O.K., I know you are asking yourself "What heck does a fly rod have to do with contemporary rifles?" Well, today I took out the new(to me) rifle I received from Track the other day in the rain, the Allen Martin copy of a Rupp with a 48 1/2" barrel. I got to put ten rounds thru it. As it's an odd caliber, .388, I started with all I had, some .360 with .015 patches. I'm going to get some .375 to try in it. They worked O.K., but my problem was with the correct period sites. The first six were on the target, but were about minute of ten inch pie plate. Then I had an eleven year old come over, and let him have a shot. Worth the smile he had. May have another convert, he was shooting High Power with his Stepdad with an AR. The last three I could cover with a nickel. It'll be going squirrel hunting later this week. Hope to get some pic's with rifle and dead critters.
Back to the point with a grin on my face. As Allen invited me to give him a call, I took him up on it. After he answered the phone, and I introduced myself, He stated so you are the guy that bought the fly rod. It turns out that this is the nickname he has given this beauty. The name comes from the very long, thin 48 1/2" custom sub "A" weight barrel built by John, Getz, and finished by Bobby Hoyt. All I can say about loading is that it's like it is lined with teflon. I found out from Allen that this rifle was unfired before today, but acted like it had a 1000 rounds thru it. The style prevents me from using regular muffs when shooting, so after three shots, I moved to foam plugs. She's one sweet shooter, even with the very low sites. Allen shared the story of why and how he built this gun. The bonus I get from this rifle is the carving he has put into it, which will help me in my feeble attempts at trying a Stophil Long. As we discuss topics on this site, such as carving, I'm see dimensions are much over exaggerated. I'm coming to the conclusion it is best to half what is stated, at the very least. I feel fortunate that I was able to obtain this fine piece, considering that the average wait is from two to four years for most of the top builders, and a number of them are retiring from building, like Steve Bookout, TOF (AKA Dave Kanger), and Jerry Huddleston, or have left us permanently. What a great day I have had. My first born is still complaining. Go Figure.
Bill
Bill
