LRB 351: Backcountry hunting w 221 Fireball

[@cc27006]

Lets gooooo! This is my favorite hunting/shooting channel. Honest reviews and he tells you where his money is wasted/ well spent

[@THLR]

Thanks! I even remember to cut the countdown timer to minimum this time, 60 seconds was the shortest available.

[@danhughes3626]

what scope .. is 221 fireball flat shooting at long distance...how far do you shoot

[@kenorrah8072]

Looking forward to this 👍 These Fireball / hunting videos are becoming my favourite

[@THLR]

Thanks a lot! They are interesting episodes to film too. Wish all the rifles could have the low recoil & noise of the Fireball, it's just nice to be out with this rifle.

[@longrangeprecisionshooters8935]

Just seeing your channel for the first time. One of the best venture hunting videos I’ve ever seen. Great editing, camera angles, etc…Awesome! You have a new subscriber! Looking forward to more content.

[@THLR]

Thank you very much, extremely generous words. I have another 15 episodes since this, but production has really slowed down lately. I enjoy the "technical job saticfaction" of making these videos, but it all needs to be balanced against general life.

[@bradleyjericho8597]

What an awesome video! Being in Australia I'll never hunt in the snow so it's super interesting about the different layers and battles that you have to keep warm/operational. I love you work! I also had a giggle about the only fans 😂

[@THLR]

Thanks a lot Bradley. I guess we are at the near-opposite ends of the scale. The size of your outdoors seems to make hunting a bit different. I remember watching Bush Tucker Man as a kid, it's about what I know about your lands.

[@bradleyjericho8597]

@@THLR it certainly is but I love the fact that I can feel like I'm hunting there in your videos they are so well set out. I agree, bush tucker man was fantastic and one of the better explanations of what the Aussie bush could be and how dangerous aswell. I can definitely say I wouldve been home out of that freezing wind! That wouldve made it such a difficult day to both hunt and video

[@THLR]

@@bradleyjericho8597 biggest problem is keeping the batteries alive and work fast enough for fingers to stay nimble. I'm actually trying to upgrade two of my cameras now so I can use better batteries. I remember Bush Tucker Man especially because of the shorts, revolver and crocodiles, so alien to home.

[@bradleyjericho8597]

Yea I can see that as being probably the biggest issue, certainly on the edge of operating specs for the cameras but you make it work and work well 👌

[@JimFleming1953]

Great video Thomas! You've been LOTS of time, money, and effort into this superb project! It shows, Man .... It shows!

[@THLR]

Thanks Jim. Hoping to put the practice into effect with this years online shooting school. It pays off, I am finding new ways to show & tell what's going on. Best of luck to your season, have had several weeks not wearing gloves now so that's summer for me! :D

[@infantilepillock1687]

Weidmannsheil! Somehow these snowy Tundra bits with the beautiful birds are my favorite. I always expect you to spot Imperial walkers on the horizon ;-)

[@THLR]

Weidmannsdank. I hope not, I don't have the guns or lightsabres for that...

[@Pew_pewchronicles]

Bravo 👏🏼 only true hunter and avid outdoorsman would endure such brutal weather for the love of the hunt.

[@THLR]

Thanks a lot, that's a very generous compliment. Best of luck with your season, bash a 'yote for me (tried it once and loved it)

[@Pew_pewchronicles]

@@THLR Good luck to you as well. Will give coyotes hell after deer season

[@opsoverseas]

Well done Tom, a good cold hunt! Hope it tasted good!

[@THLR]

These birds are some of the best eating my hunts bring to the table. Even with my substandard culinary skills it is possible to present a meal other people outside the family can enjoy.

[@kweeks10045]

I built my .221 on a Savage action. Solid 1/2" groups at 100yds and slightly under 1" at 200. I absolutely love the cartridge. It's proven to be very easy to get great accuracy with a wide range of bullets and powders. IMR4227 and 52 SMK's are my usual load but I also load 62gr TSX's. Thanks for the video. Great rifles

[@THLR]

Good to hear from another 221 fan. It is not a common cartridge here, and when it's seen, it's mostly in the northern region. I use Vit N130 for mine (due availability) and have a lot of 52 SMK's for target and the Lapua 55gr FMJ for the birds.

[@bradleytyrrell4417]

As always Thomas a cracking video full of great info and fundamentals and some great hunting keep em coming champion

[@THLR]

Thanks Bradley. HAve filmed three episodes on "hunting windcalls" now, the first one SHOULD be ready before my summer holiday. Good luck with winter!

[@jmkhenka]

You could use a scope cap for the moderator/silencer.. flips away when u need to shoot and stays shut. Or a velcro band.

[@THLR]

Smart, a Butler Creek plus velcro makes perfect sense! I have already bought the velcro, just haven't found a suitable glue yet.

[@wolverinekut]

As always great job 🔥💯👍

[@THLR]

Thanks

[@johndelorenzo417]

Excellent video!Great to see your shooting prep work,and hunt.Sometimes harshest weather results in best memories and best footage.I hunt wolves mostly on snowshoes, here in Rocky Mts of Idaho and gear up in similar ways.So hard to find quality snow camo.Temps from 0 C. to -35 C.Overheat and peel off layers than don them again at top of Mt.

[@THLR]

Thanks! Snowshoing is hard work, respect! We don't have wolves in any numbers here, but I come across wolverines every season. Either fresh track or reindeer running away from them. I have a pair for when I'm desperate to get out, but my mobility/speed is fairly limited. Finding good snowcamo is no easier here, most is asian nonsense that offer no weather protection or bulky military surplus overwhites. Taiga of Sweden makes competent gear in three versions, pullovers/non-membrane/goretex version. I use the non-membrane as hunting season ends long before the melt starts. It breathes well and will take big winds just fine, on the windiest days you might get a little "seep" along the zipper. These are good but basic items and you are paying an outrageous price for the UV compliant fabric. Another item I struggle with is shell mittens, with size 11-12 hands most are too narrow to properly fit an insulation layer. I have a pair pf Black Diamond that's not really good for deep winter and I dread the day when my no-longer-in-production Norrøna dies (I save them for these trips) Good luck with your season, what are you shooting the wolves with?

[@KSM22LR]

Добрый день 🤝 С полем ✊ Спасибо большое за видео 👍 Снаряжение стрелка очень важное. Но не все умеют правильно экипироваться 👍👍👍

[@THLR]

Thanks! Hopefully someone will find it useful. Too many "buy this gear" instead of "learn this skill" videos.

[@trevorhawkins9896]

Another fantastic video, thank you. I am searching for a bag to use under the back of the stock, such as you use. Can you please tell me if your version is still available? Or would you have any recommendations? Thanks, from NZ

[@THLR]

Thanks! Sorry no, I don't make any. I started with a Red Tac gear halfpint myself, but got tired of losing them. TAB gear looks good to me, I would have bought small version, light fill for myself as weightnis a priority www.tabgear.com/products/rear-bag

[@trevorhawkins9896]

Thanks, I’ll have a look👍

[@THLR]

@@trevorhawkins9896 yikes, saw the price now. Search rifle rear bag on Amazon, it'll give you a ton of options.

[@trevorhawkins9896]

@@THLR Thanks, will do.

[@Ripkallen]

Nice movie, well done. Question: Do you find the lens covers on the EL Range TA annoying? Mine tend to not stick very well when they are pushed into the opening, leading to moisture and debris contaminating the lens. Tried to expand them a little bit with electrical tape, but it didn't work as well as I hoped. Tip: Put your birds in newspaper instead of plastic bags.

[@THLR]

Thanks, I usually do but forgot to bring it this trip. For those not in the know, you don't want to freeze the birds too quickly as it stops the "meat aging process". Sadly I have the same trouble as you with the lens covers and have so far no solution to it. I'm looking at buying or making a simple elastic hood (along the lines of a normal backpack raincover) to cover the binos completely.

[@ZZ-uf4zv]

What twist barrel are you running on your fireball? I ask because I have a factory remington 700LVSF that doesn't quite perform as well as I'd like, so I've bought a Bartlein 12twist that's going to be the replacement. I think the factory remington barrels are 14 twist...

[@THLR]

You are correct, the Remington had 1:14". I use 1:12" as per recommendation from the swedish winter hunters I consulted. Limits you to 55gr (?) bullet weights but guarantees stability in all conditions.

[@JohnDavidHays]

Yes, I have the same factory Remington 221 but I’m sweet on Thomas’ setup

[@gordy321]

Always enjoy and appreciate your videos

[@THLR]

Thanks a lot. Next month will be online shooting school again, focus area windcall.

[@VintageRiflesShootersClub]

Awesome video! Thank you for sharing. I wish you could post videos more often. Ha!

[@THLR]

Thanks! Hoping to resume my 2-a-month frequency, but currently not able to. But almost finished sketching next episode on the cutting table, so at least that is on schedule for next month.

[@danmacdonald1291]

Great videos series Thomas, it has been fantastic watching the latest format... The additional information from the voice over is super handy, even in your monotone voice ;) Any idea when the Kahles note books might be going on sale?

[@THLR]

Life-of-the-party has never been my claim to fame, to understate it. To me, capturing good audio from inside the noisy bivvy bag was personally very rewarding and a new benchmark. I believe it is availablenow but but no-one stocks it and I suspect they don't know it can be ordered. Kahles is owned by Swarovksi, Swaro has a webshop, so I suspect eventually Kahles will too. Editing the first episode in the shooting school right now and detailing that book (or just use any notebook, it's not essential).

[@davidmackee8575]

Brilliant video most informative and well presented thank you...

[@THLR]

Thanks David. Hopefully someone will find it useful, too many "buy-this-gear" films and hopefully "avoid-this-mistake" or "look-for this-feature" will encourage learning.

[@andreag108]

Hi, the white camo poncho seems like a really useful thing to me. Name of the instant shelter and where can I buy it? Regards

[@THLR]

@@andreag108 mine is Jerven original, sold by a zillion places. Varusteleka.com has a variation, same does Falkberget via Hekta På Tur

[@robertmagnstrom6088]

Wrist warmers are excellent to regulate heat with👍!

[@THLR]

Surprisingly many don't know the value of wristwarmers. We're lucky Aklima bother to produce them, the market can't be that big...

[@imifriluft55]

Great video! Think I need a new 221 barrel for my Vixen. It shoots like 15-20 mm @ 100m, but some series has a flyer. Used to shoot 5 shoots groups smaller than 10 mm with a lots of different bullets. What barrel are you using and what twist? I've got a LW barrel with 8" twist, planned to shoot match bullets like 69 gr Scenar but I never got that far since the 55 Laupa was a laser in that barrel. Unfortunately not anymore.

[@THLR]

That's pretty good! I get rougly 15mm with my LW barrel 1:12". I load my 221 at a fairly low V0 and Vit N130, I see that most people shoot their 221's at higher V0

[@caveman-g1n]

great wind reading ! used to use 223 rem on a bird 77 grain bullet developed a speed of 730 meters per second on 8 twist ..... also had good results

[@jmkhenka]

In sweden, and perhaps norway to, they are not legal to use. In sweden its generaly Klass 3 or 4 rifles that are allowed in the mountains/fjäll. 221 firebrall, 22 hornet, 22 WMR are klass 3. Klass 4 is 22LR/17hmr. 223 and 222 is considered Klass 2, ie to powerfull.

[@caveman-g1n]

@@jmkhenka in Russia it was also banned for poultry 223, you can only 22lr or 22WMR, so I don’t use it anymore, but I’m very sorry

[@jmkhenka]

@@caveman-g1n it's not specifically the animal, you are free to hunt Ripa with a 300 winmag if you like but the safety in the mountains is important. Bullets can travel far and the terrain is open. But i would expect it also helps limit the harvest.. a 6.5 would be much better suited but bullets are 3 times as heavy and travels miles if u don't have a backstop.

[@THLR]

if I could choose freely, I'd use a 6mm-223 wildcat with 90gr FMJ OR a 6.5 Grendel for this. It wouldn't matter at all for the 100m shooting though, but the rifle would have been more versatile and used for roe as well.

[@jmkhenka]

@@THLR I have a grendel that i use mainly for capercaile and those birds. When the barrel is shot out (wich wont be soon, even though im shooting 300m competitions with it) i will re-barrel it to a 6mm ARC, BR or PPC - keeping the same max COAL of 58mm to mag feed. Arc is a "drop in" replacement but the tools are rare in sweden so far so PPC/BR is more common and quite similar.

[@bobbauldock3846]

You are a very crazy guy, you have to be, me too. Now my problem is a bird in a tree 90ft straight up, or you are on a hill the birds are in the valley, 80 yrds away, I mean down hill, that is a hard shot, shooting down or shooting up, you are superb, many years of work, it is good to see you............BB

[@THLR]

Well, thanks for the compliment but it's not like I have a choice. Either perish inside or go out the door and explore what's there.

[@Michael_K__]

I always love your work!

[@THLR]

Thanks, glad you liked it!

[@AndreasNkleby]

Klasse, som alltid! Liker at filmene er blitt litt lengre

[@THLR]

Mange takk Andreas. Utrolig hvordan "prat" forlenger en film.

[@markcarew6724]

I didn't realize until now that you have different coloured eyes. Great video, thank you.

[@THLR]

Yes, assembled from spare parts.

[@fn3048]

@@THLR You 2 get a room will ya! :P

[@THLR]

@@fn3048 I have a room. It's on Only Fans, I already told you that...

[@stacykorkou6849]

what sort off mountain bag did you have when it got very bad looked very handy

[@THLR]

jerven.no/products/5179682-fjellduken-orginal but you can buy ot for 1/2 price in s webshop. It is a little heavy and short, plus I would have prefered a signal colour. www.ortovox.com/int-en/shop/categories/p48773-bivi-bags-bivy-pro would have been my choice today.

[@kenorrah8072]

I noticed that you are now using a moderator/silencer on the fireball instead of the snow trap . Does the reduction in noise help reduce the disturbance to other birds or is there another reason why you have switched.

[@THLR]

No it's just legislation. In Sweden I cannot use the silencer, in Norway I do use the silencer. I hunt right on the border and will use either depending on east/west side of mountain range. My preference is to use the silencer. It does nothing for the disturbance of birds, but it brings the 221 Fireball (due very low powder charge) down to a noise level where I'm willing to shoot without ear defenders (I don't do that with anything bigger) Swedish legislation will shortly change so I can use it in both countries.

[@jmkhenka]

@@THLR from 1 juli 2022, moderators is license free. Ie, they are legal to use on klass 3 and 4 with no additional requirements. So from 1 juli, you can buy moderators in sweden with no license approval. All you really need is a "rifle that fits the moderator", ie.. just buy one and show a license.

[@THLR]

@@jmkhenka superb! Congratulations

[@mikegrendel9126]

Good to see you again with the fireball. A lot of good information there. Thanks again sir. Wondering what powder you use with that 55gr ? I'm using 1680 with 40gr

[@THLR]

Yes it's a nice "tinkering" rifle, next is new trigger as the current one is too open. It filled with snowdrift and froze on this trip. I can't get US powders reliably here, so Vit N130 and also good success with Norma N200 (IIRC??)

[@mikegrendel9126]

@@THLR thanks, n130 is plentiful here.

[@Jonathan77933]

I always get jealous seeing you hunting like that, thats the type of hunting id like. Sadly in my part of germany only stand hunts are possible due to civilization. Keep up the videos, i love to watch them.

[@THLR]

Thanks a lot. I am so used to having big and empty mountains around me, and it takes very little infrastructure (houses, fences, roads) to confuse me. I once hunted chamois in northern Austria and I didn't understand the hunt had started as there were signs of civilisation all around me.

[@kjelltoreknudsen2195]

@@THLR Hei. Takk for ny flott film. Er stor fan av serien din :) Lurte dog på det som blir sagt om at man ikke har lov å bruke .222 og over på rype i fjellet? Hvor står dette? Jeg ser at her er det en mulighet for at jeg ikke er godt informert??

[@THLR]

@@kjelltoreknudsen2195 mange takk. Har ikke paragrafen på stående fot, men det er kun i Sverige og det er Lansstyrelsen som har satt reglene. "Vid vinterjakt (januari -mars) efter ripa med kulgevär får av säkerhetsskäl endast kulgevär indelade i klass 3 och 4 användas."

[@kjelltoreknudsen2195]

@@THLR i Sverige. Da slipper jeg å tenke på det. Takk for svar😊👍🏻

[@THLR]

@@kjelltoreknudsen2195 ja i Norge er dette endel enklere. Det svenske byråkratiet er ikke så godt akkurat på våpenlovgivning, jegeren skal ha sikker bakgrunn for kulen uansett, så lovgivning gjør ikke noe for å heve sikkerheten. Men jeg har derimot måttet bruke endel penger på en ekstra rifle for å kunne jakte på svensk side av grensen (jakter Sverige/Norge avhengig av værmelding, kjøretid og kostnad er omtrent det samme)

[@puccini4530]

This man is the real thing, Makes my sissy UK stalking look pathetic. Absolute respect.

[@THLR]

Thanks, very generous of you!

[@user-1168]

Thank yuo Thomas ! =)

[@THLR]

No problem, glad you enjoyed.

[@Vebjorn1995]

Epic ending :D

[@THLR]

The member's fee is about one million dollars.

[@Vebjorn1995]

@@THLR 😂

[@BlacksheepMediaNZ]

Are you allowed to use thermals monoculars?

[@THLR]

Sweden is a firm no, Norway is undecided in legislation. Hunters have been reported to police, but no hunters are convicted for it (yet) as the law isn't written to accomodate modern advancement.

[@fn3048]

IS it a CZ 527? If so, try the MTR stock made for the 527.

[@THLR]

The action says CZ527 but this rifle cannot be compared to modern CZ527. The machining is much poorer and the trigger seems to be little different. My previous CZ527 American 22 Hornet had MUCH higher quality.

[@cratxn1]

I still use my Leica binos [ identical to your prior gear ] but see you have "UPGRADED" to Swarovskis...WHY?

[@THLR]

Waning eyes (not the actual disease!) and there's roughly 20 years of product development between my old Leica and new Swarovski. There was a visible difference and I'll take all the twilight performance I can get.

[@jirisebek907]

Perfekt. Flink lærer.

[@THLR]

Thanks. Next month will be proper shooting school with windcall as focus area.

[@madbulgarian]

Looks like you need a Boyds "At-One" Rifle stock for the CZ527 ;) (I know what you mean about the hand grip. I have a straight stocked lever action that if I try and shoot off a Bench I can't shoot it well at all. Can't get hand around stock and trigger so goes badly wrong. (I get bette results with a rest so high it's virtually sit up and beg or standing leaning against a post)

[@THLR]

I've seen them and did consider the Boyds brand, but currently I am fed up with throwing money into this Hornet. I will try to reload and see if there is any improvement (I doubt it) and then I suspect this rifle with move to the dark corner of the gunsafe. This rifle was originally a gift from a norwegian gunwriter, and if I remove the stock I also remove the part that made this rifle "distinguished". But as-is, I am unable to shoot well with this rifle despite a new match barrel and some fixing-up.

[@madbulgarian]

@@THLR I wish you luck with the hand loads!

[@turczyn2000]

I've heard some rumors that You'll visit Poland, if Wroclaw is in your plans please consider that I am buying you a good coffe :D

[@THLR]

Thank you very much. Yes I am looking at Poland as a possible destination for hunting. I just want to make sure it's what I want; I have no interest in just the killing bit or big trophies, I want to film an experience. (Like Ireland was).

[@turczyn2000]

@@THLR you want roe bucks during rut? We have already sold all vouchers to some German hunters, but yeah I wonder what will be your opinion about that hunt after Ireland. Poland is quite popular destination for Germans.

[@THLR]

@@turczyn2000 the rut is nice, but itoesn't really matter what part of the season. More important is seeing the land and perhaps having weather that doesn't want to kill me. Today I woke up to heavy rain that turned into hail, and it's supposed to be summer...

[@turczyn2000]

@@THLR ok, I got it :) summer is cool but I love early autumn with Red Deer in the rut, that's awesome - nights are relatively warm, and you have this whole spectacle before your eyes.

[@mu8976]

Couldn’t find your only fans 😂

[@THLR]

I need to set up a photoshoot for that, I see financial opportunity...

[@colinsimmons2913]

Yep, I know what you mean nothing unusual, I went out the other night put on some shorts a shirt and thongs through the 223over me should put a leg over the quad went out shoot 2 foxes and 2 rabbits and at 11.00pm it was still 30degress Celsius in western Australia. I think I would just lay down and die were you are.😄🤣

[@THLR]

:D it's not that bad when you're used to it. If it's any consolation, I'd be equally dead in Australia.

[@simonschulz415]

Grs sporter stock is the answer

[@THLR]

1,4 kgs of splitting laminate over 800 grams stable carbon? What would the benefit be?