Suzi’s .45 Colt Marlin levergun lives in the pantry and is short and handy, offering nine rounds of problem solving. I pity the raccoon that gets on her wrong side ….
Roy’s cut-down Model 94 has this handy way to carry fi ve extra rounds. With the six in the cuff on the stock, fi ve in the mag tube and fi ve in the stock, there’s 16 full- power .30-30s at-hand. That should solve most problems.
An elegant CZ .410 side-by-side is arguably fancier than need- ed for ranch chores, but nonetheless adds a certain panache to otherwise mundane jobs. Corn eating crows beware!
Always safe is our motto. The Model 66 Remington has an empty chamber on the ATV but this little note keeps us honest and reminds us to run the bolt if we need to shoot it. Yet, another use for that indispens- able accessory, duct tape.
When I fi rst got here I carried
a J-frame with CCI .38 shot loads (two, fi rst up) and standard loads afterward. But after shooting some fi eld rats and a snake or two I real- ized the .38 shot loads were simply lightweights. And, if I wanted to try to take a shot at a squirrel or some- thing, forget the fi xed sighted 2". Off went the .38s and on went the .45s. Those .45 Colt CCI shot loads are signifi cant. Rather than the 109 grains of #9 of a .38, they have about 150 grains of #9 shot and shred any- thing they hit. The velocity is about the same (around 1,000 fps) but I think the sheer volume of shot makes a big difference. And the adjustable sights and all-around accuracy level of the two .45s mean I can take care of just about any kind of business I encounter using the standard rounds. I keep two shot rounds loaded in the Model 25, fi rst up. And both have a fast reload handy. While the CCI .45 ACP shot works, I’ve found it won’t reliably cycle the 1911 so don’t load it with them. Granted, my most
encountered
targets are squirrels, snakes and rats, but still — I have “enough gun” to handle other things should they arise.
Stashed Protection While we all like to think we’ll be
The garage is home to this Savage Model 24C in .22 LR and .20 gauge. A few spare rounds are in the butt- stock and it manages nicely to be “at hand” there in case of attack by wild squirrels or worse.
26
armed all the time, it simply isn’t so. To contend with that situation, we keep a few guns stashed around. It’s discon- certing to be in the garage working and suddenly there’s someone stand- ing just outside, after traveling down
our 1/3 mile driveway! Usually it’s the mailman, UPS, FedEx or other deliv- ery driver, but on a few occasions, it’s been “Hey, sorry man, but does Bill live here?” All honest mistakes so far (country addresses can be confusing for anyone at times) but it does serve to remind us all it pays to be quietly prepared. Trust me when I say dialing 911 would do you exactly no good at that point, other than the cops would know where to fi nd your body should it come to that. I keep a simple Savage Model 24C
(.20 Gauge and .22 LR O/U, break- open) at hand in the garage. It’s great for taking care of those pesky squir- rels, or even a bout of plinking at times, but it’s still enough to manage a situation should it come to it. The best gun, hardly, but a good compro- mise, as it does many jobs at once. There may — or may not be —
other guns stashed around. And don’t doubt yourself if you feel the same way. It’s not paranoid — sim- ply careful. When the feral dogs popped out from the fence in my back pasture, I had exactly 10 sec- onds or so to get to my Model 94 and launch a couple of rounds to scare them off. I didn’t shoot at them, but the loud noise made them feel unwel- come. If I’d had to dash upstairs, or load it, or get it from the safe, who knows what mischief they would have gotten into, to include fi ghting with my own dog. When I was a cop (and other times) the fact I was ade- quately prepared for danger, or sim- ply our motor-home breaking down,
REALITY CHECK • 2011 SPECIAL EDITION
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