More on Ultimate tactical hunting gun

If you looked at the previous posts, the Mossberg does not have its original finish.  It's an oldie, at least 30 years old, meaning it has a somewhat glossy finish on the wood stock while the metal parts are a polished blue.  The gun was fairly reflective in sunlight, making it easily seen.  That leads to the next modification - a new finish!

I wanted the new finish to do two things; first, protect the gun from the elements and to make it harder to see.  Both requirements could be met with the same product - spray paint!

Yes, it's heresy to put paint on a firearm - or is it?  This shotgun is no museum piece, and this was not your local discount store cheap spray paint.  So, let's take a look at this upgrade.

On the wood stock and forearm, I wanted a finish that was dull, nonreflective and durable.  I also wanted something that enhanced the grip of the stock and forearm.  After cleaning the wood with alcohol, I applied a coat of light gray primer and followed it with a coat of Rustoleum Stone accent textured spray paint.  The Rustoleum product leaves a multi-color textured finish that is pleasing to look at, non-glare stone colors and provides a rough texture for a good grip.  A light coat of Rustoleum non-gloss clear finish added some weather resistance according to the manufacturer.

The remainder of the shotgun got a coat of Rustoleum dark gray, a light coat of flat black and accents of light gray and brown.  I didn't try to make a small camo pattern; instead I used larger sections of colors to break up the outline of the gun and help it blend with as many different backgrounds as possible.  I think I accomplished my goal.  Time will tell as I take the gun afield and see how well it really blends in.

What do you think?  Have you tried something different?  Leave a comment and let me know!

Ultimate tactical hunting gun Part 2

In an earlier post, I discussed my plan to build what I consider the ultimate "tactical hunting" gun.  By that, I meant  a single firearm that could meet all my hunting needs.  The gun would have to be good for upland, small game, waterfowl and large game including feral hogs.  For more details on my criteria, see the past posting.

Here is what I have so far -

This started out as an older Mossberg 500 pump shotgun in 12 gauge.  The huge selection of shotshell ammunition made a shotgun the natural choice.  By simply changing shells, I can hunt anything from 4 ounce doves to 400 pound hogzillas. 

The barrel has Mossberg's choke tube system enabling me to use exactly the choke I need depending on what I am hunting and how I am hunting it.  Everything from cylinder bore (no choke) up to extra-full turkey and waterfowl chokes - even a rifled choke tube for sabot slugs! 

The gun was excellent working condition and had the tang-mounted safety that is standard in Mossberg shotguns.  This is a very practical place for a safety; I don't know why more manufacturers don't adopt it. 

I am not skilled at hitting airborne game using the traditional point-shooting techniques.  Besides, I wanted the gun to be as versatile as I could make it.  So the next upgrade was installing a removable scope mount with Picatinny rail.  On top of that I added a Tasco 30mm red dot sight.  The rail is removable in minutes, but low enough to remain if I take off the Tasco sight.  Should the scenario call for longer shots at predators or big game, a telescopic sight can be quickly installed.

More details will be in a later post.  Feel free to comment with your ideas - maybe I'll try it and we can all read about how it worked!

How late can you REALLY shoot?

Most of us hunters have hunted at twilight - that time when sunset approaches and the available light fades to darkness

It's a magical time in the outdoors, when the day shift settles in for the night while the nocturnal beings begin to stir.  This is a prime time for animal movement, especially for deer hunters.  Here in Virginia legal hunting ends at sunset.  But how late can we really shoot?  How long before sunset or when "legal" hunting hours end can you see well enough to make a clean, ethical shot?

It depends.
If you are shooting a firearm with a telescopic sight, the scope gathers more ambient light that you eye can, making it clearer to see and aim properly at a game animal.  If you are an archer with a crossbow, your scope sight gives you the same advantage.  Red dot sights with no magnification do not have any light-gathering ability, so your shooting time ends sooner.

Bowhunters have it even tougher; sure, those fiber optic sights gather a lot of light and make those pins glow like a beacon.  But what about that peep sight?  That tiny peep opening that works so well on the target or 3D range may be about impossible to see through once the sun gets low on the horizon. But how much less?

I wanted to know, so I took my bow out just before sunset.  I shot a trio of arrows every 10 minutes to see how long I could see - through my peep sight.  I use a large aperture peep to accommodate my glasses, so I figured I could still see my quarry as long as possible.

I used a block target as a backstop, while my target was a life-sized toy stuffed squirrel.  The intent was to see at what point I could no longer see well enough to use the squirrel's head as an aiming point.  I was surprised to discover that with the sun behind me I could still make clean shots right until 10 mins before sunset.  If the sun was in front of me, I could not tell the head from anything else, so I was done. As soon as the sun dipped below the horizon, I could not discern any specific part of that toy critter through my peep sight regardless of direction.

Now I know how late I can make a clean, ethical shot on game as sunset nears.  How about you?  Try it out sometime; it's a great excuse for some pre-season practice (like you need one)!

Lost, dazed and confused

Well, I had not written anything to this blog for over a year because I was in negotiations to write for a local magazine.  Everything fell through, so I am back here.  At least here I can write about the subjects I choose, and I don't have to cater to sponsors.

So, be prepared for some hunting adventures, fishing trips with kids and a couple veterans and more projects!

PLEASE leave a comment if you want a product reviewed or some outdoor subject.