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Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967

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Posts posted by Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967

  1. 14 hours ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

    Remember these?

     

    Wear white after dark!  Nobody does that these days.

     

     

    In these parts it's popular for young adults from certain section of the populace to dress in black and ride black bicycles at night with no lights or reflectors.  I cannot even guess at how many times I've had to swerve at the last second to avoid sending one of 'em off to cielo o infierno.    :(

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  2. Best dog I ever had was my liver Brittany, "Woody."  Short for Woodrow Throckmorton Dog, or Woody T., or occasionally something more colorful.  Extremely bright and a terrific field dog - on three legs for most of his life.

     

    I was gifted Woody as a pup by an old frat brother and hunting buddy, Dave D.  Dave owned Woody's mom, a delightful little bitch named... Nookie.  He had a daughter named Nicky - when it came time to name his then-new dog, well, he just didn't think it through.  But that was Dave....

     

    And it was downright amusing to see this big ol' Russian-Sweed in the field calling his dog - other hunting buddies would grin; their wives and girlfriends would initially express astonishment.  :rolleyes:  ^_^

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  3. 47 minutes ago, Blackwater 53393 said:

    I’ve known of a cat or two with that moniker and I recall a friend who had a horse named Satan.

    I've known two cats named Salem... both black, of course.  One was owned by Helen Brimstone's mom; the second by her son, Richie.

     

    Salem No. 1 passed several years ago.  Salem No. 2 was a stray that Richie and his missus adopted - they had him checked out; the vet declared Salem No. 2 to be a young, healthy, and already-neutered male.   No. 2 was  relocated to Richie's grandparent's farm a few weeks later, along with "his" litter of five kittens.  :rolleyes:

     

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  4. On 8/10/2024 at 10:51 AM, Sedalia Dave said:

     

    Seems to have originated in california... or at least thrived here, with lead ammunition being banned statewide, initially to protect condors.  The ban was emplaced incrementally over a period of several years.  

     

    About eleven years ago, I read a local on-line news article about how condor deaths were elevated and that hunters were to blame.  I submitted this response:

     

     

     
    Quote

     

    "As usual, the blame is assigned to hunters.
     
    "However, lead ammunition has been banned in the "Condor areas" for over five years, and for several years prior to that there were other effective policies in place to mitigate levels of hunter-introduced lead.  Accordingly, ammunition-caused toxicity should be decreasing.   
     
    "Unfortunately, it's easy to focus the attention on hunters while ignoring other, more prevalent sources of lead: industrial compounds.
     
    "Industrial lead compounds, which are quite soluble in digestive tracts, are found in paint, gasoline, pesticides, and "micro-trash."

    "These lead compound sources are very common in the environment, and are likely responsible for many of the highly publicized lead poisonings attributed to lead ammunition.
     
    "Oh - and let's not forget the lead mining operations in the state!"

    Regarding the last, there are MANY lead mining sites in California, most in the condor regions and with at least ten in Los Angeles County alone: http://www.us-mining.com/california/lead-mines

     

     
     
    Several minutes later I received this response:  "Your post contains offensive content and will not be posted. You may edit the content and re-post."
     
    So much for "free speech" and open minds.  :(
     
     
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  5. 9 hours ago, J-BAR #18287 said:


    That open faced Mitchell spinning reel you have on your rod was/is one of the finest pieces of equipment I ever owned.  I didn't fish with flies all the time.

     

    9 hours ago, Chickasaw Bill SASS #70001 said:

    given its size on the rod . I figure it to be a GM 300 , it might be a 308 , both very good reels 

     

      got some of each in the Collection (obsession) 

     

    Ya know... that was something like fifty-two  years ago; memory tends to be a mite fuzzled.  But I think the reel was a Garcia Mitchell 320 - picture below.  As I said, it was stolen about 1975 or '76 when some lowly bilgerat broke into my Otto, my '73 Super Beetle, and swiped it - along with a bunch of other cool stuff.  :(

     

    So - what piqued the memory of what it was?  Something actually kinda cool!  

     

    One of my old frat pards, "Stewballs," and I decided we wanted to take up surf fishing.  But we were both starving college students, and not blessed with a pile of expendable cash.  So, we decided to go in partners on a surf rig.  I had admired the Garcia Mitchell 302 - a huge saltwater version of the reel I already had, the 320!  So, I bought the reel, and Bobbo bought some generic but functional rod and we were off and fishing.

     

    Now, I actually lusted after a particular rod - a 12' Fenwick PS 120 surf rod.  Man... I Jonesed for that rod!  A perfect mate to the Garcia Mitchell 302!  Alas... it was not to be.  But we made do, and fun was had!

     

    Life goes on, and Stewballs and I eventually went our separate ways.  And he had - and likely still has - the reel and rod.  I think I last saw it about 1977.  Of course, I have acquired others since then....

     

    So jump ahead thirty-five years - 2012.  I was sitting at home alone one night, sipping on a nice whiskey, and reminiscing about fun times.  Fun times fishing!  And on a whim, I popped onto Ebay and punched in Garcia Mitchell 302 - and there it was~!  Reasonably priced*, so I punched the button and a week later it was here!  I spent a few evenings fondling that reel, and dreaming about the "good old days."  Then I put it away, and put it out of my mind.

     

    Another jump - to 2020.  Sassparilla Kid and I were visiting a buddy, Bobby Stargaard.  Sadly, Bobby is no longer with us, but he was a terrific guy - and loved fishing.  Trout fishing!  Nothing else, though!  So we were hanging out in Bobby's shop, and as we were leaving, he turned to The Kid and said, "Hey, Ry - one of my clients gave me an old fishing rod, and I ain't got no use for it- want it?"

     

    "Why sure, Bobby!" sez the kid, and graciously accepted the somewhat long parcel.

     

    And, when we got home, he casually unwrapped it.  And of course, there it was - an apparently never used, 1974 vintage, Fenwick PS 120 surf rod!

     

    I was stunned!  The kid smiled, and said "Gee, Dad ~ now I just need a reel!"

     

    I grinned, said "wait here," and moseyed off to a closet - then returned a moment later and handed him that Garcia Mitchell 302.  When I told him the story, he was totally jazzed.  As was I!  I never owned my dream surf combo, by by golly, my kid does!  And has enjoyed the heck out of it.  ^_^  

    *There are right now a bunch of GM302 reels on Ebay; relatively inexpensive - hundred bucks or less.  I saw one Fenwick PS120; damaged and repaired - $150)  

     

     

    Garcia Mitchell 320                                                                    Garcia Mitchell 302

    image.png.05d685e135f5a410a52ecea03fb08420.png                              image.png.60803b3ec1122b8b830112e7983c34a3.png

     

     

     

                    attachment.php?s=11475513a974a132cb463e633e0db7da&attachmentid=105709

     

     

     

     

     

      .  

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  6. 3 hours ago, Alpo said:

    Was JC Higgins actually a business? I thought it was just a brand name Sears roebuck put on their guns.

     

     

    Thom McAn shoes

    Buster Brown shoes

     

    I'd read this years ago, but from "Wiki:"

     

    Quote

    The brand name, J. C. Higgins, was based on a real person, John Higgins who was a Sears employee. He moved from his birth country of Ireland to the United States in his late teens and began working for Sears in 1898. He spent his entire working career with Sears and was Vice President for the company for a period of time. He was actually born with no middle name but the Sears Co. presented the idea of labeling their sporting good line with his name and saw it more presentable labeling the brand as J.C. Higgins. He worked with the company until his retirement as head bookkeeper in 1930. Higgins died in 1950.

     

    The "brand" was later replaced by the Ted Williams marque....  :rolleyes:

     

    Ted was a real person, too - a decorated WW II and Korean War fighter pilot (Navy), who also appeared on the Wheaties box and even played a little baseball once in a while.  :)

  7. "Monkey" [Montgomery] Wards  :mellow:

     

    Montgomery Ward carried a line of firearms under the Western Field brand that were made by Savage/Stevens, Mossberg, Marlin, Glenfield, Springfield, High Standard and others, including European built Mausers.  Some were actually pretty darned decent!  :)

     

    1960's vintage Western Field 724A Mauser-Mannlicher .30-06.  Manufactured in West Germany by Heym, and sold by Montgomery Wards:

     

    image.png.366811bbcce8e1c746cca23d14c213e1.png

     

    image.png.62f932f10818423ea3bc9a18b7efeb80.png

     

    image.png.db98b412fe6c6cc9796d838c2873951a.png

     

     

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  8. Got an email advertisement from Sportsman's Warehouse this morning, hawking a "terrific" sale with up to 60% on fishing gear.  So naturally, I checked it out.  And one thing that immediately caught my eye was a "Lamson Guru" fly fishing reel for the bargain price of... $239.99.  Wow.

     

    I took up fly fishing back in the 1960's.  And I was fortunate to have the tutelage of a number of old-timers who sadly are no longer with us (but they'd be WELL over a hunnert - even over a hunnert and twenty - years old if they were).  And obviously, we had a lot of conversations about equipment; the relative benefits of bamboo vs fiberglas rods (graphite rods weren't even science fiction yet), line material, reels, and so forth.  Oh... and of course, fly tying.  

     

    Now, on the subject of reels, there was a generally accepted philosophy:  the reel was nothing more than storage for the line.  The line was considered the most important component of the rig; next, the rod, and lastly the reel.  Those gentlemen would snort derisively at the mention of expensive reels.  Some of them had really nice, handmade rods from Abercrombie & Fitch or Orvis, but with cheap, simple reels hanging from the butts.  "That's all ya need!  Want to put on some drag?  Just lay your pinkie on the spool edge!"  Heck... I don't think I spent ten bucks on my first fly reel - and still have it!  I've added some "nicer" ones to the collection over the years, but now that I'm an old fart myownself, I too snort derisively at the thought of a reel "marked down" to a mere two hundred forty bucks.  Not to mention the ones with a comma on the price tag!

     

     So, that all said, it got me to reminiscing.  And of course, when thinking about fly fishing, Badger Mountain Charlie naturally comes to mind right quickly.  He is missed.  

     

    AND I had saved the link to a thread from seven and a half years ago....  :rolleyes:

     

    2017 BMC Thread

     

    A young Hardpan, over 50 years ago - not fly fishing; using a 1/4 oz silver Kastmaster on six-lb Trilene line on a perfectly adequate but nameless, long-forgotten Long's Drug Store spinning rod and reel (later stolen).  Half-Breed Pete, his brother Mike, and I had snuck into "Fishing Strictly Prohibeted!" Whale Rock Reservoir.  The fishing was good, and we even escaped the rangers in a foot race outta there!  :lol:

     

    Wisely, common sense has long since prevailed, and that reservoir has open to fishing for quite some time.  ^_^

     

    image.jpeg.5af5bf424e06ba7415b1dd40856dc340.jpeg

     

     

     

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  9. So everone knows the RCBS Rock Chucker.  Most of us prob'ly own at least one (I do NOT), and even if we don't, we've likely used one at some time.  Neat li'l machines.

     

    I have multiple single-stage presses around the scatter, but no Rock Chucker.  Never needed one.  Never even thought about buying one - but if some decrepit ol' unit should follow me home some day I'd happily re-hab it and maybe even use it.

     

    That said, during a discussion about 'em this afternoon a question arose:  will they reload the .50 BMG?  I have no experience with that round, and no idea if they will or not.  But when I asked the question of the Googlefier, a number of conflicting opinions pop up.

     

    Well?  Anyone here have the definitive answer?  And otherwise, general opinions of the 'Chucker~?  :)

     

     

                     image.jpeg.048f91822ac4c282d0a1eb23edcae981.jpeg

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  10. On 8/5/2024 at 6:00 AM, Chickasaw Bill SASS #70001 said:

    biggest reason , for wanting a very accurate air pistol 

     

     I can shoot it at the place , without any one saying anything , 

     

     I have also found myself , becoming sloppy on sighting 

     

     groups have opened up to patterns 

     

      CB 

     

    Good thing you don't live in Sacramento....  :rolleyes:

    sa

     

     
    Quote

     

    Sacramento Municipal Code 9.32.070   Discharging air guns in city.
     
       It is unlawful for any person to carry or use any air gun for the purpose of discharging or from which are or may be discharged bullets, shot or missiles of any kind within the city limits, except in licensed shooting galleries. 

     

     
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