Staying busy at home

[Brian H]

With some extra time on my hands due to no business travel I have been able to get some work done in my gun room starting with some .22’s. I made the rack out of some scrap wood, cheap carpet and vinyl coated hooks. Out of pocket cost, $40 and a few hours.

Hope to have another section done this weekend.

Happy social distancing everyone.

[Harold Pickens]

Yeah, so much to do--and so much time to do it! Nice work by the way. Have reloaded all my 12 ga hulls, and finished up every one of my 20 ga today. I've got so many 16 ga loaded + have 10 cases of factory shells. Cut down 100 cheddite 16's hulls to 2 1/2" today--to give away to a friend who is getting into Parkers and just picked up a trojan 16.
Lots of guitar playing, relearning stuff I forgot how to play over the years. Arranged all my music and put it in 5 ,3-ring binders.
Smoked a big batch of pheasant and grouse, will bring some to Hausmann's if that happens this year, but I am doubtful. Best tasting batch ever.
Been hiking a lot, although the deer ticks are already out with a vengeance--put new Seresto collars on the 3 setters today, that's $150!!
Been catching up on a lot of reading, will finish Tom Hugglers, A Fall of Woodcock--ran into him once in the UP woods--down Lake Mary Rd, along the Little Bull Canal.
Already have the oil changed in the lawn tractors.
Other than that, not doing a darn thing!

[Hammer Gun]

Harold, With the mild winter we have had the ticks will be bad!! Gary

[Dean Romig]

Already getting loads of ticks here in northeastern MA. Be very careful of the tiny juveniles! They are sometimes smaller than than head of a pin and are pretty hard to see but are just as dangerous as the adults.
A friend had over 60 of those tiny juveniles on him from a walk in a field of tall grass and weeds.





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[Mills]

Very cool and something I need to do

[Hammer Gun]

I have been walking deer trails looking for sheds like this one, Gary

[Hixie]

Nice gun rack and there's some very nice rifles there! I inherited some shotgun reloading equipment and I've not had a place to setup and use them. With the free time on my hands lately my wife decided that I should get the basement organized for better use of the space.

My plan included a work bench which would double as a reloading bench. With that done, it's on to set up the reloading tools. For shotguns there's a PW 675 which seems to have all that is needed to load 12 & 20 ga shells for both 2 3/4" and 2 1/2" shells. Then there's a MEC 600 Jr which is set up for 7/8 oz loads. The Lee Load All is made up for 20 ga also and seems to be a pretty simple tool to use.

I have my RCBS setup for rifle and pistol cartridges but in addition there is an old Pacific tool, an even older Herter's tool and a Lee Auto Load that is set up for 45 ACP. From what I inherited and my own collection, I have dies for the common rifle calibers between 218 Bee up to 7mm mag. For pistols, I am going to get started loading for my Dan Wesson 357 Super Mag to come up with a good deer load and figure out how to run that Lee Auto loader for 45 ACP.

Reloading will be a fun and productive way to practice self quarantining and social distancing. While I have loaded rifle and pistol cartridges for many years, I have not done much with shotguns, so you may see me seeking advice within the PGCA Reloading Board. I've already spent a lot of time looking through it and have found a wealth of info.

[Big D]

Suggest you mount your reloaders on a shouldered cookie sheet, It will control the shot spillages which invariably occur (at least on my bench)

[Harold Pickens]

John, that is a great idea, but darn it wife just pitched 3 cookie sheets.

[Hixie]

That is a great idea! I'll stop by the local thrift stores to see what's available.