Ruger's auction this week is special, indeed! It is a No. 1 Rifle built to celebrate Sturm-Ruger's fiftieth anniversary, with select Circassian walnut, engraving, and gold decorations. It is chambered in 45-70. The suggested retail price in 1999 was $1950, and the current price isn't a whole lot higher than that, allowing for inflation. Dig deep in those pockets and click over to GunBroker to place your bid.
Zeke had a good turnout for the June contest, and the good scores are gratifying. It looks as though everyone is getting better at shooting these targets every month, and that's a good thing. Nobody's beating Mr. C, though. Go look at the numbers and read Zeke's comments.
The boneyard. Lots of spare parts, and the fence makes them invisible to folks passing by.
Beautifully restored 1969 IH Cub Cadet, with a home-engineered loader on the front end.
It fires right up. The only part that is not stock (besides the loader) is the custom bent exhaust stack.
The brand new wiring harness was located with an online auction service. The generator also serves as the starter for the Kohler engine.
I wish I could have taken photos of his very rare, mid-1950's Economy garden tractor. It was rigged with a hydraulically operated blade for pushing snow, and it looked nearly brand new. The Economy was parked in a tight little garden shed, and good photos weren't possible. This lineup is full of restoration projects for years to come. Like any obsession, One's Too Many, and A Hundred's Not Enough.
The Lakewood Marshalls, Cisne, Illinois have their monthly match the first Saturday every month, and it is always fun to drop in and see some of the action. They are a friendly bunch, and they let me watch, even though I don't have a cowboy hat or boots. Just like any shooting event, you want to bring eye and ear protection so you can get up close and see what goes on. I recommend that you use real safety glasses with side protection, because there is some splash-back going on with so many rounds hitting the steel plates, especially if you are trying to photograph the shooters. Our friend Pine Ridge Jack was shooting black powder in his guns the day this video was shot, and as usual, he gave me more free education during our brief visit.
Jack drops his spent brass into a plastic jug containing a mix of alcohol, Murphy's Oil Soap and water. All of the black powder fouling is loosened up by the time he gets home, and the final cleaning of his empties is easy. He showed his cartridge block that he takes to the loading bench. It has ten holes for his rifle rounds, and two sets of five holes for his revolver cartridges, so he doesn't get crossed up or lose count while he loads.
Here is some of the action you will see at a SASS Cowboy Shoot. I have cut and moved segments so that you can see the rifle action, the revolvers, and the shotguns together as groups. The different choices in hardware can be a bit confusing to newcomers. One of the rifles is a repro of the Colt Lightning rifle, and it is a quick shooter.
Safety first! Rifles and revolvers are loaded under supervision...
...as is unloading after your stage is completed. Jack drops his brass into a cleaning solution when he unloads.
Jack's cartridge organizer. It's a wooden block with a leather cover that snaps down.
Little things like this make shooting more enjoyable.
Lot's of neat hardware.
Friendly folks in the town! They will shoot again the first Saturday in August, weather permitting. Be There!
While Lawrence Welk haunted the airwaves on Saturday nights during my childhood, Ted Lewis was playing nightclubs to make a living. I seek out Ted Lewis records; I've never done that for Lawrence Welk. Everybody's Not Happy, Lawrence. We were robbed! Here is a great Ted Lewis recording of The Bugle Call Rag, courtesy of John Engels.
You can always tell it's Ted Lewis when he gets that clarinet wound up.
Steam trains, explosions, lever actions, Ann Margaret, and John Wayne. I haven't watched the Train Robbers since it came out forty years ago. I need to fix that soon.
Firearms; Col. Jeff Cooper's Rules 1. All guns are always loaded. 2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy. 3. Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot. 4. Be sure of your target and what lies beyond it.
Knives 1. Never cut toward yourself. 2. Always cut away from yourself. 3. Never cut yourself.
AND If you drop a knife or gun, let it fall!
Chainsaws
1. Always wear your safety gear when running your saw: hard hat, eye, face, hearing protection, cut resistant protection for your legs, heavy boots, gloves (depending on work conditions).
2. Safety devices on the saw must be in working order: front hand guard,chain brake, chain catcher, throttle lockout, and right hand guard.
3. Hold the saw on the ground or lock it between your knees for starting. No 'Drop Starts.' Set the chain brake before cranking.
4. The engine must idle reliably without turning the chain.
5. The chain must be sharpened properly, including properly set depth gauges.
6. The chain must be adjusted to remove slack and still run freely.
7. The operator must understand the forces on different parts of the bar as the saw runs: push, pull, kickback and attack.
8. Both hands must always be on the saw when the chain is running. The thumbs must be wrapped around the handles. Both feet should be firmly planted on the ground.
9. The operator must always know where the end of the bar is, and what it's doing.
10. Don't let the upper (kickback) corner of the bar contact anything when the chain is running unless the tip has been buried with the lower corner.
11. Let off of the throttle before pulling out of a pinch on the top part of the bar.
12. Make a plan for every tree you cut. Assess hazards, lean, escape routes, forward cuts, and back cuts. Evaluate the forward or backward lean, and the side lean of every tree you cut. Know your limits.
13. Clear your work area and your escape path of brush, vines, and other hazards that can trip you or catch your saw.
14. Escape from the bullseye when the tree tips. 90% of accidents happen within 12 feet of the stump. Go more than 15 feet, and stay out of the bullseye until things stop falling.
15. Keep spectators away more than twice the height of the tree in the direction it will fall.
16. Don't cut alone.
17. Keep your body and the swamper's out of the line of the bar in case of a kickback.
18. Set the brake when taking over two steps or when moving through tripping hazards. Keep your trigger finger off of the throttle when you are moving.
19. DO NOT operate a chainsaw from a ladder! Operating with your feet off the ground requires special training.
20. Do not cut above your shoulders.
21. Springpoles must be shaved on the inside of the apex between the ascending and descending sides. If the apex is higher than you shoulders, stand under the springpole and cut it low on the descending side. It will release upward, away from you.Leaning and heavily loaded poles that are too small to bore cut for a hinge should be shaved on the compressed side until they fold.
22. Do not cut a tree that is holding up a lodged tree. Do not work under a lodged tree. Think about a mouse trying to steal the cheese out of a trap.
23. Instruct your swampers and helpers to NEVER approach you from behind or the sides to within the reach of your saw when you are cutting. If you pull out of a cut with the chain running, or have a severe kickback, the swamper can be killed if he is coming up behind you!
24!! Quit When You Are Tired!
25!! Pause and review; reflect, when you are being pushed. You may be pushed into danger. Do not let pressure cause you to ignore safety rules!
Cutting dead and rotten trees is extremely risky, and your safety always comes down to basics and following the rules. Build a good hinge, even if there is just a thin shell to work with. Support the back side of the hinge with wedges if the tree is punky or hollow before you cut out the back. Don't fight side lean or back lean when cutting unsound trees. Release it quickly and get away from the stump. Tell your co-workers what your steps are before you crank your saw. You will live long.
The FTC now requires disclosure of the relationships between bloggers and the products, services, and companies which they discuss or advertise.
The blog known as "True Blue Sam the Travelin' Man" (hereafter known as The Blog) is a recreational publication and not a commercial entity. The Blog's authors and contributors receive no income, discounts, products, gratuities, or other payment from any of the businesses, individuals, and other entities which are mentioned, discussed, depicted, shown in videos, promoted, or linked on the blog. The authors of The Blog create material (including but not limited to written text, illustration, audio and video) for their own personal enjoyment and the enjoyment or education of those who read The Blog.
Third party advertisements (Over which The Blog has no control.) placed on some of The Blog’s videos and on the sidebar of this blog may provide income to the publishers of “True Blue Sam the Travelin’ Man."
