airedale

Been looking for one of these Vintage Honda Scramblers for several years, finally found this 1974 CL 200 Dual Sport in Syracuse for a great price in nice condition with only 1800 miles. I have a lot of good back road riding up this way and this little Honda will be a great way to travel them. Al

Spent yesterday afternoon with a good friend wringing out the 28 ga TriStar on clay birds and he was shooting his new TriStar Viper semi auto in 410. I must say I did some pretty fair shooting, I think because of the light weight and the way this gun shoulders, fits and points for me is what made my hitting of targets go well. All 50 of my handloads went bang and there were zero problems with functioning of the gun. All and all I am as happy as the proverbial pig in shit, this is going to make one nice carrying gun for Grouse and Woodcock. As for my buddy he did not fair so well when it came to busting targets. One really has to be on with the 410, with 1/2 ounce loads there is not much shot in the pattern. When we went out in the field to pick up broken and unbroken targets we found quite a few with just one or two pellet holes. The Viper gun itself worked flawlessly and was a beautiful piece of workmanship with outstanding wood. For me the 410 is more suited to Rabbits and Squirrels than wing shooting. Anyhow we had a good time and can't wait for small game to get into full swing. Al

A preview of what would happen is the rimfire ammo shortages during the Obama years. Bricks of 500 plain ordinary 22 LR ammo which could have been purchased for 13 or 14 dollars were selling for close to 80 or 90 dollars and that is if you could find a seller. Today rimfire ammo can again be purchased at a price pretty close to pre Obama. This anti lead ammo rhetoric bullshit is more than anything an insidious chip away backdoor gun control tool. Al

I would love to be in that predicament I could not even afford what the checkering cost was on that rifle. Al

John Denver – Thank God I'm A Country Boy Lyrics from album: Back Home Again (1974) Well, life on the farm is kinda laid back Ain't much an old country boy like me can't hack It's early to rise, early in the sack Thank God, I'm A Country Boy Well a simple kinda life never did me no harm A raisin' me a family and workin' on a farm My days are all filled with an easy country charm Thank God I'm a country boy When the work's all done and the sun's settin' low I pull out my fiddle and I rosin' up the bow The kids are asleep so I keep it kinda low Thank God I'm a country boy I'd play "Sally Goodin'" all day if I could But the Lord and my wife wouldn't take it very good So I fiddle when I can, work when I should Thank God, I'm a country boy Well, I got me a fine wife, I got me old fiddle When the sun's comin' up I got cakes on the griddle Life ain't nothin' but a funny, funny riddle Thank God I'm A country boy Well I wouldn't trade my life for diamonds or jewels I never was one of them money hungry fools I'd rather have my fiddle and my farmin' tools Thank God I'm a country boy Yeah, city folk drivin' in a black limousine A lotta sad people thinkin' that's a mighty keen Son, let me tell ya now exactly what I mean I thank God I'm a country boy Well, I got me a fine wife, I got me old fiddle When the sun's comin' up I got cakes on the griddle Life ain't nothin' but a funny, funny riddle Thank God I'm a country boy Well, my fiddle was my daddy's til the day he died And he took me by the hand and held me close to his side He said... 'Live a good life and play my fiddle with pride And thank God you're a country boy" My daddy taught me young how to hunt and how to whittle He taught me how to work and play a tune on the fiddle Taught me how to love and how to give just a little Thank God I'm a country boy Well, I got me a fine wife, I got me old fiddle When the sun's comin' up I got cakes on the griddle Life ain't nothing but a funny, funny riddle Thank God I'm a country boy

Me Too

It is for sale on Guns International, price on request. High end Galazan firearms sell in the many thousands of dollars. Going by what their other high end stuff sells for I would say between 40 and 60 grand would be my guess maybe even more. Unless I happened to hit a big lottery it is totally out of the realm of possibility for me. Al

Connecticut Shotguns (Galazan) a US company that manufactures some of the highest grade firearms in the world period. Their specialty is fine shotguns of both their design and high end reproductions of American classics like Fox and Winchester model 21s. Below is their new baby frame double action for 410 but instead used to make a one of a kind double rifle chambered in 22 magnum, a true work of art. Going on a small game safari around the world?, what a great gun to have in your battery and use if well heeled enough to afford it. Would love to have one and if I did I would use it, but alas I am a little light and I can dream.

What goes over people's heads it is the Varmint and small game hunters who get reamed big time with no Vaseline when it come to Traditional ammo bans. I have had years when I shot hundreds of rounds of centerfire and rimfire rifle rounds along with plenty of shotgun shells hunting those game animals and birds. There are hunters that hunt stuff other than Deer. By far the most ammo I ever used for hunting was when I was after Squirrels, Rabbits-Hare, Fox, Coyote, Coons, Woodchucks, Crows, Pheasant, Woodcock, Grouse, Turkey, Pigeons, Rats, Possums added to the already mandated Waterfowl.

The total state wide ban just has went into effect, there has been a ban on Traditional ammo in many of the prime hunting areas which has been incrementally increasing for years. Watch and see what the numbers are in another five years! Al

You are speaking for yourself! I have a brother and several friends all who live and hunt in California and the future of hunting is bleak and been on decline for years. Go to the California hunting sites like this one and get it from the Horse's mouth, the hunting license sales have been on a steady decline many hunters have quit or moved out and the banning of traditional ammo has had a lot to do with it. Al The numbers do not lie and this is with a population that has more than doubled!

Congrats on your find Grampy, I have several pieces of Lyman equipment and their stuff has always worked as advertised. Cases get dirty and tarnished needing a cleaning from time to time so a case cleaner is well worth having. I purchased Frankford Arsenal's version a few years ago after my old one crapped out, it is much quieter than my previous model and operates the same way as your Lyman and I am pleased with the results it gives. Al

Congratulations! Years ago I shot a little Trap and one of the guys I shot with used a BT 99, they are very well made and finished nicely and for someone getting into the Trap game the Browning will break birds with any. I picked up a used 101 Winchester Trap model to shoot with and the thing I quickly found about Trap guns is that is about all they are good for, as field gun they are just too long, heavy and cumbersome to carry along with being made to shoot high. If you are considering getting into Trap shooting you have a very good piece of equipment to compete with. If not I would send it down the road for something that will get some use, that is what happened with my Win 101. With some smart horse trading you should be able to wheel and deal to get yourself something pretty nice as the BT 99 is not a cheap gun. Feel out some of the gun clubs in your area and let them know what you have, there is always someone looking to upgrade. Al

There was a time when Bears could be hunted with Dogs in NY. The first Governor Cuomo who was in bed with the animal rights groups put an end to that, Dogs are still allowed to be trained to run and tree Bears but no shooting. As for baiting it is a common method for hunting them in many places, I would have no problem with it personally as long as the numbers held up. Al

Took a walk out back of my place with the new TriStar 28 ga to see if I could knock off a couple of Squirrels for the pot, it was slow and quiet and the bugs were biting. Saw one nice big one running along the ground at 20 yards for an easy shot and that was about it. So the 28 TriStar is cherry no more and the squirrel is in the pressure cooker as I type this. Al

Spent some Range time with the 250 yesterday and got her dialed in for this up coming season. I decided on loading the Sierra 90 gr hp bullet and used H414 powder, according to the Lee manual I should be between 3200 and 3300 fps which is pretty good velocity for this little cartridge, I will chronograph these loads to see how they jive with the manual. The 90 Sierra was a favorite of mine fired in my first 25-06 many years ago, it gave outstanding accuracy and was used for long range chuck hunting. Today Sierra markets the 90 gr bullet as a dual purpose varmint-big game proposition, I am confident with good shot placement it will do it's job. The 99 Savage A performed well putting 3 shots in slightly under an inch, it's trigger is very heavy but crisp, not good for shooting tight groups but will suffice for Deer. I will be looking into this heavy trigger for a remedy.

I installed a fiber optic style front Kensight on my Kingston, I have put these glow type sights on almost all of the firearms I use with open sights and for me they make a big difference in low light conditions. Al

For me regardless of the hunting weapon I am using when it comes to Deer and Varmints the wind and how it is blowing is the main determining factor in how I go about establishing a hunt plan each time I hit the timber. The nose of these animals is their number one defense. Al

Another reason out of many it would be wise to consider taking up handloading especially the younger shooters and hunters, I only see bad stuff coming down the road so protect yourself. Al

While not having a big following among mainstream hunters and clay bird sports one of my favorite firearms is a Turkish made CZ Ringneck side by side double 28 ga, slim and trim along with light weight 5 ¾ lbs make it a joy to carry and is of very good quality. I love using it for early season Squirrel, Grouse and Woodcock, it also works well on Pheasant as long as I stay within it’s moderate range. The only drawback I have for the 28 ga is the shells, they are not easy to find, there is not a good variety of factory loads and when I find some in stock they are expensive compared to what the cost of other common gauge shells sell for. I get around those aggravating shell drawbacks by loading my own. I picked up a MEC Jr press set up for 28 ga on ebay for a decent price which allows me to produce ammo in line with cost and quality of the more popular gauges. So as of late on the crappy weather days I have been spending some time brewing up a variety 28 ga hand loads, everything from ¾ ounce standard loads to some heavy loads that are for all intents the same as 20 ga and even loaded some non toxic IXT shot in case I get a crack at a low flying duck. I now have a nice supply of 28 ga ammo for just about any type of small game hunting or clay bird target practice I want to do. Gee! that gives me an excuse to pick up another shotgun to utilize all these shells LOL! Not wanting to spend a lot of money I was seriously considering the NRA’s shotgun of the year the TriStar “Viper” auto loader, manufactured by another gunmaker from Turkey that has received rave reviews from all that have tested it. But while I do like autoloaders when it comes to wing shooting I have always been a double man at heart. Already having a pretty nice side by side in the CZ Ringneck my sights turned toward over and unders, a style of shotgun which I do not currently have an example of. The O/U shotguns can get pretty pricey but while on the TriStar site researching the Viper I saw they had a pretty extensive line of O/Us and they were entry level priced. One model that really caught my attention was the Hunter EX LT weighing an astounding light 4.8 pounds. A firearm that light would have to be nice to carry especially for a geezer like me, I realize it is entry level and a little rough around the edges, no Perazzi for sure but at 71 years of age I do not think I will be firing it enough while hunting to wear it out. Now last but not least was the way I went about making the purchase, for the first time I used “Davidson’s Gallery Of Guns”, it is an internet firearm distribution system that teams up with local FFL dealers. The site uses a search feature called the ‘Gun Genie’ to find the exact firearm you are interested in. Once found you will see if it is available-in stock and dealers within a 25 mile radius of your zip code will be listed showing their total prices with fees and tax. Choose the dealer you like best and purchase, the firearm will be shipped to that location where you can complete your purchase and pick it up. https://www.galleryofguns.com/default.aspx The TriStar was picked up today, my initial impression is it is a good buy for the money and will make for a good field gun, I will be shooting it soon. Pictured below is the CZ Ringneck along with the TriStar hunter, the CZ is no doubt a better quality shotgun but it should be as it costs almost twice as much. Al

Grampy, like you I find loading shells relaxing and fun especially on rainy days, got my rifle cartridges done earlier in the spring and summer, for the past few days been doing batches of various 28 ga shotgun loads. Al

Here is what I recommend for training your young pup, save yourself from a lot of aggravation, obtain these two books, "Walk With Wick" volumes 1&2, they are by far the best information on training Coon dogs but the same methods will work training for Bear, Squirrels and Possums. Ebay and Huntsmart.com would be good places to start looking. Al

The 2X7 Leupold is one of my favorite hunting scopes, it is a tough to beat all arounder that will handle just about any big game hunting I think. Al

Subscribe to Fur Fish & Game, probably the best single resource for acquiring trapping skills and equipment. Trapping is a lot of fun and no better teacher about wildlife and their habits. Checking your line provides a lot of anticipation, excitement and surprises, like Forrest Gump's famous saying, it is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get. Have fun and good luck. Al