You are going on a wilderness adventure...

[Clement]

I see newcomers up here (Cheechakos) going out hiking without an appropriate gun, and I'm like...whatever, go for it.

"Cheechakos" - I always wondered where that word came from.

 

[WinterBorn]

I see newcomers up here (Cheechakos) going out hiking without an appropriate gun, and I'm like...whatever, go for it.

"Cheechakos" - I always wondered where that word came from.

After I saw it here I looked it up. Apparently it comes from two words and does mean "newbie".

 

[whitehall]

The sad fact is that the days of "wilderness adventures" are long gone. Carrying a gun in the American wilderness and shooting game for survival can get you time in the slammer from about a hundred local,state and federal regulations.

 

[WinterBorn]

The sad fact is that the days of "wilderness adventures" are long gone. Carrying a gun in the American wilderness and shooting game for survival can get you time in the slammer from about a hundred local,state and federal regulations.

Yeah, the days of being able to live off the land are in the past. I guess you could possibly only hunt in season and have enough meat to last. But preserving it would be tough. Drying isn't the best, and refrigeration in a wilderness setting is almost impossible.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

You'd load it with a single ball or very large shot. Or avoid the bear altogether.

Avoiding the bear would be a good plan. The question is, will the bear cooperate with my plan?

From everything I have heard about bears, not getting between them and the food is the key.

What if you're the food?

 

[Moonglow]

There is roots....

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Avoiding the bear would be a good plan. The question is, will the bear cooperate with my plan?

From everything I have heard about bears, not getting between them and the food is the key.

Worse yet ... getting between a mother and her cubs.

The wife and I were in a rowboat on lake Okanagan up in B.C. and we were paddling the shoreline.
We came around a boulder at the waters edge and two black bear cubs were no more then ten feet from us.
Your first thought is COOL!!!! Right up until we saw momma ten feet behind the cubs.
I could have pulled a water skier behind that rowboat....

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

The sad fact is that the days of "wilderness adventures" are long gone. Carrying a gun in the American wilderness and shooting game for survival can get you time in the slammer from about a hundred local,state and federal regulations.

Yeah, the days of being able to live off the land are in the past. I guess you could possibly only hunt in season and have enough meat to last. But preserving it would be tough. Drying isn't the best, and refrigeration in a wilderness setting is almost impossible.

You could probably pull it off in Alaska if you could manage to survive the winters.
But I'm a Southern boy....so I'd probably freeze to death by November.

 

[Clement]

Avoiding the bear would be a good plan. The question is, will the bear cooperate with my plan?

From everything I have heard about bears, not getting between them and the food is the key.

What if you're the food?

Pray.

 

[WinterBorn]

From everything I have heard about bears, not getting between them and the food is the key.

What if you're the food?

Pray.

So they won't issue a citation to the bears?

 

[Missourian]

I was reading this thread (http://www.usmessageboard.com/curre...e-stupid-but-can-we-make-them-pay-for-it.html)...that referenced the book "Into the Wild", in which the story culminates with Chris McCandless' adventure, unprepared, into Alaska's last frontier...it got me to speculating about, if I could only take one, what firearm would I take on an extended solo wilderness adventure.

So I ask you, if you could only take one gun into the wilds of the backwoods, what would it be?

I have spent some time thinking about this, and I have to wonder if my Thompson Center blackpowder shotgun wouldn't be a good choice. For the uninitiated, the T/C had only one barrel but was as easy to hit with as any modern shotgun. A couple pounds of powder and shot would last quite some time without the bulk of cartridges. I have hunted with it and it is no more inconvenient than any other single shot. Plus, you can customize your loads in the field.

FWIW, Short Lane makes a 12 gauge to black powder adapter...

[youtube]a8exOwACljA[/youtube]

Ol' Dave Canterbury does the same thing with a spent high-brass hull...

[youtube]ES59LtA7XE8[/youtube]

 

[Missourian]

Avoiding the bear would be a good plan. The question is, will the bear cooperate with my plan?

From everything I have heard about bears, not getting between them and the food is the key.

And their cubs. And I disagree, I think they actually get in bad moods. Then, here you come, and they take it out on you. They may be angry about something else, but you're just handy, know what I mean. Moose certainly do that, and I'm sure a bear would also.

You also don't know you've gotten yourself between them and the cubs (or that food cache they're guarding). You're walking through the woods and you see a cute little bear cub or two. And it's...OH SHIT!!!!!! 'Cause where's the damn mama!

No, bears are nothing to mess with. Assuming they won't mess with you is kind of stupid. I would never walk in the woods without something big enough to protect me against bears.

Now, I've lived in Alaska all my life, grew up in rural Alaska. I see newcomers up here (Cheechakos) going out hiking without an appropriate gun, and I'm like...whatever, go for it. Better you than me.

I carry bear spray while walking my dogs around in the middle of the city of Anchorage...for protection against moose. Our sacred cows that wander around the city and can be very dangerous.

But for bear...I'm going to want more than just bear spray.

Sounds like a great way to have a transformational experience...as in transformed from a person into bear poop.

Talk about being one with nature...the ultimate in recycling.

 

[Clement]

I was reading this thread (http://www.usmessageboard.com/curre...e-stupid-but-can-we-make-them-pay-for-it.html)...that referenced the book "Into the Wild", in which the story culminates with Chris McCandless' adventure, unprepared, into Alaska's last frontier...it got me to speculating about, if I could only take one, what firearm would I take on an extended solo wilderness adventure.

So I ask you, if you could only take one gun into the wilds of the backwoods, what would it be?

I have spent some time thinking about this, and I have to wonder if my Thompson Center blackpowder shotgun wouldn't be a good choice. For the uninitiated, the T/C had only one barrel but was as easy to hit with as any modern shotgun. A couple pounds of powder and shot would last quite some time without the bulk of cartridges. I have hunted with it and it is no more inconvenient than any other single shot. Plus, you can customize your loads in the field.

FWIW, Short Lane makes a 12 gauge to black powder adapter...

[youtube]a8exOwACljA[/youtube]

Ol' Dave Canterbury does the same thing with a spent high-brass hull...

[youtube]ES59LtA7XE8[/youtube]

What a brilliant idea! The only thing I would add is that loading a muzzleloader with a primer already in place makes me VERY nervous, so if you are going to try this at home make sure to keep the bore pointed away from your face.

Also, black powder and Pyrodex are very corrosive, so you have to make sure you clean at the end of every day. Hot water works a lot better than cold - just heat a pot of water in camp and pour it through the barrel.

Thanks for posting this.

 

[Clement]

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txedePKtMu4#t=395[/ame]

 

[Clement]

I think I am going to get a couple of those for my modern double barrel. Missourian, I think you have found the answer to this "which gun" conundrum. They also have 12 ga. to .45 ACP adapters.

 

[srlip]

By FAR the best choice would be a sound-suppressed, short barreld AR-15, in 223, with a scope and .22lr conversion unit. With 60 gr Nosler Partion softpoints, it's as effective on deer as the 30-30 ever was. with brain hits, good 223 sp'd drop elk, deer, and moose like ROCKS. Chris was IGNORING hunting regulations, shot a moose calf with his .22rimfire rifle.

Google for Ciener Firearms .22lr conversion units. $200 (30 rd box mag) they group 2" or smaller at 50 yds, so the accuracy is adequate for foraging small game. the caliber swap takes less than 20 seconds. The AR weighs just 6 lbs, the silencer less than a lb, a scope and mount 1 lb. the .22 unit just 3/4 lb. You can build an AR for $600, and you can always sell it for that.

An AR comes with a dark, corrosion-resistant finish. Yuo can get it with a chromed bore and chamber, to protect same from rust. many barrel lengths and rifling rates of twist are available. You can get a drop in trigger job, luminous iron sights, "see thru" scope bases (to let you use the iron sights, under the scope tube) you can push 2 pins and put on a different upper reciever/barrel/sight group in 10 seconds.

You can disassemble the shorty AR in 5 seconds, conceal it in a pack, etc, and reassemble to fire it in 10 seconds. That's often helpful when you want to hitch a ride (as Chris often had to do, in his other 2 years of wandering Alaska).

the lw, lightweight of the AR and ammo let you use it with one hand, let you carry more water, salt, shelter-sleep- clothing options. The shorty AR, scoped, will snipe effectively to 1/4 mile, making it a fine "resistance" rifle. Why bother to own lots of different longarms, hyou can only carry ONE (with a pack)

20" long AR 223 barrels WIN the 600 yd NRA BE (bullesye) matches all the time. Do NOT make the mistake of "thinking' that the 223 is just a "groundhog" cartridge". it will pierce 1/4" of mild steel plate, out to any range where 308 ball will do so. In fact, the shorty AR and softpoints will do this, at 50 m of range, and at 100m if you use the steel capped 62 gr military load.

weight and bulk SUCK when yuo have to foot slog with it. the 223 rds weigh 35-40 to the lb (depending upon bulelt weight) 12 ga shells, 454 Casul, 50 DE, 45-70, rds are 10 rounds to the lb. 308 and similar rds are 16 to the lb. .22lr's are 135 to the lb. You don't want to bother with 308's on small game (which is far more common than large animals). You also don't want to be limited to the short range of the shotgun, (which is MUCH less 'reach" than the 223 shorty has. hell, the .22 conversion unit has more range capability than a 12 ga with birdshot.

The sound suppressor makes all the difference in the WORLD, too. It removes all flash at night. It makes full power 223 ammo no noisier than a normal .22lr rifle. It makes the Aquila 60 gr subsonic 22 ammo ( loaded in .22 SHORT cases) as quiet as a BB gun. Often, game that you MISS just sits there, when you use a silencer! of course, no other game is scared off, and no enemies come looking for the sound of your shots, either.

Not having a rapidfire repeater is stupidity itself. Men are a danger everywhere, as are rabid animals and dog packs, and you CAN miss, ya know. especially without ear protection and especially at night. No, you AINT going to be making your own black powder, that's bs. Dupont and Pyrodex have both blown up black powder plants, killing people, and they knew FAR more about the process than you (or Dave Cantebury) will ever learn about such things.

 

[srlip]

muzzleloaders, on a daily "stay ready" basis are an unbelivable pita. The powder is constantly drawing moisture from the air, and it causes misfires, half-power shots (ie, miss the target); It corrodes the HELL out of the gun if you don't take it apart and clean it CAREFULLY after every time you fire the piece. it's a frigging single shot, it's loud, it smokes so much that often you can't tell if you hit your mark, it'[s short ranged, especially with bird shot (ie, 50 ft is LONG range for such a smoothbore).

You would be a fool to choose the muzzleloader, in this day and age. there's little reason for hunting, per se. it's very inefficient. what you do, instead, is keep your (silenced, rapidfiring) autorifle at hand, while you tend your traps, trotlines, snares and traps. You will catch FAR more food with the latter, rather than with just the gun and not waste time and calories prancing around looking for game. such items are readily made in the bush, too

The 6 lbs (or so) saved by using a Marlin papoose (scoped, silenced) takedown .22lr (as vs the muzzleloader) will provide you with the ability to carry 800 rds of .22lr, which will feed you for a lifetime, rather easily. So why have the single shot, corrosive, noisy, short ranged muzzleloader, hmm? You aint finding lead to mine, or saltpeter or sulphur, in the area you can roam on foot (in Alaska, especially). the muzzleloader burns 70 grs of powder per shot (ie, only 100 shots per lb. The shot pellets or ball run 3/4 oz (or so) per shot, too. it's just not a viable deal. There's almost no elk east of the Mississippi, no bison, no bears or moose south of our most northern states. So the muzzleloader is a huge waste of resources. Don't do it.

 

[Clement]

muzzleloaders, on a daily "stay ready" basis are an unbelivable pita. The powder is constantly drawing moisture from the air, and it causes misfires, half-power shots (ie, miss the target); It corrodes the HELL out of the gun if you don't take it apart and clean it CAREFULLY after every time you fire the piece. it's a frigging single shot, it's loud, it smokes so much that often you can't tell if you hit your mark, it'[s short ranged, especially with bird shot (ie, 50 ft is LONG range for such a smoothbore).

You would be a fool to choose the muzzleloader, in this day and age. there's little reason for hunting, per se. it's very inefficient. what you do, instead, is keep your (silenced, rapidfiring) autorifle at hand, while you tend your traps, trotlines, snares and traps. You will catch FAR more food with the latter, rather than with just the gun and not waste time and calories prancing around looking for game. such items are readily made in the bush, too

The 6 lbs (or so) saved by using a Marlin papoose (scoped, silenced) takedown .22lr (as vs the muzzleloader) will provide you with the ability to carry 800 rds of .22lr, which will feed you for a lifetime, rather easily. So why have the single shot, corrosive, noisy, short ranged muzzleloader, hmm? You aint finding lead to mine, or saltpeter or sulphur, in the area you can roam on foot (in Alaska, especially). the muzzleloader burns 70 grs of powder per shot (ie, only 100 shots per lb. The shot pellets or ball run 3/4 oz (or so) per shot, too. it's just not a viable deal. There's almost no elk east of the Mississippi, no bison, no bears or moose south of our most northern states. So the muzzleloader is a huge waste of resources. Don't do it.

Spoken like someone who has never hunted with a muzzleloader, and probably nothing else, either.

On range: I don't know where you got that 50 foot range number from (16 yards???) but if you know how to load the thing you can get performance close to a smokless firearm. I have had exactly one misfire in the field and that was with a flintlock. But, I know how to use one.

What is this silencer crap about? Are you planning on hunting illegally? Who do you think is going to hear you?

By all means, you take your peashooter .22 out into the woods and try to kill enough gray squirrels for a meal. I'll be back in camp, having cleaned and eaten my kill AND cleaned my gun by the time you get back.

We are talking about hunting here, not playing Rambo. I am a really good shot, one shot is no handicap for me.

Ear Protection, he says! Bwahahahahahahahaha!

 

[srlip]

I"ve been hunting with pistols, since 1968, cause rifles make it too easy. No, I have never bothered with a muzzleloader, they are stupid wastes of time and money. what I said are the FACTS, dude. trying to keep those pos's ready IS a stupid pain in the ass waste of time and money. for what? A noisy, short ranged single shot. What's the gain in that, hmm? are you going to claim that you 've got potassium nitrate and sulphur naturally available in your back yard, liar?

 

[Clement]

I"ve been hunting with pistols, since 1968, cause rifles make it too easy. No, I have never bothered with a muzzleloader, they are stupid wastes of time and money. what I said are the FACTS, dude. trying to keep those pos's ready IS a stupid pain in the ass waste of time and money. for what? A noisy, short ranged single shot. What's the gain in that, hmm? are you going to claim that you 've got potassium nitrate and sulphur naturally available in your back yard, liar?

There ain't no bullet trees in the wild, either, junior.