Last Year’s Guns

While the Kid’s out at the range, I’ll take up Alphecca’s meme asking what guns we took into our homes and hearts this past year.

For me, the year was bookended by Weatherbys, both of which are going to Boomershoot 2006. That’s at least three left-handed rifles shooting Weatherby cartridges that will be there. (Wonder if Benjamin will let me try out his .340 Weatherby….)

Warning, lots of gun pr0n below the fold….

The most recent gun for me was what I hope will be my primary 2006 Boomershoot rifle, a lightly-used .300 Weatherby left-hand action with the usual gorgeous deluxe Weatherby wood.

I had this baby on layaway for most of the Fall, and because of delays in shipping and the California waiting period, it showed up just in time to go under the tree this year. It’s just as advertised except that the stock’s darker and more lustrous than the seller’s pictures above; I’ll post pics of my own once I mount the scope and take it to the range for a shakedown run.

Before that, during the summer I picked up a Benelli Nova pump gun in 20 gauge, and liked it so much I went back and got another for my wife. (Both shotguns were at a steep discount; the dealer was so disgusted with Benelli’s dealer service he was clearing out his inventory and signing up with Beretta instead.)

At night I imagine I’m Tom Knapp shooting eight clay birds out of the air with his Nova. In the reality of daytime I need a lot more practice before I stop embarrassing myself on the trap range. Not the gun’s fault, though! These things are light as feathers, have nice compact stocks for their (ahem) vertically-challenged owners, look kewl and are cheap for what you get even when not discounted.

My birthday was in May, and this year I got my first black-powder pistol, a cute little “Crockett” squirrel gun I’d had my eye on for a while. Here it is above my wife’s Beretta. The trigger’s pretty awful, but for a c-note and change, I’m not complaining.

Before that, I picked up a couple of barrels for my Encore, about which I’ve posted before.

And long ago in January, I took delivery of a slightly used Weatherby Accumark. Had it on layaway for most of 2004.

Mine’s in .257 Weatherby, and it shoots like a dream, but unfortunately it didn’t at Boomershoot 2005 due to an incorrect scope mount by a too-helpful gunsmith. That’s fixed now; boomers beware in 2006!

So let’s see, that’s two rifles, two shotguns, and one handgun for 2005.

In 2006 I’m looking at picking up an Encore pistol frame and a couple more Benellis in 12 gauge. One’s the H20 version:

Oh yeah, and we’re gonna need another safe, if only because the current one’s so full the new Weatherby’s stock will get dinged up sooner or later. Can’t have that….