Review: Camelbak packs

A few Elk seasons ago I managed to get myself lost. It was the first time I had hunted the area and I spent the afternoon and evening on a long stalk. I was so focused on the Elk I did not pay enough attention to my surroundings. When the sun set and I had to abandon the hunt and head back to camp which I assumed was just over the ridge. As I crested the ridge I didn't recognize any familiar landmarks. I guessed the stalk had taken me further away from camp than I realized so I continued on my original bearing to the next ridge. After an hour of hiking and still uncertain of my location I admitted I was in fact lost which brings me to the point of this preamble - I had the gear I needed because I was wearing my pack.

My gear gave me confidence and gave me options. Light, map and compass if I wanted to try to navigate my way out and/or make a fire and build a shelter as well as the comfort of extra clothing and food. I had some control over my situation and was able to calmly make good decisions. My adventure ended well, as I was able to navigate my way back to camp and the only suffering I endure is the razzing I get annually from my hunting partners about being (really) late for dinner...

A while back I did a gear review on the CamelBak Striker pack. I've since added another two Camelbak packs to my collection - The Commander and the Ranger.

All of the packs are well made and loaded with features like organizers inside compartments, cinch strap stabilizers, lashing loops, and easily adjustable shoulder straps and waist belt. I'll give a synopsis of all three.



The Striker is a great pack when the terrain is thick and maneuverability is a priority. It also excels when worn mountain biking. It is big enough to carry essentials and small enough not to get in the way. I've hunted with this pack on several occasions and found wearing it all day with ~20 pounds of gear and water is comfortable. I would estimate around 25 pounds is about the max for comfort. At 1,180 cubic inches it is difficult to stuff that much weight in it. It comes with a 70 oz reservoir that when full does tend to round the back of the pack when it is fully loaded with gear.



The Ranger is my newest pack and so far I am very happy with it too. Its 1831 cubic inches (30 L) is plenty for a day trip and very nice in the winter for extra clothing and food. It is a more traditionally styled pack with a lot of organization features. It is probably the maximum size I would want to wear when riding a mountain bike and then I wouldn't want to load it to its weight capacity. It falls short of being an overnight pack unless you are willing to be very minimalist. The Ranger is a very nice size for long day trips with enough room for multiple meals and peripheral gear like camera equipment. Though bigger it isn't burdensome nor a lot more catchy in thick brush. After a year of use I haven't found the max all day comfort weight limit yet. The pack straps and belt are slightly more substantial than the striker and the internal soft frame improve comfort. The Ranger is also equipped with the larger 100 oz reservoir.


The Commander is the largest of the three hunting packs at 2747 cubic inches (45 L). The straps and belt are upgraded and more supportive than the previous two. It also has a couple of nice pouches - including one with cartridge loops - that are nice and handy for frequently used small items. The down side to this feature is that it interferes with holster wear. The commander is large enough for overnight trips with a moderate amount of gear. My 2 man Cabelas XPG tent and Wiggys overbag fit in the main compartment with a few smaller items stuffed in too. The tent poles need to be tied along the side the pack as they are too long to fit inside the compartment. There is additional room for food, cooking gear, activity gear (minimal: fishing, hunting) and essential items provided they are compact. I have not over-nighted with this bag but I have carried it loaded with my camping gear and some additional iron plate weight, if you can put it in this pack you can carry it comfortably provided you aren't haulng rocks. It too comes with the 100 oz reservoir.

45 Colt on Game Performance

45 Colt is one of my favorite calibers to load, shoot and hunt with. It has been getting the job done for over 130 years now. With modern propellants and projectiles it looks like it has plenty of life left in it. Here are a few posts I've gleaned from the various forums I haunt.

Count Zer0 wrote in the THR 1894 club;

"1894 Big 5 "edition" in 45 Colt. it goes well with my RBH in same caliber, except its chamber is larger than the RBH, so it works the brass more than I'd like.

Undisclosed load gets a 265WFN gas-checked lead bullet to 1450fps from said weapon, which was enough to pass thru about 30" of elk only a 2 weeks ago. My first elk, so you might say I like this rifle. This is one of those 45 Colt loads one should not attempt in Colts or replicas thereof, but it's good for 2" groups on average at 100yds with said bullets ( optics used ). The jacketed fodder will do better, but lever guns are inherently innacurate right? My hunting setup uses a Skinner peep sight, I pulled the glass after load development was done.

Anyway, I can't think of a better "brush gun" right now since mine is still all aglow!

My hunting buddy has the CB in the same caliber and got his elk with his using the same load. No bullets were recovered despite one going through both upper foreleg bones and the ribs twice. Those foreleg bones are the size of a quarter folks. Less meat damage than on the third elk in our party which fell to the classic 180gr 30-06.

---
From the Cast Boolits forum:

Stubshaft wrote -"I use the 300 in my Blackhawk w/4 5/8" barrel. I drive it about 750fps and although I have never shot a deer with it, it is death and destruction on hogs. I do try to stalk to within 25yds and have not needed a followup shot to drop one. The biggest hog to date with this bullet was 195lbs dressed."

Leadman wrote: "I shot an elk with the very similar Lee 310gr. RFN, muzzle velocity just over 1,100 fps in the front shoulders. Went all the way thru both shoulders, elk ran maybe 50 yards. Hole was the same size coming out as going in and that was with AC WW. These big heavy for caliber bolits don't need a tremendous amont of velocity. "

Old Vic wrote: "A couple years back I shot a muley doe with a .45 Colt out of a Ruger 4 5/8 barrel. It was a broadside shot at about 50 yards. At the shot, the doe fliinched, then trotted off a few yards before toppling over. The hit was through both lungs, with a thumb size hole going in and coming out. The bullet was a 300 grainer with a moderate meplate. I didn't know what the velocity was at the time of the shot, but when I chrono'ed them later, they were going 730 fps."

Veral Smith has a formula that seems to work in the real world, not just on paper.

He writes: "My displacement velocity formula is: Velocity times meplat width in thousandths of an inch divided by 4. Ideal DV range for big game is 100 to 125, 130 at the very max for fastest kills. At 100, wound diameter will average about 1 inch, at 125 it will be around 1 1/4 inch. If the wound diameter is 1 1/2 inch or larger in diameter the animal will normally run like it's tail is afire for 50 to 150 yards before expiring, though the shot is centered in the vitals. Yes even with a 4 inch diameter exit wound on a deer. Many will drop instantly with large wounds, if nerve shock anchors them, but many will run violently because blood flow is slowed by too large a wound. If wound diameter is 3/4 inch, about 85 DV, kills can be instant if well placed but some run can be expected. With a 70 DV, wounds will be about 1/2 to 5/8 inch. VERY deadly if well placed in the vitals, but some run is quite certain."

In another post he writes:

"First understand that it is NOT a theory. I would have let you call it a concept 15 years ago, but it is now a fact, proven over and over by thousands, and no one who has tried it has questioned it's accuracy since I published it in 1990.

The easy calculation is meplat diameter in thousandths of an inch X Velocity divided by 4.

Ignore the range you'll expect to be shooting at. Just calculate it off muzzle velocity and it will be close out to as far as most can hit with a revolver or rifles which thrive on 'Pumpkin ball' type bullets.

Get the DV up to 80 minimum, for quick kills on deer and larger game, best with 100 to 125. Don't go over that very much or kill speed will go down.

If using a small caliber gun which doesn't have the omph to get the 80 minimum desired DV, you'll get good clean kills at DV's down to 60 if the bullets are placed into good vital areas of the chest. i.e. If they cut major blood vessels, heart, or the thicker parts of the lungs.

Expect approximate wound diameters straight through the muscle and organ parts of game as follows:

60 to 70 DV 1/2 inch diameter
75 to 90 DV 3/4 inch +
100 DV 1 inch +
125 DV 1 1/4 inch +
If wound diameter goes up to 1 3/8 inch or greater kill speed drops off rapidly, which means game runs quite a way before expiring. With a DV of 100 to 125, game up to elk moose and bison almost always fold in their tracks or take a few steps at most."

Good stuff!

Broadening Horizons

I've decided to broaden the scope of this Blog. Rather than limit it to topics concerning only the Marlin Mountie I'm going to include other Marlins, calibers and whatever else strikes my fancy when I feel like writing.

Mountie Range Report

I took the Mountie out to the range today to get some reps for next month's Cowboy silhouette match and test some ammo.

Best of the the four ammo's I tried today was the Federal bulk. Averaged 1234 fps, produced the smallest group and knocked 8 of 10 of the 100 yard rams. It used to be cheap - under $10 for 550 rounds at Wally World - I haven't seen it available for several months though and the last time it was just under $15 with tax. I recovered a few of these from my sand backstop, they roll back in near perfect mushrooms. I'll put my micrometer on them later. I've not recovered on of these from either vermin or Grouse but if they expand like they do in sand it is no wonder they are effective killers.

The next most accurate was the Federal Auto-match ammo. The 40 grain bullet averaged 1215 fps out of the Mountie. I didn't try this at longer ranges but I may give it a go my next trip out. Comparatively out of my 5.5" Ruger Single six it averaged 1029 fps with excellent accuracy.

The Winchester Xpert22 36 grain HP looks like a pretty wicked little bullet. It feeds a little rough in the Mountie but it fed and ejected 100% of the time. It averaged 1237 fps and produced a very good group at 25 yards but had more fliers than the previous listed ammo. Again for comparison the Ruger Single Six shot these very accurately at 1069 fps average velocity.

The load that I had high hopes for fell short in accuracy was the 40 grain RN Aguila Super Extra Standard Velocity. It averaged 1096 fps with the lowest standard deviation - under 11.

All and all a fun day at the range.

An April walk in the woods with my 39

With the snow gone from my property I had the perfect excuse to bug out to my property for a few days and do a little work on my cabin. Of course the 39 joined me on a number of walks and fired a number of magazines worth at various targets - knots on logs, scrap wood, soda cans, Ponderosa Pine cones...



A fella can have a lot of fun with a few tools and some room to be free.

I gave the CCI [b]Small Game Bullet[b] a try on this trip. I like the shape of the bullet - nice flat point. It didn't seem to be as accurate as the Federal Bulk ammo this Mountie seems to favor but I was using field positions and conditions. I'll take it to the range and see what it will do from the bench and over the chronograph and report back.

Across Generations

My Aunt (Grandmother's sister) had a pump action 22 that sat ready behind the kitchen door of their old farm house. The old Winchester's primary duty was pest control in her garden. There is also no doubt that a most of, if not all of the wild and domestic meat that we ate there was produced using that rifle.

For decades her children, dozens of grandchildren, multitudes of great grandchildren plus a bunch of neighborhood kids, nephews and nieces put the rifle to use... No telling how many rounds we all put through it. There was always plenty of enthusiastic volunteers to use it and shooting was always the highlight of my visits. It was the first firearm many of us fired. Nearly everyone has a story or two about some amazing feat they managed with it. Many happy memories using the rifle connect us across several generations.

It was a symbol too. Getting permision to roam the farm with the rifle meant you had demonstrated a level of maturity and could be trusted to act responsibly - an affirmation of being one of the "big kids."

Now almost a half century later I am reminded of that rifle when I walk my own property with my 22. Though mine is a levergun and Marlin, my hair is now gray and the eyes are challenged by the front sight the grin on my face feels the same. The same sense of empowerment, freedom, responsibility and of course the fun, all come flooding back.

She died in the late 1980's, the rifle remains behind the door of what is now her son's home to what has become a family tradition. More generations have added fingerprints and dents to the stock and I hope many more will too.

"Men trained in arms from their infancy, and animated by the love of liberty, will afford neither a cheap or easy conquest." -- From the Declaration of the Continental Congress, July 1775.

The Mountie vs. Bolt 22lr

I am blessed to own a few excellent bolt action rimfire rifles. One of which is a CZ 452 American w/ a Leupold 3-9x32 AO scope (EXCELLENT - GREAT VALUE). Very accurate = enlarged hole at 50 yards with quality ammo. GREAT trigger, adult ergonomics, fantastic value... It is capable of breaking a clay into parts so small at 100 yards it is difficult to find the pieces. I love this rifle and will probably never willingly give it up. Good ammo = amazing performance.

Compare now with the Mountie. The CZ is more accurate. The CZ has a (MUCH) better trigger.

BOTH have the feel of adult sized and quality firearms.

Where the Marlin surpasses the CZ is in the field. It is easier to carry. It can be packed inside a backpack (taken down) and the accuracy is more than sufficiant to ethically and cleanly harvest game that can be harvested with 22lr. The Mountie also has the capability of being fired faster and has a greater capacity in the magazine. The Mountie has good iron sights and can easily be fitted with a scope or upgraded iron sights (Skinner).

Both are classic and proven designs but the Mountie is genuinely American.

Only ONE?!!

The question "If you could only own one, what would it be?" comes up in various firearm forums occasionally. It is both interesting and frustrating to consider. What single firearm would you choose if you could only have one? Certainly no single firearm can do everything. Scenarios are easy to imagine in where one type or caliber would be superior as easily as scenarios where that same firearm would be less than the ideal tool for the job.

Imagine a situation where resupply is unlikely, mobility is a priority and the duration of the event is measured in years... What would you choose?

For me it comes down to ammo - without it a firearm has little value. 22lr ammo is plentiful, ubiquitous actually, inexpensive, highly portable, low maintenance, accurate and capable of performing well beyond its common uses.

There are many excellent platforms and variations to shoot it in. For a long term scenario with limited ammo accuracy would be a priority. A repeater would mitigate the lack of power. The ability to fire a variety of ammo - shorts, longs, subsonic, hi-velocity, etc...- without having to single load would enhance the versatility.

Posed with question, after some consideration, I'm choosing the Marlin 39A Mountie.

The Appleseed Project

There is a project underway to preserve and promote the traditions of the American Riflemen. It is called the Appleseed Project.

http://appleseedproject.blogspot.com/

I am intrigued by the idea and believe it is an excellent way to introduce new shooters to the sport and improve the skills of those who own rifles. It appears to be catching on and I hope to attend and find out how I too can contribute to their efforts.

Cooper Quote

"A good shot must necessarily be a good man since the essence of good marksmanship is self-control and self-control is the essential quality of a good man." – Colonel Jeff Cooper

Grouse

"There are two times to hunt ruffed grouse: ordinary times, and the second week of October." -Aldo Leopold

Grouse - Tasty, abundant and fun to hunt. They are hunting's equivalent to Bluegill fishing.

2008 - a good year for the Mountie

2008 saw several days afield with the 39A Mounties. Scouting, rimfire cowboy silhouette, hunting, plinking, targets ... Sometimes just going for a walk. Many happy memories were made. It was an excellent year for me.

Add some Spice / Comparison

I recently acquired a Ruger 10/22 compact - Laminated stock, 16" barrel. Nice little carbine. Shoots pretty well with its preferred ammo - Federal Champion, 40 gr LRN. I'm not an auto-loading enthusiast by any stretch but I will admit that these are fun little rifles.

After a few days of getting familiar with the Ruger I decided to do a little side by side comparison with my Marlin 39A Mountie.

Ergonomics: The Ruger is youth sized so using the factory sights comfortably is a bit of a challenge. The Mountie is better proportioned to an adult. Operation of the Safety and magazine release on the Ruger is easy and intuitive. Less intuitive is the Bolt Lock, it required me to actually to read the manual to understand how to operate it.

Firing: One thing about auto-loaders is that once a shot is fired there is another ready to go right behind it. With the Levergun I can fire a shot and then manually lever one in once I am ready. I found that I needed to consciously slow myself down to get good groups with the 10-22. A little pause and a few breaths relaxes and sharpens the eyes and keeps the Heart Rate down.

Despite using the 10-22's preferred ammo I was unable to match the performance of the Marlin using the inexpensive Federal Bulk ammo. I suspect that the diminutive size, heavier trigger and familiarty played a part in that. Still, the Marlin impressed me and reinforced my appreciation for this fine firearm platform more than 110 years old.

Other notes: The Ruger weighs in at 4 lb. 9 oz. vs. the Marlin at 5 lb. 14 oz. The 20" barrelled Marlin gets over 70 fps faster out of the Federal Bulk ammo, 25+ fps more out of the Federal Champion ammo and the CCI Mini Mags.

The Yonderosa

We were blessed in 2008 to find "The Yonderosa." It is a great place to walk around with a Marlin and there are many nearby recreational opportunities for outdoors minded folk. The place is truly beautiful and we feel blessed for every moment we've been able to stay there.

We've started building a little retreat there. You can follow the progress at

http://s448.photobucket.com/albums/qq202/Yonderosa_photos/?albumview=slideshow

Cowboy Silhouette

There probably isn't a more enjoyable form of shooting competition than Cowboy Silhouette. Shooting leverguns, offhand at reactive targets at various ranges is great fun. It is quite challenging too. Hitting a 'Ram' that is about as big as a sheet of paper isn't easy at 100 yards - but is sure is satisfying.

I'm no expert at this game by a long stretch - I manage a little more than half per round. The physical part is easier to master than the mental. I find that pacing is key for me - pausing between shots, resting the eyes for a few seconds, taking a few breaths before raising the rifle, aiming and squeezing off another shot.

Next year I plan to equip one of the Mounties with a Skinner Peep Sight for this competition. My half century old eyes are challenged by the factory open sights. I'm hoping the Skinners will get my score up into the thirties.

Long overdue update

This blog format wasn't user friendly enough for me so this blog went neglected. I'll give it another go and see what happens.

The Mounties have a good bit more mileage on them now - hunting, scouting and rimfire cowboy silhouette. I am very pleased with their performance, reliability and precision. I will elaborate as I can in this entry and in subsequent posts.

Hunting/Scouting- During the Fall 2007 Grouse and Deer seasons my most recent Mountie accompanied me on a number of excursions. Rather than using a sling I found the Kifaru "Gun Bearer" works very well with the Marlin Mountie while carrying a pack. The carbine is held securely and easily removed when the opportunity for a shot presents itself. Carried this way my hands are free to use maps, GPS, compass, binoculars, calls and steady myself when footing is trecherous or steep. The short barrel of the Mountie does not overly obstruct my field of view nor does the forward position get hung up in branches or brush.

Our game laws allow for the use of rimfires to harvest Grouse and the Mountie is more than up to the task. Base of the neck and head shots are easily accomplished at the Grouse stalking range. Even a center mass shot does less damage to the meat than shot from a shotgun blast.

Grouse hunting tactics are simple - Forested areas with openings near water often contain Grouse. Walk slowly, observe and listen for movement. More often than not I will hear them or flush them before seeing them. They don't often fly a great distance once alarmed. Pay close attention to the direction and you will likely be able to find them again. It is common for one or two to flush and more to remain nearby in cover so don't abandon the area and chase the flushed Grouse until observing the area they flushed from. Glass with your binoculars. If you are unable to locate them walk slowly though the area and then move in the direction they've retreated. You may hear or see them running along the ground or you may flush them again. They will typically hold still believing they are invisible (and they sometimes are) and not move until they feel threatened again. If in a tree they are more likely to hold. On the ground they are more likely to run if they sense you are stalking them. Stalk into easy range and shoot them at the base of the neck This preserves the delicious meat and makes a quick clean kill. The feathers make excellent fly tying materials and are quite beautiful.

Though not as sporting as a wing-shot with a shotgun it is challenging and will test your riflemanship. I would also like to note that careful consideration should be given to what is behind as the bullet will not stop even if it hits the grouse perfectly. I've passed on many more shots than I've taken on Grouse because they were 'skylined' or I didn't want to risk a richochette.

Grouse season usually opens several weeks in advance of Deer and Elk Season. Hunting Grouse affords you the opporunity to scout Deer and Elk hunting areas which is as close to multi-tasking as I am capable of.

The New One

The "new" one arrived the other week. 1964 vintage. Some blems and the stock finish is sub par. The wood is in good shape and the action tight. The original sight was switched out and the new version of the Semi-Buckhorn installed. The old sight arrived with the rifle in a plastic bag. The front sight had the bead filed off leaving a crude post. The hammer spring was also shortened, lightening the trigger pull but also causing light hammer strikes and FTFs.

My first trip to the range showed promise but the sights challenged my eyes. I ordered a new front sight (along with a new hammer spring) from Brownells and that greatly improved the sight picture. The preliminary results at the range improved as well. I believe this could be a more accurate rifle than the other.

Chronograph results (56*F)
Aguila SE Subsonic averaged 989 fps (vs. 994 in the 1965 Mountie). Very good accuracy.

Federal Bulk Ammo averaged 1166 fps and also show very good accuracy potential. The suprise was that it was nearly 100 fps slower than the 1965 Mountie which spit them out at 1054 fps last year using the same ammo brand but different lot #.

To know if it is the rifle or the ammo I will have to bring both Mounties out together and shoot some strings from the same ammo Lot.

Another Mountie

As if one was not enough, I have just agreed to another trade for another Mountie...

Gone is my 39A and a Mountie will be on its way this week.

Two Mounties! How great is that?

Gave up a TDS, gained a Cowboy

I traded the TDS (in part) for an 1894CB "Cowboy Limited." So far I am pleased with my choice. Though the TDS was a unique and fun rimfire the Cowboy is enriching my Marlin experience.

I've had the Cowboy out to the range a few times now breaking it in, getting familiar with it and dialing in loads. Here is the report from yesterday's trip to the range.

Marlin 1894CB in 45 Colt, 20" barrel, open sights.
Range conditions, variable wind, mostly cloudy and 52*F

The 1894CB has shown some promise with 255gr SWC Laser-Cast bullets over SR 4756 so I decided explore this combination further. At 10 grains (Speer #13 Max <14,000 PSI) this load burns pretty clean, showed signs of being accurate and averaged 1084 fps in my earlier testing. Today it scooted along a little quicker, clocking 1099 fps (warmer weather?). It also produced the best accuracy. Target pick at:
http://www.grovestreet.com/jsp/onepic.jsp?id=1215523

1-1/4" center to center at 50 yards. Not bad for open sights.

On my previous trip to the range I worked up to 11 gr of SR4756 (~1200 fps) and had supurb accuracy. Today I worked up to 12 grains from there. The accuracy erroded slightly but 11.5 grains got me 1254 fps average and 12 grains got me 1300 fps. The POI for the 12 grain load was 4" lower (and slightly left) than the 10 grain load at 50 yards with the same POA.

There was no stickyness at all in either my 1894CB or Ruger BH with any of these loads.

Other notes:
The 1894CB's accuracy is best with a well fouled bore.

The SR 5756 burns quite clean. Its fluffy flakes fill the case nicely.

4-5/8" BH chrony data:
11.5 gr = 1021 fps
12 gr = 1107 fps

Let one go

Having three Marlin 39's might be considered over-indulgent. I enjoy(ed) each of them but found the Moutie to be so perfect the others stayed in the safe. So, when something else came along (Marlin 1894CB) I was willing to trade one.

SPF is the 39TDS. Good accurate little carbine. The niche it filled in my collection was for an inside the pack carbine. It was a little heavy for the role, and took up a lot more space than a Single Six. If a rifle/carbine is needed there is very little penalty incurred in weight or size by utilizing the Mountie. Not really considering myself a collector, I was willing to part with it when another deal intrigued me.