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Post by jimtx on Oct 17, 2016 22:11:29 GMT -5
I love Beikirks I knew those guys for years, I got great deals there. The guy in Farmington was useless, he never had anything and your right about him. Auggie's in Spencerport, he was a great guy, shop was a disaster, but his prices were up & down. Neal I can't remember who that was, young or old guy? Tim was cool I bought my OM BH from him I cant believe pro gun closed. Pat used to go to Africa hunting he was cool to deal with. Sorry cant get the italic to turn off for some reason. The guy I couldn't stand at pro Gun was the one who had gto everyone he killed someone while doing security work now that's a "tool"!Was he totally bald? That was Neal. He got Beikirch's for a lot of money but claims to be some sort on minister!!! I don't know the last time you were at Beikirch's. Hans owns it now and the first thinghe did was start selling handguns. Best guys to deal with and they always have what you need. Everyone that works there knows they stuff from experience. Not just what they read or making it up. Even when things got tough to find they seemed to have at least something for powder you could use and made sure their regulars were taken care of. They have a ton of handguns and come across some nice stuff. Next time your in NY make sure to go to Turnbulls. Awesome showroom with some unbelieve leverguns,SXS etc. My all time favorite gun shop was Andy Foster's in Waterloo. Always had nice stuff and easy to make a deal with. I bet I bought 100 guns from him over the years. Sorry to see him pass away. The guy I remember wasn't bald at the time but close short heavy set and a big mouth no it all, but he knew nothing I just laugh. I used to drive by Doug's when I went hunting in the southern tier. Never stopped in, parking lot was aways empty, Beirkirks had awesome deals I got my springfield omega in box 3 mags $800 there and my cont NF 22/22mag cch/blue for are ya ready $399. I ran out with it. I've been gone for a litte over 2yrs now. Only miss the hardwoods and the adirondecks.
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Joe S.
.401 Bobcat
Posts: 2,517
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Post by Joe S. on Oct 17, 2016 22:18:11 GMT -5
I was spoiled as a child and didnt even know it. My dad was a small time cattleman and farmer and was leasing about 250 acres total. I grew up on that land being able to walk where I wanted to without worry of encountering another human for (what seemed to be) miles. Coyotes and coyote/ dog half breeds were pretty common around then, so dad made sure I had something that I could tote just in case. Of the packin iron I could choose from, there was a Remington 1100 12 ga, a Savage 24 in 22 mag/ 20 ga, as well as an old single shot 22 rifle and on rare occasions, a really nice Weatherby 22 semi auto. Each one saw use, and a lot of it. As I got older, I'd say around 12, Dad felt I was safe enough with guns that he started letting me tote his revolvers some. He had a Smith model 66, and a K-22. I liked them both, but that Smith 66 always was the coolest to me. It was Dad's go to when he would ride the three wheeler out to check the fences, and 9 times out of 10, he would bring at least one deer back. We were poor and meat was expensive, so Dad stocked the freezer each year with deer with his old Winchester model 70 and that old Smith. I remember one year he killed so many deer that all we ate was deer meat. I remember begging him when he left on the three wheeler (with the Smith riding in a shoulder holster under his jacket) to not bring another deer back because I just couldnt eat it any more. (I know. Silly me!) He was a crack shot with that pistol. One time a pack of coy-dogs moved in and started terrorizing the cattle, so Dad took it upon himself to thin em out. I dont know how many he shot, but I do remember watching him shoot a couple in a full run and rolling them with that old 66. They had happened upon the wrong farm! Luckily that was the last time we had issues with the coy-dogs. Still and occasional coyote or wild dog but them coys are mean! When I would go out walking myself, he didnt mind if I carried that Smith. I didnt have any fomal training, but shooting that gun accurately just kind of came natural to me. It just seemed to shoot where you were looking. I cannot explain it. I packed that revolver many a mile in an old Bianchi holster and any time it came out, either for a pine cone or coke can, there was gonna be trouble. I never took a deer or other animal with it. Anytime it was deer season, i usually had a rifle and that was all. Besides, I was such a wiggle tail, I gave my location away to any deer that was half way paying attention. I put guns down for a few years in high school to chase girls and didnt pick them up until my first marriage failed in 2006. The ex didnt like guns, so out of respect for her, I didnt keep any around. But I made it my goal the next one would either be ok with guns, or move on. I got lucky with wife #2 in that she was gun friendly so I "let" her stay. So around 2007 I started back in the hobby. I thought I wanted "tacti cool" so I got the lastest wiz bang plastic gun on the market. Then a second. But I never took to them because, well, they werent revolvers. So I shifted my focus and discovered single actions. I am a die hard sixgunner now and will pick up a single action 9 out of 10 times to go shoot.I just like em. Elegant lines and beautiful colors are hard to beat. But I still enjoy the double actions, especially that old Smith of Dad's. Nearly 30 years have passed since those days of wandering around the farm, and Dad still has most of those guns, including that old Smith. We were talking about it tonight, and how it has been with him so long and how it is just a natural shooter for both of us. Now i keep him in ammo so that he can shoot it as much as he needs to to stay in practice. Dad is in his 70's now and shooting accurately is a little more of a chore for him with his shakes and eye sight, but at 25 yards, he can still wreak havoc on a steel gong. He just leaves the hunting to me...
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Post by stevewhr on Oct 17, 2016 23:27:05 GMT -5
Geez what a fun thread! My first exposure was watching my Grandad with what was probably a Colt Buntline .22 shooting bullfrogs. That was pretty cool when your about 8 years old. Then fast forward to about 10 years old and Mom bought my Dad a new whiz bang gun, a Ruger semi auto. He and I had more fun with that gun. We didn't know you couldn't shoot jackrabbits past 50 yards. As such he'd kill jacks out around 100 yards and occasionally much further. When I was all of about 14 Mom found another used Ruger semi auto. That gun went everywhere with me, feral cats, jackrabbits, cottontails, squirrels and even a pheasant or so. Nothing was safe. Eventually I moved on to bigger and better which was usually double actions. At the time double guns were the whiz bang equal of what is now plastic. Still I had a fondness for the single action. Remember those ads for a new Ruger Blackhawk with an advertised price of $87.95 or some such? Finally in the very early 90's when I was outfitting, a .44 Super Blackhawk followed me home. I still recall a conversation with my cook over why a .45 with a bigger case than a .44 wasn't more capable than a .44? Wasn't much after that and I became an avid .45 Colt fan. Several .45's later and I'm still a .45 fan. Today though I don't hot rod them like I did. More importantly, I'm still a Blackhawk fan. Dad still has his semi auto and I still have mine but the single action Ruger is what I reach for when I want to get something done.
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callshot
.327 Meteor
Living another day in the worlds largest playground
Posts: 780
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Post by callshot on Oct 19, 2016 2:16:50 GMT -5
I've been around guns my whole life, but only got my first handgun in 1974 or 75. It was a Ruger 357 Blackhawk from western auto for $93.00. I didn't shoot it hardly at all. In about 2000 or so Sixshot and I got acquainted and he has taught me mostly all I know about casting, hunting and shooting and baking cinnamon rolls. He said right up front. "If you are going to shoot, you need to know how to eat". I got good enough at it that I'm now over weight. I have enjoyed that experience and met many good friends throughout the nation. I'm now trying to teach my wife how to shoot handguns. Thanks for the memories! Steve. Aka Callshot. Sometimes called Can'tshoot.
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Aggie01
.375 Atomic
max
Posts: 1,772
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Post by Aggie01 on Oct 19, 2016 12:13:01 GMT -5
I had a deer rifle, a shotgun and a .22 rifle from about age 13 on. (I shot them from about 10 on, but after 13 they were "mine". Dad has had the same dual cylinder New Model Single Six my whole life, and I shot it whenever I could. Sometime around the early to mid 00's I traded into a Ruger Vaquero .44 Mag. I could not get it to shoot with any loads I tried (I wasn't rolling my own then - real root cause - bisley grip frames and better sights suit me WAY better). I turned to the internet to see if anyone else was having my problems, and found a whole world I never knew existed in the writings of John Linebaugh, our own Lee Martin , and many more. I tested the waters with some BFR's in 454 and .475, and I was hooked. Now my safe has more than 2 dozen custom revolvers, from mild to wild, and I reload for over 30 rifle and pistol calibers. I feel blessed to have been able to indulge my hobby as much as I have. So far, I have only taken a turkey, a bobcat and an emu with handguns, but I hope to do more.
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Post by magnumwheelman on Oct 19, 2016 15:49:46 GMT -5
Ok... I just read Tanks latest story... I guess I don't fall into any of the classes ( or all of them, depending on how I'm dressed ) well... all but the mall ninja look... I'm the oldest of 4... my dad's dad died when he was 3... he was raised by his mom, as a city boy... she was a nurse, & hated guns... as I was the oldest... I guess it was my responsibility to "break in" my parents... & before I got to driving, I took it on myself to beg & plead for a shotgun, several years after we moved out to the country, & "all the boys" my age were hunting squirrels & such... I was relentless, & after about 9 months, my dad finally relented, buying me a well worn ( reads worn out... so worn in fact, that if you pulled the trigger, with the safety on, the gun fired ) single shot .410... I promptly refinished the stock, & just didn't pull the trigger until I was ready to fire my dad was finally convinced that us boys were not all going to kill each other ( hmmm... grandma was wrong ) the next Christmas, my 1 year younger brother got a bolt action, magazine fed 12 ga, & my 3 year younger brother got a magazine fed bolt action 20 ga... me... I guess was learning marksmanship, trying to down Pheasants, with a single shot .410... any of you veterans trying that today... well for a young teenager, it was quite frustrating anyway, I moved on to the early grades of high school, & I worked for a farmer picking rocks, in trade for a vintage Marlin 30-30... unfortunately I was still young & dumb, & traded it for a 19 channel CB, back when those were hot, & I was just starting to drive... ... so then I entered the work force, got married too young, & had no time for anything... got divorced ( 1st wife wanted kids, & it just didn't happen, even though we "practiced" a lot ), as a bachelor, I got into 4 X 4 trucks... & a couple years later, ended up meeting my current wife... her dad collected cars, coins, & guns... I bought my 1st handgun ( a 4" stainless GP-100 in 357 Magnum ) & my 1st ( actually 2nd... but this one I was keeping ) a stainless Ruger 77 in .243... I started out thinking, I'd buy the most versatile handgun & rifle I could buy, & my FIL would loan me anything I might be pushing the limit with, with my meager 3 gun collection... next FIL showed me how, & got me reloading, & I bought a couple more handguns & rifles... FIL also tried to teach me to shoot... b ( I was not very good yet, as I had very little actual experience ) I think at this point, he started grooming me to take over his collection... MIL had died a year before, & now he was showing me where all his guns & loading stuff was, & how to use it... FIL died suddenly only 2 years after wife's mother died... the day he died, there were 16 guns in the kitchen & living room, not put away in his lockers, plus he had stashed stuff about the suspended ceilings & in hiding places all over the house... of course I was the one to find his will... it was in his powder storage area... we had a pretty good fight over the farm ( which MRS had always wanted, but after the appraisals her sister got the coin collection, we got the gun collection, the cars all sold at the auction, & we bought out her sisters half of the farm... ...so there are only a few things I regret from when I took over FIL's collection ( I should have kept that vintage Browning High Power, & probably that Luger... but he had so many CZ 9mm's & the family being Czech... I did my best to keep the Czech guns in the collection ) but the bug sure bit me hard, as now about 1 in 8 guns in our collection were his, or the result of his original collection... I started out putting scopes on everything, as with no skills it sure helped hit things... after I got a couple years shooting experience, most of the rifles kept their scopes, but the revolvers & semi autos for the most part, were freed of the bulky tubes... a couple years later the mil-surp rifles were returned to original condition... there are currently 3 semi autos wearing old Pro-point dot scopes & I recently put a new reflex sight on one of the revolvers but for the most part... I've learned how to shoot handguns with their factory sights... as far as shooting, I've come a long ways... a buddy & I who both started shooting later in life, both shoot a local sportsman's challenge, & we now consistently shoot in the top 10% of contestants funny, as now I'm getting older, & starting to think about putting some scopes back on some of the guns, because of old man eyes
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paulg
.375 Atomic
Posts: 2,420
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Post by paulg on Oct 19, 2016 17:20:21 GMT -5
Aggie said, "So far, I have only taken a turkey, a bobcat and an emu with handguns, but I hope to do more."
Emu's? There's got to be more to that story that has got to be told!
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paulg
.375 Atomic
Posts: 2,420
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Post by paulg on Oct 19, 2016 17:23:24 GMT -5
Thank you to all for contributing your story. I've enjoyed reading each one. Some of us may have our differences politically, or spiritually but we all have these great memories in common and it's a very rare group of relative strangers that can have commonalities like these that touch our souls and hearts.
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Post by bulasteve on Oct 20, 2016 8:03:51 GMT -5
Yup, I want to hear the Emu story ! Was it self defense ? Recipres ? Aw'co'mon ! If there isn't a good story, please make one up, we don't care. Lets see..something Capstick-ess. Death near the slurry pond. So there I was, in the deepest darkest barnyard..it charged ! News at 11..
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