I made a boo boo and let my ammo supply get low. I still have 1500rds of .223/5.56 but my .45acp stash is under 400 now after teaching the wife to shoot. Pistol ammo has become unobtanium at this point. I think I might start selling brake work for ammo instead of cash. "When you find 150 rds of .45acp, then I'll fix your car."
In reply to bobzilla :
Usually it's 9mm that disappears.
Right now all the pistol calibers are really scarce. IF you can find any it's priced like gold.
spitfirebill said:In reply to bobzilla :
Usually it's 9mm that disappears.
which is part of the reason I consolidated to .45. That and I like heavy, slow moving things apparently look at my car choices. I knew I should have gotten into reloading long ago.
Happy to help!
As justjim pointed out, if Elk is the goal, glass is next. I'm sure there's plenty of us that can help with that too, if needed.
I too am a Vortex fan, have several, love their warranty, but am annoyed that they keep changing their models around, and they dropped my favorite Diamondback HPs from their line-up.
You can get decent glass for not a lot of money these days, I've got family members that still think your scope needs to cost 1.5-2X whatever firearm you're sticking it on. I'm not opposed to high end scopes, they have their place, but you can get a good hunting/sporting optic for <$200 these days. Plus I've got a lot of firearms, I'd go broke if I was spending that kind of money on every rifle & optic. I'm not super partial to any particular brand, though I gravitate toward the reputable manufacturers. I've Leupold, Nikon, Vortex, Bushnell, Primary Arms, and even some cheap NC Star, Simmons, and Tasco. I probably have more Vortex & Nikon than anything else.
Yeah the first gun I ever bought was an .17hmr. I think it was $200. The guy behind the counter flat refused to show me any scopes that were less than $300. I went to another shop, paid $115 for a little scope and was happy. It did everything I needed. Used to lay down and shoot at empty 12ga cartidges from 100y and that was fun. Unless the wind was blowing.
The only rifle with a scope I've ever really spent time behind was an old Glenfield Marlin 60 with some $40 scope (we paid as much for the scope as the rifle). It was never right. You'd dial it in, finally get it where you wanted and 3 shots later it was way left or way right or way up.... It was easier to just mag dump on the damn squirrel and hope you either hit him or put enough lead around him he left. Usually worked.
That little rifle we got because the previous owner had NEVER cleaned it and used the dirtiest .22LR ammo on the planet. IT wouldn't feed or eject more than one or two rounds. After a few weeks of cleaning and shooting, rinse and repeat it was stupid reliable.
In reply to barefootskater :
this one was so bad when we purchased it you had to force the bolt closed.
I looked for a rifle length 60 with a full length mag tube for while.
Most are carbine length, and most of the rifle length 60s don't have full length mag tubes. This was another Tulsa Arms Show score. It came with a similar vintage fixed 4X Tasco on it. I really feel like I stole it for $120.
1981 model, Marlin 6081, 1836 Alamo commemorative edition. 145 years seems like an odd choice to commemorate something, seems like they would have waited another 5 years.
It was dirty enough when I bought it, that I originally thought this gold inlay was rust. I may or may not have attempted scrubbing it out with some Break Free CLP. 
I really only bought it for the squirrel on the stock.
In reply to bigdaddylee82 :
IIRC, the laws were changed in the 80s to limit magazine capacity down from 19? To 15? Don't quote me on those numbers.
Anyway, I remember reading something to the effect of all model 60s made after x had the lower capacity tube. Of course I reserve the right to be misremembering or wrong in some other way.
In reply to barefootskater :
That is correct. We have a "pre ban" model, great plinker
bobzilla said:In reply to barefootskater :
this one was so bad when we purchased it you had to force the bolt closed.
Marlin, with their "micro groove" rifling recommend not cleaning the bore. A lot of people mistakenly think this means "don't clean the chamber, either." As a result, many of them get sticky.
I have a marlin 25mn in 22 mag with that micro groove rifling, very accurate and fun to shoot. Pawn shop score that had obviously been someone's behind the seat in the truck gun as the walnut stock was all sorts of beat up. I sanded it down and refinished it with danish oil.
perfect for dealing with varmints around the deer lease too big or far away for 22lr
Antihero (Forum Supporter) said:Apparently Walmart is blowing out their rifles and a few can be had for sub 100 bucks.
Savage axis series mostly
Just looked locally. Savage bolt .22 for $147 and even a 6.5 creedmoore for $269. Not bad prices at all.
barefootskater said:Antihero (Forum Supporter) said:Apparently Walmart is blowing out their rifles and a few can be had for sub 100 bucks.
Savage axis series mostly
Just looked locally. Savage bolt .22 for $147 and even a 6.5 creedmoore for $269. Not bad prices at all.
brickseek.com?
Apparently there are $49 ones out there.....with a $50 mail in rebate. Not a one near me of course
I'd get a bolt action 6.5 for giggles.
In reply to Brett_Murphy (Forum Patrón) :
If I had more budget to work with I'd be tempted. Or a 300 win mag because cannon.
In reply to barefootskater :
You can get better accuracy out of the .308. The extra pressure still at the muzzle and the larger volume of gas from the .300 upsets the bullet a tiny bit more.
In reply to matthewmcl (Forum Supporter) :
Yes, but at a certain point .50 cal muzzle loading is just more fun anyway. Accuracy is good, theatrics are good too though.
In reply to barefootskater :
https://www.flintlocks.com/rifles02.htm
When I clear a few other projects out, I will do the Christians Spring - Edward Marshall.
barefootskater said:In reply to matthewmcl (Forum Supporter) :
Yes, but at a certain point .50 cal muzzle loading is just more fun anyway. Accuracy is good, theatrics are good too though.
Used to be a guy around here who did trick shot demonstrations with a .50 muzzle loader. He would nail a hatchet blade out to the board with a balloon on either side. He'd split the slug with the hatchet and pop both balloons with one shot.
In reply to Duke :
In my experience, anyone who can group 5/5 inside 5" @ 50 yards is good. Any better than that and I start suspecting a deal with the devil or some form of wizardry.
In reply to barefootskater :
Nothing I've hunted with has ever dropped a deer like my .50 cal muzzle loader with 3 pyrodex pellets and a 250 grain Powerbelt.
Dropped like it got hit by a Suburban
If you go with folding (I have a couple of the magpul ones), you can leave it on and zeroed in the event you have to take a scope off. Carry handle with A2 rear sight is nice. You can also just go for a really cheap scope to be upgraded later. UTG is decent for that, or if you go used, you can get something on their with rings for $30 to $40.
Get a GI web sling so you can learn to shoot with a sling, too. That will be the single most effective accuracy enhancing upgrade you ever do and you can do that for about $15.
Nikon killed off all rifle scope production at the first of the year, so a lot of retailers are heavily discounting any remaining inventory.
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