Handsome Rob

Lots. My 6.5 Swede is built around an Axis action. I'm a massive fan of the platform. But...... The action is great. Literally every other part of the firearm is cheaply built & it feels like it. Nothing (other than barrels) ate interchangeable with the 110 series, aftermarket support is almost non existent (besides Boyd's stocks) & although they're typically 'Savage accurate' they're really, really cheap feeling. I doubt you'd like it at all, to be honest. Nothing like a higher end Savage. I've dumped enough money into mine to have bought 2 Remington 700s now, but I had an idea in mind & well, we all know how that goes! Literally the only stock part is the action body itself.

I wish I'd never read this thread. It got me to thinking about a big folder I sold a few years ago. Sold it for what I thought was an exorbitant price back in '08, £200. I get to thinking I'd like to have another so I checked eBay. Yeah.....Mick Strider XL Custom Monkey Edge. They're between $1300 & $2000 now *sickening facepalm*

To answer a couple of questions..... Anything starting with a '2' or better will kill TN deer at all ranges you'll ever be shooting. Caliber is totally subjective, to be honest. My go-to deer rifle is a 6.5 Swede, among a stable of .308s, '-06s, .358s etc..... It's soft recoil, flat trajectory & wind-bucking ability at longer ranges find me picking it up more often than not. I've shot deer with bullets from 95gn, right up to 160s & they've all universally killed the deer, dead as a wedge. It's far from being my lightest or prettiest gun, but I know exactly how it shoots from the muzzle out to 500yds (if need be) I'm an unabashed fan of Vortex optics. Scopes, binos, the works. My 6.5 is topped with a bottom of the range, $150 Crossfire 4-12x42 (I think) with the bdc reticle & I don't think I've ever cranked it above 8 power (I actually prefer 2-7 power scopes for hunting) If I HAD to only keep one hunting gun for the rest of my life, it'd be my Tikka T3x in .30-06 It'll happily kill anything I'm ever going to shoot with it (including a 450lb cow elk, a couple of weeks back)

If you don't like the scope, sell it on for $100 or slap it on a .22 & you'll still have a chunk of change to invest in some higher end glass.

Were I in your position, I'd scroll down to the classifieds & not hesitate to buy @bluemailman53 Savage .260 It's ballistically identical to the 6.5 manbun & quite frankly, an astonishingly good deal!

A friend just sent me this....

What in the 'Cali-compliment, parts bin, 6 beer, lost youth' hell am I seeing here?? There are VERY few firearms that are aesthetically unpleasant, but this one takes the cake, flips off the baker, slams the door & flicks a match into the damn bakery! Jesus!

I don't honestly remember who I sold it to. I would assume it was on here though.

I had a 16" stainless Rossi in .357 & I regularly kick myself for letting go of her. I did the full action slick-up & trigger job too. What an idiot.....

Yessir, it should.

Wow. I did my apprenticeship on VW aircooled flat fours when I was a kid (sonofa.......30 years ago) Sooooper simple to work on. The only mechanical thing that you absolutely HAVE to check, literally every time you drive it, is the oil level. The oil pan is very wide, very long & very, very shallow. The gap between 'full' & 'top up' is tiny. If it's a hair below 'minimum' on the stick, it WILL seize & throw a rod. I couldn't get The Wife to understand that & replaced 2 1300s & a 1600 Super motor before I sold her '75 out from under her. She honest to God killed 2 in 6 months. Heater exchange elements tend to crap out before anything else (assuming U.S. Spec vee-dubs are the same as UK spec) but they're a simple job to replace. Which engine's in the ragtop you're looking at? I ask, because the cases ate slightly stronger on the 1200 than the 13 or 16s. They're slower by quite a bit than the 1600, but there's not a chance in hell I'd buy a 13 over a 12. If you ever need to work on it, it's much easier to drop the motor out than work around the body. 8 bolts to the bell housing, fuel line, alternator/generator (I don't recall the changeover year, sorry) wiring & throttle cables & you're basically good to go. Jack the motor off the mounts, pull it back, drop it down then pick the chassis up & walk it forward. I reckon it'd take me a couple of hours these days, but when I was doing it for a living, me & Vince (Jesus... I just remembered his name!) had it down to about a half hour to do a complete motor swap!

That's all I paid last time

Franklin Co. Gunworks in Winchester is the only guy I'll use around here. $10 transfer fee (last time I used him) & just am all around super nice guy to deal with.

65gn Gamekings over a pile of Varget for me.

Oh Lord..... I really hope that isn't the case this time. This isn't my first bear hunt, but it is my first of this type. I'll tell you now, if my group shows this type of behaviour, I for one will be packing up & leaving. I want no part of any of that.

I'd be astonished if there wasn't a half gone twelver of Milwaukee's finest/Natty light on the boat somewhere.

A buddy of mine has actually wing-shot a pig with one of those, from a moving airboat. At night. With a spotlight. That's about the most redneck thing I can think of!

Have any if you been on one of the group dog hunts in Cherokee? My group drew the first weekend in October to hunt Upper Tellico. I've never set foot in Cherokee before & I'm trying to figure out my gun options. I'm led to believe it's pretty close range hunting, so I'm torn between my .358 win or my super light & handy 336/.44 The 358 is scoped & great out to 300yds, the 44 is strictly a short range proposition (310gn cast boolets...). I'm not even sure I'd risk anything much over 75yds with the thing, but at 50, I can dump all 6 in one hole. What say y'all?

Ooohhhh......I'd have been SO disappointed if that hadn't happened!!

Also, I'm not sure if it's an actual 'thing' or just coincidental experience, but for me TN & Georgia pigs are 50/50 on tenderness. Alabama hogs are universally tough as old boots, Florida & Texas hogs are all amazing.

It's not a bad idea, but as long as it's cooked to an internal temp of 160° you're fine. Trichinella is super rare in hogs, but Bruscillosis & Tularemia are legitimate concerns. Both are killed at 145°f though.

I've been using this basic recipe for cured hams for ages & I've yet to have it yields anything but sweet, pink perfection.... https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/cured-and-smoked-deer-ham.129141/ These 2 I brined for 16 days, washed & dried for 3, vaccuum marinated in pineapple, brown sugar, garlic & paprika for 3 days, then smoked for 3 hours. Finished in the oven for another 4 with a glaze made with a reduction from the marinade. Without a doubt, the best ham I've ever eaten. I have one to a buddy to take to a Utah hunting camp, to split with 6 others. Those 6 deny having even tried it because my bud ate the entire freaking thing on the drive!

Yep, don't be expecting much in the way of tender loin steaks. It's always worth trying a cut from the center of the loin, cut thin & fried. I would say 1:3 is awesome. However the other 2 can vary between tough & almost indelibly tough. I always save my hams whole for curing (10 days in a pickling brine would tenderize an anvil) but everything else feeds the Doomgrinder for burger & sausage.

It's pretty much my favorite thing to do with clothes on! Once you get a taste for hog hunting, you're almost ruined for deer!

Dude, you're AWESOME! Thank you for all your help. The guys over at S&W either don't know or are ignoring me