Serious tools for serious jobs. The “fi nal op- tion” rifl e at-hand is this Springfi eld Armory Scout rifl e, two spare mags, rifl e-mounted light and spare light. The pouch goes over your head, the rifl e goes into your hand — and to work. There aren’t many problems you can’t solve with a .308. So far, we’ve just plinked with it, and let’s hope it stays that way.
ground. So, when we mow we often stir the rats up and take the opportu- nity to nail ’em when we can. When you combine the differ-
ent problems I found right away there was no single solution. Rid- ing the ATV while working on the fence, or using the tractor to mow with the brush hog both require dif- ferent ways to carry a gun and, af- ter some experience, even different guns. While it seems some of it may be splitting hairs, I’ve found guns are like the myriad of other tools we use around here. If you use the right tool for the job it goes much smoother and easier. Besides, I confess I’m a gun-crank, and having a genuine opportunity to use guns as working tools can be great fun too. The Japanese have a saying and it
applies to Land Guns: “If your only tool is a hammer, then every problem begins to look like a nail.” And that’s exactly what I found. Almost invari- ably I had access to the “wrong” gun when I needed a better tool for the job at hand.
The Solutions I was convinced a small-frame
revolver in .38 Special would be my “always” gun on the land. Based on my experience as a 20-year cop on the San Diego PD, I knew a J-frame S&W or similar is a good “go-to” solution if you simply need a gun to solve a problem. But once here, I found otherwise.
While a short-barrel .38 works great in the urban jungle, in our woods and land it’s lacking in many respects. While it could — and does at times — offer personal protection, in the country you have to remember you are probably the only person who
WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM
will be “at-hand” to solve a problem. If the problem is 2-legged there’s no cop nearby that legions of by-stand- ers will be calling on their cell phones as you shoot it out in the parking lot of a box-mart. Out here, if you’re confronted on your land you need the tools, and the skills, to manage things until help arrives. And frank- ly, those fi ve shots of .38 special sud- denly seem very inadequate. Plus, let’s say that pack of feral
dogs revisits me one day when I’m in the walnut grove. What now? Five shots end all too fast, and I doubt there’d be time for a reload if they were serious about eating me. And it’s harder to hit with a short barrel revolver. Better than nothing? Sure … but best for the job? Hardly. I’ll be blunt, for serious personal
protection around here I have a full- sized 1911 handy (a Les Baer light- weight model), a S&W Model 25 N- frame revolver in .45 Colt, an M1A Scout Rifl e with light, and a cut- down Model 94 Winchester in .30- 30. All of the guns have spare ammo at-hand and I shoot them regularly. If I’m out on the ATV, I have an old Remington nylon-stocked Model 66 .22 in a rack, but the .45 Colt revolver is either in a chest rig by Diamond D Leather or in the crate I have on the back of the ATV. Sometimes I carry the 1911, but I always have what Clint Smith calls a “Big Gun” with me.
The “Woodsman’s Pal” is a clas- sic from the early 1940s, and was military issue during WWII. I only just got this model but after a few swings it showed its stuff. It cuts deeply and easily, and the “hook” on the end lets you hook and cut brush and saplings close to the ground. It’s a keeper for sure.
www.woodmanspal.com
25
Airguns are fun too. Of course, so is the mini-bike! When your mailbox is a third of a mile away (that’s .6 miles round-trip) you like to ride sometimes. Oh, and the air guns? … mostly just for fun since we can shoot “real guns” here. The Red Ryder gets duty helping to keep the grasshopper population down and the AirForce Air guns .22 model can actually handle just about anything a .22 LR can.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164