Sportsman’s Corner: Rust never sleeps

Published: 08-22-2024 5:00 PM

Modified: 08-28-2024 3:08 PM


By Mike Roche

My weekly training trips to Hedgerow Hunt Club with Tessie include shooting chukars over her. Her staunchness has been excellent. She is great at finding downed birds and bringing them back, almost all the way. What we are working on is that obedient retrieve “to hand.”

The work on the bench is beginning to show improvement but there is still a ways to go. “Trust the process” is an oft-repeated phrase and this writer needs to remind himself to be patient. Young dogs take time and because Tessie does so many things well, sometimes my expectations are a bit too high.

Meanwhile, on the matter of rust. When shooting during training, the gun of choice is a Remington 1100 20-gauge semi-automatic that has been a staple for me for 40 years (and yes, it a firearm that the new Massachusetts gun law prohibits Massachusetts residents to buy and non-residents to possess, but more on that later). Each week, after the training session, it goes back into the case.

Imagine my surprise Tuesday morning when there was a rust spot on the top of the receiver. The size of a match head, it was probably the result of a drop of chukar blood that went unnoticed, as the gun was not wiped down after the use. My bad! You may recall that the used Franchi Veloce over/under that was purchased at Kittery Trading Post last summer was a bargain because of some surface rust.

Internet research (thank God for YouTube) provided a treatment for surface rust on firearms that involved using fine (#0000) steel wool, motor oil and a little elbow grease to treat rust spots. It worked very well on the Franchi, and it came out again for the 1100. It did a good job of removing the rust, but a slight pit remains. That will be treated with a gun blue touchup pen. They are not expensive and do a fair job on treated rust spots.

My shooting during training sessions is dismal at best. For some reason, the first shot is almost always a miss. My excuse would be that with handling the dog and watching for steadiness and often having to work to get the planted bird to fly, my head is elsewhere. Or I could blame the gun or the hand-loaded shot shells. It makes it a bit more exciting than it needs to be, however.

Certainly, these cool mornings have us thinking fall and the month of August is really flying by. After not doing any bass fishing at all, the last week there have been a couple of runs out and the bass have been quite cooperative. A random selection of a blue/red Senko was suddenly irresistible and three decent (two to three pounds on the Berkley Digital scale) came on five casts. Every cast close to structures like weeds or brush produced a take and the fish were inhaling the five-inch worms.

In short time, the bass had gone through every blue-colored Senko in my bag. They frequently shake off the Senkos, which slide down the line, when they jump and shake their heads. Ever wonder why we say fish jump? Three consecutive trips produced action, including one in a steady rain. Great summer fun. We all should try to get in as much fishing as possible, as summer will be gone before you know it.

No shooting this past week for me, but the Orange Gun Club has been shooting trap Tuesdays and the Petersham Gun Club has trap Friday nights. Great time to sharpen the eye! Bow hunters are also getting ready and both the Pequoig Bowmen and Petersham Gun Club have great courses. Get out and do something active!

As far as the confusing and complicated new Massachusetts gun law, everyone is struggling to understand exactly what it all means. A meeting of law enforcement leaders is being planned, which will be held within the next month and local police are planning to learn all they can about the changes. Meanwhile, it is “business as usual” for those looking to renew or apply for a permit to carry. As of this week, that process will continue as it has until such time as new information dictates changes.

If you want to learn more about the new law, join the Gun Owners Action League (GOAL). Their member’s website has the best information available on the law and they are working with a number of national organizations on behalf of responsible gun owners. Court challenges are already in the works, a referendum is being prepared, and pushback against the legislature and governor is gaining momentum. It would be a good idea to get started on the renewal or application process as soon as possible.

Mike Roche is a retired teacher who has been involved in conservation and wildlife issues his entire life. He has written the Sportsman’s Corner since 1984 and has served as advisor to the Mahar Fish’N Game Club, counselor and director of the Massachusetts Conservation Camp, former Connecticut Valley District representative on the Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife Board, a Massachusetts Hunter Education Instructor and is a licensed New York hunting guide. He can be reached at mikeroche3@msn.com.