Mark@Sea

I've got to put the well down in the clearing. If I have it drilled by the house, that adds a hundred feet to the depth. How is the lantern working out for you? Need another one? Not really concerned about a fridge. Got Sue everything she needs to can. You can can meat, it'll be good 15 years from now. Figure that if we lose power, what little in the fridge gets et right away. Big concern for me is a) WATER and keeping the house cool enough. Cooking, hot water, lighting, all taken care of. I've thought about building a larger steam engine, that would actually run a genset or alternator I could use to charge a battery, but it really is a pain in the nether regions. My goal on canning/food storage is 90 days on-hand. I usually have 10-15 gals. of coleman fuel available. Hey, sometimes hobbies come in handy.... Lets' see: Water, Food, Shelter, first aid and defense... What have I forgotten, here? Oh yeah, comms.... Hmmm..... how about a steam-powered internet connection? Might not be practical, but I'd have some killer bragging rights.

Propane powered fridge and some LED battery lights ought to do the trick. Not concerned about lights/cooking at my place as long as I've got fuel. I am thinking about a second, manually operated well/pump. Heating isn't a problem, but AC... well, I can get by running my 'attic' fan, I guess, but will need a small genset for it. Someone mentioned a steam engine... do-able, but it isn't something you can leave unattended,

1. Got my motorcycle taken care of (tune-up, new cables) 2. Looks like (if the orders come through) I will be in Charleston the next few months on an ammo ship. I'm taking my bike, whoopee. 3. Finally got on the internet.

The Curious Case of Ashton Lundeby by William Norman Grigg You know the great thing about free speech, right?

Now if we could just get you to use 'em. Oh, and teach you about... Socks.

Nah, not gonna cut it. Got my '97 riot back from the gun-monkey. I may end up selling it, though.

Might as well spend it while it is still worth something...

This game becomes more of an art than a science. Reading the wind, judging distance, spinning projectiles to ensure they are perfect, grouping cases by 1/10th of a grain capacity differences, depth of seating, humidity... You're taking the first step on a long journey, grasshopper. When you come to the end of the journey, you will find that rifle zen is placing that one (first) shot precisely where it needs to be. The shots you took before are past, and the past cannot be changed. The shots you will take in the future are nothing. The shot you are taking now is the only one that matters.

I've got good news and bad news. The good news is, the Sistema is an excellent choice. In many ways, superior to a lot of current manufacture offerings. Excellent metallurgy, made on Colt machinery by Colt trained technicians to very high standards. The bad news is that web page is very very old. Sistemas were last imported in the mid '90's, and unless you find a very dumb seller or a very trashed example, will run at least twice the price listed and probably more. The BM is okay. It isn't (quite) a 1911, although some parts will swap.

Not sure. Lemme find my shovel...

Col. Cooper used to say, if you want a tight group, shoot once Welcome to precision rifle!

Got a dead Frankford, and a live Lyman.

Yeah, for the price of a barrel, you can get a decent used pump. Especially if you know what you are looking at.

Some folks just like to have a bit of personal space, you know? Cycling it sounds like a couple of freight cars coupling. Smoother than the original, which has had about a hundred years to get the rough out, so I reckon I'm happy with it. Not as smooth as my old M37 Ithaca, but hey, what is?

Guess what came home today?

CMP store advice: Get there early, if possible. As in, when the door opens you are already in line. Go to the tech desk first, swap your D/L for a bore gauge. Leave your filled in order form with them. Drop your other paperwork off at the business desk/window. Start checking bores. When you find 3 or 4 bores you are happy with, then start comparing wood, finish and so forth. Take your choice to the tech desk, have them tag it/hold it. If you change your mind later, no problem, they'll swap it, fill S/N's and tag #'s on your order form. Now you can relax, make another pass at the rifles, maybe you find one you like better. Once happy with your choice, take the filled-in order form to the business window. (Be sure and give 'em the bore gauge back) Hopefully by now your background check is done, and you can pay and go. If not, you'll have a little bit of a wait. Don't look at rifles while waiting, unless you wanna go home with more than you can afford GET YOUR AMMO!

Mosin hype? There is an upside to a crudely machined truck axle, a stock made from the finest grade of 2x4 framing lumber, a trigger which is very close kin to the parking brake in my 36 plymouth, and sights calibrated to a measure that no one on this planet uses. With the bayonet extended, they make dandy tomato stakes.

I wouldn't shoot the early cap-n-balls. Metallurgy wasn't all it could be in those days. Affordable SA Colts are in rough shape. Repros are in current production. Milsurp rifles are on the ragged edge. Supply is fixed, demand doesn't seem to be going down. Certainly there are still rifles in storage somewhere in eastern Europe or Russia, but in todays' political climate it isn't likely they will be imported in quantity - more likely destroyed. CMP Garands and carbines are the best deal going that I am aware of.

Poll is running about 5 to 1 against cutting it. I probably won't; figured that when I hesitated initially. Guess I will give my gunsmith a bit more time to get my trenchgun back to me.

I actually have a trench gun replica, a Norinco. It has been at the gunsmiths' since January. He's supposed to be slicking it up for me. Might get it back sometime this year...

I don't - really don't - need another bird gun. This old jewel is smooth, dependable, and accurate. I think full choke used to mean "tighter than a drunk on a three day binge". A lot of folks would cut it down for an HD gun. A lot would get offended at the very suggestion of ruining a piece of history. What should I do?

My wifes' shotgun - and hat....

That HRA is my first CMP rifle, got it maybe 15 years ago. It had a pretty beat up stock (at that time, they weren't graded - you got what they sent and it was 1 per lifetime.). I had a marine armorer put it in that stock, and I don't know what magic he worked, but it shoots far better than I can take advantage of. When I first took it to the range after he replaced the stock, I shot about a 3/4 inch group at 100 yards. Really got the attention of the guy a few benches down, who couldn't do that with a brand new remington bolt gun with what appeared to be the hubble telescope mounted on it. I'm certain there are more accurate rifles, but if I really want to hit what I'm aiming at, that is probably the one I'd grab. We've built a real good relationship over the years...

Don't know, think he wore it home....