We’ve had damp Turkey Shoots before. We’ve had wet Turkey Shoots before but the rain on the scheduled date of November 24 for this year’s Turkey Shoot far exceeded any prior wetness; Noah would have been proud. Fortunately we had sufficent warning of the impending inclement weather to publish notices that the event was postponed until Sunday, December 15th.
News Around The Club
The heating system in the clubhouse has been acting-up of late and finally quit late in the week prior to Thanksgiving. Several members took it upon themselves to keep the stove stoked with wood so the pipes would not freeze — thanks guys.
Member Lloyd Spensley determined the old furnace was not repairable and installed a new furnace for $1,560, including pipes, supplies, plumber and permits. Thanks Lloyd and Building & Lands Chairman, Ernie Foster for your efforts.
Cowboy News
The Gunnysackers held a shoot in October that was attended by 10 shooters.
After a long hiatus the Brass Monkey Shoot is planned to return on Sunday, January 12. This shoot was very popular prior to our ranges being closed for a number of years.
“Where does this shoot get it’s name?” you ask. It comes from the expression “It’s cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey”; and for some shoots it certainly was.
Skeet/Trap News
Skeet continues to attract a core group of shooters.
Trap is doing well on Saturday mornings. Some adjustments to the trap machine may be in the offing as the shooters are complaining the birds are going too fast. Speaking of the trap machine, it will have to be pulled at some point to complete the waterproofing of the bunker.
Deer Hunting
Archery season is over and shotgun season is in full swing and runs through December 14th when the Primative Firearms season takes over and runs through the end of the year.
Some of our members harvested deer during the archery season including Sue Lennon and Tom Chiarelli whose deer were featured in past Nimrods. This edition, Phil Lennon is featured with this very nice 13-point, 175lb buck that he took in the vicinity of the club. The deer ended up in a swamp and was retreived with help from member Scott Herzog.
If you fill a tag during shotgun or muzzleloader seasons, send stats (weight, points) along with photos and any relevant info to the editor and we'll feature them in upcoming Nimrods.
New Members
Welcome Aboard to new members Scott Viera, Fergal Jackson, Paul Norton, Jerry Klimek, David Eisenhauer.
Recall Notices
Both Hodgdon and Accurate Arms have open recall notices on some of their powders. The Accurate Arms notice appears to indicate the potential for spontaneous ignition as the first instruction is to immediately fill the container with water!
Here’s the links to the recall notices:
Accurate Arms Recall Notice
Hodgdon Recall Notice
Modern-Day Lessons from Frank Hamer’s Sweetwater Gunfight
by Sheriff Jim Wilson - Thursday, November 7, 2019
This article appeared in November’s Shooting Illustrated magazine.
Frank Hamer was not afraid to wade into trouble, but occasionally learned a hard lesson doing so. Such was the case at Sweetwater, TX.
Texas Ranger Frank Hamer is best known for helping to end the careers of Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker. However, he was a lawman of one kind or another for many years and engaged in many shootings. His knowledge of personal defense was not academic, nor were all of his fights in the line of duty. We might look at just one of his many encounters and see what we can learn from it that will be beneficial to us in our own personal defense.
In 1917, romance threw Frank Hamer into a first-class Texas feud. Hamer married Gladys Johnson while she and her brother, Emmett, were under indictment for killing Gladys’ ex-husband, Ed Sims. The Johnson and Sims families were prominent ranch families in West Texas and both were used to having their own way about things. The Johnson family had the support of the Hamer brothers, Frank and Harrison, while the Sims family relied on ex-sheriff and ex-Texas Ranger Gee McMeans. With this many gun toters, the stage was set for trouble.
On Oct. 1, 1917, Frank, Harrison, Gladys and Emmett were driving back from a court hearing in Baird, TX. The route to their home in Snyder took them through Sweetwater. Frank had been warned that Gee McMeans would be waiting for them in Sweetwater. Frank chose to ignore the warning but he did strap on a second gun, his Smith & Wesson .44 Spl.
Stopping at a gas station in Sweetwater, Frank went in to get a tire fixed while Harrison and Emmett hunted for a restroom. Gladys stayed in the car.
As Frank Hamer walked back out of the station, he came face to face with Gee McMeans, who had a .45 ACP pistol in his hand and quickly shot Hamer in the shoulder. Hamer slapped the gun down and it went off a second time, hitting him in the thigh. His blow to the 1911 caused it to malfunction, probably causing a failure to feed. With one hand holding the .45, Hamer used his other hand to beat McMeans about the face. Read complete article
