airedale

I love seeing young ladies get involved in the shooting sports and hunting, if they get a decent crack at it there is no reason why they should not enjoy it as much as the guys. Al

The work benches are just butted up against each other tight sitting on the floor, they could be bolted or clamped together but they are very stable so far so I have left them as they are. The legs they have make it possible to even bolt them to the floor. I have a ton of stuff in the drawers and on the bottom shelves that help keep to things steady. I do not think I will have any trouble with the butcher block top, the presses that would be putting any stress on them have those quick attach mounting plates beneath them distributing any pressure in a wide area. The old Pacific shotshell loader does not put any stress on the top at all. Time will tell but any screwups can be addressed and fixed to make things work right hopefully. Al

When one gets bitten by the hunting shooting sport game the quest for success and perfection seems to be a never ending battle. My gun-reloading room started out quite modestly many years ago and for the most part served me well for for a long time. Got my reloading and gun work done for the most part with no problem. But as the years rolled by I just kept accumulating more and more stuff and order and neatness started to wane to the point where doing work and finding equipment started started to become a chore, basically the room had become an outright "mess". I made do with the situation for a long time but finally enough was enough! There was only one thing to do to solve the problem and that was a complete makeover and that meant out with the old and in with the new. I started late last summer and puttered around over the months a little at a time hopefully getting it right for the long haul. The 50 year old old Sears steel legged work benches that my presses and reloading and repair equipment took up shop on were removed. The glass doored gun cabinets and wall hanging gun racks were removed. inefficient shelves removed. I went to Lowes and purchased a row of low cost wall and base cabinets along with a counter top for my cleaning-repair-scope mounting work area and to make some organized storage. New wall shelving and tool cabinets to store all tools in their proper place and make them easily found and accessed. I replaced the old Sears work benches with two Harbor Freight wood workers benches. They were a pain to assemble, the drawers are pretty rough operating but they seem real solid and so far I like them. Because of the safe act all gun storage is now handled by safes. The room is pretty much ship shape now and everything has it's place and is stored properly where it can be found. My reloading equipment is set up now for quick change or complete removal off the benches with Lee and RCBS mounting plate systems. I picked up a handy portable reloading stand made by Frankford Arsenal, it has folding leaf wings and is very light weight, it is easily moved anywhere in the room and works great for assisting or for just stand alone reloading. I had a good time over the winter taking care of a bunch of long overdue upgrades and scope mountings on my firearms, it was real nice to have everything where it belongs and easily found for a change. Some photos of the aftermath, still some minor tweaking going on and a little congested yet but a heck of a lot better than what it was.

It is nice to see the Norma MRP available, real good stuff. When you see the velocities you get without signs of high pressure it seems to defy the laws of reloading. Al

I have on occasion treed Fisher with my dogs, they go through the tree tops with unbelievable speed like a giant squirrel. Like I said I wish there were a lot more of those Porcupine eaters around. Joe Boy a Redline Airedale This poor guy is not mine but I had a female Coonhound that was quilled up just about as bad, talk about a nightmare.

Congratulations on your versamax purchase, my motto is you can not have too many guns. Al

The 7600 has a very strong action but I would back off a gr or 2, be safe and and work your way up. Your empty fired cases will tell you what you need to know. Go for the load that that does not show high pressure and that shoots the best, believe me a Deer hit with one of those bullets going from 2700 fps to 2900 fps will not know the difference. Al

I am not well versed in handloading 30/06 shells but some time ago I loaded up some 165 hornady spire points for a friend of mine using IMR 4350 57 grs, that is near the top in most manuals. They shot well in his Winchester model 70 bolt action. If I remember right they were hitting somewhere around 2900 fps, his rifle had a 24 inch barrel. Al

I believe their diet consists of mostly various rodents like mice, chipmunks and squirrels also rabbits-hare and probably any small birds they can catch. I don't think they mess with Turkeys. Al

Dan you and I have a lot in common, like you been there and done that more times than I care to remember. There is nothing that will ruin your day worse than when your hunting dogs tangle with a porky. Hail to the Fisher! Al

They are a favorite of mine, any animal that does in Porcupines and eats them is a friend of myself and my dogs. I wish there were a lot more of them around. Al

Hope those dreams come through for you WJ and if they do I sure would like to see the final results. Al

I am an addicted rimfire fan and shooter and at the Syracuse Gun Show a few years ago there was a fellow with some Cooper Rifles. He had a Cooper Bolt Action Western Classic 22 LR that was so pretty it would bring tears to your eyes. That rifle had every custom touch there is to be had on it. The wood grain the best, the checkering the best, case coloured action and matching rings, octagon barrel, skeleton checkered buttplate, inletted sling studs and on and on along with a test target, one hole at fifty yards. I actually have had dreams about that one. Al

Hey Dan, Back in those days who had more fun than us? Al

I say go for it, if you have a dream rifle and you can swing it why the heck not. The 375 H&H is a great caliber and can be reloaded down with a 235 gr bullet designed for smaller game so it can be usable for both Deer and Bear. The Ruger Number 1 is a beautiful classic rifle, I have one myself in 222 Mag and love it. Al

I say go for it, if you have a dream rifle and you can swing it why the heck not. The 375 H&H is a great caliber and can be reloaded down with a 235 gr bullet designed for smaller game so it can be usable for both Deer and Bear. The Ruger Number 1 is a beautiful classic rifle, I have one myself in 222 Mag and love it. Al

The 222 case is quite a bit shorter than the 223, you have to push the shoulder back quite a bit. I believe when you are making that big of a change you need dedicated case forming dies that form the case in several steps. After that is done the neck will be way over length and will have to be trimmed. I don't know who makes forming dies these days, CH and Corbin did at one time but I do not know if those outfits are still in business. Al

Doc has made no false and misleading statements, he has stated facts and the facts speak for themselves. In case you are not aware high velocity lead core bullets have been around and used in large numbers for nearly 100 years and fired these days by the millions. Those early jacketed bullets had lousy performance and shed their jackets easily on impact. It would be safe say if there was the lead poisoning problem some Doomsdayers make it out to be there would have to be plenty of evidence by now! There is still zero credible concrete proof of any hunters and their families are getting lead poisoning from consuming meat taken with such bullets. Al

Well brand me "UNFIT", my Grandfather ate meat shot with lead, my Dad ate meat shot with lead, I ate and still do eat meat shot with lead and both of my boys grew up eating meat shot with lead and still do. I would not change one thing and do over everything exactly the same!!!! We have always taken care of our game meat properly, all questionable meat is removed and discarded, none of us were ever sick from lead poisoning nor do I know one single hunter who ate meat shot with lead ever to come down with some sort of lead malady! Al

ApexerER congrats on your new S&W I hope it works out well for you. I had a heck of a time finding something I liked and could stay with. Over the years I have tried out a bunch of small cc revolvers and pistols looking for the ideal gun, I first went with some rimfires with the thought that they would be easy to shoot and cheap to practice with. I started with a S&W 34 snub nose kit gun, really had no complaints, top quality, 100% function, reasonably good accuracy. I then got my hands on a Budischowsky TP 70 22 LR, a sort of US copy of the Walther tph, liked the concept but it was totally unreliable. An S&W 422 sportsman, small, reliable and decent accuracy. I kept the sportsman and sent the other two down the road. I then upped the power and picked up a nice older Walther PPK in 32 acp, very nice, functioned perfect and accurate. I know James Bond and his secret service thought well of the 32 acp but I did not care for it at all. Very limited in ammo and pretty weak as far as I am concerned. Had it been chambered in 380 acp I would probably still have it, so in the end that went down the road. Decided to up the power more and gave a 2 3/4 inch 357 Colt Python a try out, beautiful craftsmanship, accurate, powerful and loud, but very heavy and pretty hard to comfortably conceal. I sent the Colt packing. After all the auditions I think for me I finally found what I wanted, the Sig p938, small size and easy to conceal power, reliability and good accuracy and most of all a single action. To make it right for me I did change out the trigger and hammer spring to get the pull the way I wanted it. Mutt and Jeff

Yes do updates with some photos as you bring your project along it will be interesting to watch her progress. Al

Hey dbHunterNY, That Savage 12 Varmint rifle is a very good one and the 223 chambering is a very good varmint round also. That Savage rifle has long had an enviable reputation for fine accuracy, they are pretty heavy to carry up to the top of those hills down your way. I am happy to hear you have decent chuck hunting and hope you and your Savage have continued success this coming summer. Al

As far as I know the sky is the limit when it comes to numbers as long as your wallet can handle it and you have a very understanding wife. Al

To see a Woodchuck these days is actually a rarity, they have virtually disappeared. I drive through country where I use to see scores of them in the big open alfalfa fields now I see none. Lots of theories on why their numbers have tanked. I have to believe that the demise of the family farm is one of the reasons and the changes in the way farming is done these days. Farmers do not like them and there are some kind of killing devices that can be put down their dens to kill them. Another theory I have had run by me is the huge increase in Coyote numbers in the last 25 years. I was at the NY State Houndsman banquet some years ago and one of the guest speakers was a state biologist that studied the eastern Coyote. He said that upon examining the stomach contents of just about every summer killed Coyote they could get ahold to perform tests on had Woodchuck in them. He flat out said if anyone there wondered where the woodchucks disappeared to he felt the Coyotes had to have had a big effect on their numbers. I have noted that when I do see a Woodchuck it is always very close to roads or buildings and just maybe they survive in those places because is it is not comfortable habitat for a Coyote to hunt. When it comes to numbers I find it is the same with Cottontail rabbits and Pheasants. The old Ruger 220 Swift has not killed a Woodchuck in many years, their numbers are so low I don't hunt them anymore. Al

Yes I know it is more expensive but I have no choice in the matter when it comes to waterfowl hunting with any of my doubles. If it is priced anywhere near Hevi Shot they can keep it, I will continue to load my own. Al