airedale

I too am amazed at the accuracy of these pcp guns and the power also, real tight groups with the JSB exact pellets. I still use a hand pump to charge which works ok for the P-Rod but the 25 cal M-Rod gives me a workout. The other downside to the M-Rod it is big and heavy and a bit too powerful in the house. I am seriously considering a compressor now that they have become somewhat affordable. Those hostage targets are a blast. Al

A couple of years ago while at the Syracuse gun show I came across and interesting firearm, a Flobert parlor gun. A couple of pics below of Floberts. Back before Nintendos, Gameboys and other assorted video game consoles for indoor entertainment folks actually set up shooting galleries in a room in their homes. The firearms they used were called Parlor guns which fired a pellet from a cartridge using just primer compound at very low velocities. No longer manufactured for many years these old firearms are collector pieces these days. I found the concept and idea interesting so I decided to see what I could come up with to duplicate a parlor gun. A plain BB air rifle or pistol would work but did not have the fine accuracy I wanted. I looked into PCP air guns and found what for me a perfect choice, the Benjamin Marauder P-rod. I am familiar with Benjamin air guns as I have a full size Marauder 25 cal rifle which is surprisingly accurate, I have hunted with it and have taken several Squirrels, but a bit much to be firing in my house. The P-Rod is a combo pistol and rifle as it has an easily attached shoulder stock conversion, and most importantly the powder can be kept down low for indoor shooting. At the ranges it is shot the accuracy is great, out to 25 yards it will shoot ragged holes and if pumped up to full power has plenty of pop for Squirrels-Rats-Chipmunks etc. if hunting was desired. While I do not have a "Parlor" I have a long hall to my back door from my kitchen table where I have a well made bullet trap on a stand to catch pellets, a lot of fun can be had on a cold winter day. Al

It is a good upgrade Carlos, I have one of those Lee presses, I use it mostly for depriming cases but it will work well for all loading operations and will load ammo that is as accurate as presses costing much more. Al

Greg has plenty of interesting tales, problem Bears like the one below, he also trees quite a few Bobcats. I am proud of his Airedales as their bloodlines trace back here to my kennel and a lot of years hard work paid off with some pretty fair hunting dogs. About Bears We've lost one steer, one pig, 150 meat chickens, and thirteen turkeys in the past ten years, all on the ranch. We haven't lost any on our summer range in the mountains. Some neighbors have had pretty big losses on summer range to both grizzlies and wolves. I think the bear in the picture came back a few nights ago and got in with the last two pigs but he was only interested in their grain and rolling in the mud. Pigs are in the barn now and dogs are out all night!

All worthwhile mods in my book Rob, I am the same way always trying to make my firearms better. Looking forward to your report on how she shoots. Al

Not much of a Deer hunter these days, I allow myself one Deer, the first crack I get at something legal it's over. Al

What a crock of hocus pocus crap, when in Rome you do as the Romans do Troll Boy!!!!!!! Al

Yes it is, Greg says the same thing, it is delicious. Al

I never purposely shoot for the shoulder Wolc, I would say the vast majority of my shots on Deer of the typical heart lung variety and with those type of shots not much edible meat is wasted. The ammo I used out of the 45-70 for Deer was factory 300 gr hps, not being driven at very high velocity the expansion is not violent but their large diameter and weight account for a good size hole with complete pass throughs giving good killing performance. A couple fell pretty much where they stood but one heart shot buck sprinted a heck of a distance before he went down, dead on his feet but did not know it. Al

Just about every firearm I have ever owned has been messed with by me in one way or another, it is a big part of the fun for me. I have acquired a good collection of gunsmithing books and these days with the internet and youtube just about every mod I have wanted to do is shown in detail. Everything from stock refinishing and bedding, triggers, actions, and sights modified from factory to what suits my tastes. It is not hard if you have the tools and are given good instructions on how to do it. Al

Starting with the Ruger number 1 rifle, if it is in nice condition $950 is a very good price. Good minus a scope Number 1s are going for 1500 to 1600 dollars all day long and some want much more. The 45-70 cartridge is a classic that has been around since the late 1800s and remains popular to this day largely because it was once a US military cartridge and there are a pile of rifles over the years that have been chambered for it. With the right loads just about anything that walks can be taken with a 45-70. I have some experience with the cartridge owning a Marlin 1895 lever action and a Thompson Center single shot Encore, have killed three Deer with the Marlin and can say it will do the job. As for being a single shot I personally do not find that to be a handicap, many moons ago my first hunting gun was a Savage single shot 22 and that rifle took it's share of small game. Today I am a big fan of single shots and own several including a couple of Number 1s. The last two Deer I have taken have been with single shots and down through the years have taken quite a few others. The Ruger Number one is a Rifle that exudes class, there are not many firearms that can equal it's classic lines and look. Al

Greg Hertel Wyoming rancher and on the side Lion hunter has posted some of his adventures on my Airedale board. He has had some pretty good success this winter and I thought I would share some of his photos and a story over here. Al We took a couple of days off after the last run, dogs were tired and it was really really cold. I hiked a few drainages every day just to scout and see what was around. This morning it was -5 and clear. Right at daylight we headed up a route to the base of the Mesa that sits about the ranch. It was going to be a warmer, sunny afternoon and I knew it was going to be the last day of snow on the Mesa, so our plan was to check all along it this morning. I had my bluetick hound on a leash, Stitch and Etta were running loose. Etta was above me as we were approaching our high point and Stitch was across a gully checking out a small patch of juniper and cottonwood. All of a sudden he started barking like he does when looking at a grizzly. I turned Buddy loose and Etta went charging over there. They were all treeing hard as I approached to see a cat down low in a small cottonwood. As I approached, Stitch climbed up in the tree, which he usually never does. He was able to get right under the cat and grabbed its tail in his mouth and started pulling. I was videoing but quit when he got under the cat. The first picture shows him starting to climb up there. The cat came out of the tree and landed right on the rest of the dogs. I hit it with my ski pole and it took off and treed a short distance away. Buddy, my bluetick had a small cut on his leg but the rest were unmarked. Stitch was going nuts treeing but did not try to climb up that tree. I don't like them to climb up with the cats, too much can go wrong. Was a pretty exciting morning. Greg

More Jim Thorpe

Did not watch it but caught some highlights on the local news, that old liver spot Pelosi sitting behind sleepy Joe is a perfect complement. She looked like a trained chimpanzee jumping up and down clapping and smacking her lips cheering on her hero's lousy first year's performance. Al

Some years back before the Ruger Number 1, the Browning Hi Wall and Marlin 95 were chambering these modern firearms in 45-70 the Siamese Mauser conversion to that cartridge was a fairly popular option to make and get the most potential out of the old military shell. Some of my old loading manuals have special loads exclusively for that conversion. Your Siamese Mauser is one of the better ones I have seen, with the right ammo you could hunt just about anything with that rifle, congratulations. Al

Nice trailer Moog and a smart move going with aluminum. I was in the market a few years ago and even considered good used as a first option but it seems like every steel trailer I looked at had rust problem and that carried over to brand new ones on the lot. I said the heck with that and went with an aluminum model. I have a steel dump trailer and I found the best way to hold the rust at bay with that is to use truck bed paint. Zero rust and it wears like iron. Al

This is a solvable problem that is happening not because they are 38 spl, it is the particular loading of this ammunition I am betting. Run off a dozen empty cases through your sizing dies and load them up with a moderate load and see if they still stick, also powder itself has a lot to do with dirtiness, there are some powders that perform well and are pretty clean burning. Al

And he gives his typical deflection answer, If I was a betting person I would bet no and the same for his alter ego Left Field! Al

The loose fitting cases of the 38 ammo should not effect their performance, they in fact load in the cylinder easier when using a speed loader. The 38 special cases also work better for light target loads especially with very fast powders like titewad or bullseye, their smaller case capacity gives better ignition with those light 2 to 3 gr powder charges. Those 38 cases can also be loaded with very heavy plus P loads that can come close to 357 ballistics. Make sure they are never used in a 38 spl gun. Al

I cringed every time I saw what was probably an expensive rifle getting dropped and banged around. I once had a Ruger 77 458 Winchester mag, it was a heavy recoiling rifle but nothing like the 700 nitro in the video. I think half the problem was those guys were holding the rifle way too loose. Al

Some Arab guys trying out an 700 Nitro Elephant Rifle

Was a good day to hit the Squirrel woods, they were moving good, got a couple this morning and have enough for a good meal, am done for the year on Squirrels. Al

And above we have another one of his typical trolling posts! Can not seem to post anything useful! Al

I have heard of putting heated smooth stones in old wool socks and keeping them in pockets for hand warmers, I like the egg idea and having them for a snack. I once read somewhere that live Button Quail were kept in pockets as hand warmers. Al