A Good Day

[versifier]

Got to the range today and my buddy is trying out an ancient Mossberg .22 bolt, family gun. Raw cold rainy nasty New England late fall day, 45-50*F. Indoor shooting house, we open the firing window next to the woodstove. The rifle was erratic. Some light strikes, some no strikes, some go off fine. Worked last summer when it was hot. Stripped the bolt, 50+ yr old grease just about solid around the firing pin. That took a lot of scrubbing, pick and shovel work, dredging, but we got it degreased and then relubed and reassembled. Works like a charm now, but we spent the last of the good shooting light working on it. Too late to sight in the new scope he bought for it. It rained buckets outside anyway and neither of us felt like going out and setting up targets. You couldn't see the 100yd mark in the worst of it and it was windy up above the notches. It was nice, two grumpy old friends cleaning the grumpy old rifle by the woodstove, didn't drop a small part, or a big one, figuring how to take it apart and put it back together. Next week we'll zero the scope and shoot my .308 some more, and maybe the Contender too. It was a good day at the range.

When the rain is over in a few days and has knocked the last stubborn leaves down we ought to be able to shoot us a partridge or two before deer season rolls around. The dog would like that.

[Clayt]

I like my forest naked too!

[Hellrazor]

Moral of the story - shooting while naked

Do not shoot a left handed, semi auto shotgun, from the hip, while holding it right handed, during heavy wind with no clothes on. :D

[j1]

Hellrazor how come you did not come to the shoot out at my place? Dantobin did and he is a knowledgable and interesting person and shooter. I am glad that I met him.

[Hellrazor]

j1,

That weekend was bad timing because of work. I have a few weeks a year that getting away is not possible. Anytime near the start and end of the school year is bad.

I haven't been to the cabin since April either... blah.

[j1]

Do you usually shoot at the cabin?

[Hellrazor]

Not in a few years. I helped the neighbor build a 50 & 100 yard private range about 15 years ago but be passed away about 8 years ago.

I am going to the cabin for 3 days starting 10/31. I have about 6 days of work to squeeze into a 3 day weekend. I have to post almost 600 acres for the one neighbor, clean all of the pine needles off the cabin roof, winterize everything, clean up the yard (mow, leaves & sticks) and stock the porch with firewood.

There are 3 dead maple trees I want to cut down. They are crap for firewood but they are all within range of the lane into the cabin. Not sure what type of maple they are, but they died standing and deteriorate quickly into useless crap within 2-3 years.

If I have time I have almost 1.5 cords of cherry firewood to split. Otherwise I am going to secure the cover I have on the wood for the winter and call it a day. We split over a cord of cherry last year. When they widened the power line right of way they had to cut down all of the black cherry tree's that lined the area. I still have about 1/2 - 3/4 a cord to cut and bring into the cabin in spring.

[j1]

Hellrazor I heated my old farm house with maple for many years. I saw nothing wrong withitfor firewood. Why do you say that it is not good. Now willow is another matter. I would not want willow if offered to me cut split and stacked on my porch.

[Hellrazor]

j1, I am not sure what type of maple they are but it is crappy. They are dead for 1-1.5 years and they had 1-2" of punk already. I have burned other maple that was decent firewood.

[SkyKid]

My Dad used to call it swamp maple

[Mike in tx]

My father preferred sugar maple and elm. His eldest son hated splitting the elm. Just ask me.

[SkyKid]

So Mike how much fun did you have splitting elm:lol:
Probably as much as I did

[Hellrazor]

Swamp maple is about right. There are 6 dead trees and none are worth anything. Going to drop them and let them finish rotting.

Elm sucks. Split like crap and isn't the greatest firewood.

[SkyKid]

It was once used for the hubs on wagon wheels
The stuff is so twisted and knarled that is why it won't split easy
Hellrazor that sounds like swamp maple garbage wood it is

[Mike in tx]

Sky One year he got government money to take all of the elm down next to to the river. 35 cord later he bought a wood splitter. I split 20 cord by hand and HATE elm. He had some sawn up for the bull pen. It is still standing and as strong as it was when we drilled holes in order to nail it. It is good heating wood though.

[Hellrazor]

According to what I just looked at, swamp maple is red maple. One of the softer maples. Paper birch has more BTU's as firewood.. sad.

I want to cut that big dead locust down. Thats some good firewood.

[j1]

Morning Hellrazor. Where IS Abyss, Pa? I have tried to find it but could not.

[Mike in tx]

J1 It is the abyss.

[j1]

V, I just wanted to keep your day going well. I reloaded a couple of dozen of the 22 bullets you sent me in my Hornet. Shot them off an improvised rest and every one would take a deer cleanly through the eye. Did not measure but I would say that most would go into a one inch group.

[Hellrazor]

j1,

I am in the "abyss" between Reading & Allentown. About 20-25 minutes from Cabelas.

[j1]

If I ever am going to Cabelas again I will try to look you up. I went to Cabelas twice to show all of the mounts to my honey. She liked seeing it all.

[j1]

Mike we really liked San Antonio two years ago.

[Mike in tx]

You are welcome any time. I will be spending the late summer and early fall in New England.

[Hellrazor]

Retire and go on a 3-4 month hunting trip to get away from the mrs?

[Hellrazor]

j1, Let me know. All depends when you are going. If its soon, you are SOL since I am pretty much booked up until after New Year. I have so much stuff going on between work, classes and hunting season it isn't funny.

[j1]

Gentlemen of the board, retirement is nice. Really.

[j1]

Mine is either soft or hard maple, I do not know which, but it is good firewood. :coffee::coffee:[smilie=w: