Another day in the desert. Hooked up with a couple friends who are ex-special forces. They brought a bunch of toys including a couple of lever guns. The "Alaskan Copilot" (a Marlin 45-70 mod) was a particular favorite, especially with the full magnum loads. Other highlights included a SOCOM M1A that was being broken in (brand new build) and another 308 that was astonishingly accurate at 150m.
The other plus was a tactical shotgun lesson. Learned how to save my shoulder and properly clear a room, holding the weapon low then bringing up sideways first then rotating to aim center of mass. Firing while moving will take some practice, but the revelation was his instruction on *not* holding the stock tight to the shoulder but rather pulling forward with the left hand. Worked like a charm.
Might have to get a Marlin 1894 cowboy...
