LR Blog 347: Hunting birds w dogs & 221 Fireball

One of the Scandinavian adventure hunts. My Gunwerks Clymr stocked 221 Fireball on a wildernesshunt. Great adventure, great dogs, great birds.
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[@kipholder8577]

That dog is awesome. He"s a good boy

[@THLR]

Rapp is a bit grumpy (guarding whatever he sets his heart to), but overall good company. Might come off as gruff, but he's a softie and unlike the vorsther a very comfortable dog to have in the tent.

[@dmitrygorkov1586]

Excellent, as usual!👍👍👍

[@THLR]

Thanks!

[@masiina1984]

This is Scandinavian hunting on it´s finest form. Awesome video!

[@THLR]

Thanks, glad you liked it. Yes, this is the freedom the north an offer...

[@petercampbell3828]

Excellent video!

[@THLR]

Thanks Peter

[@stefanomalinverni9431]

Always interesting to see your videos and learning something new.

[@THLR]

Thank you Stefano, best wishes for the season.

[@nzbediler1062]

That's awesome video Thomas 👍 thank you

[@THLR]

Thanks a lot.

[@Brendan7838]

Really enjoyable and refreshing how honest your review’s are.You are definitely nailing the like 👍 and subscribe

[@THLR]

That's me messing with my kids. Considering having the local beaty saloon doll me up like a korean K-pop artist for a range session, that should make them mortally embarrassed and illustrate the impact of putting stupid things on internet...

[@SuburbanBushwacker]

Great video. You’re really hitting your stride with THLR 2.0

[@THLR]

Thanks, was hoping to be more detail-oriented now that I speak, but not always easy to find relevant subjects. But it's all practice for this year's online shooting school, wind is a little abstract and difficult to capture on film.

[@SuburbanBushwacker]

@@THLR re wind. funny you should say that I was thinking about how to illustrate wind conditions the other day. I’ll pm you.

[@jadsonaraujo2267]

Excelente vídeo 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@THLR]

Thank you very much.

[@wolverinekut]

Excellent 👌💯👍👍👍👍👍

[@THLR]

Thank you very much

[@thomasjansson2019]

Bra jobbat thomas och uffe 😎✌️

[@THLR]

Mange takk! Litt mye insekter, men i det store og hele en fin tur. Alltid cool med fint hundearbeid.

[@ahmedfayez5505]

As always......outstanding.....I know how difficult it is to make such videos and everybody appreciate you efforts......keep them coming my friend 👍👍👍

[@THLR]

Thank you very much. Hopefully next year I'll capture the bird being knocked out of the tree next year.

[@bradleytyrrell4417]

An absolute cracking hunting adventure and film champion keep it mate looking forward to more

[@THLR]

Thanks a lot Bradley, good luck with your own season!

[@michalmensik9635]

Perfect video, very informative, artistic ... Thx a lot

[@THLR]

No problem, glad you liked it.

[@chadclayburg1410]

Great video.

[@THLR]

Thanks for taking the time. Will have a deer hunting video next month.

[@deathcommando1]

Great video Thomas. Thanks!

[@THLR]

Thanks!

[@eriksomnas]

Alltid kul att se dig och Ulf ute på tur!

[@THLR]

Takker!

[@obie_8214]

that's an awesome dog!

[@THLR]

Grumpy Red is ok. He finds the birds, seems to consider me off-limits for the other dog and he's calm around camp, sleeps very well under a tarp or in a tent with me. This is my favorite style of dog hunting, but I don't keep a dog myself as I'm not able to offer the same hunting lifestyle as Ulf can. Dog's name is Rapp.

[@obie_8214]

@@THLR do you know if he had some specific training?

[@THLR]

@@obie_8214 as I understand it: genes + spend time in forest + disciplined shooter who will only shoot when dog marks correct tree = success.

[@obie_8214]

@@THLR must take a lot of time, thanks for the replies Thomas!!

[@THLR]

@@obie_8214for sure, requires a dedicated owner to get a good dog. Also why I don't own one, he'd be hunting only once or twice a year...

[@kweeks10045]

I built a 221 Fireball on a Savage Weather Warrior action a number of years ago. It is amazingly accurate, easy to reload, and just plain fun to shoot. I get 3000fps with a 52 or 53gr Matchkings and groups are about 1/2" at 100 yards on the bags.

[@THLR]

That sounds about right. My swedish friends load their Fireballs to similar velocities, I stick to around 2600 fps with my 50-55gr. This is simply because of longevity of brass plus the range 100-150 max shooting I do with this rifle , the lower V0 helps keep carcass damage down. 1:12" twist is considered default for the winter hunting here, and I get precision at around 2600fps and then again when I approach 3000 fps. For some reason I have no luck with the middle ground.

[@johnfrederikson2002]

You sure make stunning videos. Thanks. Much different than Montana. J.

[@THLR]

Thanks John. This forest area is one of the oldest/ largest in Scandinavia, very different climate compared to home as it is much drier. Good luck with your season, hope you have a proper winter and not the on/off we have here right now.

[@kweeks10045]

I had a .221 Fireball built from a Savage .223 action. I love it! Three shots in less than 0.5" is the norm at 100yds. I've even taken a few deer with it, although it's not my preferred caliber for such.

[@THLR]

221 Fireball is a gem, surprisingly flexible between the food/varmint role. I originally got it to comply with regulations, but I've grown quite fond of it

[@blaserlongrange7616]

Great video 👍💪

[@THLR]

Thanks!

[@wolverinekut]

💯👍

[@THLR]

Thanks!

[@mrln247]

Slick little strap. I like the Tacticaltrim G hooks I got from Varusteleka Finland simple and more reliable than the stupid plastic buckle's, but require modifications for use or DIY kit.

[@THLR]

Yeah, that design buckles are the better way to go (where most manufacturers use snap buckles). You have to have material fail in order for those buckles to open, no sliding/moving, snapping up etc.

[@mrln247]

@@THLR You might get to design your own gear one day, don't think I would buy a branded piss bottle though.

[@THLR]

@@mrln247 I'd design one identical to the drinking bottle, just put a little "P" inside the lid. And invite a ton of industry designers for an outdoor crash course...

[@mrln247]

And your funny friends swap the lid.

[@mrln247]

Inside the lid, is clever.

[@opsoverseas]

Great clip TH! Sound is improved too...

[@THLR]

Thanks. Hopefully it'll get better. I do a fair bit of practice, but I'm not "there" yet.

[@МаксимО-ж5ц]

waited, looked, great hunting with testing new equipment

[@THLR]

Thanks!

[@daneblackburn613]

Good video

[@THLR]

Thanks Dane. Another three films on the editing table now.

[@cratxn1]

@ 1:30; your wood working on the rifle's comb, has effectively given you the "cast-off" to put your dominant eye more directly in line with your optic and bore alignment ( i.e. NPOA)...this gives you the ability to shoot with a more vertical head, equating better binocular vision for range estimation-angle of intercept, plus semicircular canal vestibular orientation which yields quicker & more accurate SA (i.e.situation awareness) of the target's distance/movement/size. I see the toe of your recoil pad is angled more forward yielding increased "pitch" [ once again normally only addressed in precision shotgun fitting ] . Lastly, I observe and commend you on modifying the rear sling attachment to the middle of the butt stock = more comfortable during extended carry in the field because the point of the pistol grip or the bolt handle if it were a bolt-action are not constantly digging into your back. The flush mount as you have modified/customized, should be OEM [ Original Equipment Manufacturer ]. The absence of a sling stud along the keel of the butt-stock makes recoil management so much easier when shooting on bags for sight-in. Some might question altering the classic lines of this weapon but, they do not recognize that it is a tool that has been altered to achieve optimum precision in the field not aesthetics when standing in the gun cabinet. I hope you take it as a compliment that our pragmatic values in weapon customization seem very parallel.

[@THLR]

Thanks for seeing that CR. I do not know why sidemounted sling mounts disappeared, they used to be very common and they are very good for the reasons you mentioned. I am trying to put aside money to build a custom stock and copy the lines I eventually will settle with, but I'm finding it hard to motivate myself to spend it on a stock and not the hunt itself. Even though my current stock is a rough patchwork of wood pieces, the woodworker did an excellent job fitting the pieces (invisible but for the contrast between the wood pieces) and it has a lot of "charm"... as well as a LOT of scratches and a few gouges.

[@ИсаевШамиль-т8ш]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@THLR]

Thanks!

[@karelbrusten7591]

Waidmannsheil Thomas,you got two dogs in the boat the spitz and a german wirehair or a cesky Fousek? What about the food for the dogs?

[@THLR]

German wirehair. Normal dogfood is carried along on this trip.

[@bigracer3867]

The days are getting longer again! Looking forward to a great season of hunting and shooting! Any thoughts on your camera equipment. Wanting to get my own at some point for my own video recording. But just for my personal improvement. Ska’l !!

[@THLR]

All the early films are captured with a cheap Canon SX65HS on a tripod. Now I use a significantly more expensive Sony A7C with an assortment of lenses and Røde microphones. So a zoom camera with a tripod would be my recommendation, quality will greatly improve with an external microphone.

[@bigracer3867]

@@THLR thx!

[@THLR]

@@bigracer3867 and for editing, DaVinci Resolve. It has a free version, so no reason not to use that. If you decide to use the pro version later, all your skills will be intact. Unlike me who had to learn a new program...

[@richardbest6588]

Very good 👍👍 Do you worry about safe backstops for these birds shots, or isn't that a real concern in such remote country?

[@THLR]

Yes and no. There is very rarely blue sky behind the bird (goes into the forest & hill) plus the country is very big and remote. This hunt has long traditions in Sweden but as far as I know there has been zero accidents (so far)

[@JimFleming1953]

Thomas, good shooting by you and Ulf! My question about the dog used to "tree" the birds... Specifically what breed is it?

[@christoffergillstrom]

It is a finnish spitz

[@JimFleming1953]

@@christoffergillstrom Thank you, sir.

[@THLR]

It's a finnish spetz and this is perhaps one of the more specialized ways of hunting that has evolved in this region. The hunter walks along likely areas and the dog will satelite out from that and he will flush/hear birds and follow them by sound. It is not unusualnfoe the birds to move once or twice and the dog will follow the bird and hear where it settles. The dog might give a "boff" or two to try and provoke a response, but once the tree is identified the dog will give a steady bark and circle that tree. If the dog has visual contact, you can usually hear that from the bark. Then you walk in, find the dog, identify what tree he's marking and disassemble that crown with your binoculars. They quite often sit very well hidden.

[@Brendan7838]

I love your like and subscribe 😂😂😂😂 Do you use FMJ on bird hunts like this?

[@THLR]

Can't be bothered to take myself too serious and it's a good reminder to my kids how daft it is. Yes, special FMJs for birdshooting, both Lapua and Norma makes them. Shape is closer to that of a pistol bullet than a rifle bullet.

[@Brendan7838]

You can never take yourself to serious 🧐 you would end up in the nut house 🏠

[@THLR]

@@Brendan7838 or putting your opinion in newspaper's comment field...🤣

[@Brendan7838]

😂😂😂😂

[@gylfif]

@@THLR Hæ thomas. I have never heard of special fmj from lapua i ser only one type in lapua catalog. Is this round nose? I am very interested in bird hunting with riffle here in iceland. Thanx for good chanel!

[@JavierDeLaRosa007]

Thomas, is it difficult to get reloading components there in Norway?

[@THLR]

If you restrict yourself to the Lapua and Norma catalogue, no problems at all and short delivery time. Hornady and Nosler are reasonably strong brands, but selection can be spotty. On the powder side, it's best to just forget about US powders.

[@jamesmoon6042]

Nice pack setup and your break action is what 5.5 to 6 lbs with everything on it? I know its lite

[@THLR]

Thanks. It's right around 3.5-3.6kgs with everything

[@jamesmoon6042]

@@THLR 7lbs is a little more than I thought it would be. But that is a nice rifle

[@THLR]

@@jamesmoon6042 the bare rifle weighs 5.7 lbs and it's mainly the scope that drives the weight up.

[@kikezenteno]

🤙

[@THLR]

Thanks!

[@t0bbE1234]

Kjempefilm Thomas! Digger tips og triks og hvordan du kjører ditt setup på camp, utstyr osv. Kan jeg spørre om hvilken bekledning du bruker i denne videoen annet enn Arcteryx-vesten? Erfaringer og synspunkter på membran/ikke membran til senhøstbruk på slik jakt?

[@THLR]

Buksa og vindskjorta er hjemmelagd, ullundertøyet er stort sett Aclima eller Devold. Hansker er utility hansker kr 29 på Clas Ohlson, lue tykk ull, dunjakke hva som måtte være på tilbud og ha høy kvalitet på dun (800-900 cuin), støvler hva som som enn passer foten (har den meget ukurante størrelsen 46 1/3). Membranjakke skal ha vannsøyle/pusting i området 20.000 eller høyere, 10K anser jeg som søppel med mindre det er vannsøylen kombinert med svært høy pusteevne. Bukser prøver jeg å unngå membran, men heller ha med overtrekksbukse. Det viktigste er at buksen passer og at den ikke er kjøpt på fullpris siden en bukse slites mye raskere enn jakken.

[@David-mk5ou]

@@THLR Hei, har du lyst til å dele hva slags stoff du ha laget jakken og buksen av?

[@THLR]

@@David-mk5ou Membran + polycotton + nylon. Les mer om stoffer her ripstopbytheroll.com/

[@ericrumpel3105]

....watched ALL your videos, but, I suppose , due to older age, I do not recognize rifle?

[@THLR]

No this is my trusty Remington 700 that used to be white. It now has a Gunwerks Clymr stock and different colour.

[@ericrumpel3105]

@@THLR Oh, ok, I remember the rem 700, I thought I had seen a bolt action in the video with a rotating Mauser extractor, .... or perhaps it was the other fella's rifle?....I'll have to watch again....

[@THLR]

@@ericrumpel3105 ah that would be my CZ527 22 Hornet. I used to have a wood stocked one and recently I was gifted a syntethic stocked one from Norwegian gunwriter Eirik Moen. Kinda big deal for me as I grew up reading about that rifle. It's going to be back from the gunsmith in February and will likely appear in a winter hunting film (provided it shoots). I rebarreled it with a match barrel and got hold of an old Zeiss Diavari 5-15x42.

[@tiputipu777]

I always walk and stalk with a loaded rifle on safe and I find it to be 100% safe. (its a trg which Ive drop tested with safety off and on chamber empy ofcourse and doesnt go off)

[@THLR]

I did too and suddenly I had an accidenal discharge with the rifle just hanging on my shoulder. I was glassing at the time. The collapsing sandpile theory stated that such accidents are unavoidable, but they might not happen to you.

[@tiputipu777]

@@THLR did you figure out what caused it? For example forgetting the safety and trigger catching on something?

[@THLR]

As far as I could tell, mechanical error. Had the rifle serviced and it was possible to lock the safety without actually engaging. If you closely inspected the bolt, you'd see that it wasn't locked 100%.

[@hugoakerlund5114]

When was this filmed?

[@THLR]

September/October, almost all leaves felled when I left but not really any proper frost yet.

[@jwhunting4379]

Varför inte en lätt dämpare på k95an?

[@THLR]

Kjøpte K95 6.5x57R spesifikt til chamois i Kroatia hvor lyddemper ikke er lovlig. Har demper til 6.5x55 pipen.

[@jwhunting4379]

@@THLR Funderar på en K95 I 6,5 creedmoor med 52cm pipa

[@THLR]

@@jwhunting4379 er det noen spesiell grunn til akkurat Creedmoor? I K95 klarer jeg ikke se at den gir noe annet enn høyere driftsutgifter, det er ikke en rifle du enkelt makser et teoretisk presisjonspotensiale. Ifm med pandemien og strømlinjeforming av egen økonomi/tidsbruk ifm dette KZbin prosjektet kom jeg frem til at fabrikksammunisjon 6.5x55 hadde best økonomi/fleksibilitet for skyttet jeg gjør her. 6,5x57R har vært mye strul (6mnd å få hylser, fabrikkammo skjøt elendig) men R patronen var nice. Verdt å merke seg at i land hvor de har kipplauf-kultur så står rimless patroner (dvs normale patroner som feks 270 og 308) for >70% av salget. Tenk litt på second hand value også, det er mye penger å brenne inne med om du skulle miste interessen og i tillegg ikke få solgt rifla.

[@jwhunting4379]

@@THLR Kort pipa är enda anledningen, annars är det 6,5x55 som jag är inne på. som du säger är en lätt bössa. Så behöver inte mycket för att bli svårskjuten, tror 7x57r 308win blir för mycket. Kommer bli mycket rådjur pyrch så tror 6,5x55 blir bra med en 100gr kula

[@THLR]

@@jwhunting4379 da ser jeg ingen grunn til Creedmoor. Det gir som sagt bare ekstra kostnad i en K95. Uansett patronvalg, så er 120-130gr kuler godt balansert i en 6.5mm. Prøvde en kort stund 100gr (Hornady) og det ble litt eksplosivt.

[@stephencurry7543]

Brilliant stuff Thomas. Enjoyed this very much.6.5 for shooting a big bird is that a bit over kill.must make a nice hole😆.also why a piss bottle just wondering. The fire ball looks a brilliant little hunting round do you use it for anything else. Realy look forward too your video's keep em coming Thomas just brilliant

[@THLR]

Try getting out of the sleeping bag and regain that heat lost before being able to sleep again. Norma and Lapua makes special FMJs for shooting birds, drills a clean hole and knocks them straight down. Ulf's favorite seems to be the Lapua 100gr FMJ factory ammunition.

[@JimFleming1953]

@@THLR Thomas your "errand bottle" made me LAUGH OUT LOUD! What a great and simple idea. The best part is that the heat loss is minimal.

[@THLR]

@@JimFleming1953 it's common practice here, especially in the winter it's such a major hazzle getting up and losing a significant amountnof heat that must be regained (by twisting in the bag) and you give up a disproportionate amount of sleep. Just remember to bring a big enough bottle, it gets scary when the bottle sounds like it's filling up and you're still going strong...

[@ktk2303]

Hei! Hvordan importerte du clymr stokken?

[@THLR]

Sendte Gunwerks en mail, fikk hjelp med å finne rett versjon inlet og bestilte stokken pluss underbeslag. Null stress, ventetiden var ca 4 måneder og dette var mens de bygde nye lokaler. Største feilen jeg gjorde var å ikke be dem trekke kortet mitt med en gang, norsk krone falt dramatisk mot dollar så det hele ble endel dyrere enn forventet.

[@ktk2303]

@@THLR Takker for svar! Virka veldig overkommelig det, hvordan liker du stokken. Hadde du kjøpt igjen eller ikke.

[@THLR]

@@ktk2303 hvis vi ser bort ifra at jeg nå har brukt en idiotisk mengde penger på min 221 Fireball (kun låsekassen er igjen fra det originale økonomiprosjektet), så ja. Om jeg forlater Blaser systemet, så blir det til fordel for en standard boltrifle hvor Clymr stokken (og trolig en Hansen model X låsekasse) blir senter. Jeg ser ikke poenget med å ha en stokk hvor du må "orge" og bruke penger for å få lengde/kinnkontakt/bipodfeste når Clymr tilbyr dette rett ut av esken og med lav vekt (eneste modifikasjon jeg har gjort er å lime både tofotfestet og skruene). Rifler som blir for tunge har en tendens til å være lettere å skyte bedre på bane, men fungerer dårligere på jakt. Eneste reelle alternativet for meg er irske PSE dersom jeg ville hatt en mer bane-orientert rifle. Min 221 Fireball ble kjøpt brukt og hadde en HiTech Specialities stokk (den Rafdal selger), for all del det er en god stokk, men det er rett og slett ikke samme kvalitet selv om prisen nok er i samme sjikt.

[@ktk2303]

@@THLR Økonomiprosjekt og hobby går sjeldent sammen har jeg funnet ut ;). Har tenkt å bygge meg ei rifle som har topp presisjon og er god på jakt. Tanken er da blueprinte remington rifla jeg har, pare den med lilja løp i 6,5 x 55, clymr stokken, en snærten demper og tilfredsstillende optikk. Ville du sagt at clymr stokken gir tilfredsstillende skyteegenskaper til å avlegge jaktskudd på 300m hold? Sjeldent jeg skyter storvilt på lengre avstander og småvilt blir stort sett rundt 100 max 200m. Vurderte mcmillan a3 eller manners lrh og en stund var mdt lss xl under vurdering. Dog ser jeg for meg at clymr er bedre å ha med på jakta enn overnevnte.

[@THLR]

@@ktk2303 ja Clymr stokken er designet og fungerer iht planen du skisserer over. Men fintegn litt på prosjektet ditt, det kan godt hende det blir mer økonomisk å selge di Remington og kjøpe en Hansen kasse (som allerede er rett/har toleransene). Gjensalgsverdien på din Remington vil ikke stige, men Hansen kassa holder seg høy. Skriv Deflection Testing the Clymr i søkefeltet så får du opp noen filmer i serien Gunwerks Engineering

[@carfvallrightsreservedwith6649]

Infomercial

[@THLR]

Yes. Was something unclear?

[@ericrumpel3105]

packs/optics/custom rifles, etc.,... - imo - always use caution with high-dollar/expensive crap marketed with the majority of the money of the product used in marketing - as I said - for example - vortex optics / many, if not most custom rifles in the U.S.,.....way more marketing hype than quality product. I have had many high-dollar packs & most, if not all, were no better than some military packs I have.......just has been my experience.

[@THLR]

No sadly, that is not only your experience. I've been lured by great marketing (clothing especially) only to find it plain or substandard, sometimes even not fit-for-use. I mostly stay away from the hunting brands and go for alpine or military gear. Whilst the Kuiu backpack has some strong features, I find it wildly overpriced (compared to $ for competition) and not something I'll recommend.

[@stefanomalinverni9431]

Hi Eric, , I would like to understand better your opinion on vortex optics, I have two of them and I like them, Good products imo, and not too much expensive. I do not have the top of gamma. I have also optics from other brands, like Swarovski and S&B and tester at the range also Zeiss and Leica and Nightforce and other brands, so I compared Vortex scopes with all of them. But opinions are always welcome.

[@ericrumpel3105]

@@stefanomalinverni9431 I owned 2 vortex in 2013-Jan. their top-of-the-line, $1000.00 each back then - they were junk on the first range trip. I own everything from simmons & barska to S&B, Swaro, IOR Val. Kahles etc.,....never had a scope, 2 mind you - both vortex, same models, crap out so quick - JUNK in my book,....not to mention the high dollar. I just bought 2 Arken 6months ago & ordered a third, compared to the vortex razors g2 & g3 they are about identical, actually better, especially under recoil on magnums, & are about 1/10th the money........vortex WAY over charges for what they are which actually makes them junk for what you get. I have some 40 year old Euro scopes that are WAY better & more clear than any vortex.

[@mu8976]

Great video

[@THLR]

Thanks, glad you liked it!