Pacific And Northwest States Airgunners List

MAP TO PANSAL

by Mike "Maddawg" Edwards

2008 SPRING BREAK EDITION

MAY  2, 3, & 4,  2008

EDITORIAL STUFF

MAI CULPA - I THOUGHT I  HAD RETIRED - YEAH !  RIGHT !

SO I'M TAKING UP WHERE NEWSLETTER 60 LEFT OFF - THIS WAS STARTED RIGHT AFTER PANSAL SPRING BREAK '07 AND FINISHED JUST NOW.  IF THERE APPEARS TO BE SOME TIME DISCONNECTS, BEAR WITH ME.

NOTE - THE ABOVE DATES  MAY  2, 3, & 4, 2008 ARE FIRM FOR THE PANSAL 2008 SPRING BREAK.   I'll see ya'll there ! Maps and other information are posted at the very end of this issue of the Newsletter.  Many camp on-site  -  This is a dry camp site - In years past I have stayed at the Colonial INN in Ontario.  It's about a 30min drive to camp - but their rates are quite reasonable and hot showers, restaurant dining, and a soft bed beckon with unmerciful persistence.  On any given day, show up when it feels good.  Swap lies, ideas, and experiences.  Around camp, sight in, shoot games and/or challenges, see and try other airguns.  Or - go forth and slay the denizens that inhabit the Western Idaho desert.  In particular, the dreaded Western Idaho Sabre-Toothed Ground Squirrel.  Use enough gun!

This rogue bull, taken in '04 by Leonard Wilson, has yet to be topped.

The story is NOT one you want to hear just before bedtime.

Some Pictures from PANSAL SPRING BREAK 2007.  Again, if you've been to a PANSAL Spring Break - I know I will see you there again.  If you have not been before, here is a little of what to expect.

Don't Look, Ethel !   I tell ya'

There's twenty grown men down there with  BB  Guns !

Camp Shot 

AND THE 2007 PANSAL SPRING BREAK PICTURE OF THE  YEAR

By Ernie Olsen

This Badger is peeking out over the top of his mound watching a bunch of guys  'whacking' Ground Squirrels.  Kind of reminded me of Audrey II  (the blood eating alien plant from Little Shop Of Horrors) shouting:

" FEED ME !    SEYMOUR !    FEED ME !"

          Here we go - round 3.  It's coming together.  In this issue, we have some reports, comments, and (above) the picture of the year (by Ernie Olsen) from PANSAL Spring Break '07.  Other pics and comments are on the Pomona Airguns website.  You will find a write-up of another airgun.  Part II of the Paraffin Pellet Stop article by Steve O'Barr is in here.  Look for the hunt report from Nate Bridges of Sunnyside, WA.  There is the schedule of airgun activities in the region.  Some other miscellaneous stuff, maybe a few ads.  And anything else I can think of, or you tell me you want. 

Come on guys, I know you have some interesting stuff out there.  I need some write-ups about your favorite airguns.  I have to reach to the back of the closet for some of these.  Tell us your experience and results with some of the 'standards' like Crosman, Benjamin, Sheridan and other guns of old, and not so old.  Your experiences with and evaluations of some more recent 'standards' like R1s, R7s, R9s, HW97s and the many take offs thereof.  Reports on some of the newer stuff, Revo's, Evo's, Kodiaks, Wolves, even Sharks and Caimans.  There's room for the Chinese stuff.  Inquiring minds want to know!  You don't have to be a Doyle or a Crichton.  Just tell it like you would in camp or over your favorite liquid refreshment, or both.  Granted, neither Seagram's, Anheuser Busch, Coors nor Weinhard sponsor this rag.  However, one or another of them has been known to influence it's content from time to time.

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AND NOW TO THE IMPORTANT STUFF

PANSAL SPRING BREAK

As I said, last issue, if you've been there before, I know I will see there again.

          If you have not been before - or even if you have but can't remember the way, you will find maps and written directions (from I-84 and from the Colonial Inn in Ontario OR) at the bottom of the newsletter, just before the obligatory disclaimers.

          For newcomers who want to get some idea of what to expect, you are directed to the pictures of past PANSAL SPRING BREAKs found in the PANSAL section of the POMONA AIRGUNS website.      www.pomona-airguns.com     Plus you will find good maps to Spring Break in that same 'Club Info' section of their website.  Just scroll down to the bottom of the site.  It is a great site, plus he makes space available on his website for our newsletter and activities - as well as other clubs.  Between that and their equipment 'drawings' among other things, they really are one of the suppliers who give back to their customers and the sport in general.

          If you have not been before, what can you expect, besides more fun than decent people need to have all at one time?

Weather - anything.  Probably sunny and warm but with cooling breezes.  Possibly cool to downright cold, particularly in the evening and at night.  It has been known to rain.  However, if it rains - you will probably be around camp anyway - the critters know enough stay in out of the rain.

What will you need to bring?

1.   Good general outdoor clothing is recommended.  Including light - medium - and heavy shirts, plus a warm jacket and a windbreaker of some sort.  You will be prepared for any thing from dawn to dawn.  If you want to hike/hunt you can get by with regular work or outdoor shoes.   I don't know of anybody ever encountering Jake NoShoulders during any of the Spring Breaks. 

2.   Fluids.  Lots of liquid (you are in the desert).  Both in bulk while around camp, and suitable smaller container(s) to carry with you afield.  If and when it is dank and/or windy a thermos for a hot beverage can be really nice.

3.   If you are camping on site - you will need the usual coolers, water containers (lots,

you are in the desert), cooking equipment and supplies, camp chair(s) and sleeping gear.  This location takes the concept of a 'dry' camp to a whole new level.

      a.   You will need a good ground pad.  Rocks, prickly pear cactus, and clumps of

            cheat-grass do not a mattress make.

      b.   I suggest a tent - it can be very cold and very windy at night.

4.   A comfortable camp chair  -  just for sittin' around and bs'ing socializing.

5.   A collapsible table for shooting on the range at camp, and a chair or stool

      appropriate for such use.

6.   If you have one, an awning type shade provider - goes up with a frame like a tent

      but there is just the 'lid' - can be handy.

7.   Really # 1.  Airguns - lots of 'em

8.   Really # 2.  Ammunition - lots of it - for all of them

9.   Really # 3.  CO2 or HPA as needed - again, lots of it, for lots of shooting

10.  IF you intend to participate in the Western Idaho Sabre Toothed Ground Squirrel

       population control program, you will need an Idaho Non-Resident (if you are not

      an Idaho resident) Non Game Hunting License.   They are $29.95.  I have

      encountered Idaho Wardens and BLM Rangers on all of my trips.  The license

      can be obtained at:

      Idaho Exit 3 off of I-84 - the Scoggins Shell station  - open 24/7  Appears as a

      Phillips 66 station on the map below.  But now a Shell station.

      The Anderson Corner store if going South on 95 from Fruitland or North on

      20/26/95 (all the same centerline) from Parma.   They don't open 'til 9:00 a.m.

      www.andersoncorner.com       

11. Repeat, fluids - water or ..........  for both in camp and in some transportable

      fashion such as bottle or canteen.   This place is part of the Great American Desert.

12.  MOST IMPORTANT - an appetite whetted for FUN

          Aside from BE SAFE and HAVE FUN there is only one other thing you need to know.  DON'T SHOOT THE FLAMINGOS.  Like I said before, 'There's always a rope or two in camp, though we may have to go some distance to find a tree.'

Again, the new PANSAL membership list will be out shortly.  Perhaps you can find others in your area or along the way that wish to share travel. 

          A  'HEAD COUNT' really helps in putting this thing together.  If you are planning to attend, please contact me with your name, as well as the names of any others coming with you.  If you're still 'putting it together', please let me know as soon as you know.

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TECH TIP FOR THIS ISSUE

The Cheap, Silent, Low Toxic, Lead Recycling Pellet Trap  Part I

 By Steve O'Barr

The severe winter weather stops my airgunning out of doors and after a bit of playful shooting with my Marksman 2000 in the bedroom I began to desire more challenging action and less lead exposure.  I found I could fit a 10 meter shooting lane in the basement, but needed a good pellet trap.   The old standby is one of the several commercially available metal traps from air gun and related companies.  So why not just order one or make one?  Well I intend to.  Make one, that is.  The manufactured variety appear to me:  1.) Too small,  or  2.) Too expensive.

As to making one, I have no metal working skills.  My main objection for indoor

use, though, is the lead splatter and loud bang.  The pulverizing or nanosecond flattening of metal to metal high-speed collision just has to send lead particles out in the air and surrounding space.   My mind went into “systems “ mode.  What are the ideal design parameters for a pellet trap/back stop?  I came up with the following list, in approximate order of priority.

                   1.  Safely trap all pellets, no ricochets or shrapnel escape. 

                    2.   Capture and contain all lead that reaches the target. 

                    3.   Allow recycling of lead. 

                    4.   Quiet as possible.

                    5.   Durable. 

                    6.   Cheap or at last reasonable cost. (For me this should be higher up the

                          list!)

Now the concept of the Quiet pellet trap is not new.  Ballistic or electricians putty in a strong open-faced box is used to capture and hold the lead.  I bought some for an old electrical junction box I had surreptitiously salvaged at the dump.  The “Electrical Duct Seal” is not expensive per bag, but four of the 1 pound bags I found at Home Depot would just cover a standard page with 1- 1 1/2  inches or so thickness.  Bigger blocks are available but at more cost.  Cost was only one of the issues that bothered me.  First it would be necessary to throw out the whole mess of goop when saturated with pellets.  I couldn’t see how to separate out the lead except by possible high temp burning with a torch. Now that would be toxic for me and the environment. I felt any solvent method for separation would be too complicated and messy.  The idea of putting all that perfectly good lead into our local landfill seemed such a waste and needless “toxic dumping”.  Besides each “refill” would cost money for new putty. Rather to spend that on pellets!  Plus I am just plain obsessed (so my family feels) with recycling all I can. 

So, what would provide the benefits, quiet and absorptive, of the duct seal putty AND yet allow easy separation?  Drawing on my former life as a surfer in the sixties, and later, hippy and sometime candle maker in the early seventies, paraffin quickly came to mind.  (Note here to Brits and Commonwealthers, paraffin is a hard petroleum based wax, not the liquid fuel stuff, which is properly called kerosene).  But the stuff I had used was rather brittle and cracked with stress.  Plus oil had just hit $50 + a barrel. Was there a more viscous type available and would it be affordable?  After a futile search locally, the Internet was resorted to and Eureka!  Paraffin comes in several hardness and melting point formulas.  I also found a candle supply store in Reno, my closest city.  Price was $13.00 for a whole slab which was in 2 pieces each just under 12 x 10 x 1½ inches.  Perfect size for my print out targets!  I bought the 127 degree pretty soft variety for making “container candles”.  I mentally sketched a simple wood box to hold these but decided to try out the stuff first.  With 3 inches of soft energy absorbing material I decided to first start at 10 feet from muzzle, down in the basement with stacked 2x4 backing.  I was somewhat surprised at the full penetration.  Backing off to 10 yards resulted in the same over penetration!  Now with a metal back stop this will not be a problem except for some muffled noise.  Did I forget to mention I was shooting a hot rodded Prosport and  RWS 350 mag, both .22s  and a Patriot .25?  Actually the stock Slavia 630 only penetrated the first slab and the modded QB78 .22 made it about ½ inch into the second slab.  This was actually more the type of guns I was looking to shoot in the basement anyway.  After all one goal was to minimize lead dust contamination indoors.  Hard to do with magnum power and speed!  The wax surface craters filled in at bottom with my wife’s hair dryer but did not totally fill and smooth over, at least quick enough to suit me.  My heat gun or propane torch should do the trick of resurfacing easily.   Well the paraffin was working, kind of, actually great for lower power guns.  I believe substituting the rear slab with a more dense wax may work better for magnums without losing any advantage.  Next trip into the big city I will buy some and retest.  Instead of inserting a metal layer (remember my shortcomings) I also could fiberglass mat the back.  As to recycling lead, just take out the paraffin.  Put pieces in an old pot and heat to melting point - around the 150-degree range.  Pour off the liquid into the pellet trap box (laid flat of course) and you’re set.

Well time to build a housing for the paraffin slabs.  Using scrap ¾ inch plywood and 2x4 and deck screws I had already, I sketched a simple “box” plan.  I did need to buy the shortest 2x6 I could as well.  Total invested so far = $6 wood +$13 paraffin, $18 total.  I framed the box with 2x6 for “pellet resistance” and to contain any wax spray from high velocity hits.  A bottom “shelf” was the left over from sawing the back.  It will serve two purposes:   1.) To catch any wax thrown out.   2.) A base for any reactive targets.  I also added a steel clip from a broken clipboard I had been saving exactly for use as a target holder. 

What about wad cutters (flat nosed pellets) will they stop before penetration?  Do I want to practice with any thing but the round nosed rounds I hunt with?  Maybe I can use harder paraffin as a second layer or use 3 progressively denser slabs.

This is surely not an original idea but probably a very old one.  Seems to me I may have read about a similar scheme years ago, but can’t recall anything definite.  If you do remember any such specifics please let me know.  And while you’re at it, maybe you can help me find my reading glasses.

Tune in next month, same time, same station, for Part II.  Can he?  Will she? 

Editors note - this sure sounds good to me.  Duct seal is great stuff.  However, it is too expensive to throw away and yet a real pain to salvage by removing pellet masses embedded in it.  Not to mention rubber gloves to minimize lead contact.  (Frankly, I do throw it away).  The idea of simply melting and pouring off the paraffin for continued use sure has me looking at this the next time my duct seal gets so full of lead that it starts throwing things back at me.   Waiting for the next installment….

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YOU SHOW ME YOURS................

ANSCHUTZ 220

This airgun came in to my possession nearly forty years ago.  In a life long past, I shot with and coached some of our international rifle teams.  I was with a team in Europe in 1970 (as I recall) when the team took the obligatory tour that all U.S. teams made of the Anschutz plant.  While the team was moving along the production stations for the Smallbore Match Rifles, I was across the way being fascinated by the airgun manufacturing process.  Every so often, somebody would holler "Hey, Red, we're moving!" and I'd get with the team as they moved to the next Smallbore Rifle production station.  However, in moments I'd be back over watching the Airgun line.  At the end of the tour, in the Reception room, I engaged in a conversation with The Mr. Anschutz.  He apparently had noticed my interest in the Airguns.  We had a fairly lengthy, if occasionally labored, discussion regarding the future of competitive rifle shooting, creating shooting opportunities, and generating youth involvement.  I expressed my opinion regarding the value of Airguns as literally the potential salvation of competitive rifle and pistol shooting.  They are relatively quiet and relatively safe.  You can build a totally safe range anywhere you have forty to fifty feet of clear floor space.  You just 'set it up', without any special construction or ventilation requirements. Then take it down or move it aside until next week when your class meets again.  Furthermore, for whatever reason, Airguns are somewhat removed from the 'gun' stigma of firearms.  A good many parents will not even consider allowing their children to participate in a firearm shooting class or program.  Yet, those same parents have no problem allowing their children to participate in airgun activities.  The time came to depart.  As we were being herded out the door to our transportation, Mr. Anschutz handed me this rifle with an admonition that essentially amounted to 'Go forth, use it well, and grow the sport'.  I am satisfied that I have fulfilled his purpose.

   A lot of other airguns have come and gone over the years.  The technology has improved dramatically.  But, every so often I still bring this old girl out of the closet and shoot her in local 10mtr competitions, simply for old times sake.    A while back, during one of these sessions, a small piece of unfinished metal (roughly 3/32nds of an inch approximately square cross-section and about 1/4 of an inch long) fell from the underside of the gun, in to my hand.  My best guess - a piece of a broken spring.  The gun has not been shot since then.  As I recall from watching these being built - the gun uses a pair of mainsprings.  They are counter-coiled as a vibration and recoil / twist damper.  I needed to obtain the correct springs, or more preferable simply send the gun out for competent repair.  I was directed to Randy Bimrose by more than one Classic 10-Meter Airgun collector.  Shipping irreplaceable items is always nerve racking.  Particularly since it is the direct history of this one particular specimen that makes it special.  However, when I attend Randy's Spring Gun Class this summer, I will be delivering it to him so he can cast his best spell on it.  A note of interest, this gun has absolutely no brand or model identification on it, above or below the stock line.  The sole marking appears to be a serial number.  The number is located on the left side, just beneath the loading port. 

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We need your input.  It's what PANSAL is all about.  Sharing information.  Tech Tips, You Show Me Yours ................, Stories (Hunting, Remarkable Incidents, Family Fun, Introducing Friends and Neighbors to Airguns, Events you have attended and Games/Competitions you have tried (reports and impressions), Projects (even things tried that didn't work).  BIG Mistakes - we've all made them - written about either for humor or for education.

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CLASSIFIEDS

So far as I know, these items are still available.  I have no word otherwise.

For Sale and Still available:

B40 .22 cal underlever BAM copy of Air Arms TX200 with factory spring/guide and JM seal not installed.  Will have at PANSAL for inspection.  Purchased 2006.  Spare Stock included  Gordon Davis - gldavis@cableone.net

Theoben Crusader .25cal  - .25 caliber - gas-ram.  Smoother than a spring - and power adjustable.  Theoben Dampa-Mount incl.  Stock is  checkered walnut-stained hardwood.  Overall condition is 98%.  Includes 22 tins (4,400) Beeman FTS, 8 tins (2,000) Rhino,  6 tins (approx. 1,000) assorted Beeman pellets.   Price   $950.00 plus shipping.   Gun is Located in Central Washington.  Contact    dave3220@mac.com    or on (509)775-2668

Webley (Axsor) FX2000 .22  (essentially a 'carbine' Tarantula)  in As New condition.  Available in the standard walnut full fore-end field/varmint stock (13.5" lop) with sling swivels and 'no-slip' target butt pad - $650.00.  Or available in a Tarantula 'take-off' dark Turkish walnut stock, gives this carbine a truly 'Mannlicher' look, at $750.00.  Pics available.  Gun is Located in Western Washington.  Contact    centerex@comcast.net

Anschutz ZM 2002  (ZM= Zasadny Modified - for field target)  Regulator tuned by Joe Korick.   Includes Burris 8-32  and case.   Price $2,000.00  is Negotiable Editors note - this gun is a proven winner in both Field Target and Airgun Bench Rest - again and again and again…  Gun is Located in Western Washington   Contact    lmtechnical@comcast.net     or on (206)369-3875