4.30.2007

12ga. Westley Richards Drop-lock



12ga. Westley Richards Drop-lock


Just received a beautiful 12ga. Drop-lock by Westley Richards on consignment. Haven't established a price yet, but I wanted to post it ASAP. It is an exceptional gun, and we are proud to offer an english shotgun of this quality. Several more detailed pics below, starting with the engraving on the barrels and action, and then the forend and the barrel selector.



It sports what is known as a "doll's head" third-fastener


Partridge on the left side



Ruffed Grouse on the right side

The gun was made in Birmingham, England as #2 of a pair around 1910 for an outlet in New York. It has 2 1/2" Chambers proofed for 1 1/8oz. loads. It has 30" barrels and weighs 6lbs. 8oz.

A blackcock is engraved on the underside and a Setter on the trigger-guard

The forend is especially impressive, as it is inlaid with ebony

The selector for the mechanical single-trigger

4.18.2007

Having a Blast with Aspen Outfitting Company


Sara and Carol do the 'Charlie's Angles' pose with Mt. Sopris in the background
A few weeks ago I posted about the trip that head-guide Karl Page and I took to Branson, MO. to get certified by the NSCA as Level I instructors. Since returning, both Karl and I have been spending quite a bit of time on the range. Each of us volunteered a day for the annual Elks Club RFVSA Disabled Vetrans shoot, and we've also been doing lots of instructing for guests of the St. Regis Resort, Aspen. Karl and I focus on the beginning shooters, while instructor Kory Krahl and my father Jon Hollinger work with the intermediate and advanced shooters.
The Author looking on as Sara blasts a clay
When I met mother/daughter team Sara and Carol, I knew that we were going to have a great day. Although it was pretty early on a Saturday morning, they were enthusiastic about getting started with the sport of Shotgun shooting. Our half-day shooting trip takes beginners from the foundations of shooting all the way through breaking targets from several challenging presentations. Carol had done some shooting when she was growing up, and Sara had never shot a shotgun before, so we started with the fundamentals. Our main priority at Aspen Outfitting Company is to promote respect for firearms and practice safety while shooting. So, before any cartridges were fired, I showed the ladies how the various style of shotguns worked, briefly introduced them to the concepts of ballistics, and demonstrated proper stance and gun-mount. Sara had lots of great questions, and it was apparent that they were fast learners.
I started the ladies shooting at the patterning board, a stationary target about 25 yards away. We tried several different guns in order to find the ones that fit properly, and in no time both Sara and Carol were consistant with their stance and mount, and were able to focus on and hit the target every time. It was time to move to the Skeet range.
We started shooting going-away targets that closely resembled shooting at the patterning board. When they were comfortable with that presentation and consistantly breaking targets, we moved to a more challenging station. By the end of the session, Carol and Sara were breaking difficult crossing targets proficiently, and were considering Shotgun shooting as their new favorite sport.

Carol poses with her new favorite gun

Costa Del Mar

I can see you Mr. Trout

Just got our first shipment of Costa Del Mar sunglasses in here at Aspen Outfitting Company. We have a great selection of frames, and we were lucky enough to get a variety of lenses, including their much-lauded 580 series. I already have a pair of WaveKillers with Blue Mirrored amber lenses (here I am modeling them), but they've got so many frame/lense combos to choose from that I might be tempted to invest in another pair.

4.14.2007

Fishing the Roaring Fork

Roaring Fork River Brown Trout
As the weather warms up and spring arrives, the fishing continues to be excellent. The shop has been very busy the past couple of weeks, and now that off-season is upon us (lifts close tomorrow) I am getting a chance to do some trips that I've been wanting to do for a while. Sara Vandermeer has worked at the St. Regis for a couple of years. She has gone shooting with my father, and has always hinted that she would be interested to get out and try some fly fishing. Sara is heading back to New Zealand next week, so we decided to get her out on the river and show her what it is all about before she goes home. Sara's friends Steve and Michael were in town visiting, so I took them along with Sara and her room-mate Jacquie. The following pic is of the entire crew looking extremely attractive in their fishing gear.
The Crew
Jacquie, Jarrod and Sara
Jacquie with her Rainbow
Jacquie was the first one to hook up. She played and landed a nice Bow very proficiently. Although there has been some action on the surface recently, everyone in this group was pretty new to fishing, so we were working on roll casts, and fishing with little nymphs. The midge emergers seemed to be getting the most success, so after Jacquie got the above pic taken, and her Bow released, I changed Michael's fly and went up stream to see how Sara and Steve were doing.
Sara and her Brownie
Sara picked a little brown out of the riffles with a midge emerger, and I had to run downstream to help Michael net a fish pretty soon after that. The time had flown by, and we wanted to head a little further downvalley and try another spot, so we made our way back to the car. This was a great group, and we had lots of laughs in transit. Everyone was keen to get back in the river, so we didn't travel for too long.
The Author
The second part of the day was a little slower, as we were past the middle of the day. Although they hooked several fish, nobody was landing any, and I think that minds were turning to a beer at the Woody Creek Tavern. Finally, Michael handed me the rod and said that I should have a go. When guiding clients, it is our policy not to fish. There is always lots to do, and guests have a better experience when the focus is solidly on them. However, this was a group of friends and co-workers, so I abandoned my 'guide' demeanor and started fishing. I missed a couple of strikes, and then got a lucky hookup at the end of a drift. Sara got a couple of pics of me playing the fish (nice pose) and then of the fish itself. It was a nice-sized Brown. Once we had it in the net, everyone marveled at how yellow-gold he was. I think it was an older fish, but he was in pretty good shape, and we got him back in the water quickly.