I got my copy yesterday and have really enjoyed his stories. The chapters on the old time writers was especially interesting. I started reading Sundra back in the 70's when he was with Shooting Times and he's still got it!
Ken
The first ST article of Jon Sundra's that I can recall, was an article of his on the .22Mag. vs. the 5mm Rem. Mag., way back when the 5mm was new and available. He went thru the virtues of both cartridges, and how the 5mm outshined the WMR.
It was an interesting article, for the time, and I could only dream about the rifles, as in rural Missouri, even the .22 Mag was exotic and uncommon. He also had a very good article about the .222 that I found interesting ( a case shaped like a miniature .30/06!).
I read his articles with great interest, but only because I knew I could never afford those "fancy" things, and could only dream of them. I was pretty lucky our little Rexall drug store even carried a couple of gun magazines (ST and G&A) on the magazine rack directly under the stuffed moose head, so I didn't have great dreams.
You can roll a turd in peanuts, dip it in chocolate, and it still ain't no damn Baby Ruth.
When I was in college most of my elk hunting was done in far western Montana, close to the Idaho line. Usually camped out for a few days during open week.
One trip I had just come down off the mountain after killing something, a big mule deer if I recall correctly, and was hiking back down a Forest Service road toward camp when a new Cadillac stopped, full of orange-vested hunters. Two middle-aged guys sat in the front seat, and two teenage kids in the back seat. The driver asked if I wanted a ride, and since I'd just done close to 10 miles I said sure. He also asked if I'd like a cold beer, and I said yes again. He opened the trunk, which was absolute crammed full of stuff, not just a cooler of beer and soft drinks, but their rifles in cases, "spare" hunting clothes and other stuff. If they'd killed something there wouldn't have been any place to put it.
I believe it was the next year when I was hiking down the same canyon road and ran into a guy with one of the early Subaru 4-wheel-drive station wagons. He'd just killed a spike elk on the steep mountainside above, and after dragging the gutted elk downhill to the creek next to the road, was trying to use a length of cotton clothesline tied to his Subaru bumped to pull it across the creek. He'd ease out the clutch and the elk would move maybe a foot before the clothesline would pop, and he'd get out and tied the clothesline together and try again. I helped him drag the elk across the creek, but don't what he did after that, since there wasn't much room in the Subaru, though more than there was in the Cadillac trunk. He said he'd figure something out.
Also once saw a similar Subaru in Bozeman the last week of the season, a few years later, with a bull moose strapped to the roof. The roof had caved in somewhat, which probably helped the moose stay up there. Was curious what the story was, but the Subaru was parked in front of a store with only other gawkers nearby.
“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.” John Steinbeck
When I was in college most of my elk hunting was done in far western Montana, close to the Idaho line. Usually camped out for a few days during open week.
One trip I had just come down off the mountain after killing something, a big mule deer if I recall correctly, and was hiking back down a Forest Service road toward camp when a new Cadillac stopped, full of orange-vested hunters. Two middle-aged guys sat in the front seat, and two teenage kids in the back seat. The driver asked if I wanted a ride, and since I'd just done close to 10 miles I said sure. He also asked if I'd like a cold beer, and I said yes again. He opened the trunk, which was absolute crammed full of stuff, not just a cooler of beer and soft drinks, but their rifles in cases, "spare" hunting clothes and other stuff. If they'd killed something there wouldn't have been any place to put it.
I believe it was the next year when I was hiking down the same canyon road and ran into a guy with one of the early Subaru 4-wheel-drive station wagons. He'd just killed a spike elk on the steep mountainside above, and after dragging the gutted elk downhill to the creek next to the road, was trying to use a length of cotton clothesline tied to his Subaru bumped to pull it across the creek. He'd ease out the clutch and the elk would move maybe a foot before the clothesline would pop, and he'd get out and tied the clothesline together and try again. I helped him drag the elk across the creek, but don't what he did after that, since there wasn't much room in the Subaru, though more than there was in the Cadillac trunk. He said he'd figure something out.
Also once saw a similar Subaru in Bozeman the last week of the season, a few years later, with a bull moose strapped to the roof. The roof had caved in somewhat, which probably helped the moose stay up there. Was curious what the story was, but the Subaru was parked in front of a store with only other gawkers nearby.
I'd have paid good money to watch them get the bull moose up onto the roof!
Back in my very younger rabbit hunting days, 16 yrs old, the only way I could haul my five beagles was in a 1964/4 door chevy. You should have seen two-three of us in the front with five beagles going from front to back. It's seven wonders we didn't wreck and kill all involved....And when you got back home you wondered why "momma" asked you why you "stank" so bad.....LOL
"Pride is the only disease that makes everyone sick except the one that has it"
When I was in college most of my elk hunting was done in far western Montana, close to the Idaho line. Usually camped out for a few days during open week.
One trip I had just come down off the mountain after killing something, a big mule deer if I recall correctly, and was hiking back down a Forest Service road toward camp when a new Cadillac stopped, full of orange-vested hunters. Two middle-aged guys sat in the front seat, and two teenage kids in the back seat. The driver asked if I wanted a ride, and since I'd just done close to 10 miles I said sure. He also asked if I'd like a cold beer, and I said yes again. He opened the trunk, which was absolute crammed full of stuff, not just a cooler of beer and soft drinks, but their rifles in cases, "spare" hunting clothes and other stuff. If they'd killed something there wouldn't have been any place to put it.
I believe it was the next year when I was hiking down the same canyon road and ran into a guy with one of the early Subaru 4-wheel-drive station wagons. He'd just killed a spike elk on the steep mountainside above, and after dragging the gutted elk downhill to the creek next to the road, was trying to use a length of cotton clothesline tied to his Subaru bumped to pull it across the creek. He'd ease out the clutch and the elk would move maybe a foot before the clothesline would pop, and he'd get out and tied the clothesline together and try again. I helped him drag the elk across the creek, but don't what he did after that, since there wasn't much room in the Subaru, though more than there was in the Cadillac trunk. He said he'd figure something out.
Also once saw a similar Subaru in Bozeman the last week of the season, a few years later, with a bull moose strapped to the roof. The roof had caved in somewhat, which probably helped the moose stay up there. Was curious what the story was, but the Subaru was parked in front of a store with only other gawkers nearby.
I'd have paid good money to watch them get the bull moose up onto the roof!
Was thinking the same and wondered why not quarter the bad boy, make life easy.
Never take life to seriously, after all ,no one gets out of it alive.
Believe it or not, I know a bunch of Montana hunters who don't know how to quarter a big game animal--or don't want to. Instead they get it into a vehicle somehow, then drive it to a processor ASAP.
“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.” John Steinbeck
Lamborghini used to make tractors, farm tractors. That's how they got their start, making tractors for Italian farmers. Sorta like an 8N Ford, about the same time frame.
They STILL make tractors, apparently........................................and so does Ferrari, which I didn't know about.
Jon got me started on my collection of 7mms....he also had a fondness of fine wines
He was also very influential in my interest in the 7 mm RM. I’ve had enuff of them to know that a good 7 RM would not be a bad choice as a 1 and done c f Rifle. <for me> In fact my T3x 7 RM is very satisfying. Edit to add : ^^^ Lite SS & DM
ruraldoc: Let me see if I can put a complete set of the Complete Rifleman together -- 1989-2011. I know I have only a few of the first couple editions, but quite a few of the latter years. However, in all honesty, I have no idea what to ask for a complete collection, or even individual copies for that matter. I've never been much of a businessman. Regards,