RIFLEMAN'S JOURNAL - FEBRUARY 2005
...Out on the perimeter of the army, where Saratoga Lake empties into Fish Creek, the British had thrown up a small redoubt made of logs piled three or four feet high, to serve as an observation post. It was manned by three companies under orders not to start a fight, but unfortunately for the redcoats crowded into the enclosure, [Virginian backwoodsman Daniel] Morgan's riflemen were posted nearby and every morning at daybreak climbed into the highest trees, from which they could fire into the redoubt. Several soldiers careless enough to look over the wall had already been killed, and from then on, to see if the riflemen were still watching, someone would put a grenadier's cap on a pole and raise it just high enough to simulate a man peering over the logs. Almost every time this trick was pulled the cap was pierced by a bullet; on one occasion three hit it.
This is why this is a rifleman's journal. America was once a nation of riflemen - indeed that is largely how we became independent. Otherwise Saratoga is another tale of a long string of bloody British blunders and inexplicable American miracles. Some other Post-Ited bits, pg. 79:
[Burgoyne] submitted to the cabinet an impressive study with the title "Reflections upon the War in America." The paper advocated the use of mobile battalions of infantry and equally mobile artillery as a means of rooting out rebels from their hiding places in the woods and swamps and behind stone walls, in terrain where every American soldier was "his own general, who will turn every tree and bush into a kind of temporary fortress, from whence, when he hath fired his shot with all the deliberation, coolness, and certainty which hidden safety inspires, he will skip as it were to the next, and so on for a long time until dislodged either by cannon or by a resolute attack by light infantry." In short, the ordered, serried ranks customary in European-style fighting simply would not work in America - a lesson Burgoyne remembered all too well from the slaughter he had witnessed on Breed's Hill - and his characterization of the American's mode of fighting was as shrewd an appraisal as it was prophetic.
Shoulda read his own work. Pg. 94:
[The German mercenaries from Brunswick] "found themselves far from the Fatherland and kinfolk, and in an unknown country, in which they - with Englishmen, Hanoverians, Hessians, and other German troops - were to do battle for England's supremacy and wage a successful campaign against the native-born of the land, who were familiar with every road and lurking-place, and who were striving for their independence." It was not an enviable assignment for men who never wanted to be there at all.
Home-court advantage. Pg. 177:
They may not have thought of it in such terms, but [the American rebels] had come to [Fort Ticonderoga] in pursuit of a vision - a concept of freedom that was something new in the entire world and had a variety of meanings depending on who was doing the talking. The goals they sought had been articulated in the unheard-of radicalism of the Declaration of Independence, in ideas and words that would bring nothing less than the reappraisal of all values, a process that might sweep away the rules by which society functioned. This new language possessed a singular significance for people who had become increasingly conscious of their status as subordinate, second-class citizens, dependent for respect and position on the whims of people in power and on a rigid class system that excluded all but the favored and the moneyed.
And in that vein, here's an anonymous bit from the net:
"Somewhere a True Believer is training to kill you. He is training with minimal food or water, in austere conditions, training day and night. The only thing clean on him is his weapon and he made his web gear. He doesn't worry about what workout to do - his ruck weighs what it weighs, his runs end when the enemy stops chasing him. This True Believer is not concerned about how hard it is, he knows either he wins or dies. He doesn't go home at 17:00, he is home. He knows only The Cause."
Nor is that a new phenomenon, as demonstrated on pg. 311:
When [Massachusetts Captain Joab] Stafford's collection of militia companies stepped off toward the loyalist redoubt [at Bennington in mid-August], the captain noticed that an old man was present - a slender fellow, "stooping a little with advanced age and hard work, with a wrinkled face, and well known as one of the oldest persons in our town." There was no telling what lay ahead when they reached that redoubt, but Stafford knew it was no place for an aged man, and he told him to stay where he was and keep watch over the baggage. At that the old-timer came forward, smiling, pulled off his hat exposing "loose hair [that] shone as white as silver," and replied, "Not till I've had a shot at them first, captain, if you please." A cheer went up from the others, and off they went with the old man marching along.
Pg. 369, mid-September, after the battles of Bemis Heights at Freeman's Farm and Barber's Wheat Field:
...no American expressed it better than [New Hampshire Major] Henry Dearborn, who said that "we... had Something more at Stake than fighting for six Pence pr Day."
Pg. 372:
...victory and defeat are not always clear cut, and something beyond numbers went into the accounting. All afternoon the momentum had shifted back and forth and it was a tribute to the rebels' courage and determination that Burgoyne's veterans never found an opportunity to mount a bayonet charge except at the end, when [Brunswicker Baron von] Riedesel's men burst on the scene. In four hours of hand-to-hand combat the Americans had held their own against some of the best troops in the world. Those four hours marked a turning point in the morale of both armies.
Lieutenant General John Burgoyne could not know it, but the gallant charge by Riedesel on the night of September 19 marked the high-water mark of his campaign.
New neighbors a few weeks ago - the fourth unit (whichever is empty) in the hovelplex is cursed and never has decent, reliable tenants, only a string of deadbeats. (I've been here ten years. I'm the new guy.) Today some whitey-hating black-trash parked his car in the veteran-neighbor's space (he's probably been here twenty years), incidentally blocking my car should I have to leave, while disgusting degrading racist rap music blasted from his speakers six meters from my front door while visiting the stereotypical blonde female cityfolk white-trash in the fourth unit. I'm guessing this guy has never heard of Larry Elder and would dismiss Bill Cosby's recent calls for individual responsibility as a sellout to Da Man.
And they wonder why racism still exists. They act like uncivilized savages and are then surprised and upset when they are viewed and treated like uncivilized savages. Looky, if Condi runs she probably has my vote. This guy I wouldn't give the time of day. "There are princes and curs in every folk and nation." Condi escaped poverty and segregation, overcame racism and sexism, and has now earned a position as one of the most influential people in the world. Her academic accomplishments alone put her in the top percentile of the human race and human history. This other individual does not have a valid excuse for his intolerable behavior - except of course it must all be "whitey's" fault ‘cause Jackson and Sharpton said so.
I have got to get out of this city. Out of any city.
Hal Colebatch emails with hints of coming Kzinti attractions (and description of eye-catching cover art, heh), and the address of his site. As for his politics, he relates that he was once described as a "right-wing ratbag." Duuuude.
So I'm websurfing and I see a picture of a Browning BAR semiautomatic sporting rifle. And it's pretty and all, and this one even has sights, but I think, "I'd rather have a military rifle." Some of the most popular hunting cartridges are in fact military cartridges, most obviously the .30'06 and .308. Military rifles are rugged and simple designs; they've been mass-produced and lots of spare parts are available; they have been proven reliable in combat. It is easy enough to hunt with a fighting rifle. Is it as easy to fight with a hunting rifle?
So I'm websurfing and I see a banner ad: "Now Hiring - Transportation Security Administration". And I think, "I'm not qualified for that job; I can read and write and speak and understand the American language. Furthermore I've actually read the Constitution and would realize that 99% of my job duties would be treasonable acts worthy of Counter-Revolutionary Justice."
The moderator of the cheapshooting list has real-world concerns preventing him from continuing and the creator of that list, likewise burdened, has called the list generally and me personally (since I'm the most regular contributor with my Big 5 posts) to step in. Cruffler, independently, nominated me as well ("Yeah, Bishop should go! Good idea!"). I am a sucker for The Cause and will probably end up with the job. Eh, shouldn't be too hard.
Will pester temp service again tomorrow. Carefully not thinking about house-crawling. Yet.
747 - Wednesday, 2 February 2005: Starting Weber's Bolo!. I've been a Bolo junkie for many years; not quite as far back as Heinlein's Starship Troopers, one of the first books I read because I wanted to, but pretty far. Anyway, tasty.
Idea: SKS-only match. AK-only match. AR-only match. No word on GunPartsGuy's proposed FAL match.
Nothing from temp service of course. Will probably call plumbing boss, uh, soonish. :-\
Progressing on AvA awards, using WordPerfect and/or Word 2000, plus ancient (in computer years) photo-torturing software that came with my scanner to extract rifles from pics downloaded from all over the net. Flags of the World for national flags. Printer needs ink, no pay ‘til Friday.
748 - Thursday, 3 February 2005: Finished with AvA awards, in files anyway, need more ink to print them, fancy photo paper came with the printer. Emailed sample to match director, kinda waiting for his comments, otherwise will print them tomorrow and take them to the clubhouse Saturday.
Sister sends Even More Money. Aaiiee.
749 - Friday, 4 February 2005: Last check from the slow-paced place. Phone & electric bills paid, oil and filter for car. Would have got new printer cartridge, at Target where I still have a couple bucks left on the gift card (and that item's on sale this week too), but they were out - got rain check (including sale price). Pile of groceries.
Box of 500 125gr .358" RN/FP lead for subversion loads, West Coast Bullet Inc., copper-plated (very shiny, they look total-jacketed, but gouging the base of one reveals lead), $26.99. Box says "FP" (flat point), and it is, but it looks almost like a truncated cone. Plus cannelure. Meister's similar offering only $16.99, but out of stock. Eh, this'll keep the leading down. Loading fifty of those over 3.0gr Bullseye as per the 1970 Lyman manual (intended for Lyman's 121gr RN). Now looky: Speer #10, 1979, lists 3.0gr Bullseye under a 148gr HBWC; Lyman #45, 1970, lists the same charge under 121gr plain-base cast. Winchester's recent, chronically-weak data lists 3.4gr W231 as maximum under a 148gr HBWC; Speer #10 lists the same load as starting, with a lower velocity than Winchester's; therefore, in light of all this data, the same charge of W231 should be safe under a 125gr cast, and besides it's a Ruger. Fifty of those too. Last of the Federal #100 primers, in this batch.
Now I hear that the Libertarian Party is joining the Democrats in resisting Republican efforts to get a revote in the Washington governor's race. :-/ Meanwhile the voter-registration card in my wallet now says "REP". -Later, a judge throws out the Republicans' case.
Later, car insurance paid ahead online.
Later, back out again to a different Target store, got ink cartridge, printed Allies vs. Axis award certificates.
Finished Weber's Bolo!, yum, starting Drake/Flint/Baen's The World Turned Upside Down, a collection of stories that bent their brains. First is Clarke's "Rescue Party," which I had read before and quite enjoyed all of a sudden at the end: "Twenty years afterward, the remark didn't seem funny." Heh. Twenty-nine stories, including Heinlein, Poul Anderson, Asimov, Keith Laumer (another Bolo story! And if it's the one I'm thinking, one of the first I ever read), H. Beam Piper - and some I'd never heard of. I've probably read many of these at some point (for example, I can skip over Godwin's "The Cold Equations," having read a Flint/Baen reissue of Godwin some months ago) but they're all doubtless classics and some I haven't seen in years, or ever. In the stack, Niven's Ringworld's Children and John Ringo & Linda Evans' The Road to Damascus, yet another Bolo book.
Shooting tomorrow I think, with the FR and the last four batches of test recipes, subversion-loaded GP, and the Romanian .22 after I whip out a sight tool with a 99¢ screwdriver and the Dremel in the morning. Might take the FM again but that jiggling front sight bothers me and I still want that pistol functional when my sisters and nephew arrive, hmm. -Well, if it comes off again I can get it to Cruffler and he can get it to Hobbyist and then Barberton is next weekend, hm.
750 - Saturday, 5 February 2005: Zzzz....
Finally some info on the FAL match, scheduled for 23 April, emailed match director at provided address for details - I don't even know what club it will be at. Cruffler steadfastly refusing to release an FAL until match day, invoking Bastogne.
Making sight tool for Romanian .22 - with Dremel and cutting disk, chop tip off cheap screwdriver, slice slot into shaft to fit over flat spots on SKS-style front sight post - works.
Arrived Clark Rifles about noon, awards delivered to clubhouse. Upper rifle line packed, starting at handgun line. With GP100, 125gr plated RN/FP over 3.4gr W231. Very mild, and accurate enough. Hit plates a bunch, and faster too. Now Bullseye - equally mild. Well crap! Seventh round is a squib, dig dramatic photo. Done with revolver today... but the W231 load seems to work. Incidentally, the Lee Perfect measure uses the exact same setting for 3.0gr Bullseye and 3.4gr W231.
Now FM, 124gr RNL over 4.0gr W231. All 150 remaining rounds, perfect function, decent accuracy, hit many plates. Weaker ejection than earlier trips, probably the temperature thing, but zero malfunctions. Very smoky from the lube or lead or whatever (R/O came out of shack to investigate), must try 147gr next time so I don't have to push them so fast to cycle the action - a hundred or so 124gr left to load. And the front sight's still there! Not noticeably looser either. Still, will take it to Barberton next Saturday and discuss with Hobbyist.
~1pm, squeezed into upper rifle line. Heh, lots of "What is that"s for the FR8. Four Palma five-place targets at 25 yards, twenty aiming points, I can fire a hundred rounds in five-shot strings without breaking for targets, and I only brought eighty. Starting with Speer 150gr FMJBT over 39.1gr IMR4064. First string, pulled one off.... No pressure signs, CAVIM brass still chambers sticky but extracts smooth. Three more strings - not so good, not so good, not so bad.
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Now Speer over 41.0gr H4895. Hmm... hmm... hmm.... Hmp. Getting tired, almost flinching, have been slacking on riflery.
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During target break, sighted two different .17HMR bolt-actions, Marlin and Savage, both scoped. But c'mon, $7/box? For rimfire?
Hornady Interlock over H4895. Goodness. Literally. Again - getting sore. Two more strings - hmm.
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Finally the reliable Sierra Pro Hunters, over H4895, but shoulder sore now, hm. Tough it out, maintain/regain recoil tolerance. -That'll do I guess. And at point of aim too. Tired & sore & cold, saving last ten rounds for anti-thug use should the hovel be raided, or something. I may have found the FR's preferred load (not least ‘cause I won't have to touch the front sight to zero it...). No pressure signs from any of these loads.
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So that's two rifles, in different chamberings, that really like Sierra bullets, though the FR seems to like the Hornady just as much. Six aiming points left, now the Romanian .22 with CCI Mini Mag. ~1:45pm, light rain, cold. Shoot, whack sight, shoot, whack sight. Elevation was easy, I guessed before I left the hovel and it's good enough. Shoot, whack sight, shoot, whack sight. This rifle is almost recoilless, good for subversion. ~2:30, improvement, colder, more rain, packed. There is a scope rail along the top of the Romanian's receiver, but I don't believe it's an American standard - but a receiver sight might conceivably be adapted or created to fit; there were supposed to be scope bases available for these from the importers, perhaps one could be chopped up to adapt a Williams or such. And even with a long, heavy trigger, this rifle will shoot 2MOA with coupon-book ammo, even in my hands (the near-total lack of recoil helps there...), so it would be worth some work.
Now how do I get that bullet out of the GP's barrel? Driving it all the way back down from the muzzle doesn't appeal, and besides it risks damaging the muzzle, but I can't get at the breech end. -How did this happen, anyway? I distinctly remember eyeballing every case in the loading block after charging them with powder, to make sure they all had the same amount. I didn't have this problem with the same charge of the same powder from the same measure with the same setting in the same cases with the same primers under the wadcutters. Now do I have forty-three dangerous rounds? Or was this a freak occurrence? Should I use more Bullseye next time? Should I use more W231 next time just to be paranoid? Yes, I'll make two more batches of fifty, over, oh, 3.2gr Bullseye and 3.6gr W231. With WSP primers ‘cause that's what I have (and they seem to work fine in 9x19mm, and I'm still nowhere near maximum).
Barberton, and probably another shooting session, on the 12th, then the family comes down on the evening of Friday the 18th - want everything ready for them. At least the .22 rifles are in shape now, or much nearer than they were, but the GP is going to be an important subversion tool.
Sigh, wooden dowel and brass hammer. Actually came out quite easily, no apparent damage to barrel. Hey, at least now I've slugged the GP's barrel, heh. Oh, wait - five-groove rifling, need a special tool to measure that, eh.
Will dispose of the 43 questionable rounds on the 12th, after testing the next two, hotter, batches. Placing hammer and dowel in range bag.
Vancouver ARCO $1.73, Portland $1.79.
Allies vs. Axis award finally printed, scanned, viewable in my awards page.
Now a neighbor informs me that the new Blond neighbor has informed her that the Blond is recently out of jail. And derelict cars and odd visitors are beginning to accumulate.
751 - Sunday, 6 February 2005: Zzzz....
A reader emails his own experiences with (ex-?)felonious neighbors. I Hate Cities.
Sarah Rape-Enabling Brady's birthday. I wi$h I could celebrate in proper fashion, by purchasing a firearm in a private transaction without the background check and illegal de facto Federal registration it entails. Or even better, fire up the milling machine I don't have and make something that has never existed in anyone's database.
Cruffler suggests the .357 squib was caused by tumbling media stuck in the flash hole, but a) after tumbling I always check the flash holes and when necessary clear them with a toothpick and b) I didn't even own a tumbler when I sized and primed these once-fired cases. Furthermore residue on the base of the bullet, and the lack of unburned flakes when I opened the cylinder at the time, indicate the powder did ignite. My New Hampshire benefactor relates similar woes resulting from once losing track of the powder in the Auto-Disk measure in the fully-assembled Pro 1000 - bang, bang, pff, &@%$#, repeat. But I'm using a separate, bench-mount powder measure and eyeballing every case and every charge of powder! So huh? Anyway, if it happens again the soft lead and slick copper plating is easy enough to drive out of the barrel. Loading the next two subversion batches as above, extra-triple-eyeballing powder levels - done.
Lessee, I'm completely out of live 9x19mm except for 350 rounds of Winchester factory 115gr JHP, which of course I'm saving for Business as I've previously determined the FM likes it - and I seem to recall the Marlin not minding it either. And about the Marlin, those 30-round magazines still need work, on the followers to engage the bolt lock, hm. At least the 20 it came with works. And there's still the notion of cutting new catch-slots in them so they can interchange with the FM. But meanwhile, I should load some more 9mm, at least to get rid of the 124gr so I can justify buying a box of 147gr next time I have money. (The 125gr .358 is justified by my family coming down to be subverted into the Gun Culture.)
Oooooooor, plated 124s, eliminating the lube question and reducing lead buildup besides, duh. But plated is more expensive, hm. OTOH plated should give better performance in the Marlin's MicroGrooveTM rifling than plain lead.
250 rounds 124gr RNL over 4.0gr W231, done. -The Lee Perfect powder measure ain't bad. The markings on the micrometer having Actual Meaning is cool, as is the detachable reservoir with valve, for quick emptying or changeover. It leaks a bit with finer powders, but the instructions say so, and there's a screw to tighten (increasing the force required to turn the drum) if the user is really bugged by it. Instructions also specifically mention it will work with IMR extruded rifle powders which go crunch in my RCBS measure - haven't tried that yet but will (likewise H4895 - if it works with IMR4064 it should work with anything). It's also quite accurate and consistent, maybe even moreso than the RCBS, for a third or even a quarter of the respective retail price. Turning the drum is usually a bit sticky, plastic-on-plastic, but at least it's consistently so, and if it really does work with IMR without binding or shearing that'll become a very small inconvenience.
Still haven't done anything with the Mosin brass. Still haven't slugged the Mosin's bore. Hm, I still have a couple hundred rounds Albanian, but I have no 7.92mm for the VZ except less than 100 rounds of ancient Yugoslav surplus and the equally-ancient remaining TurKrap, both presumably corrosive. Some assorted 7.62mm NATO for the FR, though, Australian, some Hirtenberger still, a little Portuguese I think. Also some South African but the sticky extraction with that weirds me out.
752 - Monday, 7 February 2005: Okay, I've had a week off, up early and phoning plumbing boss. :-/ At least I'm doing something instead of sitting around waiting for someone else's taxes to go up.
Well, phone temp service first - nothing of course. Left voicemail for plumber.
Finally sizing Mosin brass. Lee die, with long-taper expander, lets me get away with not lubing the inside of the case necks! More time & effort saved. New Hampshire donor warns that this Sellier & Bellot brass may not be very good, reports some split case necks, but it looks fine so far. -But it's all at, or a touch over, the 2.114" maximum length listed in the manuals and I don't quite have a way to trim it yet, since the collets I have for the old Forster won't take that big fat rim. Eh, at least I did something with it. Tumbled, and primer pockets brushed too. Midway sells the collets separately I believe, or I could get the Lee cartridge-specific thing (not stocked for this cartridge at Sportsman's Warehouse).
Temp service calls back - their politically-correct policy means that after the complaint from the slow-paced place and the office-politics of the cable-making place, they have to dump me because I might hurt some bloody incompetent moron's feeeelings. (Arizona, hmm....) Phoned another service - trimmed beard, changed shirt, printed resumés, went over - reactivated old file, possible electronics & soldering-rework position in north Portland for $10/hour, haven't been kicked out of that part of town yet. There, see? I'm actually looking for work, not just sitting around reading vintage SF and reloading ammunition.
Paid storage rent. Performed oil change.
Speaking of SF, Cruffler pooh-poohs it and complains about having to slog through it when he reads this journal, but I think he might get a kick out of L. Sprague de Camp's "A Gun for Dinosaur".... Afterword by Eric Flint, relating his reactions when he first read it as a teen: "Hunting dinosaurs! Oh, how cool!" :)
And now I can't get online. First I uploaded everything before this paragraph, but then I try the webcomics and it times out. Cue ominous dying-ISP music.
Examining Midway catalog, Forster trimmer section. I have collets #1 and #3, for rim diameters .379, .473, & .532, and .356, .440, & .545. Mosin rim diameter measures .565 or so. #2 collet tops at .506, #4 is .605 only, so there is no collet for my trimmer for 7.62x54R. But, examining the trimmer, I think I can make this work, by taking the screw-plug and collet out, snapping the case into the largest step of the #3 collet, then reassembling the trimmer by putting the case & collet through the housing. Tedious, but it should work. Trim-to length is 2.105".
753 - Tuesday, 8 February 2005: No word from new temp service, or plumbing boss.
¼"x36" dowel, 25¢. Chop a couple chunks off for short- and medium-starters - photos I've seen of kits have several ~6" sections which you stack in the bore to drive the slug. One piece OO buckshot (.33", which I have a big bag of because I load OO in 12 gauge), brass hammer to drive into Mosin's muzzle. I note that the rear half of the barrel feels much looser than the front half. Mosin's bore is slugged! Land diameter .301", groove .312". So now I know. Of course I can't afford to get projectiles for it right now....
Trimming Mosin brass - my plan works, slowly. Deburring & chamfering. Tediously priming Mosin brass with primer arm on single-stage press - will look for (u$ed) primer feed tube at a show.
Well crap! Harbor Freight flyer in mail. Mill/drill/lathe for $600. I remind myself that nearly everything in that store is made with politically- or religiously-oppressed slave-labor in communist China.
Staring at second flintlock pistol's lock, psyching myself up to tear it apart and attempt to silver-solder a filler piece in place to fix the slipping mainspring. Previously, got small cans of stain and polyurethane, and fine sandpaper, to refinish stock.
Okay, back online now....
Now reading John Campbell's "Who Goes There?", on which was based 1951's The Thing and John Carpenter's 1982 remake starring Kurt Russell (who is allegedly a Libertarian, though that doesn't mean as much to me as it did some months ago). Looks like Carpenter's version is closer to the original.
Blond ex-con neighbor visits - previous tenants, apparently also deadbeats, did not pay electric bill, current tenants under mistaken impression that electricity was included, their power's off and she wants to borrow candles or an extension cord. Civilly declined.
754 - Wednesday, 9 February 2005: Phoned new temp service - "Nothing's come through yet." :-/
Finished priming Mosin brass, some of the primer pockets aren't quite deep enough, Extra Force carefully applied to seat primers the last couple thousands. 95 pieces ready to load.
Preparing to process Hirtenberger NATO brass, can make 120 rounds with Sierra Pro Hunter, probably over H4895 as performed adequately last weekend - might start increasing charge to approach NATO velocity. Ten rounds of that, starting charge, left in CAVIM brass, might burn them up this weekend to free the brass. Also twenty pieces each Hornady Interlock and Speer FMJBT left.
No .312 (Mosin) or .323 (VZ) projectiles on hand, but I know the 91/30 can hit stuff with Albanian surplus and I have NATO surplus, and will presently load, for the FR. Previously examined .312 choices at SW, boxes of 100: Speer Spitzer soft point 150gr, $16, but I'm not impressed with Speer judging by their .308 FMJ; Hornady Interlock 150gr, $15, FMJBT 174gr, $16.50; Sierra Pro Hunter, 150gr $17.50, 180gr $18.50. Previously decided I want ~150gr, will try the Interlock. Will also try 175gr .323" Pro Hunter, or something. Eventually ($). Still over 900 WLR primers, not counting the pending NATO reloads.
Two batches of fifty .357 subversion loads ready, 300 pieces 125gr plated FPL left; hopefully I'll find a good load Saturday and then load ‘em all up (probably I'll just go with the W231 since I still have three pounds of it). A couple hundred CCI Blazer aluminum/Berdan wadcutters; a couple-few boxes of Winchester 110JHP or various Miwall .38; a couple mostly-full boxes of other factory loads like heavy Federal 158gr JSP or spendy Winchester Silvertip. Still well over a thousand WSP primers.
250 rounds smoky 124gr RNL 9x19mm ready, no more 9mm projectiles - 350 rounds factory hollowpoint.
Might make more 12 gauge subversion loads, still have lots of #6 and OO and a couple hundred 12S0 ¾oz. wads, and other wads I can use in different recipes - might have to fetch Big Box of Hulls from storage, if I can dig them out without causing a fatal junkslide. Still near a hundred Pyrodex 12ga rounds too, but they're messy of course - but they're even milder than the smokeless Cowboy loads. At least a hundred 209 primers left, CCI & Winchester.
Thousands of .22LR on hand.
So it's not like I have nothing to shoot. Saturday, will take FR with last ten rounds reloads, and some NATO; Romanian .22 for final sight-tuning; GP with 100 subversion loads; and... Marlin Camp Carbine with one box of factory JHP and 20-round magazine. Not taking FM this time ‘cause the front sight's still there and I don't want it to fall off again before my sisters and nephew visit. Um, might also take 50 rounds of RNL for the Marlin, just to see what happens.
Later, the "troublemaker" from the cable-making place phones, and the place has, as I might have expected, progressively self-destructed and, now fully Dilbertized, is closing on the 25th. She was already laid off anyway, and gave me tips on a couple more temp services. Might meet for subversion at Barberton this weekend.
Man, still bugged about that squib round. That's, like, the second malfunction I've ever had with this Ruger revolver in nine years - the other was back when I was still shooting at English Pit, and one round of Winchester factory needed a second strike to ignite. So discounting ammunition the GP100 has never failed (which is why it stays within bedside reach at night). But suppose I'm doing speed practice on plates and I don't notice the pff instead of the bang? That could be bad - in the FM or another semiautomatic the pistol would simply stop functioning due to the lack of recoil, but in a revolver.... Still really bugged about that happening. I distinctly remember eyeballing the entire loading block and those cases could not have had tumbling media in the flash hole because they were never tumbled! Okay, theory: sometimes the whole charge of powder will not come out of the Lee Perfect measure until I thump the side with a fingertip - but, I had already made that discovery and went tap-tap on the side for every charge of powder thrown in that batch and every batch for which the Lee Perfect measure has been used since I started using it. And I still laid eyes upon every charge in the 50-place loading block for that batch! And the .38 Special load is listed at 2.0gr Bullseye and I was using 3.0 in .357 and even the amount of powder that hesitates in the measure's spout shouldn't have dropped below that threshold and should have been enough to shove the same bullet down that four-inch barrel! So what the heck! Argh! -Now, this hesitating-powder thing, if that's what happened and I got a light charge in one round, leads to the possibility that I have a heavy charge in another round, hm. Studying 1970 Lyman manual - 4.5gr Bullseye is maximum under 121gr cast. I very much doubt I lost that much powder, if that's what happened, and besides I'm using a copper-plated bullet that will slide down the bore with less pressure, and besides it's a Ruger, notorious for strength. So I should be able to dispose of those 43 questionable rounds safely.
Interesting, the 1970 manual lists the exact same charges of Bullseye for 141gr and 150gr cast, and for a 158gr cast with gas check. Their test firearm was a S&W M27, the beefy N-frame, which S&W used for the .357 Magnum before they knew whether the K-frame would hold it and before the L-frame existed. That was with a 5" barrel. Furthermore, in .38 Special, they list 2.0gr Bullseye under the 121gr cast in a 6" S&W M14. So if 2gr makes it out of a 6" barrel, 3gr should darn well make it out of a 4"! Scroll up and dig the dramatic photo again. I repeat, what the heck!
755 - Thursday, 10 February 2005: Hannity show, discussion of 2008 Presidential candidates - Hillary pretending to have morals, Cheney says he won't run, some talk of Condi.
Meanwhile, snailspam from "American Compass, the Conservative Alternative" book club - Senate majority leader Frist has a book out, cover art and blurb trying to make him look Presidential. Who the heck is Frist? What's his record? Is he a republican or a Republican? I also see that populist rabble-rouser Bill O'Reilly, who has no principles of his own and takes whatever side of whatever issue he thinks will get the best ratings (he started this election by supporting Kerry and now supports Bush), has written a detective novel about an assassin targeting the news industry. Michael Crichton offers State of Fear, also being hyped in ads and interviews on talk radio, where global warming, toxic waste, nuclear threats, etc. are all being cooked up and overblown for sinister Goebbels-esque ends - that one's already in my hold queue.
A couple days ago I read 300, a graphic novel by Frank Miller about the Spartans and the battle of Thermopylae - and I was disappointed. Michigan, more a comic connoisseur than I, says Miller's work often displays a leftist bent - in 300 the Spartans are portrayed as heartless bloodthirsty jocks (maybe the ones that beat up Miller in school...?), the characters are rather shallow, King Leonidas wavers between a 21st Century Hollyweird wisecracker and feeble attempts at Noble IntrospectionTM, Greece is supposed to be an "island of reason" but there's no discussion of why, and of course no mention of Molon Labe. And the artwork is just gratuitous.
Nooooo, I'm not opinionated.... (Pournelle has his own observations on Thermopylae, somewhere in his archives. He's, like, been there. On purpose.)
Still nothing from temp service. Gritted teeth, phoned plumbing boss - work Monday.
Hirtenberger NATO brass done, will load 150gr Pro Hunters over H4895 presently, including a couple batches of twenty with increased charges. Want chronograph. -Later, Lee Perfect measure does work with stick powders! Or at least with H4895, which is a smaller stick than IMR4064.
Made 50 rounds 41.0gr, which grouped adequately last weekend and hit point-of-aim - that's Hodgdon 2002 data minus 10% ("NEVER exceed" 45.5gr, 2,870fps). Now, Sierra V, 2003, says 41.1gr gives 2,600fps, 42.7gr gives 2,700, maximum 43.7 gives 2,800 (yipe! Hodgdon's data isn't wimpy). I'm sort of after NATO duplication so I can use the calibrated military sights on the FR and click for 200, 300, and 500 meters. So what's NATO velocity? Ian Hogg says NATO from an M14 is 2,800, but only 2,500 from an AR10 with only two inches less barrel - those are both gas-operated, tapping some propellant gas off to unlock the bolt. Now dig this: M40 (Remington M700) bolt-action sniper rifle listed as 2,550fps with 24 inch barrel. All listed as "7.62x51mm NATO." 2,800 from a 21-inch (gas-operated) FAL. In the ammunition tables in the back of Military Small Arms of the 20th Century, 6th Ed., 2,750 (838 meters per second). (FR not listed in either 5th or 6th editions.) Further considerations: the stubby FR kicks more than the longer VZ24 or Mosin 91/30 already; the Spanish steel is still questionable. So, I'll make thirty at 41.6, twenty at 42.2, and stopping with twenty at 42.7gr. Will also take some, um, Australian Berdan-primed (disposable-brass) NATO this weekend, maybe try some long-range stuff if my shoulder's up to it to check the sight settings. Want chronograph.
Allies vs. Axis match director emails, has received & will distribute printed awards, likes ‘em, cool. Mentioned using his own FR in cast-bullet silhouette match. I've been interested in silhouette for years, I imagine the clang is very gratifying, asked him where he does it.
Actually, not enough H4895 left for the last batch of 42.7gr. Now I'll test the measure with IMR4064, at... hm, in August I tried a batch at 40.5gr., then in September and later I used 39.1gr. The latter was Sierra V's starting charge - where the heck did I get the former? It's not extrapolated from IMR's .PDF, that doesn't even list a 150gr - it's not from the 1970 Lyman, that starts at 43.0, and I didn't have the 1979 Speer (or the 2003 Sierra!) yet. Hm. Well, Sierra says 40.7 for 2,600fps, 42.3 for 2,700 - I'll split the difference and make twenty with 41.5gr. And, the Lee Perfect measure works well with the big long sticks of IMR powder. -Done, out of Sierra .308" projectiles.
I think I might want to hold off more rifle load development - meaning, not testing the stuff I just made - until I have a chronograph, which could take $ome time. But SW stocks the affordable low-end one. Meanwhile I have 50 handloads I should be able to count on for the FR's current sight setting, with expanding bullets, and still plenty of NATO FMJ; and still the Albanian for the Mosin, which I know works; so I have rifles to effectively fight with if necessary.
Examining 7.92mm brass. 20 pieces once-fired and 80 pieces, uh, four-or-five-times, fully processed already; and 160, uh, five-or-four-times, unprocessed; all Federal. Also 20 each Remington and Winchester, four-times, unprocessed. Except for the twenty once-fired I think it's safe enough to lump the rest of the Federal together, will work on that when unemployment-induced cabin fever strikes. Then, when I have .323" projectiles again, will make five-round batches and get the last twenty pieces up to the same age as the rest.
Looking at my awards wall. The ‘04 PIG and ‘04 AvA certificates are in cheap but decent $3 Wal-Mart frames; the medals for the ‘03 PIG and ‘03 AvA, and the gift certificate for the second ‘04 Foul Weather match, are simply push-pinned to the wall with the official match results printout for a background (the medals hang from the printouts by their own pins). Noticed frames of all sizes at Dollar Tree, will examine more thoroughly and fiddle with word processor, Windows Paint, and printer to create nicer backgrounds. AvA director says this year's PIG and AvA will have Real Awards like ‘03, he has the catalog now - and I've improved to the point where I can expect to win something.
756 - Friday, 11 February 2005: Lars Larson show, interview with Vegan bunny-hugger from PeTA. Now lemme tell you something about vegetarians. Go to a mirror and look at your teeth. There are three kinds: molars for grinding, incisors for slicing, and canines, like a wolf has, for tearing meat.
Man evolved to become the dominant life-form on this planet by relentlessly hunting down other living creatures, ruthlessly slaying them with weapons of his own invention, and JOYFULLY FEASTING UPON THEIR SUCCULENT FLESH!
Vegetarianism is an unnatural act. Vegetarians are mentally ill and behaving in a manner contrary to the laws of nature.
Meanwhile, cougar hunting was essentially banned in Oregon some years ago, and the cougar population has boomed since - at least doubled. Incidents mounting. Across the river, just last year, a cougar leapt on a woman's horse while she was out riding, not far from my gun club. Bunny-huggers saying that only "government hunters" should be called in, and only for "problem cougars".
I will not hunt cougar - I'm a cat person and cougars are gorgeous, magnificent. But I vote against restrictions on hunting, including cougar. No matter how much I might want to give one a belly rub, I realize cougars are dangerous predators and must be controlled; and the most cost-effective, and only realistic, method of doing so is to allow them to be hunted by civilians. With dogs if that's how it's done.
I really must bag a deer some year. With pictures of course, so I can rub the PeTA freaks' noses in it online. Hm, loaded up to its potential (like with 1970 Lyman data, i.e. maximum 51.0gr IMR4064 (compressed) under 170gr jacketed at 2,724fps for 2,753fpe; Federal factory 170gr is 2,360fps & 2,100fpe), the VZ should be adequate for elk - gawd, that's a lotta jerky. (Sierra's data for 175gr tops at 2,600fps for 2,627fpe (49.0gr IMR4064), except for one 2,650fps load at 2,729fpe (48.3gr Accurate 2520). Data for 200 and 220gr don't go fast enough to develop the same energy. My 150gr competition load, over 45.0gr A2230, a half-grain less than Accurate's 2002 starting charge, should be in the neighborhood of 2,600fps, for about 2,200fpe - but that's all gone and I want to try a heavier bullet anyway.)
Phone temp service - "They still haven't gotten back to us." :-\ Well, at least I'm signed up for some pocket change with the plumber. Sigh.
Fiddling - interesting, 49.0gr IMR4064 fills a Federal "8mm Mauser" case right to the base of the neck, but Remington and Winchester cases have a little more capacity. These things matter when flirting with maximums.
757 - Saturday, 12 February 2005: "Troublemaker" phones, begs off due to work.
Arrive Barberton ~9:30. Raining, won't do as much shooting as planned. Met Cruffler, who still invokes Bastogne in re the loaner FAL; discussed ACSW page with ACSW's secretary/treasurer; discussed FM slide with Hobbyist. Saw Franken1911, "Auto Ordnance frame, Ithaca slide", $350, looked GI; Coast to Coast (probably Mossberg) semiautomatic .22 rifle, box-fed but no magazine, marked $50, vendor said he'd take $35 (and if I had it I woulda, on principle alone). Discontinued Rossi Overland exposed-hammer coach gun, made before Cowboy Action took off, mild 20 gauge, $250 - I'm sure someone jumped on that, the Overlands are much sought-after.
Off to Clark Rifles, arrived ~10:45, cold & wet, nearly deserted. Not bothering with rifles today, just testing .357 subversion loads. Starting with 3.2gr Bullseye - very mild, but high. Groups well though. %#@&! 13th round squib! And three more in the batch, and a couple that barely made it to the backstop. I'm starting to sincerely dislike Bullseye powder - buuut, it's so popular, it must be so for a reason....
Now 3.6gr W231. First round squib! Second round squib! Okay, that's two powders with everything else the same - I'm getting inconsistent charges! (Did notice a couple heavier charges in the Bullseye.) More squibs and weak rounds. $*&^%! Could it be the cold? No, that would affect every round, and some rounds are perfect. It must be the Lee Perfect powder measure. But my first batch, with 3.4gr W231, worked perfectly. So again, huh? Oh this is splendid - what about the 250 rounds 9x19mm and 120 rounds .308/NATO I loaded with that measure? (Well, more slop room in the rifle rounds, but inconsistent charges will wreck my accuracy. &%$#@.)
Now disposing of the 3.0gr Bullseye from last weekend. Oh now it works. @#$&%. At least this front sight didn't come off. *@#$%^&.
Cold & wet. ~11:15, now what? Expecting surplus meat from Cruffler's hot dog cart, but he won't pack that up ‘til 1pm. Eh, charge off to L-L Guns, where I got the scruffy Mossberg M500. -Their power is out, so they're "effectively closed for the moment," but I can't afford to initiate a transaction anyway. Sniffed over used rack: one eye-catching item, a Rossi clone of the Winchester M62 slide-action, without the insulting built-in safety lock that Taurus added, stubby carbine barrel, universal .22LR, conventional but sharp & clear sights, VG+, $200. That would be a nice subversion tool, even though I dislike tube magazines in .22s. Poverty sucks.
Back to Barberton. A¢k - blew ten bucks on Lee carbide 9x19mm die set, including powder-through-expander die. Now I might get the Auto-Disk measure working with the Pro 1000. With adjustment, I might be able to use the same die with .357, hm. Furthermore, comparing to the old C-H carbide .357 sizer, I suspect the more-rounded opening in the Lee 9mm sizer die will accept cases from the Pro 1000 case feeder more smoothly than the sharper-edged RCBS sizer (less jiggling). Yakked more - Cruffler & Hobbyist say to try Loctite on the FM's front sight, heating the metal slightly first - I have some that might work, past expiration date and thrown out at the Japanese place that laid everybody off. Discussed squibs with Cruffler, reached conclusion that it must be the powder measure, will switch back to RCBS, make a couple more batches (fortunately the brass is ready) tonight and hopefully have enough gumption (and gas) to try again tomorrow.
758 - Sunday, 13 February 2005: Zzzz....
Phoned Troublemaker, arranged to meet before haring off to the range. While waiting, fiddled with word processor files to make picture-frame backgrounds for the medals and gift certificate I won in previous matches - that looks better.
Met Troublemaker, convoyed to Clark Rifles. Better weather today, less rain, some sunbreaks - later, some sleet up at the club, and cold, but not the soaking rain from yesterday. She has eye trouble and had difficulty with the Romanian .22's post-and-notch sights (which needed more adjustment, and shouldn't have dammit); after I burned up the last ten CAVIM-cased rounds in the FR (grouped well, but disturbingly high compared to last time with the same batch of handloads; CAVIM brass still fighting chambering, and the FR gave some feeding problems too) I had her look at that rifle's post-and-aperture sights and she liked them better. The Stevens M52 doesn't lend itself to either scope or peep, but the Romanian would. Pending funds (of cour$e), must look for one of those scope mounts for the non-American rail on the Romanian's receiver. And more magazines too naturally.
To the handgun line, and I think I've solved the mystery of the squib loads (had more, but not as many more). Two batches of 50, with 3.0gr Bullseye and 3.4gr W231 like I started with, but through the RCBS measure - and finally I got one where most of the powder did not ignite. And then it occurred to me that the cartridges are transported, and rest on the shooting bench waiting to be loaded, and are slipped into the revolver's chambers, with the bullet pointing down. Hence, the remarkably small amount of powder (relative to the capacity of a .357 Magnum case) is all bunched up against the base of the bullet, way far away from the primer. Testing the theory, I loaded up, then tapped the GP's butt on the bench (like I was a redcoat loading a Brown Bess with a deliberately-oversized flash hole to spill some of the main powder charge into the priming pan) - and it worked perfectly! So it's not the powder measure(s), or the powder(s) either! Now I need to reexamine the loading manuals and find a different subversion load using a different powder, i.e. Unique or Universal Clays, or possibly Nitro 100 (there is .38 data for that), something that will use more case capacity to ensure ignition (‘cause I want the weapons to function perfectly without having to do anything special, for subversion). Finally having that problem solved, Troublemaker demonstrated much more talent with handguns, hitting a 1" square at 7 yards (from the bench, but still), and even hitting some plates offhand (four of six at one point - it took me several weekends to reach that point, though I've kept trying and made six of six a couple times today).
Another thing I noticed was that my subversion loads were really light - I could actually see the glint of the copper-plated lead bullet in flight, even from an oblique angle, almost like it was tracer ammunition. (Furthermore it didn't always hit the plate hard enough to make it ring, and one couldn't always tell if it was moving from being hit this time, or still moving from being hit last time.) Hm, will also consider 110gr bullets for future subversion batches, or maybe 9mm 115gr, which Michigan says should still get a good grip on a .357's rifling. I want more velocity while keeping recoil low.
Vancouver gas $1.75, Portland $1.83.
So the subversion loads I'd hoped to have ready for the family visit, aren't. But I have collected New Data. Fortunately I have some factory wadcutters left over to subvert with; meanwhile I can make up another two or three test batches.
Did not try Marlin today, or NATO rounds in FR - eh, I can sight-in the Marlin pretty quick if I have to. On second thought I probably won't use the Marlin for subversion anyway, at least this time, not least as the MicroGroove rifling prefers jacketed rounds and the only ones I have are hollowpoint, which I want to save.
Back to hovel, unload car; back out, to Big 5 - this week's surplus offerings, Mosin M38 carbines (have two M44s and a 91/30) and again #4 SMLEs for $180 (sigh).
AvA director responds, he shoots silhouette at Tri-County, the big sprawling club at the opposite corner of the metro sprawl - I've shot there once and it's a nice facility, but membership is expensive. They have a longer rifle range though. Anyway he says they use lever-action rifles with cast or jacketed bullets, under NRA rules so I could get another classification card; or unofficially any rifle with cast bullets only. So drat, I have neither a lever-action nor casting gear (and can't afford range/match fees now anyway). Furthermore Michigan comments that lead casting may not be feasible in the hovel, between want of space and the need to not alarm (or intrigue) ex-con neighbors - but I think I could make it work, if I cleaned the place to make room and rigged up a fan and, oh, a piece of clothes-dryer ducting for ventilation, making a plywood plug for the window for winter use. But I can't afford a melting pot and molds and alloys either.
Ugh, house-crawling tomorrow morning (if the plumbing boss isn't pickled...). Rent should be okay if I get two good weeks from the plumber, or if the temp service comes through soon. Everything else caught up with the last manna-from-sister.
Loctite cured on FM's front sight, jiggle eliminated but no telling for how long.
759 - Monday, 14 February 2005: As half-expected, Plumber phones just before I leave, "shaky," no work today. Sigh. Well, at least he phoned before I burned gas to go over there.
Temp service says... nothing on the North Portland soldering position. Possible circuit-board-stuffing in Beaverton, sending resumés.
WARNING, AUTHOR REJECTS ALL LIABILITY FOR USE OF LOAD DATA, ETC.
Examining manuals. Obvious rules: heavier bullet, less powder, lighter bullet, more powder. Jacketed, more, unjacketed, less. Okay, Accurate 2002 lists a maximum of 3.3gr Nitro 100 under a 130gr semiwadcutter in .38 Special, for a Cowboy load, for 949fps - same charge under 158gr for 898. Only "No. 2 IMP" listed for .357 Cowboy loads. Fiddle with powder - 3.3gr Nitro 100 does take up some more case capacity....
Hodgdon 2002 lists "NEVER Exceed" 3.8gr Universal Clays (bearing in mind the difference between Hodgdon Clays powder and Hodgdon Universal Clays powder) under a 148gr HBWC, again in .38, for 940fps. About the same capacity as the Nitro 100. But wait! Hodgdon 2002 Cowboy .PDF lists "125 GR LEAD RNFP", in .357 Magnum, over 4.8 to 6.8gr Universal, for 1,046 to 1,401fps. (Cowboy data is just what I'm looking for, as it's toned down for antique guns, which incidentally makes it mild in modern pieces.) 4.8gr takes up a good third of the case.
Aha, Alliant 2003 .PDF Cowboy section says 4.5 to 6.0gr Unique under 125gr Meister RN/FP in .38 for 700 to 1,075fps; 3.5 to 4.0gr Unique under 140gr Hornady FP in .357 for 725 to 820fps. 4.5gr uses just a little more capacity than the Nitro, but less than the Universal Cowboy load, hm.
...Fuuuurthermore, 4.5gr Unique is a starting charge with a really low velocity and this is an extra-strong Ruger I'm using. Sooo, I'll skip the Nitro powder, make fifty at 4.8gr Universal and fifty at 5.0gr Unique and see what happens. With the Lee measure.
Incidentally, Lyman 1970 says 4.0 to 8.5gr Unique under 121gr cast, for 715 to 1,387fps. Sierra 2003 has only Sierra jacketed bullets; nothing suitable in Speer 1979.
New Hampshire suggests Hodgdon Titegroup powder for subversion loads, to better fill case capacity - data shows lighter charges than Universal, maybe it's "fluffier" or something. Ah, in the front of the Hodgdon booklet, "Unlike pistol powders of the past, [Titegroup's] position in large cases (.45 Colt, .357 Magnum and others) has virtually no effect on velocity and performance." So maybe it's just more sensitive to ignition. Also specifically recommended for light loads in Hodgdon's usage charts. Will try it when I ¢an.
New American Rifleman, Barrett ad. A couple years ago, an LAPD blueshirt waved a Barrett .50 rifle around to hype the .50 ban in California. At just about the same time, LAPD returned a Barrett rifle for service. Ronnie Barrett was not amused. And now it's official: in not-so-fine print on the bottom of the ad, "Barrett F.M.I. will not sell to any California government agencies." Duuuuude. If I had about ten spare thousand dollars (counting scope, ammunition, spare magazines, etc.) I'd go right out and order an M82A1, or maybe an M107. (The XM109 looks very interesting, but of course it's denied to us peasants - though I get the idea Mr. Barrett would sell me one if the law allowed.)
Gawd, I don't think it would fit in my car....
760 - Tuesday, 15 February 2005: Yecchh, sigh. 5½ splendid pipe-wrasslin' hours.
Temp service... is not proactive, they send resumés and wait for the prospective employers to get back to them. >:-[ And how much do they make, sitting in an air-conditioned office waiting for the phone to ring while they collect a percentage of my real paycheck?
Now starting Old Ironsides by Edwin P. Hoyt, the history of USS Constitution, originally published for the bicentennial.
While surfing for a good link to the Barrett thing, I found this fascinating item. In a similar vein, previously linked in this journal, see also this Clayton Cramer article (.PDF, right-click to download) published in Shotgun News.
761 - Wednesday, 16 February 2005: Yecchh.
762 - Thursday, 17 February 2005: Sigh.
No work tomorrow. Ambivalent; no pay tomorrow (paid for this week today), but zzzz, and I'll have time to clean up the hovel before my family comes down tomorrow evening.
No temp word, sigh.
In happier news, dates set for PIG (30 July) and AvA (12 November) matches.
763 - Friday, 18 February 2005: "Cleaned" hovel (it's a relative concept).
8pm, sis calls. Holiday or recreational-outing misadventures appear to be a genetic mandate in my family, they left Everett at 4:30 and haven't reached Tacoma yet, trapped in weekend traffic (for some people this is a three-day weekend, and it appears all of those people are on I-5 right now).
Meanwhile, my operating system (Win98) has suffered a mild stroke and I can't launch Outlook Express and I have a zillion emails saved in sub-folders in the Inbox which I don't want to lose, and there's all my filters of course too. I can still use mail2web if I have to but that's slow and clumsy. Reinstalled Win98 from CD - OE still doesn't work (though I did get my screen saver back, which had also stopped working...). Attempted to download the Service Pack from MicroSoft - download wouldn't complete. Ya know, I'd have a lot more respect for Bill Gates' entrepreneurial accomplishments if he made a product that didn't SUCK! Finally, with Internet Explorer reinstalled from the CD (usually use Opera), accessed MicroSoft site again and downloaded/reinstalled IE/OE v6 and it works - and now I can't log on with my ISP. No error message, no "Password rejected" or anything, it just won't finish connecting. (I was connected a few minutes ago for that whopping big Micro$%#&! download....)
>:-[
Hoyt's Old Ironsides was not nearly as well written as, say, Fischer's Washington's Crossing (favorably reviewed August 2004) or James L. Nelson's Reign of Iron (September 2004), somewhat disappointing. Furthermore USS Constitution appears to have been in only three or four real fights, with the Royal Navy in the War of 1812, and a little outgunning of the Barbary Pirates a decade earlier where she bombarded a palace or two and sent out gallant sailors and Marines to variously humiliate the pirate chiefs. :( I was expecting a longer and more glorious combat record! Though what she does have is plenty glorious.
Starting Niven's Ringworld's Children - I really should go back and reread the other three first, to get the context back, but that's too much work. Michael Savage's latest, Liberalism is a Mental Disorder, in the library hold queue - I'm #4! Meanwhile Savage reports that the billboards thanking Hollyweird for Bush's re-election have been vandalized by the "tolerant, inclusive" left - you know, those people who love free speech and diversity so much, so long as they do all the speaking and there's no diversity of opinion.
764 - Saturday, 19 February 2005: Snrk. Up (relatively) early to get ready (and to fight a backed-up toilet...).
Hared off to Canby gun show, played Native Guide. First sister hooked, wants black-and-stainless .22 rifle, fondling many others (including Walther TPH and Kahr K40). Nephew prefers edged weapons, bought some. I got two bundles of Albanian 7.62x54R, $2.50 each. Met Cruffler, introduced. Later, Wal-Mart shopping (no sales tax (yet) in Oregon), bought 100-round value pack Win/USA 115FMJ 9x19mm ($10.96), will take Marlin tomorrow after all. Much yakking. Brother-in-law, second sister's husband, painted as SuperPatriotTM, Decorating House for Independence Day, wearing Uncle Sam hat to neighborhood barbecue, comparing current practice of selling scrap metal to probably China to previous less-than-brilliant idea of selling scrap to Imperial Japan - "They're gonna send it right back at us someday" - ohhh, I'm starting to like him. Back at hovel, review of Four Rules, dry-handling of various items.
765 - Sunday, 20 February 2005: Snrk. Up (relatively) early, hit road at 8:30am, Clark Rifles opens at 9. With: Stevens single-shot, Romanian repeater, Marlin Camp Carbine, GP100 revolver, P35 pistol, Remington percussion revolver, and the working flintlock pistol.
Nice weather, sunny/warm(er)/dry. Time and crowds precluded the blackpowder (which, OTOH, I don't have to clean) and the P35 (which, OTOH, I don't have to clean and can return to immediate duty, or even start carrying in the cheap Uncle Mike's holster); the Romanian was not staying sighted-in, frustrating. But both sisters did well with the single-shot Stevens. (At show yesterday, saw a similar single-shot that was adapted to a receiver peep sight, something I could duplicate had I a drill press - will work on that, & document process - similar method should also work for the Romanian but that already has that scope rail to work with, will track down scope adapter to chop up.) Nephew had some trouble with Stevens' sight picture & point of aim, but grouped very respectably, might do better with aperture sights. The Marlin proved inaccurate also, very heavy trigger and squinty sights, some work required there (receiver-mount aperture sights available). Then we went to the handgun line and the beefy GP100 soaked up CCI Blazer wadcutter and UMC .38 RNL recoil, and I tested a cylinderful of each of my latest subversion loads and they both seem promising, will investigate further next weekend (and will try Titegroup in the future, but Unique and Universal Clays seem to work for now, whew - but then, I still have nearly three pounds of W231 left - but then, I'll use that in 9x19mm and get lots of P35 practice & plate matches). First sister wholly hooked, and slightly jealous of second sister who hit a 1" square on purpose at 10 yards with her third ever handgun round fired (and gave a similar performance with the Stevens at 25 yards). Later, with the GP and wadcutters, everyone also made at least a couple hits on a reduced-scale Popper at 50 yards (I wasn't sure the wadcutters would reach that far...), and far more hits on the ~8-inch 10-yard plates. (Was worried about nephew not hitting with the demonstrably-accurate Stevens, but after a little paper-punching his first handgun shot on plates was a hit - everyone sees things, like sight pictures, differently, and a person who has trouble in one kind of shooting may have quite a talent for another.)
Actually saw UMC factory .38 158gr unplated RNL bullets in flight, from oblique angle, not like some highpower rifle shooters report seeing the atmospheric disturbance from directly in line with the bullet's path (see also one reference to such in Unintended Consequences, during the Laramie Massacre). So the factory stuff isn't going much faster than my own.
Rescheduling my planned trip up there from mid-March to early April, as I don't want to miss the Barberton show (for which I'm now webmaster), and the Puyallup show is supposed to be better than Monroe. No idea how or if I'll be employed by then anyway. :( Meanwhile, considering biological-family additions to this site.
Finally, a little more sales-taxless shopping for the Washingtonians, then back on the freeway for them - with a stack of gun books and the Front Sight DVD for further subversion, muuhahahaha.
Working on carry scheme for P35 - urk, need longer belt. And higher-quality magazine pouch, though the cheapie Uncle Mike's IWB holster will work even without a retention strap (not too much longer belt...). -No, don't like driving with behind-the-hip IWB even with slimmer-than-revolver autoloader, will seek another crossdraw and/or paddle holster. Better magazine pouch(es) too, though the one I have might benefit from some needle and thread. (Paddle-type also available.) And always, more magazines. "Too Many Magazines" Does Not Happen.
Buuuut, I'm finally carrying a Browning Hi-Power! Warmfuzzy.
Rerun of Lars Larson show - a student at a Portland-area high school has been ordered to not wear a "CS" belt buckle as it "could be interpreted as racist." Never mind the 100,000+ blacks, free and slave, that fought for the Confederacy.... These "politically correct" ninnies make me sick. I'm putting my CS buckle back on. And wearing my concealed semiautomatic high-capacity handgun on the same belt. And crowing about it on my website! PHOOEY!
Brother-in-law is also a WBtS enthusiast and collector, uh-oh. I sent a DGW print catalog back with his son my nephew (who accumulates edged weapons like the saber I compulsively bought), double uh-oh.
Oh yeah - I've been seeing .17HMR brass (.22WMR necked down) at Clark Rifles for months now, but today I saw my first .17M2 brass (.22LR necked down). So someone is buying them, too.
Going round the Red State lists, you won't see this on CNN....
766 - Monday, 21 February 2005: Snrk. No extra sleep this weekend, but it was in the Cause.
As half-expected, Plumber again incapacitated, though he credited me two hours for driving out there, waiting a half-hour past start time, and calling him from a pay phone. Sigh.
Templess.
Applying needle & thread to single, gun-show-cheap, velcro-flap magazine pouch - slack removed from belt loop, rides better on belt. Pull-tab added to flap, clawing less futilely to open in a hurry. Other belt, longer & therefore more comfortable, stitched shut, does not take CS buckle. :( Hmm, have screw posts ("Chicago screws"?) from leather store, might convert. "...and he (re)made his web gear."
Icky laundromat people.
Cityfolk, snarl [fangs showing].
Hanoi Johnny McCain, the "gun show loophole"-closing "campaign finance reforming" free-speech bashing Manchurian Candidate, says "Senator [Hillary] Clinton would make a good president."
In downloaded .PDF Ruger catalog (most major makers now offer .PDFs), I note they are shipping full-capacity pistol (and pistol-caliber carbine) magazines, contrary to rumors from a couple SHOT Shows ago - but only in 9x19mm. 10 rounds in .40 (which might be design capacity depending how they shaped the grip), and only 5 for the Mini-14 and Mini-30. No larger capacities listed for anything in the catalog's magazines page.
767 - Tuesday, 22 February 2005: ...Where do I begin?
Snrk of course. Through crosstown traffic with umpty zillion lefty bumperstickers and various cityfolk stupidity. Get to job site, Plumber is there, but first we're going back to the place we worked yesterday, a few blocks away. And exactly across the street is the crack house the morning radio news has been talking about, which was dramatically busted with "people throwing crack out the windows" some hours earlier. Street entirely blocked with vulturevans (TV & radio news) and blueshirtmobiles. Takes half an hour just to get the truck into a reasonable position to get tools and materials from. Amused myself by commenting unquietly about donut shops and how my gun club banned Portland blueshirts for breaking safety rules. Finish there, over to the first site. Two other contractors there, carpentry and painting. The carpenters, father & son, are listening to the Rush show (with monotonous substitute host while Limbaugh is in Afghanistan disinfecting our troops after a recent visit by Queen Hillary, who is pretending to be an American), but the painter is listening to NPR. And NPR is reviewing some book and/or board game about Presidential history on this the actual birthday of George Washington, and the host just couldn't resist saying, "I notice all these presidents are white."
And they call conservatives racists. >:-[ And they claim there's no leftist bias. >:-[
Fine weather, sunny and 60s F, though near freezing at night and frosted cars in the morning. Already whining of drought.
Still templess. :-\ Short work day tomorrow due to inspections. Beginning to worry about rent again. Gas prices spiking, $1.93 at Portland ARCOs, up from $1.89 just yesterday, when one particular ARCO was $1.85 and mobbed (got ten bucks there, still have two 5-liter reserve cans).
Finishing Ringworld's Children. No one can accuse Larry Niven of thinking small.
New Midway master catalog in mail, sigh. -And it occurs to me that I could now get the muzzleloading rifle conversion barrel for the Mossberg M500 shotgun (wouldn't fit the M590's extended magazine tube). Of course I want a traditionally-styled muzzleloading rifle instead, but it's nice to have options. Maybe I'll see a used barrel at a show or something (Midway wants $100). Can also get rifled slug barrels for sabot loads (use with common Foster-type slugs is questionable - lots of discarded ML and shotgun sabots on the ground at Clark Rifles' 100-yard line) - that scruffy old $59 piece potentially triples my hunting season choices (I already have rifles, and with different barrels I could also hunt in muzzleloading and shotgun-only seasons or areas.) M500 barrels are common at decent shows.
Speaking of which, the Canby show was rather disappointing, particularly as there was little reloading equipment to paw through (I was specifically looking for plastic cartridge boxes for reloads - got a couple at the last Clark County Fairgrounds show, next there is 30 April). And no Parts Geezers. But, it was the First Show for the family. First sister really and truly hooked, already haunting pawn shops. Qapla'!
Still looking for the Perfect Holster for the P35. For liability, most retention-strap holsters made today will not allow a single-action semiautomatic (i.e. 1911) to be carried cocked-and-locked, i.e. with the strap between the hammer and slide. Furthermore the ergonomics, and the fraction of a second to release, a retention strap, are slightly objectionable (the Bianchi paddle holster I have for the GP100 has different ergonomics and works fine). So, I want a form-fitted (i.e. Kydex) holster that grips the weapon firmly and does not require a strap; I want a paddle holster so it's easier to take off when necessary; I want it adjustable to crossdraw so I can drive with it without needing the services of a chiropractor.
There is no such holster listed in the Midway catalog for the Browning Hi-Power. :-/ Some listings indicate a 1911 holster may work but they're not shaped quite the same and I want to be sure it's not going to flop out on the floor at the laundromat.
Starting Ringo & Evans' The Road to Damascus.
768 - Friday, 25 February 2005: All ‘blogged out the last couple days. No work today, more inspections. Zzzz....
Paid yesterday for seventeen lousy hours this week. Still templess naturally. Eyeing other services. Lethargic and unmotivated.
The Road to Damascus - Ringo (veteran of 82nd Airborne) & Evans ("expert on weapons both modern and ancient"), artistically licensed, are taking sides in the Culture War. A clause of the Constitution of the planet Jefferson (capitol city Madison), on which the story is set, reads, "The right of the people to keep and bear arms for self-defense and defense of the homeland shall never be infringed, limited, rescinded, interfered with, or prohibited by any decree of law, decision by court, or policy by the executive branch or any of its agencies. And this time, we mean it." End-effing-quote. Next paragraph:
Kafari [the heroine of the early part of the story] had told [Dinochrome Brigade officer Simon Khrustinov, commander of the Mark XX Bolo in the leading role], with typical Jeffersonian fire, that many Grangers [farmers, ranchers, non-cityfolk] felt the clause didn't go far enough. He certainly hadn't been inclined to argue the point. Not after some of the disasters he'd seen, on worlds he'd fought to protect. He'd seen worlds where the Concordiat had revoked treaties, due to massive human rights violations. No, he hadn't felt like arguing the point at all.
Ohhhhh yeah. -This is a socio-economic experiment story and a commentary/message piece, showing What Can Go Wrong (and hopefully How To Fix It...). Not even a quarter through yet and I can recommend it.
Did I mention this is yet another Baen book? (Still looking for Lt. Col. Tom Kratman's A State of Disobedience.) -Later in the book, it's a by-gods Future History of the Culture War, with obvious and multiple parallels to today's Troubles (even the disenfranchisement of military voters, as in our 2000 election). Anyone who's ever been disgusted with peaceniks, bunny-huggers, tree-huggers, Children's "Services", public "education", "mainstream" media, socialism, cityfolk, or similar forms of damnfoolery, should read John Ringo & Linda Evans' The Road to Damascus.
And then go buy a rifle and get a whole lot of practice. Ohhh, I like Baen. (Unfortunately, no sign of a sequel to Gingrich & Forstchen's 1945....) Brace yourself, though - now about a third through, it's like watching a Constitutional train-wreck, shudder. Like, Goebbels v3.4. Actually it's such a graphic and detailed description of what could happen if authoritarians like Hillary, or Burdick, gained real power, I can only take a few pages at a time before I have to set it aside and fondle my P35. It's a horror story written for, and by, Republitarians. Daycare - I am not having children, and if I do the State is not getting its claws into them. Homeschooling outlawed in the story of course....
Shooting sometime this weekend I think. The .22 rifles - well, the Romanian anyway, the Stevens seems sound, though I might take it along to make sure; the rest of the last two batches of .357 subversion loads; the FM of course, with RNL, and maybe a box of JHP before that; and the FR with some Australian NATO (halting rifle load development until I get a chronograph), to avoid backsliding with the Rifleman thing.
Something funny in the bank balance, again - now the bank thinks I have almost $90 more than I figure (the last inconsistency cost me $57). Would switch banks, if I had any money left to open a new account with. (Who the hell would steal my identity? There's nothing in it for them - the irregularities I'm noticing would be pocket change (to everyone but me...).) I think I can squeeze through on rent, possibly selling/hocking a Mosin M44 to Cruffler and/or getting an advance from Plumber.
Continuing The Road to Damascus. It would appear the authors are Ticked, and are using the Bolo's internal musings, and the protagonists', to express their Republitarian dissatisfaction.
Cooool.
769 - Saturday, 26 February 2005: Zzzz....
The Road to Damascus does indeed show What Can Go Wrong. As to How To Fix It... see, again, this and this. Sometimes there's only one way.
770 - Sunday, 27 February 2005: Nah, no OAC show today. Zzzz....
Up late finishing The Road to Damascus. It's a horror story for conservatives, and explicitly pro-RKBA. -Now I'm out of stuff from the library, now what? Computer says I have four movies "in transit" and they've been that way for days. Oh, that Audie Murphy bio I got at a flea market over a year ago, I'll read that. (Don Graham, No Name on the Bullet, Viking 1989.)
Listening to Gun Talk. Mass shooting in Tyler, Texas, broken up by Mark Wilson, CHL holder, who was himself killed in action while preventing the deaths of innocent bystanders and local law-enforcement. And Texas Department of Public Safety says "leave the crime-fighting to us." Host Tom Gresham commenting on media bias and, refreshingly, disagreeing with blueshirts' "don't get involved" nonsense. -But later, still says rank-and-file blueshirts support RKBA. Not in this town, man.
Lovely weather, warm, sunny with a little high cirrus. Arrive about 12:45. Well crap! Plate match just finishing as I arrive! (Winner was 13-year-old boy!) Nothing in newsletter, phooey! Hope to be there next month. (Um, not much plate-friendly 9mm ammo on-hand, brought last 250 rounds of 124gr RNL/4.0gr W231, no projectiles left.) Upper rifle line full, handgun line just reopening after the match, start there.
Okay, .357 "Magnum", 125gr RN/FP plated lead, 5.0gr Unique. Not quite as mild as previous attempts, but manageable and accurate. Still inconsistent ignition however, first round weak, remainder in cylinder okay after powder shifts in recoil. Some unburned flakes too. So Unique is out for .357 subversion loads. No squibs though.
(Wouldn't mind getting an actual .38 Special revolver - smaller case capacity, better ignition.)
Now 4.8gr Universal Clays. A little milder than the Unique, maybe a little less accurate. Same first-round effect, again unburned powder. Will seek Titegroup ($ometime). (Later, chatting with another shooter, Red/Green/Blue Dot recommended.)
Now P35, first with one box of Win/USA 115gr JHP. Extraction problems! R/O/Gunsmith examines, says weak extractor spring, hmm. (Also offers Bonus Brass, a thousand pieces of assorted 9x19mm. Dude!) Trending to the right with the factory JHP. R/O/G suggests Washougal River Mercantile for improved sights, I wi$h.
Now 50 rounds of 124gr RNL over 4.0gr W231. Still smoky, duh. But, perfect function! Huh? The factory stuff jams and my reloads work perfectly? (Trending low, but not right (well, maybe a little) with the RNL.)
100 rounds, front sight OK! Saving last 200 RNL - if I get money I can buy more projectiles and preferably work up a 147gr load, and if I don't I'll have 200 rounds for the plate match on 27 March.
~2pm, upper line thinned out. Stevens, 25 yards, Palma targets, CCI Mini Mag, hasty sling, elbows on the bench - adequate, just checking, though I really want to put a peep sight on it now that I've seen how.
Romanian, from sandbags - still wandering. Stock? Bedding? Too much barrel (remember way back in the ‘blog, the stubby M44 Mosin was more accurate than the long, "whippy" Ishapore SMLE)? ...Does Hobbyist shorten rifle barrels? Sigh.
Finally FR, Australian NATO. Still grouping, but what I really need to do is zero it all over again at 100, then check the ballistics, with military ammo, at 200 and 300 and see how they match my new aperture. Somewhat frustrated, left ~3pm.
Vancouver ARCO $1.87, Portland $1.93.
Getting into No Name on the Bullet, reminded of Stephen Hunter's Pale Horse Coming, a ‘50s fantasy in which thinly-disguised gunfolk deities like Elmer Keith, Ed McGivern, Jack O'Connor, and Audie Murphy whomp on some folks who desperately deserve whomping. When Earl Swagger (father of "Bob the Nailer" of later books) starts rounding up his Magnificent Several, he can't promise "Audie Ryan" anything for his trouble except perhaps a "new set of nightmares" (Swagger's character was a Pacific veteran with experiences comparable to Ryan's/Murphy's). Graham describes Murphy's life after the war as a slow-motion tragedy of dissatisfaction and a fruitless quest for he-knew-not-what. What does a man do with the rest of his life - he was only twenty when he performed the acts for which he was given the Medal of Honor - after experiencing such unparalleled and inseparable horror and glory?
Also still digesting The Road to Damascus. Comparable, I think, in some ways, to John Ross' Unintended Consequences. Yum/Eek. Though I think Ringo & Evans have done a technical disservice or two to the Bolo race.
Actually the Murphy bio may be a bit too depressing for me to read in my current situation. What else have I got...? Ah, a bit of paperback SF fluff, Sundrinker by Zach Hughes, about plant-people on a quest for a fabled homeland, with swordplay and so on.
771 - Monday, 28 February 2005: Before I leave for the job site, Plumber calls - not drunk, a friend died and he just found out the funeral is today.
Closely examining and carefully juggling finances, I can just barely make rent (and cat food) without selling anything. Today. -Well, tomorrow, after I rejuggle the $25 automatic monthly transfer from checking to savings. :-/
Still templess. @#$%....
So the Rush show is ending and I'm waiting for Paul Harvey to come on and there's a "public service announcement" for... the National Education Association. "The NEA is working for adequate funding, parental involvement, and a qualified teacher in every classroom." No, they're not. They're working for excessive funding (Oregon schools whining for money on one hand, while trolling for a new bureaucrat - PR I think - with a six-figure salary on the other), parental submission (they might as well put a Ritalin fountain next to the water), and a politically reliable indoctrinator in every classroom. Snarl.
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