peejman

As has become common these days, circumstances conspired to prevent me from coming. I'd even thought enough ahead to collect a couple old railroad spikes to play with in the forge. Next time perhaps.

Look for the clear paths through the water from the dam to the bank, that's were you'll see them.

Big spiders eat big bugs.

TN has a state leash law. Dogs are not permitted to run "at large", therefore the owner of the dog that comes out after you has already broken the law. If it was just me walking my dog, I'd react closer to DaveTN's posts. If my kids were involved, I grease that dog without a 2nd thought.

Where would we be without the space program? Would an entrepreneur have funded that? The government has to do some things. A capitalist wants a return on his investment. Core research rarely provides a timely ROI. The stuff that's been funded by the current administration go from questionable to completely ludacris, but that doesn't mean we should stop.

Dad's a woodworker and does various oil type finishes (tung, walnut, maybe linseed? ). I don't recall it being real difficult, just time consuming... lots of coats, depending on how you want the finish to look.

This. I also prefer oil finishes. and...

That looks really nice. Does he make similar stuff to hold things like phones, multi-tools, or spare mags?

Of course they're plated, that's how you apply a copper jacket to a lead bullet. The devil is in the details however, plating can be a very touchy process. Sounds like they've had issues with their baths.

Don't know that I'd be finding out. I'd be called Federal and asking for replacements. Bullets fragmenting in flight is very dangerous.

Time to move forward from making perforated paper to practicing skills. This should keep you busy for little while... http://www.handgunlaw.us/documents/HandgunDrills.pdf

Big pimpin' yo.

That's really strange. Have the box(es) of ammo in hand and call the manufacturer. It'd be nice if you had access to ballistic gel or a big water tank so you could recover the bullets. Then you could match up the fragments and see where they're coming from.

Indoor, outdoor, or backyard range? What kind of back stop? If the jacket is separating from the bullet before the bullet hits anything, I'd call that defective ammo and send it back. Thinking about that a bit... that can't be what's happening. If the jacket is separating in-flight, the rotation of the bullet would fling it out to the side. If it did continue forward, it'd have enough energy to punch through the paper and you'd see multiple holes per shot. It must be hitting something in the backstop and fragmenting.

A few zip ties can go a long way toward tidying up wire spaghetti. Coil up excess and hide it behind the component. If you've got multi-colored wires, simple automotive wire loom can help with that too. These doodads are nice too... http://www.amazon.com/3M-Command-Cord-Organizer-17379/dp/B0000AQOHM/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1350407155&sr=1-1&keywords=command+cord+organizer

Is that a piece of the copper jacket?

If by the cmp class you mean this... http://www.orsahp.com/home/new-shooter Then definitely do it. I took it last spring and loved it.

How fast were you shooting?

This. Unless there's some sort of coating already on it, it's simple to sand/polish the scratches out then blast the whole thing to restore the appearance. Plating/paint is typically less than 0.001" thick. A scratch that shallow is something you can see but can't feel. The scratches you've got are much deeper than that.

Welcome!

I hope to come for the day Saturday. I might bring my 4yr old along too. I think he'll get a kick out of the blacksmith stuff (I think it's neat too. ).

Welcome!

If you had the machine, would you make stuff more often? Given the interest here, it might be worthwhile. ... and nice work!

Dad's got a couple of cool ones... A Colt Woodsman, 1st series. His dad bought it for his sister (my great aunt) in the late '30's. She passed it to my Dad. I've shot it and while a little finicky about ammo, it's fun to shoot. The other is my great-great grandfather's shotgun. Its a double barrel 12ga (damascus barrels) built around 1880 in England. I've tried on several occasions to talk Dad into getting it out so I can take some pics and do some research on it, but he won't for whatever reason.

At the end of the day, that's the bottom line. In a sport of cheaters, he was the best. They waited until now to burn him because he's not making them rich anymore.