Not much hunting going on this time of year. A little bird hunting, some winter coyotes, but all things considered, pretty slow on the hunting front. Time to moan and groan and reminisce? NO WAY!
Time to get busy!
A heckuva good time, the last few days. Started last week, when the last few parts for my first ever AR project came in. HOT DOG! Adam, over at GunRunner Arms in Junction City, Oregon, helped me get it all together. If you’re ever going through Junction City, stop in and see them. Adam and his wife are great people, and you can’t go wrong stopping by and shooting the breeze with them. I literally can’t drive by without stopping!
Taking it back a few days, I’ve had a couple of busy weekends with consecutive gun shows in Albany and Eugene, Oregon. Really good shows, and if you haven’t been to a gun show in a while, you should really treat yourself and look up a local gun show. You’ll enjoy yourself, and the vendors could really use your business.
I love to swap, and I love to introduce people to ScopeShield. I put the two together whenever possible, and at gun shows, the possibilities are endless! If I can swap ScopeShields for something I need or want, I’ll do it! If I have to pay cash, I will. But there’s nothing better than a good swap! At the last couple gun shows, I needed a few miscellaneous parts for the AR: A 5-round magazine, to make it legal for deer hunting, a medium power variable scope, a higher power scope for longer range plinking, a good case, more optics, sling set-up; the list goes on and on. If I had it my way, it would never stop. If you’ve got any swapping you’d like to do, or any recommendations for future alterations or builds, email me. I’d love to hear what you’ve got!
The gun show a couple weeks ago in Albany was put on by the East Albany Lions Club. The Lions Club runs a first-class gun show. Another organization that does a couple of gun shows a year at the Linn County Fairgrounds is the Albany Rifle and Pistol Club. They also do a great job of putting on a gun show, and while I’ve been aware of their existence, I hadn’t been out to their shooting range. A pity, as it’s only a 20-minute drive from where I’m currently living. Having just put together this new AR, along with a new scope, and having several other new-to-me firearms to check out, I needed a place nearby to shoot, and I’d promised an old friend of mine that we’d get together this week and do some shooting, as he also had several new-to-him firearms he needed to check out.
The week turned out to be a rainy one, so our first thought of heading for the hills to shoot didn’t look too inviting. I got online right away and discovered that the Albany Rifle and Pistol Club was having a New Member Orientation meeting that evening at the gun club. A quick phone call confirmed that, yes, I could attend the meeting, and that, yes, if I joined I could indeed be shooting the next day. That settled it! Print out the map, grab the checkbook, Keenan hops in the car with me, and we’re off to the Orientation meeting!
Man, they’ve got a first-class setup out there. Check out their website, and you’ll see what I mean. The class was well run, and you could tell, right from the get-go, that everything was top-notch. Smooth running, just like the gun shows that they put on. If you live anywhere in Oregon, you really need to treat yourself and take the time to thoroughly check it out. Give yourself some time to shoot. My son-in-law Keenan, my good friend Rick, and I spent about 4 hours the very next day in one of the short range shooting bays. Covered, three-sided pole barn like structure, with concrete floor, shooting benches, target stands – the whole she-bang! All to ourselves; like our own private shooting range.
We shot hundreds of rounds to our hearts content. Sighted in my new AR, using the Walk It In technique. Didn’t even have it bore sighted, I was in such a hurry. Still – worked perfectly the first time, once I moved the target close enough to get it on the paper. The AR functioned flawlessly. Adam over at GunRunner Arms did a nice job helping me get it together. I’m one happy and satisfied customer!
The other day, I took my new, but no longer virgin AR back over to Adam at GunRunner. He had offered to give me a little instruction on taking apart and cleaning my AR. Since this was my first one, I didn’t hesitate to take him up on his offer. I always like to learn something new, particularly if it has anything to do with hunting or firearms. As it turned out, Adam is an old Army Ranger, and it was readily evident that he hadn’t forgotten what he’d learned in the service of our country.
Within about a minute, he had my new AR stripped down for cleaning, then put right back together. He proceeded to strip it down again, this time slower, taking the time to show a novice, me, what he was doing, how he was doing it, and why he was doing it. Also, what we didn’t have to do, what tools to get and use, and just showing the great patience that is the hallmark of a good teacher. Next, he had me take apart my AR, and then put it back together. I’m certainly no expert now, but I know more today than I did before, and I feel competent to at least get my AR apart, so I can keep it clean and functioning well.
Now, for the next project. I’ve always enjoyed reloading my own ammunition. Never had an AR before, though. I can see that I’m going to be going through a fair amount of ammo, so I’d better get a new set of dies in .223. I already have some bullets and cases. I need primer, but I’m pretty well set up otherwise. But that’s another blog, for another day.
Until next time, keep your lenses dry, and your view clear. May the good Lord Bless you richly in all that you do. Good Hunting!
