Our little foster Schips have gone to their new home, in a land far, far away; a squirrelless land. But there are rabbits. Schips have a reputation of being good rabbit dogs, too. Too good. They catch them instead of pushing them in a circle for the hunters. Here we see Barbie spotting a squirrel, and then following it as it goes to another tree. Missy is interested, and if we had shot out a few for the girls they would be unstoppable. They are settling into their new digs, and they have another Schip and two Akitas for companions.
....the Mr. Completely blog! Mike is hosting September, and he has returned to the target that started his matches in 2005.
The target has twenty flies, and you get to shoot twenty times. Mr. C points out that this is a difficult target and everyone should expect a low score. Click Here to go to his contest, read the rules, and download the target. Tomorrow is the end of August, so I will be compiling the August e-postal scores. Send them in this week and see if you can beat me!
Ruger is offering a 1973 (First year of transfer bar New Models) Super Blackhawk in .44 Magnum. This fine revolver will sell mid-day August 31, 2016. Click Here or on the photo to place your bid. 100% of the proceeds of this auction will go to benefit the Light Foundation. $1083.99
This Blakeslee sideshaft engine is more than a century old, and is extremely rare. It was retired during the nineteen-sixties, and is now being shown by the grandkids of the man who saved it. I just wish they would scotch those wheels.
As cops back away from enforcement, honest citizens are forced into taking care of business themselves. It's important to note that criminals take it personally, and will seek revenge when their victims call police. The criminals will enforce their will so people will accept being their victims.
This one is too good to hold until next Tuesday. Gary Bahre brought the Bessemer to the American Thresherman Show for all the World to see last week. I think it is safe to say that it was the only 8 HP Vertical Bessemer being shown in the country, because there aren't very many of these around. As far as we have been able to tell there are three others in existence, and this one is the most complete. Very Nice Restoration, Gary!
Ruger is offering a .308 M77 Mk II this week that was made in 1994 for the engineering manager at Ruger's Newport, NH factory. This is a very fine, New In Box rifle, and you will want to read all about it HERE, and place the winning bid. This fine rifle will sell mid-day, Wednesday, August 24, 2016. 100% of the proceeds of this sale will go to benefit the Light Foundation. $1001.09
Fixed-sight guns are a bit different to shoot than ones with fully adjustable sights. I have grown accustomed to making a load that I want, and then adjusting the sights to that load. The Vaquero got some minor surgery. I shortened the front sight a bit to raise the point of impact, and I have widened the rear sight to the right with a diamond hone. It needs a bit more, but it is very close, and I am calling it good enough. Last week I made some loads with 200 grain cast bullets and a charge of Blue Dot that was a warm .44 Special load. It shot just a bit lower than I wanted, so I made some more loads with 240 grain cast bullets, and experimented with a couple different amounts of Herco. This is the one I have settled on. It is a slightly warm .44 Special load, right in the power range I want for packing around the farm; not for big game hunting. That's a one inch square, shot with the front sight just a bit above the frame. The three on the left are with the front sight centered, and the three on the right are with the front sight slightly off center in the groove. This is at ten yards, with my elbows on the shooting bench. .44s are good.
Golly, I shot this video at Pinckneyville in 2009. Seems like yesterday. I wish I had shot more of this, but the crowd was thick around this old beast and I had a hard time getting this much. This will be one of the machines on display through the weekend, and it will probably have a steamer belted up to it.
Susan and I love the Carmi Rifle Club. It is a great bunch of people, and the fellowship at Pistol League is rare in our modern, fast-paced world. Tonight guns were being shared with new shooters and those who are shopping for something new. One of the new members brought these books for me because he had seen this blog, and knew that I liked steam. Wow! Thank You, Mr. L!
The sun is setting earlier every day now, and we left at 8:15. It was T-Totally dark except for a little light at the horizon by 8:30. Fall is coming. Pattie is happy as a lark after shooting three rounds, and doing several clean runs. I think she will sleep well tonight. Activities and fellowship do Pattie a world of good.
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
I drive by this old Ford at least a few times per week. Why hasn't someone given it a good home?
I had always heard to use little hops with your feet together to get out of the hot zone. Just don't separate your feet very far if you have to escape this situation.
Well, it's bargain time again this week! Ruger is offering a P85 Decocker 9mm Pistol made in 1990, and it is New In Box. These fine pistols never attract the collector prices that other Rugers bring, so this is an excellent opportunity for plain folks to do a good deed and to get a fine pistol for home or the car. CLICK HERE to place your bid, and this P85 will sell mid-day, August 17, 2016. 100% of the proceeds of this sale will go to benefit the Light Foundation. $592
The annual American Thresherman Show begins Thursday, August 18, and goes through Sunday. The weather forecast is not good. They are calling for 80% chances of T-storms on both Saturday and Sunday, so Thursday and Friday look like the best days to be there. The rains we have had are slowing down the setup, but exhibitors should start rolling in on Wednesday. I always figure on going in spite of the forecast because the weathermen tend to exaggerate what's coming after a stormy spell. Check your road map and get some cash for your pocket and be ready to go.
We saw an Atkinson Cycle engine on display at the Henry Ford Museum many years ago, and I think we have seen a model running at an engine show. Here is a video that shows how it works. The piston makes four strokes for each revolution of the flywheel. The Atkinson Cycle is used in the Honda hybrid cars, and this type of engine is weak on torque at low speed, but very efficient when running at operating speed.
I ran across an unexpected question last week. Younger generations don't know what is meant by "Jimmy Crack Corn," and there has been plenty of speculation about it on the internet. I also ran across some interesting cultural sensitivity that was much earlier than you would expect. The answer to cracking corn is obvious to historically minded rural folks, and to those who are well read. Corn was, and is a staple item that is used for animal feed, human food, and for making whiskey. Pigs, horses, and cows can eat shelled corn, but chickens need cracked corn, and humans need corn ground into meal. Corn was also used to make whiskey for income, trade, and personal consumption, and malted corn had to be cracked in order to make mash for whiskey production. Here is a brief passage from Fred Gipson's book, Old Yeller, which was published in 1959, and is about Texas in the post-Civil War era.
"we had
plenty of grass, wood, and water. We had wild game for the killing,
fertile ground for growing bread corn" That's from page 1, and bread in most of the South still means cornbread.
So, what does Jimmy Crack Corn really mean? The person telling the story is a house slave, tending to Master's needs. Master dies, and now the story teller is cracking corn; so that tells me he is no longer in the big house, but is out on the farm doing other work, including cracking corn for the household, the chickens, and maybe for a distilling operation. It was probably better work than being in the house where a slave was under constant scrutiny. Anyhow, here is Burl Ives performing this song in 1964.
Now, what is interesting about this live performance is that he refers to the master as Master. In vinyl recordings from the 1950's Mr. Ives uses the word Boss throughout,and in the 1946 movie, Smoky, he also sings Boss instead of Master. It's all very interesting, and I wish we could hear the conversations about how this song was to be recorded for posterity in 1946. This was before Truman integrated the armed forces, but the process had been started, with recruits being introduced to the idea in 1945. "Getting Along" started way before Rodney King made his famous plea for everyone to behave as ladies and gentlemen, and it seems in the last few years the entire process has just gone completely to pieces.
Please pass the cornbread, and get Back To The Old Grind!
McCook's Mr. Bill is a prolific YouTuber, and I get to watching him some nights instead of thinking of something to put here. Well, it's time for bed and I've been watching Mr. Bill again instead of blogging. Mr. Bill's dad was a World War II vet, and he brought back a few of these bullets. I had never seen these, and I thought that flechettes were not used in WWII. If you listen to Mr. Bill you will learn something new every day.
I don't know anything about this pile of rust, but the folks who have it are working on other cars, so it probably will be made into usable parts, at least.
Ruger's offering this week is a Single-Six Convertible in .32 H&R Magnum and .32-20, manufactured for Buckeye Sports Supply in 1989. This is another one of those special guns that is no longer being made, and don't you love that buckeye leaf rollmarked into the top strap? This fine revolver will sell mid-day, Wednesday, August 10, 2016. Click Here or on the picture to read the full description and to place your bid. 100% of the proceeds of this auction will go to benefit the Light Foundation. $1375
An old hand at a distillery told me many years ago that whiskey just isn't the same since farmers went over to dent corn. We have grown Indian Corn in our garden a few times, but we never ground it into meal. We probably ought to do that again, and try it out for taste. Mother Earth News published this video, so these ladies may be authentic hippies.
...because we have cats, too, for balance in our lives.
The two little foster Schips, Missy and Barbie have interested parties talking to Midwest Schipperke Rescue, so they will be moving on soon. We will really miss them when they move to their new home.
The last thirty days. It's all bad, but the worst in my mind at least is that burning victims to death is now quite common. I am sure we will be seeing impalements make a comeback soon.
What's a bandleader to do when the piccolo player has gone awol? My brother Ben knew just what to do. He's been playing the tuba since the sixth grade, so this isn't his first time on the Stars and Stripes Forever. Uploaded to YouTube by JazzManJoe100.
Ruger is offering another .44 Magnum Carbine this week. It is a 25th Anniversary model, marking the end of production of the .44 Carbine. It will sell mid-day, Wednesday, August 3, 2016. 100% of the proceeds of this auction will go to benefit the Light Foundation. Click Here to place your bid.
This noisy little critter doesn't have any reciprocating parts, so it produces no torque, only thrust. It's amazing to watch as it goes 'round and 'round. Note that there is a pole in the center for the operator to hang onto.
If you don't have time, at least move the slider to 14 minutes and start listening. Kevin over at Smallest Minority posted this, and it needs to be spread far and wide.
Firearms; Col. Jeff Cooper's Rules 1. All guns are always loaded. 2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy. 3. Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot. 4. Be sure of your target and what lies beyond it.
Knives 1. Never cut toward yourself. 2. Always cut away from yourself. 3. Never cut yourself.
AND If you drop a knife or gun, let it fall!
Chainsaws
1. Always wear your safety gear when running your saw: hard hat, eye, face, hearing protection, cut resistant protection for your legs, heavy boots, gloves (depending on work conditions).
2. Safety devices on the saw must be in working order: front hand guard,chain brake, chain catcher, throttle lockout, and right hand guard.
3. Hold the saw on the ground or lock it between your knees for starting. No 'Drop Starts.' Set the chain brake before cranking.
4. The engine must idle reliably without turning the chain.
5. The chain must be sharpened properly, including properly set depth gauges.
6. The chain must be adjusted to remove slack and still run freely.
7. The operator must understand the forces on different parts of the bar as the saw runs: push, pull, kickback and attack.
8. Both hands must always be on the saw when the chain is running. The thumbs must be wrapped around the handles. Both feet should be firmly planted on the ground.
9. The operator must always know where the end of the bar is, and what it's doing.
10. Don't let the upper (kickback) corner of the bar contact anything when the chain is running unless the tip has been buried with the lower corner.
11. Let off of the throttle before pulling out of a pinch on the top part of the bar.
12. Make a plan for every tree you cut. Assess hazards, lean, escape routes, forward cuts, and back cuts. Evaluate the forward or backward lean, and the side lean of every tree you cut. Know your limits.
13. Clear your work area and your escape path of brush, vines, and other hazards that can trip you or catch your saw.
14. Escape from the bullseye when the tree tips. 90% of accidents happen within 12 feet of the stump. Go more than 15 feet, and stay out of the bullseye until things stop falling.
15. Keep spectators away more than twice the height of the tree in the direction it will fall.
16. Don't cut alone.
17. Keep your body and the swamper's out of the line of the bar in case of a kickback.
18. Set the brake when taking over two steps or when moving through tripping hazards. Keep your trigger finger off of the throttle when you are moving.
19. DO NOT operate a chainsaw from a ladder! Operating with your feet off the ground requires special training.
20. Do not cut above your shoulders.
21. Springpoles must be shaved on the inside of the apex between the ascending and descending sides. If the apex is higher than you shoulders, stand under the springpole and cut it low on the descending side. It will release upward, away from you.Leaning and heavily loaded poles that are too small to bore cut for a hinge should be shaved on the compressed side until they fold.
22. Do not cut a tree that is holding up a lodged tree. Do not work under a lodged tree. Think about a mouse trying to steal the cheese out of a trap.
23. Instruct your swampers and helpers to NEVER approach you from behind or the sides to within the reach of your saw when you are cutting. If you pull out of a cut with the chain running, or have a severe kickback, the swamper can be killed if he is coming up behind you!
24!! Quit When You Are Tired!
25!! Pause and review; reflect, when you are being pushed. You may be pushed into danger. Do not let pressure cause you to ignore safety rules!
Cutting dead and rotten trees is extremely risky, and your safety always comes down to basics and following the rules. Build a good hinge, even if there is just a thin shell to work with. Support the back side of the hinge with wedges if the tree is punky or hollow before you cut out the back. Don't fight side lean or back lean when cutting unsound trees. Release it quickly and get away from the stump. Tell your co-workers what your steps are before you crank your saw. You will live long.
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