So... any of our members here have an interest in firearms?

Say, what's the context of the wall display Zapatta?

I see some really cool stuff there. Is it DEWAT or relic grade? If not then a bit of maintenance, RIG (rust inhibiting grease), and raw linseed oil on the wood wouldn't be amiss.

Sort of like mechanical watches, guns don't thrive on neglect.

A week or so back my eldest son said he wanted to take me to his local range for an afternoon for Father's Day. I was a bit reluctant because it had been 30 years since I last fired a rifle (I had been more of a pistol shooter) and I am now 74 with dodgy eyesight. However he was keen for me to try a couple of the rifles he had bought recently, and as we both had fond memories of shooting together when he was a teenager it seemed like a nice thing to do.

What a great day. Clear blue sky, no wind, just a few shooters on the range (a Monday afternoon). Maximum range was only 200, but that was fine with me. Alex's Tikka .223 used 60 grain Hornadys that were little tack drivers: he shot several groups at 100 that measured 5/8" before going to 200, where he shot just over 1". To put the icing on the cake of a perfect day, I managed to match his best 100 group. What a great little rifle - and what a nice thing for a middle aged man to do, to take a day off for his old Dad.

A great day. Love to shoot rifles best.

I regret that your wife could not enjoy the formal ceremony, but glad y'all honored her accomplishments just the same and with her mom present. Your special photograph is touching.

Please tell Mrs. Wryfox that someone from the Forum is grateful for her service.

Great job on the photo Wryfox and congratulations to your wife.

How the mighty are fallen.

Deja Vu All Over Again - 40 Years Hence

Some silliness 'cause that's what Mrs. noelekal and I are good at doing. Some things never change.

It was September 13, 1980, a Saturday and we had gone to the old family place on the lake for fun and frolic. Long time Texans may recall the infamous "Summer of 1980" when it remained over 100F for two months straight in a large portion of Texas. https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/heat-streak-scorches-on-126138273/2121542/ It was still hitting 100F that September day in 1980 when we were out there. Mrs. noelekal still has the T-Shirt "I survived the summer of 1980" and she was wearing it on that day the 1980 photos were taken. I don't now recall whether any dove hunting was undertaken, or fishing, or just what was on the day's itinerary. Probably some sitting in inner tubes in the lake, floating around in the duck hunting slough was in order for later that particular day.

Sometime, likely late morning by the look of the shadow, Mrs. noelekal snapped a couple of Polaroids of me posing with .38-40 weaponry, a .38-40 Winchester Model 1873 and a 7 1/2-inch Uberti Colt SAA clone also chambered for .38-40.











Can't now explain why the revolver was worn in cross-drawn fashion with knife on right side. Was an attempt to look studly apparently. The very tight fitting T-shirt was the Lucky Hunting Shirt, worn for dove hunting in warm weather and as an inner layer under additional layers for wintertime deer and duck hunting. That shirt was a well worn 10 years old when the 1980 photo was taken as I'd originally gotten it as a young teen. Was probably only a medium when new and long shrunken in the wash by the time Mrs. noelekal snapped the photographs 40 years ago.

So, we moseyed out to our place on Labor Day holiday with a view to recreate the occasion during our planned hiking about. We're a week ahead of exactly 40 years, but we have a commitment next weekend on the exact day and it's suppose to commence raining in this region for several days straight. The unimproved roads on our place become miry after rains. I've never been stuck, but have come perilously close. I'm getting too old to deal with being stuck and am too cheap to want to call a wrecker to a location so remote and inaccessible for rescue.

For this occasion supporting props were carefully chosen. As the first '73 Winchester was later sold, the present '73 Winchester .38-40 stood in for it. The long-barreled Uberti was also long gone so the 1st Generation Colt Single Action Army .38-40 made for a good substitute. Though that Uberti's holster is still around here somewhere my Uncle Albert's Brill holster for a Colt SAA made an almost more appropriate prop as it would have been at the place on various occasion in the distant past.

I dug deep within the British military duffel bag containing spares of my cold weather hunting regalia, to the bottom of the duffel to root out the original Lucky Hunting Shirt which I still have (important artifact that it is) and was worn on the first occasion and which at least still goes along on hunting trips in the duffel even if it hasn't been worn in decades.

A suitable pair of holey jeans were fetched out of the closet. Old fashioned "track shoes" were out of the question so my oldest pair of walking shoes were worn rather than the much more practical hiking boots. Topped things off by wearing the knife and scabbard worn in the 1980 photos. My dad made the knife for me. When I was a kid I kept it in his scabbard for his Mark II Navy knife, but by the time I was grown I'd purchased a leather scabbard from Tandy Leather that "sort of" fits it.










Some things noted.

1. The Lucky Hunting Shirt has not expanded one bit in 40 years time.

2. Carry in cross draw fashion is weird and pointless for me.

3. The dark hair went missing somewhere along the journey.

4. 95F feels hotter now than 100F did 40 years ago.

5. Winchester Model 1873 rifles have gotten heavier in 40 years.

6. Mrs. noelekal's still a cutie pie after 40 years.

7. The shinnery sure has grown since the original photographs were taken.

8. The ravages of the high temperatures and drought are evident in the 40 year old photographs.

9. Same rocks were used, but both had shifted since the first photos were taken.

10. The left knee of my blue jeans still wears out first.

We had an enjoyable day out together except for this shoulder which was killing me all day because of a recently diagnosed full rotator cuff tear. Hiked about 200 yards from the pickup to the photo locations toting the '73 Winchester then back to the pickup to lock it away for the rest of the hike after the photo session for it hurt too much to carry it. Had intended to carry it along for the entire hike in case of encounters with the feral hogs which have moved in since 40 years ago.

Had an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon Tuesday, hopefully to sort out the shoulder and schedule it for surgery. Hate the notion of shoulder surgery, but ... yippee!!! It will be welcome in this instance for I'm tired of the pain.

A snatch of verse from Pink Floyd's "Time" kept running through my head while Mrs. noelekal was taking the photos.


You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today.

And then one day you find ten years have got behind you.

Great set of photos, and at least you can still get the lucky shirt on.

During the summer of 80 my folks lived in OKC without A/C and my mom was pregnant with me.

That part happened in the springtime.