Mr VJP

Scalia's last warning to the American public may become his most insightful and prophetic one. I write sepa­rately to call attention to this Court’s threat to American democracy. “The substance of today’s decree is not of immense per­sonal importance to me. The law can recognize as mar­riage whatever sexual attachments and living arrange­ments it wishes, and can accord them favorable civil consequences, from tax treatment to rights of inheritance. Those civil consequences—and the public approval that conferring the name of marriage evidences—can perhaps have adverse social effects, but no more adverse than the effects of many other controversial laws. So it is not of special importance to me what the law says about mar­riage. It is of overwhelming importance, however, who it is that rules me. Today’s decree says that my Ruler, and the Ruler of 320 million Americans coast-to-coast, is a majority of the nine lawyers on the Supreme Court. The opinion in these cases is the furthest extension in fact—and the furthest extension one can even imagine—of the Court’s claimed power to create “liberties” that the Consti­tution and its Amendments neglect to mention. This practice of constitutional revision by an unelected commit­tee of nine, always accompanied (as it is today) by extrav­agant praise of liberty, robs the People of the most im­portant liberty they asserted in the Declaration of Independence and won in the Revolution of 1776: the freedom to govern themselves.” I would say Scalia was absolutely right on the money. SCOTUS has become far too powerful, often times usurping legislative powers from Congress and trampling all over the liberties and freedoms we hold dear without a second thought. If conservatives don’t gain control in the Court and work toward putting its powers back within constitutional limits, we’re going to see our freedom eroding at an ever quickening pace. Hopefully, we the people will heed Scalia’s warning before its too late.

George Will: "Students of the court understand that, given Harry Reid's demonstrated disdain for Senate rules, if Republicans had not won Senate control in the 2014 elections, he as majority leader would very likely now extend the institutional vandalism he committed in 2013. Then he changed Senate rules, by a simple majority vote and in the middle of a session, to prevent filibusters of judicial nominees other than Supreme Court nominees. This enabled Obama to pack the nation's second-most important court, that of the U.S. Circuit for the District of Columbia. Were Reid still majority leader, the Senate's only rule would be the whim of the majority of the moment, and his caucus would promptly proscribe filibusters of Supreme Court nominees. One consequence would be this: America today is one Supreme Court vote away from a radical truncation of the First Amendment's protection of freedom of speech. A Democratic president in 2017 will nominate to replace Scalia someone pledged to construe the amendment as permitting Congress to regulate political campaign speech, which would put First Amendment jurisprudence on a slippery slope to regarding all speech as eligible for regulation by the administrative state. Scalia lived 27 years after the person who nominated him left office, thereby extending the reach of Ronald Reagan's presidency and reminding voters of the long-lasting ripples that radiate from their presidential choices. A teacher, wrote Henry Adams, attains a kind of immortality because one never knows where a teacher's influence ends. Scalia, always a teacher, will live on in the law and in the lives of unnumbered generations who will write, teach and construe it."

A bill has recently been proposed in Albany that would give free hunting and fishing licenses to active volunteer Fire & EMS personnel. Would you support this or oppose it? I support it, even though I volunteer and have already paid for a lifetime license.

Wait a minute. People here are saying it's loud? I was assured by Shamhu that it isn't. You guys must be wrong, just like I was.

Actually, he's pretty crummy and scattered in Bali.

I can't imagine how any American firearm owner, or hunter, doesn't know who Scalia was. The man was the biggest defender and supporter of firearms and hunting this country has ever known. If you are clueless, you owe it to the man to look him up and find out who he was.

Support for Obama, Leftists and unconstitutional court decisions constitutes support for violation of the Rule of Law. That post wasn't specifically directed at you. However, I seem to recall quite a few of your posts regarding the above.

God rest his soul. God help the American citizen. http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/us-world/article/Senior-Associate-Justice-Antonin-Scalia-found-6828930.php

Justice Scalia, the staunchest supporter of the 2nd Amendment on the SCOTUS has died. We are about to see another far left liberal appointed by Obama and you can bet the 2nd Amendment will be attacked when the next firearms case come before the court. We will all remember these days as the "Good Old Days". American gun owners are now completely screwed!

I believe this whole case is just another government induced distraction, to keep the clueless masses from looking at all of the illegal government actions this administration wants to distract them from.

It's quite obvious you wingnuts are very selective in your outrage concerning violations of the Rule of Law. You get real "offended" when your political opposition is guilty of it, then turn around and show nothing but admiration and support when your political favorites are guilty of it. That is the point that needs to be made in this discussion whenever Rule of Law comes up. That's not a belief in it. That's an uneven application of it.

I don't believe any of this assumption is true. I think you tend to read posts with a jaundiced eye. Why don't you just add your 2 cents on the benefits of hunting with a dog instead of coming from an adversarial position right from the start? Hunting grouse with a dog has many advantages. However, owning and caring for a dog all year long also has many disadvantages. If a man is willing to do what is required when owning a dog to hunt grouse a few times a year, good for him. Someone who hunts grouse without a dog shouldn't be judged to be less of a grouse hunter.

Uh.....you're the one who brought up the subject of people being respectful of the Rule of Law and suffering the consequences for violations. Quote: "Tell ya what I will remember. America is GREAT! It has always been and if we adhere to the RULE OF LAW that our GREAT nation was based on we will continue to be GREAT. LAWS and a system of laws that ALL immigrants who came to America from other less than great systems of government agree is better than most of the world's system of laws." Do you not see how much damage this administration is doing to our freedoms and the future of this country? It will be much harder to correct than the damage experienced during the Dust Bowl.

As far as the reference to Rule of Law, why is it nobody on the Left is upset about the current administration's complete disregard of it, as well as the rights identified and enumerated in the Bill of Rights? That lawlessness affects American citizens much more than anything any western rancher could ever do.

I consider myself a pretty good shot on grouse since I kill about half the birds that actually give me a shot. I don't count the ones that I hear flush but can't see, or the ones that flush far out.

Wow, that rifle rang noise suppressor system is very interesting. I've been considering doing something to reduce the noise. That seems like it would be worth a try.

There is a good population in my hunting area and I hunt without a dog. Two birds a day is the norm, but hiking far and wide to get them is also the norm.

Yes, cutting the stock at the barrel band so the dissembled rifle fits in a duffle bag.

A good read that might get a few deer hunters back out in the woods for a few more weeks. http://projectupland.com/articles/4-reasons-to-be-a-deer-hunter-and-grouse-hunter/

What do you estimate your total out of pocket cost to be when finished?

Seems the ballistics on your new rifle will be quite like a .325 WSM, one of my favorite rounds for Elk.

SCI, Rigby Set New World Record For Most Expensive Bolt-Action Rifle Editor's Note: Today's feature comes to us courtesy of SCI. Along with John Rigby & Co., Safari Club International has done it again. SCI and Rigby have redefined the upper limits of fine firearm values with the sale of a special Rigby bolt-action rifle for $250,000 at auction during this year's SCI Hunters' Convention. The .275 Rigby rifle, a tribute to Jim Corbett's legendary rifle, by John Rigby & Co. is described by that company's Managing Director Marc Newton as "the best Rigby .275 bolt rifle ever made" and fetched the highest price ever for a bolt-action rifle at SCI auction. It was the story behind this special rifle that helped bring such a high price. "My team and I are delighted to learn that this incredible piece of gunmaking will find a home with not only a fine gun collector, but a lifelong Corbett fan. Without a doubt this is the finest .275 made in the company's history and to see it set a new world record at SCI was the highlight of my career," Newton explained. Last year, Rigby acquired Jim Corbett's original Rigby rifle that he used to end the carnage caused by several maneaters in India, and that inspired Rigby's Managing Director Marc Newton and his London, England-based team to create the masterpiece that set a new world record. Jim Corbett was a world-renowned hunter, writer and conservationist, who, among other things, dispatched many man-eater tigers in India a century ago with his .275 Rigby. That original Corbett rifle, now owned by Rigby, also was at the SCI Convention for members to view. Bidding on the Corbett tribute Rigby started at a brisk pace, and blew by $100,000, with several bidders upping the offer in $5,000 and $10,000 hikes. The pace continued steady as the bids topped $200,000. It took another $50,000 to separate the winning bidder from the rest. Big things happen at the SCI Convention, and the auction of the Rigby Corbett rifle stands witness to the buying power and status of SCI members, who are among the most serious hunters and hunt defenders in the world. They also know and appreciate the finest in firearms. Proceeds from the sale of the rifle will help fund SCI mission programs. Sold with the Rigby Corbett rifle were a special display credenza created by master cabinetmakers Julian & Sons and an original oil painting entitled "Last moments of the Champawat maneater" by artist David Southgate. Rigby purchased the painting and Southgate is donating the purchase money to Jim Corbett National Park in India. "This incredible generosity from Rigby and SCI Members shows that SCI is the leading organization when it comes to raising the funds needed to protect hunting and be first for hunters," said SCI President Larry Higgins. According to President Higgins, SCI Members and its supporters "put their money where their mouth is" when it comes to raising money to "protect hunting and the rights of all hunters." The Rigby Corbett rifle is the second in a five-rifle, five-year World Heritage Rifle series that was kicked off by SCI last year. Each rifle in the series recognizes hunting in a separate region of the world. The first rifle, which sold for $140,000 at auction at the SCI Convention last year, was built by John Bolliger's Mountain Riflery of Idaho and recognized Africa. Rigby's Corbett rifle recognizes hunting in Asia, and next year's World Heritage rifle, to be made by New England Custom Gun, will recognize hunting in Europe. The fourth rifle in the series, to be made by Ryan Breeding, will recognize hunting in Oceania and will be auctioned at the 2018 SCI Convention. And the final rifle in the series, to recognize hunting in the Americas, will be made by John Bolliger's Mountain Riflery, and will be sold at auction at the 2019 SCI Convention. SCI's leadership in the fine firearms world began in 1982 when the organization launched its Big Five rifle series, in which a special rifle was sold each year for five years — each honoring a member of the Africa Big Five (elephant, rhino, lion, Cape buffalo and leopard). When the gavel fell on the first rifle of the Big Five series in 1982, the bolt-action Elephant Rifle in .458 Winchester Magnum made by David Miller Co. of Tucson, AZ set a new world record of $41,000. Rifle 2 in that series honored the rhino, and it was also a bolt rifle (.375 H&H) made by Champlin Firearms, which sold for $43,500. Rifle 3 was a double (side-by-side in .375 H&H) that honored the buffalo. It was made by Friedrich Wilhelm Heym Co. and sold for $65,000. Rifle 4 was a bolt gun in .375 H&H that honored the lion by Paul Jaeger Inc. It set another new record of $140,000. Rifle 5, honoring the leopard, was by David Miller Co., a bolt gun in .338 Winchester Magnum that brought a then-record $201,000 when auctioned at the SCI Convention in 1986. There have been other celebrated high-end gun auctions at the SCI Convention, including one called the Grizzly Rifle by John Bolliger that sold in 1992 for a new record of $225,000 and a one-of-a-kind side-by-side .600 Nitro rifle by Holland & Holland that sold for $270,000 at the SCI Convention in 2000. SCI's next Convention is set for Feb. 1-4 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV USA. For more information and to see a photo gallery of the Rigby Corbett rifle, go to www.huntforever.org and search keyword: Rigby. --Steve Comus SAFARI Magazine

I have one heated structure we call the "Blood Shack" to hunt from. It's only 4x4 but has enough room for deer hunting. For a target shooting structure, I would want at least 6x6 (8x8 is preferred) and a 6' ceiling (for bow shooting you may need at least 8' of clearance to the roof). You need more room when you are target shooting so you can fiddle with all of your shooting things. You also need a roof that won't leak when snow melts or it rains. A solid floor is also needed for a firm shooting platform. You'll want a steady bench rest inside. It should have windows on all four sides so you can see 360 degrees for safety. These can be simple plexiglass, (harder to break) but they have to open. You will also find when you open the window you shoot from in very cold weather, it gets cold in the structure very fast. The summer is not too bad inside if all the windows are open and it's situated in the shade. If built as described, it will suit your needs, keep you warm and last for a good while. PS: You can also buy such a structure these days made of polymer plastic, or even wood, if you find you'd rather pay $800 for a ready made one.