[Richard Jefferies]

This past Saturday I attended a gunshow here in Columbia, the first I've been to in several years. I went soely because I was trying to sell my Marlin 1895M .450 Marlin. Blue Book value on it in 98% condition (accurate for my gun with one box of ammo fired through it) is $455, but I knew that local shops are selling the new for $490, and saw similar knew ones for as low as $425 at the show.

Spent about 3 hours crusing the aisles, finally made a deal. Traded it for an Emerson Mini CQC7 ($119 retail) and $230 cash. I then purchased for $190 a used Rem. 870 stamped "SCHD" (SC Highway Dept.) that had the 18" bead sight cylinder bore bbl., stock riot grooved forend, and non-checkered buttstock. There's some finish wear, and a few minor pits on the exterior of the barrel, but the bore was pristine, and the action tight. After getting it home, I cycled some shells through it, no problem. It will eventually go to Scattergun Tech for their Remington Steal package, and I'll add a Choate 7 shot mag extension, sling swivels, and a tactical sling. Then I'll have MY ideal Social Shotfun. Plus, I can always buy a standard 28" Remchoke bbl. for it, remove the extension and put in a plug and use if to shoot a dove or duck if the mood should strike me. For quail, I'd just take off the mag extension and use the standard magazine cap with the short barrel.
I also rejoined GRSC, and bought a raffle ticket for a Custom Harley 1200cc (retail $22K) to be given away this Dec. 31.

Bottom line: I got a gun and a knife I wanted, joined an organization I needed to be in, and came away with 7 extra bucks in my pocket. I'm a happy camper. I'll be an even happier camper if by some long shot I win that Harley. I'll drive it for a month and then sell it.
Bikes and I don't mix well. I love the feel of wind in your face and the throb of a good motor between your legs, but I am decidedly uncomfortable knowing that there's nothing between me and any hard objects except a helmet and a layer clothing. My last experience on a bike was not good, so I have little confidence in my ability to drive them well. There are other things I'd rather use the time to learn better; a trip to either Thunder Ranch before it closes or else Gunsite comes to mind.

 

[sensop]

" ... a Custom Harley 1200cc (retail $22K)... " :shock:

Maybe a "customized" 1200 Sporty? MSRP for an XL 1200C (Sportster 1200 Custom) is under $10K. Anyway, if you win, we're talking the price of the raffle ticket, eh? 8)

 

[Richard Jefferies]

Sensop, you got it, "customized" as opposed to Custom. I"m not a biker, so.....

Yeah, $5 plus property tax for the tags and adding it to my insurance....but I'll get that back easy. I figure if I put that puppy up for sale for $15K with no more than 100 miles on the odometer, it'll sell faster than you can say "road rash."

 

[csmkersh]

Thunder Ranch isn't closing - exactly. Yes, once this year's classes in Texas are done that facility closes but Clint's already got another place up and running.

 

[SpecialEd]

What's gone on with Thunder Ranch Sam? Why the move?

Ed

 

[csmkersh]

Clint just likes the country and hunting there better than Texas. We have very little public land open here. I don't know how much land he has at the Mountain Home facility, but I'd bet he can purchase 3 or 4 times the acreage in Oregon.

http://www.thunderranchinc.com/

 

[Guest]

The shotgun is a waste of time and money

basically. Money and time spent on the shotgun can't be spent on the far more likely to be present (when needed) pistol. You are very unlikely to have any longarm, in time, unless it's a shtf, societal breakdown, and then you'd better have an autorifle, preferably a scoped one, with a "see thru" mount, for instant access to the (luminous) iron sights.

A typical 20" riot barrel is pretty worthless on cover user's heads at a mere 20m, and it won't reliably stop a man whose torso is fully exposed, at a mere 30m. Man, that's awful limited range. A shotgun with slugs is a terrible "rifle", too. No real mag capacity, poor trigger pull, and the POI of slugs and the center of buckshot patterns almost never converge. Heavy recoil, high cost of slugs means you don't shoot the 12 ga slug gun enough, especially not from the weak shoulder (to properly use cover).

In the time it takes you to run and get a longarm, and get back with it, I could have brained the attacker with every shot in the mag, reloaded, and done so again. What makes you think that you will have all that time, hmm?