Wed - July 9, 2008

Team Penning



The OregonLive.com photo blog, "Oh, Snap!" picked up one of my photos from last week's Team Penning event at the Flying Dirt Ranch in Turner, Oregon.


Posted at 10:50 AM    

Wed - December 12, 2007

Festus Haggen Quotation Of The Day



"I'll climb your frame like a ladder, and kick out every rung on the way down."

From "Killer On Ice," an episode with John Drew Barrymore as the bounty hunter, and Dennis Hopper as the vengeful brother who is gunning for him.

Posted at 09:55 AM    

Tue - December 11, 2007

Gunsmoke Episode: Treasure Of John Walking Fox



Watched this episode tonight. It featured Leonard Nimoy in the role of John Walking Fox. In less than a year he would begin filming the initial "Star Trek" episodes, and brought precisely the same voice and diction to his new role as Spock.

I have been collecting cowboy quotations, and Festus Haggen is a rich source. In this episode, he gets "riled up" and tells Doc that "I'm so mad, I could smoke a pickle."

I see on the liner notes for the DVD set that William Shatner is a guest on another episode in the set.

Posted at 07:07 PM    

Mon - November 12, 2007

Shooting Match





This is my favorite image from yesterday's shooting match with the Orygun Cowboys. I like how it shows the target getting peppered and starting to fall. 35 mm lens, f5.6, 1/125, ISO = 100.

Posted at 07:48 AM    

Tue - May 15, 2007

Murphy's Law In Action



On Saturday night, I had almost finished my preparation for the shooting match on Sunday. I had loaded 200 rounds for rifle and pistols, and 3 boxes of shotgun shells.

My rifle's action seemed a little sticky, so I pulled the stock off, and removed the finger lever and the bolt. I was spraying the action with Break-Free when the ejector took flight.

The ejector is a little spring thingy that throws the empty cases out of the gun. However, in this setting, it threw itself out of the gun.

It arced through the air, heading straight for the sink. Like a basketball shot which hits nothing but net, the ejector went straight down the drain, without touching the sides of the drain or the cross of metal in the drain's center. It made a little tinkling sound on its way down the pipe.

When Ruth got home from Wichita on Sunday night, she saw the pipe wrench and bucket under the sink. "At first I thought your wedding ring must have gone down the drain," she said.

"No, it was even worse than that."

Posted at 07:33 AM    

Sat - November 11, 2006

Gunsmithing Success



Over the years, I have not held my mechanical abilities in high esteem. To this day, when I fix something, Ruth is pleasantly surprised, and I am relieved. Illustrative stories would make good blog material.

However, I decided that I wanted to be able to work on my cowboy action guns. Towards that end, I read numerous books from the library about gunsmithing. I acquired the proper hand tools, and a few parts from Brownells to install in my Marlin 1894 rifle.

I laid out the dining room table like an operating room. I even invited a surgeon to assist me, just in case my mechanical abilities were (again) found sorely lacking.

Many people lament having an extra part or two left over after reassembling their gun. To prevent this, I got two ice trays, numbered each cavity, and carefully recorded the identity of each small piece as it went into a spot.

I did learn some lessons. The first is to have the gun supported by a vise during disassembly. Gravity and leverage led to some movement as the action was loosened from the stock. Metal versus wood can be bad for the wood.

However, I got the new spring installed, and the interior parts deburred and polished, and the whole thing back together without bunged up screws or leftover parts.

Now to work on the shotgun.

Posted at 11:55 AM    

Wed - October 18, 2006

New Sports



Lizzie and I have each taken up a new sport. They both involve hats, spurs, and boots. Mine uses gunpowder, hers uses horses.

She has taken up Team Penning. This takes place in an arena, with 30 cows versus 3 riders. Each cow wears a number from 0 to 9, so there are 3 cows of each number. The herd is at the far end of the arena. As the riders approach the herd, the announcer will call out the number they are to cut out and herd. They have to drive these cows and these cows only to the opposite end of the arena and through a 180 degree turn into a small pen.

I have taken up Cowboy Action Shooting. This is basically combat shooting with period correct Old West themes, firearm, and dress. Any sport that gives you a reason to buy gunleather, sixshooters, lever action rifles, and double-barreled shotguns has to be a good thing.

Posted at 05:23 PM    

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