebody attempts to murder them.
Then they'll find somewhere quieter.

It was fun...and tiring. But still fun.

Yeah the pigs will be there next time. Beauty of the bow is it doesn't alarm them too much

[Wapiti]

Definately there next time, look forward to it mate.

Had to make another 4.2m gate today, more rightly extend a bought one. They get extended to the height of the 1.9m exclusion fence, or more correctly, 50mm shorter because that's the clearance off the ground I set.
The fabrication types might notice the gate addition is 100mm longer on one side, that is the fall of the ground. You can cut out or build up the ground, but that cause other unnecessary problems like drainage and erosion, so I leave the grass and ground undisturbed and adjust for the natural grade. Actually I've never seen anyone else do this.
I get steel delivered by the truckload, by the pack, with a Hyab truck, this is way better than struggling with a vehicle and wasting a day doing what others do better - deliver.

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Finished gate. I also make the hinges, way better than the annoying weld-on pin-type and adjustable prior to welding on the posts.
What's this got to do with shooting? Well I breed Reds ands Wapiti for hunting and have to keep them in and also Fallow deer for the "wild-caught" restaurant trade. And our Droughtmaster stud cattle but that's the basis if the plan.

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[fnq22]

Interesting... never seen a gate built to suit the fall of the ground...are the deers that much of escape artists they try and push under and did you already have the gate or why did you extend one rather then fabbing a tall one from scratch.....?

Anyway although I cant pick up my new 9mm gun till around xmas the red dot for it arrived in the mail yesterday..I got curious and mounted it on the Mamba...it was basically sighted in from the start as Holosun says..just had a play with elevation at different distance's..

What a shame we arent allowed to hunt with handguns...This little gun which shoots half inch groups at 50 from a vise would easily hit the vitals of rabbits or hares out past that now..I'd love to take it out spotlighting and have some fun..

3 things stood out on its first shoot...just how jittery one is shooting offhanded with a very light pistol...which doesnt matter a whole heap as long as the dot is on target when the trigger is pulled..secondly it really shows up deficiencies in trigger press...something to work on for me...

and thirdly just how fast and accurate these sights make shooting..I think after a month or so i'll be glad to take it off the Mamba and get back to the challenge of open sights....this is seriously like shooting fish in a barrel...

[Wapiti]

Hi FNQ22.
I extend gates I buy to save time nowadays. When you extend a gate to sit that high you need 3 horizontals of bracing across the gate, top, mid and bottom anyway,
and although I have a pipe bender, the length of pipe needed to bend for that length around the external is longer than 6.5m (the only length galv pipe comes in) so I have to join it anyway.
And, believe it or not, a standard gate costs the same or a bit less, than if I were to make one when you add up the materials cost and scrap. Without the materials to extend it, which is extra. I also saves me heaps of time.
I just buy packs of "light" 25nb galv pipe and piles of 1100x6000 galv "sheepyard" mesh.
High gates are always custom made by fabricators for most farmers, and after the apprentice stands around on his phone dribbling to his mates the labour you will pay will scare you. My trade as a Boilermaker makes this pretty simple in the scheme of things.

Anything will go under a gate if it thinks it can, and will have a go. Small deer will get under, I have a lot of Hungarian Fallow too, and they are like terminators, they can melt through openings you wouldn't think they could. If you don't pay attention to that, once an animal gets under it will be trying bigger and better things. Fawns go under and are not developed enough in the brain yet to remember how they got through and will die of exposure and stress really quick.
Cattle won't. So I have to fence for everything.

I'm thinking of red dotting my P229 Legion, after listening to your thoughts above, except it will make my holsters unuseable and having to turn on the red dot in a hurry (which is how pistols are used for primary production, you only realise you need to get it out half a second before you need it) would be no point.

I have scopes with illuminated reticles that turn off automatically when they sit straight up or down, or on their sides. To only be only on when you raise the rifle up to a typical shooting position. Do they make this feature in tiny pistol red dots?

[Die Judicii]

Have been a bit slack lately as in,, not posting much. (it is said that no news is good news)
I did another all nighter last night chasing a particular fox that has been worrying the land owner.
I've seen it half a dozen times in the past and could have easily shot it, but refrained due to the main purpose back then was a feral dog.

So I arrived last evening armed with my .17 WSM Ruger 77 specifically for Vulpes Vulpes,,,,, but he never turned up.
Beforehand you could set your clock by his routine patrols.
Followed the same path every two hours.
So meticulously so,,, I had seen him on each lap step over a particular clump of grass and then skirt around the next little bush each and every time.

But I think Mr Farmer had actually managed to get him unknowingly,,, with a strychnine bait.

So instead I shot a few bunnies in the growing daylight for dog tucker.

It was the first time I'd seriously fired some rounds out of it as in "hunting" cos everything previously was just punching cardboard.
I must say I was very impressed with it in all respects,,, particularly the heavy barrel, which almost completely prevents the very minimal recoil.
That, and the walnut stock, makes it a very desirable little rifle.

So sad, that they have stopped making ammo for it, and have made an eventual journey for an otherwise NEW rifle to the smelters,

[Die Judicii]

Hi FNQ22.

And, believe it or not, a standard gate costs the same or a bit less, than if I were to make one when you add up the materials cost and scrap. Without the materials to extend it, which is extra. I also saves me heaps of time.
I just buy packs of "light" 25nb galv pipe and piles of 1100x6000 galv "sheepyard" mesh.
High gates are always custom made by fabricators for most farmers, and after the apprentice stands around on his phone dribbling to his mates the labour you will pay will scare you. My trade as a Boilermaker makes this pretty simple in the scheme of things.

Anything will go under a gate if it thinks it can, and will have a go. Small deer will get under, I have a lot of Hungarian Fallow too, and they are like terminators, they can melt through openings you wouldn't think they could. If you don't pay attention to that, once an animal gets under it will be trying bigger and better things. Fawns go under and are not developed enough in the brain yet to remember how they got through and will die of exposure and stress really quick.
Cattle won't. So I have to fence for everything.

Hey Mate the way fabricators are going these days (materials getting lighter and less quality) it wont be long before you'll find, that by the time you burn or grind the galv off before welding it,,, you wont have anything left to weld.

[Wapiti]

So I arrived last evening armed with my .17 WSM Ruger 77 specifically for Vulpes Vulpes,,,,, but he never turned up.
Beforehand you could set your clock by his routine patrols.

It was the first time I'd seriously fired some rounds out of it as in "hunting" cos everything previously was just punching cardboard.
I must say I was very impressed with it in all respects,,, particularly the heavy barrel, which almost completely prevents the very minimal recoil.
That, and the walnut stock, makes it a very desirable little rifle.

So sad, that they have stopped making ammo for it, and have made an eventual journey for an otherwise NEW rifle to the smelters,

Mate, you have a cracker of a rifle there. The best made, best quality rimfire rifle there is... The 77/22, 22WMR, 17HMR and 17WSM.
And you got a walnut stock job? Man, you got class.
I'd bug you to sell it, except for the calibre. I have 5 of those and collect them when I see one.

Hey Cleavers has ammo for them. I believe that Winshitter does production runs of that calibre, as it does for the other failed WSM calibres.
JC always grabs as much as he can, when it's available.

[Wapiti]

On people like fnq22 not imagining gates can be made to suit the fall of the ground, they do suit farms and dirt tracks very well.

At an urban house with a front gate at the driveway entrance to keep the muggers out, you'd cut the land to suit, pour the driveway with the correct fall and slope and drains. I mean, you only have one entrance and it would look stupid doing otherwise.

But with farm gates in the middle of nowhere, yeah you can cut a level gate opening but it's not just that -
It's the fall of the paddock for the fence attaching to the gate strainers, drainage, allowance for both sides level, it always needs repairs and maintenance.
I have around 40 paddock gates and counting, so this way needs no maintanance, drains great, and takes less work. If you run crushed rock, or in this case, the shattered rock from the 1-metre deep holes for concrete, this lasts forever.

What's really funny is neighbours initially thought it a bit novel and weird, and gossiped about my fences. But extra funny is that they are now trying to copy me.

Gate open, swung back sitting on a 50x50 angle stub to take the gates weight so it won't let the very tight mesh pull back. And a small chain to hold it there until I need to close it.

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Gate closed, bottom has the fall built in, determined before I did the work. So much extra work cutting for the fence to slope both sides into a square gate, cut a side out to flatten the track, allow some drainage that won't compromise the posts etc.

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[fnq22]

Nah mate you put the gateposts at the same level on either side of the road ..just pull out those few star pickets on the right hand side, ya lazy bugga, and move that short section of fence to match...I couldnt sleep at night thinking about an out of square, cock-eyed monstrosity of a gate mounted at a funky angle like that..!...

and yeah "shake awake' on the red dot..man they are built for pure speed shooting and the Holosun 507 comp is double or more cost then Zerotech or olight (both look Ok with lifetime warranty though) but I wanted the extra reticle options of the Holosun for short range fast target aquisition as well as the 2MOA dot for longer range accuracy...

I have been putting steel sillohettes out at 75 and 100 yards the last couple of range sessions with the Mamba with open sights with surprising results...




but this fella is another level to aspire to...imagine what you could do with a herd of pigs running across the paddock trying to get to the timberline...these red dots would be perfect for that...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RPEby1Jda4