Ruger's Auction To Benefit The Light Foundation

Ruger is offering a nice one this week.  It is a Single Six in .17 HMR, made in 2003, and it wears the NRA logo on the grips, for Friends of the NRA events.  Take a look at the photos and you will see this is a new gun, showing no shop wear at all. This nice little revolver sells mid-day, June 13, 2018.  CLICK HERE to place your bid.  $530

Tuesday Torque Two-Fer At The Evansville Engine Show

Southern Indiana Antique Machinery Show, 2018, Evansville, Indiana. A beautiful restoration of an Evans oilfield engine by Tony Sage, plus a bonus! The guys next to Tony were firing up a Thermoil Diesel engine with a homemade electric starter. Fuel was shooting up in a geyser, but they got it under control and made it run.

One Guess On What This Baby Grinds!

Back To The Old Grind!

SIAM Show, 2018, Evansville

Gary Bahre and I went over to the Southern Indiana Antique Machinery show today and had a good time.  Big Old Oilfield engines were the feature this time, and every one was a beauty.  Tony Sage always has a nice display.  He brought an engine he rescued and restored, and it would knock your eyes out.  There were a bunch of yellow-dog lanterns burning, and many of the photos look like the camera has light leaks because of the oil smoke from those lanterns.  Some photos and video will follow as I look at them and process them.

Weekend Steam: Let's Hop Across The Pond!

At least part of Britain is still there.  I doubt any of this will survive when the takeover is complete.




Thanks, Merle!

Pattie Will Soon Be 94!

Wheat Harvest is a special time for us. Susan's mother was born in 1924 when the threshers were at the farm. Back then, the wheat was harvested with a binder, the bundles of wheat were put into shocks, and then the bundles were brought to the threshing machine when the threshers came to the farm. Pattie always gets excited because of the connection of the wheat harvest to her birthday, and we do, too. Nowadays, our renter harvests 40 acres in part of an afternoon, and then goes on to other work around the fields that he farms. It is amazing to watch.

Chainsaw Rules Update

My friend Clint, who just had his skull fractured by a tree a couple weeks ago has posted a picture of the tree that did it.  He made some mistakes, and he told me about it.  He was being pushed because of having a couple of interns to watch as he was cutting trees in a timber stand improvement project.  He did not evaluate the lean on a ten inch diameter maple, and he did not make a hinge cut.  He cut one side, then the other, to make a match cut, which severs the tree, leaving nothing to control the direction of the fall. The crown jammed up on one side, creating torque, his saw was jammed and he stayed at the stump trying to pull it loose instead of escaping from the stump.  The butt end of the tree broke loose, and nailed him around his left eye as it made a swing to ten feet away from the stump.

I get negative comments on my chainsaw videos, and accident prevention is why I persist.  There is a short list of steps in falling a tree, and a long list of safety rules.  If you cut by those lists you may never see an accident while you have a saw in your hands.  The rules for chainsaws are not like the rules for firearms.  You have to violate two firearm rules to have an accident.  Violating one chainsaw rule can be fatal.  Check the list on the left side.  I should have thought of Rule 25 a long time ago, but it's there now.  You could add 24 and 25 to the Firearm Rules, too!

Ruger's Auction To Benefit The Light Foundation

This week Ruger is offering a P89 Decocker in 9 mm.  It has an aluminum frame and a blued steel slide, with a 15 round magazine.  This is a new gun from the Ruger vault, and it is well worth bidding.  CLICK HERE to place that winning bid.  This fine pistol will sell mid-day, Wednesday, June 6, 2018.  $710

Tuesday Torque: Evansville, June 8-10, Be There!

There are always good tractors, engines, and cars to see at Evansville.  There is plenty of shade in the gas engine area, so you can really take your time and enjoy the show.

Assignment: Working In The Garden

Back To The Old Grind!  Sharpen Your hoe!

Weekend Steam: New Zealand Steam!

Merle is spotting good ones; Thank You, Merle!

Best Zero Distance For .22 LR?

I've been re-zeroing a couple of our .22s.  We have an event at the Carmi Rifle Club this week and one of the targets we have for new shooters is a line of lollipops at 50 feet. All of our .22s were zeroed at 25 yards, so I made the adjustments to ensure success for the participants.   When you zero at 25 yards, high-velocity .22 LR lands 4 to 5 inches low at 100 yards.  What I found when I zeroed at 50 feet was  the 100 yard groups were falling only 2 to 3 inches low.  That makes it much easier for a kid to hit a clay pigeon on the 100 yard berm.  The other thing I found is that at 75 yards the group falls only 1/2" low instead of a solid inch.  Zeroing at 50 feet gives you the ability to shoot with no correction to just beyond 80 yards with varmints around the compound.