pricedo wrote:Next time I see a State Trooper trekking around way out in the sticks where you'll usually find me I'll ask him if 2 or 3 extra pounds & 4" of barrel makes a difference with a gun that's on your shoulder in thick brush all day, every day.
It just surprises me as they will "jump" out of the car with a 16 1/4" barrelled M4 but they get out and always reach back in and KEEP pulling that 22" barrelled 1895 out.
Two of my best friends are Texas Game Wardens and over the last 25 years they, and I, have pondered the choices a State agencies make. 99.999999999% of the time it has nothing to do with practicality or need of the individual using the equipment. It has everything to do with how cheap it is to be obtained and politics.
pricedo wrote:I'm in the process of conjecturing a load with the Quick Load program for my Winchester model 94 Trails End take-down rifle in 450 Marlin involving a 400 grain hard cast (bh:25) gas-checked bullet, CCI primers, Hornady cases & H322 powder.
pricedo wrote:Next time I see a State Trooper trekking around way out in the sticks where you'll usually find me I'll ask him if 2 or 3 extra pounds & 4" of barrel makes a difference with a gun that's on your shoulder in thick brush all day, every day.
It just surprises me as they will "jump" out of the car with a 16 1/4" barrelled M4 but they get out and always reach back in and KEEP pulling that 22" barrelled 1895 out.
Two of my best friends are Texas Game Wardens and over the last 25 years they, and I, have pondered the choices a State agencies make. 99.999999999% of the time it has nothing to do with practicality or need of the individual using the equipment. It has everything to do with how cheap it is to be obtained and politics.
It has been my observation that political patronage & corporate election campaign donations have more relevance in the decision making process in regards to government procurement of both services & materials than how suitable the purchased product actually is for the task at hand.
If the task at hand is shooting the odd tramp black bear or grizzly that is raiding domestic garbage containers or hanging too close to town & the gun is locked up in the trunk or a secure lock frame in the front of the cruiser cab most of the time the full length Marlin 1895 would do just fine.
The same gun would be too bulky and heavy for my purposes but I will say without reservation that the full length Marlin 1895s I've shot are very accurate.
