Any new firearm purchases?

[JoshT]

Re: SKS slam fires - that is almost certainly cosmoline or debris jamming the firing pin. Good rule of thumb with any semi auto especially is to completely strip it and clean everything before shooting it. The Yugo SKS I bought years ago was packed full everywhere. They are great rifles.

This SKS was disassembled cleaned and serviced before the slam fire. SKS will just do that sometimes, especially if used with a soft primer. Knowing dads propensity for reloading, it was probably ammo with soft primer. I'd ordered him the spring loaded firing pin upgrade, but he never got around to installing it.

Seems like he has a couple of other military surplus type rifles around, but they would need a lot of work to be serviceable. IIRC they were bolt actions, and "Spanish Mauser" is coming to mind for one. I'll have to look at the list when I get back home. I seem to recall that both were "projects" that he never got around to.

 

[97RangerXLT]

Make sure he gets face protection and not just safety glasses. Those plastic BBs can sting!

david has a nice desert camo mask and goggles. Probably should get me one as well

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

david has a nice desert camo mask and goggles. Probably should get me one as well

You probably should, good ones look a lot cheaper than a eye dr visit.

https://www.amazon.com/Hot-Max-25025-2-Inch-Welding/dp/B005UKDHZA/?tag=959media-20

 

[Uncle Gump]

Not a new one... but its been years since it seen the light of day. Pulled it out of the safe... cleaned it up and ran a few patches through it. Anti-seized the breech plug and put it back together. Took a bit to find all my shooting gear... most has been packed away since I moved here. Looks like I have an opportunity to do a muzzle loader hunt late this year with some old friends in an area that really needs some herd thinning. Headed to the range this weekend to check zero and use up some older 777 pellets.

It will also be my first chance to run some rounds through the Brawler.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Not a new one... but its been years since it seen the light of day. Pulled it out of the safe... cleaned it up and ran a few patches through it. Anti-seized the breech plug and put it back together. Took a bit to find all my shooting gear... most has been packed away since I moved here. Looks like I have an opportunity to do a muzzle loader hunt late this year with some old friends in an area that really needs some herd thinning. Headed to the range this weekend to check zero and use up some older 777 pellets.

View attachment 134330

It will also be my first chance to run some rounds through the Brawler.

Makes me miss the blackpowder boom like 10-15 years ago.

Lots of new stuff, lots of repop old stuff... now there is hardly anything.

 

[Uncle Gump]

Makes me miss the blackpowder boom like 10-15 years ago.

Lots of new stuff, lots of repop old stuff... now there is hardly anything.

Yeah... I evolved into this one. A couple old percussion guns... then an in-line.

When I got here I was happy with the performance. Using the 209 shotgun primers i never had a FTF... with PowerBelts it was as accurate and consistent out to 100 yards as any of my deer rifles. It will handle 150 grains of pyrodex or triple 7 pellets for more punch and distance. I figured it would be my last muzzle loader.

Then hunting regs started to change and slug guns and ammo got better. Straight wall rifle cartridges became a thing in areas where they were considered unlawful. Early seasons... late seasons... doe only seasons... crossbows too. Muzzle loader hunting just got lost in the mix... fell out of popularity. It use to be a way we could extend our deer season into winter without carrying a bow and arrow. Just not like that any longer... at least back in Michigan.

The gun stores here don't carry anything for muzzle loaders except powder substitute pellets. A few years back I would walk into the local shop and check the powerbelts they had clearance priced. The only ones left were .45 caliber. I walked in one day and they had marked them down to $8 a pack. I bought all 17 of the packs they had.

I'll likely never have to buy anymore.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

On the flipside, yeah inlines sure used to be hot. I have an H&R (which is extict)

Like Thompson Center is no more, I didn't even know if Optima was still around until I googled it. Dad has the same rifle as yours but with a silver barrel.

Like Cabela's used to have a two page ad of cap and ball revolvers and a rack full of different ones too. Hawken, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Springfield replica rifles on the racks and a couple DIY kits on the shelf. Tons of accessories and holsters for the various models as well. Scheels and Bass Pro was the same way.

 

[Shran]

I bought a Keltec Sub 2000 in 9mm... have wanted one for years... just never found the right deal.

Now I just gotta go find time to shoot it.

 

[Gunfighter97]

Like Cabela's used to have a two page ad of cap and ball revolvers and a rack full of different ones too. Hawken, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Springfield replica rifles on the racks and a couple DIY kits on the shelf. Tons of accessories and holsters for the various models as well. Scheels and Bass Pro was the same way.

Always wanted a repro LeMatt, never wanted to pay for one. I have a 1858 whose hand spring just broke. Time to make a new one.

I bought a Keltec Sub 2000 in 9mm... have wanted one for years... just never found the right deal.

Now I just gotta go find time to shoot it.

Those are funky! I like em, but there is also a reason Kel-tec makes upgrade parts for their own guns that are usually fixes for their own issues, so beware of that.

 

[Shran]

Always wanted a repro LeMatt, never wanted to pay for one. I have a 1858 whose hand spring just broke. Time to make a new one.

Those are funky! I like em, but there is also a reason Kel-tec makes upgrade parts for their own guns that are usually fixes for their own issues, so beware of that.

Yeah, so I have heard. It feels kinda cheap... but it was cheap... and I'm a cheap gun type of guy.

Except for that Hi Power, I did buy that too, and I frickin love it.

 

[Gunfighter97]

Yeah, so I have heard. It feels kinda cheap... but it was cheap... and I'm a cheap gun type of guy.

Except for that Hi Power, I did buy that too, and I frickin love it.

Nice!

 

[superj]

I like my keltec pmr30

 

[JoshT]

Then hunting regs started to change and slug guns and ammo got better. Straight wall rifle cartridges became a thing in areas where they were considered unlawful. Early seasons... late seasons... doe only seasons... crossbows too. Muzzle loader hunting just got lost in the mix... fell out of popularity. It use to be a way we could extend our deer season into winter without carrying a bow and arrow. Just not like that any longer... at least back in Michigan.

That's pretty much what got us into them. Many years ago when I was a kit you had two parts of deer season, archery only and firearms season. (also antlerless and either-sex periods spread around) We didn't archery hunt, I never got into it and dad couldn't due to past shoulder injuries. Then they took two weeks of one of those seasons, alternating between archery and firearms different years, and made it a primative weapons season for muzzle loaders. We bought into them then. I did it a couple of years and wasn't worth the extra effort, namely the unloading and cleaning after I didn't see anything part. Also the part of the year that they set aside for them (and archery) is still just too hot and buggy to be out there hunting. I think dad kept doing it off and on. If they had extended the season on the back side into the new year (our firearm season is October 18 through January 11 this year) I'd probably have stayed interested in muzzle loading. Same for archery, if it extended more into the new year or they just shifted the whole season back a month, I might be into it.

Just found out that they actually put in an early 2 day firearm season (antlerless only) here this year. It's this weekend. If I were more prepared I might participate. If I see one walking through my yard this weekend I might get it. I'm going out to clean trail to stand this weekend and will carry rifle, but I doubt I'll see anything with what I'll be doing.

Like Cabela's used to have a two page ad of cap and ball revolvers and a rack full of different ones too. Hawken, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Springfield replica rifles on the racks and a couple DIY kits on the shelf. Tons of accessories and holsters for the various models as well. Scheels and Bass Pro was the same way.

Back when dad was recouperating from one of his many operations and not able to get around he built both a rifle and a pistol from one of those Cabela or Bass Pro kits. Not sure if he ever did more than a test fire with the rifle. The pistol was built as a side arm for the modern inline because when they started the muzzleloading season here, you couldn't even carry a modern sidearm. After a year or two they had enough complaints to change that, so it probable didn't get shot much either. I doubt that I'll ever shoot them myself, but I think I might like to get them reblued (he only cold blued them then) and mount them on the wall if I ever get a good place to display them.

 

[Gunfighter97]

That's pretty much what got us into them. Many years ago when I was a kit you had two parts of deer season, archery only and firearms season. (also antlerless and either-sex periods spread around) We didn't archery hunt, I never got into it and dad couldn't due to past shoulder injuries. Then they took two weeks of one of those seasons, alternating between archery and firearms different years, and made it a primative weapons season for muzzle loaders. We bought into them then. I did it a couple of years and wasn't worth the extra effort, namely the unloading and cleaning after I didn't see anything part. Also the part of the year that they set aside for them (and archery) is still just too hot and buggy to be out there hunting. I think dad kept doing it off and on. If they had extended the season on the back side into the new year (our firearm season is October 18 through January 11 this year) I'd probably have stayed interested in muzzle loading. Same for archery, if it extended more into the new year or they just shifted the whole season back a month, I might be into it.

Just found out that they actually put in an early 2 day firearm season (antlerless only) here this year. It's this weekend. If I were more prepared I might participate. If I see one walking through my yard this weekend I might get it. I'm going out to clean trail to stand this weekend and will carry rifle, but I doubt I'll see anything with what I'll be doing.



Back when dad was recouperating from one of his many operations and not able to get around he built both a rifle and a pistol from one of those Cabela or Bass Pro kits. Not sure if he ever did more than a test fire with the rifle. The pistol was built as a side arm for the modern inline because when they started the muzzleloading season here, you couldn't even carry a modern sidearm. After a year or two they had enough complaints to change that, so it probable didn't get shot much either. I doubt that I'll ever shoot them myself, but I think I might like to get them reblued (he only cold blued them then) and mount them on the wall if I ever get a good place to display them.

If he used that Birtchwood Casey stuff to blue them, it will strip with copper solvent and preserve the base polish of the metal. You could then rust blue, which would've been traditional. Good vids on YT for how to. Rustblue.com has a "frontier brown" formula. Much more durable than hot tank bluing.

 

[sgtsandman]

I'f like to get a Kentucky rifle. To me, and inline is cheating, but it is also not a judgement on those who prefer and use them. Just like I think a crossbow is cheating. They are legal to hunt with. So more power to you. If memory serves, black powder season here only allows flintlock, but it's been a long time since I bothered to look at that section of the regulations.