I've been watching this forum for months and decided to join.
I purchased a production (Weatherby Vanguard) 6.5 CM last year and suddenly am enthralled about long range shooting again. I was trained a little in the army and qualified on M-14's (iron sights out to 500 meters) and Remington bolt action 7.62 rifles (Redfield 3-9 scope). Although that's the extent of my training, I have hunted for over 50 years and have shot deer and antelope at over 500 yards.
My got my first center fire rife in 1965, a Weatherby Mark 5 257 Magnum. It was built in West Germany and I still own it. It does need and deserves a new barrel but I'll never part with it. Probably the most accurate rifle I own is a Steyr Mannlicher in 7X64 (essentially a 280 Remington). I've used it to take a nice 38" Dall ram, a really nice Alaskan Caribou and numerous deer - both whitetails and mulies. But I probably have shot more animals with my 300 Weatherby mag than any of the other guns.
I grew up in west Texas where we had whitetails and blacktails and antelope and javalina . I've hunted in New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Alberta, and Alaska. I've take big Canadian whitetails, mulies, and antelopes and one raghorn elk. I have chased elk on several guided hunts to no avail and have lately been archery DIY hunting in Colorado where there are far more archers than elk -- no matter how far, or how high, you walk in. So I've decided to go later in rifle seasons.
I have gone nuts trying to purchase or have built a super light 6.5 PRC. I have a relationship with a gunsmith but he's months behind. I know my Steyr or 300 mag would suffice (both are 6 1/2 guns naked) but I've fallen prey to all the hype about 6.5 PRC's (not the least of which I've gotten by reading LRH). I've shot some feral hogs here in central Georgia with my little 6.5 CM - some even over 600 yards - and have concluded that cartridge, though terribly accurate, is just not enough to hunt elk.
I've concluded this forum is ripe with hunters that know so much more about what I am intrigued with, and I just had to join up.
I purchased a production (Weatherby Vanguard) 6.5 CM last year and suddenly am enthralled about long range shooting again. I was trained a little in the army and qualified on M-14's (iron sights out to 500 meters) and Remington bolt action 7.62 rifles (Redfield 3-9 scope). Although that's the extent of my training, I have hunted for over 50 years and have shot deer and antelope at over 500 yards.
My got my first center fire rife in 1965, a Weatherby Mark 5 257 Magnum. It was built in West Germany and I still own it. It does need and deserves a new barrel but I'll never part with it. Probably the most accurate rifle I own is a Steyr Mannlicher in 7X64 (essentially a 280 Remington). I've used it to take a nice 38" Dall ram, a really nice Alaskan Caribou and numerous deer - both whitetails and mulies. But I probably have shot more animals with my 300 Weatherby mag than any of the other guns.
I grew up in west Texas where we had whitetails and blacktails and antelope and javalina . I've hunted in New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Alberta, and Alaska. I've take big Canadian whitetails, mulies, and antelopes and one raghorn elk. I have chased elk on several guided hunts to no avail and have lately been archery DIY hunting in Colorado where there are far more archers than elk -- no matter how far, or how high, you walk in. So I've decided to go later in rifle seasons.
I have gone nuts trying to purchase or have built a super light 6.5 PRC. I have a relationship with a gunsmith but he's months behind. I know my Steyr or 300 mag would suffice (both are 6 1/2 guns naked) but I've fallen prey to all the hype about 6.5 PRC's (not the least of which I've gotten by reading LRH). I've shot some feral hogs here in central Georgia with my little 6.5 CM - some even over 600 yards - and have concluded that cartridge, though terribly accurate, is just not enough to hunt elk.
I've concluded this forum is ripe with hunters that know so much more about what I am intrigued with, and I just had to join up.