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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

I have a craving for some Squirrel stew so I will be out there as long as the weather is decent, Squirrel hunting is a favorite for me and good warmup to hone skills for things to come. Al

What I don't like is when I buy a gallon of gas say for $2.69 and 9 tenths of a cent and give the clerk $2.70 and do not get my 1 tenth of a cent change back. Al

The first Ridgeline edition looks wise reminded me a lot of the Chevy Avalanche, in 2017 Honda did the new redesign and it is better looking to me and actually pretty sharp. I love mine, In this day and age it is very easy to research a vehicle and get pretty good reliable information on everything about them. You Tube is another resource showing vehicles put through their paces so there is a lot of help making an informed decision. When it comes to trucks owners there is a lot of "All Hat and no Cowboy" stuff that is spewed so consider the source of your information. Al

I have had plenty of bullets fail my tests but it is not from disintegration, the jacket will peel away and separate from the core and while there may be a few pieces of lead here and there I have seen nothing like what is pictured above unless it was a dedicated varmint bullet which is made to explode. Al

I have always been one of those people that have to see things for myself and bullet performance has been one of those things. Years ago when developing handloads I made all kinds of bullet traps to see how my bullet choices for my handloads performed, penetration expansion and how they held together was what I was looking to examine. Boards, Clay, Branches, Dowels, Soaked Newspapers and Magazines, Water Jugs, Sand along with other goofy concoctions I devised. I shot hundreds of bullets and other than thin jacket explosive "Varmint" bullets traveling at extremely high velocity, I never saw any big game bullets of any make no matter what medium they were fired into disintegrate into tiny pieces as pictured above. There is no doubt in my mind that that photo is bullshit anti lead-traditional ammo propaganda plain and simple.

Another consideration is the Flail mower, they do a great job on light brush and grass-weeds, a favorite for maintaining orchards as they mow between the rows of trees pulverizing everything. They are made for different duties, heavy duty for constant use is what one sees the road and highway departments use along side the roads, medium duty for occasional use on brush weeds and grass, a light duty would be for just grass. I bought a medium duty 6 footer a couple of years ago and I love it, I have the hammer blades and it will pulverize small trees-branches and brush, they are closer to the back of the tractor making for easier maneuvering, the leave a much smoother cut and they do not send rocks flying like missiles like a brush hog. Nice used ones turn up on Craigslist every now and then. Plenty of you tube videos on all these mowers showing them in action. Al

The Winchester Model 70 Featherweight is about as good as it gets when it comes to a bolt action hunting rifle. Al

"Que sera sera-whatever will be will be", other than trying to live a somewhat healthy lifestyle we all have an expiration date and there is not much we can do about it, something I do not dwell on. My philosophy is to live life and do things the way I always have (grudgingly a somewhat slower) for as long as I can. Al

Pygmy is right, there should be some decent factory loads available these days for the old Mauser but because the 7mm Mauser is such an old cartridge with many rifles being over 100 years in age the ammo manufacturers go on the side of safety and do not load offerings that are up to the true potential this shell can be in a modern firearm. This cartridge is a good example where careful handloads can maximize old timers like the 7mm Mauser and bring them up to snuff, it should be able to at least equal or slightly outperform the popular 7mm-08. The Hornady 139 gr bullet weight is a good balanced choice for the Mauser case capacity, there are other 140 gr bullets that have good reviews that will also perform well. Al

Congratulations, A classic old cartridge with a track record that stands the test of time, on medium game it is tough to beat. I do not have any actual experience with the 7mm Mauser but have quite a bit with other 7mm cartridges namely the 280 Remington which is slightly more powerful, the 284 Winchester and the 7mm Rem mag, my wife has a 7mm-08. A bunch of Deer and several Moose were no problem for the 280. There is a wealth of handloading info available and with the right bullets fired out of that Winchester Featherweight you can hunt just about anything in North America with proper shot placement. Al

My preferred method of hunting Deer and Squirrels is still hunting so almost all of the time when after those two species I am by myself. I do enjoy getting together with family and friends at Deer camp once in awhile mostly for the food concoctions, tale tales, ball busting and comradery. Coon, Rabbit, Bird and Waterfowl hunting can be a lot of fun and productive sharing the experience with trusted hunting partners. Al

Mountain Feists are a favorite breed for hunting Squirrels. A top Squirrel dog is hard to come by and it takes special traits which are acquired through good breeding to be proficient. Squirrel dogs hunt with all three senses eyes, ears and nose and they also must have the trait to tree. "Full Cry" magazine has a lot of info on Feists and Squirrel hunting. Al

As Robert Palmer would have said, "Might as well face it I'm addicted to knives" the newest addition is a Davy Crockett made by Dickson, a double edged Damascus that was harder than hell to sharpen. A good mate for my 32 cal Crockett Squirrel rifle. Al

American Rifleman, Predator Xtreme, Fur Fish and Game, American Cooner, Full Cry, NY Outdoor News.

Don't have to tell them to hold the cheese up here, all you are getting is what appears to be a tiny photo of cheese on your bun LOL!

So the wife and I stop at a Mcdonalds to get a bite to eat, rarely do I ever buy their food but it was late and we wanted to get something quick and not have to cook supper. I love fish so I decide to get a couple of their Fillet-O-Fish sandwiches one of the few things on their menu I like as they put a slice of cheese on that sandwich giving it a unique taste. Well we get home and sit down to eat, I open both of my sandwiches to scrape off some of the excess tartar sauce and there on the inside of the bun was a yellow colored two inch square that looked to be put on by a printer it was so thin, it was supposed to be the slice of cheese. Talk about cheaping out! Good God add a damned quarter to the price and make the sandwich right!, I will not be going back anytime soon!