Stupid Award

I was headed out for some pig hunting (and maybe some dove) this weekend, and planned on staying over Sunday night, then leaving from my cabin to head to Houston for a week long business trip. I wanted to minimize the stuff I took with me (and had to worry about being left in the truck, in the hotel garage).

Well I failed.

The mags for my 6.8 SPC AR were left at home. I now have a very expensive, thermal scope equipped, single shot rifle.

Does anyone know if Walmart sells metal AR mags?

Usually no, but the Pmags and similar will give you several shots, and they have those...

Pulled up their web site, some do and don't, any other type outdoor stores around? A lot of small town hardware stores handle ammo and accessories.

Well, off to walmart on a saturday night

I have not had good luck with .223 pmags for 6.8. I have found the metal .223, with a little bending on the lips, works well.

But i'll give them try, as opposed to a 5 hour round trip home.

Besides...one shot is all i should really need

Can't help with the mags, but a checklist is always good for keeping you on track. We use one a lot.

Although I don't hunt with my AR, I do keep a spare box of ammo in every caliber that I hunt with in my trailer just in case I should leave ammo at home.

I've never really needed a list...until now
I have my pig/varmint hunting backpack.
I have my upland bird hunting bag.
I have my dove hunting bucket.
I check and repack these after the hunt, so they are always ready to go.

I have separate cases for each rifle, and I keep spare mags and ammo in the respective cases
All my shotguns are the same gauge, so I never have shotshell confusion

This all went to *!@$! when I tried traveling "light". I pulled the rifle and a mag out of its regular gun case and put the rifle into one of those breakdown flat cases that looks like a tennis racket case. The mag got left on a chair in the garage.


ANYWAY....
I decided against a late night trip to Walmat. I hit the woods with one in the chamber and the other four in my pocket. It kinda gave me that frontiersman feeling (well...except for the NV helmet & thermal scope ).
I did not have any luck finding the big boar, or any other pigs. I spent a couple of hours watching a feeder, then stalked the woods for another hour. I did shoot one yote. He seemed to think one round was more than adequate.

You found out what one calls an AR without a mag! "SINGLE SHOT"

In the future, keep the stupid awards to a minimum and just carry a spare loaded mag in the vehicle somewhere. I keep a couple spare batteries, ammo, mag, and headlamp in my truck for just such crises of stupidity. They all have been used at least once.

I've had to use my spare mag before.

Its worst than a single shot. Its a single shot that takes two hands to reload. Without the mag in the well, you have to grab the charging handle while trying to get a thumb on the lower edge of the mag release.

Look at it as a learning experience! ......Bet you won't EVER forget the mag again.

Get a rifle case with pouches to hold the mags, or put a couple in old socks and put them in the case. On my regular bolt actions.I have a cartridge holder attached to the stock that holds eight or nine shells.

Careful. Next thing you know, you'll catch the muzzleloader fever! At the very least, you might start jonesing for a Ruger Model 1 with beautiful blued steel and walnut!

Knew a guy years ago that talked about going on a one day hunt on a very nice high fenced ranch here in Texas...he paid $5,000 up front and was told he could take any buck that he saw and wanted. They dropped him off at his blind an hour and a half before sunrise, and gave him a cooler with food and drinks for the day. We was to be picked up 45 mins after sunset. Was told he could step out of the blind to use the restroom, but not to leave the area. A few minutes before sunrise, anticipating a great hunt, he grabbed his rifle and went to chamber a round. No round to chamber. Grabbed his backpack to find a box of ammo. No box. Panicked, he grabbed his cell phone to call the ranch guide to bring him ammo. No signal.

He didn't know the ranch well enough to walk back to the main house, and besides that, he was told not to leave that area. He just sat and watched amazing deer all day long, come and go....saw multiple bucks that would have been his personal record that day, and would have easily been book bucks. They were all within shooting distance. And he forgot to pack ammo!!! He told me he had one big buck walk almost directly under his stand and he put thought about throwing the rifle at it! HA! I think he settled something out with the owners for a discounted hunt the next year, but his mistake cost him $5k!!!

After I heard the story, I immediately ordered a bullet sleeve for each deer rifle I owned. If I shoot a round, I replace it in the sleeve that day. I bought all my buddies bullet sleeves for Christmas that year and told them the story of guy who forgot his ammo. That's a very expensive lesson to learn! Still think about him almost every hunt when I load my first round in the chamber.

“The man with a single shot rifle, stalking his game skillfully, thoughtfully calculating his range, not just shooting at his quarry but selecting the most effective shot to place that bullet, then carefully aiming and making that one shot count — that man surely is more of a hunter than is the fellow having half a dozen shots available in his repeater.” Roger Barlow

Had a friend who drove 2.5 hrs to the lease. Brought a brand new box of ammo......forgot his rifle! Me to the rescue - I had an extra with me that day. He got a hog, I got a ham!

I spent 45 minutes walking thru flooded timber with a lot of brush to get to a honey hole. I was loaded down with a 25 round ammo belt, dekes, mojo & stake, camelback, and a fanny pack. When I got there, I discovered the shell belt that I had around my waist was gone along with my 12g shells. I had to squeeze thru some thick vegetation, climb over fallen trees, etc to get to my spot. Somewhere along the way the plastic buckle must have come undone without realizing it.

After that day, when I'd finish a hunt, I stash leftover shells out in the field jic.

I once forgot my release and didn't have time to go back. I shot a few shots in the field and found I could finger shoot and the point of impact would be 4inches low at 20 yards. I ended up still getting a deer.

I once set all my friends up in my blinds and then hurried to mine in the dark. When I got there late I realized I had a lock on it and knew it would be super noisy and it was prime time so I just hid in the brush. I ended up killing the widest whitetail I've ever shot. 24inches