Recent content by Old3Toe

Since this part of your op hasn't been addressed, here are some thoughts for your consideration: First, kudos to you for confronting some honest self-reflection. Get out there and put some lead in the air and validate it! Second, your 20" barrel may or may not be a limiting factor. My 20" 7x57...

"It's not the arrow, it's the Indian." Explains much that I have trouble putting into words sometimes.

In my 7x57 the 162 Hornady AMAX/ELDM with 45grs H4350 has been wholly satisfactory the last so many years on Deer/Elk. I've no Africa experiences (yet) but I'll confidently have this rifle/load in hand when I do. At 2650 fps it doesn't demand any special jacket/bullet construction even when...

Quandary, Well played sir! Indeed your set up is designed to extract maximum sparkle from the ol' 25-06. And it doesn't take a vivid imagination to recognize the serious edge of lightweight but heavy-for-caliber bullets pushed fast. And shooting suppressed is a wholly different paradigm...

The Ruger No1 was the first rife design that I got purely because it was aesthetically pleasing to my eye. And I of course got one in a 25-06. Which was easy to do because hunting with this cartridge was generally a one-shot deal anyway. Long story short, I eventually sent that rifle down the...

That rifle has done seriously understated old school class about it.

Odonata, this statement is personally significant. Back in a former life I was a huge (YUGE) 25-06 fan. I did most of my killing with 100grain pills from prairie dogs to big deer, even an elk. Light/Fast/Flat .25 cal can be pretty damn impressive for what it is. But after committing to that...

@Wyit76 ... That 3rd link is a 7x57 BRNO posted by @foxtrot1 looks like near perfection. I'd bid on it and start planning the rest of my trip if I were in your shoes.

One of my favorite pieces of kit that nooooooobody thinks about is an ultralight, compact, pocket-sized travel umbrella. Preferably in some muted tone. There have been hunts out glassing in the desert, torrential alpine down bursts, and innumerable instances where mine has either saved the day...

Nope, I've never come across another Mannlicher style rifle out in the wild. When I was a kid, the old man next door hunted with one. Either a Sako or Steyr, I don't recall, but I do remember clearly that it was beautiful and he frequently hunted Alaska with it. Yeah, he probably planted a seed...

20 years ago, I got my ideal rifle. Although i maybe didn't fully realize or appreciate it at the time. Turns out that it's been an ideal for me, my tastes, and yielded fully satisfying results on everything I hunt. It is a 98 Mauser, long throated, fast twist, 7x57 mauser. More specifically...

Would you please explain what manner of sorcery is exhibited at the front end of your optic?

I have no idea. I swapped for it at a rendezvous and later put it on a belt. Two open dividers inside, pretty basic.

A possibles bag. Only on a belt so I can layer on/off easily. It's magic is organization and convenience of the few things that get used the most. It's just big enough to keep some essentials together and at hand: headlamp, ammo, knife, sharpener, optic cleaner, lighter, chapstick, tags, pistol...

Cartridge choices aside, that Steyr SM12 is an exceedingly handsome rifle. However, I don't think I'd get along with Steyr's new "RESET ACTION" that automatically decocks the rifle if it's angled or tilted too much. Also something about an LED of some sort... Seems like a solution in search of a...