They are fine without a tarp or coat. But considering you were expecting rain then a tarp or coat isn't a bad idea. A wild animal can get shelter but our goats are tied and not able to keep themselves dry. That's important thing. A little moisture probably not a problem but wet and cold Can be...
Fire forming is pretty easy. If people can't handle Fire forming then it's probably best to stick with factory ammo. It's as easy as loading any other ammo.
If concerned about burning out the barrel sooner then biuld on A Tikka and have them chamber the factory barrel with the 6 UM and have...
You can stack brats on a cookie sheet or in a tub for the freezer. Just put a piece of wax paper or the likes in-between them.
Something I do with large chunks of fish like halibut is I pre freeze and then run under water quickly then put in the vacuum bag. It freezes a nice layer of ice on it...
I'm in the same boat. Planning a family deer trip next year and am planning to pick up a couple Tikka T3x lite in 243. I've had the kids handle them at the store and they found them the most comfortable.
243 is more than enough gun to do what you are talking about.
Kris
No it's not. I do it all the time mix it and dump in the grind and any liquid left over gets dumped as you add more meat in the grinder. We use a big grinder so adding any liquid left in the mixer isn't hard. Possibly not as easy with a smaller grinder.
Kris
I do use a mixer to season before I grind. After the meat is ground it's harder to get it evenly mixed into ground meat. Way faster and easier to put it on the chunks first. Especially if you are not going to grind a second time. It works ok if you do run it a second time and season in between...
Mix the seasoning on the meat before you grind so the grinder mixes it also as it grinds. If you do it after the grind it's easy to get spots without seasoning and others with to much.
Kris
Ok I've experienced this same issue. The culprit was using the machine with a stuffing cone. You cannot get enough meat to flow through the grinder with a cone on it. It will sit inside and work it until it's mush.
Like was mentioned for best results use a separate mixer. Season the meat and...