airedale

Howa is a Japanese firearms company that has been around for many years that has a good track record. Their 1500 bolt action rifles have a reputation for good quality, reliability and accuracy. Years ago Smith and Wesson contracted Howa to make a bolt action rifle for them to market, from what I saw of them they were a good buy. Today they market under their own name and make Weatherby's Vangard rifles which are guaranteed to group an inch or under with good quality ammo. If there is a particular model that they make that you like I do not think one would go wrong. Al

Five hens scratching around for food this morning and not a single poult in tow. Al

Par for the course Democrat playbook, can't play by the rules so they want to change the rules on everything. Pack the Courts End the filibuster Redistrict voting Cashless bail Trash Second Amendment Dismiss Law and order across the board And on and on!!

Worked on the rolling block's sights to give me a better picture, put a Truglo fiber optic on front and opened up the shallow V on the rear with a round file, good improvement and much better sight acquisition. Al

As they are right now I would not, with some tinkering mainly with the open sights I would. The Savage sights would be the easiest to upgrade, I can still shoot well enough with fiber optic sights and there are some upgrades for those made for the Savage. The Rolling block sights would be tougher and a challenge. If I can get that rolling block's trigger pull down I may kill a Deer with it. The top Savage has a Lyman tang peep. Even though the Savage 99 is an old design it is still a first rate hunting rifle even today, it is a very strong action that can safely fire high intensity rounds using pointed bullets due to it's rotary magazine. I have a late model 99A in 250 Savage that is a fast handling shooter and I love it.

My Dad left me his model 99 Utica Savage 30-30 from his days when he worked there before going into the Navy, I never had a whole lot of interest in the rifle and it just sat in my safe unused. A friend of mine also has a couple of unused 30-30 rifles he inherited, a mint Winchester model 94 1950s vintage and a nice old 99 Savage straight stock 99A type in 30-30. I also recently acquired an old Spanish made Starr Rolling Block carbine in nice shape chambered in 30-30 at the spring Syracuse gun show. We got to shooting the breeze at a July 4th cookout and decided to make a day available to shoot those old gals and see what they can do, yesterday was that day. I found a vendor that had some once fired brass and loaded up a pile ammo with spitzer and hollow point bullets and had some factory Remington ammo to blast away with. All the rifles were shot with open sights and both of us being old geezers with piss poor eye sight would have welcomed an optic but being as it may we shot decent 50 yard groups well enough for any Deer hunting. I especially had fun shooting the old rolling block, I just liked the mechanics of the thing. The trigger pull though is atrocious, I am not kidding it has to be 15 or more pounds. I had a bit of fun with my pal as I had him try a shot with that rifle to see what he thought and did not mention the heavy trigger. I stood behind him as he zeroed in on the target watching him struggle with the trigger, he turned and asked me how to take the safety off. LOL! All and all pretty much what we expected function and group wise Will give me some projects this winter getting that rolling block trigger weight down and some sights that I can see. Below are the principles, Hornady 165 gr spire points, Sierra 135 gr HPs, and Remington 150gr corelokts Al

I am surprised NY has not jumped on the California Democrat model long ago. Controlling ammo is back door gun control and effective as it skirts the second amendment, just watch and see what happens when they ban traditional lead bullets. Al

Man you are about as full of shit as one can possibly be!!!!!!! Al

If you have a few guns to sell a good investment for around $25 is a current price book like "Modern gun Values" which will give an estimate and education of what their worth is. Amazon has a good selection of such books. Al

Back when family farms were common throughout the state Woodchuck sightings would be an every day occurrence, it is very rare for me to see one around here these days. A few weeks ago I took a trip to Brattleboro Vermont to pick up some Soay Sheep, the grassy edges along major highways always seem to be a good place to spot a few Chucks. On that 200 mile trip both going and coming home I did not see one single Woodchuck, sad. I still have "Chuckles" living under one of my sheds, he gets a free pass from me, he comes out and eats clover on my lawn, so far he has avoided being caught and killed by my Airedale but he has had a couple of close calls. I give him a heads up before I let the dogs out by knocking on a window, he will immediately head for his hole when he hears it. Al

I collect old vintage metallic cartridges and have some with that white residue on lead bullets, I also have some old odds and ends 22 ammo in a jar some of which with pure lead bullets has the same type residue. I use the 22 stuff for informal plinking and as far as I can see it still fires ok and accuracy is adequate enough for that kind of use. As for taking off the white residue I once read that vinegar on a rag will take it off without too much wiping and elbow grease. Al

Right on and as the old saying goes "practice makes perfect". A friend and I are going to be wringing out some vintage 30-30 rifles in a few days, I am waiting on some bullets I ordered for some handloads I am making up, it is going to be fun. Al

Would not be a heck of a lot different from the so called stand-blinds some hunt out of equipped with all the comforts of home. Al

There is a myriad of firearms and calibers available to hunt with, the advice you gave for a new hunter just starting out is solid as far as I am concerned and he would do well to follow it. Al

Nothing more fun than coon hunting with a good dog.

Well we have something in common Splitear, many years ago I purchased a wirehair Fox Terrier with intentions on making a squirrel dog out of him, he was also hit and killed by a car at a young age. Over my lifetime I have had the chance to train and hunt with many dog breeds and enjoyed working with them all for the most part. When it comes down to picking the one, Airedale Terriers are my breed of choice, a one horse race as far as I am concerned. Over 50 years with the breed and the one word that describes them best is versatility in spades.

Years back I enjoyed Rat hunting and Woodchuck and a bit of Fox digging with what was called back then "Den Terriers", basically Jack Russells. A couple of the girls picture below, Scruffy with a good size Black Snake she killed and one of the pups I raised Muffin who was a little Stinker as can be seen by her puss. Al

One of my favorites hung in the barbershop where I got my hair cut as a young kid, Budweiser's "Custer's Last Fight". I would stare at it the whole time I was in the barber chair. About 20 years ago I found one in mint condition at a price I could afford and picked it up. Al

Snapped a quick one out the kitchen window of gray boy wandering around this morning in the pasture hunting mice. Al

Put me in the Flail mower camp, I purchased one several years ago (A Titan) for use on the farm and for me it has several advantages over the brush hog type. Mine has the hammer blades which does a good job on both brush and saplings up to three inches in diameter pulverizing them while still giving a very nice cut on grass. It mounts up much closer to the back of the tractor making for easier turns and maneuverability. Also much safer when it comes to rocks as it does not sent them into orbit and parts unknown like a brush hog. Got her on the tractor now mowing fields and trails. Al

A very nice example of a classic woods hunting rifle, rifle, scope and cartridge tough to beat, she is a beauty. Al