airedale

The Ruger 1911s have a lot of custom features for the money, congrats. Al

I still have the first bow I ever bought, in the center is my Bear Super Kodiak recurve that goes back to the late sixties. Don't bow hunt much these days but I still enjoy and do a lot of shooting. Al

That may or may not be true but at this stage of the game I would not take much pleasure is killing this guy, there is zero challenge. Al

I mentioned this camo poncho once before, I got it for varmint hunting and have used it also for Deer and Squirrel hunting and this spring I have been using it for Turkeys. By every measure this garment works great for everything I have hunted, light weight and airy I can wad it up and stuff it in a large coat pocket, I also have it sprayed down good with Sawyers and have been completely bug free from black flies, skeeters and those damned ticks. A lot of bang for the buck right here, Al

Turkey hunting has evolved a lot for me over the years. I live a stones throw away from one of the DEC's first release areas of wild live trapped birds to establish viable breeding populations. It was a resounding success and after just few years birds were being seen in good numbers and serious hunting for them began. I learned the basics and killed a few but can say I was not bitten by the bug. My biggest mistake was raising a flock of western Merriam wild Turkeys here on the farm and the luster of hunting the local wild birds faded away big time. This year a thread about Turkey hunting with a double barrel stirred my interest and I thought I would get out and kill one with my classic LC Smith double. I knew there were a few around from seeing them when Deer and Squirrel hunting. Did some scouting and with some observation I found there was a small local flock frequenting my hunting ground. Best I could tell there are six hens and one Tom and I had their daily routine down pretty good. What bothered me a bit was just the single Tom, I was hoping to see some satellite opportunistic Toms or Jakes hazing those six hens. I see other Toms out in fields and crossing roads in the area so I figured sooner or later I was going to see them horning in on the local boy. Well it has not happened, day after day I am seeing the same Tom with his harem with no competition. I could have killed him several times but I keep holding out as I want those six hens to have an opportunity to mate. To make matters worse they are now coming out of the woods every day and hanging around my house LOL, shooting the Tom now would be almost the same as killing those tame Merriams I once had, Personally with the way things stand I would really not feel very good about killing him at this point so with the wife's encouragement he is getting a pass. Believe it or not he is right outside my window gobbling now 20 yards away. Al

I am just the opposite, while I still would want the sentiment of Grandpa's old gun I want it to be like the day he brought it home new. Any gun I am going to keep for and use myself I want in the best possible condition both mechanically and cosmetically, I try my best to make them look and function like the day they came out of the factory. Al

Check out artist Tom Mansanarez, he does some nice wildlife and hunting art. I have a small collection of his stuff depictions of hunting various big game with Hounds. Philip Goodwin is another. Al

Good to see you still have some Chucks to hunt, the Savage model 12 setup you have is a dandy. Of the many species there are to hunt Woodchucks are at or near the top of the list for me. There was a time when they had huge numbers and they provided me with more varied hunting opportunities than any other game. I have hunted them with Archery equipment, Handguns, Rimfires and long range Varmint rifles and even a few with my big game rifles. Between Chucks and Squirrel there is nothing that provides and teaches in the field-hunting marksmanship like those two animals. Some great times were had hunting Woodchuck habitat, today it is rare to see any up my way and any I see here on the farm get a pass now. Al

Yes it is fairly common for various brands of ammo to shoot to different points of aim out of handguns because of so many variables with powder brands-charges, bullet styles and weights along with barrel lengths and twists. It is especially disheartening with many of today's compact handguns that most of which do not have adjustable sights. You find a good load that is grouping great but printing high, low or left or right with no easy way bringing the group to the point of aim. Without adjustable sights you have to try out as many brands as possible and hope for something that groups well to where you are actually aiming. I know many of these fixed sight belly guns are made for closeup short ranges where precise shots are really not required but personally I have a hard time warming up to a gun that does not shoot exactly where I want it to. Al

Owned an Ithaca model 72 made by and imported from Erma Werkes W Germany for Ithaca, the Henry is an almost exact copy of that defunct rifle, passed it down to one of my sons. Smooth operating is the one word I would use for that gun, accuracy was adequate for it's type. As for sights, performance wise I shoot with peep type sights the best, for squirrel hunting I would go with a good quality dedicated rimfire scope for more precise shot placement at longer ranges. Al

Have not hunted Turkeys in quite some time, fired myself up by going old school this year, patterned my LC Smith Double sidelock SXS at 35 yds with some old federal Hi-Power 6s 1 3/8 oz. I think I will be alright if I can get one to come into range as the left side improved modified barrel gave pretty good coverage. Al

I have seen where many shooters have tested their shotgun's patterns and were not getting the coverage they expected for certain chokes and shells. I have found that many of the choke specifications labeled on some tubes and barrels are not exactly what they are supposed to be. I messed around yesterday checking all of my choke tubes and barrels of various shotguns I have with an American National Firearms choke gauge and found that many chokes are off a size at least according to this gauge which is reputed to be a good one. Some of my Full Chokes measured out to be Improved Modified and several others up or down a size. The bottom line is you may not be getting the pattern you want because your shells are not being choked the way you thought. The choke gauge can be purchased from Amazon or Ebay Al

Being overweight is the single worse malady that effects overall health. It can be positively linked to just about every health problem, diabetes which can lead to nerve damage and eye problems, stroke, high blood pressure, heart health, joint wear and tear, fatty liver, sleep apnea and the list goes on. Keeping your weight in the right range for your body is the single most important thing a person can do for their overall health. Being fat will catch up to you sooner or later especially as you age. As for diets I am in the low carb, zero sugar camp, variations of the Stillman, Keto and Atkins methods have worked well for me for many years. Youtube Doctors and Authors Dr Eric Berg, Dr Sten Ekberg and Dr Jason Fung are some of the best experts on these types of health and life style. Exercise is important for condition but is only worth about 25% in your weight picture, diet the other 75%. Al

The best stuff I have come across for removing rust is Evapo-rust, it is a liquid that you soak your rusty items in and it will dissolve the rust with zero effect to the metal itself. I use plastic tubs for soaking and put enough of the Evapo-rust in to submerge the parts whatever they may be. It might take a few days depending on how severe the rust is but it will get it off eventually leaving bare metal. I think the best way to refinish badly rusted guns once they are rust free and polished up is with something like duracoat, some can be do it yourself or it can be farmed out to a gun shop that provides that service. One more thing about Evapo-rust, it can be used over and over again, just strain it through coffee filters and put it back into it's container until the next job. Al

I had no problem finding 30-30 ammo both Remington and Federal, I went with Remington 150 gr. It was selling in the mid thirty dollar range. Al

Well I could not resist adding to my single shot collection, a little Star rolling block 30-30 priced right. I have been wanting a rolling block forever, have stayed away from them because most are chambered in 45-70 Buffalo rifles weighing 10 or 11 pounds and some pretty high prices. Small calibers are rarely seen. This little Star carbine is in pristine condition with a shiny mirror finish bore that has not been shot much. I picked up a couple of boxes of Remington ammo and as soon as I got out of the truck at home I walked back to my range put in a cartridge and took a shot at one of the steel plates at 50 yards and hit it dead center. Next on my list is a Sharps single shot. I am pleased. As for the gun show there was plenty of ammo to be had and a decent collection of firearms priced fairly. Al

Heading out to one of my favorite events that I hit twice a year, don't need a darn thing but you never know what can strike your fancy to pull the trigger "Pun Intended." Al

Once again Ebay is your friend when it comes to this sort of equipment. These precision measuring tools are well taken care of by their owners so buying used has little risk and the advantage of saving some serious money. Japanese made high quality Mitutoyo dial calipers have more than enough accuracy for handloading and can be bought at a fraction of their original price and will last several lifetimes. Al

I have been around long enough to have seen Cockfights here in NY, Vermont and PA. Al

I have been raising poultry since I was a kid, everything from Ducks, Geese, Turkeys, Pheasants, Quail and even some Rhea birds, I find it interesting and enjoyable. I have messed around with many chicken breeds but my favorites are American gamefowl, they are the best hands down for free ranging. They can not be beat for their beauty, they take care of themselves like no other breed, the Hens are the best at raising and protecting chicks, they are very good eating and lay more than enough eggs for me. The only caveat is mature Roosters need to be kept separated. Al

When I was a kid the Winchester Model 12 was touted as being quality and design wise the best pump action shotgun made. Their stellar trouble free performance record on the Trap and Skeet fields had a lot to do with that notion. The Ithaca Model 37 and Remington Model 31 slide actions were and are not too shabby in their own right. The article posted above about the Remington 870 and the Mossberg 500 is pretty much right on the money, they are both proven to be great designs and have good records in the field. If I was pinned down and had to pick one it would be the Remington 870. Al

I am also on the Berry's bandwagon, I have only experience with straight wall handgun bullets, they have very good accuracy, waaay cleaner than swaged or lubed cast lead and they are priced reasonable. Al

These days it is almost impossible to keep up with optics companies, their owners and scope-optic lines are ever changing. Bushnell was once a leader in hunting-spotting scopes and across the board optics, I have four Bushnell Binoculars and have several of their rifle scopes along with a laser rangefinder that perform perfectly fine from years ago when they were their own company and made from high quality Japanese optics. They have since been bought up by large conglomerates along with the old main stays like Weaver Tasco and Simmons scope lines. Simmons was another scope company when first started were made from high quality optics in Japan. The owner and starter of the Simmons company "Ernie Simmons" was determined to manufacture scopes that could compare with any and those early Simmons scopes were pretty darn good, I have several from that era. Ernie is long gone and the Simmons name was bought up being used to market scopes that cost a fraction of what those early Japanese models cost. What kind of quality they are today I do not know. Glad to see that Sbuff's Bushnell is working out fine for him. Al

I have a Mitutoyo 4 inch dial caliper that I have been using for reloading for a lot of years, they are very well made. Al