by shaman » Sat Sep 26, 2009 8:11 am
I've not been acquiring all that many the past few years, except for the kids.
I'm still on the prowl for #3 son's first adult deer rifle. He's got 5 years for it yet, but I'd like to find him a 30-06 Win 670. I've got one, #2 got one. This is the old K-Mart version of the Winchester Model 70. He's either going to end up with one of those Remington Model 760's in 30-06.
I'd also like to find a worn out Thompson Center sidelock that someone wants to part with on the cheap. If it has a good lock and revivable stock and furniture, I'll throw a Green Mountain Barrel on it and give it to one of the kids. Right now Moose is happy with his Mossberg ML barrel on his 500. Angus can still wait a few years. I'm looking though.
For me? The list is either very short or very long. The few that are on my bucket list are:
In smokepoles:
1) A full-stock flinter of the type carried into the Kentuck by Boone, Kenton, and KYHillChick's kin. I want a nice one. At some point I want to go back to patched round ball for deer
2) A Brown Bess. I just love 'em
3) A .58 Zouave muskatoon-- The epitomy of the front-stuffer military rifle. Pendersoli makes a nice repro.
Centerfire:
For my dotage as a deer hunter, I think I want a Ruger International in something like 6.5X55 Swede, or 7X57 Mauser or some such thing. I dig mannlicher-type full stocks, but I know it's not a good idea for medium .30 cals I like so much now. When I finally find that rifle, I'll burrow in on that cartridge, whatever it is and keep loading for it until I can't pull the handle any more, and then I'll know it's probably time to hang it up for good. I just hope I have a good supply loaded before that happens. I'm still a long way from even starting to look for the rifle, but this is the one I want them to pull out of my cold dead hands when they find me in my tree stand.
A nice pre-64 Win Model 70 in 30-06-- nothing too fancy. I'd like to resurrect an old action with a barrel and nice wood. I'm not a collector. As long as it feels good and shoots well, I'd be happy.
After the kids are done with the Marlin 336 in 30-30, I think I want to have it rechambered for 307 Winchester. Nonneman does a good job on this, so I hear. I also want to acquire a 35 Rem and send it off to him to make a 356 Win out of it. After that, I may be done acquiring lever actions
. . . except for a 45-70-- maybe. I'm still thinking on this. I'd like to explore the 44-45 calibers. I just haven't figure out how I want to do it yet. There's really no reason for it. I just think they're cool. They open up to a bunch of possibilities-- cast bullets, paper patched bullets, black powder centerfire. It just sounds like fun. I still haven't made up my mind on the action either. It may be a bolt gun, or a lever or a single shot.
There. That's the list.
. . . did I mention the Savage 99 in .358 WIN?