Duke Venturino scores again with 03A3 article

[Patrick L]

A very nice article in the current issue of Rifle magazine. I got mine today, and since I was home sick it saved the day.

[Mike Venturino]

Patrick: Well, that is darn nice to hear. I hope you heal quickly.
Mike

PS: For some of you who might worry that I bestowed that nickname on myself recently, I've had it for 40 years. It came from a horse I once owned. Somebody in another thread on this site thought I had recently given that name to myself.

[bruce drake]

Mike,

I once thought the same thing when I first read it in one of the articles. It's tough when you share a nickname with a film legend.

Bruce
(I hate Kung fu movies)

[pmeisel]

As a nickname, it beats "Biff", "Buffy", or "Spiff"!

[wiljen]

Agreed, Really liked the article in Rifle- picked up a copy of guns while recovering from surgery and read a casting article that looked suspiciously like a recycle of one I was in handloader a month or so ago. Everything old is new again when it comes to cast right now - all the mags seem to want to run "How to cast" articles.

Wiljen

[Mike Venturino]

The magazines are being requested to "hit" casting by readers because all the reloading tool companies are having record sales.

[Dale53]

We "old timers" have to understand that magazines have a new constituency every four or five years that they MUST cater to as well as us old duffers. It is a constant balancing act for the magazines.

Obviously, if you just apply a bit of thought, you'll see that the magazines MUST cover old ground on a regular basis. "It's not all about US or ME" it's about the entire shooting community.

FWIW
Dale53

[Char-Gar]

Mike... I have really appreciated your articles of late on WWII firearms. I was born in 1942 and remember when the boys came home with all of their liberated fiearms. When I was a kid they were plentful with Japs running $10 to $12, Mausers about $20 and 03s and 03A3s about $35. Then HyHunter and others flooded the country with boat loads of other mil-surp rifles. What a bgreat time for a young fellow with an itch to shoot and an old Pacific reloading press.

Keep up the good work!

[PAT303]

Mike you have what looks like a VZ 24 mauser sniper rifle with a kahles 6x42 scope with outside adjustments,do you know from when the scope dates from?,I'm only asking because I have the very same scope.Keep the casting articles coming. Pat

[oldhickory]

Mike, you and Brian do a fine job with the casting articles. Rifle and Handloader are the only magazines I subscribe to for the very reason that I can always find a casting article, or at least some cast boolit loads in them. Keep up the good work.:lovebooli

[Mike Venturino]

Pat303: I can't say from when that scope dates exactly. The rifle is dated '37 and all I can say is that scope has been around for a long, long time. Under the leather eyecups it is slightly pitted and discolored. But the optices are still fine. The reticle is that usual European type with thick, pointed center post and thick lateral bars. I have no idea as to when that rifle and scoped got matched up but it makes a nice rig.


oldhickory: I'll keep casting till the very end. I started 43 years ago this coming December and still haven't gotten tired of it.

MLV

[BoolitBill]

The guns look great, but truth be told, I wish I had the Jeep behind the guns in the picture on the opening pages of the article. Alway enjoy your articles Mike!

[Mike Venturino]

Bill: yeah that jeep was a heck of a find, especially when I wasn't even looking for one when I stumbled across it only 50 miles from here. I wish they had used the photo showing all of it.

Mike

[Shiloh]

As a nickname, it beats "Biff", "Buffy", or "Spiff"!

Spiff??

Shiloh

[PAT303]

Like everyone else has said keep up the casting articles,my scope also has the german post recticle and is slightly discolored but it is clear and works as good as new.I get handloader posted to Oz as I find the local mags don't write about anything thats more than 2 years old and never about casting. Pat

[Buckshot]

Mike... I have really appreciated your articles of late on WWII firearms. I was born in 1942 and remember when the boys came home with all of their liberated fiearms. When I was a kid they were plentful with Japs running $10 to $12, Mausers about $20 and 03s and 03A3s about $35. Then HyHunter and others flooded the country with boat loads of other mil-surp rifles. What a bgreat time for a young fellow with an itch to shoot and an old Pacific reloading press.

Keep up the good work!

...........Heck, I'm only 56 and I remember an "Army-Navy" store down on old Hwy 99 that was an amazing place for a young boy. Would have had to have been right around '59-'60 or so. The building is still there but it's an antique mall now. I remember a HUGE pile of assorted mouldering canvas out in their chainlinked back paved area, and stacks of the uni-directional military tires. They had tents hanging from the high ceiling and table after table with rectangle aluminum bins heaped up with odds and ends. Stack upon stack of helmets.

One of my shooting buddies who is a bit older said you could buy an Arisaka there for a couple bucks (they'd taken out the firing pins) and he and his brother used them to play army in the orange groves.

...............Buckshot

[pmeisel]

Yeah, I used to know a real preppy dude who was called "Spiff". I think it was short for "Spiffy".

Back to thread. Great article. I didn't see it for a week, my wife put it under a bunch of other stuff I seldom read.

I don't have a deep military collection addiction, but I think I want an 03A3 when they become available from the CMP again. Or maybe a sporterized used one if I see one.

[O.S.O.K.]

I always enjoy Mike's articles and they are the first ones that I look for in each new issue.

I have a 03-A3 Remington myself and enjoyed reading the article - especially since he almost always includes cast boolit information.

As to the increased number of requests for cast boolit articles - I think its because a lot of shooters got burned by the lack of jacketed ammo and bullets when the run was on. Casting lets you keep a continuous supply of ammo available regardless of what's going on in the ammo/component market.

Of course, you still need the cases, propellant and primers.... the reason that I've got a small stockpile of those.

[Chunky Monkey]

Can never read enough WWII gun and casting articles. I get GUNS, Handgunner, and Handloader. Guess I gotta get a subscription to Rifle. Damn internet is always costing me money.

Keep up the good work 'Duke'

Later
'Chunky' :lol:

[Three44s]

I like the UTTER independence ....... of casting!

And the satisfaction of one more thing in my ammo ......... that's ME .......... at the wheel so to speak.

And the fact that once the equipment is bought .......... the cost is just about zero!

Keep up those casting articles ........ Duke!

Three 44s

[Mike Venturino]

Thanks again, guys. I do appreciate hearing your comments.

Chunky: you think the Internet costs you money! During our last, EXTRA LONG Montana winter, I got hooked on gunbroker and tried to stimulate the economy all by myself. I'm not too unhappy about it though because I ended up with a scoped K43 8mm, and a Soviet SVT40 to go with my Garands, and one of those Ohio Ordnance Works semi-auto BARs, another M1 Carbine, and some WW2 handguns. Interesting stuff.

Mike

[Chunky Monkey]

Thanks again, guys. I do appreciate hearing your comments.

Chunky: you think the Internet costs you money! During our last, EXTRA LONG Montana winter, I got hooked on gunbroker and tried to stimulate the economy all by myself. I'm not too unhappy about it though because I ended up with a scoped K43 8mm, and a Soviet SVT40 to go with my Garands, and one of those Ohio Ordnance Works semi-auto BARs, another M1 Carbine, and some WW2 handguns. Interesting stuff.

Mike

I seen the pics of that BAR in one of the recent gunzines. That's a sweet rifle ~ sure would be pretty damn interesting to fire one of those originals in full auto!

[Mike Venturino]

I don't know if this is going to work but I'm trying to post a photo of my 1943 jeep with my two 03A3s.

MLV

http://i480.photobucket.com/albums/rr169/MLV1/7-29-09097LargeWebview.jpg

[Mike Venturino]

Yeaaaahhhh! It worked!
MLV

[wiljen]

sweet. I'm envious.

[waksupi]

Mike, it appears you do some pretty serious gopher strafing when home. That's a well armed jeep!

[Chunky Monkey]

:holysheep Damn you Mike! Can't believe you have your own jeep. That thing is frggin sweet!

[docone31]

That looks like an M38.
Way cool.