Setters4life

Colt did it to themselves. They shied away from the commercial market, ignored them actually, focused on their military contracts, then lost that too in 2013 to FN. Now used Python's are selling for $2,000.

I cleaned a Century Arms Coach Gun for a customer recently. It was new, barely shot, and already had a cracked stock extending three inches behind the receiver tang. It had a suspicious bulge at one muzzle that the owner couldn't account for, or 'fess up to. The wood-to-metal fit was deplorable, exhibiting a 3/8" gap between the forend and forend metal. Hammers felt weak, triggers were mushy, yet the gun surprisingly went bang. I doubt it will ever make it through more than a case of shells before succumbing to parts flying off it. It's made in China. With this you get what you pay for. http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/37_1230/products_id/70780/CIA+12+Ga.+Coach+Gun+wHammers+Side+by+Side+12+Gauge+3

Both Winchester and Ithaca could be had with a factory-installed Poly Choke. My Dad's early post-war M37 has a Poly Choke, w/ no choke designation stamp on the barrel. Whether they did the actual installation is a bit of a mystery in some circles. Winchester had special orders as well.

DeHann and Huglu's are okay, but some are crude and run of the mill. Compare the "journeyman" S/S turned out by them today compared to an entry-level low grade A.H. Fox, Lefever, Parker, or L.C. Smith of yesteryear and there is no comparison.

A "Winchester" made in Turkey is not a WInchester. I'll take the Model 12, thank you.

Twenty-nine years ago when I moved into my house, I found a stash of old tools in the garage. Many were rusted, some, being old and from an age and day when they made things to last, I brought many of them back to life if they could be useful to me again. One item was an old, rusted axe head in the bottom of a wooden milk crate, I took a wire wheel brush and removed all the old rust. The head was forged, and had a "Plumb" stamp on it. I knew I had something worthwhile. I took all the rust off, and refinished the metal head with cold-blue. I procured a new handle, fit the end in the axe and secured it with Acraglas, gave it a BLO finish, a coat of wax, added a hole at the end for some paracord to wrap around my wrist to keep the axe from slipping. It's sharp enough to shave with. If I change anything when this handle breaks, I'll look for a longer one, with a bit more curve to it.

^ What JRM said. And you are correct, registration does not apply to non-residents. (It isn't offered!) With out-of-state plates and toting that rifle you automatically put yourself in the resonable suspicion category thanks to the SAFE Act.

New Jersey has had them since 1966, when they enacted the Sills Act. (Two years before the 1968 GCA that changed everything for everyone.)

Too bad it is not applicable for a non-resident. Think of the non-residents who used to come to the state to shoot in events and competition who can no longer partake in such endeavors.

Big fan of my lever guns, especially my 444S. Been shooting a handloaded Hornady 265gr. FP exclusively for more than thirty years. The only knock I have with the Marlin is it's pencil-thin buttstock and drop. Felt recoil would be less if they fitted it with a decent buttstock. I don't notice the recoil afield with heavy loads but when practicing in the summer I do. I worked up some 240 gr. lead loads @ around 1,100 FPS that shoot to POA @ 25 yds. My BLR in .257 Roberts has taken a shine to 117 gr. -120 gr. bulletweights. I have yet to work up a lightweight bullet weight for varmints. I'll get around to it hopefully this summer. This gun and cartridge is a delight to shoot. A pre-war Savage 99R in .300 Savage. This only takes trips to the range but it's suprisingly accurate. Classic design and lines. It's a shame these are not popular now. And their prices only escalate.

Ohio has gotten more progressive over the years, introducing staright-walled rifle cartridges as legal for deer hunting. http://ohiodnr.gov/news/post/ohio-wildlife-council-approves-2014-2015-hunting-regulations Curious: What is the non-resident take vs. residents during that four-month season?

A good anti-seize lube works great for choke tubes and threads. It's messy to work wth, but does wonders. Some folks remove and clean the tube/threads after every outing. Others leave the tubes in for months/years before wrestling them out. I've taken to removing them, inspecting and cleaning them after every outing or so. Beretta sells a special tool for their style tubes/threads that will chase the threads and clean them out. It's very effective. I don't know who sells the equivalent for Browning, Winchester, Remington, Ruger, etc. Then again, a bronze/brass toothbrush would accomplish the same thing.

In the late 60's/early 70's, my father would have his hunting dog's tattooed. (One was stolen and he never got over it.) Each dog wore his SSN inside their hind leg. The computer chip is the way to go today.

Of topic, but WHY would anyone register their AR?

Has your buddy neutered his AR to conform to the New York-compliant abomination?

Another big fella taken the end of the NJ 6-day season - 627 lbs.

A big NJ black bear. (The bear cited in the OP's article.)

When I took ownership of a match M1A many years ago, it was shipped with a card that noted the headspace measurement of the rifle. At the time, I thought that was neat but "why would I need it?" Over the years, I would learn a few things, and this article explains some. http://www.zediker.com/downloads/14_loading.pdf

http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2014/12/robert-farago/remington-model-700-trigger-recall-not-recall-apparently/

Good read on headspace, brass, dimensions, etc. describing the subtle differences. It's something you should be aware of particularly when dabbling with mil-spec semi-auto rifles. http://www.fulton-armory.com/%5Cfaqs%5CM14-FAQs%5C308.htm

Beautiful work. I can tell you are not a beginner at this. Tastefully done!

None yet, but I certainly have moved on from that Lee Loader in 1975 to my Rockchucker's within a year. Sure it's a good idea to verify the charge weight that's about to go in the shell with a scale.

If the primers have been stored properly and haven't been exposed to moisture they should be fine. They won't go bad. I have used those dippers back in the 70's and they throw close to what they say for different powders. Use a powder trickler to get as close to the measurement as possible if you are not going to use a powder measure/thrower. You can make some nice medium power loads for your.30-06 that can go down to .30-30 power-levels with medium burn-rate powders like 3031, 4895, 4320, Varget, W748. Stick powders are sometimes difficult to work with in a thrower. I haven't tried the new "short cut" powders yet but that's what they were developed for. Ball powders work better but you might have fewer options than you would with stick powders. My first centerfire "reloader" was this Lee that a friend gave me back in the70's. It worked fine, and there was no scale. (I have posted a picture of the original here before but can't seem to find the photo now. I still have the loader though.)

An old-school c-press, and bullet lubricator/sizer. For single-stage pistol rounds this is fine. Just not built for volume. It can still be used though.

It's simply a matter of time. Look how much things have changed in the last half-century with restrictions, laws, bans, etc. One can envision where we are headed in the next fifty years.