Remembering

[Beekeeper]

Cajon shooter in his post started me remembering my Grandparents.

Sometimes remembering is painful but I have fond memories of my Grandfather.
He was a cotton farmer in south Texas and had a large pecan grove as well.
He and my father were avid fishermen and hunters.
During my 8 th year my folks took me there to see my Grandparents and on the way stopped in Fort Worth Texas and went to a swap meet there.

There was row upon row of guns for sale and to an 8 year old with $3.00 in his pocket it was nervana.
I bought a 22 rifle and 2 boxes of 22 longs for that $3.00 and got in a lot of hot water for doing it
It had no firing pin spring and only shot straight up.

My punishment for my transgression was to spend the summer working in the pecan groves squirel hunting to keep the pecan depradition down.
On a trip to town to get shells I had the rifle with me and the man who owned the hardware store took it in the back and put a ball point pen spring in it for a firing pin spring.
Told me to bring him the squirel tails as he could sell them to the colledge kids and we could make some money.
Made $20.00 that summer! I am sure my Grandfather had something to do with it.
The reason for this rambling is to ask a question.
My Grandfather taught me to reload that summer and how to clean a gun.
He insisted that you never pushed a patch from the muzzle end but drug it from the receiver end.
Said you always clean in the direction of boolit travel

Old wives tale?

See what happens when you get old and have time to remember the sins of your youth.


Jim

[firefly1957]

In theory it keeps excess dirt and oil out of the chamber and reduces wear to the muzzle crown.
I was taught the same and usually still do it that way but have a couple auto loaders that do not lend themselves to cleaning that way and of course you have little choice with a muzzle loader.

[montana_charlie]

reduces wear to the muzzle crown.
I see that as the primary benefit.
CM

[1Shirt]

Both my Grandfathers were hunters, but not fishermen. Both were deer hunters, and on my dad's side, am pretty sure that during the depression there was little or no beef eaten but a lot of venison (year round). On my mothers side, my grandfather was a big fox and coon hunter. I remember the last time I hunted with my paternal grandfather. I must have been about 17, so it was the year before I enlisted. He was a high wire lineman, drank like a fish, and was a womanizer of the first water, but he was all man, and he loved to hunt. He was going down pretty fast at that point from the hard life that he lived, and was in his late 60's. We were walking a hedge row, and a big rooster phesant busted right under his feet. I waited for him to shoot, and he had his gun up, but yelled, take it, I can't see good enough. I shot the pheasant. When we walked over to pick it up, he said, when you can't see well enough to shoot a pheasant it is about time to die. He died when I was in boot camp. Kind of a bitter sweet memory. He taught me to clean shotguns with a nail tied to the end of a long piece of heavy twine with a rag tied to the other end, that you dropped thru the receiver end (37 Ithica), with a little bit of oil on it. You did that about 3-4 times, and then wiped the gun down with a slightly oily rag, and set it in the corner until you were ready to go again. Cleaning kits back then were for folks who could afford them.
1Shirt!:coffeecom