so waht ya doin today?

[Bret4207]

ITS- I've read "The Art of Bullet Casting" cover to cover many dozen times. It will surprise you to see that guys like Jim Carmichael actually could write some really good, meaty tech articles back before he become numero uno at Outdoor Lifes gun section. I think Al Miller has some real good ones in that collection and since anything Al wrote was pure gold in my book, that's saying something!

Went over and helped with milking at the neighbors this morning. Breaks your heart to have a mother who lost her "baby" cry on your shoulder. Life sucks sometimes.

 

[CZ93X62]

You are a good man and a fine neighbor, Trooper/Farmer Bret!

 

[Pistolero]

Sorry to hear about your friend, Bret. A shame that he wouldn't take care of himself, might have gotten some more time. But sounds like he was doing what he wanted to do, and happy.
Keith, good that you need less chem assistance and the business is doing well.

 

[CZ93X62]

Marie and I begged off from the theme park visit to Universal Studios Tours today. Marie's 2 girls are such nerds over Harry Potter.

Neither Marie nor I were or are jazzed by theme parks. We took our kids, and it was fun seeing them have a good time. The costs are exorbitant--$340 for the two girls for one day in 2 parks. NAH--not us, not today.

We slept late today, and as stated we took off for Academy Sports to see a gun emporium as done in the Free World. I did enjoy seeing AR-15 series rifles for sale, and lots of empty slots were bolt rifles had been sold recently. Ruger 1911-series pistols were on display, as well. So lovely.

Mostly, I was there for ammo. LOTS of bulk-lot "ball/FMJ" in the calibers I was seeking, but little to no JHPs. The FMJs cost almost $5 more per box than similar stuff in CA, which surprised me. I'll just order it from my local guy for significantly smaller cost AND put some coin in the local guy's pocket. CA's ammo registration BS will NOT stop me from shooting (Chortle, chortle, guffaw, guffaw!) nor will it force me into going out of state for what I want. I need new carry ammo for 3 of my 5 carry calibers, most ricky-tick.

 

[CZ93X62]

I may be at a similar point to Keith's situation--and for similar reasons.

A little update on my sitch--the "training wheel" prosthetic that I wore from late January 2019 got upgraded to the permanent unit late during the third week of August. It was immediately a VAST improvement in mobility. I love the thing, and what it has enabled me to do.

No small part of the improvement in condition has to do with weight loss. I was at just under 300# when I got up on the trainer leg in January......I am just over 252# now. I am about half-way to my goal weight of 210#. I have not felt this good since I was working in 2004. Strength and endurance is slowly returning, as well. I am VERY BLESSED, and have much to be thankful for.

Like Keith, I am fairly certain that at least a couple of my heart and BP meds are in need of revision downward due to loss of body mass. We will be home Sunday early-evening, so the doctoring and meds revisions will begin at that time.

 

[462]

Allen,
Funny thing about California's new ammunition law, at least locally. According to the local gun store owner, he is selling much more now, then he was just prior to the law going into effect. Also, without any additional charge, he will order whatever brand and flavor I want.

 

[Pistolero]

Al, really glad to hear that you are improving so much. That is wonderful news. And frequently I have heard
that losing weight, as you have done, is very good at lowering BP.

Toured the Mary Rose today, I am surprised it didn't tip over earlier. Looks WAY top heavy and narrow, and
tall. Surprisingly for 1545, many of their ship's cannon had breech chambers which were removed to
load, and a ball put in the rear of the forward portion of the barrel. Powder packed into the chamber, chamber
placed into the wooden gun platform, which aligned it to the barrel, and a huge wooden wedge driven down
behind the chamber, driving it's spigot into the rear of the barrel tightly. Then upon firing, a bit of leakage
at the joint, but it was far faster than loading the muzzle loaders. Pressures were lower, so range was shorter,
but looked like about 1/2 the guns were these removable breech types.

Bill

 

[CZ93X62]

I already had one downward revision to the BP meds about 6 weeks ago. I think the Warfarin is in need of similar revision real soon.

Gunnery remains a dangerous emterprise even in today's world. Powder magazines and fuel stores remain a necessary evil for all of us in varying depths.

 

[CZ93X62]

The owner at my local shop (ASK Defeisive Training") Shawn has seen two trends occurring since these laws came on stream--fewer people buy, but they buy in large lots--much like I did with the rimfire unleaded ammo in July. I will do the same thing with the 3 calibers I need--a 500-round case of WWB 40 S&W and 45 ACP JHPs, and a 500 round box of 9mm +P 124-125 grain JHPs. 357 Mag and 10mm got changed out 2 years ago, and we are on our 3rd rotation of ammo from the 500 each we bought then. We shoot off the carried ammo each year around Christmas time, clean all of the carry guns, and refill the mags with fresh felon fodder. The fired brass gets recycled into practice ammo and joins the inventory of "play ammo". War shots are kept in OEM boxes; play ammo is kept in plastic ammo boxes or coffee cans.

The 2nd trend seen by Shawn has been a RAPID expansion in reloading demand, and he has responded by stocking popular powders, bullets, and cases. He stocks some commercial cast bullets in revolver calibers, and has had several guys inquire about bullet casting for themselves. Shawn knows that I have cast bullets for a long time, and wants to discuss the process in general terms to some end that he may not know himself yet. We will take it up when I'm back. The truly encouraging thing to me in all of this? It isn't old guys like most of us that are asking about doing their own casting--it is guys in their 20s and 30s, almost exclusively. I'll get 'em hooked, just hide & watch.

 

[Ian]

Sounds like a more localized repeat of the nationwide casting boom of 2008-9, and for much the same reasons. Good news is lead Condor Killing Wheelweights are reported to be piled high in drifts along every highway in CA so the new casters shouldn't have any issue supplying their needs. Har har.

 

[CZ93X62]

I don't know why the State of California and those whack-jobs at Stanford U's Center For Biological Diversity (a huge misnomer, in any event) have been so strident about preserving these poor creatures with such zeal. Their eco-niche collapsed with the disappearance of the mega-fauna of the Ice Ages, and the condors gravitated to the coastline thousands of years ago to subsist upon dead whales and other marine mammals that wash up onshore from time to time. The critters should be allowed to pass into extinction with some dignity--the current programs seem like doing CPR at an autopsy.

CBD's next stuntwork is set to be re-introductions of grizzly bears into California's Sierra Nevada mountains. My own thoughts are that such moves should originate within the confines of the State Capitol itself, but they have not sought my viewpoint on this project yet.

 

[popper]

Losinipril for a long time (ace) inhibit. Then losartin. Bp is nutty now, so just got changed to calc. Blocker. Stopped the aspirin, but told to start it again. Monitor often.
Get off the Warfarin as soon as you can!

 

[smokeywolf]

Dropped my truck off with the mechanic this morning for a full servicing.

Went to escrow company and two different banks. If we can get those three different entities to cooperate with each other, we may be able to close escrow on this house three days from now, Friday the 13th. Following that, hopefully, we close escrow on our Arkansas property on Monday of next week.

 

[Pistolero]

Well, let's hope that Friday the 13th is your lucky day, smokeywolf.

And Al, after trying to hunt in the Nat Forest Land just south of Yellowstone about 10 years ago, and
getting skunked, even with experienced guides, due to the wolves just wiping out all the "excess" elk
in that area - I have wondered if we could reintroduce the griz into Sacramento as a "thank you" from
those of us who love to hunt elk, if we can get them before the wolves get them all.

Bill

 

[CZ93X62]

If the kids put another show on TV that drivels on about "How Yellowstone is recovering due to re-intro of the wolf packs, I might just bust a cap on the TV set. This is not the place to rave about CBD and their radical agendas for re-balancing nature, other than to say that CBD considers human being to be the ultimate invasive species on the planet. That lot is just getting started, folks.

 

[Brad]

Got a nice text from our daughter reminding us that 31 years ago the second best thing to happen to us occurred. Of course she reminded us that she was #1.

That is Khornet on the left.

Damn our parents look young in that photo.

 

[Kevin Stenberg]

Sweatcorn is almost done in the garden. I have started pulling stalks that are no longer producing. I didn't even get corn from half of the stalks that came up.
We have been watching the local fall color change. We have a Burr Oak in the yard that is half green and half flame red/orange. It looks like there isn't going to be any half way colors this year.

 

[fiver]

still can't figure out how you got her to marry you.

took the wife for a ride today,,, she wouldn't get out of the truck so I had to bring her home again.
I ended up shooting 2 doves up at about 8000' where there should be grouse, but there they were.
felt weird shooting Doves in the Quakies as they flew by, but they are a lot easier to find under them than they are in the desert.

 

[Brad]

Don’t care how any more, just glad she did.

 

[JonB]

WOW Brad, your Bride is smok'n HOT!