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It's been a while, but after a phone call from gitano while I was at work (a pleasant distraction from learning the intricacies of a new Cat 16M blade) I figured I'd better check out the new digs.

RJ

I picked up this pre '64 M88 in .284 Win. One of 2600 ever made.



It is currently in pieces for what appears to its first ever out the stock cleaning and action "slickering" job and stock refinishing.



Some of the parts (on the right) have already been smoothed  (400, 1200, 2000 grit then crocus cloth) then reblued.

RJ

On a recent trip I found this



A lovely 788 in .308 complete with a period 3-9 Redfield Widefield on Burris mounts and Weaver bases. A regular cornucopia of hardware.

Still need to try her out.

RJ

Bench before tung oil



After tung oil




Table top after 1st coat of tung oil.



It will get a bazillion coats of clear exterior polyurethane after more sanding and another coat or two of tung oil, maybe, depends on how one looks in the morning.

RJ

17 Hornet that is.



Only has 71 rounds through it. Came with brass, dies (if Gunter can find them) bullets and the 6.5-20X44 Leupold scope all for 680 bones.

My first CZ. People call it a mini Mauser, I think it's closer to a mini 1917 Enfield myself.

Range report when I get ammo made.

RJ

My BIL got this nice bull (329")  on All Hallow's Eve. 204 yards, Pre64 M70 338WinMag.



His largest ever. Nice even bull, G4's were 21 4/8 and 22, based were both over 9" .

Oh, he was 30 yards uphill from the road

RJ

So, I've had this SPS in .223 for 12-14 years and have always wanted to get rid of the chincy  plastic stock. Well, recently I got a "flier" from Remington with an offer of 35% off all gun parts. I'm looking, thinking "What do they have, it's probably non essential stuff anyways" when I  come to 700VLS short action stocks I ordered one on the spot.



Shot it some to see if I really wanted to get rid of the "bump".

With bump (8 shots)



Without bump (10 shots) mirage was terrible, (it was a balmy 16°) after five shots the diamond was dancing like a fart in a bit skillet. (I wanted to make sure it didn't move with some barrel heat)



And the "twins"



I just ordered a rifle basix trigger to replace the Xmark pro that for some reason WILL NOT adjust below an estimated 26 pounds.

RJ

A close friend of mine has this Sako 85 Varminter that he's been trying to sell me, so I scrimped and saved a d hid money 'til I had his asking price of $1100 saved up. Some time in May we will make the transaction and then all I need is a 3020 John Deere and I will have both of the things on Rick's "must have" list.

It comes with a Leopold VX-3i scope.

I think I got a SMOKIN' deal.

RJ

A couple weeks ago I went out the kitchen door and saw this cow



Thinking she looked "puny" I got out the binoculars and yep she's puny.





I watched as she walked  (very gingerly) across the hillside noticing the "bulge" above her right "elbow". I was also thinking she's walking funny because her hooves are overgrown due to a mineral deficiency (maybe iodine or selenium or some such)

Later I saw her further east in a little draw bedded down but before I could get the camera and binoculars to take a picture she got up. Hunterbug should know this place



I didn't get to look for here again 'til Thursday evening and with a snowstorm in full "blow" I didn't see her and thought she was bedded down riding it out. Saturday morning I'm looking out the upstairs window and see a brown blob in the snow but no movement and no "head".

Knowing she's down I grab the 45-70 (just in case) and flounder through the new knee deep snow deposit only falling once when I found "the ditch" where the snow was up to my waist :cens: but I did keep the 45-70 "high and dry".

She had fallen or tried to get up and fell over with her body downhill and her back against a sagebrush and was quite dead.



Indeed her hooves were quite overgrown.





I was very sad to see her in this shape, but nature has it's ways and now she will be food for the scavengers when they find her.

RJ

My MCSD Deputy friend "Nigel's" son "Neville" just turned twelve, so to mark the occasion he got a private land only either *** deer tag! He's pretty stoked and wants to learn reloading so last Sunday they came out for some schooling and shooting.

Neville will be shooting a Sako Forester in .308. It's a little "rough" on the outside, and after a bit of cleaning the innards were pristine. What a sweet rifle, just right for a twelve year old! A bit small for me but I could adapt I'm sure.

We sat down with Neville at the press learning how to set up dies, case prep, trimming, beveling and flash hole deburring (he's a sponge and quickly grasped the importance of being meticulous) weighing powder charges, primer and bullet seating.

In short order we had his load worked up (I never fired the rifle) and soon the lad was doing final sight in in a brisk breeze on a blistering 35 degree (Fahrenheit) afternoon.



He didn't want to quit, but it wasn't really shooting weather and his group was starting to open up ( after the 5th of eight shots) but for a young shooter he's got the bench work pretty well figured out.



Proud Dad and Son!



They will be here in the morning to "try" and get a deer. As "hard" as that's been in years prior for Hunterbug and his family we may have a bit more trouble this year due to the drought with the lack of feed and water moving most of the deer to greener pastures, but there are still a few hold outs having a drink at my stock tank across the road.

RJ

What you are about to read is very true, no "bull", but it does have a bull in it.

Growing up on a 1200 mother cow cattle ranch in the Bears Paw mountains of Montana had it's trials as well as fun. There were very few times of actual danger and probably my worst was in the dead of winter during a brief warm spell between bouts of 40 below.

 I was horseback alone on a brisk January day looking for a "lost" Hereford bull we called "Hook" due to having lost the weight off his right horn when he was young causing it to grow up, forward and out naturally. He knew how to use it as he'd badly gored a horse the previous fall. The rather smallish horse I was riding (Popeye) was quite agile and would unintentionally almost  "unseat" me when he'd turn (without any guidance from me) quicker and sooner than the cow we were working knew she was going to.

Anyway, Popeye and I found Hook and after short chase Hook turned and took us catching poor Popeye in the chest sending him stumbling backwards with me grabbing a fistful of saddle horn to stay aboard. Hook stopped (I don't know why) and as Popeye quickly recovered I grabbed my Ruger Old Army (yes, a cap 'n ball pistol) and aiming for the little swirl of hair in Hook's forehead I promptly and without thinking, shot him. Popeye, unaccustomed to gunfire, whirled to the left, unseating me but I managed to keep ahold of the reins AND the pistol. I was up as quickly as my winter apparel and stiff leather batwing chaps would let me. I turned to see Hook through a haze of real black powder smoke, deader 'n a door nail, with a neat blue hole in that little swirl of hair. It was then I realized I was still clenching my right mitten in my teeth with the uncontrollable urge to vomit.

After I "contained" myself and got the still trembling Popeye calmed a bit, I took stock of my situation. I didn't really remember pulling off my mitten or drawing my pistol, but I did remember Dad saying "Aim for the swirl". I holstered the (still smoking) Old Army, snapped the flap and got back in the saddle. Poor Popeye was sweating like he'd run 20 miles in August (as was I) so we headed for the horse trailer a couple miles away. Popeye snorted at the still very dead Hook as we rode by as if telling him "HAH, you sorry :cens: , that'll teach you!"

After getting back to the barn I took care of Popeye, rubbing him down (with what else) a gunny sack and then brushing him and giving him a bait of rolled oats, barley and molasses then draping a horse blanket over him to keep him  from getting a chill (it was a balmy ten below after all). Dad encountered me as I was unhooking the horse trailer and asked me why we were back so soon (we were only gone 4 hours)  and did we find Hook.

I looked up at Dad, "Yes, we found Hook."

Dad could tell all was not well and asked "Well, what happened?" so I told him everything as best as I could remember. While listening to me recount the events Dad's face turned white, then red then back to normal and pushing his hat back a bit he said,

"Serves that ornery old cuss right." then he put his hand on my shoulder, looked me square in the eye and asked, "Did you aim for the swirl?"

"Yep!"

"Good lad, now let's go get warm."

Although I was asked by the other hands if I'd found Hook, my answer was always no and nothing else was ever said about the incident and we never told Mom, so unless Dad told somebody, this is only the second telling of this story.

RJ

We've all heard of the mythical "Elephant Graveyard" right? Well maybe I've stumbled onto something here.

I had stopped to admire the far flung beauty in the high desert that is Northwest Colorado when I was "pulled" in a southwesterly direction. The wind was blowing eerily through the Pinions and Junipers as I was taken back to a Louis La"Amour book titled "Haunted Mesa" and felt I had found such a place. On the way to where I took the picture I encountered an old and well blackened small fire ring that had seen many uses but not in recent times. INJUNS !! (no offense) I immediately started looking for arrowheads . . . . eyes on the ground I slowly walked to the edge of a small ravine when . . .

 

RJ

And I NEED a rest or nap or food.

I decided that the "Bob" sled needed a windage adjustment so I made one.



The orange thing is plastic used to line loader buckets and such so it's pretty tough. It "works" just like steel but much easier. It can be cut with a carbide tipped circular saw blade. It slides in the "keepers" and is adjusted by turning the "wheel" which is connected to 3/8" all-thread. The plastic is threaded in the center of the hole for about 1/2". It was during the drilling (of the first test piece) that I discovered my drill press table and vise wasn't square with the chuck :cens:

Not to out do myself I decided to make a complete  rest (including scissors jack) for Elkhamr and another for Jeff (a guy at work) as he's wanted one since he got to use the "Bob" sled. Now the original jack has "gears" to keep it from falling over. Well, with my limited machining tools I cannot "make" gears but I can make sprockets!!



Both the base and windage "apparatus" will need the chain and sprocket assembly to prevent "tipping".

With some creativity I can "pre-load" the #41 chain (1/2" pitch) to take ALL of the slop out of each "riser" as it isattached to the base and windage adjustment apparatus.

Here's what I have so far.



The windage apparatus is just setting on it's platform and will be attached as the first "test" apparatus. It's definitely "design as I go" and  I consider myself lucky that I've only had to "trash" the first windage base as the metal was too thin, but in that trial I learned a lot about how to take the play out of threaded pieces. As you can see, the windage "wheel" is too big and I'll need to "adjust" it. Too bad I've made 3 wheels Also the end of the tube by the elevation wheel will have to be trimmed so you don't get a finger pinched while turning the wheel Also there will be a leveling wheel on the same side as the elevation adjustment. Yes it's made left handed as Elkhamr has to shoot left handed.

The "vee" front rest will be "padded" with closed cell foam (it's rather stiff) and covered with elkhide and the butt stock "pocket" will be made of 3" nylon webbing (old seat belts) with an elkhide and sheepskin pad to protect delicate stock finishes.

How much for me to build you one? If you have to ask, you can't afford it. Jeff is only going to be charged for materiels as he will be the "crash test dummy". I'm going to add a new scissors and the first windage apparatus to my original "Bob" sled later.

It comes in any color you want as long as that color is flat black.

RJ

Usually by this time I literally have elk in my yard and I can hear them "talking" in the evening, but this year after another hard winter '16-'17 (even though the CDOW won't admit it) I fear elk numbers are down from what they were last year (2016). I should be seeing hundreds (if not thousands) in the wheat fields behind me (to the North) and at work where they pay little attention to mining activities (as I've posted pictures of before) Last night just at dusk these showed up (apologies for cell phone picture) showed up and bedded down not 50 yards from the road. There were six cows/calves.



Hunters had limited success this year as I saw very few "feet" sticking out the back of pick-ups or racks on ATV trailers. Hopefully this winter will be a mild one, but if the weather keeps up like it has been the last few days, Santy Claus will have a time finding us this year.

RJ

ShooterScott,  welcome.

Truck driver? Big rigs or bigger than that? I drive really big trucks, 777C Cats and 830E Komatsus. Used to be a heavy equipment mechanic.

RJ

09:00 18 Sept. is my arrival time for new knees. I will be out of contact on the dark side of the moon until 19 Sept.

This has been 4 years in the making and I'm through waiting and  t missus is tired of listening to me whine.

Yes, both of them, yes, I should be ambulatory by hunting season at least for short walks, yes, I'm putting the snowblower on the tractor today, yes, that buck is still here and yes both at the same time.

RJ

Probably not a rarity in most parts, but in the high desert of NW Colorado, this is the first one I've seen.



Rather friendly, I had her walking all over me for about 5 minutes before she took off.

RJ

18 September, mark it on your calendar!!!

I'm excited. Finally!!!

RJ

I've never seen one like this. Found it after sizing a batch of 35 Whelens before they hit the trimmer.



I'm sure there are many like this, I just thought it "odd". Mostly I get longitudinal splits at the shoulder/neck juncture or in the neck itself and only one ever case head separation.

RJ

I went shooting prairie dogs by myself yesterday,  so here's the story.

I was up early in hopes of getting away before 08:00 were thwarted by 't missus".

"Dear?" (that's me she's referring too) "Can you put the new sticker on my car?" licence plate tags are "stickers" "And check the oil too?"  Well, she does look nice in her going to work clothes so I obliged, adhering the sticker properly and having to add a quart of oil to the engine. "What about checking the tires?" Her car has cast aluminum wheels and one of them has a casting fault which allows air to leak out at a rate so slow . . . . . . . . anyway . . . . . . . 'T missus' car is all set for another week.

I started using an old cooler to "pack ammo" in. It also works quite well for putting food and drinks on the smaller side.



After I drove some 60 miles I ended up on  some BLM appropriately named "Baking Powder Ridge". A dry expanse that is a "Protected Area" because of it's fragile nature. There is a "two track" down it's center and a couple more "trails" that lead to a stock pond. From the looks of the two track it gets a lot of traffic but there were still a few prairie dogs.



Seeing several within 300 yards of the truck I got set up with the 25-06LR.



The wind, did I mention the wind? Well, the wind was blowing from my 3 o'clock at at least 15 mph and gusting to maybe 25 making it very hard to shoot beyond 200 yards as the buffeting would move the cross hairs off target 4 to 6 inches even with the bipod, so, I tried the "Hawkins Hold" (You Brits should know this one, which I will "dwell" on later.) This position of shooting prone puts the shooter and rifle closer to the ground which lessened the winds affects somewhat.

I'm afraid I've ruined the backstraps on this one. :o

 

Elkhamr wanted me to keep him apprised of my progress and the carnage

I took a short "trek" to get closer and get a picture of the carnage (see above) I slung the 25-06LR (all 13 pounds of it) over my right shoulder, grabbed it's MTM box of ammo and headed west from the truck (sans range finder) to a knob some 300 yards distant. What I didn't see was a deep ravine cut into the terrain half way to my destination. I reached the "blow out" with it's almost vertical sides and spotted a goat trail down, across and up so I carefully started my traverse. I made the bottom in a cloud of dust and had a short walk up the bottom of the maybe 15 foot deep chasm to where the goat trail headed up. The bottom had some mud still in it from recent rains and there was no way to avoid it in the barely foot wide bed. Before ascending I scraped the mud off my shoes and started up. All went well until I found the only rock in miles and using it for a "step" I gingerly placed my left boot on it only to have my foot shoot out sideways leaving behind a smear of mud that didn't get wiped off. My only thought was "RIFLE!! MUST SAVE RIFLE!!!" By twisting like an arthritic ballerina and dropping the ammo box I managed to get the rifle clenched to  my chest. With the left knee feeling like a knife had been thrust behind the knee cap and the searing feeling of freshly torn medial meniscus I got back up and checked the rifle to make sure it was ok. PHEW!!! Just some dust on the inside of the butt stock!!!

Hoping there was no one with in miles to have seen my wreck and thinking  "I didn't need to go to that knob anyway" I headed back to the truck. As I was on my way back I looked down  spotted this prairie dog skull in a pile of antelope dung.



On the way out I stopped to glass and shoot a few more prairie dogs and out of the sage a doe antelope starts walking towards me. 200 yards, 150 yards, 75 yards, 50 yards, 25 yards, just walking until she was down wind then OFF SHE WENT in a cloud of dust. This not a minute after I had shot a prairie dog and I was still laying on my shooting blanket behind the truck!! For a brief time I thought I was under attack by a suicide bomber speed goat

It was a great day, I got to see some new country, shoot a few prairie dogs and almost be set upon by a rouge antelope.

A few more pictures from earlier this year and last year.

My favorite set up:



A not too smart youngster:



And a Holeus Diggus Gigantus:



RJ

Oh the knee? It's slightly swollen and a bit stiff this morning. Nothing that can't be fixed with a replacement.