Backcountry Hunting Podcast
Joseph von Benedikt
- 1 hour 12 minutesBest Varmint & Predator Cartridges
What's your favorite predator and varmint cartridge? Do you use one for both? Or specialize with a favorite predator rifle and a different one for varmints?
In this episode, I sit down with two professional guides to discuss great predator and varminting cartridges. We talk through the differences between the two, and address the various challenges and demands placed on cartridges, such as those ideal for minimal fur damage; those for maximum authority for competition calling, and those cartridges required to cover all tasks including crossing over into deer hunting.
Becuase we can't help it, this episode is filled with funny stories, tangents on parallel topics such as wolf depredation, hunting raccoons at night with thermal optics, and so on. ENJOY!
Check out our upcoming Elk Hunting Boot Camp here.
FRIENDS! We're at a crucial time in the growth of the show, and need all the support we can get to take it to the next level. Please join the Backcountry Hunting Podcast tribe on www.patreon.com/backcountry where you'll get access to all our bonus material, and if you like, can contribute a few dollars.
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14 March 2025, 5:59 am - 56 minutes 11 secondsLever-Action Hunting Stories & Trigger Work with Chris Ellis
Ever wanted a great trigger in your lever-action rifle? This episode we're joined by Chris Ellis, who has hunted from the mountains of West Virginia to the plains of South Africa with a lever-action rifle. Chris is a trigger man, and we talk through the crucial advantage that a crisp, reasonably light trigger provides in the field, along with the blessing that Timney's new lever-gun triggers are to hunters. We swap cape buffalo and American buffalo-hunting lever-action stories, and share favorite models and cartridges and bullets.
Plus we discuss the new drop-in trigger models Timney recently introduced for Browning X-Bolts and Ruger American Gen II rifles, along with installation ease and processes. This episode was a ton of fun, folks, just yarning and sharing opinions and useful hacks with a good old boy from West Virginia. ENJOY!
FRIENDS! We're at a crucial time in the growth of the show, and need all the support we can get to take it to the next level. Please join the Backcountry Hunting Podcast tribe on www.patreon.com/backcountry where you'll get access to all our bonus material, and if you like, can contribute a few dollars. Thank you!
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7 March 2025, 6:59 am - 1 hour 29 minutesUSE ENOUGH GUN, with Kiwi Terminal Ballistics Specialist Nathan Foster
What does "Use Enough Gun" mean? Especially when hunting elk, moose, and bison or tough game such as Tahr or feral cattle in New Zealand and Sambar Stag in Australia?
A phrase originally quoined by legendary author and hunter Robert Ruark, "Use Enough Gun" means what it says. This episode, we're joined by terminal ballistics specialist Nathan Foster, who has dedicated his life to the study of how bullets kill and what cartridges and bullets are most effective for various tasks. We examine the "small-bore for big-game" trend, and Foster explains where it began and why it's so misleading, and addresses the grim reality behind using inadequate caliber and bullet weight.
Foster's company Terminal Ballistics Research specializes in hunting applications and the cartridges and bullets best suited, but has often been tasked with performing the forensics and analysis that lead to informed decisions by special military and law enforcement branches in multiple nations. You might say he knows his stuff, and has the decades worth of research and data readily available to back up the wisdom he imparts.
FRIENDS! Please join our Backcountry Hunting Podcast tribe on www.patreon.com/backcountry where you'll get access to our bonus material, and can contribute a few dollars if you wish.
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28 February 2025, 6:59 am - 1 hour 14 minutesUltimate Bear Gun Build, with Alaska Arms' Morris Melani
What is the ultimate all-around bear gun? Is there a gun and cartridge that will handle all bears, in all situations? Whether hunting cross-canyon blacks in Montana or baited bruisers in Alberta, or coastal brown bears or interior grizzlies in Alaska? How about personal protection while hiking or fishing in bear-infested country?
We think there is such a rifle, and it's even sorta affordable. Ruger's M77 Guide Gun has all the features a savvy bear hunter wants: controlled-feed action, compact size, powerful chamberings, backup sights, stainless construction, and so on.
M77 Guide Guns are decent right from the box. With just a few upgraded parts and DIY tuning, they become outstanding.
Alaska Arms owner and proprieter Morris Melani—who is a bear-hunting fanatic and custom gunsmith—joins us this episode to discuss how to set up and DIY-tune the ultimate all-purpose bear gun. This was a wonderful conversation, sprinkled with plenty of hair-raising real-life bear stories. ENJOY!
FRIENDS! Please join the Backcountry Hunting Podcast tribe on www.patreon.com/backcountry where you'll get access to all our bonus material and can contribute a few dollars if you wish.
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21 February 2025, 6:59 am - 1 hour 23 minutesHunting Q&A: Bullets, Cartridges, & Rifles14 February 2025, 6:59 am
- 1 hour 35 minutesPlanning & Doing a DIY Mule Deer Hunt, with Hunter McWaters
Ever wanted to plan and execute a DIY mule deer hunt on public land? Here's how to do it folks, as showcased by Hunter McWaters. Hunter is the host of The Hunter's Quest TV show, podcast, and YouTube channel.
Hunter talks us through getting a tag, the e-scouting process, creating hunt plans A, B, and C, planning and arranging gear, and finally putting boots on the ground and your hunting plans in action.
We also discuss the importance of being ready to shift gears and roll with the unexpected; of preparing to chart and navigage long stalks in big country, and being able to make precise shots at distances most eastern hunters have never encountered.
Naturally, we go over Hunter's choice of rifle, scope, cartridge, and bullet, as well as tent, boots, and more. This one turned into a great hunting story interwoven with fantastic hunting tips and techniques. ENJOY!
FRIENDS! Please join the Backcountry Hunting Podcast tribe on www.patreon.com/backcountry where you'll get access to all our bonus material and can contribute if you like. Cheers to all our supporters—we couldn't do it without you!
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7 February 2025, 6:59 am - 1 hour 19 minutesLive Q&A: 7mm Backcountry Cartridge Examined from Every Angle!
Inspired by all the interest in Federal's ground-breaking new 7mm Backcountry cartridge, we recently held a live Q&A with our Patreon members. Here are the great questions we fielded and discussed:
- Is the 7mm Backcountry, with it's 80,000 PSI chamber pressure, safe in traditional bolt-action designs?
- I wanted a .280 Ackley. Should I switch and get a 7mm Backcountry instead?
- Are 7mm Backcountry steel alloy cases reloadable? If so, how hard is that going to be?
- How does the cartridge's 80,000 psi pressure affect barrel life?
- Supposedly the 7mm Backcountry kicks a lot less than other 7mm magnums. How can that be?
- Is it safe to fire the 80,000 psi 7mm Backcountry through my suppressor?
- Will this cartridge be affected by the powder shortage? Should we expect to see a lack of 7mm Backcountry ammo on store shelves?
- What's the accuracy potentail of the 7mm Backcountry cartridge?
- What 7mm Backcountry rifle should I buy?
- Can an existing rifle be rebarreled to 7mm Backcountry?
- Are 7mm Backcountry steel cases coated? Or will they rust if exposed to moisture?
- What's the best rifling twist rate for a custom 7mm Backcountry?
- What are the characteristics of the various bullets being factory-loaded in 7mm Backcountry ammo?
- Will we see Federal's steel Peak Alloy case technology bleed over into classic cartridges, enabling high-pressure/high-performance ammo? For example, could a .308 be made to shoot like a traditional .300 Win. Mag. load?
Hopefully this candid episode will help address concerns and clear up some myths about the 7mm Backcountry cartridge. We sure had fun talking about it. ENJOY!
FRIENDS! We're at a crucial time in the growth of the show, and need all the support we can get to take it to the next level. Please join the Backcountry Hunting Podcast tribe on www.patreon.com/backcountry where you'll get access to all our bonus material and can contribute a few dollars.
VISIT OUR SPONSORS HERE:
31 January 2025, 6:59 am - 58 minutes 31 secondsHunting Bison In Alaska, with Jack Jaeger
This episode takes us far out into the Aleutian Islands off the west coast of Alaska's mainland, to hunt wild bison. Recorded audio-journal style, we're bringing it to you raw and unedited.
Hunting by invitation with Jack Jaeger, who is designated to hunt buffalo for the tribal elders, we circumnavigate the island on a small fishing boat, landing in a skiff and hunting up from the coast when buffalo are sighted.
With a big cow taken and the quarters packed out and hung to age, we weather howling winds and slashing rain, and then ascend into the Island's high peaks in an attempt to find a big bull.
Thwarted by fog, fierce winds, and relentless rain, we had to pull out and get dry and warm. Then, for days, we hunkered down and waited while the airline canceled flights day after day.
This was type 2 fun at its finest, folks! If you're interested in trying a similar adventure yourself, contact Jack Jaeger. His info is in the show notes below.
ENJOY!
Contact Jack Jaeger on Facebook
Call or text Jack: (808) 854-1127
Email Jack: [email protected]
24 January 2025, 6:59 am - 41 minutes 30 secondsLeupold's New VX 6HD Gen 2 Riflescope
Leupold just launched a new flagship hunting scope, called the VX-6HD Gen 2.
Friends, I didn't think the first-generation VX-6HD could get any better. But by golly, Leupold has successfully improved my favorite riflescope. The new Gen 2 version has an improved, tool-less turret, a built-in throw lever on the power ring, and most importantly, it's now got the same internal guts and gears as Leupold's legendary Mark 5 line of precision/tactical scopes.
In this episode, I sit down with Tim Lesser, Vice President of product development and marketing and get an awesome backstage look at the new VX-6HD Gen 2 riflescope. This was an awesome episode to record... ENJOY!
FRIENDS! We're at a crucial time in the growth of the show. Please join the Backcountry Hunting Podcast tribe on www.patreon.com/backcountry where you'll get access to all our bonus material and can contribute a few dollars.
VISIT OUR SPONSORS HERE:
21 January 2025, 3:30 pm - 1 hour 16 minutesCommissioning a Custom Rifle
In this episide, Alaskan custom gunsmith Ray Saft and I dig deep into the various characteristics of actions, stocks, barrels, cartridges, and special chambers appropriate for a backcountry rifle build.
To showcase the process of discussing and commissioning a custom rifle, we use a pair of in-process 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser mountain rifles, one with a titanium action and carbon-fiber barrel; the other with a skeletonized steel action and traditional steel barrel.
This is part one of a three-part series we're doing. When completed, we'll discuss the rifles and upcoming test protocols in Part 2. Then in Part 3, we'll share the results and--with some luck, discuss putting the rifles successfully to work in the field. ENJOY!
FRIENDS! We're at a crucial time in the growth of the show, and need all the support we can get to take it to the next level. Please join the Backcountry Hunting Podcast tribe on www.patreon.com/backcountry where you'll get access to all our bonus material and can contribute a few dollars.
VISIT OUR SPONSORS HERE:
17 January 2025, 6:59 am - 47 minutes 6 secondsAll-New 7mm Backcountry Cartridge, with Ron Spomer: Federal's New Round is the fastest 7mm Ever!10 January 2025, 3:11 pm
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