David Bradshaw Photos - Vol. XXIII

[Lee Martin]

Leupold's first spotting scope 20x50mm


Huge eyepiece of Leupold 20x50mm belonbgs on all spotters.


Leupold weatherproofing extends to spotters.


Schmidt & Bender 4x36mm, German #4 reticle


M6 with 16.8" bbl, Ruger AC 556 flash hider


Top to bottom: Two Leupold "Scout scopes----M6 2x IER (Intermediate Eye Relief); 2-3/4x IER; and, 4" eye relief Vari-X III 2.5-8x36mm with German #4 reticle.


Pump folder with Eze-Lap diamond impregnated steel.


Spyderco sharpening kit


Spyderco white ceramic, used more on trigger work than knives


Ruger 03 .45 Colt


Ruger 03 lays where pot was, hit from 200 yards








-Lee
www.singleactions.com
"Building carpal tunnel one round at a time"

[Fowler]

Better day for the Ruger than the goat...

The milking pot targets make me smile every time I see them.

[kings6]

I bought the 20x60 non armoured version of that scope back in 1985 before a spot and stalk archery hunt for mule deer in northern Nevada. I bought the longer scope just to get a little bigger light gathering ability. Poor thing has been all over the western US and sat on everything from tall camera tripods to the Leupold backpacker tripod and even the clamp-on window mount. I never saw much reason to "upgrade" to a newer scope. It still sets on the tripod in my reloading room as I type this.

[bradshaw]

Fowler.... the billy had it good, completely organic feed, frp,grain to grass to browse to cedar bark. Male goats tend to play rough, and rougher as they grow. Goats are ready to breed three months from birth, a concept which doesn't escape their attention. He'd already broken the horn off a doe. i downloaded the Ruger 03 for this one, dropping out the sternly loaded Nosler 250 JHP's, refilling chambers with the Speer factory .45 Colt 260n Gold Dot JHP. I shot through the topmost vertebra. A severing high neck shot----just below the skull----often drops the animal without a kick. In contrast to a brain shot, which often produces violent thrashing.

A few of the items pictured are out of production: Leupold 20x50mm spotter; Leupold 2x IER----originally made for the Winchester 94; Puma folder. I believe this model Puma was called the Game Warden. The Puma is the lockback the Buck knife should have been----easily sharpened stainless, with thin scales.

Schmidt & Bender scopes introduced me to the German #4 reticle----cross hairs with square posts from 9 and 3 o'clock, with a third square post from 6 o'clock. The German #4 reticle is fast, as it throws the eye to center. Not quire as fast as the illuminated red dot----which sucks the eye to center----but faster than a Duplex, and mush faster than a cobweb reticle. The German #4 centers the shot after the crosshair has disappeared, and doesn't shrink one's pupil in the manner of electric light inside the scope.
David Bradshaw

[Fowler]

David,

I was raised around animals, my mom is fond of saying I was raised on goats milk and never knew what cows milk was till I was 6 or 7. We used to buy calves from the stock yards who mothers wouldn't take them and raise them on goats milk till they were weaned and sell them at the auction. I think at one point we had close to 40 goats and we always had a couple billys around that were pretty rank as I recall. I remember playing with all of the kid goats when I was a wee tike with very fond memories. Good stuff but I don't want a yard full of them these days.

[bradshaw]

kings6.... I knew silhouetters who used the Leupold 25x60mm spotting scope, one of whom spotted for me as I shot the .338 Win Mag at 1375 yards. Thinking yours also is a 25x60mm. There are clearer scopes----Howa comes to mind----but none I'd care to drop in the Atlantic Ocean, which happened to my Leupold 12-40x60mm spotter; a fresh water rinse was all it needed.

Fowler.... handgun silhouette great Edwin Bradley of Savannah, Georgia told me dairy goat milk restored his health. Demonstrating at age 57, Bradley lept on a quarter horse, bareback, tore off a dash, came back at a gallop, leaping off as he reined it in. Persons with lactose intolerance generally digest goat milk perfectly well. Basically, goat milk should be odorless. It must be strained and refrigerated immediately after milking. To leave goat milk at room temperature brings the strong odor.

Excellent meat, that billy, aged ten days.

A note on the Remington Model Six with Schmidt & Bender 4x36mm scope. Carbine last pictured with Leupold 2x Intermediate Eye Relief ("Scout') scope. The S&B tube is 26mm, barely thicker than an inch, too thick for standard steel rings by Leupold, Burris, Redfield. I had a set of the old Holden Ironsighter see-through rings, which worked and raised the objective bell enough to clear the mount on the barrel. Put me in business and the carbine has been loaned to friends, who enjoy it. I having nothing against the clean see-through Holden Ironsighter. See-through mounts are for people who practice. Flip-over mounts have been problematic at maintaining zero. Persons who don't practice are apt to look through the scope even when it's packed with snow, remembering the iron sights after the deer has departed.

Jump shooting requires familiarity with equipment. Reliable equipment.
David Bradshaw

[kings6]

I checked again David and mine is 20x60. I remember my buddy wanting a shorter piece so he ordered the one like you have but I always like to gather as much light as I can with an optic so I got the 20x60 to get the 3mm exit pupil size even if it meant the piece was longer and heavier. We leaned on mine during those first minutes of light before the sun cam up while his did great during the middle of the day watching the bedded bucks so he could give hand signals while the other guy made the stalk.

[bradshaw]

kings6.... thanks for the correction on your Leupold 20x60mm spotter. Never heard of it. Has it the huge eyepiece of the 20x50mm? I want a huge eyepiece on any optic. And long eye relief, non-critical eye relief. All scopes should be configured for people to wear glasses. The huge eyepieces of the Leupold 20x50mm and later 12-40x60mm allow the spotter to wear glasses while maintaining a full field of view. The great Zeiss 10x40mm may have set the benchmark for a binocular with large ocular. My favorite eyepiece for the ultra-clear Howa 80mm series spotting scopes is the 27x. Why? Decent eye relief.

Gun writers talk junk science about optics, when it is what you see and how well you see it----with non-critical eye relief----that determines whether you can live with it, glassing for hours without fatigue or headache.

The Leupold doesn't pick up bullet holes the way a Howa does, but the Howa doesn't enjoy canoe rides, or howling storms.
David Bradshaw

[cmh]

Mr Bradshaw, as always I enjoyed your photo post. I was gonna ask about if you ate the goat and.saw you already answered. Have always heard its pretty good. One thing for sure I wouldn't want to be a goat or.stockpkt when 03 comes to call

[contender]

I too have enjoyed this post. I always love seeing what David posts, (with Lee's help of course!)