airedale

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

This Remington 870 is probably the best choice I have in my arsenal for Turkeys, purchased it mainly for waterfowl and the required steel shot. I put on some adjustable sights to better center patterns. It does the job good enough for me as it has taken both Geese and Turkeys. Al

It is a Bianchi and it is for the GP100, the old basket weave Safariland to the far left will also holster the GP100. Al

I prefer and use mostly belt holsters made from leather, I do have a couple of nylon types that do the job. When hunting I am always carrying the handguns out of their holsters. I also have a shoulder holster that will work with a couple of my revolvers, used it mostly when I was Coon hunting as my hands were full many times with dogs on leads. Those two basket weave jobs on the left are a good 50 years old and they are still in very good condition, The secret of keeping them in good shape is Obenaufs leather conditioner. Al

It is always said that there was not enough voter fraud found to change the election so case closed move on. Personally I have little doubt that there was fraud and more than what is being let on, while maybe not enough to change the Presidential election there were plenty of House seats also on those ballets that were very close races and where any fraud could have easily affected outcomes in those races. There needs to be zero fraud period. Al

If you handload you can get the price down to around 4.00 a shell for 1 1/4 ounce loads which is still pretty steep. Al

Back in my gun shop days I sold a couple of Astra Constables and they seemed to be decent quality, the customers had nothing but good to say about them. They are a Spanish cloned Walther PPK. I once owned a Walther PPK in 32 acp, it was one of my favorite pistols, I love the design but the 32 acp cartridge was a dog. I am not too crazy about the 380 either, I watched one of my hunting friends try to put a deer downed with a broken back out of it's misery with an AMT backup 380, the bullet bounced off the Deer's skull. I always wished Walther would beef up the PPK enough to handle 9mm, I would be standing in line with cash in hand to buy one. Al

Some photos of US Presidents that participated in some hunting and shooting and generally pro outdoors and hunting. Facetious with the last two. Al

I too am a fan of the 1911 style pistol, my easily concealed carry gun is an all metal Sig Sauer 938 9mm, single action cocked and locked carry, very well made totally reliable and compact. I have three different style holsters but the basic nylon one pictured is my favorite, inside or outside the waist band or in a pocket. Al

Totally agree, nothing like a well balanced double for hunting small game and wing shooting, class, tradition and beauty. Al

I know of Rabbit hunters that have lost Beagles to Coyotes, it is well known Coyotes will kill and eat small dogs if they get the opportunity. I had a Houndsman tell me he was running a Coyote with a good Plott Hound above the North shore of Oneida lake. The lake was frozen over and the Coyote decided to head across to the other side with the Plott a couple of hundred yards behind in plain view. The Coyote all of a sudden decided he had enough and turned back and met the Plott head on. The hunter said they clashed and were both up on their hind legs going at it pretty good when after a couple of minutes of bloody fighting the Plott turned tail and ran back to his owner. Plotts are well known for their grittiness and fight so it was no small feat for that Coyote to kick ass. Airedales are cut from a different cloth, they like the fight and the more they get hurt the madder they get, Earl below facing the music and going in and dragging out another Coyote. Al