Daveboone

I have finished a number of deer....but your 30-30 will have it all over the .357, why bother?

Some retailers will require a pistol permit, even though by law it is only required if you have the components to shoot it.So technically, if it is only a wall hangar without the accoutrements, you do not need a permit. Last I knew.

The sad part about this is I currently am taking down my reloading/ gun/shop area and putting in storage. We are preparing to put our house on the market and i am depressed to think all my reloading/gun work,etc. is packed away, likely for a couple years. Not a happy camper. I have a flintlock southern mountain rifle I am barely started on that likely wont see powder until then.

Yep, as a lifetime reloader well aware. Wasnt referring to it. Just as the .270 was also a wildcat of the 30-06 (a hundred years ago), .44 mag from the .44 special, on and on.....aint nothin new under the sun.

And every year the firearm and cartridge manufacturers release a new wonder cartridge that we cant live without. Yet the trusty old 30-30 manufactured for well over a hundred years is still probably the single best selling and most used cartridge out there. Myself....personally for my hunting I cant be without a .308....but dammit, my 98 Mauser in the original 8x57 is what I usually choose, prefer and trust most.

Not hard to do. Tape the stock and take it to a grinder/belt sander. I have done many that way, and with care it will look as good as new.

Back in the day, a lot of sportsmans clubs up in the ADKs used to maintain hay /feed lots for the winter deer, and some of the pics I saw were amazing...of course, I am sure just like in Maine, they yard up for the winter which congregates them in an area.

A couple speedloaders and short starter in my jacket pocket, and my primers on a lanyard around my neck. Honestly, in a whole bunch of years ML hunting, I dont remember once that I was in an actual need to get a fast 2nd shot, by the time the smoke cleared etc. I will have a small plastic case in another pocket with a few more ML accessories, but have never needed to pull them out....as long as the rifle is well maintained.

IF you find what you want, and it is reasonable....buy it, dont hedge pennies. At one time Wally world/ Kmart, etc. seasonally had by far the best prices, but in recent years best get what you can when the prices are reasonable.

In Africa, the concern is to anchor the animal immediatly...(not so much on plains game...impala, Kudu, warthog, etc)., no one wants to have to change a big potentially dangerouns animal into scrub. It is the same philosophy from what I read on big bears, and i definitely have witnessed the same on moose. Whitetail...I really hate to waste any meat, especially by choosing a shoulder shot where very likely I will greatly damage both shoulders. The heart lung shot is a relatively big target, and little lost (but I tend to want to shoot high, we like the heart pickled.) I must admit though, with black powder (I shoot patched round ball) a shoulder shot I prefer. with the durn smoke cloud, it is often difficult to tell where the deer headed or to pick up a blood trail. And very nicely, the round ball leaves much less meat damage to the area....just a nice round hole.

I love the late mL season, but no longer have anywhere in the ST to go. All done for this year.

I love just the plain ground venison. I love it peppered for a breakfast steak..

On that note...leave er as be. They were originally designed for open sights, and the A/E doesnt change its fine in the hand handling. If anything, is the side of the reciever drilled and tapped for an aperture sight? Learn how to shoot properly with a quality aperture (peep) and you will think you are shooting a different gun. All of mine wear one. Lyman makes a good one.

First, how long ago did you buy your rifle? A NEW Winchester 94 is over a thousand bucks last I knew, and yours in the used market is (depending on how sold and to who) likely to catch you back about six hundred....none of mine went for less, and none were in great shape or collectable. There used to be a guide to spend as much on the scope as you spent on your rifle. Three hundred bucks for a Leupold 1.5 x 5 is a bargain, and once you own one...you will never own another. Sorry, but a scope that sells for 129.oo is a throw away in my book. Many scopes are fine out of the box, but will they hold up twenty years down the road? On a hunt where it is getting knocked around, soaked, frozen, thawed and peed on? I have owned six Leupolds now...none have ever needed to be resighted (except for a change in ammo) or sent for any service, and they have been on .308s, heavy loaded 45-70s, 300 Win mags, 8mm Mausers, .270s, .22 250....well, I guess that covers it. The goal is to not EVER to need the warranty. But if you do, Leupold will return it to you postage paid...within the week.

Yep. The AE was designed for scope use. I would be surprised if it wasnt drilled and tapped...it will be obvious if it was. If not, any gun smith should be able to . Look carefully into the scope mounts/reciever mounts, as they likely will be a bit tricky to find, as of course the rifle has long been out of production. I absolutly agree with Grouse....keep the scope magnification on the low side...despite what some may say, claiming great accuracy etc. at a zillion yards, the 30-30 was designed for a relatively short range weapon (100 yards is fine). I also love the Leupold 1.5 x 5 scope . Durable, quality, great optics....designed for such a use. All mine were bought used at a very significant savings. (I have owned three 1.5 x 5, still have 2) even used will be backed up by Leupolds lifetime warranty... But then again....really, the Marlin 336 is a much better design overall (and I have owned four 94s and love them), and much better with a scope with its solid top, designed from the go as a side eject....but heavier. You would likely be able to sell your 94 and easily get a 336 off the money made...just a thought.

More the problem is the demand for common hand gun and rifle rounds that are flying off the shelf and more profitable. The older less in demand cartridges are much less a priority to manufacture. Us black powder shooters are suffering the same issue just trying to get # 11 primers , which are only manufactured for a short period of time each year, and were not at all for a few years with covid.

Got news for ya....prices are actually moderating. Over the past six years, several times I took a variety of arms to a well known CNY auction house to sell...they photo, list and describe the arm on their web site, and it is shown nationally. I have done very well by them. About three years ago, prices peaked....I was getting absolute embarrassing money for literal junk....arms I wouldnt have gotten two hundred dollars for, I was getting over nine hundred dollars. People were buying absolutely everything, regardless of condition. Prices since then have moderated significantly, but good money can still be made.

Last night a tree came down on lines and a transformer just up the street about 6, killing the power for about three hours. We did the same, fire up the generator just to run the pellet stove, fired up a couple Coleman Propane and had a quiet evening. It was a bit of a pain in the neck, making it tough with the pre holiday preps.

Most days I cant see squat by legal sundown any way...especially if I am using my open sighted ML. Once snow is on the ground...the extra 1/2 hour is great!

now stay off the damn phone and keep your eyes up!

I well remember not too long ago, the opening morning fusilades starting in the finger lakes....could be downright scary!

ANYTHING is warmer than jeans. No insulating value. Wool is king, I agree, but I have several pairs of poly/fleece sweat pants that are thick and warm. The thickness/loft of a material is its warmth.. Fleece and the synthetics do not hold the moisture...sweat, etc. I wear one midweight pair of long underwear which fits close to the skin, then the thick heavy pair, with a shell outside. My treasure is a set of Cabelas heavy weight poly fleece pants with suspenders. I paid five bucks a a garage sale for them....they were probably close to a hundred bucks new. If you can find something like these in a bib style you are way ahead for covering the vital kidney areas and sealing out the drafts.

Ditch the jeans and sweats. Cotton, holds moisture and is a poor insulator anyway. You will do better get a set of inexpensive synthetic fleece sweat pants/top to wear instead. I love my balaclava, which I wear my hat under...you lose more heat from your head and neck than anywhere else. Be sure to sit on a foam cushion. If it is down into the twenties, I drop some of the disposable toe warmers in my boots (again....with socks NEVER COTTON) ....I thought it was goofy when I got it, but a hand muff is great...keep a hand warmer in it. Eventually with inactivity you get cold... within reason, get used to it. I was talking with a couple of Amish fellows at Bass Pro a few years ago, and asked what they wore hunting....Thier traditional wool/cotton work coats, etc. I asked how they kept warm? They chuckled and said..." We dont stay warm...".

The tough part about pricing firearms..... At one time I think The Blue Book was a pretty fair estimate, all depending on honest evaluation of the gun, condition, etc. It doesnt take into account value related to "events" like over the past several years which artificially drove gun values through the roof....They are moderating now. I agree probably looking up actual selling prices for similar arms on GB or Auction arms should give a pretty fair value.

In a safe location....does it extract live shells (or fired/empty shells) individually? I had a similar problem with a used 870 I bought. New extractor did the trick. Whenever I have to order a new part I always order two....usually postage is as much as the durn part, and if it broke once.... I keep the spare extractor in the butt stock screw hole well greased in paper.