Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Stanley Garnett 1952-2020



I lost a friend in January and it's left a bitter taste. Stanley Granett slipped the bonds of this world and is now embarked on another adventure carried by a high desert wind. Born in Carlsbad New Mexico he then grew up in rural Tucumcari NM. Stan and I met at the Colorado School of Trades four decades ago. He had been working cattle on a ranch in eastern Montana and had sworn to his brother Joel if he survived that one particular cold Montana winter that he was going to find a line of work that didn't require a saddle combined with an arctic wind boiling out of Saskatchewan.

As I remember Stan took to the required course work better than most and quickly developed an eye for what was good and what was junk. He grew up a rifleman and that's where his interest always found tracks.


While class ate up most of the week, the weekends were ours? Those weekends were for iron legs and good lungs and we spent a lot of time in the high country of Colorado. Not always with a goal or destination in mind just the desire to be out of doors. We were both eager, thinner and least one of us had more hair (for a while anyway). Often weatherbeaten and dog ass tired we'd return with a few trout, maybe a limit of grouse and some snowshoes hares for the freezer. We had little money but a lot of time and used it to our advantage. We always spoke freely with one another and didn't always agree on the subject, what you could always expect from him was honesty and incite.



Stan did a short stint at the David Miller Company after finishing up at CST and became good friends with Curt Crum. The two of them hunting Javelina and Couse Deer for many, many years in Arizona when they drew the tags. Stan moved back to New Mexico and settled in the 4 corners area to work for the Navaho Power Plant as a maintenance specialist and retired when he had enough years to so comfortably.

With pretty simple needs and desires he was looking forward to more time afield in his later years and he made a pretty good run at it. Hunting Oryx, Pronghorns, Mule and Couse deer when he could and chasing the same species in other states when he could draw the permits. We hunted big game a few times together later on but never enough I'm afraid. He put together a 404 over a period of time and toyed with the idea of going on one African Buffalo hunt but a year ago the wind shifted.

I will miss his southwestern drawl, humor and his capacity for fun. More than anything I'll miss his desire and excitement to look over the next ridge line even as the light is beginning to fade.

Audios Mi Amigo, save me a seat at the fire





Monday, February 17, 2020

Now that's a different twist !


I was in a local shop about a year and half ago and saw one of these laying on a desk. Being a snoop by nature I picked it up and chuckled. The driver of the desk said calmly " you're not suppose to see that ". Unfazed I already had a solid idea as to where this gem had evolved. My first thought was it wouldn't apply to jacketed bullets, but mono's, the sky's the limit. Certainly there was the potential for drag reduction in flight and I knew where this was headed. I placed the bullet back in the box and didn't need anymore information.Very interesting indeed.


 I went about by business and left it to stew as all good things require time properly cook.



The originator, Mark Thompson had once again been modestly pushing the edge of his envelope. Having just received a patent on this design he came by my place a couple of weeks to ago to put a few of these bullets in my hand and discuss the benefits.

As everyone knows I am not a proponent of shooting game at extended ranges, but you got to remember I don't like Fried Chicken either. The saying to each his own applies here. But the concept is quite interesting and very compelling. The twist on the bullet mirror the twist in the barrel, at least the barrels he used for testing, brilliant ! hard to machine? not for novice I'm afraid.

The helical grooves do in fact reduce drag and takes some of the drop out of the trajectory equation. Exactly how much? In his 30-378 and at 700 yards he repeatably pulled 7" from the rainbow.

To get a better incite into this marvel I'd contact Mark directly. Will I use any myself ? Anything that slick I've got to be try at least a few times, even if it's only out to 400 yards. Beside he's a homeboy.

Sneaky Mark, very sneaky, well done my friend !



390 W 1700 S
Logan, UT 84321
800-584-4079
435-713-4248
mark@thompsonlongrange.com
scott@thompsonlongrange.com

CONTACT US

390 W 1700 S
Logan, UT 84321
800-584-4079
435-713-4248
mark@thompsonlongrange.com
scott@thompsonlongrange.com

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Digging Up Bones



If you push a pencil around paper long enough shapes will emerge that become more than an idle thought, lines drafted quickly with no real reference to scale can often pull you deeper down the rabbit hole. Sketches morph into twiddly bits, the itch needs to be scratched and in time you reach for an end mill or a file and that idea begins to leak out of you.

If you have a friend with a machine shop and the same desire the door is cracked open just enough to make retreat no longer an option.

Coming to a theater near you