steve1

And prior to 1776 it was done by the Brits in the East and the Spanish in the West. It seems like history is filled with similiar stories of one empire conquering another. Were the Native Americans anymore kind or compassionate, or honest in their warfare against the Whites? I really doubt that they were. Didn't they also rape and plunder, and murder. It's interesting how the loser is protrayed as being all good, trustworthy, and wonderful when that might not have been the case at all. I have been to trainings where a Native American will go on and on telling stories of boarding schools where most all of the Catholic priests and nuns were raping and abusing all of the poor Indian children. I agree that the boarding schools did a lot of harm to many generations, but was it really as awful as everyone seems to say. Wasn't there any good that came out of them. Many Native Americans willingly gave their children to the boarding schools, to keep them from starving to death. They weren't all forcibly placed there by the Whites, as so many Native Americans want to say..... Then there is the story of how the White's gave blankets contaminated with small pox to the various tribes to use, and how these blankets killed off hundreds of Native Americans....yet the fact is Small Pox can not be transferred that way. A lady recently told me that there was no mental illness by the Native Americans in times gone by....that this was something brought into their culture by the Whites. I often hear about how cowardly Custard was....but isn't it a fact he was decorated for heroism including the Civil War. I would just like to get an accurate account of what really happened in history, and not just some fabricated, emotional appeal, that is far from the truth....

Are all White people like that in your eyes? Sounds like racism to me....

Paul usually goes to reunions. The Silvertip Skydivers had a reunion about ten years back. I had no intention of going. Paul said I had to go. So, we packed up his pickup and left. I hadn't jumped in twenty years. The first day of the reunion I found myself on a load, that I fell base for. I was hooked all over again. It was all that damn Paul's fault...

Feeding wildlife just makes the problem worse. There will be way too many critters the following year. Why not let hunters take the surplus?

Half Hippy, half Rambo? That's a funny one...John.

Paul Juel and his wife Anne are old Florida jumpers. They live and farm near Scobey, Montana. Paul sometimes posts on here. I was wondering how Jerry Bird is doing. He's still one of my heroes from the past. I hope he's doing well....

Just because you don't get into killing stuff doesn't mean you are weak or not a manly man. Over the years I've loved hunting. I've killed way more than I should have or needed to for that matter. Now that I'm an old fart, I really don't enjoy the killing part any more. But I still like to hunt with my family. I enjoy getting out in nature and pitting my skills against the animals we hunt. I'm the one that takes care of the meat, because I've had years of practice at that. I decide how and where we hunt, but I let someone else pull the trigger. Last week my daughter wounded a deer. It was getting away. I used her rifle to finish the deer because it was making tracks and it was a difficult shot. I felt good to put it out of it's misery. I respect ethical hunters. There are many who don't hunt with much of a conscience, and I don't think much of them. Hunting is needed in many places to keep wildlife in balance with their food supply. We've argued that many times on here....

At Ronan, Montana with Hod Sanders. You'll fly the length of the Mission Mtns. to gain altitude. Flathead Lake is one of the lakes you'll see, along with another 25 or so mountain lakes and water falls. The Bob Marshal is to the east. What a view! This is the home of Mountain Goat and Grizzly Bear.

I had a two out bi-plane, following a Cypress fire. My Hornet 170 was in front of the reserve. I released the front brakes on the front canopy, making gentle turns. They flew very well that way. There was a tall snag (tree) and a fence that I was trying to avoid. This meant a down wind landing. I did a good PLF, and landed fast but fairly soft. I even made the Lost Prairie video that year. Does this mean that I done good?

Lou, I haven't heard from you for a while. I was wondering if you had been in Afganistan. It's good you're healthy and doing well. I read this story again. You have to give those Vietnam Halo jumpers credit. It took a lot of guts to make those jumps and evade the enemy like they did. I remember seeing the early day Halo jumpers at Bragg in 1970. They would be opening after having jumped from an invisible aircraft. Many of them hung out at the Green Beret Parachute Club bar. I was in awe of most of those guys....

Last I saw of Alva was in about 75 or so, in Missoula. He was part owner of a twin beech back then. He was instrumental in keeping the Silvertip Skydivers alive and jumping. I heard he later sailed around the world in a sail boat. Someone said he wrote a book about being iced up, and living in his boat, in the far North. Anyone know where he's at now....

Bobby, Where in Montana did you end up. There are a lot of old jumpers here. B.J. is in Whitefish. Hod is in Missoula. Fred Sands is at Lost Prairie. Bob Smith is in the Bitterroot in the summer, and Argentina in the winter...Blaine Wright just had a very serious accident jumping into the stadium in Missoula....

My new 99, 308 came in the mail recently. It shoots well. I forgot my glasses, and had a heck of a time seeing the iron sights and the target. I'll be glad to get a scope on it. Everything seems to function well on it. People warned me that the recoil might be a problem. I figured this is just a 308, it couldn't kick much....but it does. This rifle is very light, which I like, but that does transform into more recoil. A metal but plate doesn't help much either. To line the iron sights up, you have to press your cheek into the stock, fairly hard. You do feel quite a bit of recoil in your face as a result. I'm putting a scope on it, as soon as the mounts arrive. I ordered a long Leupold base. I hope there is enough room to feed shells into the magazine, with that. I think they will eject okay, because it throws them directly out to the side. I have to say, that I don't like the trigger. I'm not used to that much pull. I think a guy could adjust that with a file....but I'm going to let a gun smith do it. On You-Tube there are a couple videos on how to disassemble a 99. This helped a lot. It really did need a good cleaning. I did booger up a couple screws, because I didn't have the proper hollow ground screw drivers. I know better than that. All in all, I like this gun a lot....

Oh heck, Jerry, I can't even remember how to post pictures on here. I will take some pictures with my film camera, and mail them to you via (snail mail). I can't keep up with all this high tech stuff. Maybe that's why I still like old gear so much....

That's a good point Stratostar. The old gear does take training. If one is unfamiliar with it, it might be best just to put a para-commander in a modern container...

I guess everyone has an opinion on this. I don't think all that old gear is crap. I've got a paracommander that I'd like to jump. It's in a stylemaster main container and harness. I'm going to get a 26 coni for a chest mount reserve. That old gear served me well in the 70's. I'm looking forward to jumping it again in the future.... It's kind of like driving an old car that once meant something to you. It just wouldn't be the same to put a P.C. in a modern container. Just my two cents worth....

I got to shopping on Guns International.com. I only found one in 308. That was after looking at three pages of different 99's. I had to do some serious begging, to get my wifes's blessings, but that gun is on the way. I may have paid to much for it, but it was exactly what I was looking for. It has a 22 inch barrel. It was made in 1954 and is in 95% condition. Somebody had it stashed in a closet for a bunch of years. I'll let you know how it shoots....

I've always liked the looks and feel of a model 99. When I first started hunting I had a lever action, but I've never been a big fan of them. One of the first 99's that I saw belonged to a hermit, named Denny O'loflin. A friend and I would spend days, hunting out of Denny's cabin, back in the mountains. We were only about 12 then. We were out hunting alone, for deer and elk. We were learning how to hunt, mostly on our own. Kids were raised differently back then. Denny had been a paratrooper in WWII. He jumped in on Normandy, and saw a lot of action. As a result of that, Denny was shell shock. He didn't get along with people much, but he seemed to like kids okay. He taught us a thing or two about hunting, and even showed us how to trap beaver. Most people were scared of Denny. He made a living trapping, working his mining claim, and sometimes working construction. Denny had guns all over his cabin, and a case of dynamite under his bunk. One story said that Denny had shot a guy over a woman. Supposedly he had wounded the guy with a shotgun. Whether or not that story was true or not, I can't say. There were a lot of stories floating around about Denny. When they made the movie the Longest Day. Denny was one of the guys they wrote to. Every morning, Denny would pin on his jump wings. Denny may have been a little crazy, but he had a good heart. When we were kids, Denny was our hero. His favorite rifle was a Savage model 99. He carried it where ever he went. We'd follow him all over his mining claim, and anything he said was gosphel to us. On another hunt, I remember following my Dad around. We'd ridden in on horseback that morning. We ended up following some mountain lion tracks through some steep cliffs, for miles. Dad was packing a Savage, model 99 that day. We later saw four mountain goat, right next to us, across a frozen creek. It was all I could do not to cut loose with my Winchester 30/30. They stared us down with the wind blowing their long hair. "Don't shoot," Dad said, " The game warden will get us." So, We watched them climb back up the mountain. When I pick up a model 99, those are some of the memories that come to mind. I'm going to have to buy one.

A 22 inch barrel is not a short barrel. Most of my bolt guns have a 22 inch barrel. Magnums usually need a 24 inch barrel to get all the good out of that powder charge. I have a 300 winchester with a 26 inch barrel. That extra two inches helps for velocity, but I hate packing it around, and through the brush. It just seems too long. I did some looking. It's really hard to find a Savage Model 99 in 308. There are a lot in 300 savage, that are for sale....and most aren't very cheap. They run anywhere from $600 to $4,000. I hope not to pay more than 6 or 7 hundred.

I did some checking on barrel length. There appears to be a carbine model with a 20 inch barrel. That is a little too short, for me. I'd like to have at least a 22 inch barrel. Most come with a 24 or 26 inch barrel. That is longer than I would have expected. I could live with a 24 inch barrel, but a 26 is really long...

That brings up another question I was wondering about. I think they come in more than one barrel length. Some look fairly long, like 22 inches or even longer. Anyone know anything about that? I've read some reviews on that, but noone mentioned barrel length....

I like to shop for a new gun, but I haven't bought one for years. Nothing has really caught my eye, as something I have to own. I always liked the looks of the Savage Model 99. This may be the next rifle I buy. I'd like to get one in 308. I'll probably put a scope on it. They are a little long, but I may use it for a saddle gun. The accuracy with one is supposed to be good. I was wondering what size groups are possible with one. The Savage 99's were made for about a 100 years. I guess you have to be careful to get one that doesn't have a pitted barrel. Is there anything else to watch out out for. That rotary magazine looks cool. I haven't heard anything bad about it.... A gun show might be a good place to get one. A friend picked up a rifle recently, on gun brokers. com. Maybe I'll give that a try... I'll bet some of you own one of these rifles. I was wondering how you like it....

Hang in there. Eventually you'll grow to like exiting an aircraft....

In the early 70's patches were cool. Every good skydiver that I met, had them then. I guess that's why I couldn't wait to sew one on. If you were skygod material you probably had a 16 way patch. A few of the elite wore a night SCR patch back then. I quit jumping for a long stretch, in about 75. I wonder what year it became unfashionable to wear patches. Nobody had them, when I started up again, in about 2000. After all it's important to look good, in this sport.....right? I wonder what a 400 way patch should look like? I've seen a World Team Patch, but that doesn't seem quite right for such a tremendous feat....

I need to get my log books out for this, but if memory serves, it was in about 73. I had about80 jumps. It was out of a smoke jumper, twin beech, in Missoula. B.J. Worth, Fred Sands, Stinky, and the Tousey brothers were there. I got my SCS the next day. I couldn't wait to get those patches sewn on my jump suit. I felt like I'd really done something big....Those were the days!