Next!

I finished loading the last 100 rounds of .357 Magnum this evening. After I cleared the press of powder and primers, I converted everything over to 9mm in preparation for a 200 round production run. I will probably get at least 100 done this coming Wednesday night. My current 9mm recipe is Winchester Brass, Berry's 115 gr copper plated round nose bullets, 4.3 grains of Bullseye powder, and Winchester Magnum Small Pistol primers. This load took a little experimentation to operate the action reliably without making it screaming hot. It chronographs out to an average of 1096 fps muzzle velocity. I will try to get over to Cabela's to see if I can get another 100 round cartridge case to house some more .38 Special and then load another 100.

Hopefully "the winter that never was" continues, meaning a range outing will be forthcoming soon.

A Coupla Items

I have been working on this post since Friday afternoon, but have been interrupted by emergency calls and a busy schedule all today. I just restarted writing and plugging in photos at 9:15 PM this evening.

Loading ammo

I am in the process of loading some .357 Magnum target ammo that runs just under 1100 fps. I use either Federal or Remington brass. My recipe is Berry's 158 grain copper plated flat point bullets, 9.3 grains of Hogdgon HS-6 powder (.66 on the Lee Disk Powder Measure), and Winchester Magnum Small Pistol primers. Since these are for my six-guns or my Marlin 1894CB lever gun, I am not as picky with my brass as I am for my semi-autos. With semi-autos, conventional reloading wisdom is to separate brass by manufacturer for better consistency of the action, which at the level I shoot at is more about satisfying my OCD than anything else. Thursday night I did a run of 100 rounds of .357 Magnum. I plan on doing another 100 rounds when I have another block of uninterrupted time.

I run a Lee PRO-1000 3-die progressive press for my handgun ammo. When I finished for the night, I removed the primer tray and cleared the chute, then removed and emptied the powder hopper. I keep the press dust and dirt free by covering it with a dreaded (and banned in Kommiecticut) plastic shopping bag.

The press in full operation from a recent load of .45 ACP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Lee Pro-1000 cleared after use

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Covered with a verbotten plastic shopping bag. REUSE!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lee makes changing caliber easy by offering turret plates that lock into place, allowing the dies to stay seated and adjusted. All of my handgun dies are permanently mounted on turret plates. This one that I am currently using is for both .38 Special and .357 Magnum. The dies simply get backed out two full turns to accommodate the longer .357 Magnum rounds. I then fine tune the bullet seating die and measure with a caliper for an over all length (OAL) of 1.585". When I set up the press for a new caliber, I run several "dummy" test rounds with bullets but no powder or primers and measure the OAL. The bullets are then taken apart with a kinetic bullet puller and the components reused. I mark this particular turret with some gray electrical tape and a Sharpie for how it was last setup and used.

Close up of turret plate with mounted dies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The top of the press where the turret goes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Locked in place and ready for loading

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The other thing that needs to be changed for caliber is either just the shell plate or the whole shell plate carrier. I have two shell plate carriers; one is setup for large pistol primers, the one pictured below is set for small pistol primers. The shell plate needs to be changed to accommodate the particular caliber. The #1 shell plate in place is for .38 Special/.357 Magnum.

Small primer shell plate carrier installed on the press

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The large primer shell plate carrier. #2 plate for .45 ACP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you look closely at the #2 shell plate, you will see dimples all over it. That was caused by the moron that originally owned my press slapping the operating lever up and down, which throws off the rotational timing of the shell plate. Movement of the operating lever is supposed to be smooth up and down. Those dimples were caused by the primer decapping pin slamming into the surface of the plate. It should never make such contact, but come down over one of the three holes in the shell plate where a shell would be sitting.

My current plan is to load 200 rounds of 9mm after I complete the .357 Magnum. Once I get another 100 round ammo box I can load an additional 100 rounds of .38 Special. Right now I would have no place to put them.

 

My sportsman's club 

I have been a probationary member since December 2020. Probationary status is reviewed annually with the probie standing up in front of the membership to talk about their activities and work for the club. Then other members have the opportunity to get up and speak about the member if they have something to say. The member is excused from the room and a secret paper ballot is held whether to allow the probation to continue. In January, the membership voted unanimously to renew my membership status for being an active member in good standing. At our recent February monthly meeting, the three probationary members that were ahead of me got moved up by membership vote to full regular membership, leaving me the most senior probie next in line.

I found out Thursday that another regular member slot has opened up. When I asked the membership chairman about it, he confirmed that fact and said he would be presenting me to the Executive Committee for preliminary approval at their February meeting. The following week at the March monthly meeting, I will be presented to the membership as a candidate to become a regular member. I refer to it like the Mafia, becoming a "made" guy because that's what it feels like. After becoming a regular member, I plan on becoming an official committee member for both the Range and Kitchen Committees.

 

Kommiecticut DOT train and bus commercials

I wish there were videos to plug in here but there aren't yet. Searches came up blank for those commercials. I'll do my best to describe them.

In the past week or so, I have been seeing commercials on TV and hearing them on local radio for riding the trains and buses instead of driving your own car. In the spots, they "interview" riders (that are obviously actors) about why they ride mass transit. They babble about all kinds of reasons; read a book, listen to music on headphones while watching the scenery go by (really?), watch a movie, catch up on their latest streaming series, save the planet (HA!), etc. Everything except being aware of your surroundings and situationally aware. In another life when I worked in technology, I would have to go Boston quite often. 

MBTA full map of Boston Lines

 

Most of the time I did not need my company vehicle full of tools and materials, just a small tool bag and my laptop. On those trips, I would park at the "T" Riverside Station in West Newton, MA and take the Green Line "D Train" into the city. From Park Street Station I could switch train lines to anywhere else in the city I needed to go. I was always armed with a tactical folder and stood in the stations or outdoor platforms with my back to the wall, giving me a 180 degree view of the platform. On the train I would position myself to watch the car entry doors for who got on, the ability for a quick exit, as well as the ends of the car for people moving between cars. I never slept or occupied myself with anything other than observing my surroundings. Everyone around me would be totally oblivious to everything around them. Think Col. Cooper's "Condition White." More than once, I bailed off the train at a stop because of who or what got on, and just got on the next train by in a couple of minutes. I remember riding the train a couple of times when they were crowded, and being the only person aboard not being a mesmerized zombie. I thought how easy it would be to walk down the center aisle with an ice pick in each hand and simply and silently kill an entire train car of people.

Pretty Damn Nipply

Everyone is walking around looking like there's a pair of pop-up turkey timers under our shirts today! This was what the weather widget on my phone was reporting for my location a little while ago. -8 degrees F, and I don't know where in town the weather station is located (location name obliterated for PERSEC).

The wallpaper is my precious baby boy, Eli. Much larger now

 

 

I have a Blink Outdoor camera mounted on my garage. It also measures temperature and I have it calibrated with my Klein digital multimeter that has a temperature function. The camera is located on the north side of the house and always in the shade. This is what it read at 07:33... yep, minus 12.

I have a few hens that like to sleep outside on some perches made out of stout Poplar branches. Because of the extreme cold last night that was not happening. They were all put inside the coop, the heat lamp taken off the timer and plugged in to stay on steady, and the door/ramp that usually stays open was closed up tight. The water bubbler was already inside to prevent freezing. This morning, they all came out, gobbled up their corn and mealworm treat, and as I look out right now, there is not a single one out foraging in the yard or in the pen. My wife was home yesterday and she saw them come out one at a time, eat from the feeder and go right back in the coop. I know for myself the cold felt shockingly brutal while I was out there. I am putting off my normal Saturday chores and errands until tomorrow when temps will be in the more tolerable 40's.

We responded to a chimney fire early this morning, and luckily the wind that was absolutely roaring when we went to bed had subsided to occasional gusts. Good thing, because yours truly was on the roof ripping the makeshift chimney cap repairs off so I could look down and inspect the flue. The top of the brick chimney and cement cap was crumbling. It was covered in plastic sheets and held on with duct tape. There was a spark arrestor on the flue outlet that was glued and screwed into place that was ripped off none to gently. I had to call "Heads UP!!!" a few times as loose bricks fell off the chimney and slid off the roof. It was a two story Colonial with a shallow pitched roof that was nice and dry so it was easy to work on in the dark. The fire was all down below at the fireplace stove insert which the guys had already emptied out. I could see the flue was clear all the way down to the elbow. I went home and crawled back into my nice warm bed.

Happenings At The Hacienda

First up, lighting changes in the basement.

Our basement is 26' x 34' with the stairs coming down in the center towards the front of the house under the staircase to the second floor, which acts as a divider between my workshop and my wife's dog grooming area. The simple incandescent bulbs put in when the house was built were replaced by 4' fluorescent fixtures long ago. 

(5) 48" x 2 lamps in workshop

(1) 48" 4 bulb over workbench

(7) 48" x 2 lamps in grooming area

All of the workshop lights were transplanted from our old house and are at least 25 years old. The ones in the grooming area are a few years newer than the house and are GARBAGE made in CHY-NA. The ballasts were terrible and devoured bulbs, while the older fixtures still have their first replacement bulbs in them and work fine. Half of the bulbs were out again, so I went to Lowe's to get another case. Instead I came across this and decided the extra expense would be worth a try. With the improvements in technology and the prices coming way down for LED lighting, I have converted much of my house already, this just made sense.

I had looked into replacing the entire fixtures to LED before but the cost was prohibitive at almost $30 a piece. This case of 20 LED replacement bulbs listed for $105.98 but with my military discount I got out the door with tax for $101.44. These bulbs require a wiring modification to each fixture, which while supposedly a DIY project, if you don't have the electrical/electronics background I have, I recommend hiring a professional. 

The first three diagrams are examples of existing ballast wiring. The last diagram is what the installer needs to accomplish. The ballast is cut out and removed, the bulb connectors at one end are all connected to the neutral (white), an inline fuse holder with a 1 Amp fuse is spliced onto the hot lead (black), and the other end of the fuse holder tied to the bulb connectors at the other end of the fixture. You are applying 120VAC to the new LED bulbs that contain all the electronics necessary to operate the LEDS. I finished up Friday afternoon the 13th because I had to wait for the inline fuse holders to come from eBay. You are also supposed to affix a new label (included) that warns users not to install standard T8 or T12 fluorescent bulbs because there is no ballast. I put one on each fixture I converted. Below is what her grooming area looks like now.

The LED bulbs are rated for 50,000 hours, and warranted for 5 years running 6 hours per day for 7 days a week. They will last us a lifetime, and the power consumption went from 560 watts using all 40 W fluorescent bulbs in seven fixtures, to 196 watts. I'll take it! The good fluorescent bulbs will be kept as future replacements for the workshop, and I have enough LED bulbs to do three more fixtures if a ballast craps out. As you can see, even though the LED's are rated 1500 lumens as opposed to the 40 W fluorescent bulbs at 2100 lumens, it is light daylight in there. And I chose the standard "cool white" look with light temperature of 4000K, so it is not at all harsh.

Next, time to put away Christmas

This was our 39th Christmas as a married couple, and the 39th live tree we had in our living room. Expensive this year at $85 to "cut your own" but what a fabulous tree. As usual my wife decorated it to rival any NYC department store window tree.

Because our trees always look great and are lush and green well past Christmas it got taken down on Friday the 13th. She removed all the lights and decorations, and it took a team effort to pull it out of the stand and out the front door. The amount of needles that fell on the floor were minor and easily cleaned up. In years past it went to the fire pit for the first bonfire of spring, but the last couple of years it has gone next door to the horse farm and the goat herd. Man do they love it!

Finally, some gun stuff

I decided since cold weather is here to stay, I would be carrying my Ruger SR9c in my kydex OWB holster under a flannel shirt or jacket more regularly. I decided to go full grip like before the boating accident when I lost the 17 round magazines to the bottom of Lake Mashapaug. I have a 10 round SR9 magazine with the grip extender that looks like a 17. Normally I was carrying with the compact mag and fingertip extension. My spare mags in the kydex carrier will remain the compact 10 rounders with the fingertip extension. I like the full grip for draw purposes.

Ruger SR9c with 10 round mag and fingertip extender. You can also use a flush floorplate for deeper concealment

The back-strap is interchangeable, and for the compact mags I like the bump out to fit my palm better. Because I was going to the extended mag I wanted the flat back-strap. Now... where did I put that other piece???

For an hour and a half I went through all my gun stuff. I tore my safes apart. I went through my container of spare parts and found ALL my spare parts. I went through my plastic tub of holsters... NADA. I went through another plastic tub of spare accessories...nope. Up to the attic to go through even more obscure stuff, ARRRGGGHHH!! Down to the basement and tore apart the gun bench and armorers tool box...ZIP. I gave up, it was lost and I had no idea where it went. I turned to eBay and a seller appeared to have what I wanted. I sent him a message asking if it was indeed the flat back-strap and if it was I would buy it immediately. He replied right away. The back-strap is REVERSIBLE. What a fucking idiot I am. It had been so long since I flipped it I forgot it was reversible and thought there was a separate back-strap insert.

In the words of Homer Simpson.... "DOH!"

I had the damn thing on my hip the whole time. I sent the eBay seller a reply thanking him and telling him how big an idiot I am. As you can see above, push the pin all the way though, slide off the back-strap, flip it over and replace the pin. Success!

Using the kydex holster I have turns the gun in towards my body, so the extended grip does not print though my shirt. Being chubby instead of cut helps hide my firearm too.

Because I went through so much of my stuff, I came up with a couple of items to give away. I'm sure I can get rid of more, but it will have to be a more thoughtful process.

A DeSantis E1 IWB holster that fits small compact semi autos like a Glock 26 or my SR9c. The holster is like new because I tried it and hated it. Having a pebble in my shoe on purpose is what I think of IWB appendix carry.

A Bianchi double stack dual mag carrier. Supposed to fit my Glock 21 .45ACP mags, but the flaps barely close and the velcro barely mates up. Would probably work fine on other magazine brands.

The cable lock that came with my S&W 45 Shield. I have plenty of gun locks, I certainly don't need another.

I've offered this stuff to a couple of people but no takers yet. It will most likely end up on the "give-a-way" table at my sportsman's club.

The Daily Bounty

15 eggs today 1-5-23

5 whites from the Leghorns

8 browns from the Rhode Island Reds

1 blue and 1 brownish from the black Marans

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I get eggs year 'round because I provide the required 15 hours of light per day. A combination of daylight and artificial light is fine. I have a single 60 watt incandescent bulb on a programmable timer in the coop.

Ten Years Ago Tonight

We were awakened at 01:00 by some undesirable individual beating on our front door. He was told repeated to leave as his story kept changing. He finally left when he saw I was armed and not fucking around.

Read the whole story here.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a SAFE night.

Gotta Keep Picking That Scab and Keep The Wound Open

Never allow any real healing from such an event. That would put the brakes on fundraising, political activism, and the scheme for total civilian disarmament.

All over the local news the past couple of days and continuing up to December 14th are the news stories reminding us of the 10th anniversary of Sandy Hook. I will link to none of it, you can dig it up yourselves if you really need to. More importantly to me will be Christmas 2022, which is the tenth anniversary of my own personal defense story.

Sandy Hook Elementary School... where they tell us 26 died. Or did they? See what happened to Alex Jones for questioning such things publicly? FUCK `EM! Here's a link to the full book "No One Died At Sandy Hook." Read it for yourselves. It may or may not just be a work of fiction. But I always ask "why did such a book get published?" I believe it's because of all the secrecy behind the investigation and in the report issued by the Kommiecticut State Police. The secrecy was put in place quickly in the dark of night (as usual) by the state legislature and immediately signed into law by then Governor Emperor Dannel Malloy I. Also, 28 people died that day, NOT JUST THE 26 the media always reports on. The first murder victim was Nancy Lanza, when her mentally ill son killed her to steal her legally purchased and owned firearms. The final victim was the killer himself, Adam Lanza, when he committed suicide at the end. I contend that EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THE 26 28 VICTIMS was actually a victim of the failures of the State of Kommiecticut to act beforehand. They failed Adam, they failed his mother, they failed the 20 students, they failed the six school staff, they failed law enforcement, and they have failed the entire remaining citizens of the state.

As far as the Sandy Hook families and their supposedly "grass roots" organizations for gun safety; no one... and I mean NO ONE that turns so hard from victim or survivor to political activist first and foremost deserves ANY SYMPATHY! Especially when their work becomes dedicated to stripping citizens of their rights based solely on the actions of criminals or the mentally insane. They must be shouted down and thoroughly defeated, because they have said (on video) repeatedly about the 2013 post Sandy Hook gun control "this is only the beginning." They have also been recorded a few times on audio stating they will not stop until all civilians are disarmed nationwide.

Since 2013, I celebrate December 14th as "Firearms Appreciation Day" and have actually purchased a firearm on that calendar date. If for nothing more but to irritate state firearms officials by having to process sale paperwork marked with that date. I urge everyone to celebrate F.A.D. this year by treating themselves to a new firearm and/or use it to make some joyful noise of FREEDOM. I have to work the 14th, otherwise I'd definitely be at the range commemorating the day.

Happy Chickens Are Productive Chickens

Mine get lots of goodies. Cracked corn and freeze dried mealworms for breakfast every morning as long as the weather permits them to be outside. All the insects they can forage for all day long. Over ripe (but NEVER rotten or moldy) fruit and vegetables as long as the items are on the "OK for chickens" list. Earlier today a collection of small pumpkins left over from autumn/Halloween decorations at my wife's work place. I removed the stems and cut them open.

They eat everything but the skin, and in just a couple of days make the skin like a piece of paper on the ground. They do the same with cantaloupe and watermelon. They had a single large pumpkin last week that was from our front yard. Is it any wonder they all come-a-runnin' when they hear the door open and see me coming out? 

Unlike other backyard egg farmers, I get eggs all year `round. That is due to providing them a light source for 15 hours a day. Lights in the coop on a timer that come on before sunrise and shut off after. Natural daylight until sunset and then the balance from the coop light until bed time. Be cautioned, because too much light is not good, and they will begin exhibiting undesirable behaviors.

Below is a comprehensive list of good and bad foods for chickens.

Foods that chickens can or can't eat

New Jerry Cans Filled And In Service

So the cans arrived on Wednesday Nov. 30th. Since the insides of the cans smelled of the solvents from the petrol-proof coating, I left them open in my garage for a couple of days to finish drying and/or the smell to dissipate. By Thursday evening the smell seemed to be completely gone. I poured one ounce of Sta-Bil 360 in each can and closed it up, then placed the four cans in my truck. My plan was to go to BJ's in Manchester after the family dinner out Friday night and fill the cans as well as top off my truck's fuel tank. We got out of Texas Roadhouse about 8:40 PM and the BJ's closed at 9 PM, but the restaurant was less than a mile away, so plenty of time. The BJ's gas station is normally a zoo, except late at night. I drove right up to a pump, got my fuel and got out of there before closing time. The person that pulled up behind me didn't have to wait long. I was done with the cans and part way through filling my truck when she pulled up behind me. No disgusted looks as someone has to wait until I am done getting all my fuel like normal. If anyone was ever to actually get out of their vehicle and start bitching at me, I would just tell them they should have gotten off their ass and come earlier.

Having to work Saturday, I left the filled cans in the garage. I got up early on Sunday morning because we were going out to breakfast and then cutting fresh Christmas trees with friends. I brought the cans down to the barn to be permanently stored with the others since I had to go down there and get my chainsaw. I now have 60+ gallons of fresh, treated gasoline on hand for emergency generator use. That is above and beyond the full fuel tanks on my vehicles and motorcycle I would tap into during a regional disaster where buying gas might not be available for some time.

So referring only to my dedicated generator gas; I have enough on hand ready to go to run my generator at full capacity for 15 hours a day for 8 days. My generator fuel consumption at that rate is exactly 7 1/2 gallons per day. If not the depths of winter or in the middle of broiling in the summer, that could be stretched out significantly. For the first six years I owned the generator it only ran for preventative maintenance. So far, we have had three or four major outages lasting a week or more since 2011 and each one left electric power available in the vicinity along major state roads and power feeds. Gas was definitely easy enough to get. Living along a back country road, we aren't the very last customers to get power back, but if our road has utility infrastructure damage we won't get it back for days.

My wife won't ever understand the need to keep so much fuel on hand until the day comes where we need it and it's available. I don't believe we need to stockpile any additional gasoline, although I would not be opposed to doubling my current supply... or even more. I used to rotate it all at once, but with current self-inflicted gas prices I do 10 or 15 gallons at a time, dumping it into and using it in our vehicles. Since all the cans are tagged it is easy to keep track of which ones are filled and when, as well as spreading out the financial pain..

Gas Cans

I had a discussion about Jerry Cans with two brothers that are friends of mine the other day. A guy they know is selling off his "stuff" and has a pile of WWII era cans. I related that I have several modern NATO surplus ones for my generator, and the older brother asked if I wanted to buy any. I declined because of their age, probable condition of the insides, and my spout won't fit. The older version has a screw on cap retained by a chain. Mine have the smaller opening with a lever operated cap and a locking pin. My spout mounts to the opening in place of the cap. These containers are forbidden to be sold in Kommiecticut by state law courtesy of the environazis that prefer safety cans that spill gas all over. Some companies don't give a shit and sell them anyway with a disclaimer about not using them for fuel. HA!

Today I read a couple of blog posts on Commander Zero about gas cans, prompting me to want to buy more for myself. I went to where I bought them from before, Lexington Container out of Kentucky. Not only were they HOLY SHIT! expensive ($79.99 for a 5 gallon can), but every version of their NATO Jerry can was out of stock. Then I saw the link in this post and checked it out. Such a deal! Four brand new cans for $179.95, and my math says just under $45 per can, which is less than what I paid several years ago. They don't play tax collector for Kommiecticut so add only the $23.83 for regular ground shipping and they are supposed to be here by Friday. That will give me 50 gallons of safely stored on hand gasoline down in my barn. All my gas is treated with Sta-Bil 360 and the cans are tagged. All the gas is cycled out and replaced every 6 months or so, and the generator tank is completely emptied and refilled once per year. Gas treated with Sta-Bil 360 can supposedly go two years, but I don't risk it. My generator starts right up and runs smoothly every time. 

As soon as they arrive and I inspect them, and they are as promised, they will get the Glypto Thumbs Up Endorsement. Stay tuned. 

UPDATE 11-30-22: It's official... The Glypto Thumbs Up Endorsement for these cans and roverparts.com. My Jerry Cans arrived this afternoon, but were delivered to Mrs. Bitchy McBitchy Bitchface's my neighbor's house. In a strange twist of personality, she actually brought my large package down and placed it in front of my garage door. I spoke to her over my Blink Outdoor camera. She asked if she should leave it in front of the garage and I told her that would be fine, and that I would be home in a few minutes to retrieve it. I thanked her for doing that and will also send her a hand written "Thank You" card. I then filed a complaint with FEDEX when I got back to the firehouse. The box was completely broken open spilling out the contents and soaking wet from the pouring rain, besides delivering to the wrong address. Luckily, none of the Jerry Cans were damaged. Unfortunately I had to give them one star out of five, because you can't leave a zero on a survey. Out here FEDEX drivers are contractors that do a shitty job with a simple task like delivery, and they drive like fucking maniacs.

UPDATE 12-1-22: Text of the "Thank You" card to my neighbor:

 Neighbor's Name

Thank you so much for bringing my misdelivered package down to
my house. I especially appreciate the extra effort it took in
terrible weather because it was large as well as damaged and
hard to handle. Fortunately the items inside were a little wet
but not damaged.

I slammed FEDEX in a delivery survey for their address screw up
and damaging my package. We'll see if it helps.

My Name

A Fire Before It Rains

My fire pit was full of dried brush so I decided to light it up before the rain predicted for this afternoon. As the brush got going good I threw on some well seasoned split hardwood to get it good and hot. The 2x4's are from a bench that needs new wood, so I took the chainsaw to it and cut about an inch away from the uprights. I won't add any more wood and just let it burn down.

 

 

 

Now there will be room in the fire pit come January if I need to dispose of my Christmas tree. I will offer it to the farm next door again first because the goats love it.

Black Friday? No... Bang Friday!

A weekday off means the opportunity to go to my club range. I loaded 200 rounds of .45 ACP last night, planning on shooting my Colt MarkIV Series 70 (which hasn't been shot in years) and my 45 Shield. I also had some old reloads, both purchased and my own to burn up. I wanted to do some more work with my two current carry guns from holster draw. The long guns were mostly going to be for fun banging the gongs, except my sniper type rifle. That was going to entail some scope range changing, as well as a comparison between my precision hand loads and commercial ammo.

PISTOLS 

First up was my Colt Mark IV Series 70. When I bought it in 1983, it was pretty much in standard government type issue, just like a 1911 marked "U.S. Property" would have been, but with a shiny blued finish. Mine now wears adjustable sights, a rubber Pachmyr grip, has a slide stop bushing, all new springs, pins and screws, and a barrel bushing compensator. Internally there are some bits from Chip McMormick. Skeletonized trigger and hammer, a high rise beaver-tail safety, and a sear set. I had forgotten how well this gun performs. After reacquainting my self with some target practice. I easily whacked the swinging plates at 25 yards, and then went to bowling pins. My hard hitting 200 grain flat point rounds hit the pins on the blue "American Bowling Congress" shield and took the pins cleanly and completely off where I had them sitting. This was my pin gun from back in the day, even before I tweaked it. I won my share of matches back then, maybe I'll get back into it.

Next up was the S & W 45 Shield for some draw and fire practice from both my OWB and pocket holsters. 7 yards at a B-27 silhouette using some older Hornady Critical Defense rounds I had put aside for this practice session. Recoil is only slightly more than my target rounds and easily manageable for me.

The last pistol I shot was my Ruger SR9c with some draw and fire practice from my On Your Six Designs OWB holster. I was going to do a full "Dicken Drill", but since I didn't have a shot timer and was trying more than 7 yards for the first time with a carry gun, I opted to start at 25 yards. I did OK, and am confident I could take out a target from behind cover, especially if I can brace myself. I then went to holster draws at 7 yards using a B-27 silhouette target. I did notice that I never had one instance of fail to fire with light primer strikes like I did on my last outing. Amazing what gunk inside the slide in the area of the firing pin will do to reliability. This is the first time firing it since I did that thorough cleaning. I only fired my 115 grain round nose copper plated hand loaded target rounds. I did not shoot the (ghost gun) other pistol in the case, or the Ruger GP-161 I had loaded on my hip for the day.

 

RIFLE

Another member and his guest showed up to shoot. The member has a S & W M&P 15-22 he brought just to plink with, but his guest was looking to verify zero on a Winchester Model 70 in 7mm Remington Magnum. I put my shooting on pause because he asked for my assistance. As far as he knew, his rifle was zeroed and he was just going to verify zero and holds. Well, something was amiss, because he wasn't even on paper at 100 yards and he asked me to try it out. First off, that rifle has a much stiffer trigger than I was expecting or used to, but at 100 yards I was holding on the center and should have been at least on paper. Nope. Then he started fiddling with the scope and things did not improve. I recommended they stop trying until they can shoot against a large sheet of paper to see where it is really hitting. They agreed and packed it in. The guy said the ammo was $47.99 for a box of 20. YIKES!

I brought several rifles with me but only fired my sniper type rifle. Rather than try precision shooting, I decided to engage targets as though they needed to be quickly eliminated, which would be more real world. I started at 200 yards with the 5 remaining rounds of PPU commercial ammo in the box to give me some more fire formed brass. At 200 yards it would have definitely been a kill, but the group was large and to the right of center. That was to be expected, since the commercial ammo is loaded with .308" bullets and my barrel slugs out to .311" I put 3 rounds on paper and whacked the 200 yard 12" gong twice. Then I switched to my precision loaded ammo using .311" Sierra MatchKings. Much tighter group at 200 yards and in the center of the target. I then dialed the scope back to the 100 yard zero setting and put 3 rounds right in the center of the target at 100 yards. Dialed back up the needed two inches of elevation and easily plugged the 6" gong at 200 yards, which makes a distinctive sound when hit. Back down to the normal setting and 2 rounds dead center of the 12" 100 yard gong (I saw the paint removed where the bullet struck) and that was that. There was no need to burn up any more precious ammo. I am confident in my ability to eliminate long range targets. Right now my dope card for actual fired rounds only goes to 200 yards, and until I can shoot at longer ranges, I have the estimated required elevations.

I packed everything up and spent the rest of the afternoon at the clubhouse, hanging out with several of the other members.

SECOND AMENDMENT NEWS

In the wake of the tranny club shooting in Colorado and the Walmart in Virginia, the demented meat puppet at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. is ratcheting up his anti-gun rhetoric being pushed by his string pullers against all semi-automatic firearms, no longer just dreaded black rifles. HEY FUDDS & BUTTERS: think your favorite hunting firearm is safe from the gun-grabbing hoplophobes... HA!

Keep your powder dry and rope nearby.

Nice Addition

Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers.

 

So this arrived last night and got put into service this morning.

Proctor-Silex Model #31124 6 slice/12" pizza Toaster Oven

Our firehouse has a simple residential type kitchen, not the big fancy commercial kitchens like you see on TV shows or in movies. We have an electric range, a microwave, a side by side refrigerator, and a four slice bread toaster. No dishwasher either. We have other things like crock-pots and coffee makers, but nothing fancy. When the station was built, career staff manning the station was unheard of. Now several people are in the shift rotation, and everyone brings leftovers or cooks. There have been many times I wished we had a toaster oven for leftover pizza, chicken wings, Marie Calendar's pot pies, or appetizers like jalapeno poppers or pizza bites. Homemade cornbread or muffins sliced in half don't fit in a slice toaster. So I proposed getting one to the leadership. This came from the Proctor-Silex website direct and listed for $74.99. On the main page is a 20% off coupon good until December 5th and all orders over $50 are free shipping. With Kommiecticut's money grab off the sale (sales tax) made the total come to $63.80. I made the purchase and had it shipped to my house, and the department has agreed to reimburse me.

I chose this particular model for a reason. It is a newer version of the one I have on my kitchen counter that we ended up with after my wife's grandmother passed away in 2008. When we cleaned out her place we were using a small Back & Decker unit, so grandma's was put up in the attic. Being from the depression era, Grandma Gladys saved everything, so it was safely stored in the original box and packing. When the little Black & Decker unit died, we put the Proctor-Silex into service. It has been over 10 years and still works great.

The toaster oven got its inaugural use to warm up the Thanksgiving blueberry pie for dessert this afternoon. My wife cooked a Thanksgiving turkey dinner and brought it down to the firehouse with her handicapped brother from his group home. She's awesome... what a feast! One of our engines needed fuel, so I took her brother with me to get diesel up at public works across town. He thoroughly enjoyed it. I did run the lights, siren, and air horns on the ramp before we got on the road.

The Verdict Is In

In reference to the previous post, my new Stihl BR-800 C backpack blower was money well spent. After spending a little more then an hour cleaning my gutters for the final time of the season, I got started on clearing leaves. I began by finishing the driveway all the way to the bottom and blew them across the road into the woods. I then completely cleared the backyard, pushing everything down the hill in a big pile near the fire pit. I turned my attention to the dog yard and the chicken yard. The dog yard was completely cleared in little more than half an hour. I was also able to hit part of the front yard through the fence. In the chicken yard, I started by using the little Tanaka unit and clearing the roof of the coop and pen. I then used the Stihl to clear everything from around the base of the coop and pen. By spring every scrap of leaf will be gone because the scratching chickens grind them into dust. Down to the lower yard by the fire pit and around the barn. That Stihl machine took that three foot high pile of leaves and put it into the woods where I wanted it. I called it quits with another pile down there to finish as well as the front yard. We had the remnants of Hurricane Nicole coming, and since I was in the middle of refreshing my generator fuel supply. I did not want to get caught short, so off to do some errands and get gas. I have a couple more hours of yard work left at most. But, I accomplished in 4 1/2 hours what would have taken a couple of days, because the little Tanaka can't push those big piles, requiring me to drag the leaves on a tarp. Very labor intensive. 

Another pleasant surprise was the fuel consumption. I thought it would use much more than it did for the usage I gave it. I normally drain the fuel and store my leaf blower for the season. This year, the Stihl will remain fueled and ready to go with my snow blower for snow removal duty. Because of the gravel driveway, I need almost four inches for the snow blower to be effective. A couple of inches of powder will now be able to be removed easily.

Time For A Long Needed Upgrade

Once upon a time, when I lived in the more urban environment of Rockville and was young and fit, I thought leaf blowers were tools of the grumpy old man. I raked and picked up the ankle deep pine needles and leaves on my .2 acre city lot. It took over a week and multiple trips to the town leaf pile. Every night after work a couple of trips with barrels full in my pickup truck. It was such a relief when it was done and I could concentrate on getting ready for snow removal.

Then I got a leaf blower as a gift, a Craftsman hand held very similar to this one pictured below. It also worked as a yard vacuum and shredder. My backyard was completely fenced in still requiring me to pick them up in barrels, but in the front of the house the leaves were blown to the curb for the town vacuum trucks to come by and suck up. Picking them up with the vacuum in the backyard reduced the volume about 4:1 meaning less total trips to the leaf pile.

I had it for several years. Then in the middle of autumn cleanup in 2002 it just died. Running one minute and then quit like it was shut off and would never restart. Not even a little cough... as though the spark plug were unplugged. It always had a fresh oil and fuel mix, never old skunky gas. When I took it to a repair shop called Rockville Equipment, they refused to even look at it, telling me that the way those were built, they were basically not repairable. I purchased this replacement machine from them pictured below.

My 2002 vintage Tanaka Pro Force THB-2510 Blower/Vac

Twenty years of hard service and still running like a champ. It has a vacuum/shredder conversion and bagger kit as well. I keep all of my gas powered equipment so well maintained, that when I fuel them up for the season to use, they all start on the first pull. The problem I had was, as good as it is, I need more power. I was already toying with the idea of getting something more powerful. My little Tanaka moves the leaves OK, but doesn't move the CFM like a backpack blower and if the wind is against me, it takes repeated sweeps to get them where I need them to go. If they are wet or mashed down it is even more effort. My property is 3.5 acres mostly wooded, but the lawn area around the house and along the driveway is a total of about 1.5 acres. Then we had a leaf clearing work party at the sportsman's club this past Sunday. It was pretty breezy that day and while my blower did OK, I watched a line of 6 guys with assorted Stihl backpack blowers clear a 1+ acre area of lawn against the wind in like 10 minutes, then they were gone and moved to another leaf covered area. That did it, I started shopping and then saw the text from this ad on the Stihl website.

The BR800 comes in two flavors, the -X and the -C*E. The C*E allows staring while wearing. WINNER!

"Our biggest, baddest, and most powerful backpack blower" OK... THAT'S WHAT I WANT!! I called the first Stihl dealer that came up on the dealer locator, Cash True Value in Willimantic on Sunday afternoon. They didn't have any and they are on back order. The salesman said it could be as soon as a week, or four weeks or longer. He took my name and number and put the order in, not needing any payment until I took delivery. All the other dealers were closed until Monday, so first thing Monday morning I called the next one down on the list and told him what I was looking for. He said they were all sold out as were the smaller BR700's and he wasn't expecting any until next year, but he did have a BR600 in stock. I told him how I liked the ability of being able to restart the BR800-C*E while it was on my back. He tells me to stay away from that model because there are a lot of additional moving parts and potential for breakage. He then asks me if I could call back because he is with a customer. I told him I would. While I was on the phone, I got a voicemail from the first dealer. They received a BR800-C*E from another store. WOO HOO!! I called him right back and said I'd take it! I never called back the second dealer. A couple of points to consider; A) Is there really parts breakage and extra servicing required on the BR800-C? Is the side pull starting system really that fragile? Is it maybe caused by the extra heavy use and abuse by professional landscapers that are causing issues? I baby my equipment, so I am not really too worried. Plus the fact that Stihl quality is pretty much unmatched. The reviews are all mostly good, rating an overall 4.7. Or is it B) was he just trying to get me to buy what he had available in the store? I tend to think "B" based on the reviews I read.

I picked it up Tuesday night after work. I got out the door for $776 of which $39.99 was the one gallon can of Stihl brand Moto-Mix fuel. The standard warranty is two years, but by purchasing the can of fuel mix or a quantity of Stihl 2-stroke oil at the time of purchase, I doubled the warranty to four years. I got it home and set it in the garage because I had a meeting to attend at 7:30 PM. After I got home from my meeting, I cracked open the owners manual. Yes... I am one of those that actually reads these things. The first 11 pages are all the safety warnings. Some are stupid and common sense (think Darwin Award winners), but a couple were actually good to know. Open the fuel cap slowly so you don't get sprayed with gas. The fuel tank can become pressurized. They also say to NOT wear gloves while running the machine. A significant static charge can build up in the tube. There is a grounding system connecting your bare hand through the control handle that keeps the charge potential from building up. Wearing gloves will insulate you from that and you could then get whacked. Another warning was about letting the recoil starter snap back. They want you to hold onto it and retract it under control. That's probably how shit gets broken. Yet another warning is about taking frequent breaks. The constant vibration can cause temporary numbness or a more long term condition known as Raynaud's Syndrome.

Pretty and shiny. We test ran it at the store.

It has full backpack suspension, shoulders and hips

 

 

On the lower end models, the hip support is an add-on, but is included on the BR800's. Last night after I got home and took care of the animals, I threw on the driveway floodlights, filled the tank of the blower, and started it up to warm the machine for use. The side pull mechanism is easy to pull, and the machine started right up. Once it was warm and the choke was fully open, I shut it off to throw it on my back. The straps adjust very similar to the firefighting SCBA pack I wear. Once it was on it was comfortable and well balanced. I started it up and got busy.

Holy crap that thing moves serious air! I ended up clearing a small section of my front and back yards and most of both sides of the 300' driveway (I went are far as the lights reached) pushing the leaves far back into the woods. What took me less than 20 minutes to clear would have taken about 2 hours, especially since I pushed old wet decomposing leaves a good 10 feet farther back in the woods from where I used to stop. I will easily be able to clear my entire yard in a day, instead of 3.

So my plan is to spend my day off tomorrow tackling my fall outdoor cleanup. What I don't finish tomorrow will be completed Sunday since I have to work Saturday. I will start by cleaning the gutters one last time before the snow flies. The back of my house is two plus stories up, so I get up on the roof and walk the edge with the Tanaka to blast the leaves out like I always do. I don't want to take a chance with the Stihl on my back and lose my balance up that high. The Tanaka is light and easy to handle, and gets hauled up on a rope just like a vent saw in the fire service.

The other winter preps are bringing the snow blower up from the barn, properly storing the summer power equipment, and moving all the porch furniture down to the barn. Gonna be a busy coupla days for sure.

You Really Wanna Join?

At my November sportsman's club monthly meeting this was on the floor in front of the head table where the officers sit as members arrived. It is also right on the spot where new members stand for swearing in (yes, we actually swear an oath... to the club, preservation of land, game, and obeying conservation law).

Feelin' brave?

 

Now I know what you're thinking.... "Holy shit, a set bear trap? That's fucking dangerous!!" Well the guy who brought it in walked over and stepped right on the trigger plate, which sprung the latch and nothing more. You see, it was originally made for demonstration purposes and given to the club member. The "springs on either side are simple soft steel permanently bent to resemble being under tension. He brought it to the club to offer it up as a wall hanger which was graciously accepted.

A Couple of Items

I meant to post this sooner, but totally forgot until I came across the photos on my phone yesterday. Then I got interrupted while putting the post together late yesterday afternoon when an impatient moron ran a red light and caused smash-up derby to occur. Luckily no one was hurt. I then tried to finish the post last night from my home computer, but the computer was doing some kind of update and would not even let me log in. Arrrrgh!

First up, my new "No Trespassing" signage. I needed to put one up to keep politicians, Jehovah's Witnesses, sales people, gubmint looky-loos or tyrannical goons, and any run of the mill trespassers THE FUCK OFF MY PROPERTY. With the sign there, I can have trespassers charged by law enforcement if I catch them. It was in my eBay watch list for months, so I finally ordered it and received it about a week and a half ago. I then looked around for a suitable signpost, but was unable to purchase one locally. Instead, I repurposed a u-channel fence post I had in the barn and just had to drill the lower hole for the sign. The main difference is the lack of pre-drilled holes and upward facing hooks on the backside for hanging wire fence on. The sign is just into my driveway from the shared portion, and the post is in a spot where I won't have to mow, trim, or snow blow around.

 

 

I first saw such verbiage on a sign when Bill Cosby was on trial, and they showed video footage of the gate of his Massachusetts home on TV. I figured the wording would be more palatable to my wife, than the much more threatening version I would prefer. I wouldn't mind one of the "NO TRESPASSING! If You Can Read This, You Are In Range" versions that shows a person in crosshairs. Closer to the house, my Blink Outdoor camera takes over with full color HD video. I have the black and white night vision turned off, because my motion activated floodlights come on and provide much better quality video at night.

I also re-installed my game camera, facing the sign and the area just in front of the sign. That way I will capture anyone seeing the sign and backing out, as well as protect the sign. Protect the sign? Read on, my friend.

The cam on the pole. Pole numbers blotted out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the back side of my sign is a printed warning I added that the sign and area is under video surveillance. The game camera is in a heavy gauge steel camera lock box, attached to the utility pole with 3" long by 5/16" lag bolts. A small Master padlock holds the box assembly pin in place, and has a steel loop cable securing the entire thing to the pole. This is because my neighbor's asshole wife, Mrs. Bitchy McBitchy Bitchface (H/T to Mr. Garabaldi again for the name) has a reputation with me for damaging and removing my property, as well as the trespassing. I have so far been unable to actually catch her in the act or on video, but eventually I will. And I have a list of incidents. I would not put it past her to think my sign is directed only at her (*especially after the recent horse escape incident) and come down on the tractor to try and rip it out. Even smashing the camera won't help, because the video will already be on the chip. I will review video clips as necessary or once a month. I will prosecute her ass into oblivion if I can prove it.

Next up... I did this post a couple of days ago about a power failure and needing to utilize my home generator. I went to the local gas station to get fresh gas to refuel the generator on board tank. All of the following photos were of the same pump that I used.

Someone must have gotten a quantity of these Fuck Joe Biden "I Did That" decals and had themselves some fun. I looked around the station to see if all the pumps were so decorated, but mine seemed to be the only one. That demented moron and his current brain, "The Lyin' Lil Moptop" still blame petroleum issues on everyone and everything but the true source, occurring on January 20, 2021.

*Horse escape incident: On Friday May 27, 2022 I was off work and at home when my Blink Outdoor camera alerted me to motion in my driveway. Below is the video that got recorded before I switched to the live view. Since I refuse to pay Amazon for a subscription and save my videos on a local USB drive, live views don't get saved.

 

 

 

 

By the time the camera went on live view, all I saw was Mrs. Bitchface in my driveway. I immediately went out and confronted her. The horses were gone and she tells me she is trying to get her horses. I told her they're obviously not here, so get lost. It was only after I saw the recording to include the pile of fresh horseshit in the corner of my driveway that pissed me the fuck off. The horseshit was picked up and heaved onto her property. Anyone that even remotely has a clue about horses know that chasing them while screaming at them is not how you get them back. Watch the donkey in the video keep moving, and the horses look at her and think "Yeah? Fuck You BITCH!" and take off in the same  direction as the donkey... AWAY FROM HER. No... you grab a bucket of oats or their favorite treats and entice them back. You talk in a calm nice voice and praise them for coming back. None of them were wearing a bridle, so there was no ability to attach a lead. She has something in her right hand, but it doesn't look like anything substantial enough for controlling three animals. The area of my property where they took off to at the end of my video is a steep and rocky hill. She is lucky none of those animals were injured going down and back up the gully, or that they did not cause any property damage.

So how did they escape to begin with? This COTHO is a supposed horse enthusiast. I ratted her out to her husband a few days later and he informs me this was at least the fourth time it happened. He told me it's because she is lazy and leaves the gate open when going in and out of the paddock. I told him "SHE IS A FUCKING IDIOT!!"