I just got my grizzly bear skull scored after cleaning it and letting it dry the required 60 days. The skull was officially scored at 24 13/16". Almost an inch larger than the required minimum score to enter the Boone and Crockett all time book. Check out the story here:

http://www.huntingtipsandtricks.com/a/Grizzly_Bear_Hunt

I went to the range to test some hand loads out the other day. I was using Barnes TSX 200 grain .308 cal bullets for my .300 WM Weatherby Vanguard. I loaded some bullets with Reloader 22 and some with IMR 7828SSC.

Here is a picture of some brass in a loading block and a box of Barnes TSX 200 grain .308 Cal bullets.

So off to the range to do some shooting. In my particular rifle the Reloader 22 powder is not that accurate, here is a picture of a 3 shot group at 100 yards.

You can see that the group is approximately 1.5", not that great for handloads at 100 yards.

The following target is some groupings with IMR 7828SSC powder.

You can see that my 2 shot group of 65 grains of powder was touching and then my 3 shot group of 66 grains of powder was -1MOA. I started having signs of excess pressure at this amount with a sticky bolt. So I decided to load 65 grains of powder for further testing at the range.

Yesterday I loaded up some bullets for my grizzly hunt coming up. I went to the range prior and used the most accurate load to make a box of 20 bullets for my hunt. So here is the video on the steps of reloading ammunition. For the example I used Barnes TSX 200 grain .308 cal bullets for my .300 Winchester Magnum. I am going on a grizzly bear hunt so I had to load a bit heavier bullet for more energy. This video goes in detail through: cleaning, tumbling, sizing, trimming, measuring, powder, labels, manuals, dies, equipment, and as much as possible to help you reload your own ammunition. Remember to reload safely and consult manufacturers literature and your reloading manual. Check it out here:

http://www.huntingtipsandtricks.com/p/Ammunition_Reloading

Minister of Public Safety Announces Further Action Toward Effective Gun Control

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA–(Marketwire - March 19, 2010) - The Honourable Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety, today announced the Government of Canada’s intention to re-extend the current amnesty that helps firearms owners comply with the law.

"This Government is committed to gun control that makes sense. We plan to extend the current amnesty, so that we can continue to bring even more Canadians into compliance with the existing system," said Minister Toews.

"We are encouraged by the fact that gun owners continue to register in increasing numbers. We support honest, responsible non-restricted gun owners and we want to continue to bring them into our licensing system, preventing their pointless criminalization," said Minister Toews.

The following measures will be proposed to encourage compliance and reduce the administrative burden on lawful firearms owners:

·         Extending by one year an amnesty which allows individuals in possession of unregistered non-restricted firearms to obtain a licence or a registration certificate for their firearm;

·         Extending by one year the current fee waiver for firearms licence renewals or upgrades; and

·         Allowing eligible holders of expired Possession-Only Licences to apply for a new one within a year.

"This Government is committed to effective gun control. Our Tackling Violent Crime Act increases mandatory jail sentences for serious and repeat firearm offenders and provides tougher bail rules for serious weapon-related offences. In addition, we continue to invest $7 million annually to strengthen the licensing process by enhancing front-end screening of first-time firearms licence applicants," added Minister Toews.

For more information, please visit the website www.publicsafety.gc.ca.

Today I started loading some rounds for my spring grizzly hunt. I was loading 200 grain .308 cal Barnes TSX bullets for my .300 Win mag. I started at the lowest possible charge with IMR 7828 SSC and Reloader 22 powder. I loaded 70 bullets in total so I will go to the range and see what my rifle likes best. I will sight in 2" inches high at 100 yards so I am approximately zeroed in at 200 yards. I wont be shooting long ranges for my grizzly hunt, I will try to keep any shots at a grizzly around 150 yards or less.

My RCBS equipment works really well for reloading, I recommend it to anyone wanting to get into reloading. I have the Rock Chucker Supreme Kit.

I have been talking with a friend out in Williams lake about preperations for my grizzly bear hunt this spring. I am getting quite excited. My friend has been giving me a lot of insight on gear and areas to hunt as he has been hunting grizzly in British Columbia for 30 years. I have heard that on the news they trying to ban hunting grizzly bears in British Columbia so this might be my last chance to harvest a grizzly if these left wing politicians succomb to hippy pressure. Anyways I am quite excited and hope to be successful with a bruiser of a grizzly. Check out this article on grizzly bear hunting : http://www.huntingtipsandtricks.com/a/Grizzly_Bear_Hunting_Tips_

I also got a few boxes of Barnes TSX 200 grain bullets in .308 caliber for my .300 Winchester Magnum rifle. I am going to start reloading them this week and go to the range to see what works best in terms of accuracy and velocity. I will most likely use IMR 4831 powder as that is what the Barnes manual says is the most accurate powder.

I went with my father in law today to help him find a new rifle and scope to prepare for this spring’s Grizzly and Black Bear Hunt. I knew that Italian Sporting Goods in Vancouver is basically the best place in BC to buy a gun as their prices are super competitive and their staff are very polite and helpful.

We started looking at a good deal they had on a blued barrel on wood Weatherby Vanguard chambered in .300 WBY Magnum. But despite the excellent price we decided that the .300 WBY Mag cartridge was a bit harder on the barrel and throat of the rifle than a .300 WM, the ammunition more expensive, and we thought the wood stock and blued barrel would not be the most practical choice for hunting in the rainy province of British  Columbia, Canada.

The stainless synthetic model of the Weatherby Vanguard was also priced very well but my father in-law preferred the feel of the and action of the similarly priced Remmington 700 sps stainless synthetic. The Ruger M77 Hawkeye, and Savage stainless synthetic were also considered but after considering the price and performance equilibrium he decisively settled on the Remmington 700 sps chambered in .300 Winchester Magnum.

Next was finding a scope, I recommended the Bushnell Elite 3200 3-9×50mm as it performs great for me and it is quite economically priced around the $300 mark. We compared it to the Leupold scopes but in the end my father in-law came away with a great scope for a great price. I must say that for someone who is considering performance and price this was an excellent setup. My father in law came away with a weather impervious straight shooting rifle and a clear scope with great light gathering ability for dusky situations.

I have heard both schools of thought on accuracy shooting with a clean barrel and shooting with a un-clean barrel. The folks who dont clean their barrel before sighting in their rifle believe that you dont hunt with a perfectly clean barrel every time so you might as well sight in with the same conditions during a hunt. The other camp believes that you should do a cleaning swipe through the barrel after every shot ensuring consistant accuracy.

I will share a recent experience when I put this to the test at the range a few weeks ago. I was using my Weatherby Vanguard in .300 WM with Barnes 168grain TTSX bullets. I shot 3 shots at 100 yards with an un-clean barrel from last outing. I marked those shots with blue felt pen.  I then waited a few cool down moments, gave my barrel a good cleaning, and shot 3  more rounds at 100 yards. I circled those shots out of a clean barrel with red felt pen. You can see the difference not only in the tightness of the clean barrel group that it makes a difference to clean your barrel after shooting but it also placed the bullets in a slightly different location on the target. Note that this could be shooting error as well as I was shooting off a front rest only but I do not think it is a coincidence that the clean barrel shot the 3 bullets within 1 M.O.A. Try it for your self and see what happens.

If you want to watch a video on cleaning your rifle check out:

http://www.huntingtipsandtricks.com/p/How_To_Sight_In_A_Scoped_Rifle_

I have been playing with some loads and I have had good results with the barnes 168grain TTSX bullets and IMR4831 powder out of my .300wm. I have 3026 fps at the muzzle and I am sighted in for a 250 yard zero. I went to the range again(I have been spending a fair amount of time there preparing for my grizzly hunt and just made sure I was dialed in. The picture on the left is my group at 200 yards today. Here are my numbers according to the Barnes reloading manual for the BC and muzzle velocity I am getting:

For a 250yd zero.
>
> Yrds velocity trajectory
>
> 0 3000 -1.50
>
> 100 2779 2.58
>
> 200 2568 2.14
>
> 300 2368 -3.57
>
> 400 2178 -15.50
>
> 500 1998 -34.77
>
> 600 1827 -62.77

I only shot out to 300 yards and got a 3 inch group.

It is very sad when instances like this happen, it affects all us honest sportsman. I hope Wholesale sports does not get into too much trouble and that they continue selling firearms as this incident could compromise that. I do think they should have to do a background and security clearance on peoples selling/handling firearms though. This could be the defining moment.

I just read this article from http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2009/05/01/cgy-stolen-guns-wholesale-sports.html

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Sports store employee charged in gun thefts

An employee of a Calgary outdoor sporting equipment store, where more than 50 guns have gone missing, has been arrested after a police investigation.

The weeklong probe began when police recovered a gun in Edmonton, and a second gun from a house party in southeast Calgary where suspected shots were fired on April 18. Both incidents were linked to gangs or drugs, said District 4 commander Insp. Ray Robitaille on Friday.

The National Weapons Enforcement Support Team then traced the weapons back to Wholesale Sports at 25 Heritage Way S.E. in Calgary.

On Thursday evening, police arrested a female store employee and a male accomplice who were allegedly seen stealing three handguns. The Baretta, Smith and Wesson and Taurus guns were recovered.

In a preliminary audit of the store’s inventory over the last seven months when the woman was working there, Wholesale Sports discovered that 54 other handguns were unaccounted for. Police said they’re focusing their investigation on locating the missing firearms.

"We’re very concerned that even one firearm would make its way onto the streets unlawfully. There’s no doubt in this investigation that those firearms were destined for the black market," said Robitaille.

Police arrested a woman who had been working at Calgary’s Wholesale Sports for about seven months. (CBC)

"They could be internationally bound for all we know," added acting Staff Sgt. Gord Eiriksson.

"A man and woman in their 20s have been charged in connection with this file. We are awaiting the charges to be sworn, at which time we will release the names," said police in a statement. Robitaille said they face charges of weapons trafficking, theft and improper storage of firearms.

If the firearms turn out to be involved in homicides or shooting injuries, the pair could be in more trouble. "They certainly would be facing charges and depending on their knowledge, they could be considered an accomplice," said Robitaille.

There will likely be a probe into the safeguards at Wholesale Sports in conjunction with a federal chief firearms officer, he added.

Police also thanked Wholesale Sports for their assistance and for being "instrumental in the success" of the probe. The chain has six stores in Western Canada, with Calgary their flagship location.

"We are fully co-operating with the police investigation to find out exactly what happened. As soon as we were notified, we fully complied with their investigation, did anything they needed us to try and help figure out what happened and that collaboration …. and that co-operation lead to the arrests yesterday," said Natalie Dawes, a spokeswoman for Wholesale Sports.

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