Lever Solution

[dennie]

First off, this is not an "oh pity me" thread. It is a "how can I deal with this" thread. I recently was diagnosed with colon cancer, and may sister died that day also. That day really sucked!
Anyway, the docs said my surgery was successful, but I need 6 months (12 treatments) of chemo to be safe. I am taking my 4th treatment now.
I have a port in my right shoulder for the chemo. This pretty well stopped my use of a long gun, shotgun, SKS, AK SAR1, for HD, since I am right handed. No recoil you know.
OK, now to the point. I was piddling at my reloading bench, with chemo pump running, and saw some .45Colt reloads with 5.5 TB under a LRNFP. Not a real power house load, but possibly doable in my Navy Arms .45Colt short rifle. So, into the gun room! I loaded up 3 rounds of the TB load. The first round I shot from the hip to check the recoil. Not bad. The next 2 rounds from the shoulder, not bad either! I shot 5 more rounds from the shoulder with no apparent problems. Cool, looks like the old .45 Colt will be the HD round for a few months!

[dkmlever]

First off and most important, prayers and best wishes are with you. I am also sorry for the loss of your sister.

It sounds like you have come up with a resonable solution to shooting. Have you tried shooting left handed?

[Rusty]

Sounds like you need a .32-20 or a .22 mag.

[J Miller]

Dennie,

My condolences on your sister, and a very sincere get well soon for you.

I think you're on the right track for the light recoil ammo, but just to be sure I'd ask your doctor about it.

Shooting left handed is an interesting experience. You have to think about every motion you do because your muscles are not trained for it. I've found I actually slow down and shoot better when I switch sides.

Joe

[kimwcook]

My condolences for your sister and prayers for you. Try the left handed thing. It's not a bad idea just in case you find yourself having to shoot left handed.

[Hobie]

Please accept my condolences and best wishes and prayers for you.

That is one way to go about it. My FIL had to give up shooting when they moved his pacemaker to his right side but he would still shoot sometimes... Anyway, you might also try a .357 rifle loaded with .38 Specials. Cheaper to shoot anyway. Whatever you do, I'm glad you're not giving up!

[dennie]

Thanx guys for the prayers and condolences. When I retired July 1 I was not imagining what would happen so soon after! Fortunately I have the time now to deal with it and the docs are very positive.
I will give the left hand thing a try, even tho I know it will be a real challenge. Oh well, not much else to do this winter.
I do have a .22mag, a Marlin bolt action. I did have it out for a while, but being a bolt action and smaller caliber, it is much slower and much less powerful. I have put a few rounds thru it from the shoulder and it doesn't seem to be a problem. In reality a .22mag from a rifle should do quite well at self defense range. Perhaps a scout scope and laser flashlight, just for the good doctor on board here!
Just funnin' you doc!

[dennie]

Thanx Hobie, much appreciated! Not giving up for sure! I have been wanting a .357 rifle for some time now, may be the time to do it.
I just bought an SP101 and in needs a .357 rifle companion.

[AJMD429]

Perhaps a scout scope and laser flashlight, just for the good doctor on board here! Just funnin' you doc!

I was just going to suggest that very thing!

With the laser/holo/light setup I can shoot from about any position without having the perfect 'stance' and sight line-up you need for regular sights. In either the .45 Colt ('cowboy' loads), .357 Mag ('38 special' loads), or .44 Mag ('44 special' loads) configurations, you shouldn't have much of any recoil fired from the shoulder, but you won't NEED to fire from the shoulder if you do the laser/holo/light setup.

For the Rossi, the B-Square add-on makes for an easy setup and can be taken right off when you no longer need it. For the short-action Marlins there IS enough room for the Burris Fastfire-II and a LaserMax on a regular Weaver rail scope base, but I like the forward position of the XS-mount a bit better (I'd gotten it when I was using the much larger EoTech holosight that wouldn't fit on the normal rail). The long-action Marlins can ALSO be light-loaded, and have an even longer receiver to work with.

If you do the 'conduit' mount like on my Marlin, it's a non-gun-altering thing, but if you do the J-B-Weld one like on my Rossi, and you just have to restore it back to original, you could simply replace the magazine tube.

For any newbies who didn't get the 'inside joke', here's the pics:




My vote is that it's another excuse to get a nice little .357 carbine...

Good luck with the colon-polyp-that-got-uppity; getting yanked out, soaked in some formaldehyde, and sliced up in little bitty pieces hopefully taught it a lesson, and served as a warning to any others that want to mess with you. Be sure to get your followups, eat right unless it conflicts with your treatments (consensus is usually "fresh fruits & veggies, fiber, lots of vitamin D"), and any of you folks here who aren't getting colonoscopy screens starting AT LEAST by age 50 (I think 45 is a better age to start, statistically), need to do so. (Finding a colon polyp that is turning cancerous during a screening exam is like sneaking into the enemy camp the night before the battle, and killing them all in their sleep, vs. having to have a big battle the next day. )

[dennie]

Thanx doc for "understanding". How does that B-Square unit mount, and approximate cost?

Not sure the funds for the .357 lever are there right now with the medical bills rolling in. Maybe I can "doctor" the Marlin I have. Sorry, could not resist!
As far as my diet is concerned, there isn't too much restriction, other than alcohol. None during the treatment, then no more than one drink per day, and no more than 3 in a week. I can deal with that.
It is a real pain tho to wash all my fresh fruits and veggies for 2 minutes under running water-with a drop of soap!
But then again, a small price to pay on the road to recovery!
Thanx, dennie.

[Rafe Covington]

Want to extend my condolances on the loss of your sister, very glad you are doing well.

Rafe Covington

[AJMD429]

Not sure the funds for the .357 lever are there right now with the medical bills rolling in. Maybe I can "doctor" the Marlin I have.

Like I said, the Marlin 1894's have enough room for a Weaver-Rail mount that could hold both the Burris Fastfire-II and the LaserMax, so you don't need the XS mount like you would for larger sights or if you insisted it be forward in 'scout' position. If you see how short the B-Square rail is, you'll see what I mean as to how a regular cheap-o Marlin scope-mount rail would work on the Marlins; this is the whole assembly, with both the Fastfire-II and the LaserMax.

I did wind up reversing the mounting-knob from right to left side on the Fastfire-II so it wouldn't be over the ejection port on the Rossi.

How does that B-Square unit mount, and approximate cost?

MidwayUSA has them for $37.99 - http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?p ... ber=492683
They attach like the Mini-14 ones - using a large knurled screw that goes into the left of the receiver. For the Rossi/Winchester clones, you remove the screw used to access the bolt/lever pin, and the B-Square even has a 'hole' for you to insert that screw into the mount for storage so you don't lose it. Comes with 1" rings.


Here's more pictures -

Rossi - http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewt ... =1&t=31062
Marlin - http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewt ... =1&t=23531