westerner wrote on Dec 23^rd, 2021 at 6:59pm:

Pope could work, portray him and the family as the down trodden early environmentalist smothered by big oil tycoons for trying to market an electric car. 
Squashed by the evil Davidson brothers for daring to put an engine in a bicycle. 
Reduced to making gun barrels for right wing extremists. 
Truly woke before woke was cool.

Merkava wrote on Dec 23^rd, 2021 at 8:37pm:


I was that boy.  It sucked.  My dad had 3 guns, all utility; for use on the farm.  A Stevens single shot .22.  A 303 british MkIV#1.  A 20 ga single shot shotgun.  I hated using the single shots.  Was a pain to fish in your pocket for your next shot on rabbits or squirrels or chucks.  Only get one pheasant when 3 rose out of the corn.  We also had a VW bug and 4 kids.  Crammed the whole family in there to go to town.  Or in our 57 chevy pickup, with the kids in back, a homemade quilt in the winter to keep us alive.  My folks and their friends talked like the above; how it was great to have a single shot because you had to make every expensive bullet count, and the people that had new fangled bolt action repeaters with scopes were lazy and stupid and poor shots.  How my dad and his buddies had been the best on the range with their Garands in the Corps, no sissy scopes, that's what iron sights are for.  How the family that had a Suburban looked like a survey crew or prison work gang driving around town, all them with their sissy seat belts on and no coats.  Or windows up in the summer because wasteful air conditioner.  How those kids were going to grow up lazy and stupid and end up on welfare or in prison.  All that is something I would rather be from than be.

When I was about 16 or so, I bought a Winchester hammerless lever action .22, and bought a 4 power rimfire tasco scope to put on it.  That was amazing; my range extended about 25 yards more, and could take more than one shot without reloading.  Bought a Ted Williams pump shotgun.  Now had a chance at a second pheasant!  Bought a 788 in .308, 4 power Bushnell scope and could effectively kill deer and elk.

Single shots are amusing and fun and I like to work on them (along with bolt guns, too).

How many S&W model 29 44 magnums did Clint Eastwood sell after Dirty Harry came out in ‘71?

SS Dave,
You missed my point by a mile.

Merkava wrote on Dec 24^th, 2021 at 10:43am:


And deliberately so!   

Some people look at the world differently than others.  I hated when the old folks talked like that when I was a kid, and they were telling me about how you needed to carefully save your chewing gum and re-use it for a week, because in the depression, a nickel would buy a candy bar or a hamburger, and you didn't waste anything.

I've made it a real point not to do that as I've got old.

My favorite rifles are my classic single shots.  But, I'm perfectly comfortable setting up a new 300 win mag long range rifle to shoot the 220 grain MK248 Mod 1 ammo, with a side focus Long Range Tactical Scope for a "sniper" rifle for someone with those interests.  Or building a short action magnum 6.5 PRC with 7.5 twist Bartlein barrel to shoot Berger VLDs at long range steel.  And, I take my black rifle to the range and burn up a few rock busting bullets almost as often as I use my .45-90.   

Not all of us need to shoot old single shots, and we certainly don't need to feel smugly superior to those that choose to do something different.

I believe what really provides support is to be willing to give freely to those who are first starting out. This probably is more so on the competitive side of single shots. In the past I seen folks struggle when first starting out and then they would then just give up and not come back. This cannot be provided by a movie or even an organization. It has to be done by reaching out and building a new relationship with every new individual who shows up for their very first time. Then to freely give whatever it might be to keep them going and to help them then to reach their own personal goals whatever that be to the best of your abilities.   
But that is just the why that I personally feel and I have been doing just that for over 23 years.   
When comes to anything other than single shots as I believe was pointed out earlier various repeaters also have their own place and special use. I too have had several various types in the past when growing up for various types of hunting.

Ssdave very well put and the truth of it all. 
Money has everything to do with it and its hard for young folks to even try and get by these days. Not allot of good paying jobs out there even if educated. My own grandkids now in their 20's and 30's would just like to be able to own their own home someday. Don't see that happening anytime soon especially out here in Ca. Takes two to try and make and it if having young children day care can cost damned near as much as the second one can make.

I think that we should start by trying to generate interest in general, not just schuetzen shooting. We need to generate interest in collecting, casual shooting, hunting, anything that you can do with a single shot. I think that this approach would be better than just focusing on one aspect.
Lee Gibbs Pres.ASSRA