Just wanted to do one more follow up; the "different" story - what didn't go well. As you know, once I realized I "needed" to update my rings, I settled on a Near MFG picatinny base for my M695. They had one in stock and it shipped the next day. It made it to the customs port from Canada and out of customs into the USPS system in short order. Tracking, once out of customs, said it was to arrive last Tuesday. Well Tuesday came and tracking now said Thursday. Being the perfect storm, I'm looking at weather, and the weekend is looking very windy. Friday looks perfect to do sight in, the calm before the storm. So I planned to take Friday off, in anticipation of the base arriving on Thursday. Well, we have some construction going, and it just so happened Thursday is the day they decided to poor a slab for a future front porch on our house. I get home after work and ask the wife where the package is. Wife, "What package?" Me, "The package that was out for delivery" according to the tracking app I checked in the A.M. I recheck the tracking app and it says, "Unable to deliver. No secure location available." "Say what?" FYI, the package was small enough to fit in the mailbox, across the road from the earlier construction. My children learned some new swear words on Thursday.
If the package stayed on the truck for a second attempt to deliver, I wouldn't have the base until mid to late afternoon - too late to mount a scope and properly sight in. Anyway, pull an audible. Think, Jim, think...Can we tell the post office to hold it? YES! The app allows us to do that! So, at 7:45 am on Friday, I'm in line at the post office (actually, no line, just me) waiting for them to open. They open, and I ask the clerk to get the package that was being held. "Not here, out for delivery." The clerk might have learned some new swear words on Friday morning - but I was as nice as I could be.
Anyway, the delivery truck turned around a mile out, brought the package and my sight in day was possibly saved. So I brought the base home, mounted the base, rings, got the scope eye relief set up, got the scope height measured and off I went to my sight in field 40 minutes away. The sun was breaking through the fog on my drive up, the water on the lakes was like glass, the day is perfect. I get to the field and my bench and start unloading to set up targets. Wait, where's my range finder???? WHERE'S MY EFFING RANGE FINDER?!?! The geese in the field learned some new swear words Friday afternoon.
This is all in preparation for deer hunting, and this is the last day prior to deer season I can use the field for shooting given the high wind weather forecast Saturday and Sunday and then the restrictions on firearms afield 5 days prior to rifle opener. So I had no choice. In order to do sight in right, I had to drive home, get my range finder, and drive back.
But, once I started shooting, the God's smiled on me. Prior to that, I just know they were just laughing their asses off, having a little fun with me.
. I spoke with Mr. Near (?) and he indicated he had a rail for an M695 that was in stock, so turn around should be quick. Sighting in my rifle this last weekend after switching scopes and found out my rings are lacking. Not sure what the issue is, as I'm torquing the clamps to the dovetail as much as I dare and things won't stop moving. So, getting a replacement has suddenly become a high priority with rifle season opener in a few weeks.
