It's the little things that make you happy!

 Got some great stuff in yesterday! I finally found 8x56R and 8x60R ammunition for my Portuguese Kropatschek model 1886 rifle. Yes, the rifle can fire both sizes of Portuguese ammunition, there is very little difference other than the length of the neck on the brass cartridges. Just don't try to fire any other type of 8x56R - it will just end in tears!

The 1886 Kropatschek rifles were originally chambered for the black powder 8x60R cartridge, but the cartridge was then replaced by the new 8x56R cartridge which used smokeless powder. The main difference between the cartridges are the smokeless powder and the neck of the case being just a little shorter. Both rounds can be fired from the rifle. 

The packaging is stamped 1928, which is probably when they were packaged at the factory, because the brass on the 8x56 is stamped 1919 while the brass on the 8x60 is stamped 1904!

These rounds are no longer manufactured, and the reloading dies are no longer manufactured, either. When you can find the ammunition, it is usually an expensive purchase! I won't tell you how much I paid for one 10 round box of 8x56R military ball ammuntion and one 10 round box of 8x60R blank rounds. Let's just say I was happy to find them and leave it at that.

Dallas is flooding - good thing we're not there!

 Hello folks, it has made the news that Dallas received a record amount of rain in one 24 hour period, turning all the low lying roads and streets into raging rivers, washing vehicles away and damaging homes.  Some people have tried driving through the water in their cars - bad idea when you are in a low vehicle with a high water warning - and there have been several high-water rescues as a result.  Others have stood on their porches and watched as the flash floods have washed their cars down the street.  I would be wary of buying used cars in the next couple of years without full flood disclosure.

Meanwhile, those of us north of Dallas received only the outer edge of the storm. Our neighborhood only received about 1.5 to 2 inches of rain.  Barely noticeable back on the Oregon coast.  And we are located on a low, rolling ridge above Lake Lewisville, also known as a reservoir situated on the Trinity River. The rain really just helped replenish the lake, which was starting to dry up a bit.

This event in Dallas is NOT uncommon, even during normal rain storms.  Freeways are well above the high water marks for the most part, while underpasses are.. under.  Trying to get to Dallas Love Airport is always a tricky thing, and sometimes it takes another 30 to 45 minutes to find the work around on side streets that Dallas PD has NOT blocked.

So, this leads me to planning for the unexpected / inevitable delays in your everyday live.  Always know how to get where you are going, if indeed you truly need to get there.  Pay attention to storm warnings, and the car radio really can be a lifesaver if, unlike most young'uns out there, you actually use it to listen to live radio stations during inclement weather and not just your  favorite xmradio stations.  Everyone seems to have a cell phone, so use it.  Some localities have instant weather alerts - don't ignore them.  And keep an emergency kit in your car in case you are stuck somewhere for a while.

First shotgun stock.. not too bad for an amateur.

 Last year, we were visiting in Oregon when our friend Donna decided to have me and a couple other friends evaluate her collection of firearms. I was immediately drawn to this Lefever double barrel 12 gauge. The poor thing was in good condition except for the buttstock, which appeared to be hand made but not fitted exactly for the action. The wrist was splintered and poorly nailed back together! I took on the project of making a new stock. I have a good amount of black walnut that I had sawn a couple of years ago and I had just the right piece for the job. 

Keep in mind, I had never made an actual stock before, just a sliver forearm for one shotgun and the stock for a .50 cal flintlock I built in high school.

           

 

             

                 

                

                

                

I love how this turned out, even without all the "proper tools", just some basic files, chisels, sandpaper and a LOT of patience. Most importantly, my dear friend Donna was thrilled with the result. 

It's only numbers on a page, right?

 One of the things the ATF needs to see when processing your request for a Federal Firearms license (FFL) is that you indeed have a secure storage for any firearms you are working on for customers, aka a gun safe. My wife and I went to one of the local feed and farm stores and found a good variety, including the one I wanted, a 30 gun capacity safe for 899.99. My wife went looking at the others and, Low and Behold, we did not get the 30 gun safe. She decided that the tall 48 gun safe was a much better buy at only 300 bucks more! I said, Yes Dear! 

Now, we have been talking about getting a decent safe for the house before we moved from the house in Lebanon, Oregon to the house in Salem, Oregon. Personally, I am glad we waited until we moved here to Texas, those things get HEAVY. The smaller one my son and I could have moved ourselves with limited damage to our bodies. This big one is 857 lbs and will be delivered and placed in position by a professional - 425 bucks is cheap compared to a trip to the hospital!

Some notes on politics (yes, I know, why bring irritation into my life)

 Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a fiscally conservative, constitutionalist/sort of libertarian kind of guy. I have many friends who have differing political views, and I love that we can all appreciate each other as fellow intelligent humans - not one of our grouping is a politician, to my knowledge. I wish I could just be happy with my life, and not pay attention to politics, but it is pretty much impossible these days with 24 hour news cycles. And no, I do not just listen to/read conservative news sources. BBC is one of my favorites to balance Fox. NPR has gone wayyy to left for serious consideration as a news source. So anyway, this is what has me irritated.

For the past 7 years, the Democrats and their Mandarins the Washington DC political engine have been trying EVERYTHING to take down President Donald J. Trump. Everything! And guess what? Nothing has been proven true. It appears to many regular people that Trump is a successful New York businessman, who happens to speak his mind because he can. The man is beholden to no one, and the professional politicians can't handle someone who doesn't care how royal they make themselves appear. He will tell you what he will do, then do it without input from people who absolutely DO NOT MATTER. 

Look what the man has had to deal with the whole time he was President. FBI harassment from before he was elected was over a report generated by the Clinton organization that was proven to be false. Political harassment by Pelosi and her goons has repeatedly been proven false. And despite resistance from the Democrats in Congress, he kept his word and completed everything he promised he would do for his voters and the American people. 

Now, FBI harassment has happened again, and from what people can find out independently (because FBI won't say what exactly they were looking for) is that the raid was predicated on a complaint that the Archives people weren't satisfied with the access they had to President Trump's offices to ensure sensitive items were returned to the Archives, even though they were allowed full access to all his files in his home office and returned 15 boxes of files at the beginning of the year! 

It all appears to be just a power play to make Trump and anyone he supports to look bad in the mid-term elections. Makes me sick and kind of irritated that President Biden, Speaker Pelosi and crew think everyday people can't see what they are doing, and have been doing for a very long time!

All this is in addition to the continued attacks on the entire Bill of Rights. What, you think I'm "just" a 2nd Amendment kind of guy? We should remind ourselves that the Bill of Rights are all INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS! The highest court in the land has confirmed this!

All the original enumerated Rights appear to be under attack, the 1st especially. Leftist groups cry that they have the right to speak their minds, but conservatives get physically attacked for disagreeing with the small but loudly vocal mob. That alone should make any "free speech advocate" cringe and feel like things have gone wrong.

A Bill of Rights as provided in the Ten Original Amendments to The Constitution of the United States

in force December 15, 1791.

Article I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise

thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press: or the right of the people peaceably to

assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Article II

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep

and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Article III

No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor

in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Article IV

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against

unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon

probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be

searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Article V

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a

presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in

the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for

the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any Criminal

Case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process

of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Article VI

In all criminal prosecutions, “the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an

impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district

shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of

the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for

obtaining Witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

Article VII

In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial

by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of

the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Article VIII

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual

punishments inflicted.

Article IX

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage

others retained by the people.

Article X

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States,

are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Okay, time to get off the soap box and take something for this frigging tension headache I shouldn't even have. I'm retired, dammit! I guess I will get back to work putting walls up on the shed I added to the north side of my shop. Bad weather comes from the N/NW around here and blows right under the shed roof.

S&W Revolver project

 This is a fun little project.  Smith and Wesson Hand Ejector 3rd model in 32-20 (32 WCF). I have had this one kicking around the shop for a while and finally decided to get busy with it. The ejector rod and ejector were missing, and I was able to find a complete cylinder, yoke, ejector and ejector rod to replace them. The pistol was originally nickel plated, but since most of the finish was gone I simply removed most of the remaining finish and will keep it in bare steel for now. As you can see, no one has been into the action for quite a while, but what appears to be rust is actually old, old grease! Cleaned it all up and used a minimum amount of lubricant where necessary. I took her to the range and found that I needed to replace the worn cylinder locking bolt that the ejector rod locks into and pushes against, which in turn pushes back the bolt plunger that would otherwise block the hammer from firing. She functions perfectly now!

 

 

 

A Beautiful Old Piece of Machinery.

A long time ago, I purchased this belt driven metal lathe from my folks' estate after my father passed. He had purchased it many years before from the owner of a lumber mill in the Bandon, Oregon area - we lived on a dairy in the Coquille River valley between Bandon and Coquille. After 20 years (!) or so of carting this thing around, we wind up in Texas and I have the darn thing actually set up and running. It is an amazing old piece of machinery, specifically built for the rural farmer/machinist to use turning screws, bolts and all sorts of things for the farm. 

This is a Barnes No. 13 Lathe with optional power-driven countershaft unit. It has been a fun adventure finally getting it all set up, then torn completely apart, cleaned, lubed and carefully put back together. The motor that turns the countershaft unit is a 1/2hp Century repulsion start - induction single phase motor, made to run at either 110 OR 220 volts. 

I have to say, I'm pretty proud of my work so far!