Update on the kids

[shaman]

You may remember my previous post about Angus, my #3 son. He's going on nine, and started in with the mouth calls a week or so ago. The good news with him is he seems to be back on track somewhat. I set him down on Sunday with one of the Drury's DVD's and he was calling along with everything he heard.

#2 Son's birthday presents arrived. Both #2 and #3 have an all-Ebay birthday coming up. #2, we call him Moose, turns 15 in May. He's getting a 28" vent-ribbed barrel for a Mossy 500 I have stashed at the folk's. I also snagged him a 50 cal ML barrel at the same time. There was a True-Glo combination turkey choke and rifle sight package I found to go with the turkey barrel. I think the kid is set.

This is a rite of passage for me. I just plunked money down on my youngest son's first shotgun. Angus had been wanting a 12 GA pump for Christmas. Why? Because Moose was asking for one. So I decided to see if Angus was up to it. I took him out with an H&R Topper 12 GA and let him try with a squirrel load. No sir, did not like that. He still wants to hunt turkey this year, so I hit Gunbroker and snagged a vintage Mossy 20 GA bolt gun. He should be able to get a decent pattern at 20 yards with it. I had a 16 GA Win Model 12 in the safe that was Gramp's, but that thing is just too precious to drag through the turkey woods. The way Angus is growing, he'll be in a 12 GA in a year or two.

[Frsdturkeyhunter44]

I still remember the first gun I ever got from my father. It was a Marlin 30-30 carbine. I will never trade/sell that gun for anything in the world. I think both of your boys will have very happy birthdays. good luck

[proturkeyhntr]

Thats good stuff shaman....

scott

[shaman]

I surprised Moose with his first rifle, a Henry .22 lever, several years ago. I picked him up from his Mom's on Saturday afternoon, and took a stray turn on the way back. As we headed down a strange street I asked him what he wanted for his birthday. He didn't really have an answer.

"Oh well, " I said. "Remind me on the way home to stop by the hardware store or something and pick you up a present."

The stray turn took us past Costello's Gun Shop in North College Hill. Like it was an afterthought, I pulled in and told him to get out.

"Here," I said. "Let's go in. Maybe we'll find something here."

I walked in with the kids and went straight up to the counter.

"Give me a box of 22 ammo." I said. The guy behind the counter knew me. He gave me a box.

"Thanks. " I said. I gave the box to Mooseboy and said, "Happy Birthday." The kid looked stunned. We were almost out of the store, when I said. "Hey wait! I guess we need something to go with that. You have anything for this kid?" The guy behind the counter had a box with his name on it. I flipped him my knife, so he could get through the packing tape. There was his first 22 rifle.

That box of 22 ammo sits un-shot to this day down on my bench. I guess he didn't like the present or something. However the rifle has had several bricks run through it. I guess I'll just wait until he's an father or something and wrap that box of ammo up and give it to him again.

[shaman]

Shhhhhh! Angus is in the other room watching a turkey DVD. Look at what I was working on this morning while everyone was still asleep:

http://www.blackholecoffeehouse.com/angustkygun.JPG

Moose and I went out to the gunshop yesterday and picked it up-- it came from a pawnshop in Fresno, and I snagged it off Gunbroker. I went down to the bench this morning and started off by giving it a good cleaning with Ed's Red, and worked some Flitz through the action to make the bolt work a little smoother. After that, I cleaned out the abrasive and gave everything that needed it a dab of Lubriplate. Then I installed studs for the swivels and Voila! She cycles smooth as silk now.

It's a New Haven 485B in 20 Ga, Full Choke. It was OEM'd by Mossberg back in the Eisenhower Administration. From the inside, you'd think it had never been shot, but there's a lot of honest carry marks. My guess is that Angus' eyes are going to pop out when he sees it.

[proturkeyhntr]

Tell us how he likes it...

scott

[shaman]

Well, Angus' shotgun caused me some grief yesterday. When I bid on the gun, the entry on Gunbroker said it was missing a magazine. No problem. I consulted Numrich's site, and ordered one. It showed up as an in-stock item. I ordered one. I got a shipping confirmation in a day or two. That was 1/18.


KYHillChick and I tore the cave apart over the weekend looking for the magazine. We figured it must have shown up, and we'd stuck it somewhere. No luck. My account on Numrich's site showed "Shipped in Full" for an order status. So I called Numrich. The customer service person pulled up my order and told me that they were out of stock.

"But you sent me a shipping confirmation."

"No. Actually that was an invoice telling you the part is out of stock and we do not know when it will be in."

"But I never got an invoice."

"It may not actually mail for another few weeks."

"But I ordered the shotgun, relying on your website's information that you had the part in stock."

"We don't have the part. We can't say when we will have the part. . ."

"I need to talk to a supervisor."

"I think you should."

The supervisor came on and repeated Numrich's position. I repeated mine: I'd purchased a part from them in good faith. They had sent me a shipping confirmation. The website showed the part had shipped, etc.

"We don't have the part. We can't just go in the back room and make your part. You'll have to start dealing with reality, sir."

"The reality of it is . . ( repeated my position)"

Finally, I must have gotten through. Don't ask me what act of shamanic telepathy finally pushed her button. I'm famous for being able to peel paint in a cubicle via long distance. I've got the phone manner of a punt gun when it's needed. At last she realized that she had a professional hard case on her hands with a legitimate beef. I was going to pursue this to end of civilization, and I was going to peel paint in every cubicle of their company I could find until I had satisfaction. She relented.

To make a long story short, she called me back later and said a magazine with a bit of surface rust had been located in another warehouse, and if I would accept it, she'd knock off 50% and send it to me UPS. I thanked her for her efforts.

I'm leaving out a lot of the subtle details but it comes down to this:

1) I purchased an item advertised by a company with a long-standing reputation.
2) They accepted my order and confirmed shipment without actually having the part.
3) They did not offer me a refund, and I had to fight bitterly for just an explanation.
4) They told me I had unreasonable expectations when I complained.


Cheese and Rice!!!

[proturkeyhntr]

unbelievable!!!!!!!!!!


scott

[shaman]

Well, the shotgun has been made whole.

Last week, the part arrived from Numrich. It was a 16 GA magazine, and I'd ordered a 20GA. ARRRRGH!

I Googled "mossberg shotgun magazine" and found Havlin Sales (http://www.havlinsales.com/). " . . . your one-stop shopping site for Mossberg® parts." Vic fixed me up with no problem.

Last night, the magazine arrived. I removed the cosmoline and popped it in-- just like brand new.

Angus heard me celebrating. "What's up, Dad?"

"Oh, nothing," I said. "I just got a part in the mail, and it fit."

"What part's that?"

"Oh, just a part for a shotgun." I replied.

"Which shotgun?"

"I'll show you later." I said. I stashed the gun up on the highest shelf above the reloading bench and went upstairs.

[PHammond91]

Ask him if he wants to go shoot the 22. Maybe He's still scared from the 12 ga.

[shaman]

Oh, he's shot a bunch of stuff already. Anything from 22 on up-- anything that's out he's free to try with proper supervision. So far, Angus can take up to about a 300 Savage in a rifle, and a 20 Ga in a shotgun. A full-lockup 12 GA in a light gun are just a combination he hasn't warmed up to.

He's also at that age where he's close to being able to handle a full-sized stock, but not quite. I've lopped off about an inch off a Mosin Nagant M44 for him to use as a deer rifle. When I use light loads (about 30-30 ish) he loves it.

[shaman]

It was a slow afternoon. Everyone was groggy from the time change. Angus was grousing that he was bored. It suddenly hit me that KY Yute season was in a couple of weeks. Time to break out the early birthday present.

Angus and I went down to the reloading bench and I reached up onto a high shelf and brought it down. His birthday isn't until April 17, but he'll be going out in a fortnight. We sat in the living room and practiced the proper sitting stance and safe operation.

Next weekend, we'll take it out and get it patterned.


Happy 9th son!

[shaman]

I talked to Angus this morning. You have to understand that this kid lives and breathes bagpipes-- been that way since he was 3. He just got his pipes last month, and is practicing with the Cincy Caledonians. He had a choice to make:
1) Stay home with Mom and go to the St Patty's Day parade and see the band march. He's practicing with them, but he's about 6 months off from being able to play out with them.
2) Go with Dad and Brother down to the farm and shoot his shotgun at some paper turkey targets.

Guess which he picked?


Shotgun patterning.


Gentlemen, I think I'm raising a turkey hunter.

Of course, he comes by in honestly. He was going to be a couple of months premature, and they did everything they could to keep him in the oven long enough to develop. Finally, he decided to come out during opening week of Spring Gobbler Season. Girlfriend asked me what that meant to my turkey hunting.

"I guess that means he's going to be turkey hunting on his birthday." I replied.

[shaman]

Well we went out and patterned our guns. Angus already had his. I surprised Moose with his new gun.

Here are the details and a few pics.

Sighting in 2007 (http://www.blackholecoffeehouse.com/sighting_in_2007.htm)

As we were on our way out to the patterning board, Moose stopped me and had me look out into the pasture on top of Gobbler's Knob. Sure enough, there was Mister Natural, my arch nemesis, out parading around like it was Saint Patrick's Day or something (which it was). It was not warm enough for strutting, but he was sauntering about.