Top Breaks

Many years ago I had my first opportunity to shoot an H&R 999 Sportsman 22 LR 9 shot top break and I was hooked. 

 I thought that being able to drop all nine empties in one motion was just the cat’s meow and it was quite accurate. The money and opportunity to purchase one never seemed to coincide until a few years ago. I finally saw one at one of the gun shows that was in really good shape, negotiated, and purchased it. I was pleased to see that there is a speed loader available for it! 

You must realize that one cannot own just one top break as they are just too much fun. My next find was another H&R 22 but a short barrel 7 shot that had the definition of a bad trigger.

None of the smaller (read Saturday night special) H&Rs from this time period had smooth actions. I believe that any weapon that did not exhibit a gritty long irregular pull was rejected and sent back to manufacturing for further rasping and sand imbedding. It is still fun to shoot. This one usually just gets loaded with 22 shorts. There is a definite lag between the shot and target impact at twenty yards!

Still not having enough, I ran across an H&R 5 shot .32 S&W.

It is not the 32 long so the ballistics are anything but impressive. Standard load is an 85 gr. Bullet with a muzzle velocity of 600 FPS. I would suggest that you could load up a little bit but would advise against in these older guns. Some of the earlier H&R 32s used black powder cartridges and should not be fired with smokeless. I figure that you could use one of these to stun those pesky chipmunks assuming that they don’t see the bullet coming and move out of the way. I just thought that there was lag from shot to target with a 22 short (about 1000 fps) until I shot this one. You could swear that one could fire and then run downrange to catch the bullet. It only seems that way as the fastest sprinter can only achieve about 28 MPH or 41 FPS. Brass is still made by Starline so there is no need to pay the ridiculous prices for Winchester factory ammo.

I also found an H&A (Hopkins & Allen) in 32. I probably did not need two 32 S&W revolvers but the price was too good to pass. These are not as well constructed as the H&R.

 You might ask, "Why two 32s?" I may well respond with another question, "Who do you think you are, my wife?"  

Well, I already have the dies and you never know when the chipmunk zombie apocalypse is going to hit.

  The future is not clear so it is unknown what will be the next top break but I am pretty sure it won’t be another 32!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Diet of Hope

My Doctor, you know, Dr. Vinnie Boombatz, recommended that I change lifestyle and get rid of the excess weight. I have gotten a bit too heavy. OK – make that a lot too heavy which just tends to aggravate the heck out of my back. The doctor told me:

·         You’re so fat that I bet when you lay on the beach the people feel sorry for you and try to roll you back into the water.
·         The last time I saw something that big it was grazing.
·         If you get on a scale does a card come out saying one at a time?
·         Does your bathtub have stretch marks?
·         I bet your belly button makes an echo.
·         Are your clothes made by Omar the tent maker?
 
OK Doc, I will try the diet. The recommendation was to try Dr. Gann’s Diet of Hope.  This diet is actually tailored for diabetics. I am not diabetic of even pre-diabetic but I need the weight loss. The initial program is for six weeks and future events depend on the results from that first set. That means that you will be this diet for some time. I have been on it for three weeks now and I would estimate that I will need another ten weeks to get close to a proper weight.

Two days into this diet, I renamed it the Diet of Nope. Can I have bread? Nope. How about pasta? Nope. How about potatoes? Nope. Can I stand in front of a bag of potato chips and drool for a while? Nope. Cereal? Nope. Dairy? Nope. Nuts? Nope. There is a log book that has suggested guidelines for each week and you are to write down what you eat and weigh yourself daily. The log book has a cover sheet where I put white out tape over the “H” in Hope and put in an “N”. Now it is formally the Diet of Nope! This log goes with you to your weekly appointments. Let’s see if anyone there has a sense of humor.

The log book accompanied me for the first weekly. They seem to have a sense of humor. Everyone was having a chuckle over the Diet of Nope. They are still joking about on my weeklies.

They ask silly questions like, “Do you feel hungry?” “Only when I am not eating and about 15 minutes afterward.” I responded. “This is not a starvation diet.” She said with emphasis on the first three words. It is not a true starvation diet but it gets close. I have been on a pure liquid diet for a week a couple times for other problems and this is reminiscent but not quite there. I am not sure how you could actually be losing weight without occasionally being hungry.

The professionals say no alcohol. Spoilsports. Aside from the obvious 70 calories per 1-1/2 ounce of whiskey, what are the detriment effects of alcohol on a weight loss program? Can I fit alcohol, as an occasional item, into a low carb diet? They don’t seems to be forthcoming on any answer except for the standard, “We don’t recommend any alcohol.” Perhaps I will try a different tact at this week’s appointment. “I am going to have 3 or 4 shooters once a week. What should be the diet for that day?” That amount is what it takes for me to get a warm fuzzy feeling. Keep in mind that I am 6’7” and my trim weight would be about 255 pounds. One or two shooters does nothing.

There are foods that I really, really miss. I will be glad to get the weight loss part done and see what I do get to eat on a more normal basis. They are probably hiding that menu so as not to scare you away. All kidding aside, it is an effective diet. Dang, one hour past supper and I am hungry. Guess I will go have my treat of one cup of sugar free Jell-O. That will fill you up! Not!

South Tucson Shootout

Man Armed With Sawed-Off Mosin-Nagant Engages Officer inShootout, Dies.

The Mosin is usually not highly accurate in its original configuration. I wonder how the accuracy is after a cut down. The officer wins at 65ft! Good, he must one of the few that actually practice.

Back Pain is a Pain in the …….Leg?

The last couple of months have been very busy so I have been remiss in my blogging duties. August brought about some lower back pain along with a disturbed nerve. During that time period, I could draw you a very nice map of the sciatic nerve down my leg. There was another nerve but I do not the name of that one. There was no comfortable position except for sitting at the dining room table with elbows on the table. Bed was out as there was no position that worked. The first night had no sleep and I slept for an hour the second night with my head in my hand at the table. THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING, IT IS ALMOST DOVE SEASON! My regular doctor was out so I saw the practitioner. She prescribed some muscle relaxers and anti-inflammatories. I was told to go over to X-Ray right after the appointment. The radiology people wanted me to lay flat. Hahahahahaha. That was not happening as this position would fully light up the sciatic. I commented that it would probably be wiser to try to do this after I had some time with the scripts. Radiology agreed and off I went to return in a couple of days. L2 to L5 damage is moderate or severe depending on which one. Ah, the follies of my youth and the arthritis of age.

The muscle relaxant did not do much as the dosage was weak for my size. If I doubled up on the muscle relaxant then I could actually sleep for a few hours. I found that sitting in the bed all propped was about the best I could do.  It was slowly letting up.

This was really crappy as it was interfering with important things like DOVE HUNTING. Naturally, I still went out. I would hobble a few yards from the vehicle and plop down in a camping chair. I don’t shoot for crap from a chair as I was making sure that I did not twist around. Miss 6 doves, stand up and shoot a couple, sit and miss more, stand up and shoot a couple more……..I did not shoot a limit but had some fun.

I got ready for work as was walking across the floor and everything lit up like a tilting pin ball machine.  Damn, no dove hunting or work today. I took the last two muscle relaxants that afternoon and thought that perhaps I could lay down on my left side as that didn’t seem too bad during x-rays. That wasn’t working either. When attempting to get up, I felt (heard) a grind/pop that also did not feel good. There I was, sitting at the dining room table again. A few hours passed and started to feel better. By evening I could tell that the last pop must have been a re-alignment as I was feeling much better. My leg and back ached at bed time but it was all left over trauma. Don’t get me wrong. This was no miracle cure as I still felt like someone had beat me with a bat from all the swelling and muscle cramps. There was a doctor’s appointment for the next day.

I actually felt almost human the next morning as I had gotten a straight 4 hours of sleep. Off I went to see my regular doctor (dang missed another morning of dove hunting). He reviewed the x-rays with me and checked me out. Now I am off to PT and diet to drop the excess weight.

The following weekend, I drove to San Angelo to see daughter #1 and watch SBDA boat drags. Woo hoo! I love the smell of nito-methane wafting across the water! I was still sore and slightly nervy but the drive was fine as the car seat is comfortable. My wife does question my sanity on certain topics. “Do you really think you should be going dove hunting?” "Probably not but I have my cell phone",  did not seem like a satisfactory answer. “Do you really thing you should be going on an 11 hour drive?” Sure, why not, the seat in car is good. I would get that look that every woman gives a wayward male when she disapproves of your actions. I took doves with me so that we could have dove stew while visiting. Mmmmm. The trip was fun and I am back for my PT and diet.

Hawkins 54 Cal

I saw a Cabela's Hawkins Black Powder kit rifle for sale on backpage.com in my area. The price was right so I arranged to have a look see. This rifle kit is complete in the box with the little parts still being sealed in the plastic bags. I like some of the BP rifles so it is now mine. I see that the current offering from Cabela's is a Tradition kit but this one is of Italian decent. One could tell it was Italian even without the paperwork from the faint aroma of olive oil and sun dried tomatoes!

Now there are decisions to be made. Wonder how olive oil would due as a preservative? I think that I will stick with a hard satin finish on the stock so it will be Minwax Antique Oil.

What to do with the barrel....bluing, browning, gun-kote? The rifle would have to go to someone (gunsmith etc) for bluing or gun-kote. I like the idea of browning the barrel but it is a pain to do with either available method. One method requires a very humid area to work in for a day or so. This is difficult in Tucson. I guess that I could let the family know that the downstairs bathroom won't be available for a couple of days! I am sure that would go over well.

The other requires heat prior to applying. This also sounds like a pain. It is possible to de-grease it and just let it set around until you have the proper patina and then oil it. This would only take a few months.

I have had a few suggestions already such as pink furniture and barrel with a Hello Kitty stuck on the patch box or perhaps camouflage. These suggestions were met in the same manner as presented, with laughter. We shall see what is decided.

I am going to start taking pictures of the before, during and after so that they can be posted later on. Fun times ahead!

Robin Williams - RIP

So funny, so quick and sometimes not so PC!

Why Stop at Regulation?

FEC chairman warns book publishers at risk of regulation at heated meeting

"Goodman for months has been warning that some in the FEC are keen to start regulating the media, despite a longstanding congressional ban on doing so."

Why not go all the way and show your true colors FEC? Let's have a good old fashion book burning and get rid of those nasty books you don't agree with. There is a lot of company where the FEC is trying to take us but none of it is good. Anyone bring the hot dogs and marshmallows?

Squirrel 1; Hunter 1

He Got Shot In The Buttock

We continue the squirrel saga. The squirrel got the better of this one even in death. Best watch out for those tricky squirrels...
Bounce on over to the link for the rest of the story.

This one even has my favorite color - red plaid!

I will give this a one Flaming Squirrel rating!

 

Holy Exploding Methane, Supercow!

Flatulent cows start fire at German dairy farm - police
"One cow was treated for burns, a police spokesman added."

That's is called medium rare in Texas! I guess that this farmer never herd of the udderly fantastic methane collector depicted here. Yes, this is actually a real contraption for the collection of bovine methane. Looks like this one is ready pop and needs to be changed or vented or whatever. How would, Methane Expeller, sound on your resume? Well, back to our story.

We found our ace reporter, Milky (can you say Twin Pines?),

who was on the scene in a mooo-ment and was fortunate enough to get a nice photo of one of the cows out standing in its field. What a blast! The cow was supposedly named Crepitating Clara by the farmer. Paul Boomer and Lord Windesmear also attested to the unusual cow capabilities as they happened to be in the area after performing in one of the international contests, The Battle at Thunderblow, which is sponsored by Trillblow Records. They were both very interested in the cow's diet and seemed unconcerned with the possible flammable side effects.

Milky was able to interview the farmer, Fanny Flatulence, who seemed very excited to meet us.

She keeps the cows on a strict diet of beans and habanero peppers. She claims that it keeps the cows udders warm in the winter for easier milking. "Don't even think about using this milk to quench that spicy food you just ate!" she laughingly exclaimed. The blast is blamed on the replacement of a defective exhaust gas fan with a new unit that was not explosion-proof.

(I must admit that this was lost to the draft file for a while so it is a bit tardy.)

Fast & Furious

No, not the cars.

Gun from botched 'Fast and Furious' operation turns up after Mexican resort shootout
"Fast and Furious was a 2006-2011 ATF operation in which the agency allowed hundreds of guns to be sold to Mexican drug traffickers in hopes the weapons would lead them to cartel leaders."

Why do news sources, including Fox, repeat the government propaganda? This wasn't a botched sting operation. The intent of tracking guns to the cartel was cover story for the actual intent. There was no path forward to track anything so what do you think the actual reason for the program was? I do not for a minute believe that the agents involved were stupid enough to not realize that the plan was absent a way to capture any bad guys and retrieve the guns.

Many believe that the operation was to develop misinformation leading to the suppression of 2nd Amendment rights. The people that spouted this rational were first labeled a tin hat folks. The tin foil boys are looking pretty sane compared to the government responses.

How were they going to track anything? Follow the trail of dead people? Damned callused way to get out your propaganda. The only agents harassed were the whistle blowers. The ones that kept their mouths shut were moved and promoted. These actions well define that it was authorized from higher up the food chain. Shameful.

Let me fix that headline for you.....
Gun From Government's Exposed Deadly 'Fast and Furious' Propaganda Operation Turns Up After Mexican Resort Shootout.

Color Run

Daughter #1 flew back in to visit for the holidays. While making her plans, she asked if I would go to a 5K color run with her. I replied that would be great but that I would walk not run. My old knees wouldn't like that running stuff. The run was a "fun run" out at the fairgrounds to raise money for the Special Olympics. We had a great time. It did seem odd being at the fairgrounds for something other than a gun show! I am practicing at coming up to speed for the technology available in the 20th century so here is a selfie after the 5K. 

(Yes, I do understand how the century relates to the actual date. It is supposed to be a joke. Laughing would be appropriate now.) The bandanna did not keep all of the powder out of my mouth as I had orange on my teeth. Fun times for a good cause!

Happy New Year!

I would like to wish everyone a happy and prosperous New Year.

Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual. - Mark Twain

Forest Service Declares War on RV & Campers During Hunter Season - Updated

Update

It would appear that there was enough public outcry that the FS decided that they needed to "clarify" their position. Game & Fish believes that the confusion has been resolved.

The letter from Regional Forester Cal Joyner dated November 26 to Arizona Game and Fish Director Larry Voyles regarding AZGFD's concerns

A release by Coconino National Forest Supervisor Earl Stewart and Kaibab National Forest Supervisor Mike Williams on the Forest Service website dated December 9;

A letter dated December 9 from Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell to Senator John McCain, addressing the senator’s concerns

I can't say that my opinion of the two departments has changed. The FS just got called out on their publication and decided to backtrack.


Original Post

Forest Service Camping - 72 Hour Rule

Warning to Arizona hunters camping on the Coconino, Kaibab and Prescott National Forests

On August 16, 2013, the Coconino National Forest issued a press release entitled “Parking trailers in forests prohibited during hunting season.” The press release is specific to the Coconino, Kaibab, and Prescott National Forests, and is directed exclusively at hunters and recreationists who leave their trailers and/or motor homes unattended on the forest for more than 72 hours. These sportsmen may be subject to enforcement action, including citations or impoundment of vehicles, trailers and/or motor homes. The release specifically states, If trailers are left unattended for more than 72 hours, the Forest Service considers them abandoned property and may remove them from the forest. Violators can also be cited for this action.

See the whole article from AZ Game & Fish, link above, who are very opposed to this tactic along with the Sheriff's Departments.

You know where this is heading since most of the Forest Service is a 9-5 operation. You leave the trailer prior to daybreak to hunt and don't return until after sundown. Do this 3 days running, the FS comes by about midday for three days and then steals your camp claiming is was abandoned. Notice that they included impoundment of vehicles.

This is actually very anti-hunting. It must really chap their hides that some of the people come out a couple of days before season to grab a decent place to put the RV, return to town and then come back to camp for the hunt season. They are still legal within the 14 day limit. I imagine some candy-a**ed people have complained because they did not get there first. I don't have an RV and I could care less if the people with them do this. I have been known to go a couple of days early with my tent to do just the same. I am surprised that the FS hasn't included tents and vehicles the same way. If you are going to be a thief then you might as well go all the way. This has nothing to do with preservation but everything to do with revenue enhancement and restrictive control.

See the AZ G&F site for the contact information of the various FS employees so that you may vent your displeasure. The FS don't want you out there shooting, hunting or any other multiple use activity. They would love to get rid of the ranchers too. Only tree huggers allowed but you have to form a ring without touching the tree as a bit of bark may become dislodged. Don't step on the grass and quit breathing out that CO2!

Perhaps I am just lucky, but I have yet to meet a Game & Fish Officer who was anything but polite. Most have been willing to talk about good places to hunt or what the fish are hitting on. I am not new to this as I have been hunting, hiking, camping, four wheeling and backpacking for almost 50 years (yes, I am getting kind of old) and have met dozens of G&F Officers

On the other hand I am probably unlucky in that I have yet to meet a FS employee who wasn't an unfriendly bureaucrat with inflated opinions of their importance.  I am biased by my experiences and think that the FS has become run by a bunch of tree hugging, anti-ranching, anti-hunting, anti-camping college grads with inflated opinions of themselves and their mission to keep the unwashed masses out of "their" forests.  Feel free to disagree.


                     

Too Warm

It is a little warm for the season right now. But that is just my opinion as I think that it should be a little chilly for Christmas time. Guess I will just have to go get an ice cream cone.

So that is how soft serve is made. Perhaps I will pass on the ice cream!

Merry Christmas!

We are off to the "Hallelujah" service tonight. Our daughters starting calling it this when they were little because there is a lot of singing and a little sermon on Christmas Eve. Daughter #1 is home for college break so we will exchange gifts tomorrow. We already exchanged gifts with Daughter #2 and her Marine before Thanksgiving as he deployed then to Okinawa for the next three years. I would like to wish all a very merry Christmas and may God bless!

Deja Vu Thanksgiving

It was like we had gone back in time to BC. This is what we refer to as "Before Children". Daughter #1 stayed in Texas and daughter #2 along with her Marine are in Okinawa. We decided to go back to our old ways and skip the turkey. Turkey for two has a nice sound to it but results in leftovers forever. There is only so much dark meat and I am no fan of the dry white meat on a turkey. We had our old standby which is Cornish game hens. I will need to get a new rotisserie motor so that I can do the birds on the barbecue again. It was very nice day even though it was a bit quieter than the previous couple of decades.

I carefully perused all the adds that came in the 5 pound newspaper in preparation of my usual Black Friday shopping excursion. It was a nice day and I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving.

My usual excursion on the dreaded Black Friday is Sportsman's Warehouse and Ace Hardware. That's it as I would not go within a couple of miles of any mall. Most of the day was spent preparing my list and gathering things for the upcoming elk hunt. No, there will be no guide. I seem to be done with considering using a guide. My first guided event was a disaster (My Elk Hunt Sucked) and the next one was actually pleasant (Big Game Outfitters) but neither produced a shot. My odds seem to be better without "help". We shall see.

I was drawn for a cow hunt just north of Flagstaff in December. I am an experienced cold weather camper and backpacker as I used to do both ages ago in Michigan. I have all the gear including a nice heater for the tent. It is not as much fun to camp by yourself. I was pondering the wisdom of camping by myself in a place that can dump exceptional amounts of snow in a short time. At the of end of my careful considerations that took all of about 30 seconds, I rented a motel room in Flagstaff. One area that I shot an elk is about 15 minutes from the motel and another I would like to go to will take about 35 minutes. I will still take a small tent, sleeping pad, and my good bag in case I get stuck for some reason. Otherwise it will be a hot shower and a regular bed at night.

This reminds me of when I used to go deer hunting with Dad in Mio, Michigan. Dad did not like to camp. I believe the words were, "I saw enough camping in WWII." We would stay in town and drive about 15 minutes in the morning to where we would hunt. There are some good memories of those trips!

New Giant Predator!

Siats meekerorum: New Giant Dinosaur

“This dinosaur was a colossal predator second only to the great Tyrannosaurus rex and perhaps Acrocanthosaurus in the American fossil record,” said Dr Lindsay Zanno from the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and the Field Museum of Natural History, the lead author on the paper published in the journal Nature Communications.

An artist’s reconstruction of Siats meekerorum previously mistakenly identified as Godzilla. Image credit: Ima Lyon.

The Park Service Will Never be Viewed the Same

Report: Armed rangers forced senior-citizen tourists to stay inside their hotel during Yellowstone visit because of shutdown

Grand Canyon Cites People For Entering Closed Park

The National Park Service and its Rangers have been viewed as stewards of the parks and helpful to public. Guess what boys and girls? You have managed to take that reputation and grind into the mud in a very short period of time. Rangers, do you take an oath to the constitution or to be a political toady? Don't bother to try to explain as your actions speak much clearer than noises that will emanate from your mouths. People are already hearing the various excuses that start off with the infamous, "We are only following orders." Good luck with that excuse as it hasn't worked well in the past. You haven't shot anyone yet but, given the enthusiasm with which some of the officer are conducting their "duties", I am now sure that some officers would relish the opportunity.

I can understand (maybe) the need to shut down some sensitive areas like some access to the Petrified Forest but the Grand Canyon. Are you afraid that someone is going to steal the Grand Canyon? You can't hike on a trail that existed before this area was designated as park?

The populace now deems you as untrustworthy. It appears that your oaths were just lies.  The politically driven actions of the Park Service have alienated so many people that your reputation is soiled with no hope of recovery. Some officers are only now worrying that their reputations will be damaged. News flash - it's too late as your reputations are permanently damaged. No one will ever look at you the same way again. It is a shame to see an organization that at one time was so well regarded descend into infamy as yet another armed political overlord organization. It appears that you managed something that I would have bet money was not possible - a lower ranking in public opinion polls than the IRS. Perhaps that is the way you have always been but were just good at hiding it. Sad.

Man Uses Spear

A man saves his girlfriend from cougar attack with a spear.

I like this guy's gumption. This also gives me a thought. Perhaps we should petition AZ Game & Fish to put up a new season. I would call this the Tarzan hunt. Weapons would be limited to a grass rope, knife and spear. These were the weapons used by Tarzan in the earlier books written by Edgar Rice Burroughs in the Tarzan Series. I think that we could call this the Tarzan Tag and no drawing would be required. The tag would be available over-the-counter and with one tag you could hunt any large game species - bear, mountain lion, elk, deer, or javalina during the proper time of year. One animal per tag please.

I envision a new line of products for sale; spears, knives (large), grass ropes, loin cloths, body camo paint, special tree stands designed to give you a boost, and camo mats. The extra boost from the tree stand would be handy when leaping out of tree onto the back of your intended prey. It would give you added range. The camo mats would be padding for that occasional miss to provide for a softer landing. I think more about soft landings as I get older.

They already make camo tarps so you would be all set if your preference is ground concealment as opposed to perching in a tree like a little birdy.

There would be nothing quite like lassoing a bear first thing in the morning!

Tarzan, as presented in the novels, was not the nice caring person presented in the movies and TV shows. He was fairly brutal and had no second thoughts about killing if he deemed it necessary. You might even say that he was an adrenalin junky.

“I do not understand exactly what you mean by fear," said Tarzan. "Like lions, fear is a different thing in different men, but to me the only pleasure in the hunt is the knowledge that the hunted thing has power to harm me as much as I have to harm him. If I went out with a couple of rifles and a gun bearer, and twenty or thirty beaters, to hunt a lion, I should not feel that the lion had much chance, and so the pleasure of the hunt would be lessened in proportion to the increased safety which I felt."

"Then I am to take it that Monsieur Tarzan would prefer to go naked into the jungle, armed only with a jackknife, to kill the king of beasts," laughed the other good naturedly, but with the merest touch of sarcasm in his tone.

"And a piece of rope," added Tarzan.”
― Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan of the Apes