Parker

My wife refuses to retire to Montana. I was told if I want to go, I would be going alone. Hmmmm.............................

A MEC Sizemaster is a good unit to start with. It's not a progressive, but it's a simple unit that has a strong resizer for brass or steel-based hulls. With mild dexterity you can reload a box of shells every fifteen minutes. Good hulls, primers, powder, wads, shot and a good reloading manual are all you need for shotshells. You CAN "work up" loads with shotshell reloading. A good example could be when you are building your own buckshot or turkey loads. You may tinker with pellet count, buffering, Mylar inside of shotcups, cut shotcups, etc. to achieve the desired results like tight patterns coupled with the necessary velocity. (Pattern density usually tails off as velocity increases. A lot depends on shot hardness as well.) If you're shooting a gas-auto or short/long recoil-operated shotgun you can tailor your loads to ensure they always cycle the action as designed. And while they may take some time, I even concoct duplex loads for game, even in a 20 ga. shell.

+1 Stick with the traditional rust blue for that old Remington. The finish would be proper for that period of manufacture.

Agree. Maybe H&K should re-introduce their SL-6 & SL-7 rifles again? In light of the political climate in some states, these might be more popular than they were thirty years ago. (I admit that I wanted to own one.)

I would pursue Marlin's Holy Grail of lever-action .22's:

Saw this was posted on another forum this week. Some of the results were interesting with different products. http://nextbukoutdoors.com/gun-care-product-evaluation/

I see your point. I like nice handling guns afield, not just on the clay range. Scratches, gouges and chips add character and are a memento of the day afield. Not me particularly, but I hunt with fellows and family members who hunt with their very expensive guns. The only 870 I like for upland hunting is the discontinued Special Field model. The stock design and short barrel make for a handy gun for woodcock & grouse in thick cover and it is not too shabby over a pointing dog for pheasants. (I do think the M12 & M37 make a better handling "tank" than the 870.)

Agree. There is a reason why a Krieghoff K80, one of the premier guns on the clay target fields, weighs on average about 9 lbs. or more. It stands up to recoil, but would be a bear to tote around in the fields or woods all day.

I would cringe at buying a new 870, especially for $700. I'd find a nice used one for a lot less and be happy with the money I saved for a starter shotgun. If you shop around for a used Beretta, you can find them for less than $1,000 if you don't need the nitride or chrome engraved receiver embellishment found on the 686/687. You can opt for the Onyx or Essential series. It's the same gun, same feel, with less bling. Theycan be had in different barrel lengths and they all have Mobilechokes for versatility. The older O/U's like the BL-series with fixed-chokes can be had for even less than the 686-series in some cases. Try not to buy any shotgun unless you've shouldered it first. Proper fit is very important.

My guess is it's like sipping tea with three fingers extended.

I noticed two new gunshops that opened in Rockland county this summer. The SAFE Act seems to has driven some away, but attracted others to take their place.

You have the perfect tool there for high flying geese or snow's.

How things and thoughts ("It seemed like a good idea at the time") have changed over the years: https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/publications/abstract.aspx?ID=54286

Gus, Kudos to you for cleaning up the place. At times we humans are our own worst enemy. And it's always one or two clowns who ruin things for everyone. Years ago there would occasionally be a large trash can at the Walpack shotgun/muzzleloader range, only some would use them for target practice.

18 pellets of 00 buck weighs approximately 2 1/4 oz. Both 12 ga. & 10 ga. 3 1/2" shells usually have a maximum lead payload of 2 1/4 oz. as they come from the factory. Handloaders can push the 10 ga. with up to 2 1/2 ounces of lead, or 1 3/4 oz. of steel with the right shot cup.

No mention of Sam Colt's SAA?

I went there only once. We used to shoot at Cedar Grove's outdoor police range on Sunday mornings, between 9 & 12. Cost was something like $25/year at the time. It was close to home and a less of a drive to Cherry Ridge. That ended when someone hit a house in Little Falls with a .44 slug and they determined that the errant round came from the range. All good things come to an end.

Oh, the memories this picture brought back to me. I lived in the Caldwell's back in the early 80's and my friend and I went here one night to practice. I was blowing black soot out of my nose for the next two days. When it was open for business it didn't look any different than it does here in this picture.

If you can find them, bismuth shotshells would be another non-toxic alternative to lead in those fixed choke barrels if used for waterfowl. If you reload, some reloading suppliers still sell bismuth in bulk. (Precision Reloading is one.)

The "step" you see is the end of the chamber mouth before the forcing cone. From beech face to chamber step should be 3 1/2" as specified on the barrel. You want this intact unless you have plans for lengthening the forcing cone. The proof marks should confirm it's proofed for modern loads. The 3 1/2" chamber length stamped on the barrel is one indicator, since the 10 ga. began life at the pipsqueak length of 2 7/8". Your Eibar has a Greener crossbolt in addition to the underlug locks. It's a very strong lockup.

If you pick up the current issue of Field & Stream magazine, they have a test of about eight or more crossbows. It covers pros & cons, likes/dislikes, price, speed, special features, etc. Prices of those tested range from approx. $600 to $1,800 retail. (That's when I fell off the couch.)

Your 11-87 will handle different loads depending on what model (I.E. Premier, Field, SP, Trap. Skeet, Sporting Clays, Super-Mag, Police) and what barrel length it has. That's because each model along with some corresponding barrel lengths have different size gas ports to ensure reliable functioning with a variety of loads that would typically be used in that style of shotgun. The gas port size dictates what loads it shoots best. The introduction of the original 2 3/4" & 3" 11-87 with its additional gas spring clip was designed to work with the widest variety of loads. I'm not familiar with the newer Super-Mag so I can't comment on its reliability. For example: the Skeet model will beat you mercilessly and won't be a delight to shoot with magnum (4 dram) slug or buckshot loads for an extended period and the Police model just may not function well with with 1 oz. < 7,000 PSI target loads. I never heard of a "break-in" period for an auto-loading shotgun. A good gun should work properly out of the box. The reality is the departure from brass base shells to steel with a brass-wash and poor fit and crude finish on guns to expedite production and reduce cost has given us shotguns that don't always function best out-of-the-box. An old link describing the nuances of the early Remington gas-auto's: http://www.leeroysramblings.com/remington_58_1100_1187_semi.html Like any gas-auto, keep it clean and make sure the two gas ports are free of crud and debris. Keep an an appropriate size drill bit handy for cleaning the gas ports and the gun will function fine.

I saw a pair of coyotes playing off in the distance in a field on Littleton Road earlier this month at 4PM in the afternoon. They were oblivious to the traffic going by as they danced about in the grassy field. They are everywhere these days, not just in rural areas.

Under the Mossberg brand, this was the model 351C (carbine version of the Model 151.) It was also known as the "Jack Rabbit Special."

Thanks for the post. I never knew /heard about this one.