Rifle musings

So I've been thinking about my gun situation, and this year I want to get more deliberate about my gun acquisition process. One of the things I've been really wanting is a good multi-purpose bolt rifle. Now, the scout rifle concept is really where I think the crossroads of functionality come together for a all-around rifle.

My total wants are:
-medium to heavy barrel profile
-easily acquired sighting through a scope
-back up iron sights
-threaded barrel
-.308 chambering
-detachable box magazine
-short barrel

Now, I have a .308 bolt gun, but it is definitely a bench gun. It weighs in North of 9 pounds, if I had to guess offhand. It's not practical for stalking game. Nor is it practical for patrolling. But it will shoot tiny groups, which is what I wanted when I got it.

But truthfully, it's not really what I want now.

So I could buy a scout rifle, like the Savage Scout, or the Ruger Gunsite, in left hand....

And I would spend a mint.

I've been thinking of taking the target stock off my Savage 110. Taking it to a competent gunsmith, and getting the barrel cut to 18 inches and threaded. Putting a XS Clifton scout scope mount on it. Having the Smith install a weaver peep and a front sight blade on it. Attaching a long-eye relief scope on quick-detach mounts...

I'm not sure if it would save much money over just buying a deer rifle and calling it good, but I wonder if I would be happier with the result than having 2 rifles, one for "target" shooting and one for hunting. I feel like I would be happier with one rifle that was decent at both tasks.

What say you internet? I'm definitely interested in ya'lls opinion.

2 Hairy Beasts Visited

... and brought Murphy's Law! 

Seriously though it was awesome to have him stop by and hang out. We aren't exactly Neighbors, but we live about an hour apart.

He was fun, and our B.S. ranged from politics, to guns, to food, to dogs, to vet care.

By the way, Belle and Murphy were awesome house guests. My wife loved hanging out and petting those two.

Of course, when the pork came off the smoker, we were too busy eating for me to remember to get a picture, but trust me, it looked just fine!

Anyway, I had a great time last night, and I'm looking forward to doing it again soon, Murphy' Law!

Cane River Stuffed Pork

It occurs to me that I haven't done a food post in a while. Today, we learn how to make Cane River Stuffed Pork.

We start by finely chopping an onion, then mincing a head of garlic cloves. Dump these in a bowl.

Next, add garlic salt (maybe 2 tsp), black pepper (again, maybe 2 tsp), and a bunch of Worcestershire sauce (maybe a quarter cup). Mix that up.

Take a pork butt (that you hopefully found on sale)...

And cut a 1 inch grid into the fat-side. This grid catches the onion mix.

Using a sharp knife, cut a bunch of holes in that pork butt.

Stuff the holes with the mix you made.

Put the whole thing in a pan, and pour the leftover onion mix on the top. Sprinkle the top of the pork with more garlic salt and pepper.

Throw that bad-boy in your smoker, using oak, hickory, pecan, or mesquite. Let it bump of about 8 hours at around 300 degrees.

If I remember, I will post "done" pics.

Single-Six

One of the secretaries at work came to me the other day, and said she heard I did Leatherworking. I told her that I do, and she said, "here, let me call my husband". I spoke with him on the phone, and he explained what he wanted.

He has a Ruger Single-Six, that was his daddy's, before his dad passed away. It was left to him. He remembers shooting it as a kid, and always thinking of it as "daddy's cowboy gun"

"I know it's kinda silly, but I always wanted a western holster for it. One like in the old movies".

"That's not weird at all. You want to scratch a nostalgia itch, and honor your father's memory. Tell me what this rig looks like."

He wanted it dark brown, with a little bit of border stamping. Nothing too fancy. A wide belt, to wear low around the hips. And the holster needed a tie-down, to go around your leg. He was adamant about that.

I got my secretary to bring me the gun, and the measurement of her husband's hips the next day.

I have about 10 hours in this, and I think it's a fair product for the $250 we agreed upon.

He hasn't seen it yet. I still need to burnish the edges, and oil it, after I give it a day or two to let the dye dry.

But I'm betting he'll like it. I hope he catches a bit of that boy he was, walking next to daddy, every time he straps it on and heads into the woods.

Missive from the front

I have been rather remiss in my blogging lately. All I can claim is we are exceptionally busy around here.

The Boy-o went to see his Florida kin for spring break. Since he has been back, we've been working on a new batch of birdhouses. They sell like hotcakes, and he re-invested in lumber before spending his profit. I'm proud.

My leather business has taken off. Belts, man. Everybody wants a belt. I'm not complaining. They are relatively easy to make, and everyone (myself included) seems pleased with the prices. I actually have 2 orders to finish this week. And another order for a matching belt and holster that I told the purchaser I can't start on till next week.

I'm happy I am turning a little profit at this. After I get out all the stuff everyone ordered, I will have bought several tools I've been wanting to make Leatherworking easier, and I will have put back seed money to buy my next hide, for when I run out of the leather I have.

From that point forward, it's straight profit, and I can finally start socking back some cash for a rainy day!

So yeah, no news is good news! I'm just busy as hell!

Hope the blog world is getting by without me okay! Hopefully I'll have something worthwhile to post soon.

Old friends

I had the opportunity to go to a conference this past week, with 3 of my best friends. We went to through Police Academy together, and although we ended up in different parts of the state, we try to meet up whenever possible.

It was great to spend the last 3 days with them, and heading home, I only regret that I don't get more time with them. They are true "peace officers" and work to bring safety and security to the communities they serve.

I already miss them!

Bespoke

Bespoke- adjective: (of goods, especially clothing) made to order. "a bespoke leather belt"

Derby Day!

It's Boy-o's first Pinewood Derby!

I'm running the track!

We're selling Jambalaya dinners as a fundraiser!

This is gonna be awesome!

Reloading

A friend and coworker has been talking a lot about reloading lately. We got off early on Thursday, so I told him to go to Academy and pick up some bullets (I was out) and to come by the house, and I would show him how reloading worked.

He took me up on it, and we spent about 2 hours going through each step on my single-stage press, and walking him through the process. He came out with 95 bullets. One was loaded entirely too deep, and will have to be pulled, he crushed 2 primers, and lost 2 primers. Still, 95% accuracy is pretty good for your first time doing anything.

Afterwards we ate pizza, and drank a few Shiner beers. Not a bad way to spend a Thursday afternoon.

Anyway, the stumbling block (pun intended) was that I only have one reloading block. They're cheap, and I've been meaning to get more, but somehow it hasn't happened. It slowed the process down a bit. Well, oddly, when my partner was leaving, he asked to borrow my reloading block. I thought it was weird, but told him to bring it back to me at work whenever he was done.

Last night, he sends me this picture. My buddy is a woodworker, and he did a hell of a job. You can see the original on the bottom right of the photo.

Man, that's a hell of a thank-you, ain't it?!

Gunbelt

So I have been wanting to try my hand at a gun belt for a while. Since I bought a half-cow of leather recently, I decided to go ahead and try it. The leather is 12 Oz vegetable tan, with a decent grain. I cut two straps, and dyed them, laid out a template, measured about a zillion times, and cut out the pattern. I glued it together, and got to sewing....

Or tried to. The belt is 5/16ths of an inch thick. I'm beginning to see why serious belt makers use a leather sewing machine. I am 194 stitches in, and have about 3 hours tied up in stitching alone. I am punching every hole with an awl and a mallet, then having to press the awl through from the back, to widen the hole all the way through. After that is done for about 30-50 holes, I stitch up what I've punched, then start over.

Don't get me wrong, the belt is awesome, and will literally last forever, but there is no way I'm doing another stitched gun belt until I get a sewing machine.

Damn, this thing is a lot of work!