Anniversary Weekend, 2022

This weekend marked the 21st anniversary of taking possession of our farm. It also marked the first time I’ve felt halfway normal since the Chemo ended. I was actually able to get around and putter a bit. KYHillChick stayed home with the dogs, but the rest of the tribe showed up. Moose and Junior came down Friday with the Mooselette. Angus had a last-minute piping gig, but arrived before sundown. MooseWoman showed up Saturday with her tribe. Saturday night, Moose fixed everyone steak at the campground.

Moose and the Squirrel Gun

Moose acquired a .32 caliber flintlock Tennessee Mountain Rifle over the summer. This was his first flintlock, and Friday evening was his first chance to fire it. He managed a squirrel-sized group with it and decided to take it hunting on Saturday. He managed to get 5 shots at squirrels down in Hootin’ Holler but did not score. He later figured out the front partridge sight was loose. He spent part of Saturday afternoon getting that straightened out.

Bess Gets a Workout

My Brown Bess Musket has been lying dormant since before Chemo started. I have been acquiring bits and pieces along the way. This was the first time I have been able to try things out. I got tired before I was able to draw serious conclusions, but I was able to pull off enough shots to find out that my .715″ balls are able to group on a deer-sized target at 40 yards. I accomplished this with 80 grains of powder, a nitro card, the ball and then a fiber wad soaked in olive oil. This was a loading method inspired by the now-famous Skychief Load.

Skychief’s Shot Load

Before quitting, I decided to see what the Skychief load would do with an ounce of #6 shot. At 25 yards, it plasted a cardboard target with a fairly tight load. I was impressed. The Bess can go squirreling as soon as I’m ready for the trek.

Mooselette and the Marlin

Daddy Moose has been working with Mooselette trying to get her in shape for Yute Season, coming up in a few weeks. The one stumbling block he has encountered has been a rather pronounced flinch. Mooselette and I talked through the problem. Her big issue seemed to be the loud noise. I had her dry-fire the Marlin 336 several times at the bench before feeding her a round. At least for now, the flinch is in abeyance.

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