^^ I'm a newcomer here in Wisconsin, dragged here by "The Girl", who runs a very well established scuba diving and shipwreck hunting business in the Great Lakes (successful enough that she was featured in the National Geographic Explorer episode "Ghost Ships of the Great Lakes). She's Czech, so isn't really from here either, but went to school in North Dakota so is a midwesterner by adoption. We both appreciate Wisconsin's culture and participate fully. "Fish Fry Fridays" are one of those "best of the midwest" events that nobody who isn't from here can possibly really understand. I can see why kids growing up here would have them as a favorite memory. Tossing a Mahi steak into the pile-o-perch is a nice way to liven things up...
"Looks like ASM Walker stock went up a few points even if you discount for the price of the holster that came with yours. I had been watching this same one for some time when he still had it priced @ $535 without a holster. My serial # is 2xxxxx compares to yours, but I have no idea how ASM numbered their production. I kinda doubt they made 20000 Walkers. Please let me know what you think of fit and finish and shootability once you get it."
I'll be sure to give a report, and as i unpack and get the cap and ball stuff out I'll do the side by side photos of the 1860's as well. I'm not sure how I missed figuring out that ASM stuff can be excellent, I always had impressions of it being junk based on a few experiences handing things, and having one ASM Remmie that is really bad... The Colt stuff seems to run from brass frame 1860 clones of zero interest to me, to the excellent Colt Marked examples as we are discussing now. It's an underrated and undervalued area of collecting in my estimation. Hopefully the 'Pards here don't stampede to the pasture on Gunbroker to drive the prices up.
"My Ruger Old Army is also a favorite as it is the most accurate handgun that I own."
You know, I avoided buying one for a long time, but It's going to be my summer desert-project to work up loads for and shoot. It's obviously the best of the best as a real shooter. Carls Hardware (see below) has had a SS conversion cylinder in their case for one for years and I'll score it as well to allow me to shoot some metal cartridges now and again.
"What type of warm-up do you need after a few months underway....for both the guns and the Migs??"
Everything runs in a cycle over the course of the year. Three jets (MiG-15, MiG-17, and Fouga CM-170) along with a shootin' selection of Cap & Ball revolvers are out in the Mojave, at Edwards AFB, and I'm out there January and Feb, and July and August, and shoot and fly there as a desert-rat then. I actually got interested in Black Powder out there to start with, as with endless desert (and endless laws regarding modern firearms) being able to shoot "old west style" with arms that I can buy at the small desert hardware store in Rosamond California made (and makes) a lot of sense. Truly, I got started in to Black Powder when I wandered in bored to Carls Hardware (Best hardware store in the High Desert), saw a Uberti Walker and a Uberti Remmie in the counter, went back to quarters and did some internet reading, went back and bought the Walker and taught myself how to shoot it, went back two weeks later and bought the Remmie and taught myself to shoot it, and that was the beginning of the end.... <sigh>...
In any event, desert-time is blackpowder shootin'-time for me. I drag out the jets, go to work, and on weekends it's time to head out and shoot. The cap and ball selection out there changes, I tend to leave a few favorites there and also rotate new pieces out there and then back "home" when done. I keep a safe in the airplane hangar there as well as my shooting bag of "stuff" and it just stays behind when I leave.
April and October are MiG flying periods in Maryland for the Navy. Drag the third MiG outta the hangar in Pennsylvania, fly it to the base, work for a bit, and push the old girl back into her cave and she sits on jacks until she's needed again. No shooting done there, sad to say.
I know you're a Herk guy (one of my favorites), so here's the maintenance side: The jets each need about two days of preflight and a day of postflight before and after flying periods. We put them on jacks for storage so the tires don't go square, put battery tenders on the batteries, shut the internal fuel shutoff valves so they don't drip, and walk away. Come back and pull the battery tenders, check tire pressures, grease the landing gear zerks, drop them off jacks, do a complete preflight, and fly them. We schedule heavy maintenance on a rotating schedule (hot section inspections etc) and it all works. We do a lot of periodic inspections during the actual flight periods.
Summers before I head to the desert and after I get back is Great Lakes diving season. I get to improve, admire, and polish my Cap & Ball collection at home and prepare to head to the desert in July. It's reloading time, evil black rifle shooting time, and general midwest enjoyment time.
Winters before and after I am at Edwards is southern boating season, which from a shooting perspective means proficiency drills with the AK and the M9 off of the transom now and then, and keeping them handy for social reasons.
"If by Tortugas, you meant IVO Fort Jefferson, it brought back some very good memories."
That's the spot, anchored in the shadow of the fort and enjoying sunsets. Interesting place, isn't it? We head with the boat from Key West to the Marquesas for a few days, then on to Fort Jefferson, spenmd a week, and then slowly head back north to our home harbor (Stuart). Next year the pre-Edwards southern time (November and December) will be spent in the Exumas (Bahamas) and the period afterwards (Mid Feb thru April 1st) will be spent in the Keys. One addition this year will be a nice blackpowder sunset-cannon for the anchorage. Need to signal the beginning of the rum drinking time of the day! (Goslings is always in season). Thinking a 10 guage BP breechloader so I don't need to carry cans of blackpowder aboard. Something about having a fire in the magazine and all..... "Remember the Maine"...
Best to all, it's time to do the first boat launch of the season here, with diving this weekend. Brrrr!!!
Willie
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