Darrell

Here in metropolitan Hebbertsburg we got just a dusting of new snow. Maybe 1/4 inch. I used to LOVE to take my KDX-220 out on the trails in the snow. I'd ride it until I could no longer operate the controls. It's SO easy to hang the back end way, way out without much fear of crashing. Erik, you inspired me, I think I'll break out my trials bike and play for a little while.

PM inbound

I suppose that everyone has to make their own judgement about this kind of thing, but I don't want to see a world (San Francisco for example) where it's okay to steal. I see it as being less about the stolen merchandise than it is about a civil society. If a store decides to just let people walk out with whatever they can carry, the cost is transferred to the rest of us, even if it is a tax write-off. I think we've all seen videos of gangs of organized thieves going into a store and taking everything they can carry. I don't want our country to be like that. And while I agree 100% that it's tragic that the RK employee was killed, I admire him for having the courage and conviction to do his part to slow the downward slide we find ourselves in.

Wow, that's amazing. At the last place I lived, very liberal Washington, I was known in my neighborhood as being "very comfortably armed", and was the guy that was called when people were in the kind of situation you described. It didn't happen very often, but more often than one might think.

There are those who might advocate for releasing him without cash bail.

The man-door to my barn was frozen shut this morning. I had pour a bucket of hot water around the frame to get it to open, and of course that water froze in 15 minutes. But I unlatched the roll-up door so I can get back in tomorrow morning. I think I'm going to stop complaining about 34 degree mornings.

Many years ago I did a polymer lower and there's no way I could have accomplished it using a dremel tool. Not saying you can't, but it was tough enough with a drill press. The right tool is a milling machine. I hope you won't fault folks here for being very leery of a post like your original. I sure wouldn't want the ATF to decide to make an example of me! The political situation is such that I want to stay well behind "the line" when it comes to firearms.

I left mine set to 60, which is as low as they can be set, overnight. This morning I turned them up to my normal 72. I have a mini-split system, and I was quite concerned that it wouldn't function at or near zero degrees, but I have warm air coming out now at -5. I left all the faucets dripping last night, and they're flowing fine this morning. I'll keep them dripping for the next couple of days. I brought my dog inside [the garage] for the first time ever last night and, miraculously, she didn't poop in the crate. She was uninterested in going outside this morning, though, so poop may be in my forecast.

I moved here from Washington four years ago, and this will be my first ever experience with below-zero temperatures. I'm a bit worried about a high of 9 degrees tomorrow. I have a squatter dog who just showed up here about a year ago, and she's never been inside. I went out and bought a crate for her, and will put her in the garage this evening. I don't think she's going to like it, but I don't think she'd like being outdoors at 6 below, either. When I moved here I was fully prepared for hot, humid days during the summer. The cold was quite a surprise! Stay safe, folks!

We need an "eyes rolling back so far they fall out of one's head" emoji.

55 Chevy Bel Air, which left a blue cloud behind it everywhere it went. I sold it after I graduated HS and before I went into the Marine Corps. I think I sold it for $150, which was probably fair at the time (74). I would also like to have my Toyota FJ-40 back. I had that set up as a hunting rig with a cot to sleep on. That thing would go anywhere.

That's a pretty good price. I think the last I saw was going for $2 a pound. Pure lead isn't ideal for casting anything except black powder bullets, it's too soft for most bullets. I mix linotype or pewter in my lead pot to make the lead stronger.

Sorry that happened to you. There are SO many thieves in the world!

I enjoyed it when it first became available back in Biblical times. I'd like to try it again, but I already spend WAY too much time on my computer! Let us know what you think of it after you've become better acquainted.

And what about the NIL deals that are being awarded now? Wowzer! The UW Huskies QB threw for more yards than any other college QB this season. Most Husky fans were pretty sure that he was going to go pro next year, but he decided to come back. Why? Because it looks like he'll make more money playing another year of college ball than he would as a 3rd or 4th round pick rookie. I think that college players deserve a piece of the really-big college football pie, but in the end we're going to see just a few teams who can offer big-money deals to players, and those teams will dominate. It'll be a rare TCU that finds its way into the championship playoffs in five or six years.

I'm sure the Heisman is a wonderful individual honor, but I don't think it often goes to the player it should. There have been years when a defensive lineman was the best player in college football, but those guys will never be selected. And if it's truly an individual award, then why must the winner come from a championship-contending team? The best player in college football just might play for a team that finishes 5-8.

Michigan has a chance, I think, but UGA is surely the big favorite.

I own a Zastava M93. It's bolt-action, so perhaps not very comparable to the M77 you're asking about, but I can tell you that it's very well-made and has been reliable over the 20 or so years I've owned it (though I haven't put many rounds through it.) Zastava has a good reputation and the company has existed for 140 years or so. The M77 has positive reviews, and if I were in the market I would consider one.

I know that soldiers were expected to fire three shots from a percussion cap rifle, and I've no doubt that some can do it with a flintlock. But those that can are beyond "well-trained" I think. Certainly I cannot come close to that. Of course in the movie, "The Last of the Mohicans" the characters were able to reload while running uphill. I was pretty impressed by that!

You probably need to be accurate with your first shot, as if you just wing a deer it will be long gone before a follow up shot. I'm just guessing, but I'd say 30-45 seconds for a reload and shot. You don't have to swab the barrel after every shot, but you do have to blow it out to be sure there are no embers in there. (My neighbor had to go to the ER when he dumped powder down a barrel with sparks still there.) Your powder is probably pre-measured, but seating a ball takes a few seconds, more if you're cutting a patch after seating. The ball is first started, then rammed home, in my case with different tools. Then you charge the pan, set the frizzen and cock the action. I'm sure it could be done pretty quickly with a LOT of practice, but it takes me quite a while.

I've been casting for years, and find it to be quite rewarding and fun. All of my molds are from Lee, and I have good luck with them once I've cast a dozen or so throw-aways and the molds get hot. There are two manuals that are pretty useful to casters: The Lee reloading manual and the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook. Both have lot of good information, and the Lee manual includes some insight into alloy strength. A very, very good forum for cast bullets is: https://castboolits.gunloads.com/ Some of the guys you'll find there could probably write their own bullet-casting manuals. I've tried powder-coating some .308 bullets, and while it's kinda cool, I'm not sure it's very utilitarian. Gas checks help you push velocities, and paper patching can really make for some accurate rifle bullets, though I've not tried it.

Not so much this year, Georgia excepted. It seems that there's an awful lot of offensive firepower out there winning games for teams with poor defenses. USC's defense has been spotty, UT's, and my favorite WA Huskies have hardly any defense at all, but do have the ability to score most any time they get the ball. Personally, I prefer a defensive contest. I'd rather see a 10-7 or 21-17 game than seeing 100 points on the scoreboard. But I realize that I'm a dinosaur in that respect.

Merry Christmas!

I'm a bit puzzled at the way the Pac12 decided who would be in the championship game, too. USC finished 11-1, with the best record in the conference. The Huskies finished 10-2, with Utah and Whoregon finishing 9-3. But Utah is going to the championship game. UW, Utah, and Whoregon were each 8-2 in conference play, and that was what was used to determine which team faces SC. All three teams remained tied through 3 tiebreakers, but the fourth considered strength of schedule, and Utah was a smidge better there. SO much of college football rankings and bowl selections are subjective.....

Only if USC loses their conference championship game, in which they will be favored by at least a TD. I'm sometimes baffled by what the selection committee does, but I don't see Ohio St. in the CFP even if Michigan loses to Purdue next weekend. More likely that Ohio St. will go to the Rose Bowl, in my opinion.