New Bushcraft/Firearms Poll

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Are You Interested in Firearms Training Related to Bushcraft

  • Not at all; there is no place for firearms in bushcraft

    Votes: 10 7.6%
  • Not at all; I understand the place of firearms but have no personal interest in their use

    Votes: 14 10.6%
  • A little; perhaps a taster session with air rifles

    Votes: 10 7.6%
  • Interested in gaining experience of several firearms including shotgun and/or section 1

    Votes: 15 11.4%
  • Very Interested; Advanced training including ballistics and stalking

    Votes: 8 6.1%
  • Very Interested; A long course leading to a qualification

    Votes: 11 8.3%
  • Already have fireamrs but would be interested in further training/opportunities

    Votes: 19 14.4%
  • Already have firearms and training

    Votes: 45 34.1%

  • Total voters
    132
  • Poll closed .

EddieP

Forager
Nov 7, 2013
127
0
Liverpool
Isn't the 45-70 marlin the same dimension, but much higher pressure than the others which are based on black powder not modern smokeless.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
 

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,114
67
Florida
45-70 is a black powder cartridge (indeed 70 refers to the grains of BP)?

I thought he was asking about the dimensions and specs of the gun itself? And in turn it's ability to take the pressures of the cartridge when loaded with modern powders?
 

mereside

Nomad
Aug 21, 2010
254
36
hornsea
I gather they are now moving to crack down on semi-autos with two round capacity mags. for humane dispatch. It will be two shot revolvers only.
If good reason is present then you have good reason to posses either handguns ho guidelines state that .32 cal if good reason is shown the size for most animals in the uk but large or dangerous game present you can if you have good reason be granted other cals. two shots is not law but a guideline, semi auto can be restricted if nessesary and there is no reason to restrict the mag. what difference does restricting a revolver do as you can just swap cylinder.
there are no stats to suggest restricting a mag or revolver does anything but restrict the law abiding citizen.
why can you have unlimited mag size of a high power rifle but not have more than two shots in a pistol. another daft piece to restrict people.atb wayne
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,715
1,962
Mercia
I thought he was asking about the dimensions and specs of the gun itself? And in turn it's ability to take the pressures of the cartridge when loaded with modern powders?

Ahhh I misunderstood. In this country when the guns are proofed, they are are either nitro proofed or black powder proofed. Very few rifles other than originals are proofed for black powder only cartridges - most will be proofed to take a nitro cartridge. Mind you most commercial manufacturers are careful with loadings for cartridges that were once BP - there are some exceptions though (.303 over here!)
 

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,114
67
Florida
Ahhh I misunderstood. In this country when the guns are proofed, they are are either nitro proofed or black powder proofed. Very few rifles other than originals are proofed for black powder only cartridges - most will be proofed to take a nitro cartridge. Mind you most commercial manufacturers are careful with loadings for cartridges that were once BP - there are some exceptions though (.303 over here!)

Actually, I'm not sure which of us misunderstood. Same here as far as modern production guns being proofed for modern ammo. But the ammo makers can be leery of producing more powerful loads if said load could be placed in an older gun. 45LC is the common culprit over here.
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,715
1,962
Mercia
MMmm we don't see so much BP cartridge stuff here - it can make for tremendous versatility - 45 Long Colt being a great example - in a modern proofed gun you can really load it up - I forget the name of the guy but there was a reloading guru who really pushed the envelope with it - especially in an underlever it can do a heck of a lot or be really mild.

I think the big problem with most BP cartridges suffer from can be lack of ability to handle Spitzer bullets and rainbow trajectories!
 

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,114
67
Florida
MMmm we don't see so much BP cartridge stuff here - it can make for tremendous versatility - 45 Long Colt being a great example - in a modern proofed gun you can really load it up - I forget the name of the guy but there was a reloading guru who really pushed the envelope with it - especially in an underlever it can do a heck of a lot or be really mild.

I think the big problem with most BP cartridges suffer from can be lack of ability to handle Spitzer bullets and rainbow trajectories!

Yeah I'm impressed by what I've been reading about the 45 "magnum" loads. Haven't tried it myself as I'm fairly satisfied with standard factory loads (it was an impressive round even in the black powder era)

Speaking of the spitzer bullets and lever guns, have you seen the Marlin Leverevolution bullets?
 

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,114
67
Florida
True. But I suppose it's a limited market they're appealing too as well; those wanting a traditional saddle gun with more modern performance. Browning came close with their BLRs with detachable magazines, but they just never felt quite right to me (although I suspect the poor sights on the Brownings had a lot to do with that)
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,715
1,962
Mercia
Can't find a picture right now - but he makes them what they should be - full detachable Mini 14 mag, fluted match barrel, shortened lever throw, Picatinny rail. Sweet as a nut - the lever action for the 21st century :) He does the same with Enfields - detachable box mags, modern calibres, cock on open bolt etc.

Google "Armalon" for piccs of his stuff
 

mrostov

Nomad
Jan 2, 2006
410
53
59
Texas
Can't find a picture right now - but he makes them what they should be - full detachable Mini 14 mag, fluted match barrel, shortened lever throw, Picatinny rail. Sweet as a nut - the lever action for the 21st century He does the same with Enfields - detachable box mags, modern calibres, cock on open bolt etc.

Google "Armalon" for piccs of his stuff

Red, sounds quite a bit like what AIA in Australia are doing with their Enfields in .308 (uses M-14 mags) and 7.62x39mm (uses AK-47 mags). Unfortunately, those are commonly for sale in Canada, but not in the USA. There was a US importer, but they quit due to high cost vs competition from semi-auto makers. It's ironic that in Canada with their wacky and restrictive gun laws they can get some neat guns there that we cannot get here, such as a wide range of Norinco weapons.

I like what Armalon is doing with the Enfields in 5.56mm with Mini-14 mags. About the closest thing to that here is the Mossberg MVP Patrol rifle in 5.56mm that uses AR-15/M-16 mags and their .308 that uses AR-10 mags. Remington for a while was making a 5.56mm carbine version of their 7600 pump action called the 7615 that used AR-15 mags, but there is mixed feedback as to it's out of the box quality without work being done to it.

When using blackpowder in a cartridge, it's almost impossible to overload it for a modern firearm. Blackpowder only has 1/2 to 1/3 the strength of modern powder, depending upon the modern powder it's compared to. However, there cannot be any empty space in the cartridge case with blackpowder, because then you could have catastrophic results. Blackpowder in a cartridge case is loaded by volume, not weight. General rule of thumb is you tamp it down into the case, and seat the bullet so it compresses the powder slightly. The old time buffalo hunters would cast their bullets in camp and reload their cases by tamping the powder down progressively in stages with a wooden dowel.

This is why cartridge cases from the blackpowder era (such as the .45-70), and those cases with ancestry in that era (such as the .30-30 Win) tend to be straight walled or with long, shallow, sloped shoulders.
 
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nettles150390

Forager
Nov 7, 2013
161
0
High Melton, Doncaster
I think this really depends on where in the world you are and what you class as bushcraft. for me personally i class bushcraft as the sort or living of the land and the technology and skills used in mesolithic and native american peoples. and i can do quite a bit in that regards, so hunting and gathering your own food is a big part of that. now living in the uk that cause a bit of a problem, because while i can make a bow, and snares and spears and such, its illegal to hunt using them. so if i want to hunt anything i would use a bow to hunt. then i have to substitute that bow for a firearm. wither its the lowly air rifle, to shot guns, to high powered hunting rifles for deer.
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,715
1,962
Mercia
Its not illegal to hunt with snares in the UK kahlenda - plenty of us do it :)

If you want to bow hunt, there are plenty of places in the world where it is still legal ;)
 

nettles150390

Forager
Nov 7, 2013
161
0
High Melton, Doncaster
Its not illegal to hunt with snares in the UK kahlenda - plenty of us do it :)

Aye but you have to use specific snares (notably brass) i couldn't for example use a snare made from nettle cordage, sorry its me i didnt make me point to well. what i ment was that if your style of bush craft includes catching your own food, depending on your local laws you may have to include firearms in your kit. like in the UK where you cant hunt with bows an arrows and spears.

If you want to bow hunt, there are plenty of places in the world where it is still legal ;)

Oh i know, im hoping at some point to take a "Bushcraft" trip where i go out in the wilds in another country and live primatively :D
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,715
1,962
Mercia
Aye but you have to use specific snares (notably brass) i couldn't for example use a snare made from nettle cordage, sorry its me i didnt make me point to well.

No mention is made in the English law (the Wildlife and Countryside Act) as to what material a snare should be made from - nettle cordage would be fine. If yoou made it locking, this would not be fine. It might be technically difficult to make a free running nettle snare, but if you can, its legal.

I take your more general point that its generally not acceptable to hunt and trap with primitive means in the UK - but this is a firearms thread - and thankfully they are just fine - even flintlocks if you want to try some "old school" hunting
 

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