airedale

I like the Ruger 77s a lot Jaeger, A little trigger work and shimming the bolt are two easy upgrades that makes them pretty good shooters. Al

Happy Easter all, I am looking forward to my Reese's Peanut Butter Egg!

Thanks for keeping an eye out for it Dan, the Syracuse gun show is coming up I have made some good scores there on hard to get stuff. I am also on the lookout for some 284 Winchester. Al

Here is a blast from the past the revolutionary Remington Nylon 66, in this case the magazine fed version the Nylon 77. Nothing fancy here, these were one of the first factory firearms to use synthetic materials (NYLON) in large percentage for it's construction. This 77 is my Coon hunting rifle that I carried many nights and I can say this is one tough rifle that has seen some hard going but always came through when the time came. It actually still looks pretty good considering the beating it has taken. I liked the magazine fed model because it was quick to load when needed as I do not like carrying it loaded being dragged by my dogs and stumbling around through the woods at night. Very lightweight, good reliability, hunting accuracy and an abuse taker for sure the ultimate Coon hunter's gun. Al

Now that is what I call a free floated barrel. How does she shoot? Al

Here is the one that afflicted me with the Rimfire disease. The Remington 541S was based on their target model called the 541X. Some of you folks may remember Remington's economy rifle the 788, it had rear locking lugs and an extremely fast lock time that resulted in accuracy that many times surpassed their flagship model 700. The 541S is basically a mini 788 action with the same type of rear locking lugs and a very fast lock time. Al

We have some similar tastes Jaeger. The Winchester 52s are all time classics, I have a B that I just got done mounting an old Redfield 20X 3200 on. I also have an 1885 low wall standard model and just put a better scope on it. When the weather turns nice I will seeing how those two shoot with their new eyes. WOLC 123 your Ruger 10/22 has to be one of the all time great rimfire rifles ever produced, keep after those rabbits and squirrels. Al

Back in the late seventies I worked part time in a good friend's sporting goods store and he decided to stock a couple of higher end 22 rifles. One was a Weatherby autoloader and the other was a Remington 541 S bolt action sporter. Up to that time I had been shooting a Browning BL 22 lever gun and was very happy with it but that Remington caught my eye. It was a full sized adult rifle based on the 541 target rifle action finished off in the same fashion as Remington's BDL bolt action centerfires and priced about the same. I remember when telling customers the price of the rifle the sticker shock that came over them with usually words going along the lines, "That Much For A 22" !! What they were doing was basing price to caliber and not to the quality of the gun. Modestly priced 22 rifles were all over the place so when they saw one twice or three times the price of what they were accustomed to they about keeled over. Back then I was doing quite a bit of Bullseye pistol shooting and going through hundreds of rounds every month. I found out quickly that if I was going to be serious about it that I needed a top quality pistol. So that was the view I took with the Remington 541 S, of the rifles I owned at the time my 22 was the one I shot the most. I took the view that the rifle I actually used and shot the most should be one of my best ones. I love it when I can talk myself into a new gun and that is just what happened with the 541 S LOL. That rifle is one of the best purchases I ever made and the most shot rifle I have ever owned. I still have it today and shoot it frequently and she still drives tacks, a good many Squirrels ended up in the slow cooker because of that one. That Remington started a rimfire trend with me that continues to this day not only with the 22 LR but with several other rimfires like the 17 HMR and the 22 Mag. I am doing a sales pitch right now on myself to acquire one of those Ruger 77/17 WSMs, not sold yet but close. Now if the hoarders will quit hogging ammo so availability and prices get back where they belong! Anyone here been bit by the Rimfire Bug? Al

I have not fished much in recent years but simple bank fishing is one of my favorites ways to go. Bullheads were a target along with Suckers, Carp and Catfish. Al

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