Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[MustangMike]

I've found downloading a 210 gr to 2500fps to be a very effective deer round.

That is a lot of downloading for a 338 mag! It would even be below a lot of the starting loads for the 338-06.

I think if you try the Barnes (all copper) TTSX bullets you will find the "four pedal mushroom" results in a lot less hamburger than a full mushroom lead core bullet.

A lot of the damage is from bullet disintegration, which the copper bullets generally don't do (even at the higher speeds).

 

[Bobby Kirbos]

When this tree was in one piece, what kind of tree was it?
The tree was on the ground (uprooted), and there are no leaves on the branches.
The bark looks like it could be some kind of oak, but the grain isn't oak, nor does it smell like oak. It's a bit stringy when split. It's definitely a hardwood.






Some of the bark coming off


End grain


Split


The bark is pretty thick

 

[MustangMike]

I finally got a 28" last year and now have 3 of them lol...it's my favorite bar size now. At work, I spend most of my time essentially brushing, actual falling isn't as much. I need to do both with just one saw, so I've found the 28" lightweight to be the most versatile size.

Most of the other saws at work are running 24" bar's. They get outsized pretty quickly when it comes to falling. It's only 4", but it often makes a difference.

I use both bar sizes on my saws, but the reality is the 28" bar is really only a 27" bar, so you are only getting about 3" more, but on larger wood it does make a difference. Renaming the 24" bars 25" bars is just "wrong".

 

[Vtrombly]

When this tree was in one piece, what kind of tree was it?
The tree was on the ground (uprooted), and there are no leaves on the branches.
The bark looks like it could be some kind of oak, but the grain isn't oak, nor does it smell like oak. It's a bit stringy when split. It's definitely a hardwood.



View attachment 1015992


Some of the bark coming off
View attachment 1015991

End grain
View attachment 1015993

Split
View attachment 1015994

The bark is pretty thick
View attachment 1015995

Reminds me of ash the ivy going up it does too, but close up if you zoom I don't think so maybe a type of Locust?

 

[MustangMike]

Hard to tell from pics, but that may be Chestnut Oak.

If so, the leaves will not look like Oak.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

That is a lot of downloading for a 338 mag! It would even be below a lot of the starting loads for the 338-06.

I think if you try the Barnes (all copper) TTSX bullets you will find the "four pedal mushroom" results in a lot less hamburger than a full mushroom lead core bullet.

A lot of the damage is from bullet disintegration, which the copper bullets generally don't do (even at the higher speeds).

In a .338, if all you are doing is killing deer, you sure don't have to pay copper bullet prices. Just about any bullet will do that job!

I've shot deer with 200 grain Speers, and they easily do the job, also, I just don't worry about the hamburger (or lack of) around the hole, of a deer's ribs. lol

SR

 

[sean donato]

That is a lot of downloading for a 338 mag! It would even be below a lot of the starting loads for the 338-06.

I think if you try the Barnes (all copper) TTSX bullets you will find the "four pedal mushroom" results in a lot less hamburger than a full mushroom lead core bullet.

A lot of the damage is from bullet disintegration, which the copper bullets generally don't do (even at the higher speeds).

I think your thinking of a lapua mag, not a Winchester mag when it comes to bullet velocities.
In a win mag a 200gr is pretty light And can be pushed out quite a bit faster then my pooch downloads. 3100fps is a pretty average load for a 200/210 gr pill.
225 you can typically push 2800 ish.
250 you can typically get about 2600/2700.
I was using the sst bullets and switched to the ttsx for the reason you mentioned. (I'm gonna have to go back and reread my other post, I thought I mention that was why I got away from the sst.)
From what I understand about the 338-06 and its case capacity you would be at the upper limit to get a 200gr pill much above 2800fps. I was thinking a 185gr was more the normal "light" bullet for them.
Even if you used standard case capacity at 68.4 gr or the Ackley improved at 73gr your still a good bit shy of the win mags 84gr capacity. I'm extrapolating a but here as I had to look up a few specs for the 338-06. So feel free to educate me further. Im pretty up on the 338 win mag.
Now if we're comparing a 338 lapua then yeah even my fast wm loads are turds lol

 

[MustangMike]

I think you may have misread my post. A 338 Win Mag has a good deal more case capacity than a 338-06. (and several of the new mags are above that).

I was saying it must be tough to get a 200 grain bullet down to 2,500 FPS with that case.

Starting loads for the 338-06 w/200 grain bullet often begin at 2,600 FPS and can go above 2,800 FPS. (Source: Hodgdon Loading Data on-line).

Underloading a cartridge can be just as dangerous as over loading one.

 

[MustangMike]

In a .338, if all you are doing is killing deer, you sure don't have to pay copper bullet prices. Just about any bullet will do that job!

I've shot deer with 200 grain Speers, and they easily do the job, also, I just don't worry about the hamburger (or lack of) around the hole, of a deer's ribs. lol

SR

Bullets are hard to find right now, but I did get some 200 grain lead filled ones and some 225 grain Barnes copper ones.

I plan to see which one my gun prefers to shoot.

As I don't plan to use these for casual target shooting and plinking, the cost of the bullet is not my biggest concern, and heavier - slower bullets often cause less meat damage.

The 200 grain are the Hornady FTX (meant for the Marlin 338), so I will likely try to keep the load under them on the light side.

 

[sean donato]

I think you may have misread my post. A 338 Win Mag has a good deal more case capacity than a 338-06. (and several of the new mags are above that).

I was saying it must be tough to get a 200 grain bullet down to 2,500 FPS with that case.

Starting loads for the 338-06 w/200 grain bullet often begin at 2,600 FPS and can go above 2,800 FPS. (Source: Hodgdon Loading Data on-line).

Underloading a cartridge can be just as dangerous as over loading one.

I guess I did, I read it as the 338-06 could be loaded faster then the 338wm with a 200gr bullet. Comprehension isn't my strong suit.
Eh, idk 2500 fps isn't really too much of a down load imo. Its a load my wife grandfather worked up years ago, so I'm very confident with it.
How some guys down load to subsonic speeds to run suppressed is a lot of the same thing. it works for me.

 

[Philbert]

thought I'd post a couple pics of some severely worn chains.

Definitely have wear. And breakage. But I like to see chains worn down to their nubs!

I’ll see if I can link some from my ‘Challenge Chain’ thread.

https://www.arboristsite.com/threads/philberts-chain-salvage-challenge.245369/

Philbert

 

[MustangMike]

Just got back from the Range. Shot a 3 shot 1/4" group with my 220 Swift, and I'm just using sandbags, so I can't hold any better than that!

Using 55 grain Hornady HP bullets (I bought them in bulk - 500) with 40 grains of CFE 223 (No loading data for this, just kinda guessed from the 22-250 load data),

The same bullet with 42.5 H-380 (max load) was 3/4".

I bought 3 lbs of CFE 223 the other week. It is now my favorite powder for the 223 and 220! It is also supposed to work well with the 338-06 with 185 and 200 grain bullets and be VG in the 308 (have not tried it yet).

 

[Sierra_rider]

I'm on vacation this week, so I'm not on it, but there's a fire going on in the next county up. The smoke set in pretty hard this morning, so I'm hanging out inside the shop trying to avoid the smoke.

The building with the open door isn't the shop, just one of my sheds. I open the door on it to boost the wifi out to the shop lol.

 

[Vtrombly]

I'm on vacation this week, so I'm not on it, but there's a fire going on in the next county up. The smoke set in pretty hard this morning, so I'm hanging out inside the shop trying to avoid the smoke.

The building with the open door isn't the shop, just one of my sheds. I open the door on it to boost the wifi out to the shop lol.View attachment 1016071

How big of a threat is it to your house is it headed your way?

 

[steved]

Today I bought an MS271 Farm Boss with an 18 inch bar and a couple chains. Been wanting that "smaller" Stihl saw for a while (my main saw has been an MS391)...had an excuse today.

I'm in the field (work), brought my little Homelite 3518 (which should be a 35cc saw but is actually a 42cc) because I didn't expect much use. It turns out it's needed a lot. I'm not running it, since I'm project oversight; but the chain kept popping off for the kid...and it eventually got damaged (chewed some of the drive links off). So off I was shopping for chains in an area that has very few trees...I found this MS271 on the shelf and just pulled the trigger.

This place then sent me to a bicycle shop that sharpens saw chains, WTF? This guy knew his chains, he quickly figured out the bar was 0.050 and the chain was 0.043. I'm still confused by that one as I bought the saw new with this bar and this semi-chisel anti-kickback homeowner chain. So it is no wonder the chain popped off all the time. He made me three loops of Stihl RS 0.050 and WOW does it cut now. This little Homelite cuts really good now for being a oddball. If it had always cut this good, I would not have bought another saw!

So the MS271 is on the backseat, still dry, hopefully going home that way. I almost bought an MS279, which had a little more HP but it also had some emissions and I swayed away because of that.

The guy also gave me some line that the 271 engine is one that is still made in Germany while some of the others are US built...not sure I buy that, but whatever.

 

[mountainguyed67]

The guy also gave me some line that the 271 engine is one that is still made in Germany while some of the others are US built...not sure I buy that, but whatever.

Also Stihl has had a plant in China since 2005. They say they mostly produce for other markets, and mostly homeowner products.

https://en.stihl-qd.cn/stihl-qingdao.aspx

 

[Sierra_rider]

How big of a threat is it to your house is it headed your way?

No threat whatsoever to my house...I did have one that was within a couple of miles last year. It had me setting multiple alarms for a few nights in a row, just to check on the progress of it. We were under an evacuation, but being this is my job normally, I stayed and was monitoring my radio and progress of the fire.

That fire was and still is a big deal...it was 1 of only 2 fires to ever cross the Sierra crest(both happened last year.)

I took these pics this spring, burned as far as the eye can see:

 

[Vtrombly]

No threat whatsoever to my house...I did have one that was within a couple of miles last year. It had me setting multiple alarms for a few nights in a row, just to check on the progress of it. We were under an evacuation, but being this is my job normally, I stayed and was monitoring my radio and progress of the fire.

That fire was and still is a big deal...it was 1 of only 2 fires to ever cross the Sierra crest(both happened last year.)

I took these pics this spring, burned as far as the eye can see:

I've never had experience with forest fires or burnt wood. I've heard stories of mount St Helen and Clove chain not sure if they are myth or any fact as I haven't seen that type of chain in person if it would make any difference.

 

[Vtrombly]

Correcting myself I believe it was Kolve chain however a google search of it it looks like it could be more myth than anything else. I'm sure this could go down a rabbit hole my guess is @Philbert would know what it is and if it actually did what they say it did.

 

[JimR]

Be thankful, those top-heavy, twisted up Beech trees are top-shelf firewood. I've seen how hard some of these guys work to get there hands on stuff that I wouldn't give a second look.

That is exactly what all of this Beech will be used for.