It was the hike from hell! To get into the mountainous fold of land so that the wind would be in my favor required me to go straight up a bluff that was thick with cedar and limestone boulders. Then I had to slide down a steep hillside that was covered with cedars, briers and rocks. I was soon in the rocky crevice I had selected as a stand. It looked into a large white oak covered basin where three hollows came together. Once settled in the rock stand, I glanced down at the little G2 Contender rifle I had assembled just for hunting in the Cumberland Mountains.
Within an hour a large nine point buck came to the low grunts I made and the 7-30 Waters handload I had developed for this semi-custom rifle took the buck cleanly at just under 200 yards. Following that first hunt I named the rifle the Cumberland Deerslayer. Since then the little rifle has taken many deer in the rough Cumberland Mountains of Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama.
To say the Cumberland Deerslayer is a custom rifle is not correct, for it isn’t. It is a rifle I assembled to hunt a specific region using after market parts and a few friends to help me assemble a short rifle that is perfect for the area I love to hunt. Any hunter can do the same.
The Nexbelt, known as the “belt with no holes”, we have found is an excellent concealed carry belt as well as a causal wear belt off the range. It is unique in several ways. It is made from a high tech nylon webbing that is stiff enough to carry a loaded 1911 tight to the body all day comfortable. Part of this comfort is because of the belts ¼-inch increment adjustments. It comes in a 50-inch length. To fit it to your body correctly just add four inches to your normal waist size and take scissors and cut off the extra length. Hash marks with inches are printed on the inside of the belt. Take the cut end of the belt and secure it into the buckle. Where holes would be in other belts a line of hard plastic angled teeth are set ¼-inch apart inside the belt and when run through the belts buckle you stop at the desired tightness. It guarantees a secure and snug fit. To loosen or remove the belt the buckle has a small release that is pressed to free the teeth from the buckle ratchet.
