roscoedoh

The 8x57JS is probably the most highly under-rated cartridge out there. Its only shortcoming is that it's not a 30 caliber. You can kill virtually anything with an accurate 8mm and with the proper bullet, an 8mm will reach as far out as you want it to. There is no reason to fret over its ballistics.

Happy birthday brother! Have a large one!!

Of the handful of mil-surps I've cleaned up, I did my best work with a tub of hot water, a plastic dish scrubber, and some dish soap. Soap and water worked well to remove cosmoline and hot water dries quickly. Wipe the metal down with mineral spirits and oil it when you're done and you're good to go.

Best of luck on the house Tony! I've been in my hew home for about three and half months and love! (And I REALLY don't want to do this again any time soon either!) If you close before ~May 31, I think you're still eligible for the home buyer's credit. You're realtor should be able to advise. Glad all is working out for you man. Congrats! Jason

The average Arisaka in working condition might be worth $300 cash. $450 is too much. For a parts gun, especially something that's been worked over by someone else, you might go $150. My advice: walk away

I do! I did a SMLE in "gun blue" a few years ago and hate it. It's blue not black-blue like a good hot bluing job would be. IMHO, the correct color for blued steel should be black to almost black. Once I'd finished the job and it was all over but the cryin'...I had a blue SMLE. One of these days I'll get some aircraft stripper and strip it and reDura-coat it flat black. Overall though, the Dura-coat kit I bought was pretty easy to use and the application was more or less a no-brainer. You can't use a rattle can but everything else you've learned about spray painting holds true. My one suggestion is to buy more thinner than you think you'll need just in case - this coating is fairly tough most of your common paint thinners won't touch it. If you ever want to paint your truck with it, bypass Lauer Weaponry and pick up a gallon of Poulan-T from your local Sherwin-Williams (they're the same coating; Lauer just repackages it and adds the coloring). I like Dura-coat and have several rifles I need to coat if I can ever get to a stopping point on my house... -Jason

Lookin' good man! The only thing I'd think about is moving the bolt handle to the rear of the bolt and making up a scope mount that straddles the rear of the receiver so you could mount the scope in the "traditional" way.

I offer my condolences Jerry. Your family will be in my prayers. -Jason

The 30-06 I built a few years ago wears a Charles Daly Butler Creek stock. It's made of injection molded plastic, not fiberglass, and has taken a beating and held up well. Dimensionally, the Turkish receiver I used didn't differ enough from a the M98 Daly used to build their rifles and it fit well. I went ahead and used their button release bottom metal because an affordable 1909 Argie wasn't available at the time. Again, that fit well. These stocks are serviceable and may be bedded with Acra-gel if you make sure and clean the mold release compound off it and scuff it up first. I'd rate them as well worth the $40 CDNN is asking for them.

If you've built a house before and have time, tools, and knowledge go for it. You can buy several different types of houses as kits and might save quite a bit by doing the work yourself. However, if this isn't really something you've ever had much experience with, I'd be leery of trying it. It just depends on your level of expertise and the amount of time you have to throw at it. Do post pictures if you do go ahead with the project please!

Excellent news! A decent trigger aught to be just the thing 90% of us have been looking for to fix up our Mosin rifles. I'm glad Timney was listening a couple years back when we all started pestering them for a better trigger. I'll buy one once they become available.

Man, getcha a C&R FFL. There are still several distributors that have Mosins for sale for less than $100. I have a FFL on file with SOG, J&G Sales, and Century and I think all three advertise Mosins still. Not to mention, once you get your C&R, you'll find all kinds of guns you can buy that you didn't know you needed, but really have to have!

All the more reason to wear gloves when you process wild game! A friend of mine's grandfather had brucellosis for a while and it just about killed it him. I know of a couple people who've had rabbit fever too and neither of them would wish it on anyone - even people they didn't like! You have to be careful with nature. If you don't respect it, it'll getcha. I always wear nitrile gloves when I process deer and hogs to prevent stuff like this from happening. They're cheap, easy, and can save you a lot of agony later!

Heath, My father has worked on call for the power company for roughly 30 years. In that time, we've had to miss a few opening season days and a couple Christmases. He works one week on call, one off and has had to schedule his life around being available to take calls. It sucks and he's really looking forward to leaving it with'em in a couple years. With all that said, being on call put a roof over our heads when I was young and paid for child support and college when I was older. He resents that being on call has cost him opportunities to do certain things, but its part of the job and "a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do." I'd vote for take the job. If it agrees with you, you can stick with it. If you hate it, you can find another. In the mean time, you'll feel better because you're doing something and making money again. I wish you all the best luck in the world, whatever you choose. Keep your head up and keep on truckin' man. Something will break loose for you sooner than later.

You're already done so I guess I'm late to the party. However, I was going to offer that you might just shellac it. The wood on most of the Commie guns I've ever dealt with were covered with a thick, tough shellac finish. Probably not to difficult to apply and tougher than a coffin nail when it hardens. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

Since your wife went ahead and commited you, go ahead and make her one. I won't make it to the same nicety that you'd put in your house; just slap something together to get her off your back. Then, you might want to have a long talk with your wife about committing you to doing something without talking to you about it first. That ain't cool.

To All My Democratic Friends: Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2010, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wish. To My Republican Friends: Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in the year of our Lord Jesus Christ 2010.

Keep plugging away at it and good luck! I just moved into the house I bought and haven't even gotten the kitchen unpacked yet. I keep finding things that need fixed and I'm down to taking baths in my only bathtub since my shower is now officially out of commision. I had a contract come out to see about the bathroom situation but I can't get him in here till after the first of the year. After I get the bath rooms sorted out I'll still have the rest of the house to tinker with. At least you have the time, tools, money, and know-how to do your own work. I'm sort of in the learning phase of all this and paying out like a run away ATM machine! Keep after it man, you'll get it. Good luck!

Its like a train wreck - you just can't help but look! Ahhh.....!!!

Yes it is amazing how many forms you have to fill out. My father gifted me $3500 to put towards closing and expenses, seems pretty easy right? It took no less that six pieces of paper accompanying that gift to make it righteous in the lender's eyes. Absolutely nuts right?? This brought to you by the same professionals who wrecked the financial establishment in our country. I also have roughly 1.5" inches of forms that I had to sign my name or initial...my signing hand is still sore! But hey, its all been worth it. My house has lots of fix-its to do, but its mine and I don't have to fix some crummy, drafty rent house anymore! Mike, Come on over. I'll have to give you directions, but you're more than welcome. I'll finally have room and hopefully I'll be unpacked by then! Take care all! Jason

Hello all, I haven't been as active around here as I used to be because I've been busy. So, much the same as Horsefly a couple months back, I thought I'd give you all an update on Roscoe. This year has been incredibly busy. I enrolled in an industry recognized professional certificate program that I'm working on through my company. This occupies my free nights. About six months ago I became the chapter advisor to my local college fraternity chapter. That has also commandiered many of my evenings and I have found that to be a rewarding experience. I am getting increasingly active with the local masonic logdes in my area. I am an officer in both lodges I'm a member of and I may affiliate with a third. I am also trying to learn my masonic work well enough to teach and have a student that I'm trying to get through his first degree work. Lastly, and most importantly, I got a wild hair around the first of October and went house hunting. Two months and a mountain of paperwork later, I am typing this post from the living room of my new house. It is more or less what I wanted - three bed, two bath, brick home, in the country. I only paid $55/sq ft for it. Now all I have to do is unpack the upteen million boxes that are stacked everywhere and I'll be set. I guess then I can get on to figuring out why the shower leaks and building that retaining wall I know I'll need. All in all, 2009 has been a real busy year for me both professionally and personally. I haven't gotten to do much hunting and no gun work. I am hoping though that I'll be able to get back to important things - like stock work - next year actually get something done! Hope all you guys are all on the up and up. -Jason aka Roscoedoh

If it makes you feel any better, I'm thinking its time to put a water pump in my 94 Toyota pickup. I'm looking small amounts of coolant - just ain't had time to climb under there yet. I'm hoping that after Sunday I'll have a whole new concrete surface to work off of!

Heath, All it will cost you is an out of state hunting license and whatever the land owner charges as a day use/trespass fee. Wild hogs are a non game species in Texas and have no closed bag limit, no season, and no limit on the method of harvest. I know guys that trap them, run them with dogs, shoot them, hunt them from helicopters, spear them, snare them, etc - its all lawful. The state just requires a hunting license and that's it. PLEASE COME THIN THEM OUT is all the TPWD asks.

Come visit and bring lots of ammo. I could arrange sometime, somewhere - we're eat up with pigs in East Texas too.