fritz

Jerry, That sounds like a good deal, sorta remininescent of when a big retail chain store here went out of business. I still have fishing reels left from that one (a Gibson's Store) but have used up all the cheap reloading stuff they had. The nearest Cabela's store is in Buda, on I-35 near Austin. But I just don't get on I-35 any more than I can help it. Maybe when Guvnor Perry gets his beeg highway to the sky built down 35 I can use the truck lane to get to Cabela's. Or I can use the slower lanes, we know how fast the trucks drive. But today the mailbox was filled with two big catalogs from Cabela's. No tent sale, but a nice wish list. BTW, they just opened a Academy Store in Victoria. Now we can expect the small sports stores to have tent sales. That's the only way fritz patronizes them. fritz

In the news again, and not favorably, is the story of Houston's police chief's arrogant stand against enforcing immigration law. The other day one of his officers was killed, shot in the face, by an illegal whom he had arrested for other violations. Still, the chief stands by his policy of not enforcing immigration laws. Not even after his officers are being slaughtered in the streets by illegals. You see, he in one of those liberals, like New Orleans has so many of, and he demands that the federal government supply him with more men to enforce laws. I guess he doesn't want to burden the citizens of Houston with the money to keep them safe. Well, they are not safe. Just as my earlier post about the Union putting up billboards on the entrances to Houston announcing that you are now entering a dangerous city (because of Houston police not enforcing laws, and pursuing a policy of "Don't chase, don't catch"). Tony, you might think twice before going to Houston again. I know you said you visit it sometimes, just be sure you have your pistola handy (and all the paperwork in order). BTW, the officer was shot by a pistol that the handcuffed illegal had in his waistband, seems the officer missed it in the pat-down. Houston is a dangerous city. Could the Union just be right on this one? fritz

While the LOP on most military stocks is rather short to begin with, that is one way to go. Amazing things can be done to a nice piece of military walnut. But I have shortened synthetic stocks for customers before, factory stocks. Maybe not all are candidates for shortening, but some are. fritz

I agree. And if you ain't insane when you enter one, you will be before you exit it. There is a plaque on the wall in our club that reads "When I die, bury me on the golf course. Then my husband will visit me 8 days a week" BTW, we did have a fellow suffer a heart attack on number 8 several years ago. They brought the EMS vehicle onto the course and hauled him off. This was not his first heart attack and was not going to be the last. He had a pacemaker installed and kept playing (albeit another day). He's still living, I believe. Golf is like that, "A good walk spoiled" as Mark Twain said. fritz

"In any case...any good advice on getting a set of files, and a stone?" z1r can probably help you on this, if I may intercede here. I don't mean to say nobody else can't, but he can I know. fritz

I have this old chest type freezer in an outbuilding where I used to have a mobile home. It was filled with all kinds of goodies, from fish and ground meat to leftover pot roast. Also lots of frozen fruit, and about 10 bushels of sweet corn (which I quit raising in 1997). So it wasn't exactly fresh food. Well, when I got my last electric bill I decided that this thing had to go. We had not used anything out of it in 9 years. And it was full. And it was consuming huge amounts of kilowatts. We have also had the hottest summer on record here. Well, the thing has been unplugged for 5 days now, and there is still perma frost in it. Now I know what they are talking about in Alaska. I started at the top and removed food as the frozen ice thawed. I am now down to the bottom, but there is still some stuff frozen to the bottom and about two inches of freezing water in it. I tried to remove the drain plug this morning, but gave up after getting all my fingers frostbitten. I did get enough meat out that I just couldn't throw away, so I gave it to the two dogs. Big mistake! My favorite dog and I usually have a little chat before we retire for the night, but tonight I had to tell her to get the hell away from me. Have you ever smelled a dog fart? I mean one where the dog has consumed about 5 pounds of raw meat! It ain't pretty. But it's my own fault. At least I didn't eat it, so I have to come up with some other excuse for my (occassional) emmissions. Who ever said it's a dog's life? fritz

http://www.alphadictionary.com/articles/yankeetest.html I'm in the middle. fritz

This may be old, but I thought it interesting--- Guess our national leaders didn't expect this, hmm? On Thursday, Darrell Scott, the father of Rachel Scott, a victim of the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton, Colorado, was invited to address the House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee What he said to our national leaders during this special session of Congress was painfully truthful. They were not prepared for what he was to say, nor was it received well. It needs to be heard by every parent, every teacher, every politician, every sociologist, every psychologist, and every so-called expert! These courageous words spoken by Darrell Scott are powerful, penetrating, and deeply personal. There is no doubt that God sent this man as a voice crying in the wilderness. The following is a portion of the transcript: "Since the dawn of creation there has been both good & evil in the hearts of men and women. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the seeds of violence. The death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel Joy Scott, and the deaths of that heroic teacher, and the other eleven children who died must not be in vain Their blood cries out for answers. "The f irst recorded act of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out in the field. The villain was not the club he used. Neither was it the NCA, the National Club Association. The true killer was Cain, and the reason for the murder could only be found in Cain's heart. "In the days that followed the Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how quickly fingers began to be pointed at groups such as the NRA. I am not a member of the NRA. I am not a hunter. I do not even own a gun. I am not here to represent or defend the NRA - because I don't believe that they are responsible for my daughter's death. Therefore I do not believe that they need to be defended. If I believed they had anything to do with Rachel's murder I would be their strongest opponent. I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy-it was a spiritual event that should be forcing us to look at where the real blame lies! Much of the blame lies here in this room. Much of the blame lies behind the pointing fingers of the accusers themselves. "I wrote a poem just four nights ago that expresses my feelings bes t. This was written before I knew I would be speaking here today: Your laws ignore our deepest needs, Your words are empty air. You've stripped away our heritage, You've outlawed simple prayer. Now gunshots fill our classrooms, And precious children die. You seek for answers everywhere, And ask the question "Why?" You regulate restrictive laws, Through legislative creed. And yet you fail to understand, That God is what we need! "Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, mind, and spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we create a void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and reek havoc. Spiritual presences were present within our educational systems for most of our nation's history. Many of our major colleges began as theological seminaries. This is a historical fact. What has happened to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so doing, we open the doors to hatred and violence. And when something as terrible as Columbine's tragedy occurs - - politicians immediately look for a scapegoat such as the NRA. They immediately seek to pass more restrictive laws that contribute to erode away our personal and private liberties. We do not need more restr ictive laws. "Eric and Dylan would not have been stopped by metal detectors. No amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends months planning this type of massacre. The real villain lies within our own hearts. "As my son Craig lay under that table in the school library and saw his two friends murdered before his very eyes-He did not hesitate to pray in school. I defy any law or politician to deny him that right! I challenge every young person in America, and around the world, to realize that on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School prayer was brought back to our schools. Do not let the many prayers offered by those students be in vain. Dare to move into the new millennium with a sacred disregard for legislation that violates your God-given right to communicate with Him. To those of you who would point your finger at the NRA - I give to you a sincere challenge. Dare to examine your own heart before casting the first stone! My daughter's death will not be in vain! The young people of this country will not allow that to happen!" submitted by fritz

I've done it before, but it is a lot of work (sometimes not sucessful). You can buy an oversize extractor from Brownell's and file it to fit the smaller case head. And there are ways to shorten the mag well for the shorter cartridge. These are two of the things that need to be done. As for me, I'd just buy a new rifle in that caliber. They are out there, at less cost than what you may end up paying to alter a mauser. And then you would have a new rifle, barrel, etc. fritz

I guess that I should mention that I used the original stock in that unissued Chilean 1895, I fabricated an end cap like the Argentine 1891 had and made a mannlicher out of it. The wood was just too nice to scrap for a Bishop or Fajen (I did that on some others). The one pictured was a refurb. The unissued ones were very nice. They don't make 'em like that anymore. fritz

A Catholic priest and a nun were taking a rare afternoon off and enjoying a round of golf. The priest stepped up to the first tee and took a mighty swing. He missed the ball entirely and said "######, I missed." The good Sister told him to watch his language. On his next swing, he missed again. "######, I missed." "Father, I'm not going to play with you if you keep swearing," the nun said tartly. The priest promised to do better and the round continued. On the 4th tee, he missed again. The usual comment followed. Sister is really mad now and says, "Father John, God is going to strike you dead if you keep swearing like that!" On the next tee, Father John swings and misses again. "######, I missed." A terrible rumble is heard and a gigantic bolt of lightning comes out G>of the sky and strikes Sister Marie dead in her tracks. And from the sky comes a booming voice ....... "######, I missed." fritz

I thought that there was something strange about this rifle, but being part French I just chalked it up to someones' idea of being "different". Karl, how do you "fix" the sights on these? I had (again the word jerry-rigged) a scope base on it, and it was pretty secure. It required removing the rear sight elevating part and machining a press-fit bar to fit in that channel. Two holes drilled and tapped on the receiver ring completed the rifle for a base I had on hand. Well, it wasn't very accurate with a scope, so I put the original parts back on. Hell, I know that there are still two holes drilled and tapped on the receiver, and that I have now gone and done it and ruined a very collectible piece of art from the French Foreign Legion. I feel bad about that. I guess I will wait until I gather a few more transgressions and then go over to Bill's site and spill my guts out. Father Bill, will you hear my confession? fritz

I know it is short, because Frenchmen are inherently "short' (remember Napolean?). But short can be remedied (in men, with new miracle drugs) and in rifles with spacers. Here's mine (on the rifle of course)- http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0603/fritz/MASspacer.jpg fritz

I dunno, must be a rare old gun. It isn't listed in my Gun Trader's Guide. But did you see the other prices this seller is asking? I dunno why you fellows are still looking for a bargain on the internet auctions. It's a seller's market. Now, I have an old relic (it's over 50 years old, but not sure how much older than that) that I could let you have for, say, 100 clams. It has the words "Made in Russia" on the barrel, electro-penciled on, and something like "CIA" beside that. It might be the rifle that shot JFK, but I am not going to guarantee that. I believe in truth in advertising. I'm not sure of the caliber (that's the diameter of the barrel, isn't it?). I haven't measured the diameter yet, but it appears to be about 1/2". Could that mean it is a 50 caliber? If I receive no bids here for it, look for it on eBay. fritz

I'm not sure if this will help you, but it is the way mine looks when the firing pin is released. At this point the pin tip protrudes about 50 thousandths, and leaves a nice hit on the primer. This is from a new MAS that were being sold by the major distributors several years ago--- fritz

I have a golfing buddy that drives all over hauling chickens (not the live feathered ones but the carcasses). I am not sure if he owns his truck or not, but I believe he does. Anyway, his major gripe about road traffic is farmers hauling their cattle to market, and loose cows on the road. I can sympathize with him on the stray cows being a traffic hazzard but as to the farmers hauling their cattle to market being a problem to him, I can only hold my tongue and consider that he is, after all, Canadian. We all have to make a living. And we all don't drive big 18-wheelers. fritz

Chile had many (if not all) of their 1895 rifles made by Ludwig Loewe in Berlin. When Chile became a Nato member, I believe they converted some of these 7x57 rifles to the Nato round (.308). But I may be thinking about the Spanish 1916 refurbs. Anyway, here is a 1895 Chilean in .308 (I fancied it up a bit)---- fritz

Which model of the Spanish mauser is it? I got my start on making hunting rifles out of 1893 and 1895 mausers. I ain't had one blow up on me yet, and I am going on 63 years of age. But I keep them in the original caliber. fritz

" (Please do put a urinal in the bathroom in the shop if nowhere else!)" I take it this house is in a populated area, or there would be no need for a urinal at all! I laugh at the commercials for the prostate reducing drugs, where a boat full of men has a problem with one fellow who has to "go". What ever happened to the "hang it overboard" approach? It's not as if there were women on board. Or the commercial with the fellow who has to get up in the middle of the night to to take a leak. His wife, sleeping next to him, looks upset because he had to "go". Now, let me ask you this----Is not keeping your spouse awake all night by snoring any less than getting up in the middle of the night and taking a leak? BTW, it ain't me that snores, but I have been known to have to relieve myself after midnight. What's worse? Snoring or quietly sneaking out to the outhouse? fritz

I think that most farmers and ranchers will welcome a cat in the barn (as long as they don't have cats of their own). I have one here at the barn, and as Jerry said, I have not seen any mice or rats. Hence no rattlesnakes (they only hang around the barn as long as there are mice). I have never had a problem of the barn cat dominoing, maybe it's a tom. The only tame cat we have is in the house (and he is neutered). Without a barn cat, look out for snakes! They go where the mice are. snake hater fritz

"Yes many Spaniards can be a bit snobbish." This is true. On the professional golf tour is a Spaniard named Sergio Garcia. He is young, and he is a bit snobbish, but he does play a mean game of golf. But he can't beat Tiger Woods. Hell, seems like nobody can beat Tiger. He is a legend in his own time. fritz

Why don't you get the "Window Washer" from Webroot? Then you can save cookies from the sites (like this one) that you trust (you do trust us, don't you?) You save (protect) only those cookies from the trusted sites. Then you are already "in" when you hit the site addy. It works for me (until something hangs up in the works of one of those servers. Have you seen the innards of one of those things? I thought a jigsaw puzzle was complicated. Take me back to Mayberry. fritz

Jim, You are truly one fellow who understands what we are against in this business. We have our good times, and we have our bad times. Now, if it just weren't for the fellows on Wall Street who really run this country (and yes, Democrats and Republicans alike, that is the way it is) we must realize that we in this business are not only at the whim of Mother Nature, but also federal govmunt. I really haven't even heard a misguided comment lately about how the rural people have it made. That was not the case a few years ago. Many people believed that farmers and ranchers were getting rich off of THEIR incomes. To hell with them! At least they had a steady income! fritz

Nahhh, the closet is full of nice guns and stuff and I like it in there. I do come out for an occasional schnapps (and the rest room, not too long after the schnapps). I don't know what is going on with this "unregistered" thing arrising every so often. It could be my internet connection. You know the old rule---reboot! It works sometimes. Remember---always save your cookies! I do, and I have some that are getting stale. But that is life in the "new age". The alternative? Either become a computer geek or just keep bitching about this new-fangled technology. Guess which one I will do? fritz

Without any jerry rigging (I hate that word) I am back as fritz. I have been resurrected! Hail Allelulia! Nope, it weren't me signing in as uncle fritz (although I kinda like that one). Maybe somebody, somewhere, somehow realizes I am still the same old fritz. That ornery old man who just wants to be known as fritz. fritz