The Gun Safe Gets a Little Fuller

Here's my latest attempt to quench my thirst for hammerguns. She's a little Belgian Bayard in 16 ga. of course. Built in 1930 if I have figured out her watertable markings right. 29 inch barrels, sideclips, and a nicely figured stock she looks good sitting beside my two Swedish Huskys. Haven't had a chance to shot her at the pattern board yet but she really dusts the claybirds when I do my part so she'll probably go to Mike Orlen to have her chokes opened up for my grouse and woodcock coverts.

Blame it on my Grandmother

The urge I get each spring to plant something. Inherited from my mother's mother who was always digging in the dirt, planting all types of flowers, keeping a large garden, and especially the strawberry patch I remember fondly. My planting taste runs to trees usually apple, crabapple, hawthorne, or pear.
Here's a site ready to plant. A tubex tree protector to keep the deer from feasting on the tender tree, a bucket of dirt to compensate for all the rocks that I had to remove from the planting hole, a bucket of water, and a bale of old hay for mulch.Dance, my mountain cur, thinks the hole needs to be just a little deeper :).

The finished site. With some rain and a little luck this seedling pear tree will someday bear fruit for whatever wildlife wanders under it.

A 5 year old grafted pear tree coming along nicely.

A 5 year old apple tree in full blossom.

I usually plant a few grafted trees each year but lately I've taken to planting "Malus Antonovka" a Russian seedling apple tree that is used for grafting standard sized trees. A vigorous grower, drought,cold weather, and disease hardy it may or may not produce tasty apples for me but should be a productive tree for wildlife to feast upon.

Hammergun Fever

After several weeks of enjoyment with my Husqvarna Model 20 hammergun I couldn't resist the temptation for another one. Here's my new Model 17 Husky in 16 ga. of course. Built in 1940 with a checkered Prince of Wales grip she's choked full and fuller. I'll be having her barrels opened to .000 (cylinder) and .030 (full) to use as a late season grouse gun.

My Swedish pair.

A Little Sprucing Up

I've refinished the stock on "Olsa" my 16 ga. Husqvarna. While the barrels were away at Mike Orlen's getting opened up to .000 and .010 and haveing the forcing cones lengthened I went to work on the stock. This was my first attempt at refinishing a stock and I think it came out pretty good. I used a paint & varnish stripper to remove the old finish, then used Birchwood Casey walnut gun stain diluted 1 part stain to 1 1/2 parts water. Finally I rubbed in with my fingertips some Tried and True Oil Varnish. I've only put on one coat so far but plan to add several more this summer. Here she is before........

and after. Just picked up Olsa's sister Inga tonite. Will have pics in a day or two. Yes I've got "Hammergun Fever".