Category: The Gun Thing

Not just the guns, but all the stuff that goes with them

The Forgotten Model 60

Gratuitous Gun Pics, The Gun Thing

Amidst all the hoo-hah of Ruger buying Marlin and re-releasing Marlin lever rifles, it seems as though everyone has forgotten about Marlin’s heritage in rimfire rifles.

See if you can see what caused me an immediate RCOB on this page:

“Currently not in production”????   WTF is going on over there?   When was production halted anyway, and why?

And indeed, a cursory look at my usual thirty or so favorite gun dealers’ sites revealed that the Model 60 is MIA, everywhere.

A Marlin 60 was the very first rifle I purchased, shortly after I arrived in the U.S. as a Drenched Wetback© in the mid-1980s, and in the proper hands it is capable of astounding accuracy — for any rifle, let alone a budget one — as witnessed by Reader Brad’s recent trip to the range:

That’s five rounds at 25 yards, although he did “cheat” by using a peep sight instead of the original buckhorn/V on the Marlin.

Note to the “marketing” department at Ruger:  restart production of this little beauty ASAP, you bastards, or hell will follow.

Tonight’s The Night

Boomershoot

Finally got my laptop’s power cord back (thankee MoK, no thankee USPS), so as soon as I’ve caught up with the 200+ emails in Ye Olde Inboxe, I’ll be be drawing the ULD Rifle lucky ticket sometime tonight.

The lucky winner will be contacted and announcement made tomorrow.

Ammo Deal

The Gun Thing

To all my North Texas Readers who shoot and / or reload .308 Win:

I have 10 boxes of new PMC Bronze 147gr FMJ I want to trade for 5 boxes of premium target ammo — either handloaded by yourself (ergo no commercial reloads) or else new manufacturers’ stuff.

There’s nothing wrong with the PMC — it can and did get ten clangs out of ten shots on the metal poppers and silhouettes, and would work just fine out of your AR-10 or FN-FAL — but for me to do a proper job at Boomershoot, I need premium ammo.  SO:

For the reloaders:  bullet weight is unimportant as long as they’re all the same — preferably 155-168gr, and ditto the primers (same batch).

If you don’t reload, but would like to trade for branded cartridges, then I’d prefer any of the following:

Federal GM308M3 Gold Medal .308 Win 155 gr Sierra MatchKing BTHP
Norma Golden Target .308 Win Match 168 Grain HPBT
Hornady Match .308 Win 168 Gr. HPBT
Other brands, if recommended by yourself, will be considered.

If the batch number matches across all five boxes, so much the better.

Please let me know by email if you’re interested.  Of course, this is for the next ULD rifle…

Journey’s End

Boomershoot, Travels

Arrived in Orofino ID last night, checked into hotel.  Went out to dinner, was reminded that “Orofino” and “fine dining” are antithetical concepts and should never be used in the same paragraph let alone sentence.

Tomorrow’s  weather forecast is British, i.e. miserable, cold, rainy and muddy, but I’ll survive, by huddling in Reader&Friend Mark’s yooge Texas truck sucking down  — fuck me, I forgot to pack both the gin and the Southern Comfort.

I’m getting too old for this foolishness, but maybe a boomer or two will cheer me up.  That’s always worked in the past…

No Real Choice

Marketing / Advertising, The Gun Thing

Last week I got an ad sheet from a gun outlet which, as I read down the page, got up my nose.

Let’s just say, ad arguendo, that a guy had no interest in any gun that shot either the 9mm Europellet or the 5.56mm poodleshooter.  I know, in these modern times it’s not a very fashionable position to take, but nevertheless.

So how would said guy respond to an ad sheet like this one?

All the handguns look the same, distinguished one from another only by a string of incomprehensible alphanumerics, and they’re all striker-fired plastic fantastics.

Pass.

Travel Alert

Boomershoot, The Gun Thing, Travels

Posting over the next ten days or so may be a little light, as Longtime Friend and Reader Mark C. and I will be trekking across the U.S. to attend Boomershoot this coming weekend.  (From Texas, three days up, three days down plus three days shooting.  I must be insane.)

That’s the Son&Heir circa 2005.

And to the attendees:  can’t wait to see y’all again, but please forgive me if I’ve forgotten your names — I’m old, my memory for names was always crap, and it’s been 17 years.