The Satuit Nimrod
The Newsletter of the Scituate Rod & Gun Club
April 2022 — V29N04
News Around The Club
We're Expecting! Well, not the club but the mallard hen who is sitting on a nest containing six eggs at the edge of the pond by the parking lot light.
The area has been coned-off and a fence erected around the area. Please park as far away from this area as possible and leave Mrs. Puddle Duck to hatch her ducklings in peace. Attendees at the Kids Fishing Derby will be kept away from the area.
Fishing Derbies
We have our annual Kids Fishing Derby on Saturday, May 5th from 10 AM until 2 PM followed by the Vocational Life Skills Derby on Tuesday, May 10th from 10 AM until 1 PM. Help in the form of people to bait hooks, untangle snarls and wrestle tackle out of trees and bushes will be needed at both events.
The ranges will be closed until one hour after the conclusion of these events.
Cowboy Action Shooting
The next Cowboy Action Shoot is scheduled for Sunday, May15th from 9:00 am until 1:00 pm. The word on the wind is that one of the Gunnysackers forgot to take essential equipment to a recent Cowboy Shoot at the Harvard Club and had to borrow a brace of pistols that matched the ammunition that he did not forget.
Pistol
The Easter-themed shoot held on April 16th attracted 10 shooters who each shot the course of fire twice. Coming in first was Adam Proulx scoring 58 followed by Richard Martin in second with 55. Paul Fig secured third place with a score of 45 despite killing Mr. Bunny for a zero score for that stage. All the winning scores were posted in the second round.
It definitely was not Mr. Bunny's day as he managed to get killed eight times over the course of the shoot.
A second April pistol event, a steel plate match, was held on Saturday, April 30th and attracted nine shooters who shot three stages: Round plates, Square Plates and the Dueling Tree.
A shoot is planned for May but date and format had not been decided at press time; an email blast will be sent out when details are known.
50-Yard Range Distances
A chart of distances from the firing line to the center of the poles has been posted on the notice board on the 50-yard range. The measurements were taken from the back edge of the bench. Intermediate distances between poles can be gauged by using the overhead baffles which are on 9-inch centers.
For those members who are MIT graduates, the chart includes the distances in Smoots.
Skeet & Trap
We've received two, much needed, pallets of clays of a new style. Reportedly, these will break if you shout "PULL!" too loudly.
A big word of thanks goes out to Mike Sheehan and Dave Glancy for swapping out the new lights on the skeet field for the old lights as the new ones did not provide enough light. Mike did the electrical work and Dave provided crane services.
Quotes of the Month
”The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed.”
— Noah Webster, Lexicographer
"It is better to avoid than to run: better to run than to de-escalate: better to de-escalate than to fight: better to fight than to die."
— Rory Miller, Author of Meditations on Violence
"The closer the collapse of an Empire, the crazier it's laws."
— Marcus Tullius Cicero
Welcome Aboard
Scituate Rod & Gun Club welcomes these new members who have joined us recently:
Daniel Lynch Aaron Stevenson
David Leonhardi Nathan Spada
Karen Leonhardi Matt Naimoli
Brian Hurley Stephen Richards
Christopher Bradbury
Marlin Reborn: Ruger Resurrects A Legend
Courtesy NRA
[Editor's Note: This is an extensive, in-depth article on how Ruger has brought back to life Marlin's lever action rifles starting with the Model 1895 SBL in .45-70 Gov’t — in stainless steel, no less!}
Two industry heavyweights are now under the same management, in fact, under the same roof. If the track records of both hold true, the collaboration will be a success. But those responsible for the new Marlins are taking nothing for granted.
I like it when Chicken-Little predictions about new technology eclipsing old ways are proven wrong. Nothing tickles me more than the fact that 90-plus percent of readers still opt to keep receiving print copies of American Rifleman two decades after know-it-alls cried that print was dying, if not already dead.
A close second would have to be what I witnessed recently at Ruger’s Mayodan, N.C., factory, to wit, a new generation of Marlin lever-action rifles coming off the assembly line. But for a few small features, they look much like the ones cherished by riflemen for more than a century.
For those who don’t follow shooting-industry news, it’s true that Ruger acquired Marlin brand rights, intellectual property (IP) and hard assets during the Remington Outdoor Corp. (ROC) bankruptcy auction in September 2020. And so any doubts that lever-actions still matter look flimsier than ever.
Auction Fever
The gloom surrounding ROC’s demise parted a bit when a federal bankruptcy court announced an auction to liquidate the conglomerate’s considerable holdings. Up for grabs were Remington firearms, Remington ammunition, Marlin, Barnes Bullets, Dakota Arms and other once-plum brands. Questions loomed, however, about the value of those spoils: Were those product lines still relevant and potentially profitable? Could they be revived? America’s top shooting-industry execs were soon kicking the tires.
Among them was Sturm, Ruger & Co. CEO Chris Killoy, who said, “It’s a great fit for both companies and customer bases—two American firearms brands known for delivering great value. We’ve heard from countless [gun folks]—retailers, distributors, writers and collectors—who are delighted.” In short order, he briefed his board of directors, then enlisted top staffers to create a mock profit/loss analysis.
One key player was Mickey Wilson, VP at Mayodan. “Two of us went to visit Remington and take a look for a couple hours,” he noted. “They had ceased operations, and only management and maintenance people were on-site. On such a short trip, it was hard to see the breadth of what was involved. We were there to sniff out if this was a starter, but honestly, I believe Chris was convinced that the iconic brand and its IP alone would be worth the cost.” Ultimately, Ruger topped the bidding at $28.3 million.
“I’ve been a fan of Marlin guns for as long as I can remember,” Killoy said. “The history played a role, but the opportunity alone was the driving factor [in our acquisition].” Read entire article here.
Club Calendar
MONTHLY MEETING
Monday, June 6th – 8:00 pm
KIDS FISHING DERBY
Saturday, May 7th – 10:00 am until 2:00 pm
VOCATIONAL LIFE SKILLS FISHING DERBY
Tuesday, May 10th – 10:00 am until 1:00 pm
SKEET
Sundays: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Wednesdays: 4:30 pm – 7:00 pm
TRAP
Saturdays: 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Tuesdays: 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm
PISTOL
TBA
COWBOY
Cowboy Shoot — Sunday, May15th – 9:00 am
SAFETY COURSE
Tuesday, June 7th – 7:00 pm & Thursday June 9th – 7:00 pm
RANGE ORIENTATION
Saturday, May 8th – 9:00 am. Register here.
…And Finally
