MacGyver

If the canoe doesn't work out, try a One Sheet Skiff, built as it sounds from one sheet of plywood. We built several recently with some kids for about $30 each. We did them in a day, but had some pretty accomplished builders who could tack these together in their sleep. You could definitely straight face it in a weekend.

That's it. Add a picatinny base, and you've old school meets new school zombie killing efficiency. I think I've got some 2-56 threaded stainless rod in the shop. It's all coming together now.

Speaking of respirators - wear one when sanding. Your lungs will thank you in 20 years.

As long as you're really careful about fairing and sanding around your tacks so that you don't go through the canvas, and you stay mostly on flatwater, you should be okay. They were built with paint for a long time. Epoxy resins do add a lot of durability and resiliency for not a lot of cost, though.

That's exactly what I was thinking

If you're really looking for the most durable coating. A couple of layers of two-part epoxy like West System 105 then covered with a layer of paint for UV protection is your best bet.

Ohhh! We're going to need to see that when you get it!

Good luck. Keep us apprised of your progress.

Yeah, I'll see if I can work up a folding design. It's entirely possible that I'm misremembering on the load, but have 2050fps in my brain because when he told me, I was sure I was going to be seeing pressure signs. I was surprised when there weren't any immediately visible. That said, I'd still consider it a 150m round.

What are you using for your covering?

They had to spend money on something.

Strip planking is a good option, too. I've got plans to build a Grand Laker one of these days.

I'm kind of jazzed about trying the ladder site. Looks like the CNC mill is going to be earning it's keep. We'll have to get Dolomite in on this one.

Yeah, I was trying to use a best case scenario to get to 1000m. Even with that load it was over 100ft of drop. I'd be curious if you can get there with QuickLoad. I think it was with using magnum primer and lil'gun. With my 10.5" barrel, I might as well be chucking them by hand.

Those loads were through a friends bolt gun with a 20.5" barrel. As far as I know, it's still his hog shooting load of choice. They seemed to work okay. I couldn't work up a load to get to 2050 with my current setup. With my 10.5" barrel, it would be a grenade.

With the drop listed above - 2050fps at the muzzle. My FTXs have now been backed way down. I'm shooting almost exclusively subsonic now. At 1050fps with 100m zero, I'm a foot down at 150m and 3 feet down at 200m. By the time you get to 300m, your at the limit of most folks' dials. I need to work with the caliber some more. The Spectre has been taking all of my attention of late. I might try to machine a ladder sight sometime this fall. You'd have to do it for a particular load, I guess, but it would be a lot of fun.

Yeah, that's not to say you can't get out there, it's just going to drop a lot. My supersonic load right now is loaded with 325gr FTXs. With a 100m zero, it's got 1246" drop at 1000m. That's 103 feet. It would be a big guess for me.

.458 SOCOM was really designed to be a 150m round. Within its range it hits awfully hard. Get out much further and it really starts dropping fast.

As soon as I put an air register in there it's so getting locked...

My gun room is my goto place for stuff I don't want to lose or misplace. It's fairly small - and organized - as it has evolved into my gun/gear/stuff that I don't want anyone to screw with room. Problem is that everyone else in my house know that this is where all the cool stuff is, and that has caused more than one thing I don't want to misplace to migrate to somewhere else in the house. Rrrrrrr...

The ARES Gear Ranger belt is by far the stiffest belt I've ever seen. It's two layers of 1.5" heavy webbing with a layer of 1" webbing on the surface. Nothing is going to make that belt sag - and, since it doesn't depend on belt holes, you can get it as tight as you need it for your system/comfort.

As a general rule, anything under 36 inches isn't going to need a stiffener. Most 1.5" belts shouldn't have a problem without the stiffener.

There's a big difference between most casual belts and a true gun belt. You, your weapon, your holster, your belt and any accessories are all a system. The whole system will only perform as well as the weakest component. I've seen a lot of people with expensive weapons and holsters sitting on cheap belts over the years. They go to draw, and find that the whole system ends up around their armpit before the weapon breaks retention. A good gun belt is worth the money, and in my case winds up being my casual belt as well.

My two favorite belts which I have no doubt will still be going strong when I'm dead and gone. DM Bullard Leather - Great double layer gun belts - http://store.dmbullardleather.com/catalog/product/f7b6d17ed2234374a6cc2464b7597926 Ares Gear Ranger Belt - by far the strongest belt I've ever worn - http://www.aresgear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=33&products_id=6 Both of the above are around $80.

Lester, to my memory, the mess kit with the M1950 did not seal, though it did generally protect the stove from dings.