The Five Gun Selection

The question has come up from time to time while sitting over a meal or at the campfire "What five guns would you keep if that's all you could have"?  I too have thought of this as I get older and thin out the collection of firearms to my up and coming hunter sons. I think the list is different for every man based on many different conditions and locations where they live. For instance my list does not include any long range shooters as I don't really have the need for such a firearm. My choice was made based on needs rather that wants and tends to be more practical than some of the list I have seen printed before. I'll start in no particular order and try to explain why I made the choices I did.

No collection would be complete without at least one .22 rimfire. My list will include the ever popular Ruger Mark II semi-automatic pistol in stainless steel. Mine wears the 6 7/8" barrel with iron sights. I have owned mine for about 30 years and it has never failed to operate in any way. The ammunition is cheap and you can carry plenty your jacket pocket or in a small field bag. This pistol is fun to shoot and is an excellent tool to teach newcomers how to shoot and handle a firearm. It has plenty of power for small game like squirrels and rabbits. I also often take it along to take care of critters of the no neck variety.  Ammo can be purchased almost anywhere which should be considered for your limited gun selection. Who wants to own a gun which uses a cartridge of limited availability?

Next on my limited list of five is another pistol.  This second pistol is the brainchild of John Browning.  It's the 1911 style semi-automatic pistol of .45 caliber.  This power house is all the pistol you should ever need for self protection.  It has plenty of knockdown power without being a beast to handle. This is another cartridge that is easy to find for purchase and reload if you so choose.  There are so many different models to choose from in today's market and I love them all. My personnel choice is a full size model with combat style sights. It's accurate and it feeds well from the single stack magazine. You just can't go wrong with the 1911 pistol. It's been working for 100 years now and it will work for another 100 years I'm sure. Shop carefully and pick the model you are most comfortable with. You will not be disappointed.

Third on the list is a 12 ga. pump shotgun. This is the most versatile gun of  the five. It can take birds or big game for the table, clay targets for fun and be used to protect yourself if need be. My choice is the Browning BPS but there are others simialar models to choice from. I use a 28" barrel with a set of choke tubes to match the ammo and game I am persueing. I also have 19" cylinder bore barrel for mine which allow it to work double duty as a house gun. This short barrel is very easy to handle in tight quarters. Most pumps will handle  2 3/4" and 3" shells.  This makes them suitable for duck, turkey and deer hunting. For a pump shotgun I would always pick a 12 ga. over a 20ga. because the ammo selection is much greater.

A center fire rifle makes my list's number four spot. A bolt action rifle makes the most sense to me as they are so dependable and accurate. Choose a caliber that is somewhat common over one that is not as popular. You want to make sure you can always find ammo.  My first choice is the .308 Winchester. I live in the east  and there is nothing here that I would not take with the .308.  It has alway been a very accurate cartridge and it can be found loaded in many different brands and bullets types. My Ruger Model 77RS is in stainless steel and it will shoot groups less than 1" with my hadloads and with a few factory loads. My rifle wears a 4-16 power scope which works well for the deer hunting I use it for. Most of the hunting I do leaves me with shots that will range from 50 yards out to about 200 yards. At these ranges todays premium bullets should make clean  kills with one shot as long as you do your part. I'll discuss options in a later paragragh as the options and calibers are endless for a firearm in this catagory.

Last but not least on my list is another gun that is totally fun to shoot and very pratical. It's a another rimfire but this time it's a rifle. My choice is the 17HMR bolt action. Not only is it alot of fun to shoot it is accurate and when matched with one of the trajectory compensating scopes you will be surprised how far you can shoot it accuratly. This tiny .17 caliber bullet is moving so fast it makes clean kills on rabbits or squirels and has even been known to kill a deer. Fox, crow, bobcat and coyates should be no problem for the .17 at reasonable ranges. It is not legal in my state for hunting big game but I know it happens. Plenty of ammo should be purchased for this rifle as it is not sold at every county store out there.

The choices for a five gun battary are endless and I have just listed what I like for where I live. Bassically I choose a small pistol, a big pistol, a shotgun, a big rifle and a small rifle.  Action types and cartridge selections are as varied as can be and none will be wrong or right for every person. Choose what you are comfortable shooting with and is in your price range. My oldest son has started his collection and so far has gathered a 12 ga. and a 20ga. shotgun, a small rifle and a large rifle.  His two calibers of choice thus far are the .243 Winchester and the .300 Weatherby Magnum. Others are on his Christmas list for sure and pistols too when he becomes of legal age to own one. Get your first five started and practice, practice and practice a little more.  If you you have any questions on safe gun handling please visit the website of the National Shooting Sports Foundation at http://www.nssf.org/ .  Be safe my friends.

My Favorite Baits for Largemouth Bass!

I'm not sure if I learned to walk and talk first or to fish. Either way I've been fishing for a long time now. With more than 45 years of serious fishing under my belt I thought I could share with you a few of my favorite baits and how I like to fish them here in the south for largemouth bass.

I will list these baits in the order of having caught the most fish on them.  Like many of us I have no choice but to start with the soft plastics. The invention of the plastic worm has to be the best invention of all time to the bass fisherman. Without a doubt the plastic worm has caught more fish than any other lure ever. At least for me it has. I learned to fish the worm during the late 1960's and into the 70's. I have used it all over the Southeastern United States in water as deep as 35 feet to as shallow as 6 inches and everything in between. Water temperature of 58 degrees is when I start using the worm in the spring and I have used it in water up to 102 degrees on the surface. I will use the soft plastic all summer and into the fall until the water falls back to about this point of 58 or so degrees.

The weedless worm rigged Texas style is my preferred style of worm fishing. depending on the water depth I will use a slip sinker somewhere between 1/16 of and ounce and 1/4 ounce. I tend to carry two worm setups with me on each outing. A light rig using 10# test line and a heavier rig using 14-17# test lines. On any given day the fish will tend to show a preference for one or the other. In the heavy cover I will use the heavier rig to muscle the fish out. If the cover is light I will use the lighter rig. Always use the sharpest hook you can afford and try to keep that hook sharp. This will make the hook set much easier. I also like to use worms with two different contours. I use a skinny worm on the light rig and a bolder contour on the heavy rig. I switch back and forth until I find the combination the fish are liking and then I will stick with what is working best.

These soft plastics now come in a rainbow of colors. Try sticking with a few of the best sellers in your area.  I always carry a few of the following colors which are hard to beat. Blue, green, black, red and purple. Fish each until you find the one the fish in your lake like the best. There are also the more recent colors like watermelon seed and others, made by mixing two colors into one worm or by adding glitter into the plastic mixture.

Another version of a soft plastic bait is the lizard which I fish in heavy grass and weed beds. I fish the lizard with as light a weight as I can get away with and still be able to cast the bait. I always use a large and heavy duty hook with a lizard.  Big fish love this bait and the heavy hook helps hold the big ones. I use a 5/0 or a 6/0 hook and my favorite lizard size is 6" long. Because it is used in heavy cover 17# test is the recommended line size as a starting point. The lizard works best when it will fall slowly after coming off of a lilly pads or some grass.  This is when the strike comes most often.

The last soft plastic I use on a regular basis is the soft jerk bait. There are many different brands and styles available. I like one that has a slot for the hook to ride in. This is a bait that I only recently began to love. I use no weight at all other than the hook I select. Usually a 4/0 offset wide bend hook is what I use with a 7 foot heavy spinning rod. I use 14-17# test lines and make fairly long cast. I start moving the bait at once and keep it into the grass or right along the edge of the grass for best results. I like a light colored bait so I can see the lure as it is jerking back and forth on the retrieve. Many strikes are in plain sight as I keep the bait near the surface. When you see or feel the strike set the hook and hang on.

My second favorite class of baits is the spinnerbait.  I like the standard style wire frame baits that weigh from 3/16 of an ounce and on up to 1/2 ounce.  The most balanced all around weight for most situations is 3/8 of an ounce  and cast with 14-15# test line. I use casting equipment with a short 5'-6" rod so I can make a slight underhanded cast keeping the bait low to the water with a gentle or no splash landing. My casting reels are left handed retrieve models so I can start reeling as soon as the lure hits the water.  I use three  basic retrieves when using the spinnerbaits with willow leaf or Colorado blades. On the surface of the water with the rod tip helping to control the depth I run the bait  just a few inches deep. This will leave a small wake behind the bait. My second retrieve is the slow roll which will keep the bait 2-4 feet below the surface and the third is a deep retrieve running the bait along structure along the bottom. Piers, post  and stumps fields are my favorite spots for fishing the spinnerbaits but I have used them with great success in the fall in big flats and in the back of feeder creeks when bass are chasing the shad.  If I had to only have a few spinnerbaits I would start with 3/8 ounce baits in white, chartruse and with willow leaf blades in silver and gold. I may mix in a few buzz baits for running on the surface. When the grass is not too heavy or when targeting open structure use a trailer hook setup. I always use the Side-Striker trailer hook. With this trailer hook all the fish has to do is just look at the bait and it's caught. I'll end up here today and continue later with more on crank baits and top water selections next time.  Good fishing and be safe.

Make a Memory

I have been called the luckiest kid in the world more than once. Growing up in the "Merry Mac" clan in Greensboro, NC I had more than ample opportunities to explore the outdoors world. These adventures I took part in were varied in their locations and activities I participated in. First of all I consider visiting every county in North and South Carolina are real treat. Many times we do not take advantage of the local venues we have available right at our own back doors.  Much of this travel was with my dad while he chased the many outdoors news articles he provided to the readers of his column with the Greensboro Daily News and Record.

During those early days in Greensboro I had the pleasure of seeing the golden sunrise come up over the Atlantic Coast. I was also able to watch it fall down as a firery blaze into a black Pacific during a trip to Southwestern Mexico. Other  memorable sights were the lights of Denver as seen from a mountain top in the Rockies or some of the wonderful rivers sightings we made over the  years. I've seen the Snake, the Colorado, the Ohio, Mississippi, Missouri, Madison, Penobscot and the St. Lawrence. These are but a few and there will be others to come as time goes by. Some of the prettiest I've seen are here in the Carolinas.  Down east  the Chowan and the Waccamaw both come to mind in North Carolina and the Catawba, the Congaree and the Savanna in South Carolina. In the west the Broad, Tuckasegee, Natahala and the New Rivers have all left a long time impression on me. These rivers are loaded with fish just waiting for you to cast your line. Each of these bodies of water have something to offer today's traveler.

Sometimes these wonderful places are just in passing and some are not.  No matter the case each is wonderful to see.  Everyone needs to make  an effort to see the highlights of America. There are plenty of them to visit.  Yellowstone Park  and the surrounding area is a marvel in itself. The Grand Canyon and the dessert southwest is another. For the first time visitor it is unreal just how far you can see.  Having spent most of my life in the Carolinas this is the biggest thing I notice when I get out west. If you are looking for something closer to home, the NC Outer Banks are nice in the fall when the fish are biting and we have the Smokies to the west. Both are close by and either will take your breath away with it's beauty and the abundance of history, wildlife, fish and plant life too.

So what are you waiting for.  Grab a camera and hit the road to a place you have not yet seen. You may get lucky, find yourself lost and end up in some place like Calico Rock, Arkansas or Durkey, Oregon. You never know. Be safe.

Handloads at their best!

A friend recently asked me to load some ammunition  for his upcoming review of Ruger's new Scout Rifle. This is a handy  bolt action with a 10 shot magazine. I agreed to make the ammo and I got started as soon as I could fit it into my schedule. This rifle is chambered for one of my all time favorites .308 Winchester. I never got my hands on the rifle during the loading process so I had to rely on older data I had used on my .308 Ruger 77R. My goal was to create at least one round that would be suitable for this new rifle in a hunting situation.

I made 3 boxes of ammo in three different configurations and shipped the ammo to Colorado for the test.  Andy reported that the first two worked about as well as the factory ammo but box #3 was the ticket.  The 150 gn. Nosler Ballistic Tips were the best of the group. It is not uncommon to see a light weight rifle have a preference for one load or another. This load produced dime size groups at 100 yards and he was now comfortable taking the rifle afield to test on live game.

I am happy to report that Andy  took a Pronghorn Antelope out west.  It was a one shot deal as I hope all shots on game are.  The Nosler entered from the chest and passed all the way to the rear quarter and came to rest next to the hide. The bullet was fully mushroomed and  remained intact with much of it's original weight. This is the kind of performance I like to hear about. Did I fail to mention the animal was 500 yards away when the shot rang out. This is the longest shot I know of with one of my precision handloads.

Chris Short of Lancaster, SC reported to me this week that he took a nice whitetail doe with one of my recent handloads we developed for his bolt action Savage rifle chambered in .270 Winchester. He made his shot at 475 yards.  While taking a firearms and shooting class at Clemson University Short reported that his rifle was making 3 to 4 inch groups at 400 yards and he was ready to try a long  range shot. All worked well and the shot was on the money. I told Chris let me know if you ever plan on selling that rig.  It sounds like it shoots very good for a sporter weight hunting rifle.

Last but not least is my first born's Election Day buck shot last November.  Logan's cartridge of choice  was the almighty .300 Weatherby Magnum. Logan took his buck at about 50 yards as it  was running through chasing a doe. That 180 gn. Nosler Ballistic Tip hit he buck like a ton of bricks. That Nosler was moving somewhere around the speed of light and the deer never knew what hit him. Logan's rig has him set up for just about anything he may ever hunt unless he heads to Alaska for a grizzly. In that case an upgrade may be in order. 

I'm proud to say that in the last 30 years I have only shot handloads that I have made in all of my center-fire rifles except one. The AR-15 in .223 Remington shoots it up faster than I can reload it in most cases.  Be safe my friends.

"The Legend Returns" Fliptail Worms and Lizards

For all my Bass Fishing friends who are old enough to remember the beginning days of B.A.S.S. I am certain you will remember the Fliptail Worm. A blue Fliptail was cast by none other than Bill Dance of Memphis, TN. in Ray Scott's very first tournament which was held on Beaver Lake in June 1967.  While others raced away from the blast off point Dance ran just across from the landing and cast to an old roadbed in plain view of Scott and others.  The blue Fliptail  hit the bottom and a keeper bass inhaled the worm.  Dance set the hook and the rest is history. This was the very first bass caught in a B.A.S.S. Tournament.

All of this replayed in my mind as I was told this story first hand by my lifetime friend Ray Scott while attending the 2011 Southeastern Outdoor Press Association Conference in Branson, MO. a week ago. Over the years I have attended many of the SEOPA Conferences but this was my first as an official fees paying member and not strictly as a volunteer. I had cornered Ray to discuss old times and such when I laid it in his lap that Fliptail was up and running again and I was here in Branson to spread the word.  His first words were "Oh My God" and then it was non stop this and that and about how Fliptail's original owner Bill Stembridge was his first advertiser in BASSMASTER Magazine. Of an interesting note the day I rolled out the display of new Fliptail samples to the outdoors media in Branson it was also the eve of Bill Dance's birthday.  I hope Bill recieved his birthday gift of Fliptails by now and it opened fond memories of days gone by.

Well I'm happy to report that the worms and lizards we all came to love back in the day are back thanks to Orby Partee and family of Clinton, AR.  Partee purchased the molds and full copyrights to the company some years back looking forward to the day he could invest full time into a lure company of his own.  Well that time is here and the worms and lizards are back in production. At this time 9" worms and 6" lizards are being poured with the 7 1/4" worms to follow soon.  There are new colors available that we did not have back in the 60's and 70's. Junebug and Watermelon Seed are two new colors and I have had very good success with both.  My experience on the Yadkin River Chain in North Carolina shows that the Watermelon Seed will be a huge success. I have also enjoyed fishing the lizards in areas where there is a lot of grasses. I fish the lizard without a weight or with a very small 1/16 oz. or so weight. Because you stand to hook a large fish with this setup I throw it on a heavy 7 foot spinning rod and 14-17 pound test line. I recommend a 5/0 wide bend hook. The Fliptails are a little more bulky than most worms and the large hook helps with the hook set. The Bleeding Red hooks by Daiichi work well.

The worms and lizards will be made in several sizes and colors and they are available online at sales@fliptail-lures.com .  For those of you who remember the Fliptails welcome back. For those of you who are new to Fliptails you are in for a treat! Good luck and good fishing my friends.  Be safe.

First day in the Deerstand this year.

October 18, 2011 and I am sitting in a ladder deerstand in Stanly County, NC.  The weather is overcast this afternoon with a slight  breeze  from the southwest. I can taste the rain coming in the wind. It hit a high of around 80 degrees today so I am lighting my Thermacell as I get settled in for the rest of the afternoon.

I have my bow ready to go so to pass the time as I sit and watch the clearcut to my right. I use my rangefinder to mark different points in my view and their ranges. I use these markers to use match the pins I have my bow sight set for. In this case today I have a pair of circles etched in my mind at 10 and 20 yards all around me.  An old stump here a mushroom or whatever else may mark the forrest floor. If a deer aproaches my circle I will have a spot to gauge it by without having to look through the rangefinder again.

As it played out today just like others in the past the deer stayed outside my magic ring. Two does and a buck crossed the clearcut behind me and to the right. I watched as they moved into the light breeze at a distance of 93 yards.  They made it out about 100 yards and just melted into the underbrush just as quickly as they showed themselves 60 seconds before. You know they have a way of doing that like ghost in the night, you blink and they are gone.

Just as my fellow friends from the deep woods disapeared I felt the pit-pat of a few drops of rain. Light was failing me fast and I had a promise of a chicken diner waiting for me.  I called it quits for today and thanked God for just making me able to spend this time outdoors today. Others will follow for sure.