airedale

My annual "Trump Tax Cut firearm" A Henry brass frame single shot in 357 mag to burn some of this 38 special stuff. I am a fan of single shots and I had been giving the Henry a serious look since they were announced a couple of years ago, with all this ammo to shoot the 357 chambering sealed the deal. The covid crap made the purchase go slower than I liked. Seems to be a quality rifle and I can't wait to shoot it, waiting for the little 2.5 X lightweight Leupold scope to come in early this week. Al

I did not say copper bullets are inaccurate, they are more than accurate enough for hunting and will shoot as well as any hunting bullets. I was referring to target shooting where traditional lead core match bullets are the most accurate of all. From most reports I have seen on 22 LR ammo using non lead concoctions they have been terrible accuracy wise, I always like seeing for myself, tried a box and I will concur with those assessments. Al

No seems to be, it is a culture problem plain as the nose on your face but nobody wants to admit it, not PC, the truth hurts! Al

As the old saying goes "Learn Something New every Day" and I just did!

Copper bullets perceived advantage is that they hold together with hits on game while not contaminating meat which can be possible with Lead fragments. ( That problem has always been solved down through the years by cutting away all bloodshot meat and tossing it) Target shooting is another matter, namely cost which can be substantial if one shoots a lot and while copper bullets can be accurate the most accurate match bullets are traditional jacketed lead, even Barnes match bullets are not the monolithic type they are traditional lead core. Bullet and ammo cost 22 LR lead free ammo around 20 cents per and the accuracy is crap! 22 LR plinking ammo 5 to 6 cents per Typical 38 pistol bullets cast lead 12 cents per Typical jacketed pistol bullets 20 to 25 cents per Barnes copper pistol bullets 60 cents per 22 centerfire bullets jacketed lead 13 to 18 cent per 22 centerfire bullets pure copper 45 tp 48 cents per Last but not least what never seems to be mentioned is pure copper is a toxic metal in it's own right, shooting it into a bank of dirt or hillside will cause some copper contamination to the land not much different than lead.

When it comes to traps the old Victor Traditional Rat traps works as well or better than any on Chipmunks using peanut butter or bread molded onto the pan, they are also cost effective. Al

A Chipmunk's cute looks have always been their saving grace with the general public, but the reality is they are nothing more than a cute Rat and when they come out of the woods and start getting into buildings and vehicles they cause the same kinds of damage and filth as Rats. They also breed similar to Rats so it does not take long to repopulate after killing them off, a lot like the beat the gopher games at carnivals, you knock them down and another will keep popping up. On my place it has always been a non stop battle with them as they get into everything here on the farm, my arsenal of dogs, traps, guns and water buckets is in full swing right now, we have eliminated a bunch but there is no rest from them, just try to keep their numbers as low as possible. Al

I have heard about using Aspirins, Necco Wafers and Charcoal Briquettes for targets, never tried it myself but one of these days I hope to. As the old Jack O'Connor saying goes you will never be a good shot unless you do a lot of shooting. If you are busting Aspirins on a consistent basis come fall when you are in the woods after Squirrels a head shot will seem easy. Al

When I was a kid my family lived across the road from Fish Creek, the major tributary of Oneida Lake where a major spawning run was made by Walleyes in April. These days the creek is closed to all fishing between mid March to the first Saturday in May but years ago fishing was allowed during the spawning run and we could catch Walleyes in huge numbers and I mean like every cast a fish was on. Of course Game Wardens where in constant patrol in big numbers watching to make sure all catches were released. Anyhow the consensus lure of choice of the local yokels was the L&S Mirrolure an early what they call today crankbait, they called them "plugs" back then and if you were lucky enough to be able to afford one you would catch two Walleyes to every one of anyone fishing along side of you with something different tied to the end of their line.

I will never be as good a shot as Jed or Jethro, hitting them on the wing is way out of my league If they sit still for a couple of seconds this Winchester model 52 B bench gun will leave a hole that is bordered by fly legs. With that period Redfield 3200 20X scope she will group a tad better than the target which I shot using Redfield Olympic target sights. Al

Was talking with some friends about fishing lures and what was the one that had the most success. I believe I have caught more fish using the Mepps Minnow inline spinner of various sizes than any other. At one time or another I think I have caught just about every species of fish there is to catch where I have fished using a Mepps even a Bullhead and a Carp. Al

One of my favorite shooting range activities is hunting Flies, I will smear some sort of attractant on my 25 and 50 yard targets to get Flies to land and takes shots at them with highly accurate rimfire rifles. I can knock them off pretty consistently at 25 yards, it is a bit tougher at 50. It has pretty much replaced chuck hunting for me, and even though they are just Flies I still get a bit of satisfaction when I drill one at 50 yards. Al

I have a backyard range that goes out to 100 yards with various reactive targets, I use it mostly for various rimfire firearms and handguns, also for sighting in and the testing of centerfire rifle handloads. A few years ago I purchased a small shed and set it up along side my old bench so I can shoot in lousy weather especially all through the winter when things get pretty boring around these parts. I love to burn ammo and for me there is not to many things that are more fun than an accurate rimfire firearm, a brick of 22s and making those reactive targets sing. Al

Seattle's "Summer Of Love" is going to be the gift that keeps on giving to Republicans running for election, I say just stand back and let the Antifa, Black Lives Matter, and other fringe knucklehead groups have free reign with their demands and show the whole country what a folly the libtard Democrat leadership that run that city is. The place already looks like a shithole in just a few short days and things are just starting to warm up. Al

As Pygmy stated above a 22 LR with good shot placement and keeping shots within it's range can be effective and fun, and because it requires a bit of stealth to sneak up on a sharp eyed Woodchuck in an open field you are learning and honing both good hunting and shooting skills. There are some stout 22 LR loads available today like CCI Stingers, Remington Yellow Jackets, etc that have better punch on Woodchuck and also add a bit more range. I will warn you, Woodchuck hunting can be very addictive. Al

And if one likes the way the city of Seattle is being governed that is what a vote for Biden will bring you. Al

Creative laser specialties is an Ebay vendor out of Yorkville NY, a suburb of Utica. I do not know exactly his relationship with Utica Cutlery but I guess he a dealer and gets his knives directly from them and does his custom touches on them. His name is Rob but I do not know his last name I can say it has been a pleasure to do business with him. You are correct about all the features of this knife and I am pretty pleased with it. The knife model is UTK S4 survival, there are also other models This is a link to his ebay store https://www.ebay.com/str/creativelaserspecialties Al

I got my stimulus check awhile back from Uncle Donald and decided it to do a little stimulating. Being somewhat of a half assed American made knife collector I decided to shop around and see if there was anything American made that would catch my fancy. I checked creativelaserspeciaties on ebay, I purchased a pocket knife made by Utica Cutlery from Rob the owner a couple of years ago and liked what I received. I found a nice survival knife on his site made by Utica Cutlery and while I need another knife like I need a hole in the head I decided to buy one. I went for the last polished blade model he had with green scales, I am happy to say Utica has did themselves proud, very good build quality and sharp as heck (I Cut My Finger) and for under $100 a very good buy in my opinion for American made. And by the way Rob laser inscribes the blade for you for a personal touch. This is my third Utica Cutlery knife and I like all three a lot, hopefully they can hang in there as they are one of the last American knifemakers in business. As for the rest of the stimulus check it will go to the IRS to pay my taxes.

Woodchuck hunting has provided me with great memories and taught me to shoot well at game under field circumstances, I lived and breathed it for many years and it is my favorite kind of hunting. Al

For me Fox news has nothing to do with my political thinking and feelings, I listen directly to what Democrats say to the public about their platform and policies and take them for their word. I make my decisions on what comes out of their mouths and I do not like what I am hearing or seeing. Al

A fellow (Greg Hertel) on my Airedale board passed along this photo of a hike he and his daughter along with his hunting dogs recently took near his home in Wyoming, looks like a good place to be living these days. His dogs are first rate cat hunting dogs, they are great on both Lion and Bobcats. Al

Most of the Democratic party would have it done in a heartbeat, The way old Sleepy folds under pressure he would do it in a heartbeat if he thinks he can get away with it. As for other democracies how they handle guns in their countries is up to them and none of my business, this is the USA and we have the Second Amendment. Al

Again speaking for myself Tax relief from Trump's tax cut on the Federal end is in line with ApexerER and that is substantial for me. NY having the highest state taxes in the nation for all the free stuff it pays for is more of a drag on my tax burden. I celebrate my Trump tax relief every year with a new firearm, this year there will be two purchases made as soon as the Emperor lets the stores do business normally. Al

So be it but I stand by what I said. Al

You just don't get it, it is all about the big picture, I don't give two shits about his personality, it is about platform and policy and what gets signed into law, that is what counts to me. Al