so waht ya doin today?

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Cleaned up a little in the room . Consolidated a couple of boxes of brass , about 5 . Counted a rediscovered hoard ....... 660 RP 45 AR and I know there are some more new Star Line there too . Found a bag of mixed 357 got it into a visible can , all those Sam's nut and pretzel jars are paying off . Found about a half a coffee can of 9mm brass ......must have been in Dad's stuff mine was all sorted down to Win this is all WCC 69 . Found a half box of 8×57 haven't had one of those in 7-8 years .

My back is pretty unhappy , which is a good because it's not the broken ribs it's actually "normal" backache . Now to avoid sneezing and deep coughs . :)
Finding more 45AR is always a cause for celebration!
 

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
We're back to being so soggy our ducks and geese are wearing life jackets...

SWMBO made a roast and smashed potatoes for supper last night since our granddaughter was over. We had an actual "sit down at the table and eat" meal for the first time since before the girl kid fled home. Kinda nice, even if I couldn't partake of the spuds! (Trying to lose this last 10lbs is getting really tiresome.)
 

Joshua

Taco Aficionado/Salish Sea Pirate/Part-Time Dragon
Yesterday I went to a range two towns north of us. I hadn’t been to this one before. I liked it. It has four bays, 7/15yrd, 25/50yrd, 100yrd, and 200yrd.

I had a nice conversation with the RO. We talked about range brass and berm lead. He told me it all gets sold as scrap. The berms get mined by a lead recycling company.

Over the last few range sessions the scope on my 7mm-08 has moved forward in it’s rings. I really shouldn’t have trusted the factory mounting job. So, I now own an inch pounds torque screw driver. I did also borrow a little bow rosin from kid (he plays stand up base). I rubbed a little of it on the inside of the rings.

I shot 46 rounds today. Scope did not move.

I shot a nice little three shot, 3/4” group at 100 with my reloads. These were in the reformed .308 brass. They are .015” shorter than min trim length. Because they are shorter I figured that I should buy factory ammo so I could have “proper” length brass.

Many of you had said good things about the Hornady 139gr Interlock. So when I came across a five boxes of factory ammo loaded with that bullet, it came home with me.

Well wouldn’t you know it, my gun doesn’t really like this factory load to much. Group are two to three times bigger than my reloads in the short necked brass.

Today the boy and I are going up to see his Grandfather.
 

Ian

Notorious member
Don't sweat tue brass being a little too short. For one thing your groups are good and for another the brass will grow the next time you size it. Sounds like a really nice little range you found there.
 

Winelover

North Central Arkansas
My take on the CFl lightbulbs...............they have their place.

Ten years ago, when I built this house, LED bulbs were cost prohibitive and limited in wattage. Higher watt LED's were non existent. Consequently, I went with mostly CFL's.

As prices came down and larger wattages became available, I switched most of them to LED's. However, I have still at least ten CFL fixtures. Nine of which are outdoor light fixtures. Five are on one switch, illuminating the front of the house and garage, used a minimum of twice a day...............more often when we lose daylight in the Fall. None of the CFL bulbs have been replaced during the last ten years.

I have two light fixtures in the spare bathroom, that I stumble to in the dark, every morning.......allowing Cindy and Bella to sleep, rather than use the master bathroom. The ceiling fixture has CFL's and I turn that one on, so I'm not blinded by the overly bright LED's in the fixture, over the mirror. By the time I'm off the porcelain throne, my eyes have adjusted to the maximum brightness of the CFl bulbs............which take a few minutes to attain that level. Only then is the LED fixture is turned on. Granted, I can do the same with a dimmer, like the master bath, but this scenario isn't broke so why fix it.

LED's have the advantage of brighter, more natural light. They might last longer..........jury is still out. Since switching to mostly all LED's, I haven't really seen any significant energy savings. BTW, I retrofitted a dozen four foot, four light florescent to LED. Those are in the garage, utility, basement and reloading room. I'm not counting the more numerous can type lighting that was also switched to LED.

My longer than normal CFL life might be attributed to the fact I made it a point not to handled the bulb with bare hands. As recommended. I purchased most, if not all at, Home Depot and chose the name brand ones.

YMMY
 

blackthorn

Active Member
I do most of my reloading stuff in a dedicated shed that is 12'x16'. When I set it up I put in 3, four foot fluorescent lights. This set up has done me since 2004. A couple of years ago I switched the lighting in my larger 30'x40' shop to led lighting but I did not do the reloading shed because our winters here can get seriously cold and the old lights throw a good bit of heat into that small space. On the other hand, our summers (especially this year) can get really hot. On the suggestion of my oldest son I bought a 4' led light that hangs up and plugs into a wall-plug and uses a pull chain off/on switch. I need to buy one more of those for the back end of the shed and I will have the best system going for my needs!!
 

popper

Well-Known Member
Turn off the power to the porcelain bulb fixture, remove bulb. Look at the brass tab on the base. bend it outwards. Reinsert bub, turn on power. Turn on light. Done.
 

KeithB

Resident Half Fast Machinist
Taking the day off. Been working 12-14 hour days for the last 5-6 weeks. Had to get out main customers ready for the Oshkosh airshow, which ends this weekend. Need to catch up with some CAD work and write a program for the CNC lathe.

Been fighting a foot infection since October last year. The wound care doc I've been seeing says I'm fully healed, wants to do a followup in three weeks (routine) but doesn't think I'll have any problems. Relief! Now I can bathe w/o bagging my foot, changing dressings, etc. Also saw a dermatologist about a blot on my cheek. He did a biopsy, turned out it was a pre-cancerous lesion, so Thursday afternoon he froze it off. No anesthesia, only took about five minutes. He had his nurse put some liquid Nitrogen in a styrofoam cup, then he dipped the end of a metal rod into the N2 and rubbed it on the blemish. When he was done he just tossed everything into the waste basket. I've got a scaly patch there right now but that will heal in a few days.

Got the parts for an adjustable stand I'm making for my prosthetist back from the metal treater with a beautiful matte black baked on finish that should be extremely durable. Also bought a couple of 16" x 24" x 3/4" birch plywood panels for the floor plates from a local cabinet shop. I need to fit everything together and then get out to the University Engineering lab and use the tester to assess the collapse resistance.

Going to go drive by a couple houses for sale for sale later today with the wife. We are looking for some very specific features and so far we haven't found anything very close but you never can tell what will come up. Also been looking for lots for sale to build on but we won't build anything using $9 two by fours.
 

Matt_G

Curmudgeon in training
Thanks for the all the advice gentlemen.
Thanks to Rich's spot on advice I got that lighting issue sorted yesterday.
Brand new bulb was dodgy...
Not something I expected.
Replaced it with a LED (it was my last CFL) and everything is good.

On another note, I've been loading some test rounds for the Garand.
Haven't loaded for one before.
I'm loading some Hornady 3037 150 gr. FMJ-BT.
Gonna try IMR-4895 and IMR-4064 sparked by CCI 34 primers in Starline cases.
Not sure when I'll get to go to the range and shoot them but at least they'll be ready when the opportunity comes.
I may try Accurate 2520 also just because I can...
 
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462

California's Central Coast Amid The Insanity
On another note, I've been loading some test rounds for the Garand.

My Garand's accuracy powder, albeit with Sierra's 165-grain SBT, is Accurate's version of 4064. Fiddled with
IMR 4895 for many years -- IMR 4064 was never available locally -- but was never able to achieve the accuracy I knew the rifle was capable of. Stumbled upon the Accurate while on a short vacation to Washington State, then ordered more from Powder Valley.
 

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Keith, that nitrogen stings! But, it's better than the alternative. Hope you find what you're looking for in the house line.

Kind of a surprising day here. After my precious angel granddaughter was picked up by her worthless, sniveling bum father (I may be slightly biased), I went to the shop and commenced welding on the replacement front end for one of my junk tractors. Everything was going along nicely when suddenly there was a pretty loud BANG! behind me. Ever have a battery explode? Me neither till now. A 4 year old Exide deep cycle we use on the sheep/goat fence charger was in for recharging. Really did a job on the battery, blew the top and sides off. I was maybe 5-6 feet away with my back to it but didn't get hit by anything. After ascertaining I did not, in fact, need a change of underwear, I dumped about 5-1lbs boxes of baking soda on what did get hit and did a wash down on things. I'm not sure what caused the kaboom, I assume a dead short in the battery. There was good airflow through the area I was welding and it was away from the battery to boot. I dunno. That was $125.00 worth of battery IIRC, so there was pain!

After that I decided to play it safe and researched what's involved in rebuilding a Roosa Master diesel injection pump. I'm undecided on whether I want to try it or send it out to a pro. Kinda leaning towards sending it out as I've never played with that kind of toy before, but I'm nothing if not cheap. There are some special tools needed to remove some special screws and from what I read, even the pro's break a few! No big rush since the engine needs at least sleeves, pistons and a valve job.

While I was out staring at the pump on the tractor my neighbor Earl came walking purposely towards me. Some of you may recall that I've been drooling over a 1965-ish IHC 3/4 ton 4wd pickup Earl glomed onto last spring. Well, Earl is tired of having it taking up space in his yard apparently and I'd told him if it was still around when some things lined up later this year I would buy it from him. Earl announced he was parking "your truck" in my field and "Here's the paperwork I've got." And that was that! The package turns out to contain the original owners manual and "line sheet" from the factory when it was assembled! Even has the original paperwork for the Fisher plow that's on it. I knew Earl was getting antsy because no one wanted anything to do with the old truck, it being an oddball in this area. He goes through old cars and trucks like I got through printer ink cartridges, about 1 a month, so it was wearing on him having one sit there. I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth so to speak, but I also hate owing anyone anything. Earl wants a 60's Chevy pickup project truck so I'll keep looking for him. His kids can't be bothered to do Craigslist and FB Marketplace for him it seems. Earls also been wanting a hammer double 12 ga for at least 5 or 6 years, (why I still don't understand-to each their own!). I'm going to have to try a little harder to find one for him.

Gordy starts his first non-farm/non-handyman type job tomorrow. He's working for one of our church members doing the trash at the local county fair. He thinks it's "really cool" because he's going to get paid $15 @ hour. Whatever floats yer boat buddy!
 

Mitty38

Well-Known Member
Well started a pieced together pistol a while back. Was debating and had a posting over what caliber.

Went to flee market, now I am committed.
A fellow had Nickel plated Arms Core 22 TCM 9R .

He had very little common ammo left with him, but a lot of off the wall stuff.
Any who, he was packing up. I ask him about the Armscore stuff he said he had five 100 round boxes for about a year and nobody would take it.
I asked him what he wanted, he said 40 a box. I said it's a special load for a little known Glock conversion,. I guess you will be carrying it around a bit more.
We then went back an forth a bit. I looked what I and my wife had together, and borrowed some money from my boy.
Guess he figured he already made enough money off the village idiots. I walked out of there with all 500 rounds, 98 bucks. Cheaper then I could buy the magnum pistol primers in it right now.
Fellow had to have taken a big hit on this. It's like 35 a hundred right now.

So Know I have 500 rounds of ammo for a gun I do not yet have. And I owe my son 18 bucks.
Why???????
 
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RBHarter

West Central AR
The back ache from my foolishness has been responding nicely to the shower massage , now the front side aches which I guess is a healing thing . The runners cramp is wearing thin though .

Piddled around in the room some today . I ran a an orphan piece of 270 Hornady through the 7.7 Japanese die and a piece of 8×57 in same . Case taper sure makes the shoulder look like it's in a completely different place . I needed the 270 case for a drill guide . About 2 years I decided to slug the heavily sportered T99 Arisaka and doing the whole bullet thing I knew better than to do I got the slug stuck about about an inch in front of the chamber . I thought I'd just drive it back the other way ...... Today I got the gumption all flowing the right direction with a 3/32 drill bit about 14" long , it took about 30 seconds to poke a hole through for the brass rod spade bit to follow . It took me about about 10 passes and 30 minutes to get it out . .305×.318 sounds strangely familiar to me , sure enough I have sizers to accommodate paper patch .
 

Ian

Notorious member
Bret, the only Roosa Master pumps I've worked with are the DB2 variety, eight-cylinder. The only way to balance them is with a bench fixture that is rapidly becoming extinct along with the men who knew how to use them. Best bet is exchange it for a remanufactured one and rebuild the injectors yourself, and then have them bench tested. My old shop can pop test them for you for a reasonable fee if you don't have a source locally. Also, there's a very, very good mechanical pump rebuilder in Uvalde, Tx. I can recommend, he may be able to do the pump and injectors for you and balance them as a set, it would at least be worth a phone discussion with the owner.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
Brett, most of those older mechanical pumps are nothing more than a small version of the pump type that your portable pressure washer uses.
many of the ones I have seen are easy to rebuild and they should also have a pressure adjustment that you need a little tool to check the cold-hot pressure on.
[something like 20-22 cold and 50 PSI hot]
so maybe a rebuild isn't needed, just a clean up and some adjustment.
 

Joshua

Taco Aficionado/Salish Sea Pirate/Part-Time Dragon
.305×.318 sounds strangely familiar to me , sure enough I have sizers to accommodate paper patch .

I hadn’t told on myself yet. I’m a little embarrassed that I shot a lot of cast loads with necks that would barely chamber in my Arisakas. I had been sizing my bullets to .318”. My early barrel slugs where around .3165”, so I went .0015” over. Then later on when I made pound casts in both of my rifles, I noticed that they both have cavernous throats.

This got me scratching my head! I thought that I had been jamming my bullets into the lands. But then I learned how big the throats were, so where was the jamming happening. I started to compare the necks of my loaded rounds vs the necks on the pound casts. I wasn’t jamming into the lands! I sharpied a dummy round, and test chambered it. Yes Sir, I was jamming the necks!

I have bought a new .314” Lee bullet sizing die that I will slowly open up until a loaded round has enough neck clearance. Obviously accuracy and zero leading are also goals. I’m hoping that sizing somewhere between .316” and .317” will work and give me enough room so that the necks will release. I’m pretty sure that I’ve cracked more than a few shoulders because of high pressures when I was fireforming brass that had not been annealed yet. In fact this was why I started annealing.

I would like to avoid neck turning the brass, however this maybe unavoidable.
 

RBHarter

West Central AR
I hadn’t told on myself yet. I’m a little embarrassed that I shot a lot of cast loads with necks that would barely chamber in my Arisakas. I had been sizing my bullets to .318”. My early barrel slugs where around .3165”, so I went .0015” over. Then later on when I made pound casts in both of my rifles, I noticed that they both have cavernous throats.

This got me scratching my head! I thought that I had been jamming my bullets into the lands. But then I learned how big the throats were, so where was the jamming happening. I started to compare the necks of my loaded rounds vs the necks on the pound casts. I wasn’t jamming into the lands! I sharpied a dummy round, and test chambered it. Yes Sir, I was jamming the necks!

I have bought a new .314” Lee bullet sizing die that I will slowly open up until a loaded round has enough neck clearance. Obviously accuracy and zero leading are also goals. I’m hoping that sizing somewhere between .316” and .317” will work and give me enough room so that the necks will release. I’m pretty sure that I’ve cracked more than a few shoulders because of high pressures when I was fireforming brass that had not been annealed yet. In fact this was why I started annealing.

I would like to avoid neck turning the brass, however this maybe unavoidable.
My previous experience with that was a x39 that would slip fit a .323 dia in a fired case and chamber a .318 nose dia it cleaned up and shot ok with a .318 PP on a .312 core with a .305x.3165 barrel starting 3.5" from the bolt .

I have about 10 ea 7.7 and formed 8×57 to 7.7 I've had this one over 10 years and haven't popped a primer . I keep finding orphan 270 Dad probably was forming 25-06' from 40 yr ago so I may use a few of them as dummy and base line until I gather enough information to build a solid brass set of 50-100 to start with real work . The Type 38 is stalled until I empty some brass . What I really need to do is make another 100# batch of the copper enhanced rifle wonder alloy and cast a bunch of 25,26,27,28 cal and focus on Dad's 25 , the 6.8s and the "new" 7×57 . I have a bunch , probably 200-250 NOE 311-230s that might patch up nice for the 7.7 it shares twist with the 303 but I'll check it for sure , if it's at all faster than 1-10" that should be an ideal solution all around . I only "need" 1900 fps MV with that bullet to hit the recommended game numbers .
 

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Ian and Fiver, thanks for the thoughts. I've got a guy in SC located that works on these all the time, retired out of the diesel injector business in fact and just does the work at home now. If he doesn't work out, there's a place in Illinois called "Area Diesel Service" I've been following on You Tube that actually has a video of them doing a rebuild on a Stanadyne Roosa Master DB like mine, only for a 6 cyl. The retired guy runs about $300 cheaper than the big diesel shop. It's a $200.00 tractor...you can see why I'm looking for a low budget option! I'd take a shot at it myself if I had someone local who had the special tools.
 

JonB

Halcyon member
That doesn't look like any locust I've ever seen. Wood and bark look like Black Cherry to me.

Agreed. Less lichen on the bark than in Texas but the white sap wood and the bark form are a giveaway. Jon......that's expensive firewood!

I did cut a few mini slabs for drying for future lathe turning, and also did same with the Sugar Maple log with Crotch.

The leaves that were still attached, while they were dry and brown (bottom image), looked exactly like the green leaves of this Black locust image (from google search). Also, I goggled Black Cherry leaves, and the images looked exactly like my tart cherry tree and nothing like this Black locust image.


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Logs red locust and sugar mapleIII 30JUL2021 550px.jpg