Gun show this weekend

And since this was the last chance I'd have for a while, I went. Found some stuff; some new 12 guage slugs to test, a sling, some other bits & pieces. One ammo dealer has a big selection of .22 ammo, and I looked it all over. Some- most- was flat overpriced, there's a place in town I'm pretty sure I can get it for better. Some of it, the high-level match stuff, was about or just slightly over the normal price, but I didn't get any. So far my rifles & pistols get excellent accuracy with stuff that's a lot less expensive; in some cases they shoot it so well that the only reason to buy the high-dollar stuff would be snob appeal. Understand, if one of them shot far better with high octane, I'd get a box or two for the occasions I needed it; but if none of them do, the money stays in my pocket.

Among the odds & ends was one of the 15" diameter baking stones. If you've not seen them, it's an unglazed stoneware disk that works very well for baking a number of things. They're usually about $25, these folks were clearing theirs out for $15, so I wound up going back today and getting what was the next to last one for my daughter.

Despite my earlier promise to buy no more guns for a loooong time, I was sorely tempted. A guy had an old Mossberg bolt-action target rifle- with front post and rear aperture sight- for a decent price. As it needed a bit of work and loving care, I thought I could talk him down a bit more, but while I was looking around he packed up and left. So I was saved from myself. I'm not sure whether to be glad or pissed...

All in all a decent show with some interesting things to see, including a European double-barrel, one barrel 28-guage shotgun, one .30-30. Pretty thing. No, I was not tempted. Even if I had piles of free cash, a near-$2000 price tag would have made me have second and third thoughts. You know what would be real tempting? A double-rifle in either .30-30 or .303 British. Short, handy, it'd be a magnificent brush rifle, and there's no reason it wouldn't be accurate. And with a double you could use more ballistically efficient bullets without worrying about a tube magazine or overall length for the .30-30. Yeah, nice blued barrel, color-case-hardened receiver, claw-type scope mount...(drool, drool)

Now, if I hadn't been halfway falling down from tired, it would have been more enjoyable. It's been in the mid-90's the last few days, and the humidity has been high, and I haven't slept well. There's supposed to be a chance of thunderstorms tonight & some of tomorrow, and while we could use some rain, I could do without the severe stuff. That's one problem with this time of year, when you do get rain it tends to be in conditions that are supportive of severe storms, with the lightning and hail and high winds and possible tornados that can come with them. Well, the puppy has discovered both the doghouse and the doggy-door in the garage, and it's stormed once since she came here, so she'll be ok.

And now it's time to worry about dinner.