New Mexico Two Step Part 1

I have once again had the pleasure to guide 2 more Antelope hunts in New Mexico and as usual it was a grand time. The event took place on a ranch in the North Eastern part of the state that I have been guiding on for many years. The hunt was arranged through Kim Bonnett owner of Bucks and Bulls based out of Lindon Utah (www.bucksandbulls.com). The first hunter to arrive was Grant Bledsoe and our mutual friend Gary Merrill tagged along as an observer. This was Grant's 3rd hunt on this ranch and Gary's 2nd time to insure crowd control. We spent the first 2 days of Grants 3 day season looking over many mature bucks. At close to 100,000 acres this selection process can take awhile. At dusk on the 2nd day we found a buck that Grant wanted to try and take and the stalk was on. We lost the buck as the sun set but felt he'd be same pasture at daylight. True to form we found the same buck right at dawn the next day. We watched the buck from roughly 1200 yards until he bedded down on a low ridge line that allowed him an unobstructed panoramic view of the short grass prairie and allowed us no topography to use as cover for a stalk. Gary suggested an air strike, Grant was looking up the number at Cheyenne Mountain, I decided to go deep and prepared to throw the bomb.

It was time to deploy the Trojan Cow. Both Gary and Grant gave me an instant fish-eye and the good natured ridicule began. Grant however has hunted with me before and has learned to unclip the leash and let me run so he grabbed one side of the bovine silhouette and did his best to bite his lip and endure the laughter coming from Gary as we "grazed" towards the bedded buck. We covered about 1000 yards in 45 minutes. The buck finally stood up as I moved Bessie away from Grant to allow him a prone 223 yard shot. I haven't heard anymore disparaging remarks about the flat cow since the buck hit the ground.

Grant was using what was to become the first real prototype Legend. Made on a Left Handed Remington 700 and chambered for 280 Remington this rifle has traveled the world and has always delivered when called upon. After very little load development Grant settled on a load of IMR-7828 and a Swift 160gr A-Frame. Grizzlies, Sheep, Moose, Leopard, Elk, Waterbuck, Kudu, Sable, herds of Impala, etc have fallen to this rifle. This was Grant's 3rd Record class antelope taken on this ranch with me and they all look quite different. This one carries 19 extra points around the prongs on both horns giving mass a whole new definition.

Midnight Sun And Sweat

Chet Fitzgerald just returned from Alaska's Talkeetna Range a bit sore, a bit weathered, but with a sense of honest hard earned accomplishment. His backpack sheep hunt was booked with Master Guide Braun Kopsack and guided by Tim Brannon. The pair put in their best effort into to play for eight days and on the last full day spotted this ram nine miles from their pick up point. They put him to bed and then covered five more miles to get within 350 yards of the sleeping ram. When the ram finally stood up Chet placed the reticle of his fixed 6X Leupold on the rams back and sent one 130gr TSX from his Legend 270 Winchester (the late Allen Day's old Legend) towards the ram and ended another successful sheep hunt. A hunt such as this is driven by a desire to cat walk in the scree, be bathed in rain and tested to your limits. Well done Chet

Rich is put through the paces

Rich purchased a previously owned Legend Long Range from us a few months ago. As usual we forwarded him all our text in regard to hand-loading and utilizing a rifle made in this configuration. Having spent the majority of his hunting career in the heavily wooded forest of the East he had more than a few questions as to how to begin loading for this rifle as his hand-loading experience was just as limited. It was then we learned he had also been invited to participate in the Lander Wyoming One Shot Antelope Hunt in late September. As time was short I encouraged him to fly to Utah and spend 4 days learning to load for and shoot this new rifle under the conditions imposed by the rules of the One Shot hunt. The use of a bipod, shooting sticks, slings etc are not allowed, we no doubt had our work cut out for us.

We began with the basics of loading and shooting the 1st afternoon. His first shots were done strictly from the bench top off a Hart rest and bunny ears to become familiar with the rifle. The first groups could described as random at best. Whenever he shanked a round he'd shake his head, smile and asked for another round. He rapidly learned to call these shots and correct his mistakes. As his shooting improved we confirmed the accuracy of the loads and made sure the Leupold B&C reticle was working as designed at 100, 200 and 300 yards. Then I pulled him off the concrete bench and had him begin shooting prone off the Hart rest at 300 yards. Then we removed the Hart rest altogether and he shot only off his palm resting over a wooden block to try and simulate field conditions. The learning curve was vertical and not very pretty at first but his perseverance began to pay off. The days began at 6am and ended at dusk. By the end of his stay his shoulder was a bit tender but he was very comfortable with the rifle and his newly found abilities.  Shooting prone with the rifle laid over a jacket, badger mound or rock pile any Lander Antelope is in for a world of grief out to 300 yards this September.

Having arrived with an open mind and being a fast study we covered a lot of ground and stuck with the program despite the 90 plus degree temperatures and evening storms. While here he purchased a second Legend that became available and he shot this rifle along with the first. We will keep you informed as to how the hunt in Wyoming plays out this fall.

Stainless Steel Legend Long Range

We have just about completed another stainless steel Legend. This one is chambered for 300 Winchester magnum and made in our Long Range configuration. The only parts that are not stainless on this rifle are some chrome-moly scope base screws, the trigger pivot pin, the guard screws and the swivel studs. I have yet to find a source for swivel studs and a decent magazine spring made from stainless steel. After the photos were take by Kevin Dilly of Klik Photography the rifle was disassembled once again and these few parts were sent off to Robar to be NP-3 Plus coated and the magazine spring sent to Birdsong's to be coated with Black-T. These parts are supposed to be back in the shop by the end of this week and the assembly will be completed for the last time. This 24" Tim North barrel is also fit with a Clay Spencer Brake per the clients request. Coupled with an over all scoped and loaded weight of close to 10lbs it is pleasure to shoot. Once completed the rifle will then go through some load development by request and then shipped to the front range of Montana.

This Legend is also heading to Tajikistan on a Marco Polo hunt later this fall. We will file a hunt report when one becomes available.

More Pics From NG-41

Here are a few more pics from Dr. Bucolo's hunt in NG-41. Once again the bullet is used was a current Barnes Round Nose 525gr Solid. It looks as if we could reload it and use it on another bull.

Up Grading Bobby Hunt's "New" Pre-64

From time to time we get a request to Up-Grade and make field ready a Pre-64 Model 70. Sometimes these are destine to be gifts handed down to children or grandchildren for their first Safari or given as a bonus to an employee for services well done. As 99 % of these rifles are in excellent condition to begin with the idea is not to re-blue or refinish the Pre-64 but to address and correct any bedding issues, re-work and improve the trigger pull, smooth up and refine the feeding of the rifle then mounting and zeroing a scope appropriate for the intended use. If you are a died in the wool Winchester Collector my next statement might cause you to become ill as we ALWAYS glass bed the recoil lug area and the contact points at the middle and rear guard screw locations. This is done to prevent any set back in the stock which is inevitable in the bigger calibers and to enhance the accuracy potential. We often touch up the factory crown and polish out any burs or major machine marks left from the factory manufacturing process. The result of this effort is a very dependable factory made rifle that feeds, functions and shoots well if the factory barrel is any good at all. We're not looking for 1/2" groups and tailored loads, just solid 1" to 1-1/4" repeatable three shot groups.

Bobby Hunt contacted us last year and requested we perform this Up-Grade to a Pre-64 Model 70, 375 H&H that was in superb, mint condition. This rifle looked like it just left the factory floor. The stock was made from better than average walnut and the bluing was without a blemish. All collectors need to stop reading this post now and go cut the lawn. We glassed bedded the action a described above, removed some high spots found in the barrel channel, re-worked the trigger assembly and then polished the feed well and bullet ramp. The extractor hook was tweaked to allow a smother case transition from the magazine to the bolt face and few other operations employed to bring the package together. As he had a hunt booked with Chifuti Safaris we also shot the rifle to see what Soft and Solids shot to the same point of impact for the planned hunt in Zimbabwe. As Bobby works mostly abroad getting a chance to practice with the rifle was going to be an issue, he needed a rifle that was 100% ready to go. Bobby did get  a chance to hunt Whitetails and pigs with this 375 late last year for a week and shot the rifle a much as he could. The next time he used the rifle was with Chifuti it would appear he and the rifle have become pretty close hunting buddies.

News From NG-41

Knowing Botswana was about to close down its Elephant hunting Dr. Anthony Bucolo arranged one last safari in this beautiful part of Africa specifically for elephant. The hunt was organized and conducted in NG-41 with John Oosthuizen of Hunters & Guides (hunters@huntersandguides.co.za). Tony and John have shared many a campfire over the past 25 years and together have covered the whole of southern and eastern Africa. Tony had taken a great bull from the delta 3 years ago with John and with some serious effort and maybe a little luck hoped to once again find success in the sands of Botswana.

The conditions in NG-41 and surrounding units have been unusually hot and dry this season and the elephant concentrations and movement were a-typical in everyones opinion. You can't change the weather, it just is what it is. You go to hunt so you rely on the experience of your PH and leave the camp each morning just damn happy to be where you are.

This bull was found just before dark walking through a huge expanse of buffalo grass mid-way through the hunt. Tony took the bull at 60 yards through the lungs and shoulders with 3 carefully placed shots with his Classic 505 Gibbs we put together some years ago. The bullets used were Barnes 525gr Round Nose mono solids that we had Barnes manufacture for us specifically for this rifle and another Gibbs we built for Bryan Walt. These bullets have now accounted for 3 big elephant bulls and despite the lack of any flat meplat have worked flawlessly and feed reliably every time.

Congratulations to both Tony and John on such a successful safari in an area that will no longer be open to hunting in the future. We are truly looking into the opening pages of the Good Old Days.