SPORTS
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, April 14, 2021
A9
SHOOTING
THE BREEZE
Takedown rifl es
C
ivilization has always had a fascina-
tion with over engineering. Sometimes
complex is necessary, but simplex, due
purely to having less parts, usually is a more
enduring design as there are fewer things that
can break. Guns are no exception. The muse-
ums are full of curious pieces, which although
eye catching and pioneering to say the least,
proved to be too costly and
unreliable to ever be popu-
lar and are now relegated to
exhibition rather than use.
One interesting trend that
has a cultish following is that
of the takedown rifl e. Oh,
we’ve all seen them in the
movies. Who could forget the scene in “The
Good, The Bad and The Ugly” where Eli Wal-
lach disassembles several six guns of vari-
ous designs to fashion his own? Or the scene
in Joe Kidd wherein Clint Eastwood steals
and later assembles a jigsaw puzzle custom
rifl e in order to take out a distant sniper? Oh,
Hollywood!
In reality there are several takedown guns
that do work and are useful designs. In the
days of yore, youth were especially drawn
to takedown designs as such could easily be
hauled around in a backpack while riding a
bicycle concealed from the view of uppity
metropolitan neighbors to the countryside for
some hunting. As early as the 1890s some citi-
zens, even in the West, began to feel their min-
ing and mill towns were too cosmopolitan for
open display of fi rearms.
Traveling hunters or exhibition shoot-
ers found that long guns that could be bro-
ken down into smaller, more compact cases
were easier to fi nd space for in planes, trains
and automobiles alike. Takedown guns can be
much easier to clean when a wide variety of
tools may not be available. Finally, takedown
guns can off er greater versatility with multiple
barrels of various calibers. For example, you
could get a Savage 99 rifl e in .30-30 WCF and
get extra barrels in .22 HP, .25-35, .32-40, .38-
55 or .410 shotgun.
Takedown rifl es were not all peaches
and cream, however. The rifl es could eas-
ily develop excessive headspace, a potentially
dangerous problem only solved by the hand
of a gunsmith. Accuracy frequently suff ered
as a result of the necessary play in machining
required for being able to take the gun apart.
These days, those issues are almost non-ex-
istent. Modern designs like the Blaser R8
straight-pull bolt action or the Thompson/Cen-
ter Contender and Encore single-shot designs
can house some of the world’s most powerful
and useful cartridges and can be taken apart,
reassembled and used without complication.
Many with such rifl es claim they will even
maintain their zero during the takedown and
travel process, but of course, they always dou-
ble check at their destination.
Part of the popularity with the Glock hand-
guns and Ruger 10-.22 and AR-15 types of
rifl es in my opinion comes from the hundreds
of diff erent custom choices one can choose to
tailor their ideal gun. These takedowns off er
much of the same to the custom-crazed gun
owner. If excessive length or weight are prob-
lems, the takedown rifl e may just be the ticket.
Do you own a takedown rifl e? Write to us
at shootingthebreezebme@gmail.com!
Dale Valade is a local country gent with a
love for the outdoors, handloading, hunting
and shooting.
Eagle fi le photo
Grant Union/Prairie City Prospector Tristan Morris rounds third base in a game against the Lakeview Honkers in 2019.
Spring sports kicking off this week
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
After COVID-19 snuff ed out
spring sports more than a year
ago, baseball, softball, golf and
track and fi eld are back beginning
Wednesday as the Grant Union
baseball team faces Baker City in
the Prospectors’ home opener. The
fi rst pitch is at 4 p.m.
On Saturday, the Prospectors
baseball team faces Western-McE-
wen for a doubleheader in Athena
starting at noon. The team hosts
Union/Cove for a doubleheader
Tuesday, April 20, starting at 1 p.m.
Grant Union’s softball team
kicks off their season Saturday on
the road and will face Heppner for
a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m.
The team will travel to Baker/Pow-
der Valley Wednesday, April 21,
for a game beginning at 4 p.m.
On Friday, the Pros track and
fi eld team will travel to Harper to
compete at the Dianna Thurmond
Invitational. The start time is to be
determined.
Meanwhile, the Grant Union
golf team will host the Grant Union
High School Invitational at the
John Day Golf Club. The tee-time
is 11 a.m. Friday.
Long Creek’s track and fi eld
program, according to Jennifer
Garinger, will have a season as
well. So far, the team does not have
any scheduled meets.
Monument’s track and fi eld
coach Lisa Neuberger did not
immediately respond to the Eagle’s
request for comments on the
upcoming spring season.
Eagle fi le photo
Grant Union/Prairie City Prospector Peyton Neault hits the ball in the
game against Lakeview in 2019.
Pros boys cross country is fi rst GU team to fi nish at state
The boys squad took third in
league and eighth overall in fi eld
of over 100 runners and 12 teams
By Steven Mitchell
Blue Mountain Eagle
This year’s Grant Union boys cross country
team was the fi rst Prospector team to compete
at a state tournament over the weekend at the
Spring 2021 Cross Country 3/A, 2/A, 1/A State
Championship Tournament in Lebanon.
In a fi eld of over 100 runners and 12 teams,
the boys squad took eighth in non-league com-
petition and claimed third place in their league.
Sophomore Brady Dole earned All State
Honorable Mention.
Smith told the Eagle that as Grant Union
closes out their COVID-19-compressed sea-
son, the team sits atop their respective league
Eagle fi le photo
Grant Union Prospector Quinn Larson, right,
competes in the 2019 Gold Rush Run at the
Seventh Street Complex in John Day.
after beating Heppner, a competitive team that
took second at the district championship meet.
She said all seven varsity runners had their
best times of the season, and the top fi ve run-
ners on the team all posted a personal record:
• Brady Dole, 18:29.85
• Quinn Larson, 18:43.54
• Max Bailey, 19:44.90
• Skylor Boyd, 20:25.09
• Landon Boyd, 21:09.64
• Jesse Randleas, 21:30.06
• Cole Ashley, 25:23.40
Smith said the boys team received one of
the wildcard bids because three of the teams
in Grant Union’s district had three of Oregon’s
top fi ve teams.
Smith said she was thankful to both the par-
ents for being so supportive and the school dis-
trict for making the trip a possibility in “the
current year of ever-changing restrictions.”
“It has been a pleasure for me to coach these
young men,” she said.
With six of the seven athletes returning
next season, she said they “are looking for-
ward to better things to come.”
SPORTS ROUNDUP
Grant Union fi nishes
shortened season on
top in 44-38 win over
Stanfi eld
The Prospectors carried
the momentum of their dra-
matic win over Umatilla on
the road to Stanfi eld, winning
another close game 44-38.
Grant Union fi nished the sea-
son with a winning record,
going 3-2.
Jason Miller, Prospectors
head coach, said the game was
almost a “carbon copy” of the
game against Umatilla.
He said one team would
get the ball, march it down
the fi eld three yards and
end up in a pile of dust and
score. Then, he said the other
team would get the ball and
do the same thing all over
again.
Miller said the Pros
stepped up on defense and
stopped them to fi nally “seal
the deal.”
He said the season was
certainly unusual but the
team stepped up and were
“gamers.”
“We had a great time,” he
said. “I’m glad we got to do it
for the seniors.”
Dayville/Monument
pounces Rattlers 32-6
With the cancellation of
their fi nal game of the sea-
son,
Dayville/Monument
was able to bring in Mitch-
ell/Spray/Wheeler, who the
Tigers defeated 33-0 in their
season opener. Monument
head coach Kyle Hand said
the Rattlers played compet-
itively, but Dayville/Monu-
ment won 32-6.
At halftime, the two teams
locked up the score 6-6.
Hand said his team adjusted
at halftime and “exploited
weaknesses.”
Hand said he was proud
of the whole team. He said
juniors Nic Ciochetti and
Zach Ferguson both stepped
up and made good plays in
the second half to get the
team going.
Hand said the team was
Let your
GRADUATES’
accomplishments
SHINE
thrilled to play fi ve games of
competitive football.
Dayville/Monument
volleyball loses to
Mitchell/Spray/Wheeler
The Dayville/Monument
Lady Tigers ended their vol-
leyball season with a 3-1 loss
to Mitchell/Spray/Wheeler.
Monument, who defeated
the Mitchell/Spray/Wheeler in
their home opener 3-1, ended
their season 1-6.
Lady
Tigers
head
coach
Treila
Smith
could not be reached for
comment.
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Blue Mountain Eagle
MyEagleNews.com
S238457-1
A MAN
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morning
after sleeping on...
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Kim Kell • 541-575-0710
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