Bob Milek Article in Guns&Ammo

[streak]

Back in the 80`s, Milek wrote an article about his hunt for Red Stag in Argentinia using a Marlin Lever action chambered in the .444Marlin.
Have been trying to find a copy of this article for several years, and would like to know if anyone might know where I might find one. I have contacted Guns&Ammo a couple of times but no response.

[BUGEYE]

can't help with the article, but he was a good author. especially on hunting with the .22LR

[cwlongshot]

Are you sure about it being in G&A? 

I remember reading that article, but only occasionally bought the mag. But I have held a shooting times subscription since early 1980's and have many issues back to early seventies as well.

CW

[streak]

cwlongshot,
I am pretty sure it was Guns&Ammo, although after this many years it might have been Shooting Times. But it just seems to stick in my mind that it was G&A.
He had reloading information in his article that I used and have the reloads but my reloading information is not ii the bullet case. These reloads were for elk, or red stag and were pretty potent loads with the Barnes bullet. I would like to get that same load information again.

[Old Fart]

It might be worth a shot just asking over in the reloading forum also.

[Conan The Librarian]

I'll keep my eyes open for the article, but can I ask if you're looking for practical advice from that article?

Bullets for .429 have changed pretty dramatically since Milek's day. It's very likely that he would have used the 240 grain jacketed bullets available then. Today, I'd be looking at some of the newer designs of heavier bullets. I'd probably start researching with good loads for the 265 grainers.  Or some of the really nice hard cast bullets, if the rifle in question has rifling that is compatible with them. I don't know if the 444 is micro-groove rifling in their lever actions, but if it is, you probably need jacketed. There may even be some of those soft tipped Hornady lever action bullets available for it.

There have also been a lot of new powders and loads developed in recent years.

Scopes for lever guns are much better too.

If it were me hunting them, I'd make up a bunch of ammo, then get proficient with the trajectory and wind drift out to 300 yards.

I just checked an Hornady does have the Lever bullets available. Note the trajectory. Some tweaking by zeroing somewhere between 200 and 300 yards should make it adequate for hunting out to 300.
http://www.hornady.com/store/444-Marlin-265-gr-FTX-LEVERevolution/

[Ranch13]

 As I recall it was the Remington 700 he took to Argentina for the Red Stag.
 The 444 they had in Canada after moose. The load they took was the Remington 265 gr factory load, the distance wasn't close but wasn't out of reach either. The performance was less than stellar with 4 or more shots per moose and one of the moose ended up in the water..

[streak]

Old Fart, Conan, Ranch13,
Thanks for the replies, still pretty sure that he used the Marlin Lever action in the .444 Marlin cartridge. I took the loading information that he used on the red stags in Argentinia and used the Barnes bullet that he mentioned and set up some loads for elk hunting here in Colorado. As I mentioned earlier I had the loading info in my plastic case with these loads but is not to be found now. That is why I am trying to find a copy of this article to get the loading specs!
I had several conversations with Bob when he was alive concerning certain TC calibers that I was reloading at the time. He was a wealth of information!

[cwlongshot]

If you can narrow down the search a little for me, I'll look threw my mags... I have them in two year binders....

CW

[streak]

CW,
Thanks for your offer, really appreciate it!
I would say that this would have been towards the late 1980`s, I will double check my plastic case of these reloads and see if I put a date on it.

[mcwoodduck]

It would be neat to get a Bob Milek book of all of his articles like Capstick published of all of his articles he did.
Also G&A just moved offices a year or less ago from CA to Somewhere in the mid west.

[streak]

Yeah mcwoodduck,
That would be a good read with all of his articles in one book!
I checked my plastic case that I have a few of the loads that I still have but no date, me and my bookeeping!
I also sent another inquiry to G&A night before last but still have heard nothing from them.
I did determine that the bullets are the Barnes 250 gr  Flatnose SR.

[Conan The Librarian]

I never was a particular fan of Milek, not because I didn't like him but because my interests were different.

Be that as it may, the works of a few of these guys should be preserved in book form.

We already have a couple of good books of articles by Elmer Keith. There are some by Peter Capstick.

It would be really nice to have some of the collected works of Skeeter Skelton, Charles Askins, and Ross Seyfried and a few others available for reading today.

[streak]

Conan,
10-4! On having collections by these various authors.
There is a magazine that was published many years ago that has alot of Skeeter Skelton`s articles which I have. It is a pretty old and I will have to see the exact publisher and name of magazine. I also have two of Skeeter`s books, they are a good read !

[mcwoodduck]

Maybe a letter to Lamar Underwood may be in order to get him to compile articles by those authors.
I have a couple books from lamar he is good as pasting a bunch of different authors together for a theme book, where he uses stories from Capstick, Corbett, Patterson, Hunter, and many others to fill out a book on a theme of Greatest hunting stories ever told or Man Eaters.
Or a letter to Peterson's the parent company of many of the magazines and they may own the publishing rights.
Heck you write Peterson's and tell them you want to compile a book or two and become the next lamar Underwood.
I will expect a dedication for the idea. 

[Ranch13]

There are 2 maybe 3 books by Skeeter.
 I'm pretty sure Milek penned a book, as did Askins.
Alibris dot com is a good place to locate books no longer in print but they do tend to be expensive.
Cornell Publishing has reprints of many out of copyright books.

[streak]

Good idea mcwoodduck!
I will check into these after I get back from my Alaska trip next week!
The magazine I mentioned in my earlier post was published by Shooting Times in 1985
titled " Skeeter Skelton`s Handgun Tales" It has about 30 articles by Skeeter, It is a treasury of facts, fiction, and fables.