Brownells May Super Selections - The 1911

Welcome to Brownells new monthly Super Selections Email - where we feature hot, exciting products you need. Each month, a new topic, a new selection. This month it's the famous 1911 Auto - and here are 10 of the top-quality, wildly popular sellers from the thousands of items we carry for the 1911. Be sure to check out our brand new 1911 CATALOG, the essential thing every 1911 owner/lover must have.

Brownells - The Gunsmith's ChoiceTM for nearly 70 years.

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Lafayette, Suwannee, and Leon counties Florida

We had a fantastic day today. We met with some of the great people of Lafayette, Suwannee, and Leon counties. I'll describe my day for you, but first I want to address a more disappointing topic.

As we predicted, the big money interests are already at it. Today, the first negative piece of campaigning hit mailboxes, and they are pretty desperate. They called me a tax raiser which is simply not true. I fought for the largest tax cut in the history of our state this year, and I'll continue the fight in the Florida Senate. The special interests twist the truth for power, and it's disappointing.

Almost three weeks ago, I signed a clean campaign pledge and requested that our Republican opponents sign it and abide by it. The pledge is on file with Chairman Jim Greer at the Republican Party of Florida. We're still waiting for my opponent to sign it. And so I will repeat my request that Charlie Dean sign the clean campaign pledge and condemn any third party attacks that violate that pledge.

Big corporations, big trial lawyers, big casino lobbyists -- these are the special interests in Tallahassee that are trying to steamroll this election by misleading the voters. They don't mind if our water goes to south Florida and our crime rate goes through the roof. They care about fattening their wallets... not about us.

However, I have confidence in the voters of District 3, and I have confidence in the truth, and I believe both will win on June 5. I believe the voters of this district care about values, about freedom, and about opportunity. And I'm ready to fight for the good people of this district.

And speaking of those good people, let me tell you more about them and about my day. At 5:30 this morning we departed from Tallahassee for Mayo in Lafayette County. (I actually attended first grade in Mayo.) We ate breakfast with Lafayette County Sheriff Carson McCall and a dozen other community leaders. We also sat with County Commissioner Charles Driver, City Commissioner Jim Catron, and Louis Shiver, a Suwannee River Water Management District Governing Board member. After breakfast, we took a tour of the Lafayette County Court House and met with Lafayette County Property Appraiser Tim Walker. We ate lunch at Big Pig Bar-B-Q in Mayo. The food was outstanding!

After lunch, we toured the Brewer Lake Baptist Church and met many members of the congregation. This was a great journey back for me; my father was the pastor at Brewer Lake Baptist Church. After the church, we met with local businessman Mike Shaw, and before we left Mayo, we met Suwanee County local radio host John Coke for an on location interview. It was a great day, and I am proud of the support we have in Mayo.

If you are interested in checking out where I stand on the issues or would like to make a donation, please go to www.dennisbaxley.org.

Thanks to all of you for your dedication to the campaign.

God Bless You,

Dennis

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Volunteers,

This is a reminder that again this Saturday, May 19, we are going to be walking neighborhoods in your area for the Dennis Baxley for State Senate campaign. We are looking for team members to help us hand out signs and fliers supporting the campaign. If you can contribute to the effort on Saturday morning, please respond to this e-mail or contact me at 850-766-5795.

If you are in Marion or Citrus counties, please contact Tim Harding at 352-620-9293 or 352-458-1528.

Thank you for all of your hard work.

Sincerely,

Corinne

A. Corinne Mixon This message sent to 749
Campaign Manager
Dennis Baxley for State Senate, District 3
corinne@dennisbaxley.org
850-766-5795

After breakfast we traveled to Anderson Columbia and met with Joe Anderson II

Good Evening Team!

Today has been an incredibly active day. We left Tallahassee at 7:15 am and traveled to Perry for breakfast. We had an great down home country breakfast at the Downtown Cafe. I met Bummy Williams, the Sheriff of Taylor County, and had a great conversation with him. I also met with the Perry Police Chief, Vern Clark, and with members of the Thomas family, who own the local Chevrolet dealership.

After breakfast we traveled to Anderson Columbia and met with Joe Anderson II. This was our second trip to Anderson Columbia, but our first meeting with Joe. He's a great guy with a wealth of insight and knowledge. After our meeting, we moved on to the Perry Rotary Club. I'm a Rotarian, so it worked out well for me to be able to make up a meeting in Taylor County! I was given the opportunity to address the club for a few minutes. I was given a warm introduction by Dan Simmons of the Buckeye Paper Company and the crowd made me feel very welcome. After lunch we drove to the Taylor Correctional Institution, where we were able to visit with the warden and many of the correctional officers.

Shortly after lunch we received the sad news that Rev. Jerry Falwell passed away today. The Christian Community lost one of our great soldiers today. Please keep Rev. Falwell's family in your thoughts and prayers this evening.

I made a quick stop in Chiefland and then made my way to the Crystal River American Legion. The American Legion was the scene of the first Senate District 3 candidate forum, sponsored by the Citrus County Republican Executive Committee. I felt that the debate was a huge success. We have a strong and defining message, and we are building more and more support throughout District 3.

If you are interested in checking out where I stand on the issues or would like to make a donation, please go to www.dennisbaxley.org.

Thank you for all of your support, and may God bless you all,

Dennis

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Florida Right to Life PAC Endorses Dennis Baxley

Dunnellon — Today, Rep. Dennis Baxley, Speaker Pro Tem of the Florida House and Candidate for Senate District 3, accepted the endorsement of the Florida Right to Life Political Action Committee in his race for state senate.

"The endorsement of the Florida Right to Life PAC is a tremendous honor," said Baxley. "I believe strongly in the sanctity of life, and as a state senator, I will continue to do everything I can to protect life."

"Our endorsement of Dennis Baxley reflects our appreciation for his stand for the rights of unborn children, the elderly, and the infirm," said Carrie Eisnaugle, Chairman of the Florida Right to Life PAC. "We encourage the prolife community to participate in the election process by getting out to vote and to help with campaigning."

Baxley adds this endorsement to an already impressive roll including the following: Sen. Steve Wise and Sen. Carey Baker, Rep. Frank Attkisson, the National Rifle Association, 19 local elected officials in Marion and Citrus Counties, the Republican Committeeman and Committeewoman in Baker County, and the Dixie County Republican Executive Committee.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 16, 2007 Contact: Corinne Mixon
Phone: (850) 766-5795

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Baxley Wins First Candidate Forum

Crystal River — Today, Rep. Dennis Baxley, Speaker Pro Tem of the Florida House and Candidate for Senate District 3, emerged a clear winner in the first candidate forum between Republicans running for state senate in District 3. Baxley presented his pro-freedom and pro-family platform with poise and conviction, and successfully defined himself as the conservative candidate in this election.

The topics discussed in the forum were property tax relief, property insurance reform, protecting children from sexual predators, protecting water and natural resources, and defending the family.

The loudest rounds of applause tonight went to Baxley in response to his answers on lawsuit reform and the sanctity of marriage.

"The trial lawyers hate me," said Baxley, to a room full of laughter and applause. "They can tolerate my opponent, but they are coming after me, and I don't mind paying a political price for doing what is right."

Baxley explained that the voters can expect hate mail and personal attacks to be leveled against him by special interests such as the trial lawyers, big business, and the casino lobby. He urged his opponent to sign his Fair Campaign Pledge and to commit to a clean campaign.

Baxley received more applause when the issue of the sanctity of marriage was addressed. He delivered a passionate defense and expressed his strong support for the Marriage Amendment Act, which would define marriage as being between a man and a woman.

"I can't wait to get back to Tallahassee," said Baxley. "The special interests will work for my opponent, but the only special interests I will answer to are the voters of Senate District 3."

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 15, 2007 Contact: Corinne Mixon
Phone: (850) 766-57

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Inverness City Council Members Endorse Dennis Baxley

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 15, 2007 Contact: Corinne Mixon
Phone: (850) 766-5795


Inverness — Today, Rep. Dennis Baxley, Speaker Pro Tem of the Florida House and Candidate for Senate District 3, accepted the endorsements of Inverness City Councilwoman Marti Consuegra and Councilman Tom Johnson. These are the first endorsements from local elected officials in Citrus County for any candidate in Senate District 3.

"I am truly honored and encouraged by these endorsements," said Baxley. "From one end of this district to the other, I have met some of the finest people in our state. To be supported by these fine elected officials in Citrus County is a tremendous blessing, and I look forward to representing them in the Florida Senate.

Inverness is the hometown of Baxley's opponent, former Democrat Charles Dean.

Baxley adds these endorsements to an already impressive roll including the following: Sen. Steve Wise and Sen. Carey Baker, Rep. Frank Attkisson, the National Rifle Association, 19 local elected officials in Marion County, the Republican Committeeman and Committeewoman in Baker County, and the Dixie County Republican Executive Committee.

Political advertisement paid for and approved by Dennis Baxley, Republican, for State Senate District 3

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Department of State at Tallahassee's R.A. Gray Building

Friends,

Today was a great day. We began the day by putting the final touches on my qualifying paperwork. Around 10:45 am I delivered my paperwork to the Department of State at Tallahassee's R.A. Gray Building, making my campaign official. My good friends Representative Frank Attkisson and Senator Carey Baker accompanied me and helped me file my paperwork.

I am honored to have served alongside Frank Attkisson in the Florida House. I have especially been impressed with Rep. Attkisson's leadership on the issue of reducing property taxes this year, and I look forward to passing meaningful and comprehensive reform during the special session next month. I'm extremely grateful for Rep. Attkisson's support of my Senate campaign.

I am also highly encouraged by the support of Carey Baker, a Gulf War veteran who is an inspiration to all of us, especially in these times when national security has been on the forefront of our thoughts. He is a true hero, and his endorsement of my senate candidacy is truly a blessing.

Around noon time today, I had lunch with Dan Abel and John Paul Daly, the Chairman and the Vice Chairman of the Leon County Republican Executive Committee. We had a great lunch and a very encouraging conversation. I spent the afternoon making district wide phone calls to supporters. The calls were well received and I got some great feedback and additional support. I ended the day with a very successful campaign fundraiser in Tallahassee.

If you are interested in checking out where I stand on the issues or would like to make a donation, please go to www.dennisbaxley.org.

Thank you for all of your efforts. I am very positive about the groundswell of support that we're continuing to gain. I look forward to the next three weeks, and I'm incredibly grateful to all of my dedicated volunteers.

Sincerely,

Dennis

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Midway USA

Midway USA

http://www.midwayusa.com/

From time to time I am asked to relate how MidwayUSA got its start. Most people think it was a great stroke of genius, but it wasn't. Simply stated, the beginning of the Company was a little bit of dream and a lot of circumstance.

From my earliest days I was interested in guns, shooting and hunting. I have great memories of being with my dad Gilbert, while he hunted and hunting with him when I was old enough. We hunted mostly rabbits, squirrel, quail and raccoon. Dad had a Remington Model 12, 22 caliber pump that I restocked in high school woodworking class and a Belgium made, 12 gauge hammer-type double-barrel shotgun. Later on, he bought a Marlin 30/30 as the whitetail deer herd in Missouri flourished. My first gun was a Stevens 12 gauge single-shot, handed down from my older brother Marion, on my 13th Christmas.

We were a family of eight, living in rural northeast Missouri (near Ely) and didn't have much money. Reflecting back, Dad's subscription to Outdoor Life must have been a Christmas present. I read every issue as a teenager, reveling at the exploits of Jack O'Connor and the "This happened to me" page. Somewhere I got a Shooter's Bible, again probably for Christmas. What a marvel this was for a poor country teenager. I fell in love with Browning guns, though it would be years before I owned one.

While attending the University of Missouri, I was introduced to skeet by a friend from back home. I loved breaking clay targets and it was a good opportunity to be around guns. I bought a Remington 870 12 gauge with an improved cylinder barrel, for $112.50. It was a wonderful gun and I shot my first 25 straight with it. Brenda and I were married in 1970. We bought her an 870 20 gauge, with a skeet barrel for $116.25. There was no real gun shop in Columbia, but I got to know a local gunsmith named Bill Morgan and regularly visited the few stores that carried guns.

I joined the Air Force in 1971, after finishing my degree in business. My first duty assignment was Blytheville Air Force Base, Arkansas. Here I got to know John Baregi at the base firing range and helped set up the base Rod and Gun club where we built a modest trap range. I made a friend named Truman Wilson, who was also in the Air Force. Truman had a Federal Firearms License and was instrumental in my getting one about 1973. Brenda and I shot skeet regularly at the police department skeet range. When I turned 21, a Smith & Wesson Model 39 in 9mm was my first purchase. Standing at seven yards from a standard upper-torso target, I could barely keep the bullets in the cardboard. This was my first experience with a handgun.

In 1972, I read a letter to the editor from the July Guns&Ammo. It mentioned a man named George Spence, who lived in Steele, Missouri about 12 miles from Blytheville. George was recommended as a source of 8mm Japanese pistol ammunition.

I desperately wanted to meet a man important enough to get his name in Guns&Ammo, so I called Mr. Spence. Brenda and I went to visit him a few days later and my life was again changed forever. As it turned out, George was a locksmith working on the Air Force Base, only a few hundred yards from the building I worked in. Later, when Brenda and I moved to Steele, George and I carpooled back and forth to the base on most days. George was the most knowledgeable person I had ever met in the areas of guns, bullet casting, reloading and wildcat cartridges. There is no telling how many hours George and I spent together, him working and my hanging around asking questions and learning. George was kind enough to loan me some of his fine Hensley and Gibbs four, six and ten cavity bullet moulds when I began to learn bullet casting. I also bought a 7mm Mauser rifle from George that he helped me make up some brass for. We shortened and reformed 30/06 military as new 7mm Mauser brass was very expensive and hard to find.

The most intriguing thing that George did was to make 8mm Japanese Nambu pistol cartridges and lots of them. He used military 38 Special brass and the process was about like this: 1) shorten the case about 1/4" using a modified copper tubing cutter; 2) turn the rim down to about .410 on an old Sears lathe; 3) size the neck down from about .375 to about .345; 4) cast the bullets, lube and size, 5) load the ammunition, package and ship. How fascinating! My cousin Charlie had a Type 14 Nambu pistol. I got a box of ammo for him from George and we shot it off his deck one Sunday afternoon. This wasn't good ammunition. It was too small in the body (some cases would split) and it didn't feed well through the magazines of the Type 14 and Type 94 Japanese pistols. It was, however, the only 8mm Japanese Nambu ammunition being produced for the thousands of service pistols the American GIs brought back from the Pacific Theater after World War II. The base diameter of 8mm Nambu is about .410 and it could be better made from 30 Remington brass, or 30/30 brass with the rim turned off, as the base diameter is about the same. This didn't matter to George. He had an inexpensive source of 38 Special brass, but didn't have any 30 Remington or 30/30 brass to spare.

Brenda and I left Blytheville in July of 1974, just after our son Russell was born. We spent three months at school in Texas, then on to the next duty assignment at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Rapid City, South Dakota. I was a Lieutenant now and had considerably more flexibility with my time. In Rapid City, I was introduced to prairie dog hunting (shooting) by Ron Burnside, a friend at work. What a blast! It was in Rapid City that all of the shooting, hunting and gun trading made me realize that I wanted to run a gun shop, when my three year active duty commissioning time was up and I got back to Missouri.

With the gun shop idea firmly in my mind, in the spring of 1976, I invited my younger brother Jerry to join the proposed new venture. He agreed and the next fifteen months were full of planning and anticipation. Brenda and I left Rapid City on May 13, 1977, with our two children Russell and Sara. Upon arriving in Columbia, we viewed the building lot for the first time. This was located on Old Highway 40, about a mile west off of Interstate 70, at the Midway exit. The site preparation had been completed, but no other building work had been done. Thirty-five days later, on June 18, 1977, we opened the gun shop for business under the trade name Ely Arms, Inc., named after the community of Ely, Missouri, population 26, before we left.

The Ely Arms, Inc., gun shop was a real gun shop, 1,632 square feet of new and used long guns, handguns and shooting and reloading supplies. Jerry and I had put our gun collections into inventory as part of our equity, so we started with 50 or 60 used guns. We had worked hard to find Smith & Wesson handguns and found three or four sympathetic wholesalers. It was a great beginning. Sales for the period June 18 through December 31, 1977 were $168,000. Most gun shops today are "hunter" based rather than "shooter" based; that is, they cater to hunters rather than shooters. Ely Arms, Inc., catered to shooters, but also did a good business with hunters in the fall of the year.

One of the used guns that Jerry put into our inventory for sale was a Remington Model 8 semi-automatic rifle in 25 Remington. As it turned out, this gun helped shape our future. At that time, Hodgdon Powder Company also had a distribution business for most brands of guns and supplies. In the fall of 1977, we got a flyer from Hodgdon that listed some Remington ammunition in caliber 30 Remington. This was surplus police ammunition with a 170 grain full metal jacket bullet, in white boxes, for use in Remington Model 8 rifles in 30 Remington. The offered price of $2.00 per box of 20.

Always trying to find an angle, I remembered that 8mm Nambu could be made from this brass and we still had the Remington Model 8 in 25 Remington on the rack, asking about $250 for it, with no ammo and no takers. I convinced Jerry that we should buy some of this 30 Remington ammo and make some "good" 8mm Nambu ammunition and some 25 Remington ammunition that we could sell in a Shotgun News ad. We ordered in a couple of thousand rounds of this ammo, 8mm Nambu forming and loading dies and 25 Remington loading dies. The 25 Remington ammo was a no-brainer. We pulled the bullets, dumped the powder and worked up a load using the same powder that would cycle the Remington Model 8 using Hornady 117 grain round nose bullets.

The 8mm Nambu was a real project. We needed to shorten the cases, but didn't have a lathe. My brother Marion was an engineer and he recommended a three-inch jewelers saw on an arbor in our drill press. Jerry modified a Lyman mould block to allow the lube groove of the mold to catch the extractor groove on the 30 Remington case. He bolted one-half of the mould to the indexing table on our drill press, and with the handles on, clamped the case in the mould. We cut off of the several thousand 8mm Nambu cases with this outfit. George loaned us his Hensley & Gibbs four-cavity moulds that made a beautiful 100 grain cast lead bullet. Cousin Charlie loaned us his Nambu pistol for load development. There was a company in Minnesota that advertised ammunition boxes and the project was rolling.

We got lots of calls for 8mm Nambu from our ad in Shotgun News but there was a limited supply of the 30 Remington ammo. We started looking for someone to make Nambu brass. We attended the NSGA show in Chicago during early 1978, looking for someone who would make 8mm Nambu cases for us. I inquired at the Federal booth and they referred me to B.E.L.L. (Brass Extrusion Labs, Ltd.) of Bensenville, IL. Both B.E.L.L. and Ely Arms were naive enough to enter into a contract for production of 500,000 8mm Nambu cases, with delivery to begin about six months later. Actual delivery of the 8mm Nambu brass began in February 1980, about 18 months past due.

We did some advertising and a press release for 8mm Nambu in the summer of 1978, as we expected delivery by that time. A letter arrived from some attorneys in New York City, who represented the Eley division of Kynoch Industries. They felt that Ely in the ammunition business infringed on their Eley trademark and asked us to cease and desist. At that time we changed the name to Midway (named after the Midway community that our shop was located in). We immediately trademarked the Midway name so we wouldn't have to pay for the same ground twice.

While the Nambu project was going together, we were referred to Starline Brass (at that time in California) to do some part of the project. They said "No!", but suggested that "Midway" should buy and resell their newly made 357 Magnum brass. Starline had been formed by some of the previous owners of Sierra Bullets after the Leisure Group purchased Sierra in 1968. They had always wanted to make brass and now with time and money on their hands could give it a try. Bob Hayden, president of Starline, said they would put the Starline headstamp on the brass, which was fine with us, but if we would purchase 200,000 pieces they would put the Midway headstamp on at no extra charge. We gave them a purchase order for 200,000 pieces and 357 Magnum brass became the first product to bear the "Midway" name in 1979. We couldn't know it at the time, but the 357 Magnum brass, which was a spin-off of the Nambu project, would be the idea that really launched the Midway Company. Midway sold millions of rounds of Starline-produced Midway brand brass each year. It was Midway's offering of Starline-produced brass that coaxed Winchester into the bulk component market in 1984 and Remington to join in 1986. Midway, with the help of others, is given credit with starting the bulk component business, as we know it today.

We needed a box for the new production 8mm Nambu ammo and didn't have much of an idea where to start. Somewhere along the line brother Jerry plugged some sample ammo into a 38 Special Styrofoam tray. It was a little tight, but it did work. We were able to track down the manufacturer of Winchester 38 Special Styrofoam trays. They sold us the "rejects" from the Winchester production. These trays weren't dense enough (too light) to meet Winchester's requirements, but suited ours just fine. Hornady (who was making the 8mm Nambu bullets for us) gave us the name of the company that they got their bullet boxes from and we ordered the outside carton from them. We began shipping 8mm Nambu ammunition in April of 1980.

My brother Jerry longed to move back home and farm, so in March of 1980, he sold his interest in Midway to Brenda and me, moved back to northeast Missouri and bought a farm.

In the summer of 1980, remembering how much trouble we had in boxing the 8mm Nambu, we had the idea that maybe Midway should offer a line of empty ammunition boxes. We had a source of Styrofoam and a source of outside cartons. In October of 1980, Midway began offering boxes of 100 cartridge boxes in three sizes: CB-01 for 9mm & 38 wadcutter, CB-02 for 38 semi-wadcutter and CB-03 for 357 Magnum. This was the third product to bear the Midway name, which is still embossed on the end flap of our plain white outside boxes.

We were selling a lot of 357 Magnum and other new brass and we had a customer in Lancaster, California that ran up about $1,500 in bad checks. We sued for payment, but I had to make a court appearance in Lancaster. As long as I was going to be in Lancaster, I visited the Starline plant for the first time to see where all of the Midway brass was made. Bob Hayden suggested that I should visit Berry's Bullets, a few miles away in Fountain Grove. They were a large producer of cast/swaged bullets and Bob thought that perhaps Midway could be a distributor. While there, Gilbert showed me a plastic ammunition box for 357 Magnum. He had made up a one-cavity mould for this box and sold about 5,000 to a nearby gun shop. The gun shop had gone out of business and Gilbert asked if Midway wanted to buy some of the plastic ammo boxes. By this time we had a couple years of history on the cardboard ammo boxes, so it was an easy decision to buy some of these plastic boxes. Thus began Midway's plastic ammo box line that has contributed greatly to the success of the Company.

By 1987, we were doing about $5 million in business, selling mostly to dealers. The product lines were bulk components and cartridge boxes. The Volkmer-McClure law was enacted in October 1987, which removed the restriction of shipping brass and bullets to FFL holders only. Midway immediately began selling directly to consumers, in addition to selling to dealers.

Computerization has played a major role in the development of Midway. I had one computer class in college, back in 1968. It was a one credit hour class in Fortran. In 1982 I purchased the Company's first computer, an Apple III. In 1986 we bought the first IBM. In March of 1987 we began networking and have never looked back.

So there you have it. The Air Force took me to George Spence, who introduced me to 8mm Nambu. Brother Jerry put the Remington Model 8 in 25 Remington into our inventory. Hodgdon offered the 30 Remington police ammunition. The Shotgun News provided the customers. The spin-offs from the Nambu project were the bulk component product line, the cardboard ammo box product line and the plastic ammo box product line.

Larry W. Potterfield
May 25, 1998

http://www.bolt-stop-buffer-bumper-guy.com/midway-usa.html

Sen. Baker and Rep. Attkisson File Qualifying Papers

for Dennis Baxley in State Senate Race

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 14, 2007 Contact: Corinne Mixon
Phone: (850) 766-5795

Tallahassee — Today, Rep. Dennis Baxley, Speaker Pro Tem of the Florida House and Candidate for Senate District 3, officially qualified in the race for state senate. At his side were Sen. Carey Baker and Rep. Frank Attkisson, who filed the required paperwork for Baxley to qualify officially as a candidate.

"Dennis Baxley will best represent the people of District 3," said Baker. "I've observed Dennis throughout his years of public service, from his time as Mayor of Belleview and throughout his four terms as a State Representative. Dennis knows the people. He's one of them and can relate to their needs. I look forward to serving with him in the Florida Senate."

Rep. Frank Attkisson joined Sen. Baker in filing the paperwork for Baxley.

"I've known Dennis for many years," said Attkisson, "and I couldn't think of a better Senator for this district. Dennis cares about the core values of our state and our nation. He will stand up for the family; he will stand up against the special interests; he will stand up for Florida. He is the only choice for this job."

"It's official," said Baxley. "We're ready to roll. I have a great team in place already, and it continues to grow every day. Throughout the 13 counties of this senate district, I've received nothing but encouragement and support. I look forward to the Republican primary on June 5 and to the general election later that month."

Baxley's qualifying follows a week of notable endorsements, including endorsements from Sen. Steve Wise and Sen. Carey Baker, the National Rifle Association, 19 local elected officials in Marion County, the Republican Committeeman and Committeewoman in Baker County, and the Dixie County Republican Executive Committee.

http://www.bolt-stop-buffer-bumper-guy.com/shooting-sports-information.php?CatID=228043

Redfish on an Incoming Tide

Redfish on an Incoming Tide

written by Ron Brooks

Low tide, a quiet boat, incoming current, and a good creek all come together to make for some fine redfish action.

Captain Mark guides out of Golden Isles Marina on St Simons Island, Georgia. He's a great guy and even better guide and I had the pleasure of fishing with him again recently. We were looking for redfish in the creeks and tidal marshes of the Georgia coastal estuary.

Like most redfish anglers, I had been taught and have practiced all my life looking for redfish on a high, outgoing tide. Several logical reasons make me do that.

First, the creeks I chose to fish were all navigable at high tide, making access safe and easy. Second, reds will find the marsh and mud flats that are flooded on high tide and they will move there to feed. It was obvious to me that as the water dropped on an outgoing tide, these reds would have to come off the flats and into the creeks with the tide. We would always be there waiting for them to move through.

Here is where the difference was in what I grew up doing and what Captain Mark taught me. On this trip, we fished the dead low and incoming tide.

I was convinced as we entered the first creek that we would be waiting for the next five or six hours for high tide. But as the current began to move, Captain Mark took one of his famous "Thunder Chicken" float rigs baited with a live shrimp, and allowed it to drift away from the boat with the increasing current.

Not only did that shrimp get eaten, but every shrimp we put into that drift was taken by some very aggressive redfish.

Needless to say, I was amazed that these fish would be here on an incoming tide. I was amazed until Captain Mark made me think about what was happening.

"The fish you look for on a high outgoing tide have been feeding on that flat for an hour or more," he said. "The fish we are catching here probably have not fed in several hours, and they are headed into the creek to move onto those flats. Which fish do you think will be more likely to take your bait -- one that has already been feeding, or one that is hungry and looking for food?"

I had no answer for him -- just a look that said that light bulbs were turning on in my head. What he said make perfect sense. And for the next two hours, that perfect sense played out with a limit of redfish in the boat and many more than that released.

As the current increased, I caught even more reds. At one point, it was five casts and five reds.

As I drove home from that trip, I began to think about the creek we had fished, and I realized that the exact creek was not important. Any and all creeks that flood out onto a marsh or mudflat will contain fish at some point.

I did my field homework the next week, and went into the Florida Intracoastal Waterway to a number of my favorite creeks that meander off the waterway. This time I purposely went on a low tide, and I found one or two of my creeks that I could navigate at low tide.

I eased my boat in, shut the engine off and slowly poled back into the first creek to the first bend. I quietly pushed the pole into the mud bank, tied off the boat and waited for things to settle.

As soon as the water started moving in, I took a plastic grub and jig -- chartreuse in color -- and began to slowly work the opposite, deeper bank. It took only three casts to hook up with a nice red.

As the current increased, I caught even more reds. At one point, it was five casts and five reds. I also caught some small seatrout and two sheepshead, and catching sheepshead on artificial bait is saying something in my world!

So I think all this points out a good lesson. What we did with Captain Mark is not a Georgia story and it is not limited to redfish. It is applicable in every area that has tidal marshes and any fish that feed on these marshes and flats on a high tide. The key becomes locating tidal creeks that are navigable, at least at an idle speed or with the assistance of a pole, at low tide.

Low tide, a quiet boat, incoming current, and a good creek all come together to make for some fine redfish action - and the other fish are a bonus that will add to your day!

http://www.bolt-stop-buffer-bumper-guy.com/bass-pro-shop-fishing-articles.html

CAMPING TIPS

Meeting Your Neighbors

One way to break the ice with neighbors just arriving to the campsites is to offer assistance when these people are backing into their sites. More often than not it’s a traveling elderly couple. Some of these rigs are incredibly difficult to back up, and some sites are more difficult than others.
And if it’s not an elderly couple, it’s usually someone my family’s age and we strike up conversations about kids, baseball, boating, camping, etc. It’s the best way to meet your new neighbors!

http://www.bolt-stop-buffer-bumper-guy.com/camping-tips.html

Brownells® Awarded for Service to 4-H Shooting Program

The National 4-H Shooting Sports Foundation presented Brownells® with a service award recently for twenty-five years of continuous support.

The 4-H youth shooting sports program began in 1980 with 150 young men and women in three states. It has grown to encompass 46 states and more than 300,000 participants.

“The 4-H Shooting Sports Foundation teaches youngsters responsible use of firearms, but more importantly it teaches them how to live responsibly,” said Frank Brownell, company president. “We believe this is very important work and will continue to maintain a strong relationship with this wonderful organization.”

The 4-H Youth Shooting Sports program teaches hunting and shooting skills for the next generation of enthusiasts. Over the past few decades, Brownells’ support has helped educate youth about the value of safe, ethical and responsible shooting.

“Brownells has been extremely helpful, beneficial and committed to youth shooting sports,” said John Kvasnicka, National 4-H Shooting Sports executive director. “Their support has provided the necessary resources to make us grow as fast as we have.”

The National 4-H Shooting Sports Foundation is a non-profit organization that offers educational programs teaching youth and adults important life skills. Using the 4-H youth development model, the program helps students reach their full potential and learn responsible habits as citizens. For more information on 4-H Shooting Sports programs, visit http://www.4-hshootingsports.com.

Brownells is the world’s largest supplier of factory gun parts, gunsmithing tools, equipment and firearms accessories. Since 1939, Brownells has been serving gunsmiths and firearms enthusiasts with the products they need to repair, protect and accessorize their firearms. Today, the company stocks over 30,000 items, and its long-familiar horizontal-format catalog is well-known to shooters and gunsmiths worldwide as being uniquely Brownells. Products can be ordered by toll-free phone, fax or through the company’s Website. For more information, call (800) 741-0015, or visit http://www.brownells.com.

http://www.bolt-stop-buffer-bumper-guy.com/brownells-awarded-for-service-to-4-h-shooting-program.html