jpx2rk

I married a twin, so need I say anymore??? We have lived in this house for over 19 yrs, and the wife still doesn't know where North is either. She just followed me outside and started looking up at the sky based on how I was facing. LOL

SIL asked me what direction she needed to look in to see them, and I just shook my head. Told her to use the compass on her iphone to figure it out. She didn't know there was a compass app on the phone either.

Last night we were outside around 11pm, and didn't see much except for some unusual colors of the night time sky. Wife started using the iphone and we figured out what our naked eyes couldn't see. Knoxville TV stations stated the 11PM to 1AM time slot was prime time for the area, but could change daily due to various conditions.

We live rural, but still some light pollution. Wife and I were able to see them with the naked eye while standing in our backyard. The colors were very muted to the naked eye (pale pink and grayish color), but using the "smart phone", the colors were a lot more vibrant, brighter, etc.

Pics of targets may help convince someone.

I saw some news clips of the damage done in the Columbia/Spring Hill area, looked bad for those folks but don't know how many homes, etc., were damaged. Hopefully not too many,

Car Max is another place similar to Carvana, all have a website, so surf the web until you find what you're looking for, then go to the dealer lot to kick the tires. LOL

I had a 2000 RK, did the big bore kit on it (cam, pistons, exhaust & tuner), and it was a hoss in terms of low end grunt/torque. I never had a problem with the engine or the bike, but you were almost required to do some mods to the engine as the factory detuned all the power out to meet EPA crap. GLW the search.

I've read that those particular Boyd stocks are prone to breaking in that spot due to the large thumbhole. I have several laminate stocks, but no thumbhole models. I have a couple Boyd's laminates, a Praire Varmint and an AT-1. No issues, and they have been to the range numerous times, and cross country varmint trips in the back of a truck bed.

NOBODY likes a showoff. Congrats.

Hope you have a speedy recovery, and all is well at the end. I'm 68, and yesterday I was messing around with the boat and the safety chains since I've got a new TV, just part of it. I spent about 15-20 minutes on my knees adjusting the length of the chains so they would not drag on the road. Last night my thighs felt like I had just hiked up a rocky mountain. LOL. Goes to show me how out of shape I am.

Agreed, one can just throw back the ones you don't won't to keep, they won't cause problems at home by calling you or showing up at the wrong time to create an embarrassing, possibly very expensive situation either. They don't complain and harass you whether you keep them or throw them back, and are just as "fickle" as a female hooman. LOL

Sorry to hear the news, but best wishes for a full recovery.

I was at the range a couple weeks ago, and a range buddy showed me his new Garmin, they are small, (think a pack of smokes small) and he was going to test/compare the new Garmin, a magneto speed and a older type chrony that he has relied on for years. He set up all 3, and did his testing. I asked him how they compared and he said that all 3 were within a couple FPS of each other and he was tickled with it. I asked for a demo as my Magneto speed sporter was wanting to act up that day (cold, and probably needed a new battery). He pulled the Garmin out of his coat pocket (remember I said it was small), turned it on, and set it on the bench I was using. I fired 5 shots, it picked up all 5 shots, no fuss, no muss. There was another shooter on the next bench to my left with a Labradar, and was shooting as well when I was shooting the 5 shots, his LR picked up one of my shots when the MV was about 500 fps faster than his shots. The Garmin did not pick up any of his shots as my "session" had only 5 shots. I ordered one and have received mine, they are pricey for sure but it is so simple to set up, and you can use it anytime unlike the Magneto Speed. Testing for group size/accuracy and the MS just don't jive very well since the MS is attached to the barrel in most cases. I've used my Garmin 2 different times, and I just start a new session for each different powder charge when doing load development. Takes 5 seconds to push the right button to end the current session, and start a new one. It takes me longer to find my readers so I can see which buttons to push (it's small). I have to be careful and remember to put the Garmin in my coat pocket when going down range as it's that small, and would be easy for someone to permanently borrow from you by hiding it in their coat pocket or range bag.

I have 2 RF cans, a Ruger branded one and a Silencerco Spectre, no issues with either of them. I got the Spectre RF as a BOGO when I bought the Harvester 30, which covers everything from 20 cal up to 6BR. I just have all of my barrels threaded the same (5/8-24) and move it around as needed.

The F150's with the Ecoboost 3.5TT engine has a couple design defects (various forum speculation) with the cam phasers, they will make a soft clicking/knocking noise similar to lifters on a cold start. Sound goes away within 30 seconds, but it only gets worse with time and louder, and the engine has so many safety checks, the engine can go into limp mode when you least need/expect it. The 10 speed is the adaptive electronic version, so computer controlled, and subject to brain farts, rough shifts, abrupt downshifts, and just crapping the bed at times. Mine had almost 63K on the clock, and the engine was just starting to make the noises associated with cam phasers. The tranny was ok, but it would act up at times, especially when I would go from interstate speeds down to city driving, and it would shift abruptly/harsh. The electronic controlled tranny would need a tear down to replace defective parts with the improved defective parts. FMC has NOT come up with a solid fix for either of these issues. Both repairs are expensive, and parts are still hard to come by, so I could have been without a vehicle for 30 days or more while in the shop. I had an extended warranty that would have covered these repairs at zero $$ out of pocket for me, but I can't/didn't want to deal with those issues, so I got a good trade in value for the F150 and moved on. I also got a 75% refund on the ext'd warranty because I had not used it at all. The GX460 has an excellent rating for reliability, AND the sticker on the GX was lower than a new 2023 F150 XLT FX4 that was very similar to the one I had. The new 2023 F150's have the same issues with the 3.5 TT engines, so I saw no reason to get another F150. Even the optional 2.7 EB and the 5.0 V8 engines have issues as do the new 10 sp trannys. The GX has several features that the new F150 would not, like LED headlights, auto-dimming headlights, rear heated seats, front parking sensors, etc., which are all standard on the GX but not on the F150 unless you go with the Lariat or higher optioned vehicles, and even higher sticker prices. I prefer to think I got rid of a couple potential problems while upgrading and downsizing vehicles. I can still tow my boat safely, the GX is easier to park at the grocery store, rides/handles better, basically the same MPG, fits in the garage much easier, insurance went up $200/yr and it's easier to get in/out of for this old fart. I also got 2.5% financing under their promotion, and debate whether to pay it off, or let it ride. I'm making more than 2.5%, so it depends on whether I get tired of watching/monitoring the ACH payments process every month.

2023 GX460, traded in the '18 F150 FX4 before I started having issues with the F150. Still needed something to tow the boat with, and '23 was the last year for the reportedly bulletproof GX 460 with V8. I'm retired as well, so it sits out in the garage a lot. Not much difference in MPG's between the two, just the amount of "junk" I can carry at anyone time.

LEE dies use the mandrel style pin, and the nut on the top of the die needs to be really tight to prevent the decap/sizing mandrel from being pushed back up when the ram is raised. I've read numerous threads to NOT follow the directions included with LEE dies, specifically to not turn the die that additional 1/8 to 1/4 turn after the die touches the shell holder at the top of the ram stroke. I've followed the LEE directions, and you will oversize/overwork the brass, and usually have to back the die out some to get the proper sizing acheived. Raise the ram, screw the die in until it touches the shell holder, snug the lock ring, lube a case and run it thru the die. Use the Hornady Headspace comparator tool(s) on the unsized case, and then after running it thru the die. Adjust the die in or out as needed. Use a different piece of brass if you oversize a piece (headspace is below your target measurement).

I still use a LEE single stage, it keeps the process easier for me to keep up with what is going on, I just do everything in batches like mentioned above. I only reload for rifle, no pistol. I use 50 rd loading blocks, and when doing load development, I space the empty brass out in the loading blocks for the different powder charges I'll be weighing out on the beam scale (I have a list with the various powder charges written down and check them off as I weigh/fill the cases), then I seat the bullets. After I find the load I'm satisfied with, I use a RCBS LITE to measure out the powder charges but still check every nth charge on the beam scales to monitor the accuracy of the LITE when I'm loading up several hundred rounds for a varmint shoot out west. I use a small flashlight to look in each case before I seat the bullet to ensure there is powder there. I've only had one squib since I started re-loading, hope I just didn't signify on myself. I prime the cases on the press as ol artie causes too much discomfort to hand prime anymore, and doing it on the press is a bit slower, but much easier on the hands. I'm retired/retarded, so I've got the time, I put the empty cases into a reloading block neck down until the primer is inserted, then it's turned neck up to tell me it's ready for the powder charge. I have missed priming a case or two, and it does make a mess when the powder starts coming out of the primer hole, so I usually do a double check to ensure I've primed all the cases. LOL

I have my amber alerts off as well. Wife has her phone set for all of those, so she'll know when I didn't listen to her when she told me where to go. Sad to hear about the police officers, god speed with the families.

I use a Celestron tripod for my Athlon 20-60 spotting scope at the bench. I don't shoot prone so the one I use would probably not work/go that low. Mine is stable on a concrete surface at my gun range, it's stable enough to use, and wind gusts have not blown it over, etc., but I am careful with anyways.

Bench seats in your parents car that you borrowed on Friday/Saturday nights for that hot date (no tats or muffin tops).

You guys keep mentioning broccoli, I'm starting to get turned off on the idea of getting one.

What size is good for just 2 people in the house? Toaster oven size or a little bit bigger??

I make up a folder with the targets I shoot when doing load development. I try to write down all the pertinent info about the load, such as brass make, primer, powder, bullet, the OAL, FL or NS brass, to document what the test loads do/perform on the target itself. This also helps me to keep from testing a combo 2x or more when that combo didn't meet expectations, etc. I may have several different folders for each gun depending on what I'm after. Sometimes just a powder change does not warrant a separate folder, unless I keep changing up some things to see if the load improves or not.