Team 1 The Rejects
04-30-2018, 05:49 AM
#172
Super Moderator
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Choctaw, Oklahoma
Posts: 1,350
Alright! I have good news and bad news from my trip to Western Oklahoma this past weekend. As mentioned before I went and picked up the Turkey Fan decoy and a box of Winchester Longbeard in #5 as I was running low on my last box.
Got out there and gobbles were everywhere on the roost but pretty much quit on fly down. All the roosts are on private property across a blacktop road. I could hear hens probably for the next hour or so.
Side note: Across a fence I could see a cow and the dang thing wasn't moving much just standing in some tall grass. After about 4 hours I seen why.... She was giving birth to a little bull!! It was pretty cute watching it learn to walk and then trying to play with momma.
Anyway at about 11 I decided to pack up and go look for some lonely toms out walking. I got about 100 yrds back toward the truck and I'll be danged if they weren't on top of the hill 300 yrds from me fixing to head into the draw I was originally positioned on but they spotted me the same time I seen them. UGH!!
Only seen a jake that evening. Then the next morning I headed to a high spot to see if I could catch them coming over off the roost and maybe drop down the other side and get in there path. No luck. Had the dang jake and 7 hens sneak up from behind me and walk on by but the big bow wasn't there.
Decided to check a farmer friends field and there were 4 loan Toms walking the tree line at about 10am. I scrambled back to another public unit across the road from his place and gave a soft yelp and here they came. They had to cross a cattle feed pen to get there and decided food was more important than finding love!!!. I sat and watched them for 3 hours feeding in that pen when a hen came in and started yelling at them lol I started up a conversation with her and she started my way with the toms in tow. As soon as she made it to the road edge a car came by and she ran with them back into the field.. 2nd UGH!!
I went up to my friends house to try and see if I could get permission to hunt a field that they use in the evening before making the trip 1/2 mile across the road to roost. He was recently diagnosed with pancreas cancer and was 6 hrs away getting chemo but I was eventually able to get a hold of his son and got the go ahead. I got set up and almost immediately had a few hens out about 70 yrds. I was sitting in a huge tree and brush pile. The feed pen was behind me about 200 yrds and there was a road thru a group of trees leading from the feed pen right by the brush pile and into the field. I couldn't see the road cause the pile was too high.
Right about 7:30pm I knew I made a good choice as right behind me all 4 of the toms lets out gobbles!! About 5 minutes later I could hear the spitting and drumming and the excitement starts to set in. Its finally going to happen after busting my rear since the 13th. Here comes 1 hen 2 hens then about 15 hens and there's the Toms all 4, 20 yrds away and in full strut!!! I settle the ole mossberg ghost ring right on the head and as luck would have it one sticks hid head and neck up just perfect. I click the safety off and pull the trigger. BOOOM! Wait I said BOOOOM! Where the heck is the boom!!!!!. Tried to re-rack a shell but they were spooked just enough to walk out to about 100 yrds and stay there. Eventually they crossed back but were at 65 yrds and I figured it was their lucky day.
Did I mention I bought a new box of shells???? After inspection the dang primer is seated too deep into the shell and the firing pin barely made contact. Dang Winchester cost me a bird!! I'll be contacting them today to let them know how happy I am..
Good news I had an awesome time. Seen tons of deer, birth of a cow, covey of quail that we thought had all been wiped out and had a great chance at a really good longbeard and got it on video.
What do yall think should be done about the shell though?
Got out there and gobbles were everywhere on the roost but pretty much quit on fly down. All the roosts are on private property across a blacktop road. I could hear hens probably for the next hour or so.
Side note: Across a fence I could see a cow and the dang thing wasn't moving much just standing in some tall grass. After about 4 hours I seen why.... She was giving birth to a little bull!! It was pretty cute watching it learn to walk and then trying to play with momma.
Anyway at about 11 I decided to pack up and go look for some lonely toms out walking. I got about 100 yrds back toward the truck and I'll be danged if they weren't on top of the hill 300 yrds from me fixing to head into the draw I was originally positioned on but they spotted me the same time I seen them. UGH!!
Only seen a jake that evening. Then the next morning I headed to a high spot to see if I could catch them coming over off the roost and maybe drop down the other side and get in there path. No luck. Had the dang jake and 7 hens sneak up from behind me and walk on by but the big bow wasn't there.
Decided to check a farmer friends field and there were 4 loan Toms walking the tree line at about 10am. I scrambled back to another public unit across the road from his place and gave a soft yelp and here they came. They had to cross a cattle feed pen to get there and decided food was more important than finding love!!!. I sat and watched them for 3 hours feeding in that pen when a hen came in and started yelling at them lol I started up a conversation with her and she started my way with the toms in tow. As soon as she made it to the road edge a car came by and she ran with them back into the field.. 2nd UGH!!
I went up to my friends house to try and see if I could get permission to hunt a field that they use in the evening before making the trip 1/2 mile across the road to roost. He was recently diagnosed with pancreas cancer and was 6 hrs away getting chemo but I was eventually able to get a hold of his son and got the go ahead. I got set up and almost immediately had a few hens out about 70 yrds. I was sitting in a huge tree and brush pile. The feed pen was behind me about 200 yrds and there was a road thru a group of trees leading from the feed pen right by the brush pile and into the field. I couldn't see the road cause the pile was too high.
Right about 7:30pm I knew I made a good choice as right behind me all 4 of the toms lets out gobbles!! About 5 minutes later I could hear the spitting and drumming and the excitement starts to set in. Its finally going to happen after busting my rear since the 13th. Here comes 1 hen 2 hens then about 15 hens and there's the Toms all 4, 20 yrds away and in full strut!!! I settle the ole mossberg ghost ring right on the head and as luck would have it one sticks hid head and neck up just perfect. I click the safety off and pull the trigger. BOOOM! Wait I said BOOOOM! Where the heck is the boom!!!!!. Tried to re-rack a shell but they were spooked just enough to walk out to about 100 yrds and stay there. Eventually they crossed back but were at 65 yrds and I figured it was their lucky day.
Did I mention I bought a new box of shells???? After inspection the dang primer is seated too deep into the shell and the firing pin barely made contact. Dang Winchester cost me a bird!! I'll be contacting them today to let them know how happy I am..
Good news I had an awesome time. Seen tons of deer, birth of a cow, covey of quail that we thought had all been wiped out and had a great chance at a really good longbeard and got it on video.
What do yall think should be done about the shell though?
04-30-2018, 06:39 AM
#173
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: SW Michigan
Posts: 1,906
To be honest - I've been taught by the oldtimers at my gun club to just keep squeezing the trigger. It will eventually go bang...and the primer doesn't look that deep on the shell - the strike looks somewhat superficial (i.e., a 'light primer strike').
Light primer strikes are usually blamed on the gun due to a piece of gunk on the bolt or firing pine (etc.). I personally can't tell with the naked eye, and without a shell from a different box and a set of calipers, if the primer is offset or not. I'll agree that it's definitely a light strike though...
Not sure what they will do but we know they obviously can't test every shell (haha).
I had a bad experience once almost 15 years ago with a box of their Xtended Range. It patterned horrible and my gun was having hangups ejecting the spent casing. I sent them the lot number and the shell casings, which I believed appeared to were opening in an abnormal fashion (at least compared with the first few boxes I bought). They thanked me for contacting and said the technical team were reviewing my comments and the casings - and included Winchester cash coupons that easily covered the cost of 2 new boxes of ammo.
Light primer strikes are usually blamed on the gun due to a piece of gunk on the bolt or firing pine (etc.). I personally can't tell with the naked eye, and without a shell from a different box and a set of calipers, if the primer is offset or not. I'll agree that it's definitely a light strike though...
Not sure what they will do but we know they obviously can't test every shell (haha).
I had a bad experience once almost 15 years ago with a box of their Xtended Range. It patterned horrible and my gun was having hangups ejecting the spent casing. I sent them the lot number and the shell casings, which I believed appeared to were opening in an abnormal fashion (at least compared with the first few boxes I bought). They thanked me for contacting and said the technical team were reviewing my comments and the casings - and included Winchester cash coupons that easily covered the cost of 2 new boxes of ammo.
Last edited by Strut&Rut; 04-30-2018 at 06:46 AM.
04-30-2018, 07:29 AM
#174
Super Moderator
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Choctaw, Oklahoma
Posts: 1,350
I have never had a misfire out of that gun. I did have a misfire using a rifle with my very first shot at a deer. I was using the Winchester silver tips and those ended up being a recall item if I remember correctly lol. If the longbeards didn't pattern so well I would not use a Winchester shell at all lol
04-30-2018, 07:56 AM
#175
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Missouri
Posts: 1,093
Alright! I have good news and bad news from my trip to Western Oklahoma this past weekend. As mentioned before I went and picked up the Turkey Fan decoy and a box of Winchester Longbeard in #5 as I was running low on my last box.
Got out there and gobbles were everywhere on the roost but pretty much quit on fly down. All the roosts are on private property across a blacktop road. I could hear hens probably for the next hour or so.
Side note: Across a fence I could see a cow and the dang thing wasn't moving much just standing in some tall grass. After about 4 hours I seen why.... She was giving birth to a little bull!! It was pretty cute watching it learn to walk and then trying to play with momma.
Anyway at about 11 I decided to pack up and go look for some lonely toms out walking. I got about 100 yrds back toward the truck and I'll be danged if they weren't on top of the hill 300 yrds from me fixing to head into the draw I was originally positioned on but they spotted me the same time I seen them. UGH!!
Only seen a jake that evening. Then the next morning I headed to a high spot to see if I could catch them coming over off the roost and maybe drop down the other side and get in there path. No luck. Had the dang jake and 7 hens sneak up from behind me and walk on by but the big bow wasn't there.
Decided to check a farmer friends field and there were 4 loan Toms walking the tree line at about 10am. I scrambled back to another public unit across the road from his place and gave a soft yelp and here they came. They had to cross a cattle feed pen to get there and decided food was more important than finding love!!!. I sat and watched them for 3 hours feeding in that pen when a hen came in and started yelling at them lol I started up a conversation with her and she started my way with the toms in tow. As soon as she made it to the road edge a car came by and she ran with them back into the field.. 2nd UGH!!
I went up to my friends house to try and see if I could get permission to hunt a field that they use in the evening before making the trip 1/2 mile across the road to roost. He was recently diagnosed with pancreas cancer and was 6 hrs away getting chemo but I was eventually able to get a hold of his son and got the go ahead. I got set up and almost immediately had a few hens out about 70 yrds. I was sitting in a huge tree and brush pile. The feed pen was behind me about 200 yrds and there was a road thru a group of trees leading from the feed pen right by the brush pile and into the field. I couldn't see the road cause the pile was too high.
Right about 7:30pm I knew I made a good choice as right behind me all 4 of the toms lets out gobbles!! About 5 minutes later I could hear the spitting and drumming and the excitement starts to set in. Its finally going to happen after busting my rear since the 13th. Here comes 1 hen 2 hens then about 15 hens and there's the Toms all 4, 20 yrds away and in full strut!!! I settle the ole mossberg ghost ring right on the head and as luck would have it one sticks hid head and neck up just perfect. I click the safety off and pull the trigger. BOOOM! Wait I said BOOOOM! Where the heck is the boom!!!!!. Tried to re-rack a shell but they were spooked just enough to walk out to about 100 yrds and stay there. Eventually they crossed back but were at 65 yrds and I figured it was their lucky day.
Did I mention I bought a new box of shells???? After inspection the dang primer is seated too deep into the shell and the firing pin barely made contact. Dang Winchester cost me a bird!! I'll be contacting them today to let them know how happy I am..
Good news I had an awesome time. Seen tons of deer, birth of a cow, covey of quail that we thought had all been wiped out and had a great chance at a really good longbeard and got it on video.
What do yall think should be done about the shell though?
Got out there and gobbles were everywhere on the roost but pretty much quit on fly down. All the roosts are on private property across a blacktop road. I could hear hens probably for the next hour or so.
Side note: Across a fence I could see a cow and the dang thing wasn't moving much just standing in some tall grass. After about 4 hours I seen why.... She was giving birth to a little bull!! It was pretty cute watching it learn to walk and then trying to play with momma.
Anyway at about 11 I decided to pack up and go look for some lonely toms out walking. I got about 100 yrds back toward the truck and I'll be danged if they weren't on top of the hill 300 yrds from me fixing to head into the draw I was originally positioned on but they spotted me the same time I seen them. UGH!!
Only seen a jake that evening. Then the next morning I headed to a high spot to see if I could catch them coming over off the roost and maybe drop down the other side and get in there path. No luck. Had the dang jake and 7 hens sneak up from behind me and walk on by but the big bow wasn't there.
Decided to check a farmer friends field and there were 4 loan Toms walking the tree line at about 10am. I scrambled back to another public unit across the road from his place and gave a soft yelp and here they came. They had to cross a cattle feed pen to get there and decided food was more important than finding love!!!. I sat and watched them for 3 hours feeding in that pen when a hen came in and started yelling at them lol I started up a conversation with her and she started my way with the toms in tow. As soon as she made it to the road edge a car came by and she ran with them back into the field.. 2nd UGH!!
I went up to my friends house to try and see if I could get permission to hunt a field that they use in the evening before making the trip 1/2 mile across the road to roost. He was recently diagnosed with pancreas cancer and was 6 hrs away getting chemo but I was eventually able to get a hold of his son and got the go ahead. I got set up and almost immediately had a few hens out about 70 yrds. I was sitting in a huge tree and brush pile. The feed pen was behind me about 200 yrds and there was a road thru a group of trees leading from the feed pen right by the brush pile and into the field. I couldn't see the road cause the pile was too high.
Right about 7:30pm I knew I made a good choice as right behind me all 4 of the toms lets out gobbles!! About 5 minutes later I could hear the spitting and drumming and the excitement starts to set in. Its finally going to happen after busting my rear since the 13th. Here comes 1 hen 2 hens then about 15 hens and there's the Toms all 4, 20 yrds away and in full strut!!! I settle the ole mossberg ghost ring right on the head and as luck would have it one sticks hid head and neck up just perfect. I click the safety off and pull the trigger. BOOOM! Wait I said BOOOOM! Where the heck is the boom!!!!!. Tried to re-rack a shell but they were spooked just enough to walk out to about 100 yrds and stay there. Eventually they crossed back but were at 65 yrds and I figured it was their lucky day.
Did I mention I bought a new box of shells???? After inspection the dang primer is seated too deep into the shell and the firing pin barely made contact. Dang Winchester cost me a bird!! I'll be contacting them today to let them know how happy I am..
Good news I had an awesome time. Seen tons of deer, birth of a cow, covey of quail that we thought had all been wiped out and had a great chance at a really good longbeard and got it on video.
What do yall think should be done about the shell though?
04-30-2018, 08:41 AM
#176
Fork Horn
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: south carolina
Posts: 265
misfire
Might be a gun issue, doesn't look like a very good primer strike, get a box of the cheap dove loads, eyeball how the primers are seated in them and run some through your gun. If you get the same light primer strikes it's the gun, if you don't, it's the ammo. And use a big cardboard target at 15 yards and you can check your zero, elevation will be different but you can tell if the windage is right. And here's a frown turned upside down...good reason to buy a new shotgun!
04-30-2018, 09:55 AM
#177
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: SW Michigan
Posts: 1,906
Never say never. Sorry, couldn't resist. 
It's still better than what happened to me about 15 years ago. It was the last day of CT spring season, and I had played cat and mouse with this large tom for a month. He finally charged in and was standing there dead to rights at 10 steps - I squeezed the trigger and nothing happened. The tom ran off laughing. I was using an older bolt action Mossberg at the time - I opened the bolt and realized I never loaded the gun that morning. At least you had a live shell in the chamber
The first thing I would do is chamber a different round of the Longbeard XR and see if it fires. If so - check the casing and look at the primer strike.
If it doesn't fire - clean the gun and try again.
If it still doesn't fire, then contact Winchester - they will most likely want the Lot # off the box.
It's still better than what happened to me about 15 years ago. It was the last day of CT spring season, and I had played cat and mouse with this large tom for a month. He finally charged in and was standing there dead to rights at 10 steps - I squeezed the trigger and nothing happened. The tom ran off laughing. I was using an older bolt action Mossberg at the time - I opened the bolt and realized I never loaded the gun that morning. At least you had a live shell in the chamber
The first thing I would do is chamber a different round of the Longbeard XR and see if it fires. If so - check the casing and look at the primer strike.
If it doesn't fire - clean the gun and try again.
If it still doesn't fire, then contact Winchester - they will most likely want the Lot # off the box.
04-30-2018, 01:09 PM
#178
Super Moderator
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Choctaw, Oklahoma
Posts: 1,350
Might be a gun issue, doesn't look like a very good primer strike, get a box of the cheap dove loads, eyeball how the primers are seated in them and run some through your gun. If you get the same light primer strikes it's the gun, if you don't, it's the ammo. And use a big cardboard target at 15 yards and you can check your zero, elevation will be different but you can tell if the windage is right. And here's a frown turned upside down...good reason to buy a new shotgun!
04-30-2018, 02:19 PM
#180
Super Moderator
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Choctaw, Oklahoma
Posts: 1,350
Good luck. We are expecting tornadoes Wednesday and thunderstorms Thursday. I'll go after easterns on Friday and see how the action is. If its bad also I'll make the 7 hr drive from there back to my friends farm in western Oklahoma. It's our last weekend