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..................Ah! Safari Grade coffee!!!! There is nothing like a cold crisp fall morning...sitting in the woods..... with my trusty Safari Grade 444 by my side, and a hot thermos cup of Safari Grade coffee in my hand...that is when life is at its best..........the ultimate power sitting beside me...the ultimate power keeping me alert. The deer have no chance.....poor things!:biggrin:
 
That puts me in mind of our camping trip to Yellowstone last year. the wife and kids was asleep in the tent but she made me set up all night by the campfire with my Winchester 94 and .45 colt peacemaker on bear watch. I put my old pewter coffee pot on the fire and warded off the night chill with two pots of 100 proof brew. Best durn coffee I ever drank too. edit to add, campfire cooked coffee made in the mountains cannot be duplicated in any kitchen or restaurant.
 
Discussion starter · #43 ·
I want to go bear hunting with my .444, but there is no Bear Hunting in Texas as far as I know... What states allow Hunters from other states come to hunt bear (any species) without drawing for a lotto?
 
I want to go bear hunting with my .444, but there is no Bear Hunting in Texas as far as I know... What states allow Hunters from other states come to hunt bear (any species) without drawing for a lotto?
I like the way you think. I can not answer your question, but I suspect Idaho, Montana, Washington and Wyoming could offer some of the best non-resident opportunities. Michigan seems to be another state with a lot of bears.

Without area knowledge, it might be wise and cost effective to talk to some guide and outfitting services. Otherwise, a hunt can end up being an expensive camping trip with your rifle.

This discussion is making me consider a hunting trip for a Montana spring bear in 2015. Man, I know exactly where I'd go.
 
Tom; When it comes to 444 brass, I wish that some on here would start annealing.....I have the same rounds that I used for my testing (which was brutal to say the least) with the SG 444 and I still use them to this day. The Remington cases had a bit over 44 firings of hot SG 444 loads through them when they became a bit hard to resize...the were getting brittle....so, I annealed them, the primer pockets were just fine...tight, and now I use them for my heavy brush loads for deer hunting with my Safari 445 grain 50/50 WW/pure lead water quenched 444 "slugs" at 1880 fps. anyway, the cases are just as good as they were when I first started shooting them.....I have never had a case mouth split, an impending head separation...or a loose primer pocket....nothing! even with hot loads, I just dont see that Remington 444 cases can ever be worn out, as long as they are annealed ever so often, and kept in good shape.

As far as 35 Rem cases, that is a different story for me. I get about 8 to 9 reloadings out of a lot in the SG 35 at max loadings (Safari 260 bullet at 2450fps). I have reduced that load to 2385 fps so I expect a few more reloadings, but I am sure not much more than that. I have made 35 Rem cases from 308 Win's and they seem to work well, and when I find some new Rem 308 cases on the shelves I will buy them and turn them in to 35 Rems. The 308 web and case walls are a bit thicker (about 25 to 30% than the 35 Rem cases), but, after a load adjustment I think they should last a lot longer than the 35 Rem OEM cases and I should still be able to get my 2350 fps minimum velocity for the Safari 260 grain bullet. I have not been able to find any 35 Rem cases on the shelves for quite some time, so its time to move on the "Plan B".

It seems that every time a manufacturer drops a cartridge from production that cartridge gets harder and harder to find....regardless of how many of those rifles are still in use....so, I would suggest annealing the 444 brass, and looking for alternatives to form other cartridges in to the cartridge that has been discontinued or where production may be limited. American ingenuity will triumph!!!
Well said FT! :congrats:
 
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..................Ah! Safari Grade coffee!!!! There is nothing like a cold crisp fall morning...sitting in the woods..... with my trusty Safari Grade 444 by my side, and a hot thermos cup of Safari Grade coffee in my hand...that is when life is at its best..........the ultimate power sitting beside me...the ultimate power keeping me alert. The deer have no chance.....poor things!:biggrin:
So eloquently stated..........Bravo! :congrats:
 
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I want to go bear hunting with my .444, but there is no Bear Hunting in Texas as far as I know... What states allow Hunters from other states come to hunt bear (any species) without drawing for a lotto?
Come to Washington; you can get bear tags over the counter, and shoot two bears.
 
In VA--you just need to buy an out of state license and tags. No lotto to be had. When you get the tag--it is good for deer/bear/turkey. The number for each animal depends on where you hunt in VA. I had two black bears hang around 40 yards away from my tree stand last year (at the same time no less--they tolerated each other and me for that matter)--but bear season was already over. So my 35 Rem stayed quiet.
 
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