Shooting stick
 

Pete,

Yes that's me. I made myself a shooting/walking stick out of 6' X 1 1/4" wood. I finished it, used 2 1 1/4 fender washers on the ends to prevent splitting. I found out it was too slippery, especially when going downhill, so I wrapped the center 4' in coarse brown twine, then varnished that. It works well as a walking stick, but I don't recall that I've ever actually used it as a shooting stick. It was a nice idea, and simple project.

OldBob

Some of us are problem solvers, some creators...

I shoot flintlocks and patched balls to learn how it was done, simple problems
like this usually have simple solutions... ;)

Exactly!
 

nchawkeye,

I know just what you mean! Why would anyone choose a piece of hunting gear that is not as easy to use with the clothing you will be wearing at the time that you are using it? That would be stupid!

OldBob

To be honest Bob. How sensitive can you be on the trigger if you're wearing gloves?

I never saw anyone at a BP shoot wearing gloves. No matter how cold it was.

i have some of those gloves that have a little slit on the trigger finger to flip it out of the way works very well especially back home!

Thanks
 

Muzzlestuffer,

Its not for me. I tried them, and the fingerless gloves, the fingerless covered by a mitten front, the mittens with a pokehole. What I ended up with was a set of gloves (polypro is nice, rag wool seems more authentic) with one of those twohanded handwarmers for severe weather.

I think of hunting gear as an integrated package, all working to combat the weather that you anticipate. I love sitting out in the woods. I've been known to fall asleep. Same guy woke me up two years in a row, the one time by shooting a deer 50 yards away right in front of me! But once you chill out, it stops being fun.

OldBob

Wear the warmest gloves you can. Take it off just before the shot. What does a shot take....10seconds? Your hand won't freeze unless you hunt at the North Pole.

I refuse to wear gloves while pulling the trigger. I can't feel it and not being able to feel it will not make you accurate.

Pete,

That's one more complication that I don't need. I have never removed my gloves for a shot. If you have enough trigger pull weight, you can feel the pressure through the gloves.

I've been accused of having no real world experience, as if someone my age could avoid it! Well, let me tell you how I got here. 40 years ago, I decided I needed a dedicated woodchuck gun. I bought a 788 Remmington. It was certainly not a fancy gun. I think I paid $85 for it, brand new. I pulled the scope off my .30-'06 and used that. Later when I got some more money, I mounted a 12X Leupold, and put the 3X9 back on the '06. The Remington shot pretty well, really well after I glassbedded it. The trigger was "ok", and I was pretty happy.

Not long after, I read an article in the rifle where the author detailed his modification of the 788 trigger. In issue form the trigger used a single spring to tension both the trigger and the sear. This could be improved. I took the article and showed my father, who was a tool & die maker. He told me to bring him the trigger. He drilled and tapped it for the two additional screws. I fiddled with trigger return springs until i had a trigger that released at 5 oz. And it was safe. I dropped it on the muzzle, on the buttstock, smacked it on the side with my hand, and it never went off unless you pulled the trigger.

I shot about a bazillion woodchucks with that thing. I never had any problems with that trigger, but after a couple of years I decided that I would put a stronger trigger return spring, to raise the release weight to that of my '06, 2 1/2#. That was what my father favored, and it worked well.

I continued to use that rifle, and I never missed the 5 oz trigger. It was one of those, "Neato! Gotta have it!" modifications that made no actual difference in reality. So it is with the ML set trigger. It is an affectation. Our forefathers were by no means immune to the desire for this mechanical tomfoolery. Its not a necessity, though. Its one thing to use hardware to ENHANCE your skills, quite another to use it as a crutch to make up for skills that your lack of practice has prevented you from developing. This applies to shooting from a rest, offhand shooting, whatever. Regardless of how you are weaving across the target, you have to develop the timing to know when to release the trigger, with any trigger pull weight. If you can't shoot well with, say, a 3# trigger, you probably can't shoot well with anything.

Look at all the modern inlines. See any set triggers? Look at all the CF rifles on the shelves. Do you see any that can't be operated with a gloved finger? If there were, their sales would be limited. Look at all the tradition rifles. Do all of them have set triggers? No, and it looks like none of the various trade rifles did. Traditional military rifles? No set triggers there, either.

I had to chuckle about your asking if I hunt the North Pole. I like seeing pictures of nchawkeye's presentations, complete with appropriate traditional garb. Its great that he does that. But with what I've seen him wearing, I have to say that I don't think he would last an hour in the deer stand at the temperatures where I've done most of my deer hunting. Of course, he could use some of those chemical heater pads. But that would not be traditional.

I see no need to be a slave to a ficticious traditionalism, when I can emulate our forefathers who dressed for the occasion. When the Lewis and Clark Expedition made its trek, they were carrying "prototype" 1803 Harpers Ferry rifles, none of which had set triggers. Had Lewis and Clark considered set triggers to be a necessity, I'm sure their company would have been so equipped.

So, everyone, pick the traditionalism that suits you best, and let the self-appointed "experts" do likewise.

OldBob

MD54,

I'm just about to turn 69 years old, had carpal tunnel in both hands, and can feel the trigger on the Parker crossbow just fine. If I'm inaccurate, I can't blame the gloves. No alibis here!

OldBob