THE MINUTEMAN Volume 5, Sept 2023
Jay's Bushcamp, Camp Guns, and Woods Bumming Chest Rigs
Jay's Bushcamp…
A little background on my camp. In March of 2020 the country went into a lockdown due to the WuFlu. We had dinner plans that Friday at our friend's place and after dinner he told my son and I to go take a hike around his property and to pick out a spot to use for ourselves as a camp! Said we could come out whenever we wanted as long as we took care of it. By the end of that night we had found a spot that would be perfect for us to use. So that following month we spent our first night out in his woods and started building our camp.
Just a couple hammocks and a fire pit with a reflector but it launched a father/son journey into creating a working/breathing camp for relearning the old ways of camping. By summer we had a rough first shelter built and our first group of friends out for our own summer camp (remember the country was locked down and camps and parks were closed).
The following year we upgraded the shelter into more of a super bushcraft dwelling and really got to work at skills work.
Fast forward 3 years and we now have a semi-permanent shelter that serves as a base for patrolling, shooting, bushcraft, learning/practicing countless outdoor skills, and as a gathering place for like minded fathers and sons to relax and bond together!
This camp has really taken on a life of its own and has become an inspirational place for us to continue to get out to and work on different concepts and ideas to continually improve ourselves. So anytime you see videos from out in the field chances are we're somewhere at camp putting in the time to learn and get it right.
Camp Guns…
When we first started “Jay's Bushcamp” we quickly realized the value of having a .22 rifle or pistol out at camp with us. Small game is plentiful (squirrel hunting is very popular here in Ohio) so hunting became a real thing for us. Then we discovered that with the amount of small game available to us that coyotes were also very present on the land. This lead to putting together some sort of “Camp Gun” setup for taking out to camp.
I am a huge fan of the .22lr round! I've shot everything from chipmunks and squirrels up to ground hogs and even coyotes with much success with it! So to me a camp gun setup should include a rifle and pistol combo that share a common round. So we looked at classic pistol caliber rifles like lever actions pistol carbines but nothing really resonated with us. But then we went and came up with a list of what we wanted out of this setup…
Goal for a camp rifle was the following attributes:
-Compact/packable
-Lightweight
-Small game caliber
-Accurate to 50 yards (minute of squirrel)
-Ability to mount light/optic/suppressor
-Availability of hi-cap magazines
The base rifle was a Rossi RS22 because of its light base weight, smaller size, available accessories, price point, and surprising accuracy out of the box.
We added a red dot optic, ProMag folding stock, Mossberg 25 round plinkster (the Mossberg Plinkster and Rossie RS22 are the same rifle) magazines, a light, and then fashioned a barrel shroud for protecting the barrel and heat management and we came up with this…
After untold rounds sent down range, varmint dispatched, and miles hiked with it I decided that the folding stock became unnecessary and that a bit of magnification would help my aging eyes. So the original stock went back on, a magnified optic was added, and a bipod went on for shooting from fixed positions.
For a $100 rifle with an 3-9×40 scope from CVlife we are hitting a 3” gong at 100 yards with ease!
Now one step further was to swap out the 3-9×40 optic and try a CVLIFE 1-6x24 LPVO on it which achieved identical results…
Now for a pistol… It was important that, for a camp gun set up, to share ammo with the rifle, so the .22lr is again an easy choice, however, choosing a .22 pistol was not so easy. With so many options available I ended up going with a Glock G44 (.22 offering in their ever popular G19). The ergonomics are good, lightweight, plenty of accessories to choose from, holster the same fit as the G19, and there are high capacity mags available for it.
So at the end of the .22lr was the winner for availability, weight, pricing, variety of ammo to choose from, and it just plain works. Squirrels, ground hogs, muskrat, raccoons, and even coyotes are easily dispatched with today's .22lr ammo. Subsonic, standard velocity, high velocity, Hyper Velocity, copper plated, hollow points, and more. So load up on .22lr and hit the woods!
Woods Bumming Chest Rigs…
The chest rig for Woods Bumming is just like any other chest rig in that it creates a platform that keeps your essentials within easy reach. It creates a work station of sorts for doing things in the woods.
One of the most common and popular chest rigs for this type of use are the Hill People Gear Kit Bags.
They come in different sizes and can be custom tailored to your needs. I like the Heavy Recon Kit Bag for its larger volume and space for conceal carrying a full size pistol if needed. This bag goes on every camping/backpacking trip because of it versatility and usability.
Another option is a rig like the Vismix Chest Rig or Helikon Tex Training Rig.
These can be a little more “tactical” in design but they have enough volume in the center pouch and dangler for the essentials for being out for the day.
Both style chest rigs can be easily worn under a backpack and give you quick access to snacks, optics, radio, 1st aid, a light, cutting tool, map/compass, spare magazine or your pistol. If you're an avid outdoorsman and hunter I highly recommend looking into a chest rig for use while in the woods.
Affiliate Highlight…
Black Beard Fire Starters
From their website:
“The Uniqueness of Our Fire Plugs:
Black Beard Fire Plugs are for those who are interested in a lightweight, ultra compact fire starter but refuse to compromise on quality.
One of the biggest advantages of Black Beard Fire Starters is that they have a shelf life of 30 years opened or unopened. Our unique blend is designed to light up every time no matter what.”
My take on these… Fire is one of the top survival priorities and Black Beard Fire Plugs make it easy to stash a few in every single one of your kits. Always be prepared.
I really like the idea of building something that you return to. That creates much more of a progression than just putting up the same tarp tent over and over again, which is far more engaging for young minds. Well done.