Staying busy at home
 

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.

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!

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

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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Very cool and something I need to do

Staying busy
 

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

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.

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

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

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

Love the wood in the room !

Looks like we all have time to spruce up the toy rooms

don't you know alcohol and gunpowder don't mix

either get shooting or get drinking

Shooting and drinking . . . in that order

Great room, what kind of wood is it, white pine? Gary

Nice Jeff. I am with you on the Stagg Jr, one of my all time favorites. A little hot for some folks coming in usually in the mid 130's proof but if you have the palate for it there is a wonderful hint of cherry/chocolate. Can never go wrong with Mr. VanWinkle, the Whistle Pig or the Macallan. Now that Lagavulin, that's a whole nother story. Lord that stuff's awful, whew. Always thought I could finish any cigar or whiskey no matter how strong. Lagavulin proved me wrong ! Probably make a good bore cleaner :)

I rimmed my 3’ x 5’ reloading table with a molding with an open corner so I can sweep all shot spillage off the open corner into a container.

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IMO, for the money and if you can find it, Stagg Jr. Is excellent.
The "regular " George T Stagg is by far the best bourbon I have ever had.

Next to the Lagavulin of course......:rotf::rotf::rotf::rotf:

That is top shelf liquor I hope on that shelf.

What I did on my Corona vacation...
 

Our commercial kitchen which provided meals for private schools here in L.A.
was unceremoniously closed on the 13th of March when the order came down.
What to do, what to do?

https://i.imgur.com/qq8xzzn.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/AmlZMn1.jpg


After a couple of visits to the grocery store it became apparent.

Due to the closure of almost every restaurant in Los Angeles, wholesale supplies are in abundance.
We repurposed our 2500 square foot kitchen and have focused on Sou Vide (under vacuum) meals.
15 minutes in a pot of boiling water and you've got a hot delicious meal.
Here are a few, Who's hungry?

https://i.imgur.com/3j0qUtA.jpg
Roast Turkey with stuffing and vegetables

https://i.imgur.com/1iOfmf2.jpg
Salmon with vegetables and rice pilaf

https://i.imgur.com/krH0Rvx.jpg
Chicken breast with vegetables and roasted potatoes

https://i.imgur.com/xJJwQEU.jpg
Yankee pot roast with vegetables and roasted potatoes


Oh ya, in my spare time I smoked a brisket

https://i.imgur.com/kUOdFvz.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/lCnRX5H.jpg

Can you deliver to Alaska??

My shotgun shells have been loaded for a while now. I'm getting a big head start on the rifles. So far Ive narrowed things down on the 6.5X55, 38-55 and the 375 H&H with three different bullet weights. Next is the 250-3000 then a 450-400 NE. All rifles are single shots except the 6.5x55.

I did clean the gun room but with all the rifle loading you can't tell:shock:

School lunch? Doesn't look like anything that Michele endorsed

Another 6 ft done, was a very productive weekend.

SWEEEEEEEEEET !!!

Life goals . . .

Totally awesome!

wow wow wow.....charlie

Off topic but this has been keeping me busy.They have been packed away for a couple years :)

Brian - The gun display looks great and you have a fantastic gun collection. Tom

To rival the collections of CAH





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Love the color on the wood finish.

What did you use for the shelf tops on the cabinets ?

Brian,
nice gun room and great collection to fill it! Should have made the shelves two deep!!!:)

The cabinets were built from 3/4” plywood left over from the house. I wrapped them with thin carpet so I wouldn’t have to finish everything. The wall divider is left over Oak from the house and the walls were done in car siding tong and groove.

Hope to get started on the Parker wall this week. I am lucky enough to have another 35’ of wall to work with.

How 'bout plymouth, mass?

Cooped up here in Ohio...
 

Nothing as grand as the gun room post...I have worked with a painter and we are repairing and painting my home interior. (A HONEY-DO LIST!) I'll be in good shape this October with all the HD-s done! (-: I plan to hunt he U.P. for a week in October then from there to P.A. Potter county for a week and not long after that its off to Kansas for a week of wild pheasants and quail. Just got the call from my stocker that my DHE-16 is shipping on Monday after final repairs, he redid the skeleton but plate and made new screws, lightened the but end of the gun...drilled out the stock, installed plugs and re-checkered. All the other work was done last year by Larry Delgrego so the gun is fully serviced and ready for the next 100 years of bird gunning.

Well bourbon drinkers shouldn't try to drink a scotch man's scotch.:nono:

Awesome guns
 

I want to be Brian Hornacek when I grow up.:bowdown:

Not me that would mean I'd have to grow up first:nono::rotf::rotf:

Browning trombones and atds are hard to beat. Only pre 64 Winchester 22s can give them a run for their money. Beautiful guns.

Words of wisdom that I shall abide by when it comes to that awful stuff. If you really like it I'll bring it to the next gathering and you can have what's left which is most of it.

In my post college years I did enjoy a good bourbon until one of my good friends introduced me to single malt scotch. No more bourbon after that.