Plans for 2022

L

ligonierbill

New member
OK, one resolution. I won't buy or sell a firearm. Fat chance of me keeping that, but what I really want to do is go through my collection and clean up all the "let's try this one" bullets and loads I've accumulated.

So, what about supplies? Well, bullets I have, and I am starting to cast my own as well. Powder - I'll be trying a bunch of new powders. It would be nice if a few tons of Reloder 17 showed up, but I don't think it will. So a number of pet loads will be redone. Primers - "The sun'll come out tomorrow..." I am fairly well fixed with small rifle, so that's where I'll start. I usually shoot TAC and CFE223 in .223 Rem, but last week I started working in Win 748. Not exactly revolutionary, but it all helps. For others, I have Ramshot Big Game and Hunter, IMR-4955, and Alliant 4000-MR.

My modest collection includes some originals and replicas of 19th century arms. No pristine collectors for me, all shooters. And I have neglected my flintlocks. That's one way around primers. So, here we go. What are y'all up to?
 
Hoping for last minute approval of rifle images and of an image of a WW II Marine and his trophy (a hat he took off an enemy combatant). It goes into my book on WW II snipers/sniping that is scheduled to be released this year.
 
My only plan/resolution for 2022 was to get more sleep, especially on nights before I gotta work.

As far as guns I cant say as I have ever made any resolutions....

I would say
1 sell/trade no guns unless I just hate the gun itself.
2 only buy guns in cartridges I already have, unless absolutely necessary.
 
I have a few more long guns to rehome, one done, dropping another off for consignment this week.

I too have some half boxes of components, even factory ammo, that has been accumulated over the years. I have some old rifle cases, optics and random gear that just needs to go away. I might do a garage sale (call it Estate) with the wife and just sneak stuff out slowly so as not to attract too much attention to having a lot of gun stuff.

Get a .350L barrel finally and try that thing out and finish my .280AI quest even if I have to cancel the backordered barreled action that is now over a year in waiting.

I have three rifles I like, but with old optics I don't on them. So strip those off, sell them and re-scope those three.
 
I've actually been letting some of the chaff go...a few duplicates and guns I really don't need or want. Don't worry...still got plenty left. Need to bulk up the old "Bullet Fund" for a couple of cartridge collections coming up for sale.
 
Number 1 - don't die. Number 2, get a stainless Ruger Old Army 8 inch, (yeah, RIGHT!), failing that, get an Uberti 1858 stainless 8 inch. With the temporary stipend we just got, I might even be able to afford some of the newfangled primer thingies so I can go back to the reloading bench which will hopefully be installed in the new reloading room my research partner's mother is building for me!
Since I am no longer having to sell or pawn guns for my ex-wife's bills, maybe I can keep them all year.
 
A Ruger Old Army
Click to expand...

One of my best shooting memories was spending a afternoon with a friend shooting his Ruger Old Army. It was a blued version though not a stainless. It was a hoot and a half. My friend was very 'pragmatic'. He eschewed any fancy accessories and so his black powder (BP), (the real FFF stuff and not a BP substitute) dispenser was an old plastic ketchup dispenser from a diner and he measured it into a soda straw that was capped at one end and marked with a sharpie on the side as to 'target' loads and 'full power' loads. It was fast and fun. He also had a can of Crisco shortening and we'd put a finger tip of the grease over each bullet in the cylinder. Like I said, it is one of my fondest shooting memories.

He also alerted me to one of the lesser known, but potentially life-ending dangers of black powder shooting, that being getting caught in the kitchen by your spouse cleaning the gun after shooting.

His wife was out for the day so we heated boiling water on the stove, disassembled and cleaned the gun in the kitchen sink, put the gun on a cookie sheet in the oven to dry quickly and used copious amounts of Comet cleanser and paper towels to clean out the sink, counter tops etc.

We made sure to put everything away, put all the paper towels in a plastic bag and not in the regular kitchen trash container and even masked the clorine oder of the Comet cleanser by pouring out some aromatic alcohol into glasses.

We took everything out to his shop, including the glasses of alcohol, oiled up the gun and (stealing someone elses tag line on this forum) life was good.

Hope you find your gun.
 
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