It now seems that same auction company is selling a 35M this Saturday... I'd bet out of the same collection. Looks like this is going to be a VERY spendy month (there's also a pretty nice French M1914 Remington Rolling Block and a Burgess folding riot gun.... but I think I have to limit myself to the Mannlicher!). This time when I told Sarah, she laughed and offered to throw in a few hundred dollars and call it my Christmas present. I am a lucky, lucky man.

I feel you. I drug Jackie around all of middle Georgia in a vain attempt to find a Ruger Hawkeye All Weather in .30-06

You know, when I worked at Cabelas we could hardly give those things away.... except to people from up North where "needs to work reliably" trumped "needs a detachable mag so I can hunt out of my truck."

Don't miss that job.

Post photos of that rifle when you get it.

Okay Buddy. Explain the reasoning behind that one? What does a detachable mag have to do with hunting from your truck?

In Georgia, and most states, it is illegal as all get out to shoot anything unless you're 500 feet from a road.

Oh, it's illegal here too. They needed the detachable mag so they could "transport the empty rifle to the hunting location" and then pop it in when they saw a deer / out when the conservation officer drove up.

Okay that makes sense.

Ah. That does indeed make sense. Yeah, you can have a loaded rifle in a vehicle down here, in some states without a permit.

Apparently Ruger has discontinued a couple versions of the Hawkeye, because much like the Remington 600 and Browning marked FAL-G imports the American buying public is too stupid to appreciate a good rifle if they can't buy it behind the counter at Walmart for $400 and it come with a Banner scope.

Here you can't.... I had never actually considered that a loaded rifle in the truck would be legal in the US when thinking about the popularity of clips vs floorplates on hunting rifles in Canada vice the US. And here I thought they just had fewer truck hunters there. Learned something new today!

Well, I won my 35M. It cost more than I wanted to spend but it beats waiting another 14 years to find one! The 43M arrived a few days after the auction, this one I imagine will take longer since the auction was much bigger. Once it comes I'll try and post detailed pictures of both, although for all of her supportiveness Sarah is definitely NOT ok with rifles on the dinner table so logistics are challenging. :p