Hi Everyone:
I just thought I’d introduce myself. I‘ve been a member of these forums for awhile but I don’t post too much. I do a lot of reading here and it feels like I know most of you. However, I got to thinking since I don’t post too much that nobody really knows me. So here goes.
I am 46 year old male who’s been married for 23 years and I have two boys. I live in southeast Michigan and work as a mechanical engineer in a large Tier 1 automotive supply company. My hobbies are hunting, fishing, target shooting, and motorcycles. I like to hunt whitetail deer and small game but I’ve really been getting into predator hunting the last two years. My first year coyote hunting was nothing but fun even though I never got to see one. This year I finally called in a coyote and although I didn’t see it my nephew did. The coyote was coming into the call from downwind where I had my nephew setup. The coyote circled out in front of my nephew and when he flipped off the safety “CLICK” the coyote took off for the next county. Anyway, we were both real excited and had a great time.
The gun I goto when daytime predator hunting is my Handi standard barrel .223 thatÂ’s topped with a Bushnell Banner 3-9. Initially I couldnÂ’t get this Handi to shoot any better than 1.5 to 2.0 inches at 100 yards but after reading here and trying out the simple tips IÂ’ve got it to shoot just under 1.0 inch. I am perfectly happy with that but I also look forward to and enjoy the quest of trying to squeeze out just a little more precision.
My nighttime goto predator gun (State laws dictates the use of rimfire or shotgun at night) is my Sportster .22 Mag thatÂ’s topped with a Mueller 3-9 IGR (I have a Rem. 870 with a SF turkey choke that I shoot #2 Hevi-ShotÂ’s with sometimes too). I just bought the Sportster and it had a couple problems so I sent it back to the factory for repair. The main reason it went back to the factory is that the action opened up on 2 of the first 100 rounds that I put through it. Also, the barrel was off center in the forearm. The gun and a check (to cover the cost of shipping it back to the factory) was returned to me with a free factory trigger job within two weeks. On my next trip to the range the action stayed closed on all 100 rounds. It appears as though the problem with the action popping open is fixed and the trigger pull is better (still not great but canÂ’t complain) but the barrel is still off center in the forearm. I really donÂ’t care about the forearm fit as long as it shoots good and it appears itÂ’s going to shoot pretty good.
As far as reloading I don’t do it. I am guessing that I’d probably enjoy reloading but I don’t really have a good place to do it. I don’t tinker (trigger jobs, barrel fitting, etc. etc.) too much either. Mostly, I don’t tinker because I seem to have bad luck doing that kind of stuff and I seem to be all thumbs. With that said though, I am currently undergoing a project with my 10/22. I’ve got a new barrel and stock, had my bolt reworked, and I am getting the trigger done. As far as my Handi I do plan on getting the trigger done and adding some accessory barrels. Right now I am leaning towards the 24” .223 HB and setting it up strictly for paper punching and/or a .45/70 “just because”. I do love to shoot but I do it just for fun, no serious competitions.
Enough for now. I hope you know me a little more now even though you donÂ’t know me as much as I seem to know you. By the way, I had just found the H&R forum on the Marlin site about the time it closed down and IIRC (If I Remember Correctlyjust learned what that means) someone from that forum pointed me towards GraybeardÂ’s site.
Take Care...
