Parker

Of the choices mentioned, I'd pick the Beretta A400. Don't know if I'd go with their Kick-Off buttstock though. A gun that big, in a gas-auto, w/ 30" or 32" barrel should be a soft-shooter without any contraption in the buttstock. (I was just reading about their GunPod accessory. Wild stuff.)

I would agree. Any load that was a good "waterfowl" load (I.E. lead 2's, 4's, 5's or 6's) during the lead days will suffice well for turkey loads today if you have any lying around. Slapping the "turkey" name on them suddenly makes them special. And special-expensive too.

Good article on the subject from someone who makes them for the Encore. http://www.bellmtcs.com/store/index.php?cid=672

Don't let "them" on to that idea.

Nice old Mossberg. That walnut stock looks to be in great shape. The metalwork can be cleaned up.

Hmm, 2 lbs? Most promote a good follow-through.

Only thing close in NJ would be the Metro Gun Barrel. (The length makes them a tad impractical.) http://www.metrogun.com/index.html

I'm disappointed that Rolling Stone missed the "ghost gun." They must be slipping.

The Red Label is a stout gun, and over-built like most Ruger's. The knock against the Ruger O/U has always been its weight. I used a Sporting Clays (30") model for a few years shooting trap-doubles and occasionally skeet. I tried to like the gun but never could. I took it pheasant hunting; once. This model was not an upland game gun, by any stretch of the imagination, but its weight makes it a comfortable-to-shoot target gun. I sold mine and never regretted it. That was a while ago, when they could be found used for $500-$700.

26S or 21L or 19LR

This sounds like it would be a fun project. I found this on the 'net if you're interested: http://ronkulas.proboards.com/thread/254/restoring-fathers-model-37-shotgun Or you can contact this gunsmith in NY. They do Winchester restorations (and probably cheaper than a Turnbull or CSMC would charge you.) http://www.cnygunworks.com/About-us.php

For adding length so just the pad makes contact, I often used a Tyler Trigger Shoe provided I liked the position of the existing grip. I had a steel trigger shoe from Tyler on my S&W M52 and it was perfect for me. I use them a lot on some centerfire rifles also. http://www.t-grips.com/

This statement from the comments section sums up where we are today; "Culture certainly appears to trump law in the politically correct northeast."

Some of this is true. Private hunting land has disappeared into malls, McMansion developments, golf courses and parking lots. Prior to 1961, all hunting lands were purchased with income derived from license fees in this state. Since Green Acres bond money has become available, many of the WMA lands today (now numbering 121 I believe) have been purchased using these bonds. There are more than 750,000 acres of public available for the hunter to roam in this state. There's still over 2 million acres of forests in this state.

Another thing is for certain; there are fewer firearm hunters in NJ now than there were some forty years ago. There were 170,000 resident hunters who bought firearm licenses in NJ in 1970 when the state's population was around 7.1 million. There were less than 60,000 firearm hunters licensed in NJ last year, with the state's population now hovering at 8.8 million. Is this another sign of the times where a culture of folks who saw the need for possessing a firearm for food gathering or sport is slowly disappearing?

Here's more about this Evolve group, another "founded at the kitchen table" organization. http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2013/10/daniel-zimmerman/coonan/ They produced this video:

BEST answer that sums things up.

Correct. As far as the Div. of Fish & Wildlife is concerned, and how their thinking evolved with hunting laws, is that the "muzzleloader" was the first rifle legal for hunting in the state, dating back to the late 70's, and that is what prompted you to get a rifle permit if you wanted to use one for hunting. Then .22 rimfire for trapping and certain caliber centerfires followed later for hunting certain species with exceptions. Muzzleloader at the range is secret code for .17 & .22 rimfire, & any acceptable pellet rifle, & shotgun slug for the "rifle" range. What the state still does not allow is shooting centerfires on the WMA ranges.

Hey, I was only trying to be helpful. Assunpink is steel shot and archery only, no rifle. The guidelines are pretty clear, it's been like that for a while. The information is current for all ranges, and they've even updated it to include .17 rimfire at rifle ranges since it used to note only .22 rimfire. Folks used to shoot everything at Assunpink years ago, but now that has been minimized. I've never been to Turkey Swamp, so can't speculate or assume. Air rifle is legal wherever rimfire ranges are located. If you have questions on what's legal where, contact Paul Tarlowe at the Division. He would know closures, what's legal, etc. Paul Tarlowe, Wildlife Education Specialist NJ Div. of Fish and Wildlife 605 Pequest Rd. Oxford, NJ 07863 [email protected]

WMA range guidelines: http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ranges.htm

+2 The author of this article is still on his trip in the way-way back time machine.

I know if you go into lawn mower/power equipment repair shops, at least ones up by me, there is always a handful of "used" mowers in stock for sale in the "back room." Some are cheap junk, but some are decent finds that folks have turned in because they have retired and are moving to Florida or they decided to have their lawns professionally cut. These sell quick, and the heavy duty ones are quickly picked up by the local landscapers, which we have plenty of in this area. But if you trust the guy in the shop, you can find a good deal.

That's the sad part. Things made today just aren't the same. But, if you look for power equipment that has similar characteristics, you'll do okay in your selection. You get what you pay for.

Best push mower you can buy if you find one is an old Bobcat M21 from the 70's. Heavy cast aluminum deck, oversize ball-bearing wheels with grease fittings, oversized push-handle. The metal framed, welded grass chute is built to last forever. No wires, levers or cables on these mowers. (Ralph Nader would never approve of this mower today.) Sensation is another good alternative for a push mower. Both are commercial grade. No planned obsolescence when these mowers were built. Finding one is the trick. The Toro or John Deere self-propelled models with blade-brake clutch (allows you to stop the mower to remove the grass catcher without turning off the engine,) are well engineered mowers and what I'm familiar with, but I dislike the array of cables and levers to engage/disengage. However, they're all like that today. These have cast aluminum decks as well. Toro makes a mid-level self-propelled that's a step below the blade-brake model that in order to remove the grass catcher, when you release the safety lever the engine shuts off. (Dad still has his Bobcat, but uses a self-propelled blade-brake John Deere now, my brother has the same Sensation he used landscaping back in the early 80's.) I have a pair of self-propelled Toro's, one blade-brake that's 32 years old, and the other is about 10 years old. Both run well and cut great. BTW - Deere's have a heavier cast aluminum deck vs. the Toro. At least that's the experience I've found when son's run into concrete curbs with the Toro. For trim equipment and blower I have Echo and RedMax and have had great success with both. (I've had my Echo trimmer for 32 years now. All I do is change the plug occasionally and add trimmer string.)

I found this on the NEShooters forum. Interesting. https://freestateproject.org/user/register