Relaxation

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
What to do this week. I am off all week with no plans at all.
New lathe chuck will be here by the end of the week so I will deal with it when it gets here.
I need to get in gear and cast lots more bullets for 44 special.

Any other ideas? I need to be busy enough to prevent my wife from making me a list.
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
I could do some tile work but that is work. Besides, I prefer to have the wife help so she understands the time and effort required. Sort of a "See, I told you so" thing

I want to relax and enjoy myself. If I wanted to work I wouldn't have taken time off.
 
F

freebullet

Guest
I find it relaxing & comforting to go bring home another Ruger wheel gun. Always been a pleasurable experience.

I could use as many 9mm bullets as you can cast all week if your bored.
 

Ian

Notorious member
Since you actually have winters up there that cut down on range time, inventory your reloading components and make a list of what you need to cast/size/lube and what brass you need to prep. Get some stuff loaded. Put in an order for bulk ammo boxes, extra primers, powder, that sort of thing. Meld down some range scrap to make room for more.

Or, you could come down here and enjoy our balmy weather while you do the final finish machine work on a Vortec engine block and get it ready to assemble (did the heads already), then clean up after that and start tearing down the automatic transmission on my '95 Chevy, after that I'll have the 97 towed home so you can stuff the engine back in it and bring the trans back to work so I can put it back in the '95 and stick a "for sale" sign on it, then this weekend (after one of us changes the oil in my wife's Sequoia and greases the chassis/drivelines) you can help me finish the wiring, insulation, attic decking, sheet rock, drywall, paint, and trim in the kid's room, and later on Sunday we can go play with my NFA toys. If you stay through Monday you can pull the engine out of my Bobcat and put a set of rings/bearings and new head on it, and if you get done in time with that I'll help you enclose the master bedroom deck for a sun room/workout room while the carpet guys are finishing up the kid's room, and when they're gone we'll hook up the trailer and bring home a load of furniture from storage and pack it up two flights of stairs so Momma can start nesting. It will take me a few weeks to clean up the mess in the garage, shop, and yard from all the construction, but when that's all done I'll take my own vacation and maybe, just maybe, I'll wonder for about a millisecond what ever shall I do with the free time.:) Just tell me when you're going to arrive so I can get the deer steaks ready to grill:p
 
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freebullet

Guest
Say there, Ian....if that vortec is a 7.4l maybe you just send that bad boy back home with him to freshen my 97.:D
 

35 shooter

Well-Known Member
When i'm off, i can never seem to think of all the things i'd like to do.
However, the second i'm back at work, i can think of a thousand things i should have done when i was off.

Enjoy your time off!!
 

Intheshop

Banned
No help on the wife/list/work gage....

If I had to stay out of the shop;
Would eat WELL,which isn't necessarily a lot in quantities,but high on quality.Would hang out in the loading room,then go check the results on paper.Get the daypack squared away(more eats),go predator/varmint hunting.Take a book,take a nap......come home and start making dinner.Pretty much,rinse and repeat.

Hit up some bookstores and gunstores.Go find a quiet place for a good cup of coffee.
 

Dusty Bannister

Well-Known Member
I would think this a good time to update the mold list and do some casting tests. I have duplicates and even a triplicate on some molds that I have been meaning to do test casting.

Set up the hot plate a variety of mold handles and just start test casting with whatever your usual casting alloy might be. Get the molds hot, cast several and mark one or two of the visually perfect bullets by cavity and when cool, bag the mold and the bullets. Note if the mold is cranky or drops easily. After things cool down, add a card to the bag with the alloy, and mic the bullets and ID the mold by model and shop number. That should be a low stress productive casting session. Then when you like, start a new updated mold list so you will have the mold ID and know what it casts in a ready reference. And if you have a duplicate or a triplicate on the mold, you will know which one or two are ready for a new home. You will know what the mold casts and that might be just what someone else is looking for.

The Spouse should find this activity acceptable as it is getting your shop "organized". Good luck, I will probably never get around to doing this either.
 

smokeywolf

Well-Known Member
Had to go to Sacramento this last weekend; 850 mile round trip. Most of the trip, both ways, was raining. I haven't seen this much rain in SoCal since '97.
Put in a couple of days work before the trip, clearing non-hobby-related junk from the garage. I'm going to relax today.
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Got almost 300 NOE HG503 cast for 44 special and almost 200 45-70 collar buttons.
I may cast more later today.
Spent 30 min on treadmill too.
Now to go size and lube some bullets so I can load some ammo.
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Just loaded 300 rounds of 44 special with the NOE 503, 4.5 gr of Titegeoup, and a Tula primer in shiny new Starline cases. The wife bought me 1K new 44 special cases and I have another 200 to load.
Next up is loading some 38 special. I have lots of the Lee 158 swc, the old plain base version, and a few thousand empty cases.
 

shootnlead

Active Member
Brad...you need to take a pic of those shiny new 44 special rounds...and post it up for us.

Man, I do love 44 special...just can't shoot mine enough...and shooting that is some good relaxation for me.
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Nope, no new Magma pot. Spare money went to the new lathe chuck. It will have a bigger impact over time for me.
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Here are a few photos. This is what 800 rounds of 44 special looks like. I also took a photo of the remaining 200 cases.
IMG_2212.JPG IMG_2213.JPG IMG_2214.JPG
 

Todd M

Craftsman of metals...always learning.
Beautiful! Looks like you are being productive and enjoying every minute of it.
 

JohnD

Member
Today's relaxation. Rode 27 miles on my road bike and then went to the range, which is closed today, and recovered 35 pounds of range scrap and some more brass. A good day!
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
That is a productive day. To me any day I bring home more lead than I took with me is a plus. Hard to run out when you are running a surplus.