Ruger 10/22

Having great fun with my Ruger 10/22 "project rifle". A friend gave me this neat little gun and now I've been introduced to the world of tricked out Rugers. So far, replaced the AWFUL factory sights with fiber optics. And tore it down and replaced the dumb magazine release and goofy bolt lock/unlock method. The results were GREAT. After a little sighting in at the range, nice tight groups. And SO much easier to use with tweaks to the action.

Up next is a trigger kit to get the pull down from the current muscleman 7# to a more manageable 2-3#. Should make a nice difference.

Was at Cabela's the other night looking for a .22 bolt action (they don't stock much -- why?) and ran across a tricked out 10/22. Stainless fluted barrel, composite stock, all the tricks. And for $600. A pretty cool little gun. Perhaps my goal!

-Sean-

Branding

As my description says, I make my living in marketing and advertising. I find the outdoor space really interesting. Some truly great marketing and some truly awful.

I must say that at the moment, one of my favorites is Simms -- a leading maker of fly fishing gear. From their website (http://www.simmsfishing.com/) to their print ads, to product literature they have this great brand going. Very consistent use of an unconventional look with black-and-white photos of rough-hewn experienced river guides combined with the "Simms orange". They're consistently subtle and tasteful with their use of the logo -- even on clothing and other products. Personally, I'd put this up with Apple as one of my favorite brands.

Contrast this with Orvis, who I think makes great products, but has this sort of L.L. Bean-influenced mass-marketer brand going. By trying to appeal to everyone, they appeal to no one. The brand just seems really unfocused.

Now, it may help that Simms does one thing (fly fishing) while Orvis has a broader set of applications. But I don't think that's a foregone conclusion. Effective branding is about taking appropriate risks -- something I think Simms has done really well. Truly one of my favorite outdoor brands.

-Sean-

Summertime

It's been over 85 degrees much of the past two weeks and quite humid. So, why do I keep thinking about ski season?

I Love Outdoorspeople

At a business networking event today, I'm chatting with the guy next to me. Turns out he's a fly fisherman and when he finds out I've recently discovered it we have a very interesting chat. With a few moments, he's sharing some suggestions for places on the Huron River, near where I live.

This is something I truly enjoy about outdoorspeople -- they're always willing to help a newbie. I want to go duck hunting. So I ask a couple of people, and BINGO, I have an invite from an experienced hunter. I ask about places to fish in the Upper Peninsula and within days I have some recommendations. Same goes for skiing, cycling, kayaking. It's great. And it helps me have the new experiences I want to try.

Thank you to all of these people!

-Sean-

.22 and the Price of Everything

I think one of my outdoor favorites is my discovery of .22's for target shooting. As ammo costs skyrocket (bought a box of .45 rounds lately? Yikes.) the .22 remains a bargain. After shooting a friend's .22 rifle last year I decided in January that a Browning Buckmark needed to get added to the collection. Then a friend gave me his old Ruger 10/22 rifle.

Beyond the benefits of being able to shoot .22 without taking out a second mortgage, I've found lots of other things to love about this caliber. The ability to really focus on key aspects of marksmanship like breathing, point of aim, trigger pull, etc. have really helped me. And not anticipating recoil is a real bonus. Plus, last weekend I was able to dial-in the new fiber optic sights on my rifle without consuming an entire paycheck.

The only downside so far? Man, that stuff shoots DIRTY!

So if you thought .22's were only for kids plinking cans, think again. I'm certainly enjoying!

IT is ALIVE!

OK, so gotten all interested in this whole social media thing. On LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. And it's all very intriguing and connecting. So, I notice that people seem to have blogs. I have one for work (www.pwb.com) but we all contribute there.

But a blog seems to need a theme. So mine's about how to spend scarce free time. Seems I have more interests than time lately. The whole day job thing gets in the way. But I thought I'd use this space for ramblings on what I'm doing in the outdoors, while somehow managing to hold down a day job and not let my house go to h*ll.

Here we go.

-Sean-