Trader

I've been thinking about the one gun to rule them all concept a bit lately but its hard to come up with a single answer. Most people agree that if you could only ever have one firearm it should be a 12g shotgun. With the different types of ammo you can pretty much do anything with it. Pellets of varying sizes for small game, several options in buckshot and slugs for large game, its fun to shoot clays and there is a big sport following for it. Having said that there are plenty of things that will do some of the same jobs but way better. It is my opinion after starting with a slightly less than mainstream caliber rifle that you probably should go for the more common caliber types. You get many more option for over the shelf ammo, and more availability. A lot of beginners want to be Mr. cool guy 300 blackout or get a 50bmg but then quickly sell those things when they realise it doesn't really suit their purpose and the ammo is hard to find. Like Duncs said the different guns suit different tasks. If you are just plugging around for rabbits and foxes and want really cheap ammo that is always available in a lot of varieties, old faithful 22LR is the one to go for. It's a pleasure to shoot with very little recoil, and easy on the ears. You can spend very little money to get setup with an old second hand 22LR and have a great time. A 22LR will struggle with larger animals and to be honest, if you care at all for your targets suffering it just isn't an ethical play to be shooting mid to large game with such a small round. Bigger stuff such as pig, goat and deer I reckon .308 is the go. It's probably the most common ammunition around after .22LR and .223. The .223 is a great round but is not considered big enough in a legal sense for deer in Victoria and other parts of the country. I have a few different guns for different purposes now but if I could only have 3 they would be a 12g shotgun, a 22LR rifle, and a .308 rifle. Archery is fun, and very quiet if that's your thing, but it has a much steeper learning curve and a lower success rate than using guns. I still shoot a bow sometimes but you can't argue with a rifles ability to get meat on the deck. For hunting, the binoculars are really handy. They allow you to makes plans as you move and strategize rather than being on top of the animals and having to scramble. When I first started hunting I asked for advice and read a lot and came to the conclusion that a set of 8x48 binos was the way to go. I've since changed my opinion. I found for the hunting I was doing at the time which was chasing Sambar Deer in thick mountainous terrain, they were very heavy and I didn't use them enough to justify the discomfort. I now do most of my hunting on farms and I have found a set of 10x28's have been so good. I got the Vortex Diamondback's for about $250. I use them every day for work with the sheep, I use them for hunting small game around the farm, I take them waterfowl hunting and they will probably come on my next deer hunt. Besides your weapon and binos I reckon you need a decent knife, a lighter, some pillow cases for keeping fly's off the meat, a backpack and a first aid kit with 2 compression bandages with butterfly clips for snake bites, 2 tourniquets for major bleeding, a little betadine squeezer, some band aids, and some water purification tablets.

https://www.findsports.com.au/p/buff-original-auscam-adult/B001-AZ-372437?CATARGETID=120437600000005121&CADevice=c&gclid=CjwKCAjwur-SBhB6EiwA5sKtjgegGUTI_5Y7jE0Uh-JNKrXtjWA4-cgEbAI1iQ922ZcO2Od5sQ_aARoCd8UQAvD_BwE It's a face veil, it's a neck gaiter, its a hat, its a lense cloth, it's a tea towel, it's a water filter.

Could be a damaged aerial? Sometimes they can be a little slow to establish a connection when you first boot them up. When I'm way out in the wilderness it sometimes takes a while to update position but it eventually catches up. Same with the compass in that situation. You aim north and it says south etc. Just be patient I guess unless yours is really malfunctioning.

Looks like a good one. I love that style of short skinning blade.

I encountered the same tempering issues when I tried making a recurve bow out of PVC pipe on a stove. There is art to it.

A few years back I was living in the Snowy Mountains and met a fella that was into knife making as a hobby. I had a Condor Bushlore knife blank I had bought from Ebay and this chap offered to make me a handle for it with the antler from a red stag he had found on the road. It turned out really well, but I could never quite get a sheathe for it that fit well. I had considered getting a kydex kit but never followed up on the idea. On one of my recent trips I had the pleasure of meeting back up with Rifletuner after 2 years and saw the work he had been doing with the knife for SS which was really good quality. I mentioned that I was having sheathe troubles and he offered to help out with a custom kydex sheathe. Well I just got it back and it is absolutely perfect. Thanks RT. I am very happy. Hopefully I get an opportunity to pay you back somehow.

I think its the shitty glue they are stuck on with.

I use this folding skinning knife with a gut hook. I find when butchering in the field I'm not really stabbing or apply sideways pressure on the blade besides the initial piercing of the skin. The majority of the cuts are slices with a finger along the back of the blade like a caveman with a flint. The gut hook I have found to be quite good and worth having. If I'm not butchering it just stays in the pack. I recently bought one of the Benchmade Hidden Canyon fixed blade skinning knives and leave it on the should strap of my pack as I like the idea of having something to grab at in a pickle but lets be honest this is hunting, not combat and it will probably just sit there and look cool. I use a cheap pocket diamond steel for sharpening. It's $15. I took the plates off it and discarded the rest and they slip into a little pocket in the pack. The diamonds wear of fairly quickly but its cheap and replaceable and they take more material off than a standard steel so you can put a new edge on with it if you are desperate. https://www.amazon.de/-/en/BOM157-BRK-Böker-First-Responder-01SC157/dp/B0043PKU3K https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/373485064346?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item56f571d09a:g:RF8AAOSwH8VgPu-4&amdata=enc%3AAQAFAAACgBaobrjLl8XobRIiIML1V4Imu%2Fn%2BzU5L90Z278x5ickk8ihYa55VeJusc0Ydu6jngwPXgWy7X2d9QIbsggcDrHV7TaDinTu7%2FA7pK5m3JIcS9NPWBBda9HNnnCKaKTlxC7ItyjV1S94ZqDDRxQlnHsAklw2ak9GBXw6x4xCmkWCcwzBTuaZH2Li0rcNiXCtmdtkWl%2FqCb5erUZtKjuuWZG%2BDIdCaoH1UXZBD%2BcCvvVVUT5ax10LS04n3ybIdFpvKHO%2BFJibIIMTfrOFq2Fb9RC%2BFl8p9qXaYewoQQSBt9OPI9gAF9di8LQg9YmfRcLsy%2BWpR63HM83JOSyQNW09mNUdWUCSi60L5XvZxxglcdQOjRdcOvVRm0VKUL0atZYB1bdSAUjYPfT0RN6SNQkkyT%2B4JObMnbPRs58OmTfM8rNgVl3rDIknZip%2FfmmrU7TI9IM4ypmFqfIzheNrjX5cblMtVc2u0WLQgisYUrqAyxxojHA1PKiv3VFte7m9I3H4HyMh%2FnBFsFYboIsyYP8GsDdKxmqTXJwwnoSsxl27DuU7SgoVeER3i8U3ZmSYaDPTZ6mxOPl4DW6zzoADVoyT6K%2FLtAit%2BhAm8Alv7BIjgASbbcOCrDFetCXlTlFBUDuRRkv%2BUlzqrqLDYzzhv2BeIe6ebOr3ditfgX8wvZ6YtyYSU90n9%2FUFSHg5fON3D2rjZ9xYyhSvbEbYP6v5iZcTPVtoI6B####HAoYYXDDhbMXGFduvOr%2BoqVGvx%2BJYJp1cLR8Gfpx%2FmEeI7JaoHfEo9QbdlHsr0oW%2F31OPTsY73KdQf6dUPaV1sANRYfSdhXYp3Txq4ml510rupLuCiW4HQiCcdA%3D|cksum%3A373485064346965dcf8d077c4814818a7d442485f687|ampid%3APL_CLK|clp%3A2334524&frcectupt=true https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/274715492714?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=705-139619-5960-0&mkcid=2&itemid=274715492714&targetid=951637310284&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9071235&poi=&campaignid=9772796532&mkgroupid=100117148296&rlsatarget=aud-692203741102:pla-951637310284&abcId=578876&merchantid=7364522&gclid=CjwKCAjwj6SEBhAOEiwAvFRuKHTSGLNB4LKsQshIV-5hPaOXCnxT2Fawn2jxI12N0nTnUkacdGMnsRoCjsAQAvD_BwE

I live on the Mornington Peninsula, which is currently counted as Melbourne Metro for the lockdown and 5km home radius. One of the things I've started doing for a bit of entertainment is practicing with my binoculars from the breakfast table on the local birds. I started after watching a Paul Boags video where he made a solid point about the importance of bino practice and training. So far in my back yard I've seen Yellow Crested Cockatoo, Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoo, Indian Myna, Common Blackbird, Common Raven, Rosella, Cape Baron Goose, Masked Lapwing (Plover), Speckled Turtle Dove, Bin Chicken (Ibis), Seagull, Little Wattle Bird and Magpie. The ducks aren't here but I am expecting the usual culprits once it warms up a bit. I've seen Pacific Blacks, Grey and Brown Teals and Wood Ducks in the past. I must say Boags was right as the more I do this the quicker I get at finding things and also the quicker I get switching from open eyes to zoomed in. Much less of that time searching and switching back and forth. Really complements the hunting well in my opinion.

You guys are reminding me of my dissatisfaction with my current sling.

With my rig I loosen the straps right off so it hangs lower. This keeps it out of the way of the gun. Adjusting to the extra insulation when hiking just takes time.

I run the Hunters Element one. It has 3 decent sized pouches around it. I reckon it sits just a bit high on the chest for me with the straps let out all the way, but I have a fairly thick torso. It just gets in the way of my elbow a little if I havn't pushed it down. Doesn't feel too flimsy. Bushnell Trophy 8x42 has plenty of room to spare. Magnetic flip top. I spent a decent amount on another one that has a great design but failed to realize that I wasn't comfortable with having HORN HUNTER in bright yellow across the front of my bino rig. I should probably sell it but I thought it would be good as the one my mate has to use if he forgets his. It's like a dunce cap for hunters.

They occasionally get outbreaks of Ross River Fever along that way. Something to look out for.

I got one that charges from a USB cable so I can recharge it off the same battery pack I bring for my phone. It was like 15 bucks on Ebay.

I found the straps came unstitched when they had any serious weight in me those Ebay chinese rigs. The straps were only attached at the shoulders with a cotton double stitch, no overlap or bracing.

I want to get onto one of those blaze orange gunslinga backpacks but they dont' have any

I was keen on finding one of the Aldi rangefinders after the discussion here, but could not find any available. I looked around for something similar and found an 800m one on Kogan for pretty cheap. Just wanted to say it works great so far. Very accurate at the target range. Would recommend. https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/800m-laser-rangefinder/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=product_listing_ads&gclid=CjwKCAjwsIbpBRBNEiwAZF8-z1gAbKZAoOSQ-3_DLHrxz0y8zU9Djuv80WSV5RylOMz1i####Z5rqnJxoCBEcQAvD_BwE This one is $240, but when I bought it a week ago it was being sold for $140, so keep your eyes peeled.

To bring a knife into the country and not have it confiscated at the airport I believe it has to be a single edged blade, no double edges, so big chef knives are ok. Also if it is a folding knife it must not be able to be opened with one hand. This means no spring loaded auto openers, no butterfly knives. This is interesting though as I have brought in folding knives with thumb studs and thumb holes which technically you shouldn't be able to bring in but the customs officer was either giving me a cheeky pass through, or just didn't know how to open it with a thumb stud.

Gday guys. My name is Reuben. I run a Tikka T3 .270w, a Ruger American .22lr, and a Beretta 686 shotgun. I also have a Martin Jaguar takedown recurve that is gathering dust. Interested in backpack hike hunts for deer in the mountains, fox and rabbit control shooting. I am a career chef for the last decade, now making the switch to building. Just moved back to Victoria after 6 years in the NSW Snowy Mountains.