Fun Road Trip

[glenn asher]

Had a Very Good Morning today, my buddy and I took off for the famous Whittaker's Gun Shop in West Louisville, KY, about 130 miles west of here in regular old Louisville. We saw several deer and turkeys, lots of geese, some fine fish splashing in a lake, and generally had a good time on the ride to the big shop.
We saw some very fine rifles there, including Model Seven CDLs (overpriced, but very nice, nonetheless) and scads of Coopers (about 45, all told, including that new Jackson Hunting Rifle, the new repeater! Only $1249 or so!) Lots of Kimbers, Remingtons, Savages of all persuasions, including the Predators and LRPVs, the F-Class rifles, too. Pretty good day, all told. I didn't buy anything, but a synthetic Model Seven at $439 was tempting (.204). They had several of the .17 Remington Fireballs, too, SPS Varmints and Model 7 CDLs, but the price of factory ammo left me "shell shocked" at $22.99 a box Since no bulk brass is currently available, I left the rifles in the shop. I guess I've been handloading so long, I've forgotten how much the nonloader pays for NOT rolling his own.
All in all, an excellent morning!

[WrzWaldo]

Had a Very Good Morning today, my buddy and I took off for the famous Whittaker's Gun Shop in West Louisville, KY, about 130 miles west of here in regular old Louisville. We saw several deer and turkeys, lots of geese, some fine fish splashing in a lake, and generally had a good time on the ride to the big shop.
We saw some very fine rifles there, including Model Seven CDLs (overpriced, but very nice, nonetheless) and scads of Coopers (about 45, all told, including that new Jackson Hunting Rifle, the new repeater! Only $1249 or so!) Lots of Kimbers, Remingtons, Savages of all persuasions, including the Predators and LRPVs, the F-Class rifles, too. Pretty good day, all told. I didn't buy anything, but a synthetic Model Seven at $439 was tempting (.204). They had several of the .17 Remington Fireballs, too, SPS Varmints and Model 7 CDLs, but the price of factory ammo left me "shell shocked" at $22.99 a box Since no bulk brass is currently available, I left the rifles in the shop. I guess I've been handloading so long, I've forgotten how much the nonloader pays for NOT rolling his own.
All in all, an excellent morning!

Heck if that's all that's holding you back I'll squish some brass for you for a very reasonable fee!

[glenn asher]

Thanks, Waldo, but I didn't want it that bad, I'm waiting for the CZ version That little CDLSeven is pretty nice, but the CZ would cost less, and have a better trigger, to boot. They had a boatload of stuff there (they stock 4000 guns at any one time!) Most of this trip was to check out the new truck, anyway It was just a perfect day to get my buddy out of the house, that his MIL was visiting He couldn't wait to get on the road. He did get a great offer on his SS Number One that he never shoots, we might be going back soon. I just couldn't think of anything I really needed, or wanted, I've got some neat stuff and really, except for some little doodads, I'm pretty pleased with the gear I've accumulated.

[WrzWaldo]

You can't beat a good road trip, especially if firearms are involved (whether you purchase one or not)!

[WHISTLEPIG]

I’m green with envy. I would love to go to that store.

[glenn asher]

If you go into the place with one thing on your mind to buy, I'll almost guarantee that you'll come out with something else, OR, so confused you don't know WHAT you want . It's sensory overload, in spades and buckets. I've been down there a time or two, and simply had to leave, there are too many choices, at VERY fair prices, that it's a mindblowing experience. Louisville has several good gunshops, but the price-creep has gotten out of hand here. You can save money, even with the long drive, by going to Whittaker's. Sometimes it's not worth the time, and better to buy here in town, but not often.....
I like the place, it's outside Owensboro, which has a lot of good BBQ joints, and stopping at one of them for lunch makes it even better.
They had scads of Tikkas, even a decent selection of Winchesters still, lots of traded-in shotguns and rifles, and a whole big bunch of M12 Winchesters from a collection. I think he's Cooper's biggest retailer, too. Homeland Defense Rifles abounded, also.
What really shocked me, though, was the increase in ammo prices, even on rimfire stuff. We talk about component prices here, but it didn't sink in until I saw the prices on the shelves of various ammo. Cooper custom ammo was, per round, cheaper than Remington factory .17 Fireball, which blew my mind. WW Power Points, our favorite .22s, were now $24.95 a brick, I bought some a couple years ago for $16.99 I can't blame Whittaker's, their prices are as fair as prices get. Ahhhh, the good old days............

[Lee C.]

glenn, It sounds like a great time to me. A new truck a good friend and going to a gun shop on a nice fall day. It's all them littel things in life that makes it speical. Even if you don't get any thing new. Have fun Lee,

[glenn asher]

I've had time for the "sensory overload" to dissipate a little, and can now digest the newer stuff I saw at Whittaker's yesterday. The Savage Predators that I saw yesterday surprised me, I didn't know they came in long action deer calibers as well as the stuff we talk about here, but they had .270 and .30/06 as well as .204, .223 and .22/250. The guns handled a LOT better than I expected, too, that barrel contour would be absolutely topnotch if it were chambered in, for example, .221 Fireball or .17 Rem. Fireball, if they could make them feed and extract properly (I wouldn't hold my breath on those two, they are too short for that action length).
For some years, I absolutely coveted the Winchester Coyote rifle in .243 Win, and Whittaker's had a new one for only $599, which is a fair price, considering how much the market skyrocketed when Winchester went under. They also had a smattering of the plastic stocked WSSMs, which don't "git it" for me.
Remingtons have taken several price hikes this year, and I thought they were a bit too much coin, but those CDL versions are absolutely beautiful rifles, either in 7 or 700 models. The Model Seven is very appealing, but those little pencil thin barrels just aren't much fun to shoot off a bench (of course, that's not why they're made, they're made for huntin'!) If I were to replace my old Model 70 Winchester, it would probably be a Seven, though. I like 'em!
Remington has replaced the horrid, hideous Model 710 with the newer, even more hideous Model 770, something's wrong with their heads to foist those POS rifles on anyone, but that's what they've done. I don't care how they shoot, they are ugly and horrid things that are an abomination to a rifle lover. Two thumbs down on those things........
Whittaker's carries CZ firearms, too. They had a lot of those in stock, most with decent wood, I bought both of my CZs from them, and they carry a great selection, they had several of the harder to find .222s and Hornets in stock, yesterday. They also had the Safari rifles, in bigbore chamberings, but I couldn't talk my buddy into buying me one............
Whittaker's carries all manner of stuff, from NEF singles to the Mossberg boltguns to Coopers and Kimbers, if you can't find something you like there, you ain't trying very hard. Sakos are there, but not in "happy" numbers, he'd prefer to sell a bunch of Tikkas to one Sako, volume is his deal. I hate to sound like an advertisement, but he's got the best shop I've ever been in, except First Guns, in Rapid City, he's easily on par with them, though he doesn't carry as many loading supplies.

[Irishfan]

Glen - you said they sell Cooper custom ammo. Does Cooper make any ammo in 204? What is the going price if they do? I don't hand load currently, but am looking into getting into it, but for the time being, trying to find the best factory loads and or custom ammo. Can you order ammo from Whittaker over the phone? Thanks.

Bob

[glenn asher]

http://www.whittakerguns.com should have all the info you need, I think they do sell .204, they have to sell some ammo because they chamber a lot of wildcats. Usually, their stuff runs $39.95/50, though it might have gone up in some chamberings. I've heard rumors that it's loaded by HSM, but that might be baloney, too. I know they tend to favor H335 in most of their test ammo, according to the targets supplied with the rifles( and that .204 had the load listed as 335/32 Sierra, but I don't recall the exact charge).