13 Jan

>SHOT Show Next Week, Bone Jewelry, and OPMOD

Steven K. Ledin,

SHOT (Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade) show this week in Vegas. This is my superbowl. Lots of work to do there, and I’ll bring back a year’s worth of work for here. Good shoes and a backpack with comfortable straps are a must. I’ll speak with OEM companies for our own brands, and some vendors we aren’t carrying yet. Lots of miles to cover, and thousands of booths. See a lot of old friends and lots of new guns.

Been making rings and jewelry for friends lately out of ivory and deer bones. Glad to make a wingbone turkey call for …

28 Dec

>Father and Daughter Guns, More Consumable Dead Animals, Christmas Loot, and OP Holiday Gala at the Field Museum

Steven K. Ledin,

My mission…to provide a youth rifle in .22 for a girl’s 10th birthday gift, a full-size .22 rifle for her dad, and a .22 pistol they both can use. Lots to choose from. There’s plenty of youth single shots out there, but even for a kid, they get boring quickly. A repeater is appreciably more fun, and keeps their interest peaked longer. A bolt is normally my choice, and the Remington Model 5 Compact would be a good one. Unfortunately, they were discontinued and nowhere to be found. I thought the next best choice would be the Ruger 10/22 Compact
10 Dec

Iowa Cold, Nikon M-223 on a 12 Gauge, Filled Tags, Butchery, and Food

Steven K. Ledin,

The weather in Iowa during our hunt was supposed to be cold, and they got it right. Single digits waking up, and highs in the 20s. Since Tom and I were driving, space and weight weren't an issue. I brought about all the good base layers of underwear I had. Better too much than too little. One of the hardest parts to get correct is the type and quantity of layers to wear, taking into consideration how much walking and sweating you have to do to get to your tree stand. Sweating under your clothes and sitting in wet underwear
29 Nov

>Last Minute Sighting-In Debacle Featuring Nikon Optics and Uncooperative Guns and Ammo

Steven K. Ledin,

I waited until the last minute, and this is what I get. It was deer season in Illinois two weekends ago and my range was closed because of it, so I had to wait until this last weekend to sight in for my Iowa deer hunt in a few days. I had Saturday set for shooting in case I ran into trouble. Turns out, I did have trouble, and needed to go Sunday, as well.

I had six boxes of 20 gauge Remington Accutips for my new Savage 220F that I’ve been excited about shooting. The hype on these guns …

24 Nov

>Product Specialist Devil Dogs

Steven K. Ledin,

Here’s three of our Technical Sales Product Specialists. Trevor, Chase, and Mark. Not technically “Devil Dogs” because they’re not all dressed as Marines, but all three have period, original, authentic gear totalling around 8 grand. This is what Halloween brings to our team. I was the Gordon’s fisherman. It’s not all work here. These guys are as good as you can get.