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The 350s probably cross the zero line around 60 yards, depending on velocity. If you have a modicum of curiosity about ballistics, then for a cheap few dollars you can get a ballistics app like Ballistics AE. It is easy to input data and get some helpful results. I’ve been pondering a...

Anyone who has regularly hunted the mountains in snow has experienced the joy of a good fall, and if lucky, the excitement of watching the buck you are dragging pass you like toboggan laden with kids.

R8: round in the chamber. That is the beauty of an R8, and part of the reason I’m ok with the extra cost of that platform. I don’t like to hunt with a round in the chamber with a 3 position safety. I load when close to a shot. I also have a habit of verbally announcing when I load or unload...

Brilliant!

Grocery bags! I just made two out of giraffe hide. Buffalo would be excellent. Open top, two handles, simple. And you can leave them in your vehicle. Tool bag. Perfect material for that. Small square for closet rug. Look at little spaces in your house where a 3x3 rug will be perfect.

https://optimo.com/hats/#travel My favorite current hat is a brown Optimo Mundo. It is crushable. 100% beaver felt. I’ll likely bring it to Africa this September. And I’ll have a standard baseball style hat, which is what I mostly wear when hunting. Texas, Montana, etc, you all have some nice...

+1 on a behind the shoulder shot. For inside of 100 yards, something in the 6.5mm category with a heavy for caliber barnes will be excellent. I primarily use a 7mag, but shots inside of 100 are violent, a barnes bullet will help reduce that. I’ve been surprised by the holes a .30-30 will make...

I do the same as @Wade J VanGinkel I have plugs on a string that are looped around the button on the top of my baseball hat. The plugs stay tucked under the hat or behind my ears until deployment. 90% of the time it is easy to get them in prior to shooting. Very seldom do I need to shoot so...

In Mn now too

Thank you! I shot a dik-dik last summer. I don’t think I’ll go after one again this year, they are about the most expensive animal in Africa, if measured by weight! Steinbok and duiker are readily found, for sure I’ll chase either of them when seen. It is like hunting rabbits. You don’t know...

With potentially 30 species of antelope roaming the area, a .223 would not be an ideal, or even a good choice. Even in a focused tiny 10 hunt, there is always a good chance for something else. You can’t take what the bush offers unless you are adequately prepared. We have had to do some...

That is a big shark! Looks over 100 lbs. I’m also awaiting your report!

I bought a set of aluminum 4 stable sticks in England in early 2023 after using them for an excellent hunt. They went to Africa last summer and Montana in the Fall. They are a good value. They were easy to pack when take apart. I’ve used bogpod tripods and homemade tripod sticks. They each...

I started 2024 with a hunt in England in early January: Muntjac, Chinese Water deer, Fallow and Red deer, and pheasants. September I’ll be in Namibia with Jamy Traut Safaris. My big sister is coming along with my dad. Sister has never hunted. My dad and I have an estimate of 90% that she will...

A .375 works well in my experience. Id imagine a 9.3x62 is about equal. So, a heavier bullet in the whelen should do it. For sure it will work with a neck shot.

Thank you fort the report! It sounds like you had a wonderful trip. I’ll be in Spain in September dropping off my son for a study abroad program. I went to Spain as a college student. My adviser at college told me that “I might fall off the radar for a while” when I got to Spain. He was right as...

I suspect what you do will turn out really nice. Those electric turkey carving knives are really useful for this job. Might as well buy one since you are going to do more than one foam set for the Blaser parts in your future.

I’ve hunted PG with a 7 rem mag. It worked well up to eland. +1 for nosler ABLR bullets. I elk and deer hunt with 180 grain berger VLDs.

My son was 12 for his first safari, 15 for DG hunting. He was interested in going and wanted to learn. It was a precious experience that I cherish. I’ve been around some of his friends that would not have been ready at age 15, so the upbringing, experience and the individuals dedication make a...

Is that a cheese wheel? If so, how much does it weigh? And if it is a cheese wheel, is that personal use, or do you need a license for that?

Then he switched to Omega. And I don’t think he stopped pursuing women.

Very good point. I used a neck shot to fill my 2023 MT deer tag, as it was an animal I would be eating. (7 mag with a berger 180 grain VLD). To avoid lead and meat damage I used a high neck shot. My double standard here is that the Berger’s shoot so well… But, I prefer Barnes for Africa for the...

I have no issue top loading in any of the r8 calibers. Well, the .22lr is kinda complicated to top load. The thumb is the primary actor in top loading.

My concern with a lighter, super fast bullet is the amount of bloodshot meat that occurs. Shedding petals also leaves the shed petals somewhere in the animal to be found later by the meat grinder. I try to avoid lead bullets now due to not wanting to eat lead. So, that leaves me with a...

You might need to get a black sharpie marker to paint camo stripes on that.

While I am tempted to try a larger caliber, the .375 H&H on an R8 ultimate stock with a swaro z8 has worked very well for me. I hesitate to change that combo, it weighs about 9 1/2 lbs. I perceive that the vertical grip helps absorb recoil. So, for newer hunters reading this, I suspect most...

That is a nice case. For the buyer it will simplify the need to cut out foam. This case size easily fits in the trunk of a car, so every weekend trip can include some shooting practice!

+1 for raclette we’ve done two Christmas seasons in a row in Europe. Raclette was regularly eaten at the different Christmas markets. As a Minnesotan, we too have dairy, and proximity to Wisconsin. Fresh cheese curds that squeak on your teeth when eaten are delicious. My wife is a...

How far do you plan to shoot your DG rifle? I suppose you might want to take a 200 yard shot at a unique opportunity, in that case when shooting off the sticks without tension on the sling I don’t think you’ll have any accuracy issues. Operator error has a much greater detriment.

Do it!

@Inline6 with your competitive shooting experience, might you have some input on this question?

I have not shot or purchased a fluted barrel. The standard R8 barrels work great already. For me, the weight savings is not worth the added cost. I hunt in the mountains every year, a 1/2 lb less of rifle weight doesn’t matter, it is easy to mitigate that with less stuff in my backpack. Yes...

That is a beautiful knife. What length blade? You claim it is a watermelon, but it looks like half a duiker… well, maybe I need to zoom in more.

Operator error when not closing the bolt all the way. But that is not the rifle. I have not had problems with the rifle. That covers 3 stocks (including a 4th action in LH) and 7 barrels. But I’m only 4 years and 100+ days of hunting with them. It has been worth the money.

@Tanks did you put a kick stop in your R8? I find it balances better with a .300wm barrel on the professional stock.

That is a very nice setup. Your cabinet may have fewer rifles now, but it has the one you’ll use most. Of my rifles, I haven’t hunted with anything other than the R8 in years. I might be hunting right now… I have an espresso and an R8 with the .22lr barrel as I hope for a bothersome groundhog...

I think I entered the “more money than brains” club when I was a teenager and got my first paycheck. Now, decades later, my paycheck growth vastly outperforms the brains growth. The moment I think I’ve arrived, there is always a new place to go.

Welcome from another Minnesotan.

Good luck!

Think about starting small and building the activity into your day over time. Start with something simple like a walk around the block and build up from there. The goal isn’t 10 lbs of weight loss in 3 months. The goal is finding an activity you can do and can repeat. Think of it like debt. I...

Ya, a 15 lb cardio bar would simulate rifles (plural!!). That is a good regular baseline of exercise. I always think that I’m training today so the me tomorrow can keep up. I don’t drink alcohol (anymore) so exercise is a necessity for keeping mentally balanced too.

I definitely do, although it is more important to be in good shape for my hunts in Montana in the fall. I run regularly, about 40-50 miles a week. I step on the scale every day. It is harder as I get older. Staying fit is an every day decision. Being in good shape makes it much easier to shoot...

I also think it should stay a .270. Great round. Ideal for everything in NA except the bigger bears. It would also work well as a loaner rifle for a new hunter. And ammo is easy to find.

I’m jealous you all got to see it! Here in MN it was cloudy and wet. The clouds were too thick to see the sun. Last year we still had 10” of snow on the ground this time.

@BeeMaa has been discreetly selling the Omega brand, and he is doing a pretty good job of it. I’m looking at them now with an attitude that started as “I don’t need” and now seems to be entering the “why not get one” phase. We all know this cycle very well as rifle owners.

You and @BeeMaa have similar taste in fine timepieces! That is a beautiful watch.

I had a poor experience with the CBP officer in Bozeman for a form 4457. Just be ready for some negativity. And I completely agree to call in advance. In minneapolis, the CBP office is really easy to deal with, some kind folks. Might as well bring extra copies also.

Exactly! And the same reloading process, albeit a shorter stroke. We shot a lot of subsonic suppressed .22lr in the yard. The metal swinging target makes more noise than shooting. The R8 with a .22lr barrel is a perfect introduction to shooting for a new person. After a few dozen rounds and...

+1 on barnes 300gr. They also don’t seem to open up on the tiny 10, so you wouldn’t have to swap to a solid. They will exit medium sized PG and about any angle, so be sure of what is behind.

Get the .22lr! Plinking is how most of us started shooting. Going back to the little .22lr is really fun. It makes me feel like a kid, but with discretionary income, and a much nicer rifle.