Apart from destroying farm fields, contaminating water supplies, and transmitting diseases to livestock, pets, and humans, did you know that wild hogs are known to attack and fatally injure or even kill human beings?

It’s no wonder farmers and hunters are interested in finding a firearm that is powerful enough to take down this invasive species. The 9mm carbine has rapidly become a preferred option for many hunters, especially when it comes to hog hunting. This is because it is effective at short distances, accurate, and cost-effective than most other firearms. Though it requires a perfect shot at a short distance to put down the hog humanely.

Well, this article will be answering some of the frequently asked questions concerning hog hunting with a 9mm carbine.

Can you hunt hogs with a 9mm?

Yes, you can hunt hogs with a 9mm carbine. This firearm is powerful enough to kill a hog at a short distance, and most hunters prefer using it as the only firearm during hog hunting. With this firearm, you will be assured of being able to kill the hogs as quickly as possible. However, you need to take a perfect shot if you are to instantly kill the hog. One can use it as a primary weapon for the hog hunt, but it can be considered as a secondary firearm as well.

You will appreciate that this firearm is not only perfect at killing hogs, but it is also a very economical weapon that farmers, hunters as well as trappers. Importantly to note, you need to have advanced marksmanship for you to be able to take down a hog without causing it too much suffering, especially because this gun is used for hunting in short distances. It brings about a challenging experience during the hunt, as well as an amazing excitement to the hunter. It is, therefore, correct to say that a 9mm carbine is an incredible weapon for you to gun down a hog.

Why a 9mm Carbine Is a a Good Option

It is important to note that hogs have a thick skull and hide as compared to other animals you could hunt. This simply means that when you venture into hunting hogs, you need to have a pistol with a longer barrel, and be loaded with fast, strong bullets that will easily penetrate and kill a hog. If you are to ascertain success in your hog hunt, carrying a carbine greatly increases the odds in your favor.

The 9mm carbine fits this bill, as it has a longer barrel. Though the 9mm bullets are small, they are effective when shot accurately at a close range. This simply means that a bullet in such a longer barrel will be able to build up incredible pressure that will guarantee a greater penetrating force as well as faster nominal velocity. This makes this carbine an incredible firearm to take out your hog.

You will also appreciate the fact that this gun is easy to carry, which will only make the hog hunt a little less strenuous. You will be able to execute your hunts with ease, especially stalk hunts which would require you to move about much more before finally getting your kill.

Destruction of Meat

When you are looking to preserve the condition of the hog’s meat and hide, this is the best gun to use for the hunt. You will note that the 9mm bullets are relatively small, which means that they will only create a small entry and exit points in the hog. You do not have to worry about destroying your meat when hunting with the 9mm carbine, even when you get to shoot at short distances.

Best Handgun to Finish Hogs

For a handgun, you could consider using the Glock 40 for hunting hogs. This is because it comes with a 6-inch barrel. This will ensure that you can pursue the hog effectively, and take it down without issues. This is a lightweight weapon that you can easily carry around as you head out for the hunt. When you are hunting hogs with your dogs, this is the best gun to use as you will not get tired carrying it around, and it’s an overall really well-made handgun.

Is it Humane to Use a 9mm?

Killing a hog with a 9mm carbine is only humane when you do it at a short distance and have the right shooting skills to hit the right spot. This means that you can take out the hog with a single shot and quick. When you do not hit the right spot, you are likely to injure the hog and lead to a lot of suffering before it finally dies.

Conclusion

For a successful hog hunt, it is important to invest in the right gun if you are to realize incredible results. You also need to consider ethical issues towards the hog, and you should not put it through unnecessary suffering. Using a 9mm carbine is a good choice when your sure you will make a perfect shot. And personally I’m really in love with Ruger’s new PC Carbine that I think you should have a look at!

Have a fantastic hunt!

Originally published in 2007

On a plaque outside David L. Hayes’ Leitchfield, Ky., home are the words “One old fisherman lives here with the catch of his life.” Whether the sign refers to Ruth, his wife of 64 years, or the gigantic smallmouth bass that hangs on his living room wall is anyone’s guess. It’s a question Hayes wryly refuses to answer.

Unfortunately for the 80-year-old angler, it’s not the only question surrounding his trophy catch from Dale Hollow Lake on the Tennessee-Kentucky border 50 years ago. Controversy swirls around this fish that stood as the world record for more than 40 years and now splits the record keeping authorities squarely down the middle.

The International Game Fish Association, generally recognized as the authority on freshwater fishing records since taking over from Field & Stream in 1978, disqualified Hayes’ catch in 1996. The National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame did likewise the same year. In 1999, however, the Hall of Fame reinstated Hayes’ catch. The IGFA has not budged.

Even the states involved in this tangled tale are on different pages. Kentucky disqualified the catch in the midst of the IGFA and Hall of Fame turmoil. Hayes still sits atop the Tennessee record book.

It’s a controversy that confounds smallmouth fans and frustrates the small community of Celina, Tenn., where a remarkable series of events took place more than half a century ago.

The catch

The date was July 9, 1955, and David Hayes, his wife and their six-year-old son were spending the day on Dale Hollow Lake trolling a 600 series pearl Bomber for smallmouth and walleye. They’d been coming to “the Hollow” for about three years, and Hayes had gotten very good at summertime trolling — so good that he was occasionally followed by local guides and other anglers hoping to learn his secrets.

On July 9, however, things were slow. Hayes’ favorite trolling runs were coming up empty … at least until he swung into a favorite cut between Illwill Creek and Phillips Bottom, just north of Trooper Island and in Kentucky waters.

“There were a couple of weed beds through there, and if you lined it up just right you could bring your plug right between them and keep it bumping the bottom.”

Hayes had about 300 feet of line out when the big fish hit. At first he thought he was snagged. Then he felt the surge of a powerful fish.

It took several minutes with his Tru-Temper steel rod, Penn Peer 209 reel and 20-pound-test line to bring the bass boatside, but Hayes eventually put a net under the leviathan. “It was between 10:00 and 10:30 a.m.,” he said.

“I had no idea it was a world record.”

The controversy

The fastest, easiest way to be called a liar is to catch a giant fish. Make it a world record, and the detractors will beat a path to your door.

After Hayes swung his giant smallmouth aboard his 21-foot cruiser, he stowed the fish in a metal cooler he kept on the deck of the boat and went right back to fishing. The Hayes family liked to eat fish, and the day was still young.

Sometime around noon, Hayes was getting low on gas and decided to head to the nearest marina — Wisdom Dock, up Illwill Creek. When he got there, he was met by Granville “Lightnin’ ” Madison, a dockhand who filled Hayes’ gas tank. When Madison asked if Hayes was having any luck, the angler was characteristically modest.

“I’ve got one pretty good smallmouth,” Hayes said.

Madison asked if he could weigh it, and Hayes agreed. Unbeknownst to the angler, Kentucky Water Police Officer Oral Burtram was inside the marina and saw the fish on the scales. The smallmouth lacked an ounce of weighing 12 pounds.

From Wisdom Dock, Hayes headed down the lake to Cedar Hill Resort, where he maintained a slip for his boat. It was there that the story took an unfortunate turn.

Once again the fish was placed on the scales — this time they were certified — and once again the bass weighed 11 pounds, 15 ounces. People who were there and saw the fish still marvel at its size.

Hayes’ mistake was in letting the fish out of his sight. He let dockhands at Cedar Hill weigh it. Had he kept it under his control the entire time, he would likely have never lost his place in the record books.

More than a month later, on August 17, Raymond “Doughbelly” Barlow presented an affidavit to the Corp of Engineers office at Dale Hollow Lake. The document, sworn to by Doughbelly’s nephew, John H. Barlow, claimed that Hayes’ bass had been tampered with — that it really weighed only 8 pounds, 15 ounces and that Cedar Hill Resort owner Dick Roberts and John’s own brother Ira had asked John (a one-time guide at Cedar Hill) to “fix it up good.”

John claimed he shoved 3 pounds of motor parts and sinkers into the bass’ gullet then pinned the fish’s throat shut with a treble hook. After the alleged dirty work was done, the bass weighed 11-15 — the same as it had weighed at Wisdom Dock.

Because the Corps isn’t involved in keeping fishing records, the affidavit was returned to Doughbelly and a copy kept in the Corps office. It would be more than 40 years before anyone looked at it again.

A record is undone

Hayes was firmly entrenched in the record books by the mid-1990s when a Livingston, Tenn., assistant principal invited him to display the fish at an outdoors show. Eldon Davis and a few others decided that Hayes’ bass didn’t look like it weighed nearly 12 pounds and began their own investigation.

Davis found the John Barlow affidavit and then found Barlow himself. Using a private polygrapher and a set of questions devised by Davis, John passed a lie detector test. He was never given a subsequent test by state officials.

Within a few months, Hayes’ bass was stricken from the record books despite the fact that no one from IGFA bothered to get his version of events. Hayes learned of the disqualification when Bassmaster senior writer Colin Moore called to interview him in 1996.

Tennessee’s due diligence

Whether or not David Hayes holds the world record for smallmouth bass, the record came from Dale Hollow Lake. Both the second (John Gorman’s 10-14 in 1969) and third (Paul Beal’s 10-8 in 1986) biggest bronzebacks were caught there.

So when Ron Fox, assistant director of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, investigated the catch and controversy in the summer of 1996, it was with an eye to discovering the truth, not to defend a state icon.

“I thought the research would be brief and confirm that the fish was a hoax, but the more I looked into it, the more the bits and pieces added up to help us reach our decision to maintain the catch as a record.”

Fox talked to all the living witnesses to the catch and weighing. He heard from Bobby Stone, the night clerk at Cedar Hill who slept each night on the freezer containing the fish until it was sent to a taxidermist. Stone also examined the fish on the day it was caught, had his photo taken with the fish numerous times after the weighing and stated unequivocally that the fish’s gullet was not pinned shut with a treble hook or otherwise compromised.

Fox talked with Lightnin’ Madison who saw the fish at Wisdom Dock and confirmed its weight at 11-15. He even spoke with John Barlow’s brother, Ira, a Cedar Hill clerk and guide who was at the dock when Hayes came in and whom John implicated in the alleged tampering.

Ira told Fox that John was nowhere near Cedar Hill that day and that John fabricated the story in order to get revenge on Dick Roberts, who had fired him from his guiding position. Ira even passed a polygraph test by a licensed examiner.

“I feel very comfortable that Mr. Hayes caught the world record smallmouth and deserves the recognition for it,” Fox said. In March of 1997, TWRA decided to keep the Hayes fish as the state record.

A formula for the truth

Whether you contend that Hayes’ smallmouth weighed a legitimate 11 pounds, 15 ounces or whether you believe John Barlow and others boosted its weight, there’s no question that the fish was 27 inches long and had a girth of 21 2/3 inches.

A highly regarded formula for estimating bass weight is length x length x length ÷ 1,600. Plug the known numbers into the formula and Hayes’ bass comes out to 12.3 pounds (12 pounds, 5 ounces).

The other most commonly used formula for estimating bass weight based upon measurements is length x length x girth ÷ 1,200. Under this equation, the Hayes smallmouth weighs 13.16 pounds (13-3).

If the bass’ girth measurement is reduced by three inches — more than enough to compensate for any foul play, the formula would still indicate a weight of 11.34 pounds (11-5).

The Hayes bass was simply too large to weigh just 8-15, as John Barlow claimed.

The affidavit

Why would Dick Roberts ask John Barlow to boost the weight of Hayes’ bass? The obvious answer, of course, would be to gain notoriety from having a world record smallmouth weighed at Cedar Hill Resort.

Forget for a moment that Dick Roberts was a pillar of the community, that he taught Sunday school at Celina United Methodist Church for more than 40 years and that he had the respect of virtually everyone around the lake. Ignore the fact that it would be completely out of his character to do something so unethical.

Instead, ask why anyone would need the help of John Barlow for such a deed. After all, even according to Barlow’s own sworn statement, “Mr. Roberts and Ira Barlow came to me, and Mr. Roberts asked me to lead the fish — told me to fix it up good — and handed me a number of lead sinkers. Ira Barlow also had some lead sinkers in his hand.”

Why did they need John Barlow if Roberts and Ira Barlow were standing right there with the sinkers? Why bring someone else in on the fraud? It makes no sense.

The usual suspects

Three men came together to create the affidavit sworn to by John H. Barlow, and all of them had motives to lie and discredit Cedar Hill Resort. In addition to John, there was Doughbelly Barlow and James H. Reneau Jr.

Doughbelly was a well-known character around Dale Hollow Lake in the 1950s. The corpulent fishing guide worked out of Dale Hollow Marina and was a sometime deputy sheriff known for ruthless behavior. He was also John’s uncle.

Doughbelly was renowned for being jealous of other anglers who were catching bass when he was struggling. It would have bothered him to see a world record come into a competing marina. That it was caught by a weekend angler added insult to injury.

Jimmy Reneau was the attorney who prepared the affidavit. He also was the owner of Holly Creek Resort, just up the lake from Cedar Hill. Whatever business Dick Roberts gained by having a record smallmouth come to Cedar Hill, Reneau may have felt he was losing at Holly Creek.

Even the county court clerk who notarized the affidavit may have had something to gain from the conspiracy. Mary Ruth “Oopie” Reneau was Jimmy’s sister.

Can I get a witness?

By the time John Barlow’s affidavit came to light in the mid-1990s, most of the principals in the matter were dead. Raymond Barlow died in 1975; Jimmy Reneau committed suicide in 1981; Oopie died in 1984; and Dick Roberts passed away in 1993.

Of the six men John Barlow implicated in the conspiracy — himself, Dick Roberts, Dick’s eldest son Dickie, Ira Barlow, Walter Blakely and David Hayes — only the Barlows, Dickie Roberts and Hayes were alive in 1995 when the statement resurfaced.

And only John Barlow recollected anything at all about tampering with the big smallmouth. Hayes denies it emphatically. Dickie Roberts was astounded by the charges and refuted any involvement on the part of himself or his father.

And when Ira Barlow was on his deathbed in 1998, he told his son, Tim, that the fish was legitimate and that John had fabricated the entire tale. Tim calls his Uncle John a “career liar” and says that setting the record straight was something his father wanted to do, right to the very end of his life.

Absolutely no one backs up John Barlow’s story of fish tampering. Even the witnesses he lists in his infamous affidavit refute him.

Where are we now?

The witnesses to the record smallmouth controversy are, quite naturally, disappearing. David Hayes is nearly the only one left.

Though Tennessee and the Hall of Fame have placed Hayes in his proper position in the record book, Kentucky and the IGFA have not, choosing instead to ignore the considerable evidence in his favor.

Whether or not his home state and the IGFA do the right thing and reinstate his catch will have little effect on Hayes’ life. He enjoys his retirement, his family and his friends. Unless someone asks about the big fish, Hayes seldom talks about it.

But to have one of the greatest accomplishments in sportfishing history discredited in the face of so much evidence to the contrary is an indignity that no one should suffer.

As Ron Fox puts it, “Mr. Hayes is a fine individual and should not end this life with his accomplishment being lost from the record books.”

Turkey hunting is one of the more challenging sports in the hunting world. Many states have a turkey harvest success rate generally in the 30% range. If only 30% of hunters are successful, many of them would take whatever advantage they could get. So the question follows, can you turkey hunt with a rifle? The answer can be complicated and is different for nearly every state. However, where it is legal, turkey hunting with a rifle can help you reach out and bag gobblers that are just a little too stubborn to come within shotgun or bow range. After all, if there was a possibility for you to use a better tool to harvest turkeys in your state and help you become a better and more successful hunter, wouldn’t you want to know about it?

So can you turkey hunt with a rifle? In short, probably not. Only 12 states allow the use of rifles (not including muzzle-loaders) in one way or another during turkey season. After some extensive research, I made atable of all 50 states that contains the answer to whether or not a particular state allows turkey hunting with a rifle and linked to the section of their DNR explaining their exact rules.

You can check the table here: Rifle Turkey Hunting With a Rifle Table

As I said before, one way or another it is possible to hunt turkey with a rifle in 12 states. I say this because out of those 12 states, none of them have the exact same rules. Some of them only allow rifles (or only air rifles) to be used during a specific season, out of a possible three seasons. So, if you do live in one of the states that will allow it, make sure you read the regulations and call your local Department of Natural Resources just to make sure.

Why You Would Want to Use a Rifle

If you have turkey hunted for a few years, you have surely been in a situation where a nice tom was just a dozen yards out of range and you had to let them pass. Turkeys seem to have a knack for escaping hunters and constantly give us trouble. If you could use a rifle, you could shoot turkeys at well over 100 yards if you wanted to. Which increases that 30% success rate significantly.

Now the next question is, is hunting turkeys with a rifle ethical or not? Personally, I feel like if a state votes to include small caliber rifles as a legal method of take, then they want more turkeys to be harvested. Giving hunters that option is ultimately going to help them harvest more turkeys, thus helping the state to keep wild turkey numbers under control. Plus, if harvesting other animals such as squirrle with a rifle is ethical, why would it not be the same for turkeys?.

What Types of Rifles Are Allowed

To continue about the argument of whether it is ethical to harvest a turkey with a rifle, obviously, you would not want to hunt turkey with a 50 BMG. Large calibers would be unethical and honestly would not leave much of the turkey left. There has to be a limit somewhere so that the turkey is still intact and edible.

This is why most of the states that do allow you to hunt turkey with a rifle, only allow small calibers such as a .22 long rifle, .22 magnum, or a .223 at the largest. Many of them only allow air rifles to be used and the largest caliber I saw listed for those was .30. It does not take a high caliber to put down a turkey if you have good shot placement.

With a rifle, you want to aim for the neck or the head. This can be a difficult shot at long ranges so it is also effective to shoot turkeys in the lungs/liver and the heart. Although headshots will make for the quickest kill.

What We Normally Use to Harvest Turkey

When we normally think about turkey hunting, or watch turkey hunting, they are hunted with a shotgun. Using a shotgun may sound like it would make it easier to turkey hunt. However, the challenge comes when you need to get a turkey within shotgun range. With a normal rifle, it is not too difficult to make a 100-yard shot, but with a shotgun, you are doing good if you make a 40-yard shot.

This is why it is important to use the correct choke on your shotgun. Chokes help you reach out and maximize your guns range and shape your pattern. It is also important for shotgun hunters to pattern their shotguns so they know what range they can effectively shoot at. These are steps that serious turkey hunters always do, but many amateurs simply ignore, leading to lower success rates.

Another way to harvest a turkey is by using a bow or crossbow. If using a shotgun was not difficult enough, bow hunting turkeys is the real challenge. Turkeys have incredible vision and they can pick up the slightest movement. So when you have to pull your bow back 20 yards in front of a turkey, it would be very difficult to remain unseen. Although it is difficult, it is not impossible and hunters do it every year. If you are looking for a true turkey hunting challenge, try harvesting one with a bow.

Lastly, many states allow you to hunt with muzzle-loaders. Some allow muzzle-loading rifles and most are muzzle-loading shotguns. So this just adds an extra challenge to the shotgun dynamic. You get one shot and a giant cloud of smoke.

Conclusion

So if you are in or are close to one of the 12 states that do allow you to hunt turkeys with a rifle, why not give it a try this season? If you have had trouble in the past getting turkeys in range, this is your ticket. Now if you see a turkey, most likely you can shoot it with a rifle. Although you will still have to locate turkeys and use your calling skills, which is also quite the challenge. Hopefully, you can take the information from this article and up your arsenal for this coming season and become a better hunter.

Thank you for reading my article about turkey hunting with a rifle. I hope you enjoyed it and learned something you didn’t already know. If you like my content, subscribe to my weekly update. If you have any other questions about turkey hunting with a rifle or just want to connect, feel free to email me at [email protected].

Hornady has an incredible track record with cartridges over the last 20 years: 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC, 300 PRC, 17HMR. The list goes on. In fact, I’d guess that 60% of the new hunting rifles in most gun stores today are chambered in a cartridge designed by Hornady.

The 7mm Precision Rifle Cartridge is a long-action centerfire rifle cartridge designed to shoot 180 grain bullets at 2,950 fps. It is intended for long-range shooting due to its ability to utilize high BC bullets, and is also uniquely suited for hunting large animals such as elk.

Pros and Cons of the 7mm PRC

Comparing 7mm PRC to Similar Cartridges

The 7mm PRC is similar to a 7mm Rem Mag, but it can shoot heavier bullets with higher BC’s, has no belt which causes problems for reloaders, and slightly less case capacity so longer barrels are not necessary. Think of it as a modernized 7mm Rem Mag.

The Precision Rifle Cartridge line is now broad enough that for many hunting uses, shooters will have a tough time deciding between the 6.5 PRC, 7 PRC, and 300 PRC.

As you can see from the above table, the 7mm PRC is most similar to the Gunwerks 7 LRM. In fact, Aaron Davidson, CEO of Gunwerks, jokingly said that the new 7PRC is the 7LRM. Obviously, there are many technical differences between the two, but they do fill a nearly identical hole in the market.

Personally, I have said for a long time on the Youtube channel that my ideal hunting cartridge would be a 7mm shooting 180 grains at 3,000 fps. That’s exactly what the 7PRC is, but it is by no means the only cartridge that offers those specs.

My prediction? The 7mm PRC will beat the following cartridges in sales over the next 20 years: 280AI, Gunwerks LRM, and the 7mm Rem Mag. Personally, I like all three of those cartridges for different reasons, but I think this new cartridge will become so popular over the next few years that those cartridges will quickly fade in the rearview mirror. Obviously, the 7mm Rem Mag isn’t going to just vanish in the next 10 years. It’s an incredibly popular cartridge, but over time, I expect the 7 PRC to overtake it.

The following table compares the 7 PRC to several other cartridges using Hornady’s Precision Hunter line of ammunition.

Recoil

The recoil of the 7mm PRC produces 27.7 ft-lbs of energy at a recoil velocity of 14.1 fps. That is more recoil than a .30-06 but less than a .300 Win Mag. It is on the upper end of what most large adult shooters can comfortably tolerate.

When I first shot the 7 PRC in a lightweight rifle, I was surprised by the stout recoil; however, adding a muzzle brake or a suppressor tames the rifle dramatically. I shot a coyote yesterday with the 7 PRC and had no problem seeing the bullet impact the coyote and the aftermath without losing my view of the target in the scope due to recoil.

7 PRC Cartridge Design

Before SAAMI drawings of the 7 PRC were released, I fully expected the 7 PRC to follow the industry-wide trend of overbore hot-rod cartridges. I thought for certain it would have more powder capacity than a 7 Mag so Hornady could advertise the new cartridge “beating” the old standard.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the cartridge is quite mild. The 7 PRC has very slightly less case capacity than the 7mm Remington Magnum, but also has a twist rate and neck length capable of shooting much heavier bullets than are common in a 7 Mag.

Bullet Weights

The 7 PRC is designed around the 180-grain ELD-Match bullet; however, some people will certainly point to the fact that the 7mm Rem Mag has been able to shoot 180-grain bullets for many decades. The specified twist rate for each cartridge dramatically impacts the ability for a firearm to spin a bullet fast enough to stabilize a long bullet in flight.

Shooters will gravitate toward heavy-for-caliber high-BC bullets in the 7mm PRC. I have a table showing the highest BC 7mm bullets, but here are a few bullets likely to be popular in the 7mm PRC:

• 175gr Hornady ELD-X
• 160gr Hornady CX
• 180gr Hornady ELD-M
• 195gr Berger EOL
• 183gr Sierra MatchKing
• 180gr Berger VLD Target
• 180gr Berger VLD Hunting
• 175gr Berger Elite Hunter
• 175gr Nosler Accubond

Below are the specified twist rates for many similar cartridges to the 7 PRC. A faster twist in the rifling of a barrel allows the bullet to spin more quickly to stabilize longer (and consequently heavier) bullets.

Converting Your Rifle to a 7 PRC

Backfire was the first publication to put together a 7 PRC as soon as the SAAMI specs for the cartridge were released. Building a rifle with no reloading data and no established manufacturing was a challenge, but now you can easily get a rifle rebarreled for 7 PRC.

I highly recommend Preferred Barrel Blanks for this job. I had them make me a short 20″ carbon fiber-wrapped barrel chambered in 7 PRC. I’m getting impressive velocities despite the short length, and the accuracy has been insanely good-one of the most accurate rifles I’ve ever shot.

Be cautious when rebarreling a rifle into any of the “PRC” cartridges. Due to the extremely tight tolerances of these cartridges, I’ve seen MANY manufacturers struggle with delivering barrels that spike pressures or have brass that doesn’t fit right. The #1 reason I recommend Preferred Barrel Blanks is because they’ve sorted through those issues and can deliver problem-free prefit barrels.

The cool thing is that Preferred Barrel Blanks does prefits for just about any action you already have. You can get a new barrel for your Ruger American, Tikka, Bergara, Savage, etc. Or, you can of course use a custom action like a Terminus, Defiance, etc. As long as it’s a standard long-action, you should be just fine putting a 7 PRC barrel on it.

If you’re new to this, just call Preferred Barrel Blanks at (435) 635-6900 and tell them you read about them on Backfire and you want a 20″ carbon fiber-wrapped prefit barrel like the one they made for me. When it gets mailed to you, you screw it on and you have a 7 PRC! Simple as that. Below is a picture of the 7 PRC that Preferred Barrel Blanks built for me (Note: I also bought a MDT HNT26 chassis from them, which they had in stock).

Factory Rifles Offered in 7 PRC

I have a complete article on the best rifles available now in 7mm PRC.

As soon as the cartridge was officially announced, Hornady announced many rifle makers that will be producing factory offerings for the 7 PRC.

I was somewhat surprised by the list of firearms manufacturers who are not yet jumping on board with the 7 PRC. Tikka, Browning, and Bergara are conspicuously missing from the list and yet they all chamber for the 6.5 PRC.

Since this new cartridge has been announced, I’ve talked with my contacts at many of the major rifle manufacturers and have been surprised by how many of them are extremely frustrated with working on PRC chamberings in their rifles. There have been many changes to the reamer specs of the other PRC cartridges, and the tight tolerances make manufacturing difficult.

Reloading for the 7 PRC

I’ve done a significant amount of handloading and reloading for the 7 PRC over the last few months. Using dies from Whidden, I got to work.

Initially, I expected H1000 or Retumbo to be the best powders for the 7 PRC since they are fan favorites of the 7 Mag. I quickly saw that the 4 fewer grains of case capacity in the 7 PRC made these powders not ideal. So far, my favorite powder for reloading the 7 PRC is H4831SC using standard large rifle primers.

The challenge of loading for any of the PRC cartridges is the extremely tight tolerances. Even fairly experienced reloaders sometimes struggle to get reloaded brass to fit properly into the rifle.

Obviously Hornady makes dies for the 7 PRC, but I personally am not a fan of their dies. The only other company I’ve seen with die sets is Whidden Gunworks. They sent me their full-length bushing resizing die and micrometer seating die and I’ve been amazed with the quality. Seriously, it’s by far the nicest die set I’ve ever owned-and I’ve tried just about every brand out there.

Loading the 175gr ELD-X Bullet in the 7mm PRC

Important Note: This is anecdotal testing. Your results may vary. Unlike a load data book from one of the ammunition companies, I am not measuring pressure with a computer. I’m just looking at the brass for symptoms of being over-pressure, but sometimes those symptoms don’t show up until a cartridge is significantly overpressure as could be measured by a computer. This is for academic purposes only. Do not rely on my anecdotal testing for your rifle. If ya do… you might blow your face off.

First, let’s take a look at H4831SC powder loaded with a 175gr ELD-X bullet. This is using CCI Large Magnum primers, and shooting out of a 24″ test barrel.

Next, I loaded H1000. Unfortunately, the chronograph (Labradar) glitched out and didn’t record all the velocities, but I did at least shoot the following two that were recorded. Note that BOTH of these are a compressed load, so you couldn’t really go much faster than this with H1000.

This is again shooting the 175gr ELD-X bullet out of 24″ test barrel with a large magnum CCI primer.

Last, I shot Accurate Magpro powder with the same 175gr ELD-X and CCI large magnum primer out of a 24″ test barrel. Here’s what I found.

I also received some information from a gentleman in Canada who built a 7PRC. Here’s what he reported using a 175gr ELDX, Federal 215M primers, and Reloder26 powder. Here’s that data using his 24.5″ barrel:

After seeing these numbers, I’m most interested in pursuing H4831SC for this cartridge. H1000 ran out of space for powder before I reached max velocity. Magpro had a lot of case capacity left, but wasn’t getting the velocity I’d hope to see without just burning a ton of powder.

Personally, my load for the 175 ELD-X in the 7mm PRC will be 64gr of H4831SC, which should yield around 2,925fps. I believe that should be a max load but still safe in my rifle, efficient loading, and impressive speed.

It seems that the cartridge was designed to compress the load right at the point where you’d reach pressure with these common powders.

Interestingly, I loaded 61.2 grains of H4831SC in a 7mm Remington Magnum, and a 7mm PRC. I used the same primer, and the same 175gr ELDX bullet. However, the 7mm PRC shot on average 105 fps faster.

There is still quite a bit more case capacity left with Magpro (my guess would be you could go to 77 grains before it compresses), so that could be an option for max velocity, but you’d be going through quite a bit more powder to get there.

Loading the 195 Berger EOL Bullet in the 7mm PRC

For this load, I chose the 195 Berger EOL and loaded it to max COAL of 3.34″. I used CCI large magnum rifle primers, and lovingly caressed each bullet before sending it on the ride of its life. I’m still using the same 24″ test barrel by Preferred Barrel Blanks for this cartridge.

Loading the 150gr Hornady CX Bullet in the 7mm PRC

Note that with these loads, I switch to a standard large rifle primer-not a magnum primer.

I personally worked up my load using the 150gr Hornady CX bullet, but now Hornady has announced a new 160gr CX bullet with a much higher BC and only one band instead of the two bands on the 150gr CX. I will likely switch to that bullet once it becomes available.

Surprisingly, the factory ammunition for the 160gr CX bullet offers the same 3,000fps muzzle velocity as the 175gr ELD-X bullet. I expected it to go a little faster in the CX due to the lighter weight, but copper bullets can also increase pressures, so it seems that Hornady wasn’t able to get any increased speed out of it.

History of the 7mm PRC

Hornady officially announced the cartridge on October 26, 2022 at the NASGW Expo. The 7mm PRC was approved by SAAMI on June 7, 2022 and the public introduction was released on June 16, 2022. Backfire’s Youtube channel was the first publication to break the story of the cartridge’s SAAMI approval, and Backfire was also the first group to build a 7mm PRC and show it to the public.

Introduction

The journey of progression that saw Browning Sweet 16 evolve into the current state is one you will love catching up with. The original old Auto-5 Sweet 16 saw a rigorous production process that began in 1902 when John Browning designed the first Auto-5, which turned out as a very functional semi-automatic shotgun. From then, Fabrique Nationale, a Belgian, took the production and proceeded with that for the next 75 years till 1977.

Production later moved to Miroku, Japan, which proceeded for the next 23 years. In these years of production and remodeling, the Auto-5s were made in 12, 16, and 20 gauges, with the sweet 16 version getting the attention of a majority of users then. You may also want to check out other 16 gauge shotguns. Sweet 16 was loved so much was its ability to combine the abilities of gauges 20 and 12. It was until the year 2000 that the last run of Auto-5 was sold.

How it Came to Be

The old A-5 was not popular for nothing. Its unique humpback profile and its long-recoil action with the moving barrel made it reliable and a preferred choice to almost every gun user. It was so popular that if someone didn’t own it, they at least knew someone who did.

Between the period when the old Auto-5 aged and when the new Sweet 16 was introduced, the browning company introduced a more modern inertia-operated shotgun known as the A-500, which was to be renamed A500R. This gun was only produced for a few years, and the Browning team had to move ahead to something better.

After several attempts to come up with an outstanding gas-operated auto gun, which saw the introduction of discontinued gun versions like the B80, B2000 and A500G, Browning decided to bring in something new. In the year 2012, they introduced the A5, which came in as a 12 gauge gun. In 2016, however, during the 2016 SHOT show, the A5 was reintroduced as A5 sweet sixteen thanks to its 16-gauge features. It is this A5 sweet 16 that we want to focus on today in this guide.

Buyer’s Guide: What to Expect from this Beauty

Features

You may feel motivated already to buy this iconic gun, but before making that step to own one, you may want to know what to look out for in this gun. I gathered some of the general features you can check out for before settling for a reliable A5 sweet 16. Have a look.

The Inertia Action

The A5’s inertia action, which is also called Kinematic drive-by Browning, is an outstanding feature that you must look for when buying the gun. It allows you to keep the outer bolt housing in place while the A5’s recoil moves the gun to the rear. This action helps eliminate the need to have the recoil move the barrel to the rear and push the bolt back to its original position as in the original A-5.

The inertia action applies pressure to an interior bolt spring, which in return powers the bolt backward making the rotary head to twist free of the barrel, which cocks the hummer and ejects the hull. When all these happen, the spring in the stock forces the bolt forward to chamber the new shell and close the bolt.

Detachable Trigger

The A5’s trigger is detachable, and you can easily do this by pushing out the two cross pins and giving it a yank or a pull. As you check closer, you should expect a trigger housing made of aluminum as well as the trigger blade. It has a push-through safety button at the rear of the trigger guard and a bolt latch in front of the trigger guard. This allows the assembly guard to lock when the magazine is empty. The bolt latch can also help release a shell from the magazine to load into the chamber.

New Invector DS Screw Chokes

The A5 sweet sixteen comes with three of the new invector DS screw chokes. They are flush-mounted and are about 2.9 inches long, which gradually compress the shot to avoid deformation. The DS (Double Seal), refers to the choke‘s brass branded seal at the back and front threading at the muzzle. While screw chokes threaded at the muzzle allow carbon to build up between the choke and the bore, the invector DS brass back seal perfectly prevents this.

‘Grade 1’ Wood

One other thing I find appealing, and you would want to check out for it the high-quality wooding on the A5 sweet sixteen shotguns. The wood on this gun has a nice finish in a high-gloss synthetic. The wood’s checkering is a result of a perfect machine-cut, which is well executed in an attractive 18 lines per inch pattern to give it an executive look.

Slender Forearm

The gun has a slender forearm or forend, which makes the gun light and easy to handle, move around and lend in the air. This forend features ergonomic wood construction that offers a perfect grip making the gun stable in your hand for better shooting accuracy.

Adjustable Stock

The stock comes with six shims that fit between the head of the stock and the receiver’s rear, which helps you easily adjust the height and cast off the shaft. Three of the shims will help you adjust the stock’s height only while the other three will adjust both height and cast.

The Two Loading Options

When you go purchasing the A5 sweet sixteen, you will have to check or ask about the gun’s loading options available during the trials. First, there is the normal option for semi-auto guns where you drop the shell into the ejection port and push the bolt-closing button and then place the next shell into the magazine. The second option is the Browning’s speed loading plus where you feed the first shell into the magazine, which it automatically chambers and the closes the bolt.

Upon confirmation of the above features, you will be sure that you are settling for a genuine A5 sweet sixteen shotgun. Let us now see the advantages of getting the new A5 sweet sixteen shotgun below.

What I Love about it

• Smaller, lighter receiver for reduced weight.
• It offers a sleek feel in your hands.
• It is made entirely of steel with wooden stock for durability.
• Attractive and good looking.
• Comes packaged in an ABS case with storage holes to hold the disassembled gun.
• The Inflex II recoil pad at the end of the stock improves its looks and reduces snagging on your cloth.
• Kinematic drive system.

What I Don’t Like

• The supplied shims don’t quickly move the barrel up enough to measure.

What is the Difference between the Original Browning Auto-5 and the New Browning A5 Sweet Sixteen?

The original A5 Browning shotgun had some structural and functional differences that set it apart from the new sweet sixteen. While these differences may not be major ones, knowing about them could help you differentiate the two and settle for the sweet sixteen much easier. Let us see what sets them apart below.

Receiver

One distinguishing factor between the standard and the new sweet sixteen would be the receiver. The sweet sixteen’s receiver is hollows out in usually four spots taking shape reminiscent of half-moons. The original one, on the other hand, had a distinctive squared-off humpbacked receiver. The new sweet sixteen’s receiver is of aluminum, which gives it the resilient strength against corrosion. The standard one, on the other hand, had its receiver mostly made of steel.

Barrels

The barrels on the older versions where the barrel ring mounts on the mag tube come with three holes drilled out to ease some weight away. On the other hand, the sweet sixteen enjoys a total barrel dynamics, which helps to extract the overall performance from this revered gauge (g 16).

Feel and Texture

There is a real difference in how the two guns feel, and their texture would easily tell them apart. The old A5 has a thinner wood finish that offers less grip; hence it is less stable in the hands than the new sweet sixteen. The new one has a checkered finish on the stock, making it attractive but sturdy to hold hence more stable in the hands than its predecessor.

Weight

With time the sweet sixteen came into the picture. One of the things that the manufacturers shelved from the older version was some excess weight from the stock and the forearm. This meant that the outcoming sweet sixteen had to weigh lesser than the original one.

‘Sweet Sixteen’ Designation

Initially, all A5 sweet sixteen had the ‘Sweet Sixteen’ designation inscribed on the receiver’s left side, which automatically reminded you that you were holding a sweet sixteen shotgun. However, over the years, the new sweet sixteen has evolved, and the guns have been refinished with the latest ones having the designation removed.

Safety

The older versions had the safety pins on the trigger guard’s front that slid back and forth through the trigger guard. These initial safety pins were considered unsafe, and they had to be replaced with at least two subsequent safety styles in the latest version. So essentially, the new sweet sixteen offers safer operations than what the old version did.

Shooting the New A5 Sweet Sixteen

After settling for the sweet sixteen shotguns, you have many expectations running in your mind about how the gun is going to function. The shooting experience can be very smooth and fun when you do everything right. So let us find out what happens after the purchase deal is sealed.

When bought, the gun comes out of the box very dry. After a few shots, it may start to fail to cycle the shells. The perfect shells you can consider for this gun include the Fiocchi 1-oz number 8. They offer a maximum speed of up to 1.156 fps, which are lighter for increased air velocity. Since the gun comes out when dry, you may consider applying some oil to smoothen the shooting process.

Convenience

I believe the speed loading gun plus feature would be more convenient than the standard option for semi-auto shotguns to load the gun. The gun’s trigger pull will appear a bit heavier than the overall weight of the gun. It weighs about 6.25 pounds, which is still a bearable weight for an entire operation. The trigger has a bit of creep, but its likely you won’t feel it because of the heavy trigger pull.

If you have a full face and a short neck, the sweet sixteen’s stock design would be a perfect fit. The drop of 1.75 inches at the nose area on the stock helps you better view the hump. If you do not have the full face and short neck, you have to lift your face over the stock.

Comfortably expect a perfectly stable operation despite the gun being delightfully light for field carry. It doesn’t whip about when shooting thanks to its long barrel. The gun comes packaged in a black ABS take-down case, ideal for car travel but not for demanding travel escapades.

It comes with the two extra chokes and wrench, stock lengths, spacers, cable trigger lock, manual, and six height shims. Its manual is unique as it gives you a detailed guide on how to use the gun. This ensures you have a comfortable time during the assembling and disassembling of the firearm.

Most Popular Browning Sweet 16 Accessories

Final Verdict

The Browning sweet sixteen is a revolutionary gun with outstanding features that will meet your expectations and exceed them. Mainly used for hunting, the sweet sixteen will improve your success score in the fields. Remember to have extra magazines for convenience during your hunts; this helps you reduce wastage of time refilling the magazine.

Do not forget to check out the features that define a modern sweet sixteen before making a purchase. Ensure you check the inertia action, new DS screw chokes, detachable trigger, and adjustable stock, among other features. Do not keep waiting any longer; get yourself a new sweet sixteen shotgun and join the rest in enjoying this gun’s excellent features.

Early on in life, I learned the value of a quality tripod. Originally a photographer by trade, I knew even the slightest movement in the wrong conditions would ruin a shot. As I learned to shoot rifles from tripods, especially at extended ranges, I found the same to be true. Tripods can level the playing field, making difficult shots in awkward positions a lot more manageable. They’re not limited to tradition front-rifle support, but can be used as rear supplementary support as well. When looking at tripods for shooting, I personally have a few “must haves,” as well as a few, “prefer to haves.” Anything more is icing on the cake.

Must-Haves

• Stout legs – Strong legs and stiff legs often go hand-in-hand. It needs to support my rifle and any weight I put onto it while stabilizing my shot.
• Easy adjustments – Holding a rifle for a precise shot is enough to think about. I want knobs, levers, and dials I can quickly operate one-handed without stressing.
• Counterweight point – Every tripod I tested for this write-up features one, most often in the form of a hook or loop located directly under the head. To make my shot more stable, I can tie off to heavy objects, or even myself if need be.
• Multiple leg angles – again, all tripods tested featured three angle positions. These can be used in any combination for variations of prone, kneeling, and standing shots.
• Big rubber feet – rubber is a shock absorber, and as such, rubber feet on the ground help absorb and distribute recoil.
• ARCA-Swiss style clamps – Clamps to secure the 1.5-inch wide dovetail rails provide fast and secure mounting options for rifles. There are a few variations of it on the market, but at its core, it is the gold standard for rifle mounting.

Prefer-to-Haves

• Vented hinges – At the top of the legs, vent holes make deployment of the legs fast and worry-free.
• Spring-loaded ratcheting angle locks – Again, my preference. It’s one less thing I have to think about when changing shooting positions quickly.
• Bubble levels – Most every rifle I own has a bubble on the scope or action itself, but having one more to reference never hurts.

Those aren’t exhaustive lists, but they’re there to be thought provoking when looking for your next shooting support. Without further ado, let’s get into 5 of the best shooting tripods of the year.

Really Right Stuff S.O.A.R. TFCT 34L with Anvil 30 ARC

RRS began as a photography equipment company in 1990, designing and creating more consistent and well-thought-out quick-release plates, tripods, and other accessories. Their Sport Optics and Rifle division has kept ahead of the curve with highly engineered, durable, and lightweight tripods capable of supporting even the heaviest of rifle platforms. Every single part of each tripod is designed, made, and hand-assembled right here in the USA.

Their compact but lightweight Anvil-30 ARC head is both ergonomic and feature packed. It has seen a few iterations over the last few years. The most up-to date version still features RRS’s easy to use lever-release, but it is now repositionable for tailoring to your preference. It also features the all-new R-Lock System. The R-lock provides supplemental security to your rifle mount in the form of a pin that locks into holes machined along the underside of RRS’s quick-release ARCA-Swiss Style plates. Even if you have ARCA plates without holes for the pin, the rail clamp can still be used in its traditional configuration. The newest ARC head also features toolless tension adjustment for the Patent-pending dual-rail style clamp. This allows you to set the jaws to the appropriate tension needed for your ARCA or Picatinny rails. Lastly, the throw lever now features a paddle style safety lock to prevent accidental release of the clamp.

As for the legs, The US-made carbon fiber legs are incredibly stout, even for their comfortably narrow dimensions. Because of the way the legs are offset in their hinges, they are able to fold in nice and tight to each other, keeping their packing dimensions to a minimum. The hinges are also vented, preventing airlock when deploying and collapsing the legs. This particular model, the TCFT 34L with the Anvil 30 ARC, extends to over six feet tall at its highest point, and can support anywear from 45 to 85lbs, depending on how high you extend its four sections. Even at its tallest, 45lbs is generous, and will cover most heavy long range platforms. The legs have three adjustable positions with ratcheting locks that automatically engage when adjusting from horizontal to vertical positions. The TFCT 34-L with Anvil-30 ARC head comes in with an MSRP of $1,580.00, making it the highest-priced option on our list.

Two-Vets Sporting Goods – Recon V2 with 55mm Dual Tension Ballhead and Area 419 Arcalock Clamp

The first word that comes to mind when I see the Recon V2 is clean. The Recon V2 brings in a lot of features you should expect to find in premium carbon fiber tripods, at a more mid-level price point. The 38mm main tube is made of a stout and tightly woven carbon fiber, while the center section, hinges, and twist locks are all CNC machined from high strength aluminum. The grooved aluminum twist locks only require a quarter turn to loosen and retighten, making for fast and solid adjustments in the field. The hinge locks are able to ratchet and can lock out at 3 angles, giving you shots anywhere from prone to fully standing. At its full height, the Recon V2 with the 55mm Ballhead is just a couple inches shy of six feet tall, making standing shots a breeze, even at high angles.

The center section has been narrowed for the V2, giving a minimal profile when legs are collapsed against each other. The hinges are vented to allow for easy deployment and compression of the leg sections. The center section also features a rubber-tipped set screw, which lets the user snug it into whatever head they decide to use, eliminating the need for any sort of threadlock on the ⅜”-16 main screw. They also feature multiple ¼”-20 threaded holes around the center section and hinges for accessory mounting. The wide rubber feet provide support and stability in most environments, but when needed, simply unscrew the feet to reveal a steel spike in each. Spinning the threaded spikes from the inside to the outside gives you even more traction in soft terrain. The price of the Recon V2 alone is $605.00.

As for the head itself, the 55mm ballhead features a dual-tension system for ball adjustments. Set the smaller of the knobs to the level of tension you like, then use the large main knob to lock and unlock the head quickly. The third small knob on the tripod allows the user to loosen and tighten the panning portion of the head, giving glass-smooth horizontal movement. The Area 419 Arcalock Clamp features three steel pins that lock into Area 419 Arcalock scalloped rails. This pin/scallop combo prevents unwanted movement of the rifle in addition to the friction tension of the clamp. If you prefer to run smooth sided ARCA rail, this isn’t a problem. A set screw under each pin can be backed out, and the pins removed. Simply unwinding the oversized knob loosens the spring-loaded clamp and allows for ease of movement. The knob isn’t as fast as a throw lever, but does allow the user to adjust the tension in the ARCA plate exactly where they want it. The price of the ballhead in that configuration is $235.00. Combined with the price of the tripod, tax included, the full setup can be gotten right around $900.

Despite being a relatively new company, Two Vets has come out swinging with a wide product line covering the bases from competition to hunting. Their customer service has, in my experience been top-notch, and I often found my questions being answered by the owner of the company himself. They’re always working to improve their products and have a few exciting plans for 2024.

BOG Deathgrip Infinite

The new Deathgrip Infinite from BOG comes down from their long line of affordable, thought-out hunting products. This latest model contains a number of features that make it better than ever. They started by separating the Deathgrip Clamp from the head, and put an ARCA-Swiss style plate on the bottom. The head itself now has an adjustable ARCA compatible clamp, making swaps between spotting scopes, cameras, and the Deathgrip head itself a breeze. That ARCA clamp tops a lined socket which tilts and rotates freely on the 45mm Aluminum ballhead. The polymer lining keeps the movements both smooth and quiet.

The Deathgrip Ultralite head is made from magnesium to remain lightweight but strong. It weighs less than 1lb, and features a patent-pending dual jaw clamp with rubber inserts to give you a secure, yet non-marring hold on your rifle stock. Clamping adjustments are made with a single oversized, rubberized knob. The dual jaw clamps move quickly, and keep the rifle centered over the tripod, ensuring the best balance. The ARCA-Swiss style plate is securely mounted on the bottom by four steel screws and two indexing pins. Testing the Deathgrip on different platforms, I didn’t have a single rifle it wouldn’t hold securely. From my heaviest AR-10s, to my lightest bolt actions, the clamp held solid through the firing cycle time and again. The jaws open to almost 2.5”, and can tighten to just under 1.3”. The Ballhead itself features overmolded knobs that are large enough to easily manipulate with or without gloves. The ARCA clamp itself can open more than wide enough to accommodate not only the Deathgrip head, but most any ARCA-style rail on the market.

Utilizing lighter materials like Magnesium and Carbon Fiber, BOG was able to drop the weight of the tripod with Deathgrip head to only 6.5lbs. Without the Deathgrip, the carbon fiber tripod comes in under six pounds. Twist locks on the stout carbon fiber legs are fast and easy to use, thanks to being rubberized. Steel spikes stored in the rubber feet are out of the way when you don’t need them, but easy enough to install when you do. The leg hinges feature three settings to adjust them to 20, 45, or 85 degrees. When splayed out to 85 degrees, shots can easily be taken in the prone. The tripod also features a retention strap to keep the legs held together when in transit. The kit comes with a soft carrying case, and an additional ARCA plate for optics.

Fat Boy Tripods Traverse Three Section with Invert60 Ballhead

The Fat Boy Traverse tripod with their Invert60 Ballhead is flashy to say the least. The carbon fiber weave looks like snake skin, and the mossy green anodizing on the upper section stands out. The legs are a stout 42.5mm, and collapsed with the Invert60 Ballhead, it stands 32 inches tall at the ARCA Clamp. This is our bulkiest tripod tested, and with a total weight of 7lbs 11.5oz, it is also our heaviest. The legs have little to no flex, and when folded, integrated stops in the hinge prevent the legs from crossing over in the way of each other.

The hinges feature similar ratcheting technology we saw in a couple previous models, with the three leg positions allowing for shots anywhere from prone to standing. The center section is wider than previous models, and the ⅜”-16 threaded top platform can be swapped out for an aftermarket bowl adapter and 75mm leveling base. The hinges and center section also feature ¼”-20 threaded holes for mounting accessories. The rubberized twist locks on the legs require only a quarter of a turn to loosen or tighten, and the rubber feet feature integrated steel spikes. The spikes stay out of the way, but can be accessed by extending the shortest leg, then spinning the rubber foot up to expose the spike.

The Invert60 Ball Head features a combination picatinny and ARCA rail clamp with an adjustable quick throw lever to loosen or tighten onto your rail of choice. One single rubberized knob controls tension on the 60mm ball head. The “Invert” name comes from the ball itself being mounted to the tripod, and the socket moving around it, opposite of a typical ball head. The grippy knob doesn’t take much of a rotation at all to go from very tight, to quite loose. This makes on the fly adjustments quick, and since the mount is inverted, the adjustment knob stays in the same spot relative to the rifle, making panning and tilting simultaneously a one-stop shop. The threaded plate under the ball features a set screw to prevent the head from coming loose.

The rubberized knobs and twist locks all feature aggressive texturing, ensuring ease of operation in any condition. When fully extended, the three-section legs bring the Invert60 ARCA clamp to 69 inches off the ground. While this option may be a bit big and heavy for backcountry hunts, it is sure to be a solid platform for predator hunting, competition, and regular range day shenanigans. Fat Boy offers the Traverse three section for $750.00, and the Invert60 Ball Head for $375.00, bringing the total cost for this setup to $1,125.00 plus tax.

Vortex Radian Carbon Fiber Tripod + Ballhead

The design of the Radian Carbon tripod from Vortex is very reminiscent of my early photography days using Leofoto tripods and heads. Dimensions, shape, even placement of levers and knobs was very familiar. After offering optic-specific tripods in the past, Vortex has taken the dive into purpose-built, heavy duty shooting tripods. This model is offered as a complete package with your choice of a ball head or a leveling head. I chose the ball head for this review. Like their other products, the Radian Carbon tripod is covered under Vortex’s VIP Warranty. In the package is the set of legs, the head of your choice, a counterweight hook, soft case, ARCA plate for optics, stainless steel spike feet, and all tools and manuals you will need to get started and maintain your tripod.

The legs are stiff, with the main tube having a diameter of 36mm. When all four sections are fully extended, the tripod stands 67 inches at the ARCA clamp on the ball head. The rubber feet must be fully spun off before spinning on the spike feet. The twist locks only require a quarter turn, and the rubberized knob is generously sized, giving sure grip in any conditions. The center section has a metal loop for a sling, as well as a bubble to check level of the legs themselves. I would be remiss if I didn’t say I found myself wanting with some of the design on this tripod. The hinges for the legs are not vented, so I find myself pulling each section to fully extend it. This is a bit cumbersome when speed is of the essence. The hinge locks also do not ratchet in. It was an extra step I needed to take to ensure my legs would be locked out at the position of my choice. It’s not a make or break of course, but I definitely was expecting it as a premium tripod option.

The 55mm ball head features the three knob tension system I spoke about earlier in this review. Two for the ball, and one for the pan. The knobs are aggressively textured and easy to manipulate, despite not being rubberized. The ARCA clamp itself features a twist knob for securing the ARCA plates, and has its own small bubble level, ensuring you can keep the ball level. The maximum load of the tripod with that head is 55lbs. In this configuration, it comes in at a hefty 7lbs, 2.4oz. At it’s widest point when folded, the tripod is 6 inches in diameter, but the feet can come together at the bottom, so it still packs a bit easier than if the legs went straight out. The Vortex name and warranty carry a lot of weight, and despite my misgivings, it is still a solid option. For the premium price (MSRP $1,299.00), I do wish it had a few more of those features that I’ve really found make shooting from a tripod more pleasant.

Final Thoughts

When considering these five models, I looked for what was both solid and fast. Whether hunting or competing, speed matters. The fastest head to operate was by far the Anvil 30 ARC from RRS. The whole RRS setup was the lightest too, and as such, most versatile of the models tested. It’s also the most tested and fielded of any of the above models. The price for me, however, was a breaking point. I personally found myself drawn to the Recon V2 from Two Vets Sporting goods. Whether shooting rifles or even photos, it has been, more times than not, the one I reach for. In my time spent with it, it punched well above the price point at which it is offered. The Deathgrip Infinite Carbon Fiber from BOG was most budget friendly option. It comes with the tools needed to run any rifle, whether it had a rail or not. This past deer season, my good friend was due for neck surgery and couldn’t physically hold up his rifle. I sent this tripod with him for the season, and it gave him the support he needed to take the shot when it mattered. BOG built this one with a purpose. Speaking of dedicated purpose, the big and heavy Traverse from Fat Boy begs to be run in competition or out on a coyote hunt. The Vortex Radian Carbon, while a bit hefty, still finds a home in the worlds of competition and hunting.

These I tested are only a small batch of the wide range of tripods on the market. From even bigger competition models to the smallest and lightest backcountry tripods, there is sure to be one that fits your needs at the price point you want to work with. If you can try one before you buy one, even better. Whether hunting or competing, be sure you have the tools you need to make the shot count when it matters.

Do you associate Benelli with semi-auto guns?

Most of us do…from the famed inertia system to the gas-eating Marine Corps-approved M4, and even the weird combination pump and semi-auto M3, the company is well known for its semi-auto models.

But Benelli’s SuperNova breaks that mold bringing a pump-action, 12-gauge shotgun that truly stands out in the very crowded pump-action market.

Unlike most Benelli’s, the SuperNova doesn’t break the bank either. It’s often priced competitively with Remington and Mossberg shotguns.

So, you know we had to get our hands on this gun and give it a try. Today, we’re reviewing the tactical variant of the gun with the field stock and ghost ring sights.

Benelli SuperNova Tactical Review at a Glance

Pros

• Compact
• Ghost ring sights but also optics-ready
• Ergonomic design

Cons

• Not a lot of customization options
• Length of pull is a little long

The Bottom Line

The Benelli SuperNova is an effective, comfortable-to-shoot option for those looking for a shotgun for both home defense and hunting. And the price isn’t too bad either!

Specs & Features

Benelli doesn’t waste space and keeps the barrel at a trim 18.5 inches.

That’s the stock standard for a tactical 12-gauge, and while shorter is nicer, the NFA requires a stamp for anything less than 18 inches.

The 18.5-inch length gives some leeway for the inconsistent testing methods used by the ATF.

The overall length of the weapon is 39.75 inches, and it weighs 7.6 pounds. The length of pull is a long 14.75 inches. Even henchman-sized guys like me find that to be a long length of pull.

We’ll talk more about that later…

The Benelli SuperNova comes with a 4-round magazine tube. Oddly enough, the magazine tube comes plugged to only allow two rounds to be loaded.

That’s common in sporting guns, and the purpose is to keep the weapon legal when hunting certain species of birds.

Removing the plug is easy enough. Four plus one is the absolute minimum for a tactical shotgun. I, like most, would prefer a little extra capacity in my defensive or tactical shotgun.

Luckily, adding a magazine extension is easy, and I did just that to get three extra rounds in the gun.

Beads make great sights, but ghost rings are better, and Benelli believes in ghost rings. It’s got a set of solid iron sights with a rear ghost ring and a big front sight. They are very well made sights, and very adjustable.

If you prefer optics, you’re in good company. The top of the receiver is drilled and tapped for an optic’s rail or mount.

The SuperNova works with Benelli M4-style optics mounts, just pop out the plastic plugs and pop on the scope mount with the screws.

Who Is It For?

While Benelli markets the standard SuperNova towards hunters, the SuperNova Tactical is geared more towards home defense. With that said, it can still make a great hunting gun.

Fit & Feel

Ergonomically the SuperNova provides a sound ergonomic experience. The trigger guard is massive, and your finger will find its way in. Its safety is reversible for lefties and is a push-button style that’s rather large and easy to engage.

The pump release is forward slightly of the trigger, and it’s intuitive. It’s big enough, and I doubt it’s an issue for lefties.

Using the magazine cut-off isn’t hard but takes a second to get used to.

You have to pull the pump slightly rearward, then hit the button and finish racking the pump rearward. Once the button’s pressed, rounds won’t feed from the tube, and you can do a hasty and intuitive slug select drill.

Loading rounds directly into the port of the weapon doesn’t pose a challenge either. That ejection port is massive and made for a 3.5-inch long shell. So shoving a 2.75-inch shell in the thing doesn’t create an issue.

Port reloads are how you get a gun in action when it runs completely dry. Being able to get a quick reload in the pipe can be critical. Keeping the gun fed is also easy. It’s got a big mouth in the form of a massive loading port.

It’s made for 3.5-inch rounds, and all that extra size gives you plenty of room to shove in standard 2.75-inch shells. It’s easily the fastest reload I’ve ever achieved with a pump gun.

My main problem with the gun’s ergonomics is the super long length of pull. It makes the gun feel unnecessarily long. The LOP makes it hard to assume a squared-off shooting position and forces a more sporting-style bladed stance to be used.

How Does It Shoot?

Speed means nothing without control. Banging hammers with the SuperNova and controlling the gun is quite easy. See those weird chevrons in the stock?

That’s part of the Comfortech stock, and those chevrons flex and cushion to reduce recoil and enhance control. With full-powered buckshot, the SuperNova stays comfy and won’t beat you up.

That long pump I mentioned earlier also features a good degree of texturing and a shape that makes it easy to get a grip on it.

When you run a pump gun fast, your hand might slip rearwards and off the pump or into a compromised grip. That’s not an issue with the giant Supernova pump.

I use a push/pull technique to mitigate recoil. The texturing, shape, and length grant me a rock-solid grip to push forward on the pump and help maintain control.

That long pump design also grants me more gun to grip. I injured my shoulders pretty bad when I was younger, and sometimes running a standard pump shotgun hurts.

The longer pump allows me to grip closer to the receiver and resists stretching my arms out.

It’s less weight on my shoulders and a much more comfortable experience.

What Sets It Apart?

The earlier Nova was a great gun, but not perfect. Benelli’s SuperNova took the criticisms of the Nova and perfected it.

The Nova featured a one-piece construction receiver and stock, so switching stocks wasn’t an option.

With the SuperNova, you can swap stocks. Additionally, the trigger guard is fairly large and accommodates gloved hands better.

The stock included with the SuperNova is Benelli’s famed Comfortech design which claims to reduce recoil.

The SuperNova comes with a shim kit that allows you to adjust drop and cast on the gun. It’s an interesting idea and handy for those who like things to fit just right.

How it stands apart from the Nova is one thing, but how does it stand apart from all the other guns on the market?

The most obvious difference is the polymer receiver. As far as I know, it’s the only pump gun with a polymer receiver.

You might ask if this is a concern, will the polymer receiver crack under pressure?

Well, the Nova and SuperNova have been kicking around for over a decade, and that hasn’t been an issue. Obviously, some metal sits into the receiver and forms a skeleton frame.

Polymer’s cool, but that’s not the only awesome feature. The super-long pump is interesting and allows for a whole lot of grip on the gun. Most guns have a space between the pump and the receiver, and the SuperNova does not.

In fact, the pump goes so far back that it overlaps the receiver by about a quarter inch. The long pump means shooters with short and long arms can easily use the gun. We aren’t done with the pump yet, either.

In the center of it sits a magazine cutoff device. It’s a button that, when pressed, prevents a shell from feeding into action. This is handy when you need to switch loads on the fly.

The SuperNova also chambers 3.5-inch shells, which is rare for a shotgun.

While 3.5-inch shells aren’t commonly used for defensive shooting, it’s always nice to have more versatility. The SuperNova could easily be a hunting shotgun, even if it’s a “tactical” model.

By The Numbers

Accuracy: 5/5

It’s a shotgun that does shotgun things. The big sights make it easy to aim and easy to adjust for using slugs of high-end buckshot. I give the gun major credit for that.

Reliability:5/5

Pump-action shotguns are inherently reliable. However, the Supernova takes it a step further with a rotating bolt that flings those shells out of the gun with reckless abandon.

Customization: 2/5

Mesa makes a stock and a side-saddle, and that’s about it. Not a lot you can do besides add an optic and extend the magazine tube. If you want customization, a Mossberg or Remington will take you a lot further.

Value: 4/5

It’s not as cheap as a basic Mossberg or Remington Express. They tend to cost right around 870 Magpul or Mossberg 590 prices. Although, you get a much more modern shotgun. It’s by far the cheapest Benelli.

Ergonomics: 4/5

The ergonomics mostly rule. I love the pump design, I love the huge ejection and loading port, and I love the reversible safety and the shim kit to change drop and cast. I don’t love the length of pull, though.

Overall: 4/5

The Benelli SuperNova is one helluva shotgun. It’s a sweet pump-action design that brings innovation into a market that hasn’t moved far beyond the 1960s.

Upgrades for the Benelli SuperNova Tactical

Unfortunately, there are not really a lot of upgrade options for the Benelli SuperNova. Mesa makes a great stock that shrinks the LOP down to 12.5 inches and adds a pistol grip.

Mesa also makes a nice side saddle that provides Picatinny rail and space for storing up to 6 shells.

Other than those two, however, there’s not much out there.

Final Verdict

On paper, the Benelli looks solid, and it’s not just good looks. At the range, it performs very well.

I’ve handled lots of pump-action shotguns, but I don’t think I’ve ever had an action as smooth or as light as the SuperNova’s. This includes a direct comparison to my 1971 Remington Wingmaster.

I’m surprised at how rarely I see the SuperNova mentioned in modern shotgun discussion. It’s a well-built, modern, and easy shooting gun. Benelli put the same innovation in it that they do all their guns.

It’s well on its way to becoming my favorite shotgun and might become my home defense gun sooner rather than later.

Have you shot the Benelli SuperNova? What did you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below. Want more tactical-style shotties? Check out our Best Home-Defense Tactical Shotguns.

Updated, Aug. 2 | The Canada goose, according to those in the know, tastes like a dark, tender cut of smoked chicken.

That’s Canada goose from elsewhere in the country, mind you, where birds killed as part of government plans to shrink the goose population are plucked, frozen and distributed to food pantries. Food banks in Pennsylvania, for example, received 900 pounds of goose meat this year. Geese were also donated this summer to food banks in Maryland and Oregon.

But in New York State, geese that were killed this month were double-bagged and thrown in landfills. Among them – the total numbers have not yet been released – were nearly 400 geese from Prospect Park in Brooklyn.

The mass goose kill in Prospect Park — the idea is to keep them from flying into the engines of jet planes — set off outrage on City Room, where many comments railed against the killings, but others wondered: If we must kill them, why don’t we feed them to the homeless?

Update, Aug. 2, 11:18 a.m. | The official answer to that question came from Farrell Sklerov, a spokesman for the city’s Department of Environmental Protection. He said that the state doesn’t have a protocol for testing the geese for toxins and has not figured out how best to process the meat.

New York, Mr. Sklerov wrote in an e-mail, doesn’t have “sufficient guidelines that pertain to the oversight of the safe preparation or donation of geese to food pantries or soup kitchens.”

A high-level official at the federal Department of Agriculture elaborated, saying that city and state officials have waited six years for the New York State Department of Health to report on the safety of New York bird meat.

“We’re looking for a letter somewhere along the lines that says Canada geese are safe to eat, or that one should consume only a certain amount of Canada goose a month, kind of like the state does with fish,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Other states, however, haven’t had a problem with slaughtering the geese for food.

In central Oregon, the Bend Park and Recreation District convened public meetings on ridding Canada geese from city parks.

There, officials ultimately decided to kill 109 geese with carbon dioxide, which is how New York geese were killed this month. The gas doesn’t make the meat unsafe, according to a spokesman for the American Veterinary Medical Association, who said it was often used to stun poultry.

Don Horton, the executive director of the Bend park district, said the geese were sent to a slaughterhouse, where they were processed and smoked, at $15 a bird.

“For us, the cost was not exorbitant, but if you’re killing 2,000 birds, the cost gets interesting,” Mr. Horton said.

He said he was confused by New York’s stated concern that the birds might not be safe to eat. “These are the same geese hunted by hunters all the time,” he said.

In Pennsylvania, wildlife killed because it has been deemed a nuisance to crops or parks must be donated to food banks.

“The state permit states that the geese shall be donated to a food bank or a shelter – that is a requirement of the permit itself, so they have to abide by that, or they lose the permit,” said Jason DeCoskey, who oversees special permit enforcement for the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Mr. DeCoskey said the Department of Agriculture had a contract with a plucking house in southern Pennsylvania.

Deer make up the bulk of wildlife killed, he said, and when they are, “the U.S.D.A. will automatically call to find out if there are any needy families nearby to get them the meat.”

But for some, donating the geese to food banks doesn’t make up for their deaths.

In central Oregon, where the killed geese provided more than 1,000 hot meals, residents lashed out against the food bank director for accepting the meat.

Patrick Kwan, the New York State director for the Humane Society of the United States, also disagreed with the gesture. “What they are trying to do is make an unnecessary act seem charitable,” he said.

In Oregon, Mr. Horton saw it another way.

“We knew all along that there was a lot of opposition and that taking the meat from the geese and using that meat to feed the hungry by donating it to these two food banks would temper the opposition,” he said.

An angler in Texas made the catch of a lifetime when he reeled in a 283-pound alligator gar that is now poised to break two world records.

Art Weston caught the enormous fish at Sam Rayburn Reservoir in southeast Texas on September 2. The reservoir, which is located about 140 miles northeast of Houston, is known for producing very large alligator gar (Atractosteus spatula), a distinctive-looking freshwater fish with a long snout and large, pointy teeth.

Weston, a 52-year-old angler who lives in Kentucky, was fishing with local guide and boat captain Kirk Kirkland on Kirkland’s vessel, the Garship Enterprise, when the behemoth latched onto his six-pound test line, reports Fox Weather’s Chris Oberholtz.

With help from Kirkland, Weston spent 2 hours and 45 minutes trying to reel in his big catch, which left him “shaking and visibly fatigued,” as Kirkland wrote on Facebook. Kirkland got severe rope burn on his palms after lassoing the beast.

When they finally pulled the fish to shore and weighed it, the creature nearly tipped over their scale because it was so heavy.

“The scale just kept going higher and higher,” Kirkland wrote on Facebook. “I won’t lie, we both jumped up and down.”

After weighing and measuring the creature—which spanned 8 feet, 4 inches long—they released it back into the reservoir. Now, they’re waiting to hear from the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) about whether the supersized swimmer set two new world records.

They suspect the catch has broken the IGFA men’s six-pound line class record and the IGFA all-tackle record for alligator gar, but they are still awaiting official confirmation. The IGFA celebrated Weston’s catch and described the records as “pending” in a Facebook post.

Weston is no stranger to reeling in monster-sized fish: He holds 23 IGFA records and has others pending, reports the Beaumont Enterprise’s Matt Williams.

The colossal creature was likely a female, because female alligator gars can grow larger than the males, says Solomon David, an aquatic ecologist at the University of Minnesota, to Live Science’s Harry Baker.

David estimates the gargantuan fish to be between 50 and 80 years old, though he can’t say for certain without studying the creature’s ear bone, which would show growth lines akin to the rings of a tree trunk.

Scientists suspect alligator gars can live to be more than 100 years old. They develop quickly, reaching lengths of up to two feet within their first year of life. By the time they turn 20, they can be up to six feet long. From there, growth typically slows down, though it doesn’t stop altogether.

With plenty of food and lots of space to swim around, alligator gars can become enormous—but even so, fish over eight feet long are “a true rarity,” as David tells Live Science.

“If we want to continue to see large alligator gars, we need to conserve them, especially the giants,” he tells the publication. “If we continually remove the largest individuals of a population or species, we remove the genes for large growth, which can eventually result in smaller-sized individuals in a population.”

The largest recorded alligator gar ever caught weighed 327 pounds, per Field & Stream’s Steven Hill. The fish died not long after commercial fisherman Kenny Williams reeled him in at Lake Chotard in Mississippi in 2011, so Williams donated the creature’s body to the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science. He caught the fish accidentally, after it became ensnared in a net he’d put out to catch another type of fish—as a result, it didn’t count toward an IGFA record.

In May 2022, angler Payton Moore caught an estimated 300-pound alligator gar at an undisclosed location near Houston. He did not weigh the fish on a certified scale and, thus, was not eligible for a potential IGFA record, per Field & Stream’s Kris Millgate.

The current IGFA all-tackle record for alligator gar is held by Bill Valverde, who hooked a 279-pounder in Rio Grande, Texas, on December 2, 1951.

UPDATED 03 NOVEMBER 2024

by Robert Ceran

Fishing for trout in streams and rivers is very different from trout fishing in lakes and ponds.

First of all, the trout don’t move around very much, so you need to keep moving yourself, and secondly, all of your fishing tactics need to be effective for fishing in water that’s constantly moving.

In order to catch trout successfully in rivers and streams, it’s important to use the right tactics to find trout positioned in feeding lanes close to the main current, and present your bait to them at exactly the right depth.

In this article we’ll discuss the top 3 trout rigs for rivers and streams, and will go over what each of them is best suited for.

How do you rig for trout in a stream or river?

The three most important trout rigs for fishing in rivers and streams are:

• Fixed bobber rig
• Drift rig for trout
• Spinner rig

These three trout rigs cover the majority of all trout fishing applications in rivers and streams, and if you know how to use them effectively, you’ll catch a lot of fish.

That being said, each of them comes in several different shapes and sizes, so there is plenty of room to adapt them to your specific fishing conditions.

Both the fixed bobber rig and the drift rig are great tools for drifting a baited hook with the current, and are ideal for presenting it at the right depth for trout in feeding lanes of rivers and streams.

Each of them comes with its own strengths and weaknesses, and we’ll go into those in more detail below.

The spinner rig is a great option for fishing trout lures in any kind of moving water, from tiny streams to wide rivers, and can be adjusted for each of these scenarios.

Now let’s dive into the details, and discuss each of these rigs more fully.

Fixed bobber rig

This is one of the simplest trout rigs, but works very well for streams and rivers, as it allows you to drift your bait with the current into the most promising spots where trout are likely to be positioned while they wait for the current to bring them food.

Since streams are rarely deeper than 6 or 7 feet, you can cover all depths with a fixed bobber rig, and don’t need to use a slip bobber.

One advantage of using a fixed bobber rig is that you can easily adjust the depth at which you’re fishing by sliding your bobber up or down, and thus fish a range of different depths in every spot, before moving on to the next.

Tying a fixed bobber rig is very easy. You start by threading your bobber onto the line, and then tying the line to swivel or snap swivel.

Next tie a 3 to 4 foot fluorocarbon leader to the swivel, and then tie a size 8 to 14 bait hook to the other end of the leader. And finally, add one or more split shots to the rig to weigh down your baited hook in the water.

The best baits to use with this rig are worms, salmon eggs, or plastic beads (which look like salmon eggs).

You can also use plastic worms, which come in a wide variety of colors. Powerbait doesn’t work as effectively for wild trout in streams as it does for stocked trout in lakes.

Drift rig for trout

This is the most important rig for drift fishing for trout in strong currents, and in deep runs and holes.

The advantage of this bottom fishing rig is that it presents your bait close to the bottom, where trout are usually positioned while they wait for the current to carry food to them.

The great thing about the trout drift rig is that you can use a weaker dropper line to attach the split shot weights, and if the weights should get snagged on the bottom, you can break off the dropper line without losing the rest of your setup.

Another advantage is that you can easily adjust the amount of weight by adding or subtracting split shot weights, or switching out a pencil weight at the end of the dropper line.

This is very important, as you’re going to encounter currents of different strengths, and will need different amounts of weight to get your rig down to the bottom fast enough.

In order to tie the drift rig for trout, start by tying your main line to one eye of a three way swivel.

Next, tie a 3 to 4 foot long fluorocarbon leader to another eye of the swivel, and then tie your bait hook to the other end of that leader.

Finally, tie a 2 to 3 inch long dropper line to the third eye of the 3 way swivel, and either attach several split shot weights, or tie a pencil weight to the end of the dropper line.

The best baits to use for trout when drift fishing with this rig are worms and salmon eggs, or plastic beads or plastic worms of various shapes and color.

Incidentally, this setup also works very well for catching steelhead from the bank, and you may be able to target both species at the same time in some rivers.

Spinner rig

This is a classical trout fishing rig that works well in both running and still waters.

When using it in small streams, try to downsize your lures, since the average size of trout is likely to be smaller than in lakes and ponds.

If you’re fishing in bigger rivers, on the other hand, you can definitely upsize your lure size, and will likely be catching bigger fish as well.

While you can potentially tie your main line directly to your lure, it’s better not to do this.

For one thing, you should use a swivel to avoid the lure twisting up your main line, and secondly, if you’re using braided main line, using a fluorocarbon leader will help to avoid spooking fish.

The best way to tie a spinner rig is to start by tying your main line to a size 6 swivel, and then tying 2 to 3 foot of fluorocarbon leader to the other eye of the swivel.

Then tie a bait hook to the leader, and attach one or more split shot weights above the swivel.

The split shot weights are necessary if you’re spinner fishing for trout in a strong current, and need to get your trout spinner or lure down to the right depth as fast as possible.

What is the best rig for trout fishing in streams?

The best rig for trout fishing in streams is the fixed bobber rig. It’s the perfect setup for drifting a baited hook or soft plastic worm along trout feeding lanes in streams.

The correct way to fish a bobber rig is to lift your main line up above the water, which results in the whole setup floating down the stream at a natural speed with the current, and this is by far the best tactic to catch trout in streams.

That being said, you can definitely also use the other two rigs to your advantage when fishing in trout streams.

The drift rig is a great option if you’re fishing in strong currents, and the spinner rig is ideal if you want to cover a lot of water quickly.

What is the best rig for trout fishing in rivers?

The best rig for trout fishing in rivers is the drift rig, since it’s ideal for presenting your bait close to the bottom even in strong currents.

By adjusting the amount of weight on the rig you can easily switch from one strength of current to another.

And since this fishing rig is also great for catching steelhead in rivers, it’s definitely worth learning how to use it effectively.

Best rod and reel setup for trout fishing in streams and rivers

Now let’s talk about the best trout rod and reel setup to use when fishing with these rigs.

All three rigs are best fished with a 7 to 8 foot long light or ultralight spinning rod.

However, when fishing on small streams, you may want to choose a shorter rod around 6 foot long, since that’s easier to use under trees and bushes.

Also, if you’re fishing in big rivers where trout grow larger (or where you could hook into steelhead as well), you probably want to increase the strength of your rod to medium power.

The ideal reel to use with this setup is a 2000 to 3000 size spinning reel spooled with 10 to 20 lb test braided line.

Braid is the best choice of trout fishing line in rivers because it has almost no stretch, which allows you to feel trout bites with more sensitivity compared to mono or fluoro.

While braid is the best choice for your main line, the leader should definitely be fluorocarbon, since that has lower visibility underwater, and presents your bait with more stealth.