Daveboone

Hoppes, Shooters choice, most any good bore cleaner, but make sure to spray it with a good rust preventive...it will be more prone to rust again in the future.

Truly amazing pieces of art, kind of ...um, goofy though! The skill and craftsmanship is mindboggling. I wonder if there would be any craftsman living today with the knowledge to be able to recreate a set?Probably cost prohibitive, when you figure many pieces of art such as these were consigned by royalty, where price was no object.

!! I wonder what happened to the workers! (injury wise). That looked pretty serious, but I don't think it probably stacks up to the plastics manufacturing plant (Syroco) fire in Lysander Ny back in the early 90s. A forklift operator broke a gas/propane line, resulting in the most costly fire in Onondaga County history. I was there with our rig all night...(well, actually the 2500 gpm pumper was on duty at the site for over 48 hrs).

And their quoted turn around time was...?

If you are really using it for hunting, I cant imagine wanting anything less than 4"...the longer the sight radius the better your aiming capability, muzzle velocity, sight radius. I had a Ruger .44 SBH, and foolishly traded on something else. I have a 6" Model 28. Although the Smith has a far superior action and sights, for hunting I would rather have that Ruger back in a heartbeat. (Now, if I had a Model 29, that would change the story!). I am frequently surprised by guys who never would allow a rifle group of more than an inch at 100 yards, figure a 6" handgun group at thirty yards is acceptable...just sayin.

First step would be to thoroughly degrease it / clean the inside action, then lightly relube it, then field test it again. Where did you send it for repairs? Keep in mind standard ups shipping is going to be who knows how many days there, and then returned, don't count week ends, and of course, you did call them ahead of time and got an estimate on the turnaround, right?

Give him a call. Good work takes time, and good taxidermists are usually backed up. I have about the worst case wait....I initially dropped off a bear hide for a rug to be made, anticipated about a year. the following year I dropped off another. I wasn't concerned at that time the other wasn't done yet. End story....it ultimately took four ...4 ….four years to get my first rug. When I picked it up, I also picked up my other hide (of course they are sent out almost immed. for tanning). When I got it home, my wife and I loved his work so much (he really did do a outstanding job) we decided to take the 2nd rug back for him to do. FOUR more years later, I got it back. Absolutely outstanding work, but I wont take anything more to him. I was aware he had a lot of heavy family matters that were greatly pressing, and had absolute confidence in the work getting done, and my work was some of the last he took in before this set in.

Still....having helped field dress, quarter and pack out several moose, you want to make sure...not think, that it is a chore that you are up to. Boned quarters go about 100 lbs apiece, and guaranteed...the moose will be dropped in the most inaccessible spot imaginable. 1000 lbs of moose in a bog or a black cedar jungle is a major task, even for several experienced guides. Add a warm fall day, and the nightmare of a big pile of rotting meat can occur all too quickly.

Just a thought... New Brunswick has a draw moose season, and the odds aren't bad, certainly better than Maine or NH. Other hunters I had talked to up there report anywhere from two years to about 8 for a draw. You have to have an outfitter, but for a moose hunt NB is a giveaway! My bear outfitter (last I checked) just across the border in eastern Maine, was charging 1800. Compare to Newfoundland, where a good price for a moose hunt is going to run you about 6 grand, plus incidentals. If I remember right for Maine and NY you need an outfitter too...moose has to come out whole!

Several years ago when in the market I settled for and purchased a Sig Saure 938 9mm. Incredibly well made, for a very compact 9mm recoil was negligeable, and it packs very easily. (usually in a pocket holster ). It has been stone cold reliable with ammo, though note!!::: These like many of the compact 9s, are designed for full strength +p. I shoot almost exclusively nato spec 124 g. I have to admit also that I love the compact wheelguns, but the sun rose and set on the S&W model 36 for me. glassy action, compact, natural pointing and bombproof. the newer ones of of course modern metals are all approved for +p loads, but for the ranges they are geared for I prefer my semiwadcutters.

I had a stainless Single Six with the mag cylinder (never used it). I cant remember what I traded it for, but I sure wish I had it still. Stone cold reliable, low maintenance, great accuracy, and it is one of the prettiest handguns ever made. For me though, it was too big for my normal woods wandering that it would accompany me on, I didn't really small game hunt with it, but it was a lot of fun for plinking. I had always loved the Bearcat, and think for my purpose it is more size appropriate. It would be perfect with an adjustable sight. Along the same line, a S&W .22 kit gun is great too, closer in size to the Bearcat, and it has the fantastic Smith adjustable sights. I already have a High Standard Sentinel .22 though, which though well worn is certainly in the same game. I think I don't give a lot of thought to it as much as I used to, in that I seldom grab a handgun heading out in the woods anymore. I have grown to feel sorry for the poor redsquirrels, porkies, woodchucks, etc. that were the game of opportunity, and don't harass them like I used to.

I am usually up to my camp a fair bit through the winter, cutting wood, maintaining trees or just hiking/ scouting. This year the weather hasn't been cooperating much. I was going to go up this w/e, but it is cold enough that it would take too long to heat up the cabin to make it comfortable for overnight. Back home, I am reloading, doing a lot of planning for a long awaited trip to South Africa in 2020, catching up on a lot of reading.

Usually I am still getting out up at the camp to stretch my legs, woods management, firewood, etc. Unfortunately, the weather has been severe enough I cant really get into the woods to do so, and even though I would like to this w/e, it is cold enough that I wouldn't be able to get the cabin warmed up enough in a reasonable amount of time. Hopefully in the next year or so I will be spray foaming the subfloor, which will help a lot.

A lot of the time when I see a scrap wood stand like those, I cringe. I had spent way too much time in poorly maintained old stands and several times had near falls.... I frequently find old stands when I am out looking for new stand sites, and frequently they are in good spots. I have found many partial manufactured stands hanging. It looks like the owners removed the lower part to keep others from getting or using them. (or maybe someone else looted the lower section).

Saturday afternoon I was also home alone, wasn't up to doing anything outside. I decided to watch "Das Boot" Great movie, but long! Not many movies nowadays go a full 3 hours plus!