Thoughts From the Kansas Prairie
My favorite weekend of the year is coming up! Dove opener on Labor Day weekend is the kick off to the hunting season for me. I’m so ready this year to hit the fields. Heading out west to Meade, Kansas to do some dove hunting with my buddy Keith and youngest daughter Maria. I’m also going to do a bit of scouting for the muzzleloading deer season later in September. Can’t wait!
Anyone else heading out this weekend? Where you all going?
As you may not from previous posts, I love vintage knives, of all kinds. My father picked up a Schrade Old Timer 150T “Deerslayer” the other day at an auction. It’s definitely seen some use, and misuse as well. The sheath is pretty rough and looks like something has been chewing on it. The knife itself is in decent shape, but the blade does have some discoloring. But it has a great edge to it.
I thought it was a rather strange shape for the blade as the top 3/4 inch of the blade has an edge much like current tactical or fighting knives do. Doing some research, that isn’t how these knives were made. So that has been added. Most likely, the tip was broken and that was the fix decided upon.
I’m wondering how this might make for a hunting/skinning knife? That tip mod might come in handy when field dressing a deer. It might. Or it just might get in the way. Guess we’ll have to wait and see. The knife has a good feel and a nice heft. It’s certainly sturdy enough to handle dressing a deer. I like the finger guard on the bottom and the thumb placement indention on the top of blade. The only concern there is the thumb indention is serrated, so that could be bothersome with long use.
I would love to know the story behind this knife, who used it and what for. That’s the real interesting part of collecting old knives and guns, the history behind it and the owner.
It’s been awhile since I’ve posted on the rifle build progress. It’s slower going that I had anticipated, but life has a way of doing that. Basically, at this point, a lot of the metal work is done and we’ve glass bedded the stock. Next up is the fun part, at least it sounds fun to me. This week we’ll start shaping the stock into its final shape. There’s quite a bit of shaping we’re planning on doing and it should look great when we’re done. Below is a photo of the stock after the bedding process. The white material is some plastic clay used for keeping the bedding material out of places we didn’t want it.
Just got back from a much needed vacation in New Mexico and managed to go fly fishing for the first time while there. Thanks to the good wife, she booked me a quick 2 hour trip with Robert Fellows up in Red River, where we were staying.
I can’t say enough about how much fun it was! Robert is a great guide and I managed to even hook a couple of brown trout in the process. In the short 2 hours, Robert is a great instructor and was a hoot to hang out with on the Red River with. If you’re in the Red River area, look him up.
I’m hooked as well, pun intended. I’m now on the lookout for some fly fishing gear. It’s just such a fun way to fish. The Red River valley in New Mexico is truly a beautiful place. I’m really looking to getting back there soon. I’m totally in love with the place.
Many thanks for a great time Bobby! I hope to be back again next year.
I’ve been a lifelong Marlin fan since I was a boy due to my father’s Marlin Golden 39A. If I had the resources, I’d have one in every caliber available. However, I don’t have the resources, much to the pleasure of my wife.
Today, I came one step closer. I managed to snag a deal on a 39A this morning to add to the other Marlins I do have. It’s a sweet little gun and everyone needs a 22 lever action right?
I picked it up from a sale that Gander was having. Evidently the guns at this sale were from a store that was flooded back east. Not sure why our store had this sale, none the less, I fought off the 600 and some odd other buyers and managed to snag this one.
Gander said they inspected and cleaned all the firearms before the sale. Not being that much of the trusting type, I broke her down and did my own cleaning and inspection. I didn’t find any issues, but it did appear that the rifle had been shot. I probably need to pull the furniture off and see how that looks underneath.
I hope to get it to the range soon and see how it shoots. While this is a good looking rifle, I can see some differences from my dad’s 39A For one, the fit and finish is a bit looser than my dad’s. And his has some detail that this one doesn’t. Mine doesn’t have half-c0ck either. His doesn’t have the cross-bar safety like mine. I also thought it weird that Marlin would put a rubber stock end on it. I mean, its only a .22, not much worry about recoil.
But, don’t get me wrong, I’m not disappointed. It will look great next to my 30-30!
Keep your powder dry.
Since getting into black powder a few years back, I’ve often looked with envy on many of the custom built rifles and muskets of the other shooters and the club. “Some day,” I’d say, “When I have the money.”
I also thought it would be cool to actually build my own, but that seemed even more remote than buying a custom rifle. Well, eventually I was able to acquire a Lyman Plains Rifle that hadn’t really been started and I got it for a REALLY good price.
Yeah, I’m crazy. But it’s something I’ve wanted to do for a few years. Luckily, I know a master gun builder. He’s built dozens of rifles, muskets and pistols over nearly 50 years. It’s also who I bought the kit from. Keith’s father has built some beautiful long guns over the years, so how could I refuse his offer of assistance on the build?
The beginnings of the build have been him showing me the various parts, the things we should change from the kit as well as the things we have to fix from the kit. We discussed some styles and finishes and came up with a plan. I think it’s going to be a great Hawken styled rifle when we (erm, Wes) get done with with it. I’m not sure exactly how long it will take, my goal is to have it completed and sighted in before September’s muzzleloading deer season. I’m going to chronicle the build here, if anything to keep a record of the progress but also to showcase Wes’ talent.
So to start, I thank Wes for taking me along on this journey and for sharing a bit of his knowledge with me.
Keep your powder dry.