Joined by Jimmy Lewis of X Overland, we set the stage for a conversation about overlanding rigs and upland truck setups.
Show Highlights:
- Jimmy’s western migration and upland origins
- X Overland
- Embracing winter conditions
- Blue grouse cast and blast
- What is overlanding?
Follow | @jlewmt and @xoverland
Become a Patreon Support | patreon.com/birdshot
Follow us | @birdshot.podcast
Use Promo Code | BSP20 to save 20% with onX Hunt
The Birdshot Podcast is Presented By: onX Hunt, Final Rise and Upland Gun Company
Nick,
Really enjoy your podcast, especially when you go granular on environs, coverts, guns, equipment, gear, and dogs. And, yes, it’s great to listen to when reloading. The first half of this episode with Jimmy Lewis was spot on target for me. I fly fish, tie flies, handload for hunting, reload for sporting clays, and hunt with a lefty 28 gauge over-and-under with 28” steel-proofed barrels and interchangeable chokes (but I really NEED that lefty side-by-side with English straight stock, bone and charcoal case color receiver, double triggers, good wood, and steel proofed 29” or 30” barrels!). And, I do save pheasant feathers, especially the tail feathers, for fly tying. LOL.
As a reloader and budget permitting, I recommend that you handload your ideal loads for each bird you are hunting and select each load recipe for best performance based on how and what you are hunting (when and what distance). Then focus on cost-savings when reloading your 28 gauge hulls for sporting, trap, or skeet. Being back east in an area where the great thundering spirit bird and demigod of woods, the ruffed grouse, is now a legend in our memories, I began handloading 28 gauge 1oz tungsten super shot 18 g/cc #9s and have been hunting preserve pheasant and wild turkey with them. With skeet and improved cylinder chokes, the TSS has excellent patterns at 40 yards and produces ethical kills in the field. And, the expense certainly encourages one to shoot well. Well yes, I also handload nickel-plated lead in 16 gauge for my 1936 Winchester Model 21 side by side with pistol grip, beaver-tail forend, and 26” barrels choked IC/Mod. For me what a joy to hold and carrying this gun in the field.
So to close, find a reloading mentor (that should be pretty easy in your area). Always follow your recipes and don’t substitute components unless the recipe permits. You must know that your load is at a safe pressure based on the SAAMI safety standards for a 28 gauge. Build a sturdy reloading bench big enough to accommodate several presses. Take the time to properly pattern your handloads and follow Tom Roster’s testing-based guidance on velocity and lethality (high velocity shot may shed speed more quickly, produce deformed shot, and yield a less-than-ideal pattern). I recently handloaded 16 gauge shotshell based on 2 different recipes, and Roster’s “best patterning” recipe for 16 gauge with buffered #5s outpatterned a load of #6s from another recipe.
Best wishes and enjoy your upcoming trip deep into the weeds of reloading and handloading shotshell! Cheers.
Thanks for the tuning in Chris! So glad to hear you enjoy the show and I love the detail with which you describe your shotguns, speaking my language! I certainly appreciate the preliminary advice regarding re-loading as well. I’m looking forward to diving in. I may need to pick your brain on the TSS for turkeys, been thinking about that as well!
It was a pleasure to have this conversation, Nick. Hope to be on the show again sometime to further discuss this topic!
My pleasure Jimmy, thanks so much for taking the time to join us on the show!
This was great content! I reached out to Jimmy for recommendations for my bird hunting rig. The fridge/freezer conversation really got me to thinking with the option to charge collars in the truck???