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| HOME NEWSLETTERS HUNTER EDUCATION OLD MISSOURI HILLBILLY SITE |
VOLUMES 233 & 234 -------- NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021
SHOOTIN', HUNTIN', AND RELOADIN' WITH THE OL' MISSOURI HILLBILLY |
| Uploaded: January 20, 2022 I think I'll start this with a few words about eyes. It's no secret that visual acuity, even in those whose eyes remain healthy, usually changes as one ages. The changes vary, depending on many factors, but near, intermediate, or distance vision can change for better, worse, or not at all, over time. Corrective lenses, either glasses or contacts can resolve nearly any of these conditions. Cataracts complicate the situation by being something that cannot be corrected by glasses. Cataracts are a clouding of the lens in the eye that develop in 90% of Americans by age 65 and usually continue to get worse over time. Fortunately, cataract surgery has been available for years and today is considered common, safe, and effective. The process is straightforward, with the surgeon removing the clouded lens through a tiny incision and inserting an artificial one. In past years, the most common procedure included a new lens that corrected for the recipients' distance vision and the person usually needed reading glasses for up-close acuity. Ann and I have an annual eye exam at Eye Consultants in Spokane. (eyeconsultantsnw.com) Dr. David Cohen was the original owner of the practice, and Dr. Gary Fillmore took over when Dr. Cohen retired a few years ago. For about 5 or 6 years now, Dr. Fillmore has said during my exams, "You have cataracts developing. When they start bothering you let me know, and we'll take them out." This year the time had come! The change was so gradual, I didn't realize that my vision had degraded so much. Night driving and bright lights began to bother me. Reading street signs was becoming an issue. By the time I could read a street sign where I needed to turn, it was dang near too late! Part of my exam this year was a test that tells the cataract story. When reading the standard black letters on the eye chart projector, my vision was corrected to 20-20 with my glasses. Change the letters to gray and the story became much different. I could now read only to the 20-80 line! Information and planning for cataract surgery included obtaining knowledge about some fairly recent technology in lens implants. The good news is, multifocal lenses are available that allow clear vision at all distances, in many cases without glasses! The bad news is that most insurances, including Medicare, will only pay for the original monofocal lenses. I struggled to understand how any implanted lens can provide clarity at all distances! My rudimentary knowledge of math and physics says that it just can't be done, so it must be magic or voodoo! Thus my conundrum in deciding whether to spend the extra money for the new PanOptix Lenses or go with the standard monofocal. The right eye was done on December 7th and the other on December 14th. The procedure took 15 to 30 minutes per eye and was completely pain free. I'll not say how spendy they were, but so far I'm delighted that I opted for the PanOptix! I'm now seeing clearly at distance, reading fine print easily, and 'computer screen' distance is clear and sharp! Colors are brighter, TV screens are more clear, and Little Heifer is even more beautiful, all without glasses! What about seeing iron sights on firearms? I have not actually fired a gun since the surgery, but I have aimed at stumps and other objects with the iron sights on the Glock pistol and they are more clear and sharp than I can ever remember! We'll do some shooting as soon as it warms up a little and we'll see if that translates to better accuracy. Talking guns for another minute, while prepping our rifles for deer season this past fall, I was reminded that the Sako rifle I was going to use has a feature that I should have mentioned when I discussed detachable magazines in my November/December 2019 Newsletter. (To see that discussion go HERE) While the emphasis on the previous discussion was on ease of loading and whether centered or staggered feeding from magazines really matters, I should have also discussed how secure (or not) detachable magazines are in the firearm. Most any debate about internal vs detachable magazines will inevitably include the possibility that the detachable may inadvertently be ejected and lost, leaving the shooter with a single shot rifle! A valid point and an issue that Sako has addressed in their M85 rifles. Before I address Sako's approach, some background on other rifles in our safe. We have Browning, Savage, and my semi-custom Cooper rifle, all with detachable box magazines. The Browning and Savage both have the magazine release as a part of the magazine itself, while the Cooper magazine release is a part of the rifle located in front of the magazine. In all these rifles, a straight-back pull on the release drops the magazine from the gun. No other action or motion is required. Not so with the Sako. The Sako release is a part of the rifle like the Cooper, and a straight-back pull releases the magazine. However, another motion is required before the release on the Sako will move! The magazine is under slight spring tension, and must be pushed slightly upward into the rifle before the magazine release will move. Here are some photos to illustrate. Note that the rifle is bottom side up resting on a Tipton gun vise. 
This is the Sako Magazine; staggered feed and easy to load.
Magazine housing with arrow pointing to the end of the release tab that locks the magazine in place.
Notch on front of Magazine, into which the end of the release tab locks.
When the Magazine is pressed into the rifle, a click is heard and the
Magazine springs back out a bit. This indicates the locking tab
is into the notch.
Here thumb pressure shows the position required for the release tab to be unlocked.
Conclusion: While losing a magazine from a rifle in the field may be a rare occurrence, it is far less likely to happen with the Sako. Our annual Christmas Eve gathering with Rick and Jennifer went off as planned. This year included Rick's friend Sara, as we enjoyed our traditional chicken bisque, morel mushrooms, and other goodies prepared by Little Heifer. (The story behind the chicken bisque is interesting reading should you be so inclined, and the most detailed rendering can be seen HERE)  We opted for a new, smaller artificial tree this year. Here with all the loot before supper.
 You know the drill: The stockings were hung . . . . .
 The bisque is in the bowls and Jennifer is ready to dig in.
 Rick and Sara anticipating opening the presents.
 Ann awaiting Jennifer's gift delivery.
 Always a mess to clean up after it's all over.
As I've reported before, Ann and I like to make the occasional trip to Missoula, Montana for a two or three day getaway. Our latest excursion took in a new addition to the SouthGate Mall. In space formally occupied by a J C Penny store, Scheels Sporting Goods has opened a new store. Scheels is a full service sporting goods retailer with several locations primarily in the west and midwest. Their products are wider ranging than many other 'sporting goods' stores. In addition to hunting, fishing, footwear, and clothing, Sheels has equipment for many other sports like golf, football, baseball, hockey, and others I can't even remember. (scheels.com) Our first experience with Sheels was in Billings, MT. There they had a store in Rimrock Mall that happened to stock a couple of rifles that we just couldn't live without. The Rimrock store was closed several years ago in favor of a newly built 'super store' in west Billings. This one has a full sized ferris wheel in the middle that invites customers to experience something different in a retail store! We're still kicking ourselves for not taking some photos in the new Missoula store, but will add some from the Billings store taken in June 2015.  Front entrance to Billings, MT Scheels.
 Full size ferris wheel in a retail store.
 After
our free ride. We did not get to stop at the top and 'make out'
like we might have 65 years ago. There was no on else on board!
The Missoula store does not have a ferris wheel, but we did notice something very different than most other sporting goods stores at the time: The gun racks and ammunition shelves were fully stocked! We still don't know how they managed that, but the crowds were obviously enjoying the selections. I'm gonna close out this session with another short soapbox session regarding what often seems to happen when someone is elected to public office with a little authority. First, I must tell you that this next piece contains a substitute word that I'm using to keep the site rated PG. You'll figure it out! Excuses to do something because of COVID provides the Apples we have elected as legislators and regulators opportunities to screw things up again and again! Now, I have no problem with legislation or regulation geared toward helping deserving citizens, but it should NOT have an adverse affect on others. Case in point; Following federal legislation that provided some credit relief for people who couldn't work because of COVID shutdowns, Mike Kreidler, Washington State's long time elected Insurance Commissioner decided he had the authority to dictate another 'regulation'! He decided that it would be a good idea to tell Insurance Companies doing business in Washington that they could no longer use a policyholder's credit worthiness, i.e. Credit Scores, in setting rates for their policies. Consulting my Insurance Agent confirmed that Insurance Companies were required to abandon their algorithms for considering credit scores in pricing policies. Both our Automobile and Homeowner's insurance policies were due for renewal in November. Due to the actions of this bunch of Apples, particularly our Insurance Commissioner, we are now paying $1,127.00 more per year for our insurances. This in spite of no claims, no traffic citations, and no accidents! Thanks a lot you Apples! (Hint: Replace the double p's with s's then insert the 8th and 15th letters of the alphabet.) This month's hillbilly wisdom comes from a tidbit Ann saw on facebook from thecirclelranch.com: The difference between school and life? In school you're taught a lesson and then given a test. In life you're given a test that teaches you a lesson. Well, it's time to shut down here, so. . . . . 'Til next time, Keep 'em shootin' straight, shoot 'em often, and above all, BE SAFE!!! THE OL' HILLBILLY Copyright 2021 - All Rights Reserved |