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Saturday, December 27, 2008

My Soon-to-Be AR-15

I recently purchased a Del-Ton stripped lower receiver and ordered a parts kit and upper. Apparently, an EBR was in my future and I'm fulfilling my duties as a member of the unorganized militia. I should have gotten it in January 2008 but didn't. So, now, I'll play the waiting game just like everyone else. One thing though. I've got primers and powder. Another thing is that my ideal didn't change over the intervening months. That kinda surprised me. Perhaps there was more reason in my thought process than I thought.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Concealed Carry Map

From Handgun Law is this map showing the "shall issue," "may issue" and "don't issue" states with a few comments besides.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Stock Making from Scratch by Marlinman93(Vall)

On Paco Kelly's Leverguns Forum, Marlinman93 (Vall) has posted his method of creating a pattern for creation of a stock on a stock duplicator. Re-published here with his permission, the series will be combined in this one article.

This will be long and drawn out, as it takes time between steps waiting for things to dry. I'm in the process of building a set of stocks for my double gun project, and thought I'd take some pictures to describe how I do it. Not sure how others do it, but this has been my method. I start by building the stocks from the inside out. This way I can fit pieces next to the action and barrel, rather than carving out a stock and then cutting in the inletting.

I start by covering the entire area with good quality plastic wrap. Tape it in a couple places to keep it in place:


Next I get some soft fir or other wood that is easily cut and shaped. I fit the wood in pieces around the metal, and glue the pieces together with Gorilla glue. Don't worry about a perfect fit, as that will be the last step before sanding:


The forearm will be done in 4 pieces. Three for the bottom, and one for the tip:


The buttstock will end up being a lot of small pieces and one large piece:


Tape and rubber bands work well to hold it all together while the glue sets up:


On this project Im using a donor stock (old Marlin 27) so I wont have to carve all the shape. I want a cheekpiece, so I cut one out on the band saw and glued it on. The screws will be removed when the glue sets up:


When all this dries I'll attach the stock to the pieces already fitted, fill in some more pieces, and then final fit the wood to the action using plain old body filler. I'll also mold in the cheekpiece and buttstock using the same. When it's done I'll have a perfect pattern to send to the duplicator.

I fitted pieces of wood to the action and forearm and have them close. I installed the cheekpiece and donor stock to the inletted fir pieces.



Next I bondo the wood to the action and bondo the cheekpiece into the stock.


After drying I rough shape the bondo with a coarse rasp, and later I'll do final filling and sand to a close finish.


It doesn't need to be perfect for a pattern, but the closer the better, as that saves woodwork later!


The forearm is next to get a few more pieces of wood, and then final shaping with bondo and a rough rasping. Here it's fitted to the receiver, and will be shaped the rest of the way when the fit is perfect.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Slingshots

Slingshots can certainly be useful tools. David used one to slay Golaith. The Egyptians had whole units of slingers. Over the years the design has gotten more high-tech due to the introduction of elastic rubber as the propulsive force rather than the centrifugal force of slinging the projectile in a large arc before releasing it at the target. In consequence, some have given them other names such as bean shooter. A while back I think I posted on this weapon used by youth gangs in Timor.

Quite something, these utilize the modern elastic force and require, perhaps, a little less skill/practice for effective use.  I bet these could be used for hunting.  However, you'd want to find your dart.  After all, you'd have considerable fabrication time or money tied up in each one. 

One could use lead balls (shot) or nuts (such as go on bolts to become fasteners).  We used nuts from our supply sources together with Wrist Rockets to kill ground squirrels on Fort Hunter-Liggett, CA.  Effective (when contact was made) cheap, silent, concealable and untraceable. 

Rocks as projectiles are a whole different story.  They can be found in appropriate sizes most anywhere.  Rocks cost nothing.  They carry no ballistic information whatsoever (except for the trace they pick up on contact with the target).  Think they aren't viable?   Look at this video of Rufus Hussey and his bean shooter. That is impressive.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Baxter Black - Just a Dog

If you have a dog, odds are you'll outlive them. Baxter says it well...

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Life Experience

A silly thing but I thought it might turn out to have useful info for the grandchildren...

1. Started your own blog. Yes, this here journal intended for your edification.
2. Slept under the stars. Many nights, maybe too many, maybe not enough. Stars are nice even in the cold. Clouds can be ok. Wet is just nasty.
3. Played in a band. Music is not my thing...
4. Visited Hawaii. On a jet plane and only long enough to go on across the pond. Dittos for Alaska although we did get off the plane while it refueled.
5. Watched a meteor shower. Who would not run outside to watch a meteor shower?
6. Given more than you can afford to charity. Accidentally. I gave what I thought was reasonable only to discover it was more than I should have done.
7. Been to Disneyland. If Disney WORLD counts. If so I've been there 4 too many times.
8. Climbed a mountain. I take it this is a named mountain and not restricted to Mount Everest, Mont Blanc or some such...
9. Held a praying mantis. They are all over the place here in late summer.
10. Sang a solo. I was often ordered by the music teacher to lip-synch so that nobody would hear me. That's just how badly I sing. Beat out Milli-Vanilli by many years but was never chastised for it!
11. Bungee jumped. There is no reason on earth to trust your life to a minimum wage worker and a rubber-band.
12. Visited Paris. Well, I rode a bus through the outskirts.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea. Does looking out over the ocean from land during a hurricane count?
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch. Art=singing=no, dittos for artistic drawing.
15. Adopted a child. She didn't want to be adopted but my step-daughter is my daughter...
16. Had food poisoning. Not really but I've had gastro-intestinal discomfort on an epic scale!
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables. Yep, but that was in spite of my efforts.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight. A looooooong time ago...
22. Hitch hiked. I was walking the 13 miles home (was between King City and Greenfield) from my broken down car and several migrant workers picked me up and dropped me at my exit. I still remember and am still grateful. Gracias.
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill. Yes, but I was sick of work.
24. Built a snow fort. Where I lived, EVERYBODY my age who was physically able to has built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb.  Yes.
26. Gone skinny dipping.  At Pfeiffer Beach for one...
27. Run a Marathon.
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset. Many, most due to sleeping under the stars!
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise. And I might get forced into doing it again but it won't be willingly going!
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person. 5 times now.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors. Of course.
35. Seen an Amish community. Visited several times and always ate well.
36. Taught yourself a new language. I think that is impossible for me to teach myself but I have learned some Mandarin (WAS literate), Korean, French, and American Sign Language. It is difficult to teach oneself language, you need to learn to think it, a hard thing for me to do on my own.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied. I'm there right now. To be well fed, warm, dry and able to study the things that interest you, that is a good life.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock (wall) climbing. And rappelling (abseiling).
40. Seen Michelangelo's David.
41. Sung karaoke. Did you miss my comment on singing?
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt. In a thunderstorm. A boy scout was struck by lightning. A magnificent juxtaposition of all of nature's power at one place and time. The scout lived.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight. Asilomar in 1974, Ormond several times between 1989 and 2005.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted/drawn. A characterture.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain. But not often enough. Women do not consider me a good kisser. Don't kiss men.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater. Among others I saw "The Exorcist" in a drive-in.
55. Been in a movie. "Lights of Inchon" as an extra but I'm probably on the cutting room floor.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served at a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies. However, I've done my bit by buying and eating a ton of the Thin Mints.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Got flowers for no reason. Yes, I remember that...
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma. Some crummy fever I had in Korea was reason not to accept my blood.
65. Gone sky diving. And I won't as long as every plane I fly in is still flying.
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.
67. Bounced a check. Only because the BANK didn't credit my deposit within 5 days.
68. Flown in a helicopter. Many, many times. Jumped from the skid and rappelled from one, too.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy. Crafield, the stuffed bear. Well, really, my mom saved him.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten Caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square. I have now (2011). Not that great a thing.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London.
77. Broken a bone. Broke my wrist on an obstacle course.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle. Drove a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person. AND floated on the Colorado River, twice.
80. Published a book. I've been quoted in a book.
81. Visited the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car. Several times.
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper. Servicing a HMMVW just prior to a big snow storm and teaching school kids about the Army.
85. Read the entire Bible. Hasn't every Christian? Seriously, it was a project.
86. Visited the White House. Took the tour.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating. Several.
88. Had chickenpox.
89. Saved someone’s life. And been saved.
90. Sat on a jury. Not yet although I return the questionnaire in a timely manner.
91. Met someone famous. Penn and Teller, John O. Marsh (Secretary of the Army), Edgar and Mrs. Bergen, several of the Statler Brothers, several authors and artists...
92. Joined a book club. I suppose everybody can be that stupid.
93. Lost a loved one. Way too many. I doubt that as I age the rate of loss will decline, unless of course I go first.
94. Had a baby. Well, not me personally, but I do have children.
95. Seen the Alamo in person. A lifetime highlight.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake. I've SEEN The Great Salt Lake. My understanding is that few want to swim in it anymore.
97. Been involved in a law suit. Testified.
98. Owned a cell phone. Only this past year and only because I HAD to.
99. Been stung by a bee. I'm sure I'll be stung a few more times, too, although I am getting better at avoiding it.
100. Read an entire book in one day. I've read more than one in one day.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Is an EBR in my future?

Acquaintance has an "extra" Del-Ton stripped lower receiver (yes, AR-15 type) for sale. Asked if I'd be interested. Maybe. Looked at the options for the rest of it at Del-Ton.
16" M4 Rifle Kit
- DTI 16" M4 1x7 Chrome Lined
- CAR Handguard with Heat Shields-Black
- Standard Bolt & Carrier
- M4 Buttstock - Black
- A2 Grip - Black
- No Carrying Handle
- A2 Flash Hider
- Single Rail Gas Block
- Standard Lower Parts
- Standard Charging Handle
- Flat Top Upper with T-Marks
AR-15 Multi Tool
AR-15 Lower Receiver Vice Block
Flip Up Front Sight for Gas Block
Flip Up Rear Sight

What I want is a carbine that will shoot the heavy bullets and take a scope without having to look at the front sight in the sight picture. Still want "irons" just in case. I might just put a Weaver 2½X on it and get another scope for whatever I steal the Weaver from. I get the impression from looking at all the various "makes" that this stuff is very much commodity as opposed to any real differences depending on brand. Frankly, after years of dealing with the M16A1 and A2 in the position of armorer (or pseudo-armorer/supply sergeant/only person left at the point of contact) I'm not exactly wound up about the high-tech modern plug and play gadgetry that is out there. I do believe I have a sling, cleaning kit, BFA and muzzle cover on hand.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Cartridge Adapters


I recently bought two cartridge adapters from Sportsman's Guide. I got one each in .308 Winchester and .303 British. These allow the use of .32 ACP cartridges in rifles chambered for the adapter cartridge. This would be very handy in allowing the taking of small game without the need to fire a full-power load and the adapter is readily distinguishable from a standard cartridge. I can't wait to get my guns out there and try this. However others have reported good success with these and other, similar adapters from other sources.

Basically a steel cartridge for a .30 or .31 caliber center-fire rifle such as the .308 Winchester, .30-06 Springfield or .303 British (in the "case" of the Sportsman's Guide product) which is itself chambered for the .32 ACP cartridge. One of these is shown in the accompanying photo. These have been around for a long time and versions have been made to chamber a variety of suitable smaller catridges in larger chambered rifles with appropriate bores.

Saturday, December 06, 2008

Concealed Carry will be Permitted on Department of Interior Lands

The rule change has been announced and will likely be published next week. 30 days after publication the rule change goes into effect and you and I will be able to carry concealed in accordance with the laws of the state in which we are at the time. Of course we still won't be able to poach (but poachers are CRIMINALS and by definition are breaking the law) but we didn't do that anyway. All we wanted was to defend ourselves FROM poachers and other CRIMINALS...

H-S Precision and the Lon Horiuchi Endorsement

11/26/08

It has been suggested that this may be a malicious photoshop joke. I hope so. I read one comment that compared Lon Horiuchi's endorsement of sniper rifles to Timothy McVeigh's endorsement of fertilizer. Tasteless at best. Click on the pic to get it full size.



If you want to complain, contact info is:

H-S PRECISION, INC.
1301 TURBINE DRIVE,
RAPID CITY, SD 57703
(605) 341-3006 TEL
(605) 342-8964 FAX
info@hsprecision.com

* * * * *

12/02/08

In keeping with my attempts to consolidate posts/entries updates will be provided in this post and the post republished on the update date.

Courtesy of The War on Guns
update from Tommy Millner at Remington:

Because its thanksgiving and everyone is off, we have not made contact with HS. We have taken any reference to HS from our web site..

When you first emailed me I honestly did not recall horiuchi's name so you caught me unawares. I also do not read the blogs so the fact there was an issue came as a surpise.

In any event, HS makes a great product and we are a large customer of theirs. Why they would pick a super controversial spokesperson is beyond me. Doing this violates pure business common sense. Early next week we will use whatever persuasive powers at our disposal to get HS to do the right thing..

Do me a favor and tell those on the bolgs that Remington and I are now fully aware of the issue, in full agreement with the outrage, and will do what we can t exert pressure on HS to reverse course.

* * * * *

And the saga continues....
To Our Valued Customers:

H-S Precision has received comments relating to individual testimonials in our 2008 catalog. All of the testimonials focused on the quality, accuracy and customer service provided by H-S Precision.

The management of H-S Precision did not intend to offend anyone or create any type of controversy. We are revising our 2009 catalog and removing all product testimonials.

Sincerely,

The Management of H-S Precision

It seems to me that HS got the message, in part. They now know that they offended a number of their potential customers. It is unfortunate but I doubt they can honestly do much more than this. They knew who Horiuchi is and they went with his endorsement. It is now for you to decide if you will or won't patronize them. Certainly you can patronize Remington. With both Zumbo and HS they've stood for our rights.

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Dating Remingtons...

The following letters correspond to the month (first letter) and year of manufacture starting in 1921 and ending in 1972 (next one or two letters):


B-Jan M-1921 C-1934 SS-1947 G-1960
L-Feb N-1922 D-1935 TT-1948 H-1961
A-Mar P-1923 E-1936 UU-1949 J-1962
C-AprR-1924 F-1937 WW-1950 K-1963
K-MayS-1925 G-1938 XX-1951 L-1964
P-JunT-1926 H-1939 YY-1952 M-1965
O-JulU-1927 J-1940 ZZ-1953 N-1966
W-AugW-1928 K-1941 A-1954 P-1967
D-SepX-1929 L-1942 B-1955 R-1968
E-OctY-1930 MM-1943 C-1956 S-1969
R-NovZ-1931 NN-1944 D-1957 T-1970
X-DecA-1932 PP-1945 E-1958 U-1971
B-1933 RR-1946 F-1959 W-1972


Using barrel codes (such as those listed above) to date the manufacture are reliable on Remington rifles, as the company rarely changed barrels on a customer's rifle.

Using these barrel codes to date a shotgun is somewhat unreliable, as shotgun barrels are often interchanged at random. One needs to be sure that the barrel is original to the gun before trusting the Barrel Code listing, above.

Monday, December 01, 2008

I am officially a Jinx.

My first day at the gun shop and the ATF does an unannounced inspection. Might be a bit of a misnomer as they say all are unannounced. The boss had locked himself out of his house, had a trace on a gun, and this. I helped for a bit but he closed for the inventory and there was nothing to do. A good 2-1/2 hours spent not doing much of anything but answering the phone and doing some grunt work like bending and reaching for guns.

It all started with a good shower and a shave. Then I reported for my first day. We were just getting started when a lady walks in, "Hi, I'd like to see ______" (the owner). "I'm _______ ATF agent here to do an inspection. Be here all week. We'll start with an inventory, then we'll compare to your book and go from there."

I helped with the inventory (mostly reaching and such). Then left.

The two agents did apologize for having to do this during such a busy time of year (hunting, post-election, pre-Christmas). First time for the owner. The agents seemed nice enough, but mostly business.

We had a murder here in town yesterday afternoon. 20 year old woman killed by her 27 year old boyfriend (convicted sex offender) with a .25 ACP "PIC" pistol. The murder was a large part of the conversation for a bit. The owner was an officer on the Staunton PD for 13 years before buying the place from Ernie.

Well, anyway there was no need for me to be there with no sales paying my way. So, I went home and counted the change in my change jar and wrapped it up to take to the bank. $376.