Just some random thoughts on a Sat. AM waiting to go to the range.

Every shooter should have :

1. A gun as old as he (or she) is..take your pick, whatever type is your favorite...pistol, revolver, rifle, shotgun. Something from right about the time you were born. If for nothing else, to remind you of your own mortality...but also to remind you that even old guns can get the job done just fine.

2. A gun about a old as your grandfather (if you've the $, then make it your great-grandfather or great-great). Same reminders as above, but it's worth a detailed inspection to see how old-school production as done.

(#1 and 2 might just seperate the hype form the real-world facts of hunting.)

3. A beater. Not everything gets done n the clean, well ordered world, some hunting shooting is done in "the nasty" (a personal term for the places you'd never think of going unless you were chaced into them). Here the ability to function under horrid conditons, take abuse without breaking, and emerge possibly scared and scratched. Can be a new gun built just for such use, military rifle (but not all qualify), or a sporting gun gone ugly.

(#3 Might let you learn to be proud of what you have done rthter than what you own).

4. Something dedicated to iron sights and stocked correctly for thier use.

5. Something so accurate that anything other than a hit HAS to be all your fault. Can be a match pellet rifle, .22, centefire bench rst or varmint rifle...something prooven (with at least one load) that it will shoot as well or better than you can hold.

(#4 nd #5 will teach you humility if nothing else.)

Shaking off the thoughts...got triggers to pull and targets to burn.

You forgot the all important and most useful gun of all!
#6. that gun, doesn't matter whether its a handgun rifle or shotgun, that you can hit absolutely nothing with! that will teach you frustration and perseverance! :p

I have always been at least able to hit the ground with any gun I picked up, sometimes that's all that I can hit.

ribbonstone,

You are spot on with those thoughts. Sometimes just one special gun could by circumstance, or necessity, become all five wrapped into one. Of course that goes against my philosophy that an open space in the safe or cabinet is a sign from God to get another gun. ;) Happy shooting today.

Doc Holidude

You forgot the all important and most useful gun of all!
#6. that gun, doesn't matter whether its a handgun rifle or shotgun, that you can hit absolutely nothing with! that will teach you frustration and perseverance! :p

That's the gun that teaches you how to improve it untill it becomes a tack driver, or improves your skill as a gun trader.

Lee L.

Boy as I sit here I think of all the guns I've had and sold or traded over the past 40 plus years. The good ones, the bad ones and the great ones.

Guns I sure wished I'd kept, guns that were stinkers and that I sure took a bath on when I bought them.

I just went thru the process of selling or trading off my 44 magnums and the beautiful Remington 700 stainless 54 that has set in the gun safe for the last four or five years got replaces with one of Mossbergs new 835 mossy oak ported turkey guns. ( I got tired of shooting my hunting partners 835 the last two years)

My safe is down now to fewer guns, but every one of them gets used. There are a few guns still out there that I'd like to have, but at this stage of my life probably won't.

I sold most of my 44 loading stuff to several of the members and know that it'll go to good hands. Meanwhile every time I look at a new gun magazine or a catalog I still dream of a new rifle, even though I don't really need anymore.

#1, Even though my GP100 is physically only a couple years old (the test fire date on the fired shell casing is 9/11/01) it was originally built in 1983, which is pretty close to my age...

I've got a Thompson Center .50 Cal Percussion that fits the bill for #2, it was my Dad's, he killed his first deer and elk with it, and his father bought it for him.

#3 is definetly my Ruger 10/22 which hasn't been cleaned in several years, gets a couple bricks a year through it, has seen well over 10 scopes, and is literally beat stupid, however, on a good day, I can cover 50 shots at 50 yards with a fifty cent piece.

#4 My .50 Cal T/C wears iron sights... so I guess that counts... Although I've got a newer CVA inline .50Cal that has iron sights now. It had some goofy truglo sights that broke after just a few trips to the range, rather unreliable I would say.

#5 has to be my Ruger M77 in .25/06. I've put well over $400 into custom work into it, not including load development. I posted a photo of the target on here a while back that shows three shots .333" apart at 200 yards.

#6 is probably my Beretta 96... its not inaccurate by any means, if I sit down at a bench, it'll group 10 shots into 3" at 25 yards... offhand is a totally opposite story... I love the feel of it in my hand... and if I've ever got to use it in a personal defense situation, and the noise doesn't scare the varmint off, at least I'll be able to fulfill my lifelong dream of being able to pistol whip somebody, 'cause that thing is a club... :D

Had an interesting range visit; it's always good when a project finally works out.

HAve been trying to work out a good .22Khornet load that duplicates .22LR subsonic. Posted in the past about lathing the gas check bass off a Lyman mold...have been working my way DOWN in powder charge and testing for accuracy.

Today, got down to 1.15gr. or Red Dot (10 charges weighted 11.5gr. and I didn't feel like fiddling with it for the spare .05), plain based 45gr. bullet sized to .225", CCI primers, home brew lube., NO filler.

Shot inside 1" at 50yards for 5 5-shot groups...sounded like a .22 sub sonic, trajectory nearly the same, bullet a bit heavier.

Happy camper.

Worked a bit with #3 of my list (beater). Ruger 77/22AW .22mag. with cheap 3-9X Bushnel....it's the only rifle that survived recent events in shooting shape and the only scope that lived. Wind is the .22mag.'s enemy, but waiting out the wind shows that the gun still shoots as wella s it did before the abuse.

Still a happy camper.

Also did some work with the dedicated iron sight rifle , Spanish 1916 .308. been some debate about the .308 in this action, but as I consdier it a .300savage using .308 cases don't think it's an issue. Good cast bullet gun...lobbing 200gr. bullets out at 1400fps isn't a great big deal, but if you give the bullet enough time to get doen there, will ring a 6" gong at 200yards as often as you care to pull the trigger....that's about as good as I can do (or expect do do) with open iron. Sooting the sights helps a great deal.

Very happy camper.

Just some random thoughts on a Sat. AM waiting to go to the range.

Every shooter should have :

1. A gun as old as he (or she) is..take your pick, whatever type is your favorite...pistol, revolver, rifle, shotgun. Something from right about the time you were born. If for nothing else, to remind you of your own mortality...but also to remind you that even old guns can get the job done just fine.

2. A gun about a old as your grandfather (if you've the $, then make it your great-grandfather or great-great). Same reminders as above, but it's worth a detailed inspection to see how old-school production as done.

(#1 and 2 might just seperate the hype form the real-world facts of hunting.)

3. A beater. Not everything gets done n the clean, well ordered world, some hunting shooting is done in "the nasty" (a personal term for the places you'd never think of going unless you were chaced into them). Here the ability to function under horrid conditons, take abuse without breaking, and emerge possibly scared and scratched. Can be a new gun built just for such use, military rifle (but not all qualify), or a sporting gun gone ugly.

(#3 Might let you learn to be proud of what you have done rthter than what you own).

4. Something dedicated to iron sights and stocked correctly for thier use.

5. Something so accurate that anything other than a hit HAS to be all your fault. Can be a match pellet rifle, .22, centefire bench rst or varmint rifle...something prooven (with at least one load) that it will shoot as well or better than you can hold.

(#4 nd #5 will teach you humility if nothing else.)

Shaking off the thoughts...got triggers to pull and targets to burn.

1. 1956 HC Higgens .22 S/L/LR

2. The oldest I have is 20 years younger than my oldest grandfather. 1917 CG M96

3. Can't say I own a beater! I have some that would go the limit!

4. Have 6 ( 1917.. 1957 )

5. Take your pick!

1. I don't currently own anything my age - everything is either quite a bit older or younger. I did have a Marlin 455 at one point in time and an older Marlin 1894, both of which would be around that time frame (1960)

2. No problem here. I have a Winchester 1897 shotgun that was my great-grandfather's. I had it re-blued and I refinished the stock when I got it. It's my most-used shotgun; I use it for trap shooting, pheasant hunting, and cowboy action shooting. The Winchester 1897 and my grandfather's Ithaca 37 (pre-1954 model) I gave to my oldest son really show the quality of some of the older guns; my Browning BPS comes close, but otherwise I don't know of any current pump shotguns that have this kind of quality/solidity. My customized 1903 Springfield and the 1909 Argentine I used to own would also fit this category.

3. No current beaters in the inventory. My Marlin 455 and Marlin 1894 were pretty much in that category - guns that were less than pretty after seeing some hard use over the years, and yet always came through. The Remington 700ML stainless muzzle loader I had would also have ranked as a "tough gun". They're no longer with me, though.

4. I enjoy shooting iron sights, so I have a couple of 1885's and a couple of lever actions for iron sight/aperture sight fun.

5. My .270 WSM 1885 fits the accuracy category.

For a "random thought" post on a Saturday morning, I think Ribbonstone as created a fun thread. I enjoyed reading everyones posts.

I would like to add "the backdoor gun" to the list. I have spent most of my life here in Iowa. Most every farm house I have ever known have a #3 Ribbonstone sitting behind the door with a box of ammo nearby. These guns perform 90% of the work with 10% of the credit. Most get 0% maintainence and have done thier jobs for decades.

I have worked several of these "work horses" over the years when owners were surprised that they didn't work anymore???

I can clean and lube them (maybe for the first time) and they are good for a few more decades? It is a good feeling.

Cheezywan

ribbonstone - When can I use the iron sighted one again? I'm not sure I believe in reincarnation?
Signed, "almost double nickels"

ribbonstone,
Your query forced me to do some quick internet "research", with interesting results.

1. Birthday, 1963: Never looked up the ages of these until now, based on serial nos, all mod 70's:
'52 30-06 std wt; had seen some honest use, but no rusting or pitting, although little blue. I did refinish the stock, and had it recheckered (professionally). Hope you collectors don't want to string me up for that!
'53 30-06 std wt; this one had a rusted out barrel, and became an 8mm-06.
'53 270 std wt; this one looks to have been restored by Pachmayer.
'56 30-06 Featherweight; my favorite, and also refinished and recheckered.
'60 std wt; this one came out of Canada and was slated for the 8mm-06 project but the metal was in such good shape I left it as-is, but it has a modified stock. All great rifles, some a bit smoother action than the others.

2. Hmmm, I don't think I can make this one, although I have my grandpa's old Colt Woodsman 22 LR pistol, but don't know when those were made. Fine old gun, but the slide has gotten the web of my off-hand a few times when I wasn't paying attention (before gun makers idiot-proofed their products!).

3. Well, can't say this one's a "beater", but it gets grabbed in the nasty weather - a Browning A-bolt stainless 338 WM.

4. Browning 1885 45-70; this is one fine simple rifle. Have a couple of Marlin 45-70's and 35 Rem, but (egads!) I've never shot them.

5. Rem Mod 700 17 Rem.

Shawn,

Doesn't that .458 Lott qualify for #4, or did you scope it? :)

ribbonstone - When can I use the iron sighted one again? I'm not sure I believe in reincarnation?
Signed, "almost double nickels"

Keep playing with sight width and position. With a longer barrel, moving the rear sight forward (even though it costs sight radius) might do the trick. My eyesight is the opposite, seeing all the close up things just fine....it's the distant stuff that gets progressivly blurry.

But it don't stop me from trying and having fun.

Apature cures the problem just fine...for range use, an apature on my shooting glasses does the trick, but it's pretty well useless while hunting. But if the critters are close, the sights large, and the gun well fitted to the shooter, can still do good fast work.

----
Shawn:

Sure, a syentictic stocked stainless gun makes a good "beater"...don't go out of our way to put dings or scuffs one it, but it's still teh one you reach for when you know things are going to be ugly.

Ribbonstone,
#1,For years,I had a Savage M23 made in 1936,that would qualify,but I recently let it slip away.My 1903 Springfield was made in 1942,ad that will have to do(12 yrs away)
#2,My Trapdoor Springfield were both made in 1886,and would be about Grandfather's age.
#3,Beat gun;Go to gun;Reliable gun:1892 Krag sporter.
#4,I have outgrown iron sights,but I'll never consider replacing the iron sights on my T C Hawken muzzleloader.
#5,Sadly,I sold my Rem700,270.The only rifle that I ever had that gave less then 1 inchgroups consistantly.
I do have 3 double barreled shotguns that just might fit #1.
have no way of deciding their age.
Frank

Shawn,

Doesn't that .458 Lott qualify for #4, or did you scope it? :)

Yeah, it qualifies, and I haven't - and probably won't - scope it. It's just that it's kicked me so hard I forgot about it.
:p

#1. Remington Nylon 11. Dad came home with it when I was 5-6. I'm sure it was used.

#2. Winchester Model 90 22 WRF. My great aunt gave it to my grandfather for his 18th birthday in 1917.

#3. Ruger Single Six, 22lr-22mag (3 screw) This one lived under the seat in Dad's ranch truck in a full flap holster of his making.

#4. 45 cal. Kentucky rifle. My Dan'l Boone gun that Dad and I made from a kit. manufacturer ???

#5. Remington 788 in. 223. If I can't hit it with this it's definately my fault.

#6. My Redhawk 44 mag. Now that I'm trying to teach myself how to shoot it left handed. :rolleyes: