OK so it is single digits outside on a weekend when you should be out doing something outdoors, ice fishing, predator hunting, rabbit hunting, etc…. What to do you ask?  Stay inside where it is warm and do a little ammunition reloading I say!  That is exactly what I did this weekend!

     I was going to do a little ice fishing and decided against it since the weather was terrible.  Below zero wind chill isn’t exactly my idea of fun!  I thought to myself I could do something productive to get ready for next deer season, so I broke out my reloading equipment and began to plow through some cartridges that I had started to prepare sometime ago.  I had two boxes of 30-06 cases with new primers already in them along with a box of 30-30 cases in the same condition. 

     I started with my 30-06 rounds first.  I broke out the trusty load charts and dug through my powder selection to see what I had and then made my selection according to what my load charts recommended.  I used a bottle of H4350 powder for my 180 grain bullets that I had purchased.  After looking at the load specs I knew which Lee dipper to choose to make my powder measurements correct. 

     After setting up my dies and doing some measuring with my calipers I began to run round after round into the press.  It didn’t take to terribly long to run 40 rounds through which made two complete boxes of new hand loaded cartridges for my deer rifle!  I can’t wait to get to the shooting range to give them a try and see what they can do.  I will be taking my chronograph to check my speeds to see where they line up to the factory Remington loads of the same grain.

     Next up was the box of 30-30 cases that needed loading.  After looking at my load charts I had to switch to the IMR 4227 powder to produce my rounds.  To me it looked like the amount of powder was a little on the small side.  So I did some checking to see what they would be in the 30-06 load chart.  I found out if I used this same powder in my 30-06 rounds that they would measure almost half of what the H 4350 powder that I used measured to.  This IMR 4227 powder was a much finer grained powder than what the H 4350 was.  I also compared the speeds on the 30-06 load chart between the two powders.  The finer IMR powder speeds were much slower than that of the H 4350 for the same caliber and grain.    This is why you MUST check your load charts when figuring out what powders to use along with how much! 

     After double checking to make sure I had the right measurements, I began to load the 30-30 rounds and within a few minutes I had a box of hand loaded rounds to take to the shooting range to test the next time out.    Hand loading ammunition can be a fun and rewarding way to spend a cold day inside when your not able to get out and play!  Not to mention it can also save you quite a bit of coin along the way!

 Winchester has come up with a new ammo lineup for the 2009 whitetail season.  They have come up with new bonded cartridges that teases the 3000 fps mark and in some instances reach beoyond that mark.  Check the press release below for the specs and the links for additional information as well as a video clip explaining the new offering.

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     The Up North Journal Team has launched their new website and they invite you to stop by and check out the new digs! You can find it at the same ‘ol place: www.upnorthjournal.com you will find a new interactive video panel that will play their most current video and will eventually have the most current episode of their upcoming new video show. You will also be able to click the link to take you to the archive page of all their videos. Not only does it have the video player but it also offers an audio panel that has the most current episode of their podcast with a scrolling banner with an outline of the current show. The link below the player also takes you to an archive page of past episodes for download or playing right from the site.     At the bottom of the page you will find all the Up North Journal Pro Staff members. By clicking their photos you will be taken to each members personal bio page which will host a video of each member talking about themselves and the game they like to persue. Included on their personal bio page is all the links to their own blogs, and other internet links they are associated with such as facebook, twitter, and email address’.

     The site is not 100% completed but the important items are there, so keep looking for further updates to the site and bios on the prostaff pages. When your finished taking the tour, be sure to drop them an email and let them know what you think about the new digs!

     Another year has come and gone for the UNJ crew and we now embark on year number three!  This week we cover the newest hunter in the group here in Michigan with my youngest son celebrating his 10th birthday this weekend and recieving his first hunting rifle!  We then head to the shooting range to tear some targets with the kids.  I finally get to do some much anticipated ammo reloading in this week’s episode along with Mikey covering some of his fine taxidermy tips in Mikey’s Game Bag!  Be sure to check out this week’s show and listen in for the up coming week’s activities by going to our Podcast site for the free download or you can play it directly from the site.

    I finally got around to putting my new reloading equipment to good use.  This last week I made a trip to the local gun shop to pick up a set of shell holders for my Lee Quick Priming tool.  Today I got around to finishing up a full set of cartridges for my .40 caliber Beretta 9000S pistol.

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WARNING

     I just read about a person having problems with .22 cartridges not firing properly, on a hunting forum I belong to.  Here is what the issue that he was having:

“I have got a bad box of Brand X .22 long rifle shells they seem like they have bad powder or something, first time this has ever happened to me.  One will fire right then one might fire like half power and some even sound like they hardly clear the end of the gun.”

     This should be a good reminder for us all, that if you ever hear anything that doesn’t sound right when firing your weapon, STOP!  Clear the firearm, then safely and carefully make sure that the barrel isn’t obstructed!  A strange sounding round could be a squib round lodged in the barrel.  If you were to fire another round behind an obstruction, it could be disastrous not to mention deadly!

     If you continue to have problems with the ammunition, stop using it all together.  Take it and dispose of it properly.  Also take the numbers off of the box, then call, write or e-mail the manufacture so they are aware of the situation.  Who knows they might even send you a replacement box or a voucher to buy a new box.  Trying to save a box of bad ammo isn’t worth risking your firearm or life over, Don’t use them!

  With episode 106 posted this weekend, the Up North Journal crew is celebrating two years of podcasting.  It all began on April 25th, 2007 with the first episode of Up North Journal.  During these two years we have watched Little Mikey grow and become quite the accomplished outdoorsman that he has become today.  This weeks episode is a special episode with a few friends from Striaght Creek Calls along with the group Team Weekend Dreams talking a little turkey hunting.

     Mikey also discusses his first adventure into the world of taxidermy.  Be sure to download and checkout this weeks episode to see what the Up North Journal has been upto and what they are planning for the upcoming week.  You can find the show at their podcast website.

This week’s episode #105, Mike and Mikey take to the woods for some preseason scouting of turkeys along with spending some time at the local arcery range. They also start the hobby of reloading ammo this week and cover how to clean the brass and de-prime it. Mikey covers some interesting topics that have to do with trapping this week in the Game Bag. Finally some disappointing outdoor news that involves a couple of wild game ranches that can’t follow the rules and they also cover an upcoming bowfishing trip to Wisconsin this summer.

     This last week I was amazed that while trying to find pistol ammo, I found the shelves virtually empty!  Any caliber remotely close to a home protection load to conceal carry pistols was absent from the choices.  Read the rest of this entry »

     We as outdoor bloggers, myself included, need to take a hard look at what we are writing sometimes.  If we are not careful we can write ourselves right out of our outdoor pastime! Read the rest of this entry »