Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[chipper1]

Hi guys, Greaser007 here:
I haven't chimed in these threads for a few years.
I am a Digger Pine scrounge up here in the Pacific Northwest, just north and west 60+ miles from the Dixie Fire burn.
Normally I would purchase a US Forest Service wood permit (4-chord each), and go in search of whatever was available whether Hem Fir, LodgePole Pine, Sugar Pine, Cedar, whatever was lying on the ground.
I finally figured out that Digger Pine (grey pine) grows prolific in my area of 600+ feet elevation, and now with the dry seasons and numerous wildfires, people are removing them.
How i get the free Pine is chasing ads in Craigslist under the "Free items" section. Free Bee's !!!
The catch and reason so much is available is because how many ordinary people own a Faller's Saw ? Few
So, i have two old Husky's I use: 1) 2100cd w/ 42" bar and green weenie filter.
2) 394xp w/ 42" bar and green weenie filter.
Thanks to finding Arboristsite.com I have been able to keep them running and on only 32:1 mix.
My wife and I haul our rounds in a 12-foot stock trailer because it is Low-to-the-Ground, for tipping-in the wood, rather than dead lifting each round like we would loading into a pickup.

I use an old homemade hydraulic wood splitter powered by a Harbor Frieght 6hp Preadator horiz shaft engine.
We burn 7-chords of wood each winter to keep our home warm and cozy.
Now, at age 70, I am wondering how many more seasons I'm gonna continue Scrounging Free Wood. hahahaha
For some reason, I think my two Husky's will out live me. LoL
Note: I keep my wood-splitter running nice from what I have learned here on Arboristsite forums. yep. a fact.

Hope y'all have a bountiful Holiday Season !!
ps: i haven't shot my Colt .44 revolver for awhile, but comforting having it.

Good morning greaser007.
Good to hear from you.
Glad you could add to the ammo scrounging thread .
Have a great weekend .

 

[3000 FPS]

Got some standing dead spruce this year up in the mountains.

 

[svk]

I'm intsrested to see the MV difference between my 6" .357 revolver and 20" Henry lever.

I traded off my Chronograph a while back, need to get another one.

Are you on Facebook? Matt, rarefish, and I are in a great lever action group on there.

 

[svk]

I have a model 29 smith with 8 3/8 barrel. I have killed several bears with it. Never shot anything but factory ammo in the gun. Would shoot 44 special for target practice because of reduced recoil. Never found a reason to load hot rounds, altho My hunting buddies wanted fire flying from the end of the barrel. The Ruger redhawk is said to be a better handgun for the hot rounds than the Smith. I suspect your Dan Wesson might be similar. I had one at one time but liked the Smith better. For the range I shoot, I dont think hot loads are anything but a waste of powder. I try for head shots only and dont take shots at running bears. I have seen bears shot in the shoulder where the bullet never reached the vitals and a wounded bear can kill a pack of dogs if they catch it. Best to let the bear run undamaged until it either bays or trees than it is to wound it and let the dogs catch it. A couple years ago I had a hunting buddy body shoot a very large, 761lbs, bear in the body using a 450 lever action rifle, the dogs caught the bear and the bear caught my buddy by the leg. He managed to kill the bear by shooting it in the head with his foot in the bears mouth. I post pics of his leg a few years back and it was ugly. This put me on the search for something with a little more punch than a 44 mag. I am experimenting with the hornady ftx bullets in 225 grain. I am hopeing to find the 225 gr pointed bullets will penetrate more than the 240gr hp I usually use, yet still expand to do serious damage. I killed a deer a few days ago using the ftx bullets in my ruger carbine. Shoulder shot. Ruint both shoulders but exit hole was the same size as the entry hole. Deer ran 30 yards, good blood trail but almost no blood where the deer fell. When deer was hung, lots of blood poured out both sides of wound, indicating lots of internal damage and bleeding. How well this bullet will work on a bear I hope to find out in three weeks.

Holy moly....I remember you telling us that bear story before!

If I was handloading for pistol I would stick near factory loads....too much kick and most people shoot like **** due to the recoil. If loading for a rifle where you can burn that extra powder, then a hotter load makes sense.

 

[svk]

Ruint both shoulders

I love that word! Hadn't heard that one since my favorite great aunt passed away.

 

[muad]

Got some standing dead spruce this year up in the mountains.

View attachment 937885

Heck yeah!!!

 

[muad]

Are you on Facebook? Matt, rarefish, and I are in a great lever action group on there.

I ditched FB about a year or so ago. I miss the groups and marketplace.

 

[muad]

I have a model 29 smith with 8 3/8 barrel. I have killed several bears with it. Never shot anything but factory ammo in the gun. Would shoot 44 special for target practice because of reduced recoil. Never found a reason to load hot rounds, altho My hunting buddies wanted fire flying from the end of the barrel. The Ruger redhawk is said to be a better handgun for the hot rounds than the Smith. I suspect your Dan Wesson might be similar. I had one at one time but liked the Smith better. For the range I shoot, I dont think hot loads are anything but a waste of powder. I try for head shots only and dont take shots at running bears. I have seen bears shot in the shoulder where the bullet never reached the vitals and a wounded bear can kill a pack of dogs if they catch it. Best to let the bear run undamaged until it either bays or trees than it is to wound it and let the dogs catch it. A couple years ago I had a hunting buddy body shoot a very large, 761lbs, bear in the body using a 450 lever action rifle, the dogs caught the bear and the bear caught my buddy by the leg. He managed to kill the bear by shooting it in the head with his foot in the bears mouth. I post pics of his leg a few years back and it was ugly. This put me on the search for something with a little more punch than a 44 mag. I am experimenting with the hornady ftx bullets in 225 grain. I am hopeing to find the 225 gr pointed bullets will penetrate more than the 240gr hp I usually use, yet still expand to do serious damage. I killed a deer a few days ago using the ftx bullets in my ruger carbine. Shoulder shot. Ruint both shoulders but exit hole was the same size as the entry hole. Deer ran 30 yards, good blood trail but almost no blood where the deer fell. When deer was hung, lots of blood poured out both sides of wound, indicating lots of internal damage and bleeding. How well this bullet will work on a bear I hope to find out in three weeks.

A model 29 is on my want list.

Picked up a 19 earlier this year. Love it

 

[svk]

I had two model 29's and I especially regret selling the stainless one. Sold off a bunch of my non essential/non-sentimental guns in mid 2008. Yah I know, worst possible time to do so. But that is my luck.

The collection is slowly regenerating itself. Going to be a few years to get to an all time high number though LOL.

 

[svk]

I ditched FB about a year or so ago. I miss the groups and marketplace.

Come back even if it is just for the groups.

Just scored a couple dozen like new duck decoys off marketplace. Under $2 per decoy and most included weights. They are about $12 a piece retail now.

 

[panolo]

Ya mean that everyone didn't always hoard Ammo???

I know that when Obama was Pres numerous Federal agencies that had never purchased firearms or ammo previously stated buying them for undisclosed reasons, and that contributed to the shortages back then.

Likely a lot of other factors present now. Objects in motion tend to stay in motion, and the inverse. When folks get used to not working due to Covid, or just working from home due to Covid, or not working because unemployment paid them more, they kinda get used to not working, or only working from home, and figure out ways to continue doing it.

The drastically higher energy prices are also of no help.

Federal is running like crazy. There are lots of "contracts" that get filled before consumer ammo unfortunately.

 

[muddstopper]

I had gotten out of reloading years ago. I bought a complete Lee reloading set up when Clinton got elected and started hoarding powder, brass ,primers and bullets. I can reload 9mm, 45 auto, 44mag, 270, 3006, 7mmremag, 8mm, and 3030. I sold my 2506 dies when I sold the rifle. I only got back into reloading again when Obama got elceted. That pretty much covers every cal I own and I got reloading materials for all of them. I could probably load 3-4000 rounds with what I have on hand. I probably only have a couple hundred rounds of factory ammo if they are all added together. I just like to keep materials on hand, I cant carry 4000 rounds of ammo on me if I have to bug out, and I certainly cant carry every firearm I own while hideing from the zombies. If things start getting bad, I can load a lot of one cal and carry that firearm to match and run like a cut cat if I have to. No use leaving loaded ammo for the zombies to pick up and use. I would probably run with my Keltec and Glock 17 9mm's as well as the 270 or maybe the 7mmmag for long range snipering. Wife would carry the 44 carbine and the model 29. Somewhere we would find room for a sandwich or two.

 

[Philbert]

I had gotten out of reloading years ago. I bought a complete Lee reloading set up when Clinton got elected and started hoarding powder, brass ,primers and bullets. I can reload 9mm, 45 auto, 44mag, 270, 3006, 7mmremag, 8mm, and 3030. I sold my 2506 dies when I sold the rifle. I only got back into reloading again when Obama got elceted. That pretty much covers every cal I own and I got reloading materials for all of them. I could probably load 3-4000 rounds with what I have on hand. I probably only have a couple hundred rounds of factory ammo if they are all added together. I just like to keep materials on hand, I cant carry 4000 rounds of ammo on me if I have to bug out, and I certainly cant carry every firearm I own while hideing from the zombies. If things start getting bad, I can load a lot of one cal and carry that firearm to match and run like a cut cat if I have to. No use leaving loaded ammo for the zombies to pick up and use. I would probably run with my Keltec and Glock 17 9mm's as well as the 270 or maybe the 7mmmag for long range snipering. Wife would carry the 44 carbine and the model 29. Somewhere we would find room for a sandwich or two.

Sounds carefully planned out, in detail.

Philbert

 

[Philbert]

2 years, and 36 pounds later (today!).

Very adept at scrounging for sticks, which could be used for firewood. Does not hand load, probably due his lack of hands.



Philbert

 

[muad]

2 years, and 36 pounds later (today!).

Very adept at scrounging for sticks, which could be used for firewood. Does not hand load, probably due his lack of hands.

View attachment 937901

Philbert

Cute pup!!!

 

[muad]

I had two model 29's and I especially regret selling the stainless one. Sold off a bunch of my non essential/non-sentimental guns in mid 2008. Yah I know, worst possible time to do so. But that is my luck.

The collection is slowly regenerating itself. Going to be a few years to get to an all time high number though LOL.

Dang, two?!!

I also want a S&W 57. I hear 41mag is a sweet shooting round.

 

[muad]

Come back even if it is just for the groups.

Just scored a couple dozen like new duck decoys off marketplace. Under $2 per decoy and most included weights. They are about $12 a piece retail now.

I might create an alias account just to get access to Marketplace and groups.

Maybe... I just don't want to give them my traffic, my analytics, or any of my data that they harvest to make $$$$

 

[turnkey4099]

Hi guys, Greaser007 here:
I haven't chimed in these threads for a few years.
I am a Digger Pine scrounge up here in the Pacific Northwest, just north and west 60+ miles from the Dixie Fire burn.
Normally I would purchase a US Forest Service wood permit (4-chord each), and go in search of whatever was available whether Hem Fir, LodgePole Pine, Sugar Pine, Cedar, whatever was lying on the ground.
I finally figured out that Digger Pine (grey pine) grows prolific in my area of 600+ feet elevation, and now with the dry seasons and numerous wildfires, people are removing them.
How i get the free Pine is chasing ads in Craigslist under the "Free items" section. Free Bee's !!!
The catch and reason so much is available is because how many ordinary people own a Faller's Saw ? Few
So, i have two old Husky's I use: 1) 2100cd w/ 42" bar and green weenie filter.
2) 394xp w/ 42" bar and green weenie filter.
Thanks to finding Arboristsite.com I have been able to keep them running and on only 32:1 mix.
My wife and I haul our rounds in a 12-foot stock trailer because it is Low-to-the-Ground, for tipping-in the wood, rather than dead lifting each round like we would loading into a pickup.

I use an old homemade hydraulic wood splitter powered by a Harbor Frieght 6hp Preadator horiz shaft engine.
We burn 7-chords of wood each winter to keep our home warm and cozy.
Now, at age 70, I am wondering how many more seasons I'm gonna continue Scrounging Free Wood. hahahaha
For some reason, I think my two Husky's will out live me. LoL
Note: I keep my wood-splitter running nice from what I have learned here on Arboristsite forums. yep. a fact.

Hope y'all have a bountiful Holiday Season !!
ps: i haven't shot my Colt .44 revolver for awhile, but comforting having it.

Ah, yes, I recall back then that I was ponderin the same. Now at 86 I'm still out there on 3hr work periods many time a week. I'm down to scrounging places to cut just for the fun, work and exercise. I have enough in the stash to keep the house wwarm for another 10-15 years and don't expect to out lasst it.

 

[LondonNeil]

You'll probably outlast many of us!

 

[muddstopper]

Sounds carefully planned out, in detail.

Philbert

My plan is no plan. I think a lot of people are fooling themselfs trying to prepare for a SHTF senario. I have heard many folks make claims they can hunt and survive. Poppy cock. Everyone and their brother, sister too, will be hunting and any wildlife will quickly become eradicated. If one truely wants to be able to survive, they need to stop thinking about hoarding guns and ammo. Sure its nice to have a firearm available, but as I pointed out, I cant carry 1000's of rounds of ammo and a half dozen firearms. Any seceret cache of such firepower will not be as mobile as a person might need to be when hoards of less prepared start storming the fort trying to take what ever you might have. One is much better to learn how to use snares and traps than rely on their firearms to keep them fed. Things like sugar, salt will become much more valuable than 22 shells. And maybe a copper pot if you know how to distill.