Q&A: Best Bullets for Vintage Rifles, Best Moose Cartridge, First Guns for Kids, Barrel Cleaning, Kill Kit Contents, and More!

Should you buy a .280 Ackley or a 7mm Backcountry? This is a question we get frequently, so we figured we'd take a deep dive and compare the two. In this episode we explore velocity, accuracy, pressure, barrel life, reloadability, and every other aspect of the two cartridges we can think of. Does one emerge a winner? You'll have to listen to find out. ;) ENJOY!

If you've ever dreamed of stalking roaring red stags across Scotland's cloud-shrouded Highlands, this episode is for you! We've just returned from two full weeks spent hunting out of ancient Victorian hunting lodges in two prime locations in Scotland, and in this episide we sit down and share stories, talk through logistics, and just revel in the pure excellence of the experience. We also talk through the future of hunting in Scotland, addressing everything from appropriate rifles and cartridges to the overwhelming move to monometal bullets, and share how you can make a red stag hunt in the Scottish Highlands happen. ENJOY!

It's elk season, folks! The leaves have turned crimson and golden, frost is on the air, and bull elk are in the last throes of the rut. Magical. In this episode, WIlliam von Benedikt (a.k.a. the Backcountry Apprentice) and host Joseph von Benedikt sit down to swap stories about hunting public land, DIY and often solo, for big bull elk with traditional muzzleloaders. One nice bull fell to a well-placed round ball out of a .50-caliber flintlock longrifle this past week, and we dive into that story in detal; the challenges of the equipment, the intensity of the stalk, the shot, and the follow-up; solo processing a big bull when hampered by a shoulder injury and a fading headlamp; packing meat for miles out of roadless wilderness, and more. What a great conversation. ENJOY!

What backpacking items are absolutely essential to successful backcountry hunting? When you have to whittle down your gear list to crucial gear only, what do you toss out? In this episode we sit down for an interview conducted by Audrey von Benedikt, who draws on her recent adventures hunting rough country in New Zealand and asks the hard questions: What do you really NEED? Naturally, we also look at top backcountry rifles, cartridges, scopes, and more. ENJOY!

How do you win with a traditional blackpowder longrifle? How do you tune a muzzleloader to kill elk precisely and profoundly? You get good equipment that's properly suited to the task, and then you work it out. Our family has two premium blackpowder elk permits in our pockets, and in this episode we sit down to talk through the fun we've been having getting tuned up to hunt. HINT: It includes shooting at Fort Bridger, Wyoming and winning two superb custom longrifles. Ever wanted to learn more about shooting, competing, and hunting with classic traditional blackpowder muzzleloaders? This episode may help... ENJOY!