Due to trying to get all my gear ready for us leaving tomorrow afternoon for
the HHC in Tennessee, this Gun notes will be a bit brief. This will be either
our 84th or 85th handgun hunt since 1987 and I am looking forward to it as much
as I did hunt #1. The HHC hunt is not as much a hunt as it is a gathering of
friends. Just getting to see old friends that I don’t get to see except once
every year is more than worth the hassle and long 35 hour drive each way. If you
are signed up I will finally get to see some new faces as the names Sandy gave
me weren’t names I am familiar with. We should have between 45 and 50 hunters
there from all over the country. So I am looking forward to this hunt.
I
posted today that next May’s hunt in Africa will probably be my last African
hunt. I have been 14 times with #15 in 8 months. I have some minor health
problems and think it is time to slow down and take it easy for a change. Plus
my friend and PH, John Abraham, will be retiring after next may’s hunt if things
go as he has planned. We started hunting with John back in 1992 and have done 14
safaris with him since those days. I really don’t want to hunt with any other
PH. After hunting with him for 27 years I don’t want to have to break in another
PH. If you are thinking of going to Africa, I have 3 openings left. Feel free to
give me a call at 928-527-4100 for more info.
Not a lot to tell you about
this month. Rock River Arms has a new AR out. I know that is all you need to
hear, but this one is a bit different. It is the LAR 22 and is obviously in 22
caliber.
Kahr Arms, who own Auto ordnance, the folks that make the Tommy gun
and some 1911s along with a couple of other companies has bought the name BFR,
the large single actions. Not really sure if anything else will change.
I have said all along that all these 80% lowers with no serial number will cause
us trouble down the road and it is already starting. New York State has issued a
cease and desist order to all companies that do business in New York that they
will no longer be legal in New York. The 80% law has been abused a lot since it
came out. If you buy a lower with no serial number, you can finish it but you
can’t sell it. Plus you can have one gun. There are young guys putting together
80% guns all day and selling them at gun shows. This will piss off the ATF and
they will come down hard on the rest of us. Usually when one state passes an
order banning or limiting certain guns, it tends to spread to other states. So I
expect this to roll downhill. One of the Misfits on our site is a head man in
the ATF and he keeps me updated on new laws or laws that are being changed.
A couple more of our guns have been copied recently. Mostly the names have
been copied. They are the Hellcat, that we have had out for 4 years, and the
Banshee which has been around for about 2 years.
The Pelican folks came
into the shop yesterday with some new goodies to show us. Their new hard case is
the Vault, which is very reasonable in price, starting at $39.95 and going up to
139.95. These are extremely nice cases and will do well for them. We have 4 of
their Pelican cases, the 1700 and 1750, 2 of each. Colleen has her own for her
Africa hunts and other hunts where she takes several guns.
I received a
note today from the Arizona Game and Fish department reminding me that the
seasons are here and don’t forget to use non-lead ammo. Now that is not a law,
never has been but they are hassling Arizona hunters that check in their deer up
around the Canyon. It isn’t a law but they really give the hunters a ration of
crap for not using the non lead ammo. This is pure BS as they have never found
any dead Condors that died from ingesting lead fragments. It is all political BS
and it is all done under the guise of helping save the California Condors. It
will be a cold day in hell when I use the non lead ammo. Pure BS.
Our
weather continues to be funky at best. Already Montana has had a pretty good
size snow fall. We didn’t even have a monsoon at all, the first time in I think
120 years that the monsoon hasn’t materialized. I don’t know how this is going
to effect our winter but I guess we shall see. Right now things are dry and dead
and the deer and elk are hanging around the tanks and ponds for the water.
As I mentioned above this Gun Notes is considerably more brief than normal.
I apologize but it is 12: 30 AM here and I still haven’t packed my guns and gear
for the trip to Tennessee. So I will cut it off here and remind you to take a
lady or youngster shooting the next time you go. They truly are our future.
God bless,
Gary