It's all Versifiers fault

[Oldbushman]

It had to happen did'nt it ??Versifier got me thinking about the 788 Used to own in L/H chambered for 6mm:) Now it has started consuming me ! I rang the chap I sold mine to years ago & yes he still has it & no he will not part with it as it shots like steam & is on it's second barrel ! Now the Hunt has started to replace it ! I'll probarly sell one of my kids to a Passing White slave trader Or steal one of the wifes Kidneys to pay for it ! When & if I can find one :violin:

Dave

[versifier]

It's the .222's and .223's that are almost impossible to find around here - the silly-wet shooters snapped them all up for rounds like 6mmTCU, 7mmTCU, .300Whisper. I haven't seen one for sale for a reasonable price in twenty years (since I bought a barrel for one in .30-.223 that only needs final fitting). I had and sold one in .30-30 some years ago, and now have a birch stocked .308, named The Old Canoe Paddle (that you can read about from the home page) and a walnut stocked .22-250. From the bench, both will keep good handloads to 1/2MOA if I do my part, and on a really good day, the .22-250 will shot 1/3MOA, and I'm talking 10 shot groups, not 3 or 5. I'm really just starting to test the .308 with cast, it's not fond of soupcans I learned last year, passable with Lee 150's, and promising with Lee 180's. I had Buckshot make me a .310 sizer to improve my group sizes and cut down on the leading. With the .308 sizer it leads up too much unless I use water dropped linotype, too hard for hunting.

[Oldbushman]

I know the feeling of the sources dring up I rang round a couple of places this morning & got the good luck reply from several & Never heard of em from one Kid whom I think might be a little wet behind the ears still ! I frimly belive the greatest mistake Remingtons number crunchers ever made was to discontinue the 600seris & the 788's

Dave

[versifier]

Do you have a national trade publication like our Shotgun News that lists all kinds of shotguns, rifles, and handguns in a classified ads format? I prefer to see and handle a used gun before I buy it, though it gets harder to resist once I have some drool invested in it. We also have regional multi-catagory class-ad books that come out weekly, so whatever's for sale is within driving distance, and many of these have friearms sections, but you have to know what something's actually worth if you want to come out ahead. You can be like an impulsive ebayer bidding in the dark and really get taken to the cleaners if you don't do your homework. Small gun shops are quickly vanishing as their owners retire and larger sporting good stores are taking over the used gun business. Shows are still the last refuge of the small dealers, but again, you have to do your homework before you go as there are those just waiting for a "live one". It sounds like you still have a few good small shops with driving distance - we have one small, a medium, and an excellent large one within two hours , but there were more than thirty within an hour's drive twenty-five years ago, four right here in town where you could hang out and talk with the old timers. Sometimes I feel old. :mrgreen:

[Oldbushman]

We have several local publications that have adverts in them. Most of our big dealers are on the Eastern seaboard these days But we have several big stores in SA which are I'm afraid a litlle inpersonal to me ! My Gun guy is only a small shop were you go if you have several hours to sit & talk & catch up with Old freinds & meet new ones ! It's still the same service that there was when we were young men ! He dose trade right round Australia & advertises through word of mouth & reputation ! It's a case of when I tell the wife of a morning I've got to get something from Des's ,she says I'll see you tonight ! :rolleyes: Some wives call it the Lobster pot as once we get in to the shop we can't find our way out again !But oh what a lovely way to spend a day !

Dave