airedale

I picked up one of these Teslong bore scopes for checking barrels on my firearms, it can be hooked up to either a phone or a computer. I have mine setup for a phone right now but I think being hooked up the the larger screen of a computer is the way to go for much better detail. I think this is especially useful for checking the condition of my black powder rifles. I have had it for a couple of years now and paid about $60 if I remember right. Al

I suppose if I was a hunter and hunting deer in one of those restricted shotgun slug only areas I would be tempted to at least look into this 360 Buckhammer. It does on paper at least have a lot going for it ballistically and I am pretty sure it would be effective. The verdict will be a couple of years down the road as the reports of it's use trickle in. By the way it looks like Rem Arms is bailing out of Ilion and heading to Georgia. Al

When I was a kid the rumors were just beginning about a mythical animal that at that time was being called a Coydog. For the most part the DEC dismissed their existence, they were few and far between in the beginning but as the population grew there was no denying them. Hunters were shooting them, they were getting hit by cars, showing up in trapper's fox sets and bingo we now had the eastern Coyote. One thing for sure once they gained a toehold their numbers skyrocketed, basically a perfect storm. Al

The latest and greatest from Remington and Henry, marketed toward jurisdictions that were shotgun slug only for Deer hunting and have now adopted straight wall rifle cases as legal hunting implements. https://www.remington.com/360buckhammer.html Al

I recently came into possession of a Vintage Lyman All American 20X Varmint scope that spent many years mounted on top of a buddy's Remington 700 heavy barrel 243 Win woodchuck rifle. The Remington was sold many years ago and the scope was laying around with broken crosshairs, something that was actually seen often back in the good old days. As talked about in the other scope thread below these American made vintage scopes are sought after for vintage rifles and are going for a pretty good chunk of change, the old Lymans are being sold for 3, 4 and even $500. So here is one of those deals where I have semi valuable scope that is no longer being made, in the old day a company called TK Lee would take this scope and put a dot reticle inside for a reasonable fee. TK Lee is long gone. So I poked around the internet and came up with an outfit called Parsons Scope Service and he tells me he can repair this scope. What I do not like is he will not give me a price without inspecting the scope first, he said to box it up and send it in and he will give me an estimate. The scope is in decent shape, nice and clear with just a slight scope ring mark so it is well worth fixing if the price is reasonable. So I guess that is what I will do and see what the damage is. Contact info below if anyone else has a similar problem. Parsons Scope Service 1563 Compton Road Cincinnati Ohio, 45231 513 867 0820 Al

The world is full of scum these days. Al

As long as the ground stays relatively free of deep snow healthy Deer have a pretty good chance of evading Coyotes. Al

Looks great, has the best roof style going for this neck of the woods. Al

That S&W 57 and the Marlin make for a great and potent somewhat rare combo. The Taurus model 63 is a stainless copy of the Winchester 63, they were made around 20 years ago, Taurus also made a copy of the Winchester 62 gallery pump in stainless at the same time, I have one of those also. The Taurus 22s have worked great for me and I have zero complaints, the fit and finish is above average and their reliability has been pretty much flawless and accuracy on a par with other firearms of the same type. I am attracted to old firearms designs, the two Winchester designed Taurus 22s are a blast from the past and I do plink with them on a regular basis. Al

A day where I learned something new, did not know the was huntable Elk in New Hampshire as recent as the 1940s. Al

Thanks Guys, me, Harleigh the Airedale and the Brownings are headed out the door to the woods in a little bit to see if a Gray Squirrel can be added to my stash so I can make a big pot of stew. Al

A couple of budget measuring devices for handloading, I do not think them to be quite as accurate as the Mitutoyo calipers but they can work well enough for case length measurements. The Big Mike marketed by Pacific (now Hornady) some years ago was a bust. Al

Read an article a few days ago about the once popularity of having a rifle chambered for the same cartridge as your handgun. It was pretty commonplace at one time in the days of the early straight wall cases like 44-40, 32-20, 45LC and in more recent years 357-38spl and 44 mag-44spl. Personally, I thought it to be a pretty good idea and I still am fond of the concept having a bunch of ways of putting to use the worthwhile convenience of being able to use the same ammo. I like the 22 rimfire combos the best because of the lower cost to blaze away. Below are some combos I like quite a bit. Henry Single Shot 357, Ruger GP100 357 Taurus Model 63 22lr, Smith and Wesson Sportsman 22lr Marlin 1894 44mag-44spl, Charter Arms 44spl, Ruger Redhawk 44mag Browning Buckmark carbon fiber 22lr, Browning Buckmark Pistol 22lr Al

I have pretty ditched conventional scope lens caps in favor of the neoprene scope covers, they not only keep the glass clean but also offer protection for the whole scope body. They go on and off in a flash and come in different sizes and colors-patterns, they can be bought for a moderate price. Al

I installed a very worthwhile sight upgrade on mine, not a lot of money and just snaps on. Al

The only time I have scope covers on is when it is raining and most times it will be just one on the rear of the scope. No rain, the scope covers are off and in my pocket. Al

Your new 410 will work well for it's intended purpose, I have one like that in 20 ga, they are solid workhorses. Al

The "baleful" stare, my old Den Terrier "Scruffy", maybe the toughest dog I have ever owned. Only 11 or 12 pounds but if there was ever the definition of the old saying "it is not the size of the dog in the fight, it is the size of the fight in the dog" old Scruff met it in spades. Got her from an old time fox hunting den terrier man name Arnie Morse down in PA. Al

It has taken me awhile to finally get my hands on some Varget Powder, from what I have read it gives good results with the lightweight Barnes 160 gr 338 bullets. These will transform Fronkensteen from a "big" big game rifle to something a bit more suitable for Deer and something that is not scrambling my brain recoil wise. Regardless I now have a lead sled to tame Franky down. When I test these rounds out I want to run them through my chronograph, the only way to tell the truth on their performance but I am pretty sure I will be getting at least 3300 fps and maybe more out of Fronkensteen's 28 inch barrel. Barnes 160 gr on left, Sierra 250 gr on right. Al

Nice, Good score. Al

Ironic that it was not too many years ago the scope was many times a throw in enticement to sell a rifle, these days the name brand vintage scopes are almost worth the same as the rifle itself. Congrats on obtaining your Ruger 77, the 77s are a big favorite with me. Al

Absolutely, like the wind the sun can definitely be part of the hunt plan. A couple of years ago I hunted with my new Henry polished brass frame single shot, talk about a "sparkler" I had to do several things to keep that glaring shine down to a minimum. Did what I had to do and all went well with a little extra precaution I got a Deer with it. Al

I am one to go by personal experience, it has always been well known that shiny surfaces on firearms can reflect sunlight and a hunter has to be aware of that fact and there are ways to mitigate that problem. I am not going to sit in a sunny area fidgeting moving my firearm around making it look like a signal mirror. When I set up I will make sure that the least of my worries is my firearm shining a warning of my position. Been hunting Deer and Varmints with walnut and steel firearms mounted with gloss finished scopes for over 60yrs, not to brag but I think I have done OK. If someone wants to use muted finished firearms I am totally OK with that, but you can't tell me one can not be a successful hunter using fine walnut and steel firearms. Al

I have noticed the matt finish trend has also infiltrated the firearms industry quite a bit in recent years. I can see that type of finish for certain types and situations, but for the most part I still favor a gloss blue rifle with a nice walnut oil finished classic stock, it is most pleasing to my eye. I do kind of like the cerakote type epoxy finishes, they have them looking pretty close to traditional blue in look and I think it is a much more durable finish that actually protects against moisture and corrosion. I had my little model 24 Savage combo gun cerakoted a few years ago and it looks pretty darn good. Al

As mentioned above there is a special high temp paint for stoves, I did my old charcoal smoker a couple of years ago and it has held up fine. Take a wire brush to the rust and get as much as possible off before applying your paint. Al