I've heard a lot of people refer to it as the '(fill in your name) Syndrome': you see something interesting at the show, think "I need to get that/some of those later" or "That's really tempting, I'm gonna think about it", and when you come back it's gone. Or somebody bought ALL of them.
I did that today. Twice. Dammit, I may just start buying it when it looks interesting.
Yeah, I wish.
Saturday, March 25, 2006
Range report
Shotgun and handloads
After spending time with some family at the gun show earlier today, I decided to hit the range and try some things out. The shotgun to see if I wanted to go back tomorrow and get some more of a particular ammo; the handloads just to see how they worked.
On shotgun, I had three buckshot loads to test:
Sellier & Bellot 00 buck, 12 pellets, Hornady TAP FPD(For Personal Defense), 9 pellets(I think; the box doesn't say and I didn't think to count holes) and Remington Express #4, 27 pellets.
What made me decide this particular test was a post over at the Box '0 Truth on the comparative spread of different loads from the same gun. I'd been keeping the Benelli stuffed with the Remington #4, but had not actually compared it to others. Sighted in, yes; made sure it fed through properly, yes; tested against others, no. So, to the noisemaking.
The range required ten yards minimum range on the shotgun, and their standard rule is 2 seconds between shots. They'll usually not be worried by controlled pairs, but I kept it at 2 when I did my repeat-shots test. So a silhouette was run out to ten- which is about the longest range you can have in my house, front to back- and I fired the TAP first, S&B second, Rem. third. And yeah, real difference. The Hornady loads consistenly put all pellets into a group about 3-4" across, with the wad hitting a few inches away and low. The S&B spread its 12 pellets across an area about 12-14" across. The Remington groups were a little tighter than the S&B but not much.
I like the idea of the #4 load throwing all those pellets, but until I find a load that'll group like the Hornady 00, I'll use the Hornady from now on. The box doesn't say 'reduced recoil', but it felt a bit lighter to me than the others, it shot to point of aim and grouped tighter. And it came back to aim quickly when I fired the last three rapid. Lesson learned? BIG difference in how different brands/types perform out of a given shotgun; actually try different loads in yours to see which would serve you best.
As to the handloads; usually I use a 230-grain cast bullet, but I'd wanted to try a lighter, and finally, after seeing a couple of posts on The High Road, got a Lee mold throwing a 200-grain round-nose flat-point bullet. It's listed for both .45acp and .45 Colt, and has a single lube groove and a crimp groove for .45 Colt use. I cast a bunch, and prepared them the same way I did the 230-grain; sized .450 and lubed with Rooster Red. Rooster because it's a hard, high-temp lube(you have to have a heated size/lube press; I got a heater for Dad's and use it); the bullets are not sticky, and I get less leading than with any of the soft lubes I've tried. I used the crimp groove as another lube groove, and seated the bullets so the case mouth just covered that groove. I started off with the same powder & charge(DISCLAIMER! This load works well in my guns; it may not in yours) of 3.9 grains of Hodgeden Clays.
Results? Good: noticeably lighter recoil, accurate, no feeding problems. Bad: a few stovepipe jams. I'm going to have to up the powder charge a bit.
I think the new bullet will work out quite nicely. And I will try to get by the show tomorrow and get some more of the Hornady buckshot.
Additional:
Thinking about it, depending on your needs/desires, you could find two 'best' rounds for your scattergun: the one with the tightest pattern, and the one with the loosest. Sometimes having a load that spreads fast could be a good thing, though it would cut your effective range considerably.
After spending time with some family at the gun show earlier today, I decided to hit the range and try some things out. The shotgun to see if I wanted to go back tomorrow and get some more of a particular ammo; the handloads just to see how they worked.
On shotgun, I had three buckshot loads to test:
Sellier & Bellot 00 buck, 12 pellets, Hornady TAP FPD(For Personal Defense), 9 pellets(I think; the box doesn't say and I didn't think to count holes) and Remington Express #4, 27 pellets.
What made me decide this particular test was a post over at the Box '0 Truth on the comparative spread of different loads from the same gun. I'd been keeping the Benelli stuffed with the Remington #4, but had not actually compared it to others. Sighted in, yes; made sure it fed through properly, yes; tested against others, no. So, to the noisemaking.
The range required ten yards minimum range on the shotgun, and their standard rule is 2 seconds between shots. They'll usually not be worried by controlled pairs, but I kept it at 2 when I did my repeat-shots test. So a silhouette was run out to ten- which is about the longest range you can have in my house, front to back- and I fired the TAP first, S&B second, Rem. third. And yeah, real difference. The Hornady loads consistenly put all pellets into a group about 3-4" across, with the wad hitting a few inches away and low. The S&B spread its 12 pellets across an area about 12-14" across. The Remington groups were a little tighter than the S&B but not much.
I like the idea of the #4 load throwing all those pellets, but until I find a load that'll group like the Hornady 00, I'll use the Hornady from now on. The box doesn't say 'reduced recoil', but it felt a bit lighter to me than the others, it shot to point of aim and grouped tighter. And it came back to aim quickly when I fired the last three rapid. Lesson learned? BIG difference in how different brands/types perform out of a given shotgun; actually try different loads in yours to see which would serve you best.
As to the handloads; usually I use a 230-grain cast bullet, but I'd wanted to try a lighter, and finally, after seeing a couple of posts on The High Road, got a Lee mold throwing a 200-grain round-nose flat-point bullet. It's listed for both .45acp and .45 Colt, and has a single lube groove and a crimp groove for .45 Colt use. I cast a bunch, and prepared them the same way I did the 230-grain; sized .450 and lubed with Rooster Red. Rooster because it's a hard, high-temp lube(you have to have a heated size/lube press; I got a heater for Dad's and use it); the bullets are not sticky, and I get less leading than with any of the soft lubes I've tried. I used the crimp groove as another lube groove, and seated the bullets so the case mouth just covered that groove. I started off with the same powder & charge(DISCLAIMER! This load works well in my guns; it may not in yours) of 3.9 grains of Hodgeden Clays.
Results? Good: noticeably lighter recoil, accurate, no feeding problems. Bad: a few stovepipe jams. I'm going to have to up the powder charge a bit.
I think the new bullet will work out quite nicely. And I will try to get by the show tomorrow and get some more of the Hornady buckshot.
Additional:
Thinking about it, depending on your needs/desires, you could find two 'best' rounds for your scattergun: the one with the tightest pattern, and the one with the loosest. Sometimes having a load that spreads fast could be a good thing, though it would cut your effective range considerably.
The 52nd Carnival is UP!
Friday, March 24, 2006
The sharp knife
Og's post on the subject reminded me of this.
A few years back a friend lived not far away, and he loved to cook. But he only had some cheap-ass stainless kitchen knives.
So for his birthday, took a piece of coil spring, straightened it out, and forged it into a chef's knife with a 9" blade. Used epoxy and pins to put some walnut scales on for the grip, and gave it to him.
Man, he loved it! About a month later went over to visit and he said "Look at this!" and held out his left hand. No obvious scars, cuts, etc. He saw I didn't see it and said "Look at the fingernails". Sure enough, the nails on his first three fingers were cut back to the quick. Seems he'd had a party a few nights before and decided to make a big pot of jambalaya. When chopping veggies he'd always used the nails of his left hand to control the spacing as he sliced. He'd just dumped the stuff into the pot when he noticed his nails were gone.
No, nobody commented on crunchy bits in the dinner.
Now he's down in Texas married to a very nice lady. Who informed me that if there's ever a divorce, she gets the knife.
A few years back a friend lived not far away, and he loved to cook. But he only had some cheap-ass stainless kitchen knives.
So for his birthday, took a piece of coil spring, straightened it out, and forged it into a chef's knife with a 9" blade. Used epoxy and pins to put some walnut scales on for the grip, and gave it to him.
Man, he loved it! About a month later went over to visit and he said "Look at this!" and held out his left hand. No obvious scars, cuts, etc. He saw I didn't see it and said "Look at the fingernails". Sure enough, the nails on his first three fingers were cut back to the quick. Seems he'd had a party a few nights before and decided to make a big pot of jambalaya. When chopping veggies he'd always used the nails of his left hand to control the spacing as he sliced. He'd just dumped the stuff into the pot when he noticed his nails were gone.
No, nobody commented on crunchy bits in the dinner.
Now he's down in Texas married to a very nice lady. Who informed me that if there's ever a divorce, she gets the knife.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Texas hospitality
Dallas Air Traffic Control: "Tower to Saudi Air 911--You are cleared to land eastbound on runway 9R."
Saudi Air: "Thank you Dallas ATC. Acknowledge cleared to land on runway 9R. Allah be Praised!"
Dallas ATC: "Tower to Egypt Air 711--You are cleared to land westbound on runway 9R."
Egypt Air: "Thank you Dallas ATC. We are cleared to land on runway 9R. Allah is Great."
Pause: Static..............
Saudi Air: "DALLAS ATC! DALLAS ATC!!!"
Dallas ATC: "Go ahead Saudi Air 911?"
Saudi Air: "YOU HAVE CLEARED BOTH OUR AIRCRAFT FOR THE SAME RUNWAY!!! WE
ARE ON A COLLISION COURSE!!! INSTRUCTIONS PLEASE!!!
Dallas ATC: Well, praise be to God!. Y'all be careful now --- ya hear?"
Saudi Air: "Thank you Dallas ATC. Acknowledge cleared to land on runway 9R. Allah be Praised!"
Dallas ATC: "Tower to Egypt Air 711--You are cleared to land westbound on runway 9R."
Egypt Air: "Thank you Dallas ATC. We are cleared to land on runway 9R. Allah is Great."
Pause: Static..............
Saudi Air: "DALLAS ATC! DALLAS ATC!!!"
Dallas ATC: "Go ahead Saudi Air 911?"
Saudi Air: "YOU HAVE CLEARED BOTH OUR AIRCRAFT FOR THE SAME RUNWAY!!! WE
ARE ON A COLLISION COURSE!!! INSTRUCTIONS PLEASE!!!
Dallas ATC: Well, praise be to God!. Y'all be careful now --- ya hear?"
Things about my home state
Things I Have Learned About Oklahoma!
Armadillos sleep in the middle of the road with
their feet in the air.
There are 5,000 types of snakes and 4,998 live in Oklahoma.
There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 live in
Oklahoma, plus a couple no one's seen before.
Possums will eat anything.
Armadillos love to dig holes under tomato plants.
Raccoons will test your crop of melons and let you know
when they are ripe.
If it grows, it sticks; if it crawls, it bites.
A tractor is NOT an all-terrain vehicle. They do get stuck.
Onced and Twiced are words.
It is not a shopping cart, it is a buggy.
Fire ants consider your flesh as a picnic.
Coldbeer is one word.
People actually grow and eat okra.
Fixinto is one word.
A tank is a dirt hole in the ground that holds water for
irrigation, watterin' the cows, swimming.
There ain't no such thing as "lunch". There's only dinner
and then there's supper.
Tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it
when you're 2.
Backards and forwards means I know everything about you.
Jeet? is actually a phrase meaning "Did you eat?"
You don't have to wear a watch because it doesn't matter
what time it is. You work until you're done or it's too dark to see.
Darn near everyone knows 5 or more cloud types (guess
they got to be look'n out for them there ternayders-
translation: tornados)
More Oklahomanisms:
You know you're from Oklahoma if:
1. You measure distance in minutes.
2. You've ever had to switch from "heat" to "A/C"
in the same day.
3. Stores don't have bags; they have sacks.
4. You see a car running in the parking lot at the store with
no one in it, no matter what time of the year.
5. You use "fix" as a verb. Example: I am fixing to go
to the store.
6. All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit,
vegetable, grain, insect or animal.
7. You install security lights on your house and garage an leave both unlocked.
8. You carry jumper cables in your car ... for your OWN car.
9. You know what "cow tipping" is.
10. You only own six spices: salt, pepper, ketchup,
Tabasco and jalapeno.
11. The local papers covers national and international news on
one page but requires 6 pages for local gossip and sports.
12. You think that the first day of deer season is a national holiday.
13. You find 100 degrees F "a little warm."
14. You know all four seasons: Almost summer, summer,
still summer, and Christmas.
15. You know whether another Oklahoman is from east, west,
north or south Oklahoma as soon as they open their mouth.
16. There is a Braums in every town with a population of
1,000 or more.
17. Going to Wal-Mart is a favorite past-time known as
"off to "Wally World."
18. You describe the first cool snap (below 70 degrees) as
good chili weather.
19. A carbonated soft drink isn't a soda, cola, or pop ... it's
a Coke, regardless of brand or flavor. Example "What kinna
coke you want?"
20. You understand these jokes
Armadillos sleep in the middle of the road with
their feet in the air.
There are 5,000 types of snakes and 4,998 live in Oklahoma.
There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 live in
Oklahoma, plus a couple no one's seen before.
Possums will eat anything.
Armadillos love to dig holes under tomato plants.
Raccoons will test your crop of melons and let you know
when they are ripe.
If it grows, it sticks; if it crawls, it bites.
A tractor is NOT an all-terrain vehicle. They do get stuck.
Onced and Twiced are words.
It is not a shopping cart, it is a buggy.
Fire ants consider your flesh as a picnic.
Coldbeer is one word.
People actually grow and eat okra.
Fixinto is one word.
A tank is a dirt hole in the ground that holds water for
irrigation, watterin' the cows, swimming.
There ain't no such thing as "lunch". There's only dinner
and then there's supper.
Tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it
when you're 2.
Backards and forwards means I know everything about you.
Jeet? is actually a phrase meaning "Did you eat?"
You don't have to wear a watch because it doesn't matter
what time it is. You work until you're done or it's too dark to see.
Darn near everyone knows 5 or more cloud types (guess
they got to be look'n out for them there ternayders-
translation: tornados)
More Oklahomanisms:
You know you're from Oklahoma if:
1. You measure distance in minutes.
2. You've ever had to switch from "heat" to "A/C"
in the same day.
3. Stores don't have bags; they have sacks.
4. You see a car running in the parking lot at the store with
no one in it, no matter what time of the year.
5. You use "fix" as a verb. Example: I am fixing to go
to the store.
6. All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit,
vegetable, grain, insect or animal.
7. You install security lights on your house and garage an leave both unlocked.
8. You carry jumper cables in your car ... for your OWN car.
9. You know what "cow tipping" is.
10. You only own six spices: salt, pepper, ketchup,
Tabasco and jalapeno.
11. The local papers covers national and international news on
one page but requires 6 pages for local gossip and sports.
12. You think that the first day of deer season is a national holiday.
13. You find 100 degrees F "a little warm."
14. You know all four seasons: Almost summer, summer,
still summer, and Christmas.
15. You know whether another Oklahoman is from east, west,
north or south Oklahoma as soon as they open their mouth.
16. There is a Braums in every town with a population of
1,000 or more.
17. Going to Wal-Mart is a favorite past-time known as
"off to "Wally World."
18. You describe the first cool snap (below 70 degrees) as
good chili weather.
19. A carbonated soft drink isn't a soda, cola, or pop ... it's
a Coke, regardless of brand or flavor. Example "What kinna
coke you want?"
20. You understand these jokes
WASR-10 question
Friend wants to remove the slant muzzle brake, he's been told it's a left-hand thread. True or false?
Did you ever,
in a hurry, put something in a safe place?
And now you have no bloody idea where that was?
I hate this crap.
And now you have no bloody idea where that was?
I hate this crap.
I knew CNN was bad, but DAMN!
It's enough to mess up your digestion
I mentioned Asshat Jr. Sheen the other day. Well, I had dinner out tonight(needed a BBQ fix), and they had CNN on. And they interviewed the radio host that Sheen said this crap to.
Language alert
Shit, it was enough to ruin dinner. This asshole was speaking of the 'courage' it took for Sheen to say this, and how there was 'never a REAL investigation' into the 9/11 attacks, and so on. And the talking CNN head was talking about how wonderful it was that someone brought this up so it could be debated...
Someone please tell me just how it demonstrates courage for an actor to say crap like this in Hollywood? And just how does this need to be 'brought up and debated' when shitheads like these and Mikey Moore and co. have been saying it since the damn attacks happened? And, to top it off, this jackass radio host spoke of how people tell him how wonderful it is that he's brave enough to talk about this...
And, just to top it off, of the e-mails CNN idiot goes over, about 69% agreed that there was a 'conspiracy' that involved the U.S. Government to knock the towers down, etc.
It has GOT to be something in the air and/or water out there, I swear.
I mentioned Asshat Jr. Sheen the other day. Well, I had dinner out tonight(needed a BBQ fix), and they had CNN on. And they interviewed the radio host that Sheen said this crap to.
Language alert
Shit, it was enough to ruin dinner. This asshole was speaking of the 'courage' it took for Sheen to say this, and how there was 'never a REAL investigation' into the 9/11 attacks, and so on. And the talking CNN head was talking about how wonderful it was that someone brought this up so it could be debated...
Someone please tell me just how it demonstrates courage for an actor to say crap like this in Hollywood? And just how does this need to be 'brought up and debated' when shitheads like these and Mikey Moore and co. have been saying it since the damn attacks happened? And, to top it off, this jackass radio host spoke of how people tell him how wonderful it is that he's brave enough to talk about this...
And, just to top it off, of the e-mails CNN idiot goes over, about 69% agreed that there was a 'conspiracy' that involved the U.S. Government to knock the towers down, etc.
It has GOT to be something in the air and/or water out there, I swear.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Ok, I knew Charlie Sheen was an idiot,
and now this?!?
Let's see, successful actor who could get laid pretty much anytime he wanted, but was always paying hookers. Who screwed himself up on drugs. More than once. Married, and his pregnant wife comes home to find him in bed with another hooker. And he also turns out to be- or turns into- a 9/11 conspiracy nut.
I do just love this line from the article: "Actor Charlie Sheen has joined a growing army of other highly credible public figures in questioning the official story of 9/11 and calling for a new independent investigation of the attack and the circumstances surrounding it." Don't you just LOVE that? What in the hell makes this clown a 'highly credible' figure, public or otherwise?
Or maybe the journalists were using some of Charlie's stuff before they wrote this.
Let's see, successful actor who could get laid pretty much anytime he wanted, but was always paying hookers. Who screwed himself up on drugs. More than once. Married, and his pregnant wife comes home to find him in bed with another hooker. And he also turns out to be- or turns into- a 9/11 conspiracy nut.
I do just love this line from the article: "Actor Charlie Sheen has joined a growing army of other highly credible public figures in questioning the official story of 9/11 and calling for a new independent investigation of the attack and the circumstances surrounding it." Don't you just LOVE that? What in the hell makes this clown a 'highly credible' figure, public or otherwise?
Or maybe the journalists were using some of Charlie's stuff before they wrote this.
And also at the Big Mouth
The Ode to Rachel Corrie. Go. Enjoy.
Yeah, I could have appended this to the K9 story, but I thought it deserved a post of its own.
Yeah, I could have appended this to the K9 story, but I thought it deserved a post of its own.
The dog's part of the team, Sergeant!
Over at Big Mouth, found this on a canine team over in the sandbox.
"I tried to run into the building, but another sergeant grabbed me and said ‘no’. I told him my dog was inside, and I had to go,” McCleskey said. The building, about 55 yards away, was a converted warehouse.
"He reported the injury to the 101st Provost Marshall’s Office, and within an hour, Katja’s veterinarian was on the phone telling him to be ready to leave in 30 minutes. McCleskey said he was not injured.
"I tried to run into the building, but another sergeant grabbed me and said ‘no’. I told him my dog was inside, and I had to go,” McCleskey said. The building, about 55 yards away, was a converted warehouse.
McCleskey’s first sergeant, U. S. Army 1st Sgt. Sean Bailey, stepped in, saying “You have to let him try.” The first sergeant grabbed a fire extinguisher, McCleskey handed his M-4 rifle to another military member and a life-saving mission began."
The U.S. military has a long history with dogs, for everything from guard duty to search to couriers."He reported the injury to the 101st Provost Marshall’s Office, and within an hour, Katja’s veterinarian was on the phone telling him to be ready to leave in 30 minutes. McCleskey said he was not injured.
“He (the vet) told me he was nine-lining us out of the area. Nine- lining means that a soldier is hurt, and we become the priority for the air. Military working dogs are viewed as soldiers, so if they get hurt, then we do everything in our power to get them out of action and to medical assistance fast.”
Critter earned it. And is still doing the job. Definately worth reading. As a side issue, from what I've read Mohammed hated dogs.
Which is one more reason to say he sucked rocks.Monday, March 20, 2006
I'm back
As if you missed me
Went down to visit my parents this weekend. They just celebrated their 50th anniversary. A wonderful thing to note, although it makes me feel like a piker for not succeeding in marriage.
In any case, used Dad's sizer/luber to get 300 .45 bullets ready for loading. Good weather for it; chilly outside, warmer in the barn, and a nice rain falling. Very nice rain, I should say. Their area got 1.75" as of the time I left yesterday, and my guage said about the same in OKC. That's the most rain the area has had since September or October, I forget which. Now, to crown things off, it'll hit 28 or 30 for the low tonight with a chance of snow. Only thing I planted last week(while it was warm) was a rose bush, and I can just put a bucket over it tonight.
One reason I hadn't lit the forge in a long time was that the entire state was under an outdoor burn ban; wildfires everywhere, lots of property damage and some injuries. Even if there hadn't been a ban, it was so dry I don't think I'd have risked it; a coal forge doesn't throw a lot of embers or sparks, but I wouldn't have wanted to take the chance.
Last week had a chance to meet a friend at the range for the first time in months. Didn't accomplish a lot, but did try out some handloads in .30-30. I'd never used IMR4064 powder for this cartridge before, and it seems to work pretty well. I'm going to load some more tonight for more thorough testing next time.
One reason for getting friend out to the range was for stress relief. His wife had a baby about a month ago, all that went just fine as I mentioned before, healthy 8lb. girl. Then wife developed an infection in the incision(caesarean section). Antibiotics didn't do the job, and she wound up back in the hospital for surgery to clean it out and major-level antibiotics. It came out during this that the culture showed five different bacteria in the infection, and- according to the doctor- only way it could have happened was in the OR, which means the room and/or some of the equipment wasn't properly cleaned and prepped, which really went over well as you can imagine.
So infection under control, but she can't nurse the baby because of the medications. And then, a few days after went home, had a reaction to one of/the combination of meds, and got hives and swelled up and wound up in the emergency room for a day.
So by the time all this was settled a bit and things on a more even keel, getting hubby out to the range for a while seemed like a good thing to do.
Well, I've got powder to measure and bullets to seat.
Went down to visit my parents this weekend. They just celebrated their 50th anniversary. A wonderful thing to note, although it makes me feel like a piker for not succeeding in marriage.
In any case, used Dad's sizer/luber to get 300 .45 bullets ready for loading. Good weather for it; chilly outside, warmer in the barn, and a nice rain falling. Very nice rain, I should say. Their area got 1.75" as of the time I left yesterday, and my guage said about the same in OKC. That's the most rain the area has had since September or October, I forget which. Now, to crown things off, it'll hit 28 or 30 for the low tonight with a chance of snow. Only thing I planted last week(while it was warm) was a rose bush, and I can just put a bucket over it tonight.
One reason I hadn't lit the forge in a long time was that the entire state was under an outdoor burn ban; wildfires everywhere, lots of property damage and some injuries. Even if there hadn't been a ban, it was so dry I don't think I'd have risked it; a coal forge doesn't throw a lot of embers or sparks, but I wouldn't have wanted to take the chance.
Last week had a chance to meet a friend at the range for the first time in months. Didn't accomplish a lot, but did try out some handloads in .30-30. I'd never used IMR4064 powder for this cartridge before, and it seems to work pretty well. I'm going to load some more tonight for more thorough testing next time.
One reason for getting friend out to the range was for stress relief. His wife had a baby about a month ago, all that went just fine as I mentioned before, healthy 8lb. girl. Then wife developed an infection in the incision(caesarean section). Antibiotics didn't do the job, and she wound up back in the hospital for surgery to clean it out and major-level antibiotics. It came out during this that the culture showed five different bacteria in the infection, and- according to the doctor- only way it could have happened was in the OR, which means the room and/or some of the equipment wasn't properly cleaned and prepped, which really went over well as you can imagine.
So infection under control, but she can't nurse the baby because of the medications. And then, a few days after went home, had a reaction to one of/the combination of meds, and got hives and swelled up and wound up in the emergency room for a day.
So by the time all this was settled a bit and things on a more even keel, getting hubby out to the range for a while seemed like a good thing to do.
Well, I've got powder to measure and bullets to seat.
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