Gun Thread: First February Edition!

Howdy, Y'all! Welcome to the wondrously fabulous Gun Thread! As always, I want to thank all of our regulars for being here week in and week out, and also offer a bigly Gun Thread welcome to any newcomers who may be joining us tonight. Howdy and thank you for stopping by! I hope you find our wacky conversation on the subject of guns 'n shooting both enjoyable and informative. You are always welcome to lurk in the shadows of shame, but I'd like to invite you to jump into the conversation, say howdy, and tell us what kind of shooting you like to do!

Remember last week in my explanation of the naming convention for Gun Threads how the the new month's thread would be called "Beginning of {insert month here}?" Do you remember that? Well, I went all wacky and changed things up and went with "First February Edition" shown above instead. Just keeping all y'all on your toes. Anyhow, welcome to February! Been to the range?

Oh, and thanks for not burning the place down last week. WeaselWoman had a very nice birthday!

With that, step into the dojo and let's get to the gun stuff below, shall we?

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Sprash 1 Red Barroon!!

Yesterday an F-22 took out the Commie Chinese Spy Barroon allowed to float unchallenged across North America last week by President Retard. An AIM-9X Sidewinder missile was used as the mostly peaceful inflatable crossed the east coast and headed out over the Atlantic on it's totally-not-spying-on-shit mission.

Here's a recap of the engagement by Ward Carroll. Note his remarks about balloon incursions into U.S. airspace also occurring during the Trump administration are being refuted elsewhere. Anyhow, the video below contains some good photos and footage.

Here's another look with some tactical analysis by C.W. Lemoine.

Any way you look at it, nice shooting by the U.S. Air Force!

***

Part 3 of the reloading series is below with this week's section on working with powder. Quick question - would you all find it beneficial to have the entire reloading series in one place, say a PDF or on a web page for reference? If so, let me know in the comments and I can set something up.

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Guns of the Weasel

This is my Springfield Armory M1 Garand produced in mid-1945. I also have a Winchester model converted to .308 by Navy Arms which is all kinds of fun to shoot, too. Here's a little video I made some time ago at WeaselAcres with the SA edition.

Why am I mentioning all of this? Because I recently found this video on what to look for when buying a Garand. It's long, so you may want to bookmark it to watch later.

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Range Time!
First up our pal chappyman66 shares a report on taking his grandson to the range for the first time.

My grandson turned 12 last month, which is the minimum age for our indoor range. I had started him with the Red Ryder and a pellet gun in the basement hallway. But a real gun had to wait. Saturday was the day, as he is staying with us for the weekend. We were quite conservative, keeping the target close (20 ft). He ran about 50 rounds of 22LR through the BLR-22 at the middle bullseye and the lower left target and very rapidly picked up the lever action.
This was followed by about 25 rounds of 22LR through the Ruger Single Six convertible at the lower left target, which also went pretty well.
The pistol case containing the Ruger also held the FI Model D in .380 ACP. And he did want to try it. The first couple were single rounds, so he could learn the basics of running the gun, but then he ran about three magazines through the lower right target before our time was up.
As a first trip to the range, it went very well and I am thrilled to have been able to help my grandson start experiencing the enjoyment of shooting.

Holy Shitballs! Man, this right here is what I am talking about. I have said it before and I will say it again, I strongly believe it is our responsibility to introduce the next generation of shooters to the sport. Very, very nicely done chappyman66!

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Recommendations?
Next, our pal Sergeant Major is looking for some advice on a carry weapon.

A few weeks ago, on the Gun Thread, you highlighted one for concealed carry. I have had many senior moments since then and am unable to recall the gun in question. One thing I remember tho was that it had a manual safety. At present I have a Glock 26 and would gladly convert it to a house gun if I could find a suitable CC weapon. Any help?

I mentioned to Sergeant Major I wasn't sure exactly which gun he was referring to, but that I was sure we'd get lots of responses in the comments to his question. Do you guys and gals think you have enough information to make a useful suggestion? If you are going to make a recommendation and want to be taken seriously, give the reasons why you are recommending a particular make & model.

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Colt Python History
EDL 020523 scaled.jpg

image courtesy EdL

Last week we took a look at a pair of beautiful Colt Python revolvers shared by our pal EdL, and I found the following history of the model presented in Shooting Sports USA.

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Mastering the Handgun
When I went back to find the reloading stuff I noticed something recently mentioned in the comments, and that is an instructional video originally sent in by our pal and delightful 'ette, lin-duh. This is an excellent presentation well worth your time whether you're a beginner or an old pro at shooting.

What do you think?

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Who Knew?
If I get one request for a video on lichen a week, I get a hundred. Who knew we had so many lichen enthusiasts among us?

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Handloading 101 Pt. 3: Working with Powder - 4/21/2019

For those who need to catch up, we've been discussing reloading and spreading the material over a few weeks. So far, we have reviewed essential gear and how to begin setting it up.

As a reminder, please do not list specific load powder charge weights when discussing reloading, and please remember this material is intended for the novice reloader, and for now let's keep the information basic for now. Thanks.

Moving right along in our reloading series, it's time to unbox the powder dispenser and scale, and this isn't a particularly difficult procedure. So open the boxes, and take out the powder dispenser and scales, and put them on your bench. The End. Seriously, a few words on the gear; you recall from the shopping list I recommended investing in a better than average powder dispenser and scales, and the reason is simple. While you can reload with satisfactory results using much less expensive equipment, using it can be tedious and frustrating. You want to make the reloading process as smooth and uncomplicated as possible, and a goofy powder dispenser is a pain in the ass to use. And it doesn't get better the longer you sit at the bench fighting with it. Same with scales. Nothing will make you less confident in your work than a powder scale that seems to be wandering all over the place, so if at all possible, this isn't the place to economize.

Powder Dispenser
These all work about the same way with the difference mostly being in the quality of the components. A micrometer of some sort is moved in and out creating a volumetrically variable chamber which fills with powder from a larger hopper above each time the lever is cycled. The setup really only involves putting the parts together and practicing a bit to develop a technique for operating the dispenser the very same way each time and using as close as possible to the same speed and pressure on the lever as you dispense a charge. At the beginning of a reloading session I always run through several test charges, measuring each until I am getting acceptably consistent results. It's also helpful to keep the main powder chamber at least approximately half full. I've found the charges begin to vary as the powder level gets close to running out. Finally, it's not a good idea to store powder in the dispenser between reloading sessions. I dump any unused powder back into the original container when I'm done for the day.

One note: For some powder dispensers, the micrometer size varies depending on whether it's designed for loading handgun loads where smaller charge weights are used, or rifle loads where larger charge weights are needed. Be sure to look at the range of performance for your particular dispenser to make sure it's appropriate for your intended use.

VIDEO: Powder measure setup
VIDEO: Using a powder measure

Scales
Powder scales come in all shapes, sizes and prices. You can spend a lot of money on a scale. I have small inexpensive digital jeweler's scales which honestly aren't too bad for a quick check, and very elaborate and expensive laboratory balances which can be fussy and subject to electromagnetic interference from household wiring and fluorescent lighting fixtures. What I use is an old-fashioned beam scale and I have collected a few from various manufacturers. There are all sorts of integrated dispensers and scale combinations which many people like, but what I use to produce my match ammunition is a plain old reloading beam scale. A couple of tips; calibrate your scales before each reloading session using a check weight, and I find it very helpful to add about a pound of stick-on lead wheel weights to the underside of the scale body when you first setting it up. This helps dampen tiny vibrations and keep the scale from skittering all over the place on the bench as you work.

VIDEO: Redding beam scale review
VIDEO: How to zero and read a beam scale

Next week we'll talk about choosing components!

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Musical Interlude
Here is SRV and Jeff Healy with Look at Little Sister.

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Gun Basics 101
Day 10 of the 12 Days of Carry video from the She Equips Herself gal! This week's video is on holsters.

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Cigar of the Week

This week we feature the Montecristo No. 4 from Cigar One in Geneva Switzerland.

Here are the notes from the Cigar One website.

A constant cigar and the bestselling stick in the world! The No.4 is well balanced, well-structured and appealing to the palate. Smooth, mellow, rich and creamy the leather, coffee and earth flavors remind us of classic Havana. This petit corona rivals its popular brother, the Montecristo No.2, in taste.

Your ol' pal Weasel has ordered a bunch of cigars from Cigar One over the years and has always enjoyed a smooth transaction with fast and discreet shipping. The owner of the site, Marc, is very helpful regarding selections and always responds promptly to email. Two Weasel thumbs up!

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Here are some different online cigar vendors. You will find they not only carry different brands and different lines from those brands, but also varying selections of vitolas (sizes/shapes) of given lines. It's good to have options, especially if you're looking for a specific cigar.

Cigarsinternational.com
Cigarpage.com
Famous-smoke.com
Cigarsdaily.com
Neptunecigar.com
Smallbatchcigar.com
Bobalu Cigar Company
Cigarbid.com
Cigar One - Geneva

A note about sources. The brick & mortar/online divide exists with cigars, as with guns, and most consumer products, with respect to price. As with guns - since both are "persecuted industries", basically - I make a conscious effort to source at least some of my cigars from my local store(s). It's a small thing, but the brick & mortar segment for both guns and tobacco are precious, and worth supporting where you can. And if you're lucky enough to have a good cigar store/lounge available, they're often a good social event with many dangerous people of the sort who own scary gunz, or read smart military blogs like this one. -rhomboid

Anyone have others to include? Perhaps a small local roller who makes a cigar you like? Send me your recommendation and a link to the site!

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Ammo Link-O-Rama
I'm really very seriously not kidding around anymore. Buy Ammo
AmmoSeek - online ammo search tool
GunBot - online ammo search tool
SG Ammo
Palmetto State Armory
Georgia Arms
AmmoMan
Target Sports USA
Bud's Gun Shop

***Mail Bag***

This week's mailbag entry is from our pal Hrothgar. Ha!

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Please note the new and improved protonmail account gunthread at protonmail dot com. An informal Gun Thread archive can be found HERE. Future expansion plans are in the works for the site Weasel Gun Thread. If you have a question you would like to ask Gun Thread Staff offline, just send us a note and we'll do our best to answer. If you care to share the story of your favorite firearm, send a picture with your nic and tell us what you sadly lost in the tragic canoe accident. If you would like to remain completely anonymous, just say so. Lurkers are always welcome!

That's it for this week - have you been to the range?

Posted by: Weasel at 07:00 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 BOOM!!!!!

Posted by: Scuba_Dude at February 05, 2023 07:00 PM (fe7in)

2 In!

Posted by: Norman Spiny at February 05, 2023 07:00 PM (mU6ac)

3 st! Howdy Weasel and gub 'ettes and 'rons!

Posted by: Schnorflepuppy at February 05, 2023 07:00 PM (v23vE)

4 Bang

Posted by: Eromero at February 05, 2023 07:00 PM (MF3yS)

5 Howdy all

Posted by: Skip at February 05, 2023 07:00 PM (xhxe8)

6 rats - 'grats, Scoob, and howdy!

Posted by: Schnorflepuppy at February 05, 2023 07:00 PM (v23vE)

7 Only made 2nd but I read all the content.....almost...

Posted by: Norman Spiny at February 05, 2023 07:01 PM (mU6ac)

8 Weasel 1st gun thread in February ought to be the
Groundhog Edition

Posted by: Skip at February 05, 2023 07:01 PM (xhxe8)

9 Not first; and too much reading to do now.

See you in about 101 comments.

Posted by: andycanuck (Vwz3I) at February 05, 2023 07:02 PM (Vwz3I)

10 Good afternoon Weasel!

Posted by: Diogenes at February 05, 2023 07:02 PM (anj39)

11 Weasel, miss you.

Posted by: Ben Had at February 05, 2023 07:04 PM (kOhcP)

12 Late, late, late.

Posted by: GWB at February 05, 2023 07:05 PM (B7zYP)

13 "My grandson turned 12 last month, which is the minimum age for our indoor range. I had started him with the Red Ryder and a pellet gun in the basement hallway."

I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this. I've never been one to say "not in the house!" for, say, soccer ball kicking and the like. If I had a hallway long enough for that, it could totally have gone on in my house.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at February 05, 2023 07:06 PM (OX9vb)

14 The balloon incident proved (as if further proof were needed) that we are not governed by serious people. The gubmint wouldn't have even brought it up except that it was spotted by civilians, then *iden and Milley fumfurred around for days until popular opinion left them no choice but to shoot it down.

Posted by: Schnorflepuppy at February 05, 2023 07:06 PM (v23vE)

15 Don't look for Weasel as he is on a zoom call about NoVaMoMe.

Posted by: Ben Had at February 05, 2023 07:07 PM (kOhcP)

16 What do you mean, “Take it out of the holster? I might break a nail!”

Posted by: Louis Renault at February 05, 2023 07:07 PM (glGDV)

17 Any way you look at it, nice shooting by the U.S. Air Force!
How many of you saw people saying "Well, one o' them Montana hunters should just shoot it down!"?

I'm too busy to get into the math, but anyone know what the max altitude of, say, a .30-06 would be when fired straight up? I'm guessing closer to 3-4 miles than 10-12.

Oy.

Posted by: GWB at February 05, 2023 07:08 PM (B7zYP)

18 Posted by: Ben Had at February 05, 2023 07:04 PM (kOhcP)
----
Same! Let's touch base this week at your convenience.

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 07:08 PM (WoIMU)

19
g'early evenin', 'rons

Posted by: AltonJackson at February 05, 2023 07:08 PM (ENBF0)

20 Was the F22 pilot a “woman?” Did xhe break a nail?

Posted by: Louis Renault at February 05, 2023 07:09 PM (glGDV)

21 I also use a beam scale, an RCBS M500 specifically, and you know what I'd really like? Some way to raise it up a foot or so above the bench so I don't have to scrunch down to see the indicator points square-on. Any ideas?

Posted by: Oddbob at February 05, 2023 07:10 PM (nfrXX)

22 Posted by: Ben Had at February 05, 2023 07:07 PM (kOhcP)
-----
We've had preliminary discussions already!

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 07:10 PM (WoIMU)

23 Howdy Schnor! Hope all is good!

I ran through the content. It is nice to see the older generation introduce the younger generation to this fascinating sport. chappyman66, good job with the grandson. I foresee many happy days at the range with you two.

Weasel, you should know all about lichen with what you encounter at the "Farm" when you have to do some cleaning. Tell us more!!!

Going to check out lin-duhs video in a little bit. Maybe it might help some of us take the wind out of "Spawn of lin-duhs" sails. LOL, just kidding. I expect her to show us up again in October.

Posted by: Scuba_Dude at February 05, 2023 07:11 PM (fe7in)

24 If tomorrow wasn't Monday could go to a indoor range close to where I'm working. Closed Monday and doubt will be there Tuesday.

Posted by: Skip at February 05, 2023 07:11 PM (xhxe8)

25 Howdy Weasel!

Howdy heavily armed Moron Horde!

Posted by: Pillage Idiot at February 05, 2023 07:12 PM (HlyYF)

26 Back to my certification testing.

Posted by: GWB at February 05, 2023 07:12 PM (B7zYP)

27 Anyone know what an AIM-9X Sidewinder costs us? Seems like the pilot could have just flown at the thing and then pulled up to blast it with the plane's exhaust. No, I'm sure there was some perfectly good reason to use a missile instead.

Posted by: Oddbob at February 05, 2023 07:13 PM (nfrXX)

28 I saw an online article by (I think) News Week alleging that NC police departments were pleading with citizens not to take potshots at the Chinee balloon. It appeared to me to be another attempt to portray gun owners yet again as ignorant blast-happy yokels.

Posted by: That Deplorable SOB Van Owen at February 05, 2023 07:13 PM (PWe8a)

29 Posted by: Oddbob at February 05, 2023 07:10 PM (nfrXX)
----
I load from a barstool and just scrunch down a little. I've heard of people rigging little inspection cameras for that purpose.

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 07:13 PM (WoIMU)

30 Weasel, you can never start too early anymore. Iam disturbed by the lack of anything to shoot around here.

Posted by: Ben Had at February 05, 2023 07:13 PM (kOhcP)

31 Top 30!

Posted by: Coelacanth at February 05, 2023 07:13 PM (OCzl8)

32 If the Horde had loaded a few rounds "extra hot", we could have probably brought down the balloon without an F-22.

Posted by: Pillage Idiot at February 05, 2023 07:14 PM (HlyYF)

33 Hmmm, odd they did not use the clearly superior F-35 instead of the F-22...

Posted by: Aetius451AD at February 05, 2023 07:14 PM (CsVWE)

34 Howdy PI !!!

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 07:15 PM (WoIMU)

35 Sadly no range report here. I am loathe to go out in this cold weather. And to lazy to head to the indoor one.

I also worry about going to the indoor one as it is in NJ and I have NY license plates on my car. You never know what nefarious State or Federal Agency might be keeping an eye on these places.

Posted by: Scuba_Dude at February 05, 2023 07:15 PM (fe7in)

36 Oddbob, I hope October is on your to do list.

Posted by: Ben Had at February 05, 2023 07:16 PM (kOhcP)

37 So I watched the SA M1 Garand video all the way through, wondering if Weasel would indeed hit steel with each of the eight rounds. No spoilers for them as have not watched the video, but I'll just say that the man is a purty good shot.

Posted by: Schnorflepuppy at February 05, 2023 07:16 PM (v23vE)

38 OddBob no idea the cost, use to put them on F-15s though

Posted by: Skip at February 05, 2023 07:16 PM (xhxe8)

39 As a kid growing up at a small airport in Washington State, I knew an old guy who flew in WW1. I asked him once about shooting at balloons. He hated it. Would rather do airplanes. Said balloons were too hard to bring down.
Begs the question, when was the last time an American shot one down?

Posted by: Diogenes at February 05, 2023 07:18 PM (anj39)

40 Oddbob - try stacked cinderblock. Flat, square edges and dense enough to help damp vibrations

Posted by: Coelacanth at February 05, 2023 07:18 PM (OCzl8)

41 OK, only 40.

Posted by: andycanuck (Vwz3I) at February 05, 2023 07:18 PM (Vwz3I)

42 Per the net: $603k for a sidewinder.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at February 05, 2023 07:18 PM (CsVWE)

43 The Chinese Spy Balloon was up some 11 miles in the air, don't think any AA artillery could hit it, even a German 88mm in WWII

Posted by: Skip at February 05, 2023 07:19 PM (xhxe8)

44 I've heard of people rigging little inspection cameras for that purpose.

That's a thought. Should be easy enough to prop up the phone camera so that's it's straight onto the scale and viewing the camera screen from an angle doesn't introduce parallax error. I'll give it a try soon.

Posted by: Oddbob at February 05, 2023 07:19 PM (nfrXX)

45 Pillage Idiot, hope you are all well and can't wait to see you again.

Posted by: Ben Had at February 05, 2023 07:19 PM (kOhcP)

46 Oddbob, I hope October is on your to do list.

Good Lord willing. I'll cross the rising creek if I have to.

Posted by: Oddbob at February 05, 2023 07:20 PM (nfrXX)

47 IIRC correctly the balloon was at an altitude of 60k or so. Not sure of the operating ceiling of our current military aircraft, but I am sure they could get to that altitude and take it down.
I think a missile was used because I am not sure if any of the modern military aircraft have guns anymore.

And on another note, they could have taken down that balloon much earlier, there were plenty of times the balloon was over EMPTY territory in the US.

Face it, the Administration shows again how incompetent they are.

Posted by: Scuba_Dude at February 05, 2023 07:20 PM (fe7in)

48 "No, I'm sure there was some perfectly good reason to use a missile instead."
I've read that the service ceiling of an F22 is 65k feet, but that can be exceeded if you don't mind unpredictable things happening in an F22.
How high was the target?

Posted by: gourmand du jour at February 05, 2023 07:21 PM (jTmQV)

49 30 Weasel, you can never start too early anymore.

I am disturbed by the lack of anything to shoot around here.

Posted by: Ben Had at February 05, 2023 07:13 PM

"Extirpation (also known as ‘local extinction’

describes the situation in which a species or population no longer exists within a certain geographical location."

If you personally dispatch all nasty intruders to hog heaven, then eventually you run out of targets!

(Howdy Ben!)

Posted by: Pillage Idiot at February 05, 2023 07:21 PM (HlyYF)

50 Don't you count out the powder grains individually??

And what colour is a yellow comment box outline?

Posted by: andycanuck (Vwz3I) at February 05, 2023 07:21 PM (Vwz3I)

51 Splash the balloon, I say again, splash the balloon!

Posted by: Mister Scott (Formerly GWS) at February 05, 2023 07:22 PM (uNylN)

52 Balloons in WWI, don't think at all in II for artillery and troop observation so we're a vital target. Being as such were heavily defended by AA guns. Mentioned earlier today 27th Aero Squadron's Frank Luke got most of his kills on balloons

Posted by: Skip at February 05, 2023 07:22 PM (xhxe8)

53 SgtMaj, if a safety is what you need here are a couple you might look at:
CZ 75 SP-01, HK P30S V3S, Sig M11A1, Browning HiPower (lots of brands these days), Beretta 92 Comp L, any size 1911. These are all good shooters and good carrys for most people. If you're assless get some suspenders.

Posted by: Eromero at February 05, 2023 07:22 PM (MF3yS)

54 Face it, the Administration shows again how incompetent they are.
Posted by: Scuba_Dude at February 05, 2023 07:20 PM (fe7in)

The latest spin, per our incomparable dem mouthpiece trolls, is that there were MANY chinese weather balloons over the US during Trump's admin.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at February 05, 2023 07:22 PM (CsVWE)

55 I think both of the videos on the balloon shoot-down discuss the use of the missile instead of a gun.

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 07:23 PM (WoIMU)

56 Sigh.
Had to turn down range time with Nurse and MAE yesterday. Mrs D recovering from surgery. I made up for it by cleaning a couple of the pistols.

Posted by: Diogenes at February 05, 2023 07:23 PM (anj39)

57 42 Per the net: $603k for a sidewinder.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at February 05, 2023 07:18 PM

If we had just dropped a dozen actual sidewinders on the balloon, the fang punctures would have let it descend gently.

Posted by: Pillage Idiot at February 05, 2023 07:24 PM (HlyYF)

58 Yaaayyy! WeaselDog returns to the GT!

Weasel, I emailed you something that might work for next week (or later) if you're continuing the reloading theme.

Posted by: Duncanthrax at February 05, 2023 07:24 PM (a3Q+t)

59 38 OddBob no idea the cost, use to put them on F-15s though
Posted by: Skip at February 05, 2023 07:16 PM
We put Sidewinders on F4Js back in the 60s, Sparrows too.

Posted by: Eromero at February 05, 2023 07:24 PM (MF3yS)

60 If we had just dropped a dozen actual sidewinders on the balloon, the fang punctures would have let it descend gently.
Posted by: Pillage Idiot at February 05, 2023 07:24 PM (HlyYF)
----
Lawn Darts!

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 07:24 PM (WoIMU)

61 Read the F-22 was at around 60,000 feet, the balloon a few thousand higher and the Aim-9 covered the distance. Thought 20mm cannon would be better but would need to be a lot closer

Posted by: Skip at February 05, 2023 07:25 PM (xhxe8)

62 45 Pillage Idiot, hope you are all well and can't wait to see you again.

Posted by: Ben Had at February 05, 2023 07:19 PM

I am counting down the days to the TXMoMe!

Can't wait to see y'all again.

Posted by: Pillage Idiot at February 05, 2023 07:26 PM (HlyYF)

63 Pillage Idiot, are you telling g me I may have created an extinction level event?/

Posted by: Ben Had at February 05, 2023 07:26 PM (kOhcP)

64 Wouldn't this have been a great target for our laser weapon research by Raytheon?

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at February 05, 2023 07:26 PM (Qy9+6)

65 Posted by: Duncanthrax at February 05, 2023 07:24 PM (a3Q+t)
---
Thanks!

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 07:26 PM (WoIMU)

66 Thanks for the balloon video Weasel. Biden full of crap about the risk of shooting it down over land......Alaska?? Whozit gonna hit??

Posted by: Norman Spiny at February 05, 2023 07:26 PM (mU6ac)

67 Weasel. Thanks for your hard work on this.

I’ve missed the last couple of weeks. Did the horde address the ATF rule regarding braces? I didn’t realize their purview extended that far. The T in ATF must stand for teeth.

Register or breakdown? Asking for a friend.

Posted by: Pete Bog at February 05, 2023 07:26 PM (Jzz++)

68 Don't you count out the powder grains individually??

Not all of them but the last few, yeah sorta. It's surprising to see how much a single granule of stick powder can move the scale.

Posted by: Oddbob at February 05, 2023 07:26 PM (nfrXX)

69 Maybe that was the intent of the Chinese. To rule out whether the US had an operative laser weapon.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at February 05, 2023 07:27 PM (Qy9+6)

70 61 Thought 20mm cannon would be better but would need to be a lot closer

Posted by: Skip at February 05, 2023 07:25 PM

Maybe the pilots should take Weasel's long distance shooting course at the next TXMoMe.

They would learn how to read wind and know how much of a hold they would need to take down the balloon.

Posted by: Scuba_Dude at February 05, 2023 07:27 PM (fe7in)

71 I can only assume that intent of the balloon missile shot was to ensure that the payload was unrecoverable, or at least, unreconstructable.

We neatly snipped the payload off so it could free fall into the Atlantic. I figure it hit the water at about 140 mph.

https://fbook.cc/4Ic4

Posted by: G'rump928(c) at February 05, 2023 07:29 PM (yQpMk)

72 Posted by: Scuba_Dude at February 05, 2023 07:27 PM (fe7in)
-----
Put me in the backseat of something with a gun and I'd have popped it!

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 07:29 PM (WoIMU)

73 Unnamed DOD source versus contradictions by PDT and...

||Trump War Room @TrumpWarRoom · 8h
"I can refute it. Former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper refuted it yesterday. Former Secretary of State and CIA Director Mike Pompeo has refuted it."

WATCH: Former DNI John Ratcliffe debunks the claim that Chinese spy balloons occupied airspace during the Trump administration.||

And apparently, anti-Trump Bolton has also said it's crap.

Posted by: andycanuck (Vwz3I) at February 05, 2023 07:29 PM (Vwz3I)

74 60 If we had just dropped a dozen actual sidewinders on the balloon, the fang punctures would have let it descend gently.

Posted by: Pillage Idiot at February 05, 2023 07:24 PM

----
Lawn Darts!

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 07:24 PM

I can certainly see the utility of an orbiting station armed ONLY with Lawn Darts.

If you added a guidance system and controllable fins, then they could be quite useful in a multitude of situations.

Posted by: Pillage Idiot at February 05, 2023 07:30 PM (HlyYF)

75 Good evening gubthreaders and all the ships at sea!

Not much on the gubby stuff this week. We had to bail on the DMV MGC due to moody/indecisive teen having a birthday on this day deciding that she DID want to do something today. After saying nah all week.

Teens. You can't live with 'em, you can't shoot 'em.

Posted by: blaster at February 05, 2023 07:30 PM (pwExq)

76 And apparently, anti-Trump Bolton has also said it's crap.
Posted by: andycanuck (Vwz3I) at February 05, 2023 07:29 PM (Vwz3I)
----
Try and find any of that with a Google search!

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 07:31 PM (WoIMU)

77 52 Balloons in WWI, don't think at all in II for artillery and troop observation so we're a vital target. Being as such were heavily defended by AA guns. Mentioned earlier today 27th Aero Squadron's Frank Luke got most of his kills on balloons
Posted by: Skip at February 05, 2023 07:22 PM (xhxe

Heard that the call signs of the fighters were FRANK45 and FRANK46 in honor of 2LT Frank Luke

Posted by: Schnorflepuppy at February 05, 2023 07:32 PM (v23vE)

78 63 Pillage Idiot, are you telling g me I may have created an extinction level event?/

Posted by: Ben Had at February 05, 2023 07:26 PM

It was a REALLY nice rifle!

Posted by: Pillage Idiot at February 05, 2023 07:32 PM (HlyYF)

79 64 Wouldn't this have been a great target for our laser weapon research by Raytheon?

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at February 05, 2023 07:26 PM

What about the rail gun the Navy is developing? A WWII battleship like the New Jersey had a range of over 20 miles with its 16 inch guns.
The rail gun is supposed to have an even greater range.

I read above someone said the balloon was 11 miles high. Well within range of either weapon.

Posted by: Scuba_Dude at February 05, 2023 07:32 PM (fe7in)

80 #73 And the alleged other violations were 'brief' ones over Hawaii [and/or Guam] and the TX and FL coastlines. Sounds alot different than for a week over Alaska, Western Canada, and the U.S West to the Carolinas.

Posted by: andycanuck (Vwz3I) at February 05, 2023 07:32 PM (Vwz3I)

81 Evening all! I am enjoying the reloading information and yes would like to have a single point to grab your material. I already lost the shopping list. I have a Dillon Square Deal press new in the box thats never been used. Just haven't had time to learn. I think I saw Rock Chucker kits on sale. If I can find it I will post it.

Posted by: 10 Gallon Hat at February 05, 2023 07:34 PM (RL+Tl)

82 So, continuing saga of the 3D printed Frankenglock.

After doing some gunsmithing to it, I made it better, and I made it worse. So it wasn't hanging out of battery as much. Still did it once, but I know what needs to be done.

But also, somehow the trigger bar is now in contact with the inner frame, and there is some dragging friction. And LOTS of light strikes. Gah. Maybe time to print another frame.

At least it hasn't cracked!

Posted by: blaster at February 05, 2023 07:34 PM (pwExq)

83 Observers in those WW1 balloons wore parachutes . Over a hundred successful jumps

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at February 05, 2023 07:34 PM (Qy9+6)

84 What do you think?

Seriously - I think that was the most realistic, helpful, applicable bit of teaching I've seen since the practical lessons of Jeff Cooper. And hence, why he taught the practice of "slipping" the trigger.

Posted by: Tell It Like It Is at February 05, 2023 07:34 PM (TeRxL)

85 Gotta check out so you'll shoot 'em like you need 'em

Posted by: Ben Had at February 05, 2023 07:34 PM (kOhcP)

86 76 And apparently, anti-Trump Bolton has also said it's crap.
Posted by: andycanuck (Vwz3I) at February 05, 2023 07:29 PM (Vwz3I)
----
Try and find any of that with a Google search!
Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 07:31 PM
The gooble is a division of a Propaganda Ministry Goebbells would have been proud of.

Posted by: Eromero at February 05, 2023 07:34 PM (MF3yS)

87 Thanks for the gub thread, Weasel.

Dinner beckons! (All three daughters in town.)

Posted by: Pillage Idiot at February 05, 2023 07:34 PM (HlyYF)

88 On a totally non-balloon-related topic, I went to an estate sale yesterday and scored a box of random M1 carbine parts for $30. I'll have to sort and clean everything but at a minimum, there's a trigger housing, a bolt, and two op handles. Best of all, having the parts means that now I need to buy an M1 carbine.

Posted by: Oddbob at February 05, 2023 07:34 PM (nfrXX)

89 Best of all, having the parts means that now I need to buy an M1 carbine.
Posted by: Oddbob at February 05, 2023 07:34 PM (nfrXX)

This is the way.

Posted by: blaster at February 05, 2023 07:36 PM (pwExq)

90 72 Put me in the backseat of something with a gun and I'd have popped it!

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 07:29 PM

Why all of a sudden did I get a picture of Weasel in the back of a Sopwith Camel with goggles and a scarf streaming behind him and a cigar clamped between his teeth taking shots at balloons?

Posted by: Scuba_Dude at February 05, 2023 07:36 PM (fe7in)

91 Here in Asheville the other day 2 lowlifes rented a couple of handguns at the local indoor range, using fake ID's, went in and shot a few rounds, then came out of the range and went straight out the door to their car and booked. Haven't heard yet if caught.

Posted by: AshevilleRobert at February 05, 2023 07:37 PM (fv27Y)

92 Posted by: 10 Gallon Hat at February 05, 2023 07:34 PM (RL+Tl)
---
OK, will do!

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 07:38 PM (WoIMU)

93 I think I saw Rock Chucker kits on sale. If I can find it I will post it.

Ooh yeah, that was something else I had intended to mention. At Brownell's.

https://tinyurl.com/rock-chucker-on-sale

Posted by: Oddbob at February 05, 2023 07:38 PM (nfrXX)

94 Here in Asheville the other day 2 lowlifes rented a couple of handguns at the local indoor range, using fake ID's, went in and shot a few rounds, then came out of the range and went straight out the door to their car and booked. Haven't heard yet if caught.

Posted by: AshevilleRobert at February 05, 2023 07:37 PM

That's why at most gun ranges I have been to if they don't know you when you come in to rent guns they shadow you to and from the range to prevent that kind of $hit from happening.

Posted by: Mister Scott (Formerly GWS) at February 05, 2023 07:40 PM (uNylN)

95 Posted by: Pillage Idiot at February 05, 2023 07:34 PM (HlyYF)
----
Adios, bro!

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 07:40 PM (WoIMU)

96 91 Posted by: AshevilleRobert at February 05, 2023 07:37 PM

If I rent a gun at the indoor range I go to, an RSO will bring the gun and the ammo to the lane I am shooting at and will stay there until I am done and then they will take the gun away.

Posted by: Scuba_Dude at February 05, 2023 07:40 PM (fe7in)

97 67 Pete Bog

Register or breakdown? Asking for a friend.

If you register it, you have admitted you had an illegal SBR without the proper authorization, even though it was legal a few days ago.

Sounds like an entrapment scheme to me, but they would never do that would they?

Posted by: 10 Gallon Hat at February 05, 2023 07:40 PM (RL+Tl)

98 Posted by: AshevilleRobert at February 05, 2023 07:37 PM (fv27Y)

I bet they will now require more than leaving just your license at the counter.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at February 05, 2023 07:40 PM (Qy9+6)

99 82 So, continuing saga of the 3D printed Frankenglock.

After doing some gunsmithing to it, I made it better, and I made it worse. So it wasn't hanging out of battery as much. Still did it once, but I know what needs to be done.

But also, somehow the trigger bar is now in contact with the inner frame, and there is some dragging friction. And LOTS of light strikes. Gah. Maybe time to print another frame.

At least it hasn't cracked!
Posted by: blaster at February 05, 2023 07:34 PM (pwExq)

Blaster, sorry if I've asked before, but what software do you use to create your STL files?

Finally got my Ender 3 S1 Pro put together and printing today, but I've got a lot more learning to do before I start printing my own objects.

Posted by: Schnorflepuppy at February 05, 2023 07:40 PM (v23vE)

100 A WWII battleship like the New Jersey had a range of over 20 miles with its 16 inch guns.
The rail gun is supposed to have an even greater range.

I read above someone said the balloon was 11 miles high. Well within range of either weapon.
Posted by: Scuba_Dude at February 05, 2023 07:32 PM

A 20 mile range with a projectile doesn't mean it can go straight up 20 miles.

Posted by: Duncanthrax at February 05, 2023 07:41 PM (a3Q+t)

101 >>>Anyone know what an AIM-9X Sidewinder costs us?

>If it came from a F-22 it was probably a Block II sidewinder (stealth requirements) so north of $380K.

Posted by: Dr. Bone at February 05, 2023 07:41 PM (Jg7EG)

102 I've got a totally crap + broken iver johnson 22 Mag revolver. I keep waiting for Asheville to have a "buyback" so I can get some money out of it but they never do.

Posted by: AshevilleRobert at February 05, 2023 07:41 PM (fv27Y)

103 Thats it! Thanks Oddbob!

Posted by: 10 Gallon Hat at February 05, 2023 07:42 PM (RL+Tl)

104 Register or breakdown? Asking for a friend.
Posted by: Pete Bog at February 05, 2023 07:26 PM (Jzz++)

The first lawsuit has been filed in federal court in TX. There is still some time to wait and see if maybe the court rules against the regulation.

Posted by: That Deplorable SOB Van Owen at February 05, 2023 07:43 PM (PWe8a)

105 I've got a totally crap + broken iver johnson 22 Mag revolver. I keep waiting for Asheville to have a "buyback" so I can get some money out of it but they never do.

I keep a .380 Lorcin in the safe for the same reason. 1 - to make sure nobody else puts themself in danger with a .380 Lorcin. And 2 - to get my money when they ever have a buyback in my neck of the woods.

Posted by: Tell It Like It Is at February 05, 2023 07:44 PM (TeRxL)

106 Blaster, sorry if I've asked before, but what software do you use to create your STL files?

Finally got my Ender 3 S1 Pro put together and printing today, but I've got a lot more learning to do before I start printing my own objects.
Posted by: Schnorflepuppy at February 05, 2023 07:40 PM (v23vE)

I have an Ender 3 Pro and Cura is the recommended slicer for it. But you asked about the .stl file - I don't make those I download those. The FMDA 19.2 set of files is available several places.

The key is using the right settings in Cura.

Posted by: blaster at February 05, 2023 07:44 PM (pwExq)

107 67 Posted by: Pete Bog at February 05, 2023 07:26 PM

I cannot say if you should register or not, but there are some Congress critters who have submitted a bill to prevent the ATF from creating these rules. See attached YouTube clip

https://tinyurl.com/27hpxfbw

Posted by: Scuba_Dude at February 05, 2023 07:45 PM (fe7in)

108 My favorite way to dispense powder when reloading is with a scoop such as the powder scoop sets from Lee Precision. Used properly, they are capable of serious consistency and allow for simple, rapid loading. Even if you weigh each charge they are a quick way to get most of the weight before using a trickle charger. But there are some drawbacks.

1. They aren't adjustable, so you have to know the specific powder for the specific caliber and bullet weight once you know your 'pet' load.

2. You still need a scale (preferably a beam scale IMHO) to be sure the scoop throws the desired weight and that you keep using the correct technique. Check every 20 or 30 cases until you're sure of the technique.

If a commercial scoop doesn't meet your needs it wouldn't be difficult to make one. Some trial and error and a scale would be needed.

Posted by: JTB at February 05, 2023 07:45 PM (7EjX1)

109 "If I rent a gun at the indoor range I go to, an RSO will bring the gun and the ammo to the lane I am shooting at and will stay there until I am done and then they will take the gun away.

Posted by: Scuba_Dude "

I've been to the place many times. Used to shoot in a league there some time back. They'd always been a bit casual about this and the way the place is set up made it easy if they were busy. I'm surrprised this is the first time it's happened.

Posted by: AshevilleRobert at February 05, 2023 07:46 PM (fv27Y)

110
A WWII battleship like the New Jersey had a range of over 20 miles with its 16 inch guns.

Straight up?

Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at February 05, 2023 07:46 PM (63Dwl)

111 100 A 20 mile range with a projectile doesn't mean it can go straight up 20 miles.

Posted by: Duncanthrax at February 05, 2023 07:41 PM

Agreed, but I believe we do have weapons in our arsenal that can.

Posted by: Scuba_Dude at February 05, 2023 07:47 PM (fe7in)

112 I have an Ender 3 Pro and Cura is the recommended slicer for it. But you asked about the .stl file - I don't make those I download those. The FMDA 19.2 set of files is available several places.

The key is using the right settings in Cura.

Posted by: blaster at February 05, 2023 07:44 PM (pwExq)

Cool, thanks. The Creality slicer is supposedly a limited functionality version of Cura, and the price is right.

Posted by: Schnorflepuppy at February 05, 2023 07:49 PM (v23vE)

113 Guns!

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards (Logan Tiberius 2012-2021) at February 05, 2023 07:50 PM (xcxpd)

114 Sounds like an entrapment scheme to me, but they would never do that would they?
Posted by: 10 Gallon Hat at February 05, 2023 07:40 PM (RL+Tl)

Exactly my thought. Though I’m sure they know who purchased the specific models they called out in the rule detail.

Posted by: Pete Bog at February 05, 2023 07:50 PM (Jzz++)

115 110 Straight up?

Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at February 05, 2023 07:46 PM

Ok, ok, I was using a WWII battleship to show that things have changed in the last 70 or 80 years. I am not saying a 16 inch gun can shoot it's projectile 20 miles straight up in the air. I am sure someone can mathematically calculate how far one would go.

But we have to have something out there that could have taken that balloon down.

Posted by: Scuba_Dude at February 05, 2023 07:51 PM (fe7in)

116 Just looked up a German Flak37 88mm had a ceiling range of 32,500 feet, just over 1/2 way to the Chinese Spy Balloon

Posted by: Skip at February 05, 2023 07:52 PM (xhxe8)

117 This is where I am on the brace rule. It took effect Jan 31. There are 3 ea. qualifying firearms at the bottom of our pond.

There are 120 days to register braced pistols el freebo. I suspect somewhere between now something is going to happen. Forget Congress. Any bill has to be passed by the Senate and signed by the President. notgonnahappen.com I think the Gun Owners of America lawsuit is going to get a stay on the rule. I don't know if it will ultimately prevail, but probably get a stay.

If it doesn't, well, sometime in May I will probably file and register them for free. I don't want to, but neither am I interested in becoming a felon. So there we are.

Posted by: blaster at February 05, 2023 07:52 PM (pwExq)

118 >>>An AIM-9X Sidewinder missile was used

What the hell? Now they are trying to find whatever tiny little fragments they can for analysis. Couldn't they have just shot it down with guns? You shoot a balloon full of holes, the air comes out, the balloon falls to the ground.

F22 guns:
https://is.gd/cv2Heo

Posted by: No Name Today at February 05, 2023 07:53 PM (vlXMQ)

119 Range report:
Smaller group than usual for our biweekly meeting of the MGC as Blaster and Sra Blaster couldn't make it. Iris, Ed L Hrothgar, Stinky's Daddy and myself managed to get a couple of lanes after a short wait. Range was definitely more crowded than usual.
Both Ed L and Stinky's Daddy brought new toys for me to play with. Ed L brought a Walther P99(cue music from 007 movie). Stinky's Daddy had a brand new S&W 1911.
I started with the Kimber Aegis because wanted to make sure it was working properly. And....It was!
Nice way to start.
To be cont

Posted by: sharon(willow's apprentice) at February 05, 2023 07:54 PM (Y+l9t)

120 Range report, feel free to skip.

Did some embarssing stuff at the range yesterday. It's called 'hip shooting' and I suck at it. Mostly because I shoot the ceiling. Sometimes, not all the time, but often enough that they told me stop. So I can't get better at hip shooting. So that's a whole thing.

I did non-hip shooting with my PSA Dagger, which has the front sight reattached by a gunsmith because fucking Amazon took a fucking MONTH to ship me my front sight tool. The gun was fine, this is my 3rd frame and the mag release button is stiff as me at a Hawaiian Tropic swimwear revue. So I need to bash it a few hundred times and I'm sure it will break in. The mag release, that is. Otherwise, the APEX trigger on the new frame is ok, maybe not worth the $150 on a $300 pistol but it's a little better than what ships with it. If you really hate the S&W M&P style hinged trigger, maybe it's worth it.

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards (Logan Tiberius 2012-2021) at February 05, 2023 07:54 PM (xcxpd)

121 Love the range report from Chappyman66. Introducing young people to firearms is more fun for the teacher than the kid. The look on a youngster's face with that first successful shot is beyond wonderful.

Posted by: JTB at February 05, 2023 07:55 PM (7EjX1)

122 My thinking is the Aim- 9 would lock onto the Balloon array, detonate in that area, shread the balloon but do a lot of damage on the array.
If in Myrtle Beach would have loved to watch to see if anything came out to retrieve it.

Posted by: Skip at February 05, 2023 07:58 PM (xhxe8)

123 My M1 has a CMP stock, which is nice and unblemished, but it's light colored and new looking. Is it going to take 70 years for it to get that nice dark color?

Posted by: fd at February 05, 2023 07:58 PM (iayUP)

124 It's called 'hip shooting' and I suck at it. Mostly because I shoot the ceiling.

That seems like the kind of thing that one of those laser training gadgets would be perfect for.

Posted by: Oddbob at February 05, 2023 08:00 PM (nfrXX)

125 Cool, thanks. The Creality slicer is supposedly a limited functionality version of Cura, and the price is right.
Posted by: Schnorflepuppy at February 05, 2023 07:49 PM (v23vE)

Eh? Cura is free. Though my printer is now a few years old and I haven't kept up with what they are doing - mybe Cura doesn't work with the new generation.

Posted by: blaster at February 05, 2023 08:00 PM (pwExq)

126 56 Sigh.
Had to turn down range time with Nurse and MAE yesterday. Mrs D recovering from surgery. I made up for it by cleaning a couple of the pistols.
Posted by: Diogenes at February 05, 2023 07:23 PM (anj39)

You are always welcome, hope she heals up well.

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards (Logan Tiberius 2012-2021) at February 05, 2023 08:00 PM (xcxpd)

127 Posted by: Skip at February 05, 2023 07:58 PM (xhxe

------
One of the reports I read (or watched) mentioned they had removed the warhead from the missile, so it was just kinetic energy that popped it.

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 08:00 PM (WoIMU)

128 124 It's called 'hip shooting' and I suck at it. Mostly because I shoot the ceiling.

That seems like the kind of thing that one of those laser training gadgets would be perfect for.
Posted by: Oddbob at February 05, 2023 08:00 PM (nfrXX)

Jah, I do have an underbarrel laser but no holster that will work with it + whatever pistol I mount it on.

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards (Logan Tiberius 2012-2021) at February 05, 2023 08:01 PM (xcxpd)

129 I read above someone said the balloon was 11 miles high. Well within range of either weapon.
Posted by: Scuba_Dude at February 05, 2023 07:32 PM

Dangnabit, Scuba_Dude sent me down a rabbit hole, and it turns out he's correct.

The 16"/50 Mark 7 guns, firing HC Mark 13, could potentially reach 21 miles of altitude, and firing HE-ER Mark 148 (a saboted round) could reach around 38 miles of altitude, if fired at 89 degrees. Now the guns couldn't elevate that high, but at least the velocity potential is there. Now I'll have to see what the max gun elevation was.

Posted by: Duncanthrax at February 05, 2023 08:01 PM (a3Q+t)

130 125 Cool, thanks. The Creality slicer is supposedly a limited functionality version of Cura, and the price is right.
Posted by: Schnorflepuppy at February 05, 2023 07:49 PM (v23vE)

Eh? Cura is free. Though my printer is now a few years old and I haven't kept up with what they are doing - mybe Cura doesn't work with the new generation.
Posted by: blaster at February 05, 2023 08:00 PM (pwExq)

Oh, OK, thanks. I figured Cura was payware, but Creality licensed it for shipment with their printers. I did see a YouTube video where the host claimed that Cura didn't have all the Creality printer models in its library, but can't independently verify.

Posted by: Schnorflepuppy at February 05, 2023 08:02 PM (v23vE)

131 The Walther P99 was interesting as it has some interesting quirks. It was fairly light and had more recoil because of it. My shooting was fair although I got rounds on paper. I also tried S.D.'s new 1911. Again, shot okay but he shot way better than I did. Then the gun jammed and had to be put to bed.
Ed broke out a police target which was pretty small and sent it out 25 feet. Took out the G48. Starting to really love this gun. First set shot the guy in the neck. Next round in the heart and then eviscerated him. Big smile!

Posted by: sharon(willow's apprentice) at February 05, 2023 08:02 PM (Y+l9t)

132 Dangnabit, Scuba_Dude sent me down a rabbit hole, and it turns out he's correct.

-----

Oh dear.

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 08:02 PM (WoIMU)

133 My M1 has a CMP stock, which is nice and unblemished, but it's light colored and new looking. Is it going to take 70 years for it to get that nice dark color?

I think that dark color comes from linseed oil and humping it around Europe in the rain and snow for a few years. But mostly from...

Posted by: Oddbob at February 05, 2023 08:02 PM (nfrXX)

134 "HE-ER Mark 148 (a saboted round) could reach around 38 miles of altitude, if fired at 89 degrees. "

That is one kick ass projectile. How fast is it going?

Posted by: fd at February 05, 2023 08:03 PM (iayUP)

135 Haven't looked at balloon stuff yet. Was thinking AIM-9 with dummy/without explosive warhead would do the trick .... though I'm not sure where on the balloon a heat-seeking head would focus? Any kind of impact to a balloon would suffice to bring it down, quickly or slowly.

Don't know if a Sidewinder can be used that way. But I think it's a "hit-tile", not a "miss-ile", that is it is designed to hit a target, not just get close enough for an exploding warhead to do its business. Seems like a kinetic kill, in any case, would be the way to go here, to minimize damage to the target.

Posted by: rhomboid at February 05, 2023 08:03 PM (OTzUX)

136 Just looked up a German Flak37 88mm had a ceiling range of 32,500 feet, just over 1/2 way to the Chinese Spy Balloon

Posted by: Skip at February 05, 2023 07:52 PM

I don't think any of the conventional WWII FLAK guns could reach that altitude. But the Germans were pumping out some big guns towards the end of the war that might have come close.

Posted by: Mister Scott (Formerly GWS) at February 05, 2023 08:04 PM (uNylN)

137 129 Posted by: Duncanthrax at February 05, 2023 08:01 PM

I was right? Whoa (sits down).

Now I am see what the actual range of the 16 inch guns were.

Posted by: Scuba_Dude at February 05, 2023 08:04 PM (fe7in)

138 I don't remember which No. it was, but years ago used to pick up Montecristo No. X (robusto/corona sized) in little cardboard 5-packs at "tabacchia" stands in Rome when there for work. Was my stand-by - but back then I was a very occasional cigar smoker.

Posted by: rhomboid at February 05, 2023 08:04 PM (OTzUX)

139 Jah, I do have an underbarrel laser but no holster that will work with it + whatever pistol I mount it on.

I was thinking of the cartridge-shaped laser that activates when the firing pin hits it and a phone app that spots your hits for you.

Posted by: Oddbob at February 05, 2023 08:05 PM (nfrXX)

140 My M1 has a CMP stock, which is nice and unblemished, but it's light colored and new looking. Is it going to take 70 years for it to get that nice dark color?

I think that dark color comes from linseed oil and humping it around Europe in the rain and snow for a few years. But mostly from...
Posted by: Oddbob at February 05, 2023 08:02 PM (nfrXX)

If it is walnut, leaving it in the Sun will darken it.

Posted by: G'rump928(c) at February 05, 2023 08:05 PM (1I6o+)

141 Weasel if that is so, read a few but didn't see that, gives me hope they want to retrieve it. Video I saw don't think there was a explosion but it's 11 miles up so could just miss that.

Posted by: Skip at February 05, 2023 08:06 PM (xhxe8)

142 132 Oh dear.

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 08:02 PM

Be afraid......... be very afraid............ :-D

Posted by: Scuba_Dude at February 05, 2023 08:06 PM (fe7in)

143 My walnuts darken in the sun too.

Posted by: andycanuck (Vwz3I) at February 05, 2023 08:08 PM (Vwz3I)

144 Hello, Weasel!

Posted by: Ed L at February 05, 2023 08:08 PM (/lmRp)

145 Oh, here's a thing about the brace rule that is of course sucky. I am not a lawyer yada yada. But anyway, apparently the amnesty on the $200 tax stamp only applies to current ownership. So, if you register it, you get the amnesty. But it you wanted to put that newly registered SBR into a gun trust, well, that's a completely different transfer. And now you have to pay the $200.

Gah.

Posted by: blaster at February 05, 2023 08:08 PM (pwExq)

146 "I think that dark color comes from linseed oil and humping it around Europe in the rain and snow for a few years. But mostly from...
Posted by: Oddbob "

I've had it for some time and use linseed on it a couple of times a year but it doesn't seem to make much difference. I'm not gonna start toting it around though, it will just have to stay light.

I've seen some really dark original stocks. Did they use motor oil on them or something?

Posted by: fd at February 05, 2023 08:08 PM (iayUP)

147 Now I am see what the actual range of the 16 inch guns were.
Posted by: Scuba_Dude at February 05, 2023 08:04 PM

They're impressive. Most impressive.

Posted by: RedMindBlueState at February 05, 2023 08:08 PM (Wnv9h)

148 Posted by: Skip at February 05, 2023 08:06 PM (xhxe

----
A report also mentioned panels falling off the payload as it was headed toward the water, so it's going to be a little busted up. Good news is I also heard the water was only about 50' deep where it was expected to impact, so it shouldn't be too difficult to recover the components.

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 08:09 PM (WoIMU)

149 I've seen some really dark original stocks. Did they use motor oil on them or something?

Posted by: fd at February 05, 2023 08:08 PM

That's from sweat and dirt, but mostly dirt.

Posted by: Mister Scott (Formerly GWS) at February 05, 2023 08:09 PM (uNylN)

150 *reads content*

Mmm...Garand.

Posted by: RedMindBlueState at February 05, 2023 08:11 PM (Wnv9h)

151 I've seen some really dark original stocks. Did they use motor oil on them or something?

I don't know for a fact but I wouldn't be surprised. GIs are all about field expediency.

Posted by: Oddbob at February 05, 2023 08:11 PM (nfrXX)

152
They're impressive. Most impressive.
Posted by: RedMindBlueState at February 05, 2023 08:08 PM (Wnv9h)
---
Spectacular, even!

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 08:11 PM (WoIMU)

153 fd, not sure, but I think you might be able to beautify/darken up that stock with an annual application of BLO (boiled linseed oil), which is readily available. Do it in July. Oil up the wood, wipe it down, set out in the sun for a few hours. Do this every year, and after a while it'll be dark and purty.

My own CMP M1s came with beautiful GI wood, dark, with just enough nicks/etc to make them look "broken in". And the DAS stamps on them were are actually appropriate for the year of the receivers, in each case. Only request I made, the traditional yellow-sticky note request stuck on the order form. I gather either "GI wood" or "WWII production date" (for the receiver), in the past, generally produced results with CMP. Dunno about recently.

I have done the annual BLO coat to a beautiful walnut stock that came on the AutoOrdnance M1 carbine I bought years ago. It's now a nice deep rich brown color (was blonde-ish at the start).

Posted by: rhomboid at February 05, 2023 08:11 PM (OTzUX)

154 Howdy, EdL!

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 08:11 PM (WoIMU)

155 Sadly, the maximum elevation of the Mark 7 guns on battleships was 45 degrees, giving a max vertical range of between 5 and 6 miles, depending on load.

Their (measured) accuracy at 34,000 yards was .77 MOA.

Posted by: Duncanthrax at February 05, 2023 08:12 PM (a3Q+t)

156 They're impressive. Most impressive.
Posted by: RedMindBlueState at February 05, 2023 08:08 PM (Wnv9h)
---
Spectacular, even!
Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 08:11 PM

And most definitely real.

Posted by: RedMindBlueState at February 05, 2023 08:12 PM (Wnv9h)

157 I would think the CMP stocks (from Boyd, right?) would darken up with BLO + sun.

Posted by: rhomboid at February 05, 2023 08:13 PM (OTzUX)

158 According to the intertubes the US army was to have two laser systems attached to Stryker vehicles in 2022. A 50 kilowatt and a 300 kilowatt.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at February 05, 2023 08:13 PM (Qy9+6)

159 51 Splash the balloon, I say again, splash the balloon!

Posted by: Mister Scott (Formerly GWS) at February 05, 2023 07:22 PM (uNylN)
----
You've been watching that carrier movie again? (I love it). The Final Solution or something?

Posted by: Ciampino - simply put great movie at February 05, 2023 08:14 PM (qfLjt)

160 "HE-ER Mark 148 (a saboted round) could reach around 38 miles of altitude, if fired at 89 degrees. "

That is one kick ass projectile. How fast is it going?
Posted by: fd at February 05, 2023 08:03 PM

3,600 ft./sec. Weight of about 1,000 lbs w/o sabot, 1,300 with sabot.

Posted by: Duncanthrax at February 05, 2023 08:15 PM (a3Q+t)

161 Oh, OK, thanks. I figured Cura was payware, but Creality licensed it for shipment with their printers. I did see a YouTube video where the host claimed that Cura didn't have all the Creality printer models in its library, but can't independently verify.
Posted by: Schnorflepuppy at February 05, 2023 08:02 PM (v23vE)

I have Cura 5.21 which is very new and it has a profile for Creality Ender S1 but not the S1 Pro. I think Creality is starting to build a bit of a walled garden.

Posted by: blaster at February 05, 2023 08:15 PM (pwExq)

162 Question: does a suppressor even work on a revolver?

Posted by: Ciampino - Hollywood thinks it does at February 05, 2023 08:16 PM (qfLjt)

163
"Oil up the wood, wipe it down, set out in the sun for a few hours. "

Well, I've never left it out in the Sun after oiling so will try that. Maybe tomorrow even. It's supposed to be sunny and 68 here.

Posted by: fd at February 05, 2023 08:16 PM (iayUP)

164 Japan actually produced anti-aircraft rounds for their battle ship main batteries (including I think the 18" Yamato-class rifles). I think they were used a few times, with not much success. Big airbursts.

Everything about the 16" guns is amazing and great. Sort of the apotheosis of traditional artillery, in every way, from projectiles to propellants to fire control (the Mark 8 analogue fire control computers, which were simply left unchanged when the Iowa class was brought out for its last service in the 80s - though they did add a laser range-finder as an additional input).

Have mentioned before, if in western NV visit the Hawthorne Ordnance museum. Last spare 16" barrel (cut into sections) there, and lots of great info.

Posted by: rhomboid at February 05, 2023 08:16 PM (OTzUX)

165 Question: does a suppressor even work on a revolver?
Posted by: Ciampino - Hollywood thinks it does at February 05, 2023 08:16 PM

Not as such, no.

Posted by: RedMindBlueState at February 05, 2023 08:16 PM (Wnv9h)

166 Hi weasel! Thank you for the thread!

So, in my quest to challenge myself and practice relevant self defense scenarios, yesterday was, "I'm in my car and getting threatened by idiots from both the passenger side and drivers side."

I was seated perpendicular to the target and one handed shooting out the "passenger side" and then turning around, across my body through the "driver's side."

Targets were pretty close 5 yards max and lowered so I didn't hit the ceiling (again).

Did pretty well. Hit center mass or -1 for the majority of shots. Really thought about car jacking, which is a thing here.
I also thought a lot about how dedicated I am to using my car to get myself out of a dangerous situation. I am willing to move someone who is blocking my way.

Are you?

Posted by: nurse ratched at February 05, 2023 08:17 PM (U2p+3)

167 And ah, the M1. Thanks Weasel. Apologies to NZFrank if he checks in. My favorite gun, period.

Posted by: rhomboid at February 05, 2023 08:19 PM (OTzUX)

168 Are you?
Posted by: nurse ratched at February 05, 2023 08:17 PM (U2p+3)
-----
Willing to move them? No.

Willing to run their asses over? You bet.

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 08:19 PM (WoIMU)

169 4,600,000 grains of powder for a max charge.

Posted by: Duncanthrax at February 05, 2023 08:19 PM (a3Q+t)

170 Congratulations, Sharon, on your shooting today w/ that Glock 48! That police qualification target isn't the easiest thing in the world to engage, and you got every shot in the black.

Posted by: Ed L at February 05, 2023 08:19 PM (/lmRp)

171 Their (measured) accuracy at 34,000 yards was .77 MOA.
Posted by: Duncanthrax at February 05, 2023 08:12 PM (a3Q+t)

So a group of 1325 feet? Nice bracketing for a salvo at a battleship sized target at 20 miles.

Posted by: G'rump928(c) at February 05, 2023 08:19 PM (1I6o+)

172 Splash the balloon, I say again, splash the balloon!

Posted by: Mister Scott (Formerly GWS) at February 05, 2023 07:22 PM (uNylN)
----
You've been watching that carrier movie again? (I love it). The Final Solution or something?

Posted by: Ciampino - simply put great movie at February 05, 2023 08:14 PM

Well......it was The final Countdown with Kirk Douglas. The final solution is a bit more ominous.

Posted by: Mister Scott (Formerly GWS) at February 05, 2023 08:19 PM (uNylN)

173 I am willing to move someone who is blocking my way.

Are you?

It's definitely good to think about these sorts of questions in advance. Because if you ever need to know the answer for real, you won't have time to think about it then.

Posted by: Oddbob at February 05, 2023 08:20 PM (nfrXX)

174 " I am willing to move someone who is blocking my way.
Are you?
Posted by: nurse ratched "

Oh hell yeah.

Posted by: fd at February 05, 2023 08:20 PM (iayUP)

175 I would not apply for the pistol brace amnesty. If you want an sbr form 1 it. I don’t trust the atf to not take advantage of what they could consider a bunch of now self reported felons.

Posted by: Nevada Dave at February 05, 2023 08:20 PM (z0lMG)

176 Question: does a suppressor even work on a revolver?
Posted by: Ciampino - Hollywood thinks it does at February 05, 2023 08:16 PM

Not as such, no.
Posted by: RedMindBlueState at February 05, 2023 08:16 PM (Wnv9h)

Ahem.

Posted by: Nagant M1895 at February 05, 2023 08:20 PM (1I6o+)

177 I've had it for some time and use linseed on it a couple of times a year but it doesn't seem to make much difference. I'm not gonna start toting it around though, it will just have to stay light.

I've seen some really dark original stocks. Did they use motor oil on them or something?
Posted by: fd
---------
Linseed oil polymerizes with sunlight speeding up the reaction. Dark stock on old milsurps are often both dirt/grime/gunoil/cosmolene soaked into the wood over years. Militaries used total submersion tanks for linseed and later tung oil (US).

Stock whitener/solvent and thorough degreasing with heat will cause the old oil in the wood to come to the surface and lighten the stock mos usually.

Re BLO as of today, most of the cheap stuff uses heavy metals as an assist to dry it more readily as raw linseed takes weeks in relatively dry humidity to dry or else it is sticky and gummy. Wear hand protection such as nitrile gloves if applying.

What you want if you go the greener route is polymerized linseed oil which is more expensive but no heavy metals and theoretically eating safe. It is made the way that boiled linseed oil was originally done but more pricey.

Posted by: whig at February 05, 2023 08:20 PM (YL0ac)

178 Posted by: RedMindBlueState at February 05, 2023 08:16 PM (Wnv9h)

Notable exception: Nagant revolvers. Unlike most other revolvers, the chambers of the cylinder do seal w/ the barrel.

Posted by: Ed L at February 05, 2023 08:21 PM (/lmRp)

179 169 4,600,000 grains of powder for a max charge.
Posted by: Duncanthrax at February 05, 2023 08:19 PM (a3Q+t)

Wait. I thought Weasel disallowed specific powder loads?

Posted by: Schnorflepuppy at February 05, 2023 08:21 PM (v23vE)

180 164 Have mentioned before, if in western NV visit the Hawthorne Ordnance museum. Last spare 16" barrel (cut into sections) there, and lots of great info.

Posted by: rhomboid at February 05, 2023 08:16 PM

I am looking to visit Battleship New Jersey sometime during the summer. I watch the videos that the curator of the museum puts out. One of them had him crawling through a 16inch gun barrel that is on display there.

Posted by: Scuba_Dude at February 05, 2023 08:22 PM (fe7in)

181 Then I spent a good 45 minutes breaking down and cleaning my G42. Easy peasy, but needed and therapeutic.

Posted by: nurse ratched at February 05, 2023 08:22 PM (U2p+3)

182 Only time I fired a gun inside a vehicle was years back at the action rifle match, where we'd have to shoot out the truck window in one stage. (range's beater utility truck)

Of course that day I was using my M38 Mosin-Nagant, which is simply a 91/30 with several inches lopped off, and is infamous for its enormous roar and fireball (unburned powder).

Excellent hearing protection on of course, but I remember the vibration down to the bones when touching that off in the truck cab. And the concussion was such that it kicked up a lot of dust/dirt in the cab, which became an issue. Hilarious.

Posted by: rhomboid at February 05, 2023 08:22 PM (OTzUX)

183 Posted by: Schnorflepuppy at February 05, 2023 08:21 PM (v23vE)
----
Yeah!

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 08:22 PM (WoIMU)

184 After last week's thread on reloading I decided that I would save the brass from my latest range session. So now I have a couple of boxes of 38 and 357 empties. Problem is that I don't have any reloading equipment, and not much interest in getting any. Maybe I can find someone who wants them. More likely, my kids will have to figure out what to do with it after I croak.

Posted by: Pod Hamp at February 05, 2023 08:24 PM (GjNDo)

185 The 1895 Russian Nagant revolver had a cylinder the moved forward to close the barrel cylinder gap so a suppressor could be used/

Posted by: Nevada Dave at February 05, 2023 08:25 PM (z0lMG)

186 So a group of 1325 feet? Nice bracketing for a salvo at a battleship sized target at 20 miles.
Posted by: G'rump928(c) at February 05, 2023 08:19 PM

That was the ultimate, after the 1980s modernization. Each turret carried a DR-810 radar that measured the muzzle velocity of each gun, which made it easier to predict the velocity of succeeding shots. Together with the Mark 160 FCS and better propellant consistency, these improvements made these weapons into the most accurate battleship-caliber guns ever made.

During test shoots off Crete in 1987, "fifteen shells were fired from 34,000 yards (31,900 m), five from the right gun of each turret. The pattern size was 220 yards (200 m), 0.64% of the total range. 14 out of the 15 landed within 250 yards (230 m) of the center of the pattern and 8 were within 150 yards (140 m). Shell-to-shell dispersion was 123 yards (112 m), 0.36% of total range."

Posted by: Duncanthrax at February 05, 2023 08:25 PM (a3Q+t)

187 172
Well......it was The final Countdown with Kirk Douglas. The final solution is a bit more ominous.

Posted by: Mister Scott (Formerly GWS) at February 05, 2023 08:19 PM (uNylN)
----
My apologies. I seem to always forget the 3rd word in that title.

Posted by: Ciampino -- Hollywood thinks it does at February 05, 2023 08:25 PM (qfLjt)

188 Question: does a suppressor even work on a revolver?
Posted by: Ciampino - Hollywood thinks it does at February 05, 2023 08:16 PM

Not as such, no.
Posted by: RedMindBlueState

Bullshit.

My neighbor has a 9mm auto fire something (not an Uzi) that he shoots, and all I hear is the metal ringing.

Posted by: MkY at February 05, 2023 08:25 PM (cPGH3)

189 Posted by: Pod Hamp at February 05, 2023 08:24 PM (GjNDo)
-----
Ask around the range. I'm sure you'll find someone delighted to get them.

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 08:26 PM (WoIMU)

190 Oh, about 1/4 mile away.

Posted by: MkY at February 05, 2023 08:26 PM (cPGH3)

191 Yeah!
Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 08:22 PM (WoIMU)

Just tryin' to follow the rules, brother, as I don't want to imagine -- let alone face -- the consequences of breakin' them.

Posted by: Schnorflepuppy at February 05, 2023 08:27 PM (v23vE)

192 So now I have a couple of boxes of 38 and 357 empties. Problem is that I don't have any reloading equipment, and not much interest in getting any. Maybe I can find someone who wants them.

I'm sure someone here (not I as I don't shoot enough .38 to bother reloading it) would gladly pay the shipping costs to take them off your hands.

Posted by: Oddbob at February 05, 2023 08:27 PM (nfrXX)

193 157 I would think the CMP stocks (from Boyd, right?) would darken up with BLO + sun.
Posted by: rhomboid

Walnut will depending on the original tint but beech will have little darkening of the stock.

Have an old WWI era partially restored stock for a 1917 Enfield that is blonde walnut which is fairly uncommon. That was after removing about a century worth of dirt, old gun oil, and cosmolene as the stock was dark dark brown before starting.

Most US stock walnut though will turn into a lovely reddish color when linseed is applied over time and UV/polymerization do their thing.

Posted by: whig at February 05, 2023 08:28 PM (YL0ac)

194 Bullshit.

My neighbor has a 9mm auto fire something (not an Uzi) that he shoots, and all I hear is the metal ringing.
Posted by: MkY at February 05, 2023 08:25 PM (cPGH3)

OOps! revolver being the choice word.

Posted by: MkY at February 05, 2023 08:28 PM (cPGH3)

195
OOps! revolver being the choice word.
Posted by: MkY at February 05, 2023 08:28 PM (cPGH3)
----
Yep.

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 08:29 PM (WoIMU)

196 Who Knew?
If I get one request for a video on lichen a week, I get a hundred. Who knew we had so many lichen enthusiasts among us?
Posted by: Weasel

More enthusiasts all the time! You post the videos, and people start to take a lichen to them.

Posted by: mikeski at February 05, 2023 08:30 PM (P1f+c)

197 I don't know about Point #2 but...

End Wokeness @EndWokeness · 22h
Mark Milley held secret calls with China in 2020 undermining Trump

Mark Milley gave the order not to shoot down the Chinese spy balloon

General Mark Milley in 2015 declaring that China is not our enemy: [video]

Posted by: andycanuck (Vwz3I) at February 05, 2023 08:31 PM (Vwz3I)

198 Posted by: mikeski at February 05, 2023 08:30 PM (P1f+c)
----
Ha!

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 08:31 PM (WoIMU)

199 I didn't watch the lichen video but know that some are edible. If you are hungry. Very hungry.

Posted by: fd at February 05, 2023 08:32 PM (iayUP)

200 171 Their (measured) accuracy at 34,000 yards was .77 MOA.
Posted by: Duncanthrax at February 05, 2023 08:12 PM (a3Q+t)

So a group of 1325 feet? Nice bracketing for a salvo at a battleship sized target at 20 miles.

Posted by: G'rump928(c) at February 05, 2023 08:19 PM (1I6o+)
----
I'm thinking Bismark vs Hood.

The Dad of one of my boarding school friends in Kenya, was supposed to be on HMS Hood, but while still ashore he broke his leg so was in hospital in England when the news reached him.

Posted by: Ciampino - incredible at February 05, 2023 08:32 PM (qfLjt)

201 If I two-hand a pistol, which I rarely do anyway, I always do it revolver style with the left hand cradling/cupping the right, so I don't develop the semi-auto habit and burn my fingers off shooting a revolver.

Posted by: G'rump928(c) at February 05, 2023 08:32 PM (1I6o+)

202 197 Posted by: andycanuck (Vwz3I) at February 05, 2023 08:31 PM

Sounds like someone should be court-martialed amongst other things.

Posted by: Scuba_Dude at February 05, 2023 08:32 PM (fe7in)

203 More enthusiasts all the time! You post the videos, and people start to take a lichen to them.

Did I see somewhere that the biology taxonomists have decided that stuff like molds (and lichens?) are their own kingdom, neither plant nor animal? Is that real?

Posted by: Oddbob at February 05, 2023 08:33 PM (nfrXX)

204 Evening Weasel ...

Hope you and the Mrs had a wonderful b-day celebration!

Posted by: SecondCityLurker at February 05, 2023 08:33 PM (MEbkQ)

205 whig as usual with the excellent full info. Wasn't aware there was a new version of BLO. I'm OK with my conventional one, with the drying agent. Only use the stuff very rarely.

Posted by: rhomboid at February 05, 2023 08:34 PM (OTzUX)

206 199 I didn't watch the lichen video but know that some are edible. If you are hungry. Very hungry.

Posted by: fd at February 05, 2023 08:32 PM (iayUP)
----
Better than meal worms?

Posted by: Ciampino - It will be on your WEF-approved menu at February 05, 2023 08:34 PM (qfLjt)

207 Willing to run their asses over? You bet.
Posted by: Weasel

Well that's what I meant. Just trying to be nice, I guess.

Posted by: nurse ratched at February 05, 2023 08:34 PM (U2p+3)

208 Pod Hamp, as I said recently here, keep your brass. You can give it or sell it to reloaders (I have sold excess-to-my-needs brass, or traded it, many times over the years). It's money on the ground, for you or someone.

Posted by: rhomboid at February 05, 2023 08:34 PM (OTzUX)

209 Thanks SCL!

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 08:34 PM (WoIMU)

210 General Mark Milley

Bought and paid for.

Posted by: Notorious BFD at February 05, 2023 08:35 PM (Xrfse)

211 Posted by: rhomboid at February 05, 2023 08:16 PM (OTzUX)

Completely overshadowed by the 16" guns of the Iowa class BB are the 8" guns on the Des Moines class heavy cruisers. Unlike other 8" gun heavy cruisers, the Des Moines class ships used brass cased ammunition and automatic loaders instead of a two part round (shell plus powder bags) to achieve a truly stunning rate of fire of eight rounds per minute per barrel. That's seventy-two 8" shells each minute if the ship fired full broadsides at a target. Compared to previous 8" guns that could fire at best two rounds per minute, the Des Moines class ships fired machineguns. USS Newport News spent years off Vietnam providing shore bombardment. USS Salem and USS Des Moines spent decades in the reserve fleet before their retirement in the late 1990s.

Posted by: Ed L at February 05, 2023 08:35 PM (/lmRp)

212 Better than meal worms?

It's right there in the name!

Posted by: Klaus S. at February 05, 2023 08:36 PM (nfrXX)

213 >>> 89 Best of all, having the parts means that now I need to buy an M1 carbine.
Posted by: Oddbob at February 05, 2023 07:34 PM (nfrXX)

This is the way.
Posted by: blaster at February 05, 2023 07:36 PM (pwExq)

And people say the Horde gives bad advice!

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at February 05, 2023 08:36 PM (llON8)

214 Re JTB's mention upthread of the Lee Powder Scoops.

Lee does things a bit different and calculates powder density in cubic centimers (Volume Mass Density). Their manual and I believe on the website perhaps has the average VMD's already calculated for specific powders but ideally, you calculate your own from samples of your powder itself and it can vary a bit from powder lot to powder lot. The scoops are designed to be at the start end or even a bit lower for loads and Lee includes a scoop and loading data with each die set (not individual dies or their RGB die sets though).

The useful part of the Lee manual also comes from the fact that it gives you the cubic centimeter capacity of each cartridge and that gives you an approximation of how full your case will be with a given x grain load (using the powder VMD to calculate). That is useful when constructing new loads as one of the criteria.

Posted by: whig at February 05, 2023 08:38 PM (YL0ac)

215 Sadly it is time to say good night.

Thanks so much Weasel for putting this together every week.

Hope everyone has a great week!!

Posted by: Scuba_Dude at February 05, 2023 08:38 PM (fe7in)

216 Thanks for the gub, Weasel. Fun Palace status update?

Posted by: Notorious BFD at February 05, 2023 08:39 PM (Xrfse)

217 Okay, after the embarrassing misread of an earlier post, let me say...
All walnut is not created equal. The mineralization that lends its color depends upon the soil in which it is growing.
I was given a walnut board harvested from northwestern Mo. that I had to stain to match the rest of the project harvested from west-central Mo.
Around here, we have the most chocolatey walnut anywhere.
When I do a walnut project, I like to have just a hint of sapwood to show off the rest of the wood's real color.
Sorry for the digression

Posted by: MkY at February 05, 2023 08:39 PM (cPGH3)

218 Well that's what I meant. Just trying to be nice, I guess.
Posted by: nurse ratched at February 05, 2023 08:34 PM (U2p+3)
----
No attempt at niceness goes unpunished!

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 08:39 PM (WoIMU)

219 Scuba_Dude that curator at USS New Jersey does a great job with edumucational videos on the ship, and related topics. You might check to see if they still allow people to fire blanks out of the secondary (5") battery for a donation, they used to do that once a year or something.

I was lucky to be aboard USS Iowa for a day while she was still in service (this was a few months before the horrible incident). And as a kid, went on the USS New Jersey when they had an open house here, as she was heading for Vietnam.

Posted by: rhomboid at February 05, 2023 08:39 PM (OTzUX)

220 Lichen can also be used to make booze, which sounds like a lot better use for it.

Posted by: fd at February 05, 2023 08:40 PM (iayUP)

221 >>> 168 Are you?
Posted by: nurse ratched at February 05, 2023 08:17 PM (U2p+3)
-----
Willing to move them? No.

Willing to run their asses over? You bet.
Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 08:19 PM (WoIMU)

Hmm, wonder if I should get a dash cam like they have in OMG Russia-Russia-Russia.

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at February 05, 2023 08:40 PM (llON8)

222 Posted by: Scuba_Dude at February 05, 2023 08:38 PM (fe7in)
----
My pleasure. Nite Scoob!

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 08:41 PM (WoIMU)

223 Breaking911 · 1 minute
BREAKING: A huge 7.7 magnitude earthquake has struck turkey. It was felt across Syria, Jordan, Israel, and other locations.

Posted by: andycanuck (Vwz3I) at February 05, 2023 08:41 PM (Vwz3I)

224 Here's another look...

" this is not a normal problem, this is not a problem we think about... it's a new problem that they had to come up with innovative ideas and I think..."

I'm going to get a fat paycheck for spreading this manure.
hahahahahahahahahahahah

Posted by: Braenyard, _ want nuremberg trials? badger your congressman at February 05, 2023 08:41 PM (bceP2)

225 Another walnut tidbit... my grandpa and his bro's purportedly harvested walnut stumps (think mules and dynamite) during the depression for gunstocks.

Posted by: MkY at February 05, 2023 08:42 PM (cPGH3)

226 Mmm. Chocolatey.

Posted by: andycanuck (Vwz3I) at February 05, 2023 08:42 PM (Vwz3I)

227 205 whig as usual with the excellent full info. Wasn't aware there was a new version of BLO. I'm OK with my conventional one, with the drying agent. Only use the stuff very rarely.
Posted by: rhomboid
-------
Link goes to Vermont Woodworking site.
https://tinyurl.com/app/myurls

In the webpage, they discuss the differences between raw flaxseed aka linseed oil, boiled linseed oil (aka BLO), and polymerized linseed.

For polymerized, you heat it in the absence of oxygen to 300 C for a certain time. Originally boiled linseed oil was exactly done that way but it is expensive and in days of yore, tended to cause explosions and fires.

Regardless though, linseed soaked rags/towels/etc. can spontaneously combust in the right set of temperature/humidity/wadded up.

Dispose of those application materials properly.

Posted by: whig at February 05, 2023 08:43 PM (YL0ac)

228 Ed L, the "new" WWII light cruisers - forgetting the class, not Atlanta, which was an "anti-aircraft" class, but maybe - had the cartridge ammo/auto-loading for 6" (and five mounts), which also gave them that tremendous rate of fire. They could bury an opponent in steel in a way no other ship afloat could do.

Posted by: rhomboid at February 05, 2023 08:43 PM (OTzUX)

229 We be so exercited that's Vice Presdent Horrris has be invited "FART Tube" Jones (The Brattleboro FART Tube pRogram mascot)for a briefing on are program to fight Globul Warming by reducing Humin Greemhorse gases. Whats has you be town dones to end Globil Climite Change ???

Posted by: Mary Clogginstein from Brattleboro, VT at February 05, 2023 08:44 PM (IOY84)

230 "would you all find it beneficial to have the entire reloading series in one place, say a PDF or on a web page for reference? "

That would set a standard of quality superior to any gun magazine on the market.

Posted by: Braenyard, _ want nuremberg trials? badger your congressman at February 05, 2023 08:44 PM (bceP2)

231 Did I see somewhere that the biology taxonomists have decided that stuff like molds (and lichens?) are their own kingdom, neither plant nor animal? Is that real?
Posted by: Oddbob

Now I'm wondering if Oddbob is Captain America, because the fungi kingdom was created in the 60s.

They've been working on new and revised kingdoms for bacterial-type things well into the 2000s, though, so maybe you're thinking of that?

Posted by: mikeski at February 05, 2023 08:44 PM (P1f+c)

232 Mmm. Chocolatey.
Posted by: andycanuck

I know. Go figger. That would never pass the Spelling Bee of the NYT. I didn't know how to spell it, so left it as it passed whatever spelling thang I gots on here.

Posted by: MkY at February 05, 2023 08:45 PM (cPGH3)

233 225 Another walnut tidbit... my grandpa and his bro's purportedly harvested walnut stumps (think mules and dynamite) during the depression for gunstocks.
Posted by: MkY
--------
Not surprising. The stumps often produce the most full figured and beautiful wood grains compared with the upper trunk.

Posted by: whig at February 05, 2023 08:45 PM (YL0ac)

234 Ah Weasel, you're no fun. We oughta be able to talk powder charges for 16" guns. I mean some guys like to go with fewer than 6 bags, just to change things up a bit. And the PSI limits are pretty hilarious, too.

Posted by: rhomboid at February 05, 2023 08:45 PM (OTzUX)

235 HERE!

Yes, I’m tardy.

Posted by: RI Red at February 05, 2023 08:45 PM (gBiwG)

236 Posted by: Braenyard, _ want nuremberg trials? badger your congressman at February 05, 2023 08:44 PM (bceP2)
----
I'm, uh, talking about the stuff I wrote!

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 08:45 PM (WoIMU)

237 4,600,000 grains of powder for a max charge.
Posted by: Duncanthrax at February 05, 2023 08:19 PM (a3Q+t)

Wait. I thought Weasel disallowed specific powder loads?
Posted by: Schnorflepuppy at February 05, 2023 08:21 PM

Weasel uses the Lee loading scoop for that charge as a coffee cup.

Posted by: Duncanthrax at February 05, 2023 08:46 PM (a3Q+t)

238 Weasel uses the Lee loading scoop for that charge as a coffee cup.
Posted by: Duncanthrax

With that amount of grains, you would need an excavator bucket.

Posted by: whig at February 05, 2023 08:47 PM (YL0ac)

239 MkY, I don't classify specialized and relevant info as a digression. Very welcome kinds of stuff.

Posted by: rhomboid at February 05, 2023 08:48 PM (OTzUX)

240 They've been working on new and revised kingdoms for bacterial-type things well into the 2000s, though, so maybe you're thinking of that?
Posted by: mikeski

I know I'm tired of it. Every PhD student in mycology has to ruin the known name of a causal agent, and we have to re-learn our craft (which is reading labels).
Every discipline is the same.

Posted by: MkY at February 05, 2023 08:48 PM (cPGH3)

241 Now I'm wondering if Oddbob is Captain America, because the fungi kingdom was created in the 60s.

Really? I could swear that I only heard about it in the last couple of years. I've always been a tech geek, not a life sciences geek but I know that's not what they taught me in high school.

And FWIW, no, I can't do this all day.

Posted by: Klaus S. at February 05, 2023 08:48 PM (nfrXX)

242 Crap. /WEF sock

Posted by: Oddbob at February 05, 2023 08:49 PM (nfrXX)

243 I believe the unsatisfactory results in Lebanon from the New Jersey's bombardments were attributed to powder deterioration/variability. So they mixed and rebagged the powder and that smoothed out their results considerably. Lots of interesting little tricks during the Iowa-class's last time of service to improve results and extend barrel life.

Posted by: rhomboid at February 05, 2023 08:50 PM (OTzUX)

244 Quick range report ... At the range last week with my new SW 686, shooting both .357 and .38. Most of which we loaded before heading over to punch holes in paper. By tradition, new firearms are "shared," until everyone gets a chance to run a magazine or cylinder. Lots of good friends there so we all had a good time. I'll be spending some time working on trigger consistency with snap caps in the coming days, weeks ... New holster is scheduled to ship in March

Posted by: SecondCityLurker at February 05, 2023 08:50 PM (MEbkQ)

245 It's okay -- "chocolatey" is a real word too. [And I wasn't being a grammar café Nazi but a Homer enthusiast.

]

Posted by: andycanuck (Vwz3I) at February 05, 2023 08:50 PM (Vwz3I)

246 If anyone is interested in a really, really nice powder measure, check out Harrell's Precision. They're what I use.

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 08:51 PM (WoIMU)

247 I think that USS New Jersey curator did a video on the powder bags and showed the powder - enormous stick-powder shape.

Just thinking that my Lee Auto-Drum would definitely not be the call if I needed to reload a 16" powder bag.

Posted by: rhomboid at February 05, 2023 08:52 PM (OTzUX)

248 c/o PoliNation

somewhere in the South, waiting on the balloon

pic linked in nic

Posted by: mindful webworker - up, up, and away at February 05, 2023 08:52 PM (vYVbx)

249 As far as a decent stock oil that is primarily BLO, Brownell's sells LinSpeed which applies and dries relatively rapidly. However, it is the type that uses heavy metals to shorten drying time.

Never used tung oil much but it is certainly a WWII era substitute for linseed stock oil and used a lot on Garand Stocks.

Then, you get into pine tar and birch oils which you can buy at specialty finish shops--those are useful for Swedish, Finnish, and Russian stock finishes. The flaky material you see on most Russian stocks is shellac and that can be obtained most places and is easy to refinish if you want to do so.

Posted by: whig at February 05, 2023 08:53 PM (YL0ac)

250 Weasel: If anyone is interested in a really, really nice powder measure, check out Harrell's Precision

Wow ... nice looking stuff

Posted by: SecondCityLurker at February 05, 2023 08:54 PM (MEbkQ)

251 I made a bed of walnut. The entire thing was made of a walnut stump, 95 years old (counted the rings, so at least) of a tree from a local Country Club... moved there in 1912.

The tree was in a low spot, and literally washed out. I kept the stump for 3 or 4 years, cause it was still too dirty to saw up.

It finally occurred to me to use the steam cleaner on it.
I had it sawn into 4x4" pieces, and the sawyer kiln dried it (though walnut is pretty stable wet).

Yes, I did test the market for gunstocks... it wasn't enough to give up the bed.

Posted by: MkY at February 05, 2023 08:55 PM (cPGH3)

252 246 If anyone is interested in a really, really nice powder measure, check out Harrell's Precision. They're what I use.
Posted by: Weasel

That is the gold standard for powder measures but pricey but probably no more nowadays than the new digital powder dispensers.

Posted by: whig at February 05, 2023 08:55 PM (YL0ac)

253 Is This The Most Concealable Personal Defense Weapon?
Colion Noir (2:14)

https://youtu.be/rIiWNt5weIQ

Posted by: mindful webworker - up, up, and away at February 05, 2023 08:55 PM (vYVbx)

254 The flaky material you see on most Russian stocks is shellac and that can be obtained most places and is easy to refinish if you want to do so.

I read (on the Internet, so you know it's true!) that some Com-bloc finishes contain toxic chemicals so be careful when stripping/sanding.

Posted by: Oddbob at February 05, 2023 08:55 PM (nfrXX)

255 whig I've never been to exactly reproduce the Russian shellac on my Mosins. That is, I have not been able to get it as fragile and flaky as that applied by Soviet arsenals when they put them away in the 70s. Have done a pretty good job on imitating the color, using dyes. All my non-laminated stocks are actually quite nice blonde arctic birch underneath the shellac. I've left one as a blonde.

Posted by: rhomboid at February 05, 2023 08:56 PM (OTzUX)

256 Wow ... nice looking stuff
Posted by: SecondCityLurker at February 05, 2023 08:54 PM (MEbkQ)
----
Premium quality, and the Harrell boys are a pleasure to do business with.

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 08:56 PM (WoIMU)

257 I work with a guy who was an OS3 on the Missouri when they fired the last 16" rounds in anger.

Posted by: Eromero at February 05, 2023 08:57 PM (MF3yS)

258 203 More enthusiasts all the time! You post the videos, and people start to take a lichen to them.

Did I see somewhere that the biology taxonomists have decided that stuff like molds (and lichens?) are their own kingdom, neither plant nor animal? Is that real?

Posted by: Oddbob at February 05, 2023 08:33 PM (nfrXX)
----
Something like that just to make Biology more difficult for students. If they have cellulose and/or lignin in their cell walls then = plants in MY book. If they have locomotion = animals. Bacteria are single-celled and thus different.

Posted by: Ciampino -- It will be on your WEF-approved menu at February 05, 2023 08:57 PM (qfLjt)

259 135 ...Don't know if a Sidewinder can be used that way. But I think it's a "hit-tile", not a "miss-ile", that is it is designed to hit a target, not just get close enough for an exploding warhead to do its business. Seems like a kinetic kill, in any case, would be the way to go here, to minimize damage to the target.
Posted by: rhomboid at February 05, 2023 08:03 PM (OTzUX)

AIM-9X was used. Has an imaging IR seeker that is cooled. Likely multi spectral IR and in long-wave region, the suspended payload and the balloon envelope itself will look like a bonfire in comparison to the sky background. I could see the contrails from aircraft in Bradley thermals and that was Gen 1 tech.

The warhead is annular blast fragmentation. Makes a large cookie-cutter pattern. For scale, it's like a bowling-ball size compared to a human. The fragments are titanium, so cut metal nicely.

Fuze has both contact and proximity action. Being an imaging seeker, it can sense distance to target...

Posted by: Iron Mike Golf at February 05, 2023 08:57 PM (8C7+r)

260 Poor Joe Biden. He's being punked by Xi and his boys at the Pentagon.

Regardless of the lies Drooling Joe tells the Media, I think we should hold off crashing into anymore weather balloons until after the Super Bowl.

We can't afford the property damage and one hour is cutting it close for an evacuation.

Posted by: Dr. Bone at February 05, 2023 08:57 PM (Jg7EG)

261 Then, you get into pine tar and birch oils which you can buy at specialty finish shops--those are useful for Swedish, Finnish, and Russian stock finishes.

I used this guy's pine tar mix on my M39s and it looked good.

https://bityl.co/H0wP

Posted by: G'rump928(c) at February 05, 2023 08:58 PM (1I6o+)

262 Yes, I did test the market for gunstocks... it wasn't enough to give up the bed.
Posted by: MkY
-------
I can see that being the case.

I have one elm stock which is the issue stock for the m48 Yugo Mauser. It took quite a bit of defuzzing but does look distinctive.

Posted by: whig at February 05, 2023 08:58 PM (YL0ac)

263 Also worked with a guy who was an OSSN on the Iowa when the mount exploded.

Posted by: Eromero at February 05, 2023 08:58 PM (MF3yS)

264 Is This The Most Concealable Personal Defense Weapon?
Colion Noir (2:14)

https://youtu.be/rIiWNt5weIQ

Pretty cool. I wonder if it qualifies as an NFA "Any Other Weapon" since it doesn't look like a conventional firearm.

Posted by: Oddbob at February 05, 2023 08:58 PM (nfrXX)

265 PSA is coming out with an STG-44 in their new Battlefield retro line.

https://www.k98kforum.com/
threads/psa-stg-44.54542/

Posted by: andycanuck (Vwz3I) at February 05, 2023 08:59 PM (Vwz3I)

266 Posted by: G'rump928(c)

Grump thanks for the direct link. I bought the Tom's mix on Ebay years ago and lost touch with where to buy it.

Posted by: whig at February 05, 2023 08:59 PM (YL0ac)

267 With that amount of grains, you would need an excavator bucket.
Posted by: whig at February 05, 2023 08:47 PM

It ain't easy bein' the HMIC of the WeaselAcres Organic, Free-Range Tree Farm and wrangler of the second most-popular Thread on AoSHQ.

Posted by: Duncanthrax at February 05, 2023 08:59 PM (a3Q+t)

268 #265 And a 7-minute video about it:
https://tinyurl.com/3wtwettv

Posted by: andycanuck (Vwz3I) at February 05, 2023 09:00 PM (Vwz3I)

269 Posted by: rhomboid at February 05, 2023 08:43 PM (OTzUX)

I think you're thinking of the Worcester class cruisers. What made them different from previous 6" gun cruisers was that their 6" guns were dual purpose (anti-ship/anti-aircraft) guns. Starting w/ the Brooklyn class cruisers in the 1930s, the USN switched to brass cased ammo for its 6" gunned ships. With fifteen 6" guns on a Brooklyn class ship (twelve on the wartime Cleveland class), these cruisers proved devastating to IJN vessels in multiple battles around Guadalcanal and in the Solomons in 1942-1943. By 1944, the USN's primary surface combat cruisers were the 6" "light" cruisers, with the 8" gunned ships mostly relegated to carrier escort duty. The Worcester class didn't last long, since they had the misfortune to arrive at the dawn of the surface to air missile (SAM) era. The SAM's longer range quickly spelled the end of AA gunned ships as fleet's primary defensive weapon in the late 1950's.

Posted by: Ed L at February 05, 2023 09:00 PM (/lmRp)

270 Iron Mike Golf, thanks again for the technical info.

But could they modify it to not detonate, just kinetically kill the balloon?

Was just thinking you'd want to destroy the balloon but not the instrument package (any more than is unavoidable from the fall).

Posted by: rhomboid at February 05, 2023 09:01 PM (OTzUX)

271 I have one elm stock which is the issue stock for the m48 Yugo Mauser. It took quite a bit of defuzzing but does look distinctive.
Posted by: whig

My sawyer is quite the elm enthusiast. He almost got me hooked. Tools well, is pretty... what's not to like?
I'm talking siberian elm, red elm, rock elm, etc., not American elm, which is pretty worthless as far as wood goes.

Posted by: MkY at February 05, 2023 09:01 PM (cPGH3)

272 Have mentioned before, if in western NV visit the Hawthorne Ordnance museum. Last spare 16" barrel (cut into sections) there, and lots of great info.
Posted by: rhomboid at February 05, 2023 08:16 PM (OTzUX)

Interesting area out there, isn't it?

Posted by: Reforger at February 05, 2023 09:03 PM (6RPaA)

273 255 whig I've never been to exactly reproduce the Russian shellac on my Mosins. That is, I have not been able to get it as fragile and flaky as that applied by Soviet arsenals when they put them away in the 70s. Have done a pretty good job on imitating the color, using dyes. All my non-laminated stocks are actually quite nice blonde arctic birch underneath the shellac. I've left one as a blonde.
Posted by: rhomboid
------
Mix it from shellac flakes + denatured alcohol (Amazon or Woodcraft have shellac flakes but my guess is that the Russkis used Indian derived shellac which is cruder than the refined stuff out of Germany.)

If Redacted is around, he can instruct you in using shellac sticks and some heat to fix your stock.

Absent staining, you can actually get pretty effective coloring from the darker shades of shellac. The Zinsser stuff in hardware stores is not the premium stuff but really useful for wood finishing/sealing on furniture etc.

Posted by: whig at February 05, 2023 09:03 PM (YL0ac)

274 "PSA is coming out with an STG-44 in their new Battlefield retro line."

Did anyone ever go after those thousands of unissued StG-44s found in Syria a few years back? Seemed like it might be worth (financially) hiring the appropriate sorts in Turkey and having them go swap $ or more useable platforms for those historic pieces.

Posted by: rhomboid at February 05, 2023 09:05 PM (OTzUX)

275 I have the Tom's mix, two kinds I think, but I decided to stick with shellac for the Mosins.

You can smell the pine tar (I think that's what I'm smelling).

Posted by: rhomboid at February 05, 2023 09:05 PM (OTzUX)

276 EdL will have to review the whole subject. Just recently watched a pretty good video on one of the naval battles at Guadalcanal (maybe first night of the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal?) and the fast-firing US cruisers were part of the story.

Posted by: rhomboid at February 05, 2023 09:07 PM (OTzUX)

277 My sawyer is quite the elm enthusiast. He almost got me hooked. Tools well, is pretty... what's not to like?
I'm talking siberian elm, red elm, rock elm, etc., not American elm, which is pretty worthless as far as wood goes.
Posted by: MkY
--------
I had to use sharp scrapers to cut the fuzz down after cleaning and reoiling the Yugo stock. Is very dense with a fairly open grain. I have less bad things to say about the stock than I do the Yugo action. You operate the bolt like you hate it and are taking out your rage on the action. A long range fixer upper is to carefully lap the bolt rails to improve function but I will have to strip the action to do so.

Posted by: whig at February 05, 2023 09:07 PM (YL0ac)

278 I have the Tom's mix, two kinds I think, but I decided to stick with shellac for the Mosins.

You can smell the pine tar (I think that's what I'm smelling).
Posted by: rhomboid

Never thought how much gun collecting and wood staining/preserving/colorization/tinting all come together.
Interesting. Northern grown softwoods aren't softwoods at all (birch, fir).

Posted by: MkY at February 05, 2023 09:09 PM (cPGH3)

279 Posted by: Oddbob at February 05, 2023 08:58 PM (nfrXX)

If you like foldable carbines for CCW, B&T and Magpul/ZEV both have entries in the pipeline. B&T's BWC-9 is a foldable carbine kit that uses the FCU from a SiG P320. The Magpul FDP/FDC is a semi-automatic version of the of the FMG-9 that Magpul first unveiled in 2008. B&T's BWC is scheduled to arrive in July. The FDP/FDC is scheduled for January 2024. TFB TV has videos for both of these interesting firearms.

Posted by: Ed L at February 05, 2023 09:09 PM (/lmRp)

280 Fun fact: shellac flakes are also used in watchmaking.

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 09:10 PM (WoIMU)

281 It ain't easy bein' the HMIC of the WeaselAcres Organic, Free-Range Tree Farm and wrangler of the second most-popular Thread on AoSHQ.
Posted by: Duncanthrax
---------
That much powder makes me nervous to be frank. But, I believe Alliant still has some of the original lot of Unique powder stored for reference purposes underwater in an airless container.

Posted by: whig at February 05, 2023 09:10 PM (YL0ac)

282 Thanks for the Gun Thread Weasel!!

Posted by: DBCooper at February 05, 2023 09:11 PM (y1Mvi)

283 259 cont'd...
Looking at the video of the attack, the payload separated immediately and the balloon envelope collapsed. I can see the payload dropping either from suspension cable being cut by the warhead or just falling off by the envelope tearing.

You can see bits glittering as they fell and I can either imagine some blast fragments hitting the payload boom or fragile panels being torn by the concussion. Looked like a prompt separation for some bits, so I'm not inclined to think it was from aerodynamic drag tearing them off during the fall.

Posted by: Iron Mike Golf at February 05, 2023 09:11 PM (8C7+r)

284 Observers in those WW1 balloons wore parachutes . Over a hundred successful jumps
Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at February 05, 2023 07:34 PM (Qy9+6)

When you've got hundreds, if not thousands of cubic yards of hydrogen over your head, and the people shooting at you are using incendiary bullets, jumping is the easy choice.

Posted by: Fox 2! at February 05, 2023 09:11 PM (qyH+l)

285 Regarding 3D printing and Cura:
I have observed odd behaviour with versions above 3.6, such as inconsistent slicing. Sometimes a print worked, other times not.
So I have reverted to version 3.6 and that has been rock-solid for me.

Posted by: Chappyman66 at February 05, 2023 09:11 PM (L3byd)

286 Fun fact: shellac flakes are also used in watchmaking.
Posted by: Weasel

For what purpose?

Posted by: MkY at February 05, 2023 09:11 PM (cPGH3)

287 Never thought how much gun collecting and wood staining/preserving/colorization/tinting all come together.
Interesting. Northern grown softwoods aren't softwoods at all (birch, fir).
Posted by: MkY

I got into redoing gunstocks decades ago as a necessity for old collectibles but have done quite a bit of woodworking over the years.

I also find good ole Rit dye for shoes makes for good dyes to use and mix to make your own alcohol based stains.

Posted by: whig at February 05, 2023 09:11 PM (YL0ac)

288 Posted by: DBCooper at February 05, 2023 09:11 PM (y1Mvi)
------
My pleasure! Thanks for tuning in!

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 09:11 PM (WoIMU)

289 Yes, I’m tardy.
Posted by: RI Red at February 05, 2023 08:45 PM

You do not get fruit cup.

Posted by: RedMindBlueState at February 05, 2023 09:12 PM (Wnv9h)

290 DBCooper!

Hello there! You been shootin at all?

Posted by: nurse ratched at February 05, 2023 09:12 PM (U2p+3)

291 280 Fun fact: shellac flakes are also used in watchmaking.
Posted by: Weasel
-----
To hold parts in place until flushed with denatured alcohol?

Posted by: whig at February 05, 2023 09:12 PM (YL0ac)

292 Posted by: MkY at February 05, 2023 09:11 PM (cPGH3)
--
Glue.

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 09:12 PM (WoIMU)

293 Thanks early Weasel for the thread.

Posted by: whig at February 05, 2023 09:14 PM (YL0ac)

294 To hold parts in place until flushed with denatured alcohol?
Posted by: whig at February 05, 2023 09:12 PM (YL0ac)
-----
As an adhesive, specifically for pallet fork jewels. My other hobby is repairing old pocket watches.

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 09:15 PM (WoIMU)

295 Glue.
Posted by: Weasel

Well I'll be go to hell!
(My Pop's favorite phrase of astonishment)

Posted by: MkY at February 05, 2023 09:15 PM (cPGH3)

296 Balloon? That means ice cream too, right?

Posted by: Joey Pudding Brain at February 05, 2023 09:15 PM (Zmeii)

297 Posted by: whig at February 05, 2023 09:14 PM (YL0ac)
----
You bet!

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 09:15 PM (WoIMU)

298 I played with the stg-44 repo at shot. It’s pretty cool, cosmetically it passes. The trigger group has been replaced with an hk piece and the gas system is modified.

Posted by: Nevada Dave at February 05, 2023 09:16 PM (z0lMG)

299 Was just thinking you'd want to destroy the balloon but not the instrument package (any more than is unavoidable from the fall).

Depends on whom you mean by that "you" there. The answer might be different for me than for FJB and Gen. Milley.

Posted by: Oddbob at February 05, 2023 09:16 PM (nfrXX)

300 As an adhesive, specifically for pallet fork jewels. My other hobby is repairing old pocket watches.
Posted by: Weasel

Interesting. I keep intending to look up a source for waterglass but I get diverted before I actually do it.

Posted by: whig at February 05, 2023 09:17 PM (YL0ac)

301 Posted by: rhomboid at February 05, 2023 09:05 PM (OTzUX)

They'd have to come back as parts kits, not complete firearms. Example: Lend Lease Thompsons coming out of Russian stockpiles a couple of decades ago. And there's the added problem of getting around the sanctions on Syria and Baby Assad.

Posted by: Ed L at February 05, 2023 09:17 PM (/lmRp)

302 Oddbob

God help us, I think you have something there.

Posted by: MkY at February 05, 2023 09:18 PM (cPGH3)

303 {i}270 Iron Mike Golf, thanks again for the technical info.

But could they modify it to not detonate, just kinetically kill the balloon?

Was just thinking you'd want to destroy the balloon but not the instrument package (any more than is unavoidable from the fall).
Posted by: rhomboid at February 05, 2023 09:01 PM (OTzUX)

I don't know the details of how that weapon works. I do know it does have a contact mode. They have test the X model vas moving surface targets and have hit a cigarette both tooling about. Center mass hit was what I read. I don't know if the contact fuze would function hitting some (quite literally) so soft. Also, I don't know if a 2 ft diameter hole (max span of the fins) would could the catastrophic collapse of the envelope that is evident from video.

Center hit on the balloon puts the payload 50 ft from the missile and I expect that is well outside the effective blast radius. So, some chance of some components being peppered, but not shredding the payload.

Disclaimer: not in even the same county as an air intercept expert

Posted by: Iron Mike Golf at February 05, 2023 09:18 PM (8C7+r)

304 Interesting. I keep intending to look up a source for waterglass but I get diverted before I actually do it.
Posted by: whig at February 05, 2023 09:17 PM (YL0ac)
----
If you really want to test your sanity, disassemble and then reassemble a watch.

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 09:19 PM (WoIMU)

305 Hi Nurse! I put some down range this weekend.

Posted by: DBCooper at February 05, 2023 09:19 PM (y1Mvi)

306 The first anti-balloon guns were fielded about 150 years ago, believe it or not! Built by Krupp! Ballonabwehrkanone!

https://tinyurl.com/3c92z8f3

Posted by: Gref at February 05, 2023 09:20 PM (AMIL/)

307 Disclaimer: not in even the same county as an air intercept expert

Posted by: Iron Mike Golf

I don't know why they didn't just use the Scissors of Death weapon.

Posted by: MkY at February 05, 2023 09:20 PM (cPGH3)

308 I think that USS New Jersey curator did a video on the powder bags and showed the powder - enormous stick-powder shape.

Just thinking that my Lee Auto-Drum would definitely not be the call if I needed to reload a 16" powder bag.

Posted by: rhomboid at February 05, 2023 08:52 PM (OTzUX)

Ryan (New Jersey curator) said that the powder was carefully arranged in each bag, except for the last bit that was added to bring the bag up to weight.

Posted by: Fox 2! at February 05, 2023 09:22 PM (qyH+l)

309 If you really want to test your sanity, disassemble and then reassemble a watch.

Cool watch, Ahmed!

Posted by: Barry O. at February 05, 2023 09:22 PM (nfrXX)

310 If you really want to test your sanity, disassemble and then reassemble a watch.
Posted by: Weasel
---------
That's how Bill Wilson of Wilson Tactical got started---- he worked as a youth in his parent's jewelry stores on watches.

Posted by: whig at February 05, 2023 09:22 PM (YL0ac)

311 I'm only here for the lichen videos.

Posted by: bluebell at February 05, 2023 09:23 PM (pTb/Z)

312 Posted by: bluebell at February 05, 2023 09:23 PM (pTb/Z)
----
Hey there!!!

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 09:23 PM (WoIMU)

313 No fruit cup? And I just made a huge deposit in the marital/family capital account by taking them to Ice Castles down near Loon. And gave up a couple hours of Gub Thread.

Did go to the range today to check out my 10-22 accurizing. Cold. More info for a range report. And now having feed issues with a couple of 10 rd mags.

Posted by: RI Red at February 05, 2023 09:23 PM (gBiwG)

314 Does lichen taste like chicken? Or like okra?

Posted by: Gref at February 05, 2023 09:24 PM (AMIL/)

315 Register or breakdown? Asking for a friend.

Posted by: Pete Bog at February 05, 2023 07:26 PM (Jzz++)

Maybe ask your local sheriff if he gives a shit?

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at February 05, 2023 09:24 PM (XIJ/X)

316 I'm only here for the lichen videos.
Posted by: bluebell

Watch 'em grow
https://youtu.be/sEj8lUx0gwY

Posted by: MkY at February 05, 2023 09:25 PM (cPGH3)

317 Did go to the range today to check out my 10-22 accurizing.

Posted by: RI Red at February 05, 2023 09:23 PM (gBiwG)

They are fun little rifles, but as you noticed, a bit finicky.

How accurate are the new Winchesters?

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at February 05, 2023 09:27 PM (XIJ/X)

318 Posted by: whig at February 05, 2023 09:22 PM (YL0ac)
-----
It's a great hobby. Sourcing parts for a 150 year-old movement can be a challenge! Most of the movements before the early to mid 20th century were not shock protected, and a drop usually means broken jewels and pivots.

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 09:28 PM (WoIMU)

319 315 Register or breakdown? Asking for a friend.

Posted by: Pete Bog
---------
Depends, you can still have an AR pistol, just no brace and remember they were originally developed just for that way with just a bare pistol buffer tube with some foam over it.

If you want to keep your brace, it is a legal gray area if you remove it as to whether the ATF can constructively construe your intent if you keep it on hand--I doubt it but it has not been adjudicated by judges who know nothing of firearms.

Relatively minor surgery to remove braces, fins, and other such things.

If you have to have those braces to shoot it, register it.

Posted by: whig at February 05, 2023 09:29 PM (YL0ac)

320 Is this a good deal? I know I was the one grousing about Aero Precision's customer service a while back but I'm thinking this might be good enough to get them a few more of my $$.

https://tinyurl.com/57423a56 (link to bkingsfirearms.com)

Posted by: Oddbob at February 05, 2023 09:29 PM (nfrXX)

321 It's a great hobby. Sourcing parts for a 150 year-old movement can be a challenge! Most of the movements before the early to mid 20th century were not shock protected, and a drop usually means broken jewels and pivots.
Posted by: Weasel
--------
I'd imagine--I had to grow up before I realized the 'jewels' were not usually in fact jewels within a watch.

Posted by: whig at February 05, 2023 09:30 PM (YL0ac)

322 Posted by: Gref at February 05, 2023 09:24 PM (AMIL/)
----
Bald eagle.

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 09:30 PM (WoIMU)

323 Sergeant Major,

Late to the thread, but here are a couple of recommendations from guns I have.

If money is no object: H&K P7 PSP/P7M8/P7M13.
Pros: Very compact, low recoiling, light single action trigger, VERY accurate, no snag points.
Cons: European style magazine releases (heel on PSP, paddles for M8 and M13 variants) take time to get used to. Gets hot after about a box of ammo due to gas delayed blowback action, all steel construction rusts if in contact w/ sweat, priced as a collectors item.

Walther P99 AS ($700 MSRP):
Pros: Light, compact, 15+1 capacity, good single action trigger, cool factor as a firearm used by 007.
Cons: Snappy (but controllable) recoil, paddle magazine release takes time to learn how to use, trigger feel different from other pistols. Walther announced phase out in 2023.

Posted by: Ed L at February 05, 2023 09:30 PM (/lmRp)

324 And now having feed issues with a couple of 10 rd mags.

What ammo? I've had problem with extended mags but never with the factory 10-rounders.

Posted by: Oddbob at February 05, 2023 09:31 PM (nfrXX)

325 I only know two definitions of jewels. Neither involve a watch. I'm guessing gears?

Posted by: MkY at February 05, 2023 09:32 PM (cPGH3)

326 Posted by: Ed L at February 05, 2023 09:30 PM (/lmRp)
----
Nicely done! Thanks, EdL!

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 09:32 PM (WoIMU)

327 Alot of damage reported in Turkish quake in Gaziantep near the Syrian border.

Posted by: andycanuck (Vwz3I) at February 05, 2023 09:32 PM (Vwz3I)

328 I've only smoked cigars a few times in my life but one that i really liked was a Montecristo. Both of my grandfathers (whom i loved) - one off the boat from Ukraine in the 1920's and the other whose own grandfather was the immigrant - smoked cigars so i've always had a grandfatherly association with cigars. Cigarettes, OTOH, utterly vile smelling things.

Posted by: SFGoth at February 05, 2023 09:32 PM (SeHpz)

329 Oddbob,

Not a bad matching set for a decent price. I avoid Aero Precision enhanced uppers as they restrict you on accessories but this does not appear to be that.

The other way to go right now is some good prices on matching upper and lower billet sets too if going for extreme accuracy.

Posted by: whig at February 05, 2023 09:32 PM (YL0ac)

330 Whoops! 9:33 thank you time!

Thank you! Thank you all for being here tonight!

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 09:33 PM (WoIMU)

331 Actually, I take that back. I have had problems with subsonic ammo that didn't have enough oomph and was causing short-stroking.

Posted by: Oddbob at February 05, 2023 09:34 PM (nfrXX)

332 Posted by: MkY at February 05, 2023 09:32 PM (cPGH3)
----
Bearing surfaces.

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 09:34 PM (WoIMU)

333 Hey, CBD. Well, so far I've free-floated the barrel, bedded the receiver, bedded a pillar, swapped out various trigger parts and put a new bipod on.
It eats CCI Standard best with groups down to 0.5". Other ammo, including Winchester M-22, sucks donkey balls.
Waiting for my drop-in BX trigger group.

Posted by: RI Red at February 05, 2023 09:34 PM (gBiwG)

334 Oddbob, that's a good deal on a nice receiver set. I have a few Aero's and they're very nice!

Posted by: ck at February 05, 2023 09:34 PM (NSvQe)

335 Seargent Major:
Any 1911 model. Proven and well known.

For a compact: Mrs Chappyman and I both run Taurus G2Cs, hers has a laser. Inexpensive, and has eaten everything we have fed to them without complaint.

Posted by: Chappyman66 at February 05, 2023 09:35 PM (L3byd)

336 Thanks, Weasel. Get the hell out of here. Your life is calling.

Posted by: MkY at February 05, 2023 09:35 PM (cPGH3)

337 Posted by: SFGoth at February 05, 2023 09:32 PM (SeHpz)
---
The Monty 4's are very nice, mild cigars.

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 09:35 PM (WoIMU)

338 Thanks for hosting this week's thread, Weasel!

Posted by: Ed L at February 05, 2023 09:36 PM (/lmRp)

339 Wow, i just read that a federal judge ruled friday that mere status as a marijuana user cannot abridge one's 2A right. Trump appointee in OK.

Posted by: SFGoth at February 05, 2023 09:36 PM (SeHpz)

340 Posted by: RI Red at February 05, 2023 09:34 PM (gBiwG)
---
Howdy Red!

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 09:36 PM (WoIMU)

341 Oddbob,
Aim Surplus is pricing that set at 230 or so with a LPK, and the Spike duo of upper and lower is about the same but without the LPK.

I would also check Joe Bob's and Ranier Arms too.

Posted by: whig at February 05, 2023 09:37 PM (YL0ac)

342 Posted by: Ed L at February 05, 2023 09:36 PM (/lmRp)
-----
Happy to do it. Thanks for your contributions!

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 09:38 PM (WoIMU)

343 is anyone aware that there are egg shortages in Australia, England, and Spain?

Posted by: Kindltot at February 05, 2023 09:39 PM (xhaym)

344 Odd Bob, it was across the board, CCI Std, CCI Mini Mag, Eley Club, Team, Match and 10X, and Winchester M-22. First round would hang up about 2/3 of the way into the chamber. Once inserted by hand, everything shot and cycled perfectly.
The mags may just need cleaning (never done yet). Alignment seemed fine and had the same problem assembled or with stock removed.

Posted by: RI Red at February 05, 2023 09:40 PM (gBiwG)

345 It appeared to me to be another attempt to portray gun owners yet again as ignorant blast-happy yokels.
Posted by: That Deplorable SOB Van Owen at February 05, 2023 07:13 PM (PWe8a)

Sadly, there are blast-happy yokels about. On Guam, every year, they had to ask people, "Please do not shoot up into the air to celebrate!" And every year they have someone hurt from it (or a hole in someone's car or roof).

They have to warn some people in NC, too, because, well, some fools will do it.

Posted by: GWB at February 05, 2023 09:42 PM (B7zYP)

346 Posted by: Kindltot at February 05, 2023 09:39 PM (xhaym)

There's an avian flu epidemic going around killing off a sizable number of egg laying hens worldwide.

Posted by: Ed L at February 05, 2023 09:42 PM (/lmRp)

347 Maybe not spain, I didn't verify that

Posted by: Kindltot at February 05, 2023 09:42 PM (xhaym)

348 Weasel! I have kept notes and pix on my accurizing project, of course.
Aren't you lucky!

Posted by: RI Red at February 05, 2023 09:43 PM (gBiwG)

349 >>> 346 Posted by: Kindltot at February 05, 2023 09:39 PM (xhaym)

There's an avian flu epidemic going around killing off a sizable number of egg laying hens worldwide.
Posted by: Ed L at February 05, 2023 09:42 PM (/lmRp)

Whoops! Whoopsie!!!

Posted by: Anthony Fauci, SCIENCE at February 05, 2023 09:43 PM (llON8)

350 Good night folks.

Posted by: whig at February 05, 2023 09:43 PM (YL0ac)

351 But I'm just getting started!
Oh, ok. G'nite, folks.

Posted by: RI Red at February 05, 2023 09:46 PM (gBiwG)

352 Cute doggeh:

https://twitter.com/LizzyLouWhom/status/
1622021278545727491

Posted by: andycanuck (Vwz3I) at February 05, 2023 09:46 PM (Vwz3I)

353 Not sure of the operating ceiling of our current military aircraft, but I am sure they could get to that altitude and take it down.

Posted by: Scuba_Dude at February 05, 2023 07:20 PM (fe7in)

Not really. I wonder if they had to specially equip that F22 to get it to an adequate altitude, or if the balloon dropped enough so as to be reachable.
Most of our military aircraft operate in the normal flight range up to 50,000 feet Mean Sea Level. (I do not know the ceiling of a F22.)

Posted by: GWB at February 05, 2023 09:46 PM (B7zYP)

354 Instead of shooting I continued working on getting into shape (which will help shoot later, because I haven't even seen a square range in more than a decade).

15k in boots that seemed "probably broken in enough" was rough. Getting old sucks.

Posted by: somedood at February 05, 2023 09:47 PM (zNcSj)

355 Aim Surplus is pricing that set at 230 or so with a LPK

Thanks for the tip. It was a little confusing searching on their website because it doesn't show the sale price until you open the page for the item. Looks like they'll be getting this sale instead of B King's (whom I have bought from before and liked).

Posted by: Oddbob at February 05, 2023 09:47 PM (nfrXX)

356 On Guam, every year, they had to ask people, "Please do not shoot up into the air to celebrate!" And every year they have someone hurt from it (or a hole in someone's car or roof).

Seems to be something of a tradition in the more Hispanic areas of TX too.

Posted by: Oddbob at February 05, 2023 09:49 PM (nfrXX)

357 If you're assless get some suspenders.
Posted by: Eromero at February 05, 2023 07:22 PM (MF3yS)

/sigh/
Yes, I concur. (I'm mostly good with my 1911 Officer on my hip, but wearing suspenders certainly made it more comfortable to carry.)

Also, will concur on the 1911 recommendation.

Posted by: GWB at February 05, 2023 09:49 PM (B7zYP)

358 If you added a guidance system and controllable fins, then they could be quite useful in a multitude of situations.
Posted by: Pillage Idiot at February 05, 2023 07:30 PM (HlyYF)

The concept is known as Rods From God, and has been bandied about as a solution to the "tanks on the plains of central Europe" cold war scenario. You drop them from orbit and they have enough KE when they hit to simply vaporize tanks, thoroughly defeating their armor of any sort.

Posted by: GWB at February 05, 2023 09:53 PM (B7zYP)

359 285 Regarding 3D printing and Cura:
I have observed odd behaviour with versions above 3.6, such as inconsistent slicing. Sometimes a print worked, other times not.
So I have reverted to version 3.6 and that has been rock-solid for me.
Posted by: Chappyman66 at February 05, 2023 09:11 PM (L3byd)

Thanks for the tip. Also congrats on the new grand-shooter!

Posted by: Schnorflepuppy at February 05, 2023 09:57 PM (B97yp)

360 Thanks for another great evening. Good night.

Posted by: Pod Hamp at February 05, 2023 09:58 PM (GjNDo)

361 ONT is up! Hope to see you all next Sunday!
Nite!

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 09:58 PM (WoIMU)

362 Just looked up a German Flak37 88mm had a ceiling range of 32,500 feet, just over 1/2 way to the Chinese Spy Balloon
Posted by: Skip at February 05, 2023 07:52 PM (xhxe

So, you mount the Flak37 on one of those boneyard B52s, fly it to 40,000 feet and you're well within range....

Posted by: GWB at February 05, 2023 09:59 PM (B7zYP)

363 Posted by: RI Red at February 05, 2023 09:43 PM (gBiwG)
---
Great!

Posted by: Weasel at February 05, 2023 09:59 PM (/4TRy)

364 Thanks, Weasel. Appreciate the thread as always!

Posted by: Schnorflepuppy at February 05, 2023 10:01 PM (B97yp)

365 Link goes to Vermont Woodworking site.
https://tinyurl.com/app/myurls
---------------------------------------

whig, it just goe to tiny urls.

Posted by: Braenyard, _ want nuremberg trials? badger your congressman at February 05, 2023 10:34 PM (bceP2)

366 Sergeant Major: If you're looking to replace a G26 with something with a manual safety, I suggest the G2c/G3c, at an identical size (literally) factor is the S&W M&P Compact 1.0, some models of which do have a manual safety.

They hold 12 rounds, are concealable , slightly thinner than the G26, with a longer grip than a G26.

This assumes you want a small CC option, if you're looking for larger, I have other options.

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards (Logan Tiberius 2012-2021) at February 05, 2023 11:02 PM (xcxpd)

367 Had a good range day. Hit a 1-foot-diameter target five times in a row. Wind about 8-10 mph, approximately 90-degrees. Temp 43F, relative humidity 55%, baro 28.76 abs.

Posted by: richard at February 06, 2023 01:27 PM (xGLnO)

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