RIFLEMAN'S JOURNAL - APRIL 2003

Was hoping for small truck, but will likely get teensy little economical hatchback or the like.

166 - Saturday, 5 April 2003: Inadequate weather, slept in. New Gun Parts Corp. catalog arrived a few days ago, no entry for the Stevens M52, no picture found on web, put collection page up without one.

Examined spent hulls from last month's Pyrodex experiment, no warning signs from either Winchester or CCI primers, less residue than I might have expected. 20-gauge wire bore brush works pretty good for cleaning the inside. Both Wolf and S&B clear-plastic hulls, both roll-crimped remember, came out at the same opened length as the Winchester 2-3/4" AA - and both, especially the Wolf, look like they had 6-point star crimps! Weird. (No problem; the Load All includes 6- and 8-point crimping stations.) On the AA hulls, crimps opened much more with the factory-fresh loads than with my reloads - probably just the plastic taking a set.

Made up four 70-grain loads with WAA12R wads, just like Hodgdon's downloaded manual says, with 1-1/8 ounce shot. That's 492.2 grains according to the conversion chart, but the scale says the Load-All throws about 485, averaged from five charges. Not near so important to be a few grains off with shot as with powder. Anyway the by-the-book loads look adequate, but still a little tight; might try some with 65 grains some other time, but right now I've got something else in mind:

Decided to make more experimental loads, since I have the magnum-rated Mossberg to test them in. Have two each, clear, Wolf and S&B hulls - for experimental purposes only, for testing in a modern shotgun, will load all four with 60 grains by volume Pyrodex RS, WAA12SL wads, 7/8 ounce shot by Lee's bushing (eight or ten grains more, according to the scale - eh), and CCI primers. In theory, these should be lower-pressure than my last batch, with WAA12R wads and 1-1/8 ounce shot, all other components the same. Anyway the recoil, at least, should be reduced with the lighter shot weight. For all these X-rounds, still using the leftover #7-1/2 shot. The WAA12SL wad is much taller than the -12R, but column height was low with the -12R so maybe these will work out. Anyway one learns by doing.

On second thought, before I get started - no, that's not going to work, at least for the S&B, which have huge internal plastic base wads climbing up the inside of the hull. The Wolf hulls, though, look exactly the same inside as an AA hull, except for the color and the height of the brass, which last item does not affect internal volume or shot-wad seating- or column-height. Will use the two spent Wolf hulls.

Um. First cartridge, column height too tall. Got a good enough crimp, without too much damage, I'll still test it in the Mossberg. Reducing powder charge to 55 grains by volume - second cartridge looks good but still a little tight. Reducing powder charge to 50 grains by volume, which should be downright wimpy.

Now using AA hulls, once-fired factory smokeless. Um- looks like the AA hulls do have less internal volume than the Wolf. Phooey! (Extracted wad and saved powder, primed hull still good.) What can I do...? I could reduce the powder still more, but come on, 45 grains, when the manual says 70? Well, I'll try one that way. -Looks good, made another, packed away press & stuff before I embarrassed myself. Now I have to schlep the M590 out to English Pit or somewhere again....

Another approach would be to use 60 grains with the -12R wads with a filler in the base of the shot cup. Will take a closer look at those felt filler wads, just for that, I saw at G.I. Joe's.

167 - Sunday, 6 April 2003: Visited free-admission flea market, got three ancient IDE hard drives for $1 each - at that price, how far wrong can I go? All Seagate, one ST3390A 340Mb, two ST3290A 260Mb. After much fussing, cussing, and - haaack - dust! - got one of the latter working, with 1.2Mb bad sectors - eh, they were marked as such during formatting. Every little bit helps. Now have all four available IDE devices filled in this machine, one CD-ROM and three hard drives. Will keep an eye out for fresher, larger drives. Shuffled files around, should have slightly better performance with more working space on C:.

That done, decided to risk a tectonic event in the apartment by digging out VZ24 #5 and de- gooping it. Apparently arsenal refinished - renumbered parts, notably the bolt, which had its original number ground off the shaft of the bolt handle and the receiver's number struck in its place. Number struck over on the stock, too. Chamber crest completely, and smoothly, ground off; receiver and barrel reblued. A couple real deep dents in the wood, but I didn't really buy it for looks, and large- ring Mauser stocks are everywhere. Muzzle not counterbored. Serial number 5xxx R4 - another factory code? Old number still visible on stock, 8480 O4 - with distinct difference between "oh" and "zero". Cartouche in stock just aft of the receiver tang, "TM" in a rectangle. Large "X" immediately opposite on underside of stock, where ring finger goes. Number 13 on magazine follower, right in the middle, floorplate unmarked as usual. Nothing missing but the cleaning rod, as usual.

Sigh - old-world craftsmanship! Nobody makes nuthin' like that no more! Well, almost nobody - by all accounts, Ceskoslovenská Zbrojovka, A.S., Brno, Czech Republic, is turning out 21st Century product, still with 19th Century attention to detail. Gotta get a CZ75 someday, and maybe one of their new rifles.

Less rust than "usual" under barrel bands. All action screws present, in good shape. -Goop. Goop, goop, goop. Paper towels and window-cleaner. Ick. No serial number evident on barrel - well, they made a lot of VZ24s, and I'm sure they were made in different ways at different times.

Bore about as good as #4, which is pretty good for one of these. Actually I think #4 is a little better but I would fire this one. Headspace still good after degooping. GI surplus nylon M16 sling installed - rack full, cased and added to the pile.

Weather forecast all mixed up during the week, little thunderstorm icons for next weekend, which sucks ‘cause there are two shows then, Barberton on Saturday and the Clark County Fairgrounds both days. C-Tran does run up thereabouts on Sunday but I'd have the same 40-odd blocks of non-bike-friendly roads and I'm not biking that in the rain. But, there's a whole week for it to improve.

168 - Wednesday, 9 April 2003:

On 9 April 1865 at Appamattox Courthouse, Virginia, General Robert E. Lee, commanding the Army of Northern Virginia, surrendered his battered, starving and outnumbered troops to Union forces under General Ulysses Grant, effectively ending the War Between the States... for now.

Ten bucks for a bag of 250 20-gauge felt spacer wads for adjusting column height inside a shotshell. Passed, hope to make the Fairgrounds show. Forecast now nearly adequate for Sunday.

New Shotgun News in mail - feature article on refinishing military wood stocks, featuring a pair of VZ24 stocks!

169 - Friday, 11 April 2003: On this day - six years from now, in my personal fictional universe - the Founders of the Jeffersonian Republic Escaped the tyrants of Terra, in the experimental starship Aldrin, at the conclusion of the Battle of Forest Grove.

Payday, and picked up the second Mosin. Russian, dated 1945, complete with undersized hammer-&-sickle crest and arrow-in-triangle armory mark - is that Tula? Front sight way off to the right, but a reference mark in it and its base - brass hammer, whacked it back. Very long and very heavy trigger, but smooth. The action itself is surprisingly smooth compared to the Hungarian but this one will definitely need work before I can hit anything with it - the parts geezers do not, in my experience, carry Mosin trigger/sear parts. I don't suppose there are any aftermarket triggers for the Mosin, like there are for the Mausers, though I bet there's a market, with all these cheap Mosins coming it lately. Bore lovely even before cleaning.

I really shouldn't have bought it. Really. Should have spent the money toward the car, or toward a real battle rifle like an FAL. Having an e-discussion with a Collector (as opposed to an Accumulator like myself) who exhorts me to sell off the excess and get a battle rifle and concentrate on it.

He has a point. I just hate selling my stuff. Cruffler declares that I carry the Crufflegene. Really must stop buying, at the very least until I get motorized. (Still want a proper pistol, but the FEG/GP35 is still affordable. After that, seriously consider a post-Ban FAL while magazines are still cheap - might stockpile a few now, a couple per show for example, could trade or sell them later if necessary.)

Argh! Old slow computer must go! Up ‘til 11pm with e-mail, should probably unsubscribe from a couple more lists. Must go to bed while I still can under my own power. Will probably veg out tomorrow, skip Barberton show, try to make Fairgrounds show on Sunday (will meet Cruffler there, if so) depending, as always, on weather. Will finish degooping Mosin later.

Wrist, injured in October, starting to give trouble again - seems to be connected to cycling, like with the angle of grip on the handlebars and the stress and shock-absorption. Doesn't that suck? Remember the injury was received while lifting the loaded bike onto a bus rack and originally had nothing to do with riding as such.

170 - Saturday, 12 April 2003: Weather turned out rather nice... sometimes. But slept in anyway. Went to flea market again. Got a flat - pinch flat, I think, from a bad bounce - crossing railroad tracks. Patch kit and little bitty pump were right where they were supposed to be, no problems.

Got a replacement PC keyboard for $1. Even at that price, it can't be worse than mine. -Except that I didn't think to look at it more closely; it doesn't have the Windows key, which I use frequently! Oh well, only one dollar. Maybe I'll go back tomorrow, admission is free, and see if they have anything else in the $1 pile. Also got a book, for $7: "Weapons: an International Encyclopedia from 5000BC to 2000AD", the Diagram Group, St. Martin's Press, 1980. Most of the firearm stuff I already knew, of course, but this book covers a lot of older ground I'm not as familiar with - and, I discovered some experimental models, some of which I had seen or heard of before like superimposed-load muzzleloaders and flintlock revolvers, and some I hadn't been aware of, like a breechloading matchlock made for England's Henry VIII, or a revolving wheellock made for France's Louis XIII. No political agendas evident either, but it was printed 23 years ago. My cat better not puke on this one!

Cruffler reports, through the gunfolk grapevine, that the Fairgrounds show consists of overpriced merchandise outnumbered by non-firearm-related items, and the forecast is none too good anyway. The money I won't spend tomorrow will go to the motor fund instead. Cruffler also says I didn't miss anything at Barberton ‘cause everyone went to the Fairgrounds instead. I might have got some practice today at English Pit but the weather wasn't that good - and my wrist isn't the only part that hurts; my back, injured in an improper-lifting-procedure incident some years ago, is also giving me more trouble than usual. Pumped some more pressure into the airbed, that seems to help.

Patriot's Day - the real one - is next Saturday, the 19th, the 228th anniversary of the first battle of the War of Independence, at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. I deeply hope to get some rifleman practice on that day. Seven-day forecast has a little sunshine icon but that's meaningless in Oregon in spring.

I think I'll order another Guide bundle from Fred's - he's including extra stuff for the month of April, according to his ads in Shotgun News.

171 - Sunday, 13 April 2003: Went back to flea market, the people with the $1 keyboards were gone. Saw an old side-by-side shotgun, probably 12 gauge but maybe 16, bearing distinct similarities to my Crescent/New England, marked $100, seller said he'd take $75. Missing one firing pin and one outer hammer screw, already got one like it, passed. Also saw a Turk Mauser, better than Big 5 had when they had them, $70, also passed.

Opera's browser, v.6, which I have on my decrepit old Win95 machine instead of a MicroSoft product, doesn't do well with JavaScript, so I can't order another Fred's bundle online from home - will have to do it at a public library. -Too big a crowd, all terminals in use and a line waiting, will try during the week after work.

Mosin M44s for $60 at Big 5 this week, easily resisted. Found another clearance/liquidation/freight-damaged-goods place, got a few items. Cash set aside for shows put into savings instead. Bus tickets for next two weeks. Got groceries yesterday, and there's a new WinCo conveniently located next to my usual Bi-Mart. -Oh! Phone bill, that's what I'm forgetting! Will do that from work, due Tuesday. Not in such bad shape financially, for a change.

I'm sure something bad will happen any moment....

Yup, there it is: Dubya now says he supports renewal of the "assault weapon" ban, scheduled to expire in September ‘04. OFF alerts me that no pro-gun bills were heard by Minnis' committee, several anti-gun bills were instead. Hey! Republicans! Why should I keep voting for you if you keep selling me out? At least with Democrats, I know they're the enemy. If Dubya holds this position, and runs for reelection, I will not vote for him again, strategy be damned. Probably I'll write-in Ron Paul, or maybe vote for the Libertarian candidate if it isn't Harry Browne. (Um - should I register as a Republican again for the ‘04 primaries, to vote for someone other than Dubya? Would it matter?)

Yup, gotta get more rifle practice. And a car. Gonna need ‘em both.

Meanwhile, reading "Alexander Hamilton: A Life" by Willard Sterne Randall. Once again I see that the entire American Revolution was a bloody string of bloody miracles - and, as 25-year British Army veteran, weapons expert and author Ian Hogg said, "The biggest pack of prize dunderheads in military history" was in charge of British forces in America at the time.

Also, Congress has always sucked.

172 - Monday, 14 April 2003: Paid phone bill from work. Slow day, got off early, used time to finish degooping second Mosin.

Serial number TT8xxx, matching number on bolt body but no telling if the bolt head is original. Overstruck number on magazine floorplate. Stock gouged, dented and scraped all over, but sound. Matching number on buttplate but none evident on stock, might have been sanded off. "GENE" scratched into left-side fore-end finger depression, "GE" in same "handwriting" on left side of butt, the rest possibly sanded off with the serial number. Traces of glossy finish remaining.

Bayonet screw peened thoroughly on threaded end, not moving.

Tula (?) arrow-in-triangle arsenal mark repeated on many components. Very slight rust under handguard. Rear action screw not tight, front likewise - I'll fix that. Again, goop.

Not a complex design, the Mosin, except arguably the magazine, with the interrupter to prevent the rimmed cartridges from catching on each other. Metal overall in Very Good condition, easily 95% finish, very little rust - but the ‘53 Hungarian is in better condition overall, slightly less finish perhaps but a much nicer stock and a useful trigger (after I swapped out the cocking piece). Remember the Mosin's sear is actually an extension of the trigger spring - not easy to adjust. Much heavier spring on this Russian than the Hungarian. Probably replacement, luck-of-the-draw, is my only option there, probably only from Gun Parts Corp. Sear-engagement surface on cocking piece seems smooth enough. Bore very nice after cleaning. Stole cleaning rod and put it in the Hungarian, not sure why. Degooped, reassembled, headspace still good, cased, into the pile. Will thoroughly examine parts geezers' tables at next Expo show.

So Dubya is selling out the demographic that elected him. Now who the hell do I vote for? I can't even write to complain - e-mail to politicians is often ignored or even deleted by staffers; I could send a paper letter to Dubya and probably will but I don't expect it to do any good; local politicians are packs of commies and RINOs, apparently interbreeding.

AARRGGHH!!

Gave up on the Library/Bellesiles thing, but it's still on my hard drive. Kinda trivial now.

Must- get- motor vehicle! Would make it much easier to run up to a range, or distant hillside, for practice. Need practice!

173 - Tuesday, 15 April 2003: Tax day. Phooey! Anyway got mine done last month.

Made 100 copies of the Bill of Rights, half each my older version with just the Amendments and a title and the date they were adopted, and my improved version more closely resembling the original printing, including the Preamble describing the desire for further "declaratory and restrictive clauses" on the power of government. Will need a big stack of the Declaration of Independence soon.

Way too few Americans have ever read these momentous documents and fewer still understand them. The government-operated public school system does not teach this stuff, and that's a Bad Thing. I encourage EVERYONE to get their own personal copies of the Constitution, Declaration, and related items. I run them through my word processor to print out pretty and hand them out to coworkers, leave them on bus seats, at the laundromat, the public library, etc. They are available online from several sources, and in different formats. There are even high-resolution scans of the originals you can download.

Constitution Society - National Archives - Library of Congress

Weekend forecast now rain, both days. Phooey!

Meanwhile, again considering Mojo sights, for one of the Mausers this time - VZ #4, I think, with the best bore of the five. $40 for the rear sight alone, $50 for the dual-aperture set (leaning that way, I am, after seeing pictures of the set installed on an M44 Mosin at SurplusRifle.com), but free shipping. Also want later edition reference book - I've grown fond of Krause Publications' Standard Catalog, but mine is 1998 - about $30. Bike still needs drive-train work, estimated $125. And there's still the need for a faster, newer computer, and a desire for a digital camera. In the real world, that's all real money.

Still want proper pistol, about $250 for the FEG/GP35, maybe $150-$175 for a Star Model B, very much a copy of the Browning 1911 but only 9x19mm and only, what, eight rounds in the magazine? Well, it would still be easier to carry than the big, fat, heavy Ruger revolver, and with modern ammunition the 9x19mm approaches .357 Magnum performance.

I could be in trouble - yet another gun show right after payday, the next big Expo show on the 26th-27th. If I want another sidearm I might find, or haggle, a better deal in a pawn shop - Cruffler seems to, every other day, and that's also how I got the side-by-side. But I don't dare set foot in one of those again until I get a car, and I shouldn't be going to shows either.

Motor fund now $550, though. And two whole cents interest. So there.

174 - Wednesday, 16 April 2003: Spinal column returning to "normal." Wrist coming and going, again.

Again took bike uphill on light-rail with remainder of bus transfer, getting exercise, getting back in biking shape for the season. Visited library, returned some books, ordered new Fred's Guide bundle online and - hah! - acquired small stack of voter registration forms!

The stack of the Bill of Rights I left there in December is gone - there were a few left last weekend. Will leave more next time I'm there, didn't think to bring them this time. Got rained on returning - eh, not like that hasn't happened before.

Last night's TV forecast said rain for Saturday, today's newspaper forecast says partly cloudy. Will pack range bag, planning on Hungarian Mosin and the Stevens .22. Not going to schlep the massive Mossberg all that way on a bike just to fire a few experimental rounds, though the shortened double should pack easily when broken down, once I get the low-power loads developed.

Still haven't ordered replacement loading lever for percussion revolver. Maybe the parts geezers will have one at the big show the weekend after next but I doubt it. I'll wait ‘til I find out to order it, or not, from Dixie Gun Works, with some other things I've been looking for an excuse to get anyway.

175 - Thursday, 17 April 2003: Woo-hoo! Forecast now dry and mostly sunny for Saturday! Taking 110 rounds for the Mosin, plenty of .22LR on hand, under 2˘/round many places, no excuse not to stockpile.

Did some filing on the Stevens' sear, I think I improved the trigger pull. Plenty of metal left and it still hooks into the cocking piece, this is not a "hair trigger." Broken down, stock and barreled action, Stevens barely fits in a gun-show fold-over soft case folded in half for more compact packing. Buttplate peeks out from the tied end, I'll just stick that end down in the pannier.

Um. Panniers, about 15 years old, coming apart. $50-$60 for cheap new ones, the kind I want could cost me $100 or more. Might make my own, or just refurbish these with a trip to the fabric store. Also, these are the small ones; years ago, for my previous bike, I had a full set, small and large, front and rear. The large ones are in about the same shape but I still have them. Still have the front luggage rack too, but it won't fit this bike. Would be nice to rebuild the large ones, get more capacity - I go grocery shopping on my bike, ya know, still not having a car yet, and like the range trips, there's only so much room. Have considered getting a new front rack too. These old panniers should make one more range trip at least. No use just stitching them up - the seams are holding, the fabric is giving way around them. Will look for heavy fabric, like tent canvas or heavier nylon.

Still haven't got new helmet (found new bike gloves on sale). Should do something about that, maybe after work tomorrow. To be clear: I oppose helmet (and seat-belt) laws as totalitarian nanny-state garbage. I choose to use protective gear in an imperfect world populated by an astonishing percentage of stupid and ignorant people. Besides, I can put a little Gadsden rattlesnake flag sticker on the helmet! :) (Make them on the computer; inkjet sticker paper from office-supply stores, or often cheaper in the office-supply aisle of some other store. Tip from a friend: after printing, hose it down with Krylon Clear or an equivalent as a sealant and let dry before cutting and applying.)

Speaking of things to print out - most modern word-processor programs can be taught to print business cards, without any extra software required, and you can embed whatever (and however) graphics you want instead of taking whatever the cheesy business-card software has to offer. Some months ago I discovered the technique in an instruction sheet in a pack of Southworth business-card paper and by now I've got my ancient WordPerfect 7 taught, in template files, to print double-sided cards, with my Tyrant-Free Zone graphics on the front and my unwieldy e-mail and web addresses on the back. Activism tools! Give it a try for your club or organization! I bet later word-processor versions include that option already, fire up yours and hit [F1]. Membership or ID cards too!

176 - Friday, 18 April 2003: Got new helmet, $40. Too many vents, no place for the Gadsden sticker! Will give that some thought. Neutral black-gray color/pattern, and it fits, which my old one doesn't, really, anymore. There have also been design improvements since last I shopped for one.

Eh, found a place for the sticker, sort of.

Forecast now even better for entire weekend! Taking .357 too, there might be such a thing as too much practice but I sure can't see it from here. 90 rounds, 15 convenient cylinders, for the .357, all Winchester 110 JHP (no speedloaders or Speed Strips), and all the reduced human- silhouette targets I have; 110 rounds for the Mosin, one quarter of all remaining, and twenty chargers, two-thirds of those (remaining ten in bandolier for contingencies), for twenty-two strings of five, and twenty-two one-inch/4MOA/25-yard targets; the Guide, duh; cleaning rod, a few patches, and small bottle of window cleaner to neutralize corrosive primer residue; brass hammer in case the Stevens' sights need nudging in their dovetails; bag of jerky (must remember bottle of sports drink in fridge before leaving); for the Stevens, the Daniel Morgan target from Fred's Guide, geometrically simulating the size of a human head at various distances; small tape recorder in case some commie traitor sics the blueshirts on me again; what else, what else.... Little brass telescope for spotting, already in there when I dug out the range bag; hearing protectors of course; shooting glasses? ...Yes, I really don't like wearing them but I haven't fired this Stevens before. Okay, I think all that's left is .22 ammunition: 120 rounds brown-box Peters (Remington) solid, 40 rounds Winchester Wildcat hollowpoint, 40 rounds Winchester Super-X copper-plated hollowpoint, 100 rounds CCI Mini-Mag copper-plated solid - 300 rounds for a single-shot! Very much doubt I'll use it all. Still at least 1,600 rounds of different types on hand, and I thought I had another 500-round brick of Peters - had three or four on hand once; as I recall, eight of your typical cardboard bricks fit nicely a certain way in a .50 ammo can - but I may have traded the last one. Eh, Bi-Mart or G.I. Joe's has them for well under $10 every few weeks.

Does anyone not know about reusing the plastic boxes .22 ammunition comes in, and repacking the stuff that comes in the little cardboard boxes, and sliding the plastic lid open one row at a time for easy dispensing of those tiny little cartridges? Apparently there are some people who don't know this trick, because the boxes can be found in the trash at nearly every range or club in the country. I have some that I think are approaching twenty years old. I used to buy CCI Stinger in the 50-round blue plastic boxes but even twenty years ago that was expensive. Later I got the 100- round amber boxes of CCI Mini-Mag when Bi-Mart had them on sale, 2/$5 (which they still do frequently). Haven't actually bought .22 ammunition in at least a year, haven't had to.

No hurry tomorrow, will probably start late morning or early afternoon, get a little more sleep.

177 - Saturday, 19 April 2003:

On 19 April 1775, the first shots of the War of Independence for the United States of America were fired at Concord and Lexington, Massachusetts.
The anniversary of this day is celebrated as Patriot's Day.

Took my time, had something resembling breakfast. Did morning errands, departed on 11:15 bus.

Again with the cityfolk. Getting tiresome. Really. Nice weather at least, light cloud cover but plenty of sunshine.

Again with the spandex-wearers. A lot of those people are tree-huggy, eco-freaky Democrats. Ick. Arrived without incident shortly after noon.

Starting at rimfire line with the Stevens at 25 yards. One Daniel Morgan target, Peters brown-box ammunition. First shot - trigger still heavy, but windage right on, a couple inches high. Rear sight was only one step above bottom, now all the way down. Second shot... no noticeable elevation change. Also off to the left but that's probably just me.

No sling on this rifle. Should do something about that. Both Cooper and Fred agree that the sling is a great aid to accuracy, even if they disagree as to how.

Three rounds, aimed as much low as the last two were high - and split the difference under the intended point of impact. Split that difference, five rounds - a couple hits, but the whole pattern just a touch to the left.

I'm guessing this old, primitive, mass-produced Stevens has no real collector value - so, I'll drill the stock for standard quick-release sling swivel studs, and I'll measure the dovetails and hunt for better sights at the big show next weekend. If I'm going to use this to seduce people into the gun culture, instant gratification, in the form of hitting the target soon and often, will be required. Will also try more work on the trigger.

New target (so I could scan the previous one), using Kentucky windage (and elevation), punching holes for familiarization & practice. Got one actual hit somewhere in the first five.

Hmm... trigger starting to smooth out? Hm! Now grouping, now at point of aim! ...Well, grouping, anyway. Will seek better sights.

Chamber gunks up fast, .22 rimfire ammunition is notoriously dirty. Will want cleaning rod, etc., on hand during subversion sessions. Bolt removal quick & easy, minimal interruption in the action. Did not think to bring .22 tip, haven't fired .22 for some time, forgot how dirty it is. Anyway even with bad trigger, shallow rear notch and "enormous" front bead, making (a few) hits on the geometric equivalent of a human head at 250 yards.

Cruffler says this little .22 may be my most important training tool, for me, and I see his point - tremendously cheap ammunition so I can shoot a lot, no recoil to speak of so I avoid flinching, and with all that moving around between each shot, I should concentrate more on hold, stance, etc., instead of slipping and slouching from one shot to the next like with a repeater. Glad I bought it. Hah! A couple real hits now! Won't bother to scan them though.

Trying different ammo now, CCI Mini-Mag. ...Goodness. More hits. And still more. Windage back where it's supposed to be, easily grouping to 4MOA Rifleman standard. Point of impact still a little high, using 6-o'-clock-plus hold, but new sights will fix that.

Fresh target. Should have brought - should make stack of - .22 targets with multiple aiming points. -Not bad for crude sights, a heavy trigger & cheap ammo.

Hah! Scored a few more 12-gauge hulls!

Ick. Won't buy that brand of sports drink again, city tap water tastes better. I imagine it's formulated to taste better when the body needs those particular electrolytes or whatever - I guess I don't at the moment. Should have just brought juice.

Thirty rounds, CCI Mini-Mag copper-plated solid, 25 yards, benchrest with no artificial support. Yes, I think this rifle will be adequate for training, with a little adjustment.

Now trying the cheap, grungy Winchester Wildcat unplated truncated-cone hollowpoint (it was on sale). Hm, it shoots a few MOA high with the same point of aim - to be expected with different brands and types of ammo - but still groups, though not as well as the Mini-Mag or even the Peters.

Now the Super-X plated hollowpoint. I remember this stuff giving good accuracy, let's see. -Hm. Well, maybe I'm just getting sloppy. Eye fatigue, certainly, and I haven't even started with the Mosin yet. Super-X also has a higher POI, about the same as the Wildcat. When I get new sights, will pick one brand, probably the Mini-Mag, and sight-in for that.

One thing I forgot - those straps that attach to the earpieces of eyeglasses, so you can tighten them on your head and stop them from sliding down your nose. I have two, too. Somewhere.

The large knurled screw holding the action into the stock and essentially making the Stevens a takedown is annoying in extended shooting, will consider covering it with something. The subvertees must have a comfortable and pleasant experience. 135 rounds fired just in the Stevens. Nature break, then time for something different.

25/50-yard line full, went to handgun range. As usual, two reduced-silhouette targets at ten yards. Winchester white-box 110-grain JHP. Mostly less-formal practice, warming up, just improving my familiarity and comfort level. One shooter traded his compact SP101 for the full-size GP100 for a cylinder each - I found the compact model controllable with the same 110-grain load, and might recommend one if Sturm, Ruger & Co. were not continuing the treasonous policies of their departed master by indicating they would not offer full-capacity magazines to the peasants if the 10-round magazine limit, which Bill Ruger Sr. suggested to Congress in 1989, is repealed.

The other shooter had never heard of the Ruger boycott, or what caused it. Sigh.

Slight adjustment(s) to GP's elevation, windage seems OK now. Blink, blink. Eye fatigue! Little dust-mote-looking things drifting across the surface of my pupil, very annoying, considering eye drops. New glasses in the next paycheck or three.

Most .357 ammo spent on warmup, only 12 rounds saved for shooting for scanning for the website, although one string from the warmup was so surprisingly good I saved it too. Last two cylinders on fresh targets. Taking my time, but still not as good as the one I did by accident. Will get more practice, at least I feel I made progress this time.

By the way, every round, even the five in the SP101, was fired double-action, in as close to a Weaver stance as I could get without a coach.

To the rifle range. Lane 7 opening as I arrive! Throughout, after setting targets, scored a little brass while waiting for others to finish with their targets.

Three targets at 25 yards as usual (next trip 50, then a trip at 100, then the AQT incorrectly at 25 - such is the plan). Hah! Hits in the first string!

Light conditions accentuate the M44's notorious muzzle blast - also this is the first of the stuff I got through Cruffler, might be a little different from what I got at the shows but it looks identical, even to the paper bundles it comes in. Adding earplugs under muffs, something I rarely feel a need for - also, at one point, I had short-barrel ARs on both sides. Recoil tolerance holding, but not about to give up the recoil pad. String two, hits again.

Argh! Rimlock with first charger, not on first round - was using loose rounds for first two strings. String three, lost my concentration. Fresh targets.

String four high. Huh? Shrug. String five no better. Six - more rimlock! - pulled one off but the rest very respectable. Fresh targets, then nature break.

Seven, not so good but still some hits. Eight high and opening, nine high but closing back up. Getting a handle on chargers and rimlock, have to set the rims in the charger and put the charger in that way. Any Great Patriotic War veterans reading this? How many times a day did you curse that Belgian guy who designed the Mosin's magazine? Looking forward to converting Mausers, will use rimless cartridges and superior Mauser chargers - zip! - before and after.

String ten still high. Removing cleaning rod stolen from Russian M44. Should not make a difference. Hm, it was loose, maybe it does make a difference. Eleven, a couple hits. Twelve, two hits but the rest all over. Fresh targets.

Thirteen not as bad as it felt. Fourteen, nearly acceptable group but high and just a little left. Heat likely a factor, metal is toasty, and I've seen this up-and-left deflection when this Mosin gets hot before. Fifteen, aimed a little low, not awful. Fresh targets.

Sixteen, better group, still high, did not aim as low as I did for fifteen. Seventeen, overcompensated. Even the bayonet, folded along the fore-end, is warm. Even the fore-end is warm. More cosmoline weeping, should probably have given the stock the hair-dryer treatment long ago (take your ordinary hot-air blow dryer, start at one end of the stripped stock and herd all that goop out - so I've heard; some folks put them in the oven and bake it out). String eighteen, still disappointing. Fresh targets.

Nineteen... better. Twenty, almost as good. Twenty-one, not bad. Too much trouble to change targets for only one string, so for twenty-two, fixed the bayonet and fired on target 21. The point of impact is supposed to be way off to one side with the bayonet fixed... and it isn't, that I can see. Out of Mosin ammo, packed up and left about 5pm.

Ran a patch soaked with window cleaner down the bore before leaving, to neutralize the corrosive primer residue. The rod came out warm. Well, at least winter's over. Returned without incident about 6:10pm, sat down to eat and type, started cleaning about 7pm. Starting with Mosin of course, the GP and the Stevens use modern non-corrosive ammunition and can wait if necessary.

Yipe! Actual brown rust on boltface in just two hours! Minimal damage. Likely from the window cleaner patch, probably used, and left, too much. Bore cleaned up fine, will check both again before bed. Bolt-actions are easy to clean, just remove the bolt and do the bore, then mop around the receiver a little - not near as much as an autoloader requires, much less gunk flying around with a manually-operated repeater - then wipe the bolt clean with a solventy rag. Once in a while dig out the Gun Digest Book of Firearms Assembly & Disassembly and remove the whole ball of crud.

Heh - again, guys with four-figure ARs wasting ammo, all over a 12-inch-square target at 50 and 25 yards (well, one guy, with two ARs and a Kalashnikov, wasn't too bad, only twice my group sizes, and they could be called groups), but I had ‘em beat with my 50-year-old, $69 Hungarian- surplus big-bore bolt-action. Over on lane 3, 50 yards, there was a guy with what I believed to be a Savage 340 (.30-30 box-magazine bolt-action - I believe there's an article on one, "A Small Problem", in the 2001 Gun Digest), that seemed to know what he was doing. On the handgun range, something similar, though I paid nearly $400 for the GP100 in the mid-'90s - guys with the latest Wundernines and FabForties all over the same 12-inch-square targets at ten yards, and look up there at the group I got when I was just fooling around with my quaint, obsolete revolver. I wonder what I could do if I could afford modern firearms? I happen to have a couple AR magazines and some M193-equivalent ammo, maybe I should take them next time and see what I can do with those pricey mouseguns, the next time someone is impressed by my targets and disappointed by their own.

Good session.

178 - Wednesday, 23 April 2003: Citizens of America is shutting down. Phooey! Well, can't blame ‘em, read their explanation. Will have to look at ShootersInet's site to see how my $5 monthly donation, out of my $18.95 ISP bill, can be redirected. Perhaps to KABA.

Weather dreadful except for Tuesday. Little cloud/rain/lightning icons for the weekend. Probably not biking to the Expo show, likely hiking in the rain again.

This show is dangerous. It's right after payday, and I've got real money in savings. Will assemble wad of cash and leave checkbook and bank card at home. The only safe way.

179 - Friday, 25 April 2003: Finished the Hamilton bio the other day. Not sure I like him - Federalist, central-government type; but then, I am a Constitutionalist, which, really, is Hamiltonian Federalism. I just don't want to admit it, I think. Some pondering required. Will have to read the Federalist Papers, they're online; also the anti-Federalist papers, both available from the Constitution Society. Should probably read a Jefferson bio too. Madison bio already in the stack.

Anyway, payday. With a tremendous effort of will, will take less than enough cash for the FEG GP35 to the show and leave checkbook and ATM card behind. Not touching savings - adding to it, in fact. Going Sunday, meeting Cruffler, et. al., also there's the Sunday Effect, getting good deals on stuff the vendors don't want to pack up and haul away to the next show.

Casual search through Nickel Ads reveals a few auction/repo/gov't-seizure car places around. One advertises a half-dozen vehicles - i.e., a fuel-miserly ‘90 Geo Metro, one of the mechanic friends drives a Metro - for $320 each. At least two of the three mechanic friends off to the coast this weekend but I imagine the cars aren't going anywhere, or rather, there will be more where they came from - and I can save more money in the meantime. But now I have a good idea where to start, and am encouraged that I'll have enough left over for insurance and all that government garbage.

New Fred's Guide bundle on doorstep! Extra stuff: new auxiliary targets, vital areas of transport trucks and APCs for 25-meter use, scaled to represent 300 and 500 yards; 14"x18" UN-blue paper target, representing actual-size "kill zone" for a UN "Peacekeeper," for people in enemy- occupied territory like Massachusetts where shooting at any target representing a human in any way is now illegal; complete "Battlin' the UN" story with maps. (Oops - invoice says shipping more than I expected, will adjust balance sheet. UPS this time instead of USPS.)

180 - Saturday, 26 April 2003: Rent set aside in full, in cash.

Phone message from Inet: 6-month or 1-year contract deals. Considering the 6-month, next paycheck.

Electric bill paid, ISP bill budgeted, laundry done, two weeks' bus tickets purchased, monthly transfer from checking to savings budgeted, got groceries. More cash withdrawn for show, securing checkbook and ATM card now.

Sunday forecast dry.

Paper letter to Dubya, edited from GOA's form letter (don't they proof-read those things?), went out a couple days ago. Stack of the Bill of Rights delivered to Library, the whole stack, both my versions, with and without the Preamble. Nothing irresistible at Big 5, just the M44 again, now in a collector's bundle with accessories.

181 - Sunday, 27 April 2003: Biking in lovely weather. Arrived at show at 11am, no Cruffler, started walking aisles. $123 left after $7 admission, planning on no firearm purchases.

Seeing: VZ24s, $85 and up - hah. Turk Mausers, lowest seen $61, mostly $75. Percussion revolvers - Cabela's still beats all, except a couple used brass-frame 1851s and I don't want a brass frame. Mosin M44s, one at $51, competitive, but most around $100 - again, hah.

Saw the Star pistols, 9x19mm about $230, more than I expected. Saw one 9mm Largo, with two boxes of ammunition (aluminum-case non-reloadable CCI Blazer), for $150, but passed of course. SKSs: Russian, $300+, Chinese $200-$250, Yugoslav $175 - saw one at $165, Very Good (maybe Excellent), complete with grenade launcher spigot and sight - that could get me in trouble next show.

Hah! Saw a Marlin Tom Mix bolt-action, identical to my Stevens 52 but in much worse shape, marked $100 (though, to be fair, the vendor said he'd take $60). So the Stevens was a score even with the rude vendor I got it from.

CZ pistols. Mmmm. 9x19mm - ~$400! Ow! Maybe a used one, someday. Single-action- only model, $390. Ah, CZ97, .45 - $500. :( Too big for my hand anyway, barely. :( :(

12 gauge muzzleloading wads, ~$4/100, passed again, might order some from Dixie. MREs, tan, $4. Rough Rider .22 single-action revolvers, $170 - that's higher than it was. Romanian .22 bolt-action training rifles, 5-shot repeaters, $90. Used 1847 Walker repro, $200 (turn marks on cylinder but otherwise VG-Exc). Uberti/Cimarron Cattleman SAA, .45, 4-3/4 as I recall, $275, looked new. Brass grip frame as I recall, pretty.

GP100, KGP141 stainless 4", $400+. Eh, already got one and not about to buy anything else from Ruger. EAA Witness, .45, again too big, $375. Federal Ordnance 1911 clone, $375 - no Charles Dalys noticed. Dan Wesson 1911 clones, with or without new external extractors, ~$600. Asian-surplus Browning Hi-Power magazines, 13-round, $14; 17-round Argentine, $25; 20, $18, 30, $20, but CDNN has 30s on sale for under $10 presently with $10 total shipping on all magazines/accessories/small stuff. Will not buy magazines, holsters, or anything else for a GP35 until I actually have one!

FEGs now around $270. :( And on a Sunday too. Well, will try haggling, on a Sunday, when I'm ready to get one. This one also had an extended safety lever, felt pretty good. Three-dot sights, eh. If the price keeps going up, though, I might just go for a Charles Daly or a CZ or Witness.

M1A, post-Ban, $1,170-$1,400 - I want that bayonet lug. H&R top-break 9-shot .22 revolver, $140 with holster, vendor expressed willingness to haggle - and I could have, at that point, barely. Need car. NEED CAR! Besides it had squinty little sights. Mossberg 590, $480, $100 more than I paid - when did that happen?

Met Cruffler & son & friend about Noon, wandered & yakked. Pointed out two (2!) Ruger Bearcats, at least one Old Model, both $400-ish - Cruffler longs for one, was suitably tormented. On the other hand, he recently scored a Colt Python, which he also longed for, for under $400 and we found a display of several, not one under $700, including the one in the same configuration and condition as his.

Got 2003 Standard Catalog of Firearms, cover price $35, show special $30, will hand off old 1998 edition to historically-minded friend. Ten rounds PMC Tactical 9-pellet OO buckshot 12- gauge, $1.75/5, will report on that when used; high brass, black hull, deep roll crimp with clear overshot card. Headstamp "CLEVER MIRAGE", box marked "Made in Italy", 3 dram equivalent, 1,140fps. Unfired length 2-7/16 inches. A couple $1 donations, like to tell McCain & Liebermann to shove it. LED keychain light, $1 show special.

Left at 2pm, returned shortly before 3. Lovlier weather on return trip on Marine Drive bike path, but more people, including dogs, with and without (&*%#!) leashes.

Escaped with over $80 remaining. $5 to fireworks fund, $40 to savings next time I'm near my bank's ATM (I acquire and carry small stacks of deposit slips and ATM deposit envelopes so I can make up my financial mind and just drop it in when I pass the machine, the sealed envelope helping to resist temptation), $20 to new coffee-mug GP35 fund, the rest left in the wallet for groceries and such.

Reloaded Mosin chargers, taking care to set rims in chargers, wonder if they'll stay that way jostling around in the sack. 110 rounds prepared for next range trip, possibly May 3rd but may seek assistance of mechanic friends to search for car that weekend instead - or maybe, range Saturday, car Sunday, one of the auction places advertises it's open seven days. Anyway range bag fully repacked and ready. 50 Mosin rounds on chargers in bandolier hanging from rack next to Mosin, also ten rounds in cartridge carrier on butt; reports on net of BATF thugs seizing parts kits in the Carolinas and elsewhere. Mossberg and GP100 on-duty as usual.

Going to run out of Mosin ammo in about a month at this rate, will have to either get more (likely with assistance of Cruffler, a co-op buy with his C&RFFL discount, though of course I could mail-order it myself) or switch to the Mausers, specifically VZ #4 with the "best" barrel, for which I have about 1,000 rounds of crummy Turk surplus on crummy brass chargers. Mauser sights suck though, so may order Mojo set soon.

Constructive criticism from another 'blog reader (hey, I have an audience!), denouncing my Accumulation and exhorting me to concentrate on rifleman training - also pointing out that for all those Mausers and Mosins I could have had an FAL by now. (CETMEs still about $400-$420 at the show, by the way.)

Next Expo show, June 14-15. Next small Collector's West show (that I could reach without a car), Hillsboro, August 23-24, or maybe Canby May 17-18 if I bike through the hills around Oregon City which I probably won't do. Barberton shows every month, and Oregon Arms Collectors too, but they're both very small.

Another paper letter to Dubya going out tomorrow, from a form being circulated on gunfolk lists.

Did not get new sights for the Stevens. The rear sight appears to use a 5/16" dovetail, while the front at least is the ubiquitous 3/8" standard. Looked at some sights but didn't find what I was looking for, preferably a rear sight easily adjustable for both windage and elevation. Will probably just get taller front sight, set for windage, then use original rear sight's elevation steps as intended. Should have spent a little more time and money at the Expo show looking for tools - gunsmithing screwdrivers, brass drift-punches, etc. Oh well.

Considering ordering loading lever, etc., from Dixie Gun Works; using spreadsheet to figure order total, adding & removing items. Should wait ‘til next paycheck but I want my whole collection functional, and the stripped lever, which I can easily reassemble with my remaining parts, is only $15. And the percussion revolver is so much fun! I gotta keep my morale up, don't I?

Oh yeah - parts geezers said the Mosin bin didn't get packed this time. Eh, I don't recall them having a trigger spring last time anyway.

Removed bayonet lug from VZ #4, will dig out hacksaw and Dremel and shorten it for the old, long bayonet I got last show.

182 - Monday, 28 April 2003: Couldn't find hacksaw, using Dremel with heavy duty cutoff wheel (#420), cuts through VZ24 bayonet lug pretty good. By simple observation determined about where to cut it off, then once most of the metal was gone switched to grinding bits to recreate original contour on end. Should finish that sometime this week.

Wearing shooting glasses. Sometimes those cutoff wheels come apart, especially when the cut gets deeper and you have to keep it straight.

Aha! Thumbing through Gun Parts Corp.'s catalog #25, I think I found the Marlin equivalent (Model 100, seen at show as a Tom Mix model) of my Stevens M52! Not much of a diagram but it does look like the same design. Marlin 100 not in the Standard Catalog. Stevens mentioned only in passing. At least I have a source for some parts now.

You know, I think Shotgun News had an article on those Tom Mix rifles- yes! 20 October 2001 according to the article index in the 3rd Treasury. Have it boxed, might dig it out sometime. Hm, handy thing, that Treasury - there's an article on the Ishapore 7.62mm SMLE, 20 January ‘98, and the Yugoslav 59/66 SKS that tempted me yesterday, 20 July ‘02 - and in the Treasury itself on page 72.

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