Doble Troble

Great report, AZ. Thanks for the info!

AZ, try a rectangle of 1/8" plywood between matress and box springs (on your side of course). If it's still below your sleep number go to 1/4". You might need to make these adjustments while the wife is out to maintain the harmony that you've already worked hard to establish. By the time you need to rotate the matress it'll be old enough to no longer be an issue of potential discord.

Wow, a responsible young man! I hope this breed is making a come back. Keep it up, Jason - it WILL pay off huge in the long run.

Very nice use of those great old barrels! Several years ago I got an 8 mm machine gun barrel from Sarco for something like $20. It was originally chambered in the Swedish 8 x 63. Sarco made it sound like it was an 8-06 (of course it wasn't close). This is what made me put an extended bed on my minilathe. I couldn't begin to chuck it through the headstock. With the extension I turned down and threaded a large ring shank and chambered it by hand (with a home-made reamer) to 8-06. It turned-out butt ugly (it was among my first few tries) but was actually accurate with 185 gr corelocks and sized-up Lake City -06 brass. I can't quite remember how I made that brass. I must have necked up with 8 x 57 dies. Ah, memories... With a real lathe those machinegun barrels are bargain. The steel alone is worth more than the price. You get the rifled bore for free! Aren't we lucky to still have these cheap parts floating around )!

Besides, there are not such mighty talents requisite for government, as some, who pretend to them without possessing them, would make us believe: Honest affections, and common qualifications, are sufficient; and the administration has been always best executed, and the publick liberty best preserved, near the origin and rise of states, when plain honesty and common sense alone governed the publick affairs, and the morals of men were not corrupted with riches and luxury, nor their understandings perverted by subtleties and distinctions. Great abilities have, for the most part, if not always, been employed to mislead the honest, but unwary, multitude, and to draw them out of the open and plain paths of publick virtue and public good.

We all need to spend some time with Cato's letters. They're pre-revolutionary, but you can tell that the concerns and attitudes are essentially those that we (who haven't succumbed to socialism) still have today. Rome, Britian, America...over, and over and over. Spend a few minutes with Cato's letter # 25.

Really nice work, Rev! I've done paper patched for my 38-55. I've both sized-down cast to .369 and patched back up to .378 and cast using a home-brew push-out mold (easier to make than you'd think). The great thing about a paper jacket is that it really is a jacket - you can push velocities with cast bullets just as fast as with commercial copper jacketed. Nothing expands better than a real cast lead bullet either. Accuray is just as good as with copper jackets too. The only problem is casting and then patching up to the right diameter. Its a bit labor intensive, but like all labor intensive things isn't really a big deal once you get your procedure sorted out. There's a good forum over on the Cast Boolits sight: Cast Boolits paper patching that I learned most of what I know from.

Before my wife lost her mind and married me, she made an excellent choice adopting a cattle dog from a shelter outside of Corvallis, OR. Thirteen years, three states and countless adventures later, she died. I really miss her. Some pets become full family members and it really hurts when they leave. This was two years ago and I still get a bit misty every now and then. I'm very sorry that Tawny's gone Karl.

Nice! It looks like they're packing Garands. Excellent choice! I love the Scandanavians. Great grandpa came from Sweden sometime in the 1890s, and great grandma came from Norway (Eriksdatter). They were married in Rice Lake, WI in 1910 and went West to Oregon sometime after that. Not sure when. They had a dairy farm and cash from tulip bulbs. After passing the farm on to his son (grandpa), he made cabinets in Gresham. Socailism kind-of works when no one can stand being unproductive.

Whoah! SailorMilan, we don't know each other from Adam, but the fact that you've been hanging-out around here regularly for a while makes me confident that you're a decent man. I hope I am too, and I hope that all of us decent men can do something to make our lives, the lives of our loved ones, and our frickin country better. This seems to be getting harder all the time. From that perspective, because I'm confident that YOU are decent I think it's important that YOU do what is in YOUR best interest in this situation. If this is your girlfriend and not your wife, you need to think about YOURSELF first. Don't get drug-down by tangles of prior relationships, they're really none of your business if you're not married (and this might be something to be thankful for). If you truly love her, keep on being there for her. Hopefully she'll cut herself loose from all of this as best she can. My advice would be to AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE any thing more than "being there". Don't support maintaining this bad situation financially or otherwise, and don't make any commitments before the chaos COMPLETELY subsides. Don't try to be a rock in the storm. The storm might get worse just to swamp you out of spite. It sounds like (from a bit of information and my narrow perspective) that in this situation being a single parent would be the best possible outcome for your girlfriend and her children. I wouldn't worry at all about the way the in-laws are treating her - that's surely part of what got her husband into this situation. With limited info it seems like her care for the father of her children, and bringing her kids to be with him, is exactly what she should be doing as a mother - while he's alive. It also seems that sometimes death is preferable to life. BE CAREFUL (in every possible way)! I'm sure that many prayers are with you - and don't doubt the power of this.

It's very cool to see that bit of history. Thanks for sharing it! Are you doing any fishing around there? Any halibut in the area?

I've written a piece for the next newsletter. It's going to be edited (and undoubtedly improved by Paul Valone and Keith Jones who are excellent communicators). I'm a member of the NRA, and think they're important, but in my view they're a vestage of earlier times when common sense was more common. In our current drag race toward socialism we need (in my view) to adopt a harder-line approach. Nationally, I recommend Gun Owners of America, but our nation is founded on states. Hopefully you all have state organizations as good as the one (Grass Roots North Carolina) we have here in North Carolina. Here's the (very) rough draft: Obama backed off on guns … for now Why havent we havent heard much about gun control from our Federal executives in the second half of 2009? Remember Februarys call for new commonsense inner-city restrictions on the Presidential web site? Its gone now. Remember Obamas Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, blaming the US for flooding Mexico with automatic weapons and promoting drug violence and mass murders? This was used by the new Attorney General, Eric Holder, to justify plans to renew and expand the Clinton weapons ban. It all kind-of went away, didnt it? Recall shrill complaints that the (non-existent) gun show loop hole, and unethical gun dealers were dumping straw-purchased guns into American cities? Theyve quieted. Remember Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel addressing a Brady Center audience promoting revocation of Second Amendment rights of those on the government watch list? There are have been over 1 million names placed on that list (is yours?) without due process step one. Emanuels resolve to violate the rights of over 1 million citizens has apparently waned. Maybe theyve had a change of heart? Maybe theres been a philosophical reversal within the new Administration? Maybe Obama, Clinton, Holder, Emanuel and other formerly strident gun grabbers have begun to understand that the right of Americans to keep and bear arms should not be infringed? This would, after all, be the type of change that all Constitution-supporting Americans hope for. But if you believe it you should watch-out for flying pigs. Why so pessimistic? Because a few months of silence cant reverse decades of out-spoken criticism. They fully understand that the Second Amendment isnt about hunting its about resisting tyranny. Their discomfort with this fact isnt going away. Recent reductions in direct confrontation are likely temporary, and due less to sudden enlightenment than to a change in tactics. Obama has promised that hes not going to take away your guns. Are your guns weapons? How effective are they without ammunition? There have been repeated proposals to microstamp projectiles and mark chambers and cases. These cynical plans have nothing to do with tracing (do felons buy guns?) and everything to do with making ammunition costly. Then there are the UN arms talks that Mrs. Clinton has committed our nation to. These negotiations may lead to international agreements restricting importation of firearms (so get your Glocks while you can). These plans we know about, what has yet to emerge? Current knowledge underscores the need for resisting efforts to decrease the supply of ammunition and components, and avoiding international commitments designed to restrict availability. Only steadfast opposition will prevent further commonsense erosion of our Second Amendment freedoms (Obama claims to know that what works in Chicago may not work in Cheyenne but doesnt seem to understand that the Constitution applies everywhere in America). Finally, we need to remain ever watchful for new ways in which our ability to remain armed is threatened with or without taking away our guns.

This is the most promising deal in a while...make sure to post back on what you get.

Concealed carry belongs EVERYWHERE - airplanes included. They only way to deal with evil is to destroy it, as quickly and completely as possible. Every patriotic American should be prepared to destroy evil at all times. What happened to the militia? We're seeing first hand, in real time, why it is necessary for the security of a free state. No ready access to defensive weapons on an ARMY BASE! Only an insider would have understood that. Malik must be laughing to himself right now. We frickin' need to get back the militia! I can understand not trusting a standing army taking orders from above, but as a nation of free people we MUST TRUST EACH OTHER to be armed - it will promote a clear understanding to everyone why good behavior is important, and poor behavior can't be tolerated. And as soon as psychopaths break leather they'll sign their own warrants.

Your link works, but when I try to send email it's "Page Not Found". Hopefully government will run healthcare better than their website (or maybe they don't want to know what the people they represent think right now).

Now he needs to do something about that trigger.

So I sent her this email...... Dear Mayor Dunn, I've written to you before about your membership and support of the group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns. You and I both know that all law-abiding citizens are against illegal guns. Unfortunately your group is also committed to eroding the Constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear weapons that are important tools in allowing them to responsibly defend themselves, their families, and our community. I know that Greenville is plagued with violent crime. The solution is not to limit the ability of good citizens to defend themselves. The solution is to promote the responsibility that each of us has for the welfare and safety of our own households and neighborhoods. Our nation was established on the principle of self-responsibility. Government is eroding this principle by encouraging citizens to relinquish responsibility for their own welfare. Discouraging citizens to remain armed is the ultimate step in developing irresponsibility, and a citizenry of dependents. Free Americans cannot be dependent upon government. Citizens, and their government must choose one condition, dependency, or the other, freedom. Because you are a politician, I encourage you to research past effects that disarming citizens has had on their government. Look to the socialist states established in the last century (I would be happy to provide a list). America (and more immediately, our city) needs to remain different. I understand that tragic accidents occur, but think about the numbers of these accidents relative to those that occur on our streets and highways every day. Freedom is not and will never be free. Freedom is and will always be messy. Personal responsibility must always be expected; by government, and especially the citizenry. The most important obligation that your, and every government has is to increase the degree to which citizens assume responsibility for their own behavior, welfare and security. Discouragment of this is irresponsible government. Trust your citizens. This risk will be rewarded. Sincerely, Ken Soderstrom

Antibiotics have only been around since WWII, but I suspect their availability has already dramatically shifted immune responses, and not in a good way. Our great grand parents NEVER got an antibiotic. How many people today have never been exposed to them?

It's really easy to make 8 mm brass out of -06 - if you have a pile of -06 laying around. It's super easy if you get one of the Redding cut-off trim dies like this. But it would be fun and educational to make Boxer out of Berdan. If you get it make sure to post info about how it works.

karl, I don't *think* the 0.311s will hurt . I've shot probably 100 150 gr 0.312s through mine (the Hornady 303 SPs that I had on hand for my SMLE) at Garand velocities (47ish grains of 4895). The only difficulty was I had to expand the necks more - I took the expander/decapper out of my 303 sizing die and put it into my 30-06 sizer die. It made a huge difference. I shoot a lot of cast, which makes you pay close attention to bore and bullet diameters. In additon to accuracy problems, skinny cast bullets lead bores - which is a real PITA that you learn to avoid. My 1917 was inaccurate and copper fouling with 308s. So I tried bigger bullets = improved accuracy and less fouling (I think - it still has a nasty bore - It was used for salutes with blanks by veterens groups. The blanks used must have been really corrosive.

My 1917 won't shoot unless I load 303 bullets for it (0.312 diameter). But the bore was in pretty bad shape when I got it.

Barry Goldwater has been demonized for wanting "the restoration of our constitutional system". Hopefully he'll never be forgotten for that. Before dying of Alzheimer's, Reagan was demonized as a narrow- and simple-minded warmonger and for his overly-simplified, actor-inspired-, trickle-down Reaganomics (that actually worked and patched-up a really-bad economy [late-70s, early-mid-80s anyone?] in a way that lasted until the government sued Microsoft [popping the dot-com bubble] a disaster accelerated by the twin-towers coming crashing down and the resulting [clearly necessary] war on islamoterrorism). Whew. I guess because Reagan achieved helplessness before death it has become OK to "feel" good about his presidency, because even sociodemolibs seem to speak and write well of him now. Maybe Goldwater never generated a satisfactory level of sympathy (or maybe, to Reagans luck, the cannonization of Clinton required a sacrifice)? Anyway, in the wake of the aftermath of government-promoted easy real estate loans, and the bailout of the political donors responsible, coupled with government ownership of banks, and manufacturers that labor unions depend on, even apolitical Americans are begininng to become uncomfortable with Government-sponsored favoritism. The Government is now favoring unproductivity, and helplessness. Earlier, on a smaller scale (are Social Security, Welfare, and Medicare small?) this may not have been obviously destructive, but given recent developments (and intense pressure) the problem is becoming obvious - even to those without economic or logical training (most senators) it is clearly unsustainable. Our nation is being driven as quickly as possible into complete socialism. Freedom is the price. Even those who stand to benefit in the short-term are begining to balk. Freedom is expensive. It was way too cheap for way too long. Maybe it's not a good idea to turn swords into plowshares right now.

I think TR may have been, but in his case it would have been justified (talk about Hemingway-class cool dudes). If Ford was he'd have been as unplesant as Jimmy C is now (oof).

Priceless!