rebel49

I agree with karl, although I will have to stock up on ammo. There has been a large influx of Hispanic individuals at our range late last year, and since opening day on the first of this month. I wonder, is this an indicator of things to come? Homeland Security was out late last season asking questions like " Do you have a lot of Hispanics,Middle Eastern and East European types using the range?" I answer Yes to all. I was told to report any supicious groups to them. Yeah, right! I would be on the phone all day doing that.

I guess I'll have to stock up on the ammo, and if it comes to anything "If it's brown it's down".

Rebel49

I have a friend in Carlsbad,NM that usually make this march. She's the same age as I am and does pretty well. She does this in honor of her father and others from NM. who did the Real Death March. Her father walked some of the route about 2 years ago with her, he's in his mid-eighties. He was my Uncles First Sergeant in the 200th/515th Coast Artillery.

Rebel49

Spec:

Sorry to hear of your loss. I know how much it hurts in your heart right now, but rejoice in the fact that your brother is still with you as long as you remember him. I lost my best friend and brother in 96 and not a day goes by that he isn't with me in my memories. My condolences to you and your family in these trying times.

Rebel49

We had the range open yesterday the 18th for one day to accomodate some of the folks from the AR15.com/IL. board. It was -8F when I got there at 7:30 am and +8F when I left at 3:30 pm with about a 25 Mph wind from the northwest. I liked to froze my butt off even in Carharts, had disposable handwarmers in my gloves and my fingers still froze. Myself and the other Range Officer took turns on the line and in the Range House and in our trucks. To cold for me, never pulled a trigger, heck I would have had to take a glove off and I was not going to do that. Came home and got in a nice hot shower, enough for one day for this old fart.

Rebel49

Hey FC

If that's the case here's two, pat,pat. Seriously though, you are doing a fine job with the forum, I read it every night without fail. My only regret is that I can't chip in on the cost. But when I get a job that will change. Keep up the good work, I for one do apperciate it.

Rebel49

Well I don't quite know how to word this, but here goes.

I started working on firearms when I was about 14, I loved to take them apart to see how they worked. It was soon found that I could actually repair them and that started this ball rolling. I quit High School when I was 16, Mom was on SS due to my Fathers passing when I was 13. So I got a job in a factory and gave Mom the pay checks, I made more than she got for me from SS. Started working in machine shops by lying about my age, and then getting fired when some found out. Eventually became a journeyman machinist at 22 and a journeyman tool & die maker at 24. Married young and 2 kids and a divorce by 29. Remarried a wonderful lady in 1980 and have been with her since. I started working for a DOE facility in 83 making parts for experiments and the particle accelerator there, all close tolerence work with exotic metals. They had a buyout early retirement in 2002 and I took it. Been doing part-time jobs since in die shops and driving truck, while I tried to get this gunsmith business to pay the bills. Business is picking up some, but I still need the side jobs for the bills. Ya listening Clayton? Right now I'm laid off again and waiting for a call back, twice within a year. Yep, shouldn't have taken the buyout, seemed like a good idea at the time, but sucks right now. I was #10 on the seniority list and had my pick of the shops to work in, but I wanted to be my own boss, so here I am. One bright spot in the near future is the Range I work at as an RSO is opening again in April, so I go back to work there till December. Great job, wonderful boss Lady, and great guys and gals to work with, a dream job and someday may go full time. Up to this point in my life I have been a Machinist / Tool & Die Maker, Gunsmith, Gun Dealer, Mechanic, Truck Driver, rode and built Harley's, ect. All my working career I have had a part-time something that I did other than my full time Machinist/ Die Makers job, I think the most enjoyment I have had was being a gunsmith. I just hope that someday I can retire and just putz around and shoot.

Rebel49

www.lebercustomengraving.com

Ain't a thing Fritz, glad to do it for you. Sometimes I hear a song and it just sticks in the head you know. That was one that I remembered from long ago in a darker time, and one which a friend of mine would play whenever we got together and got smashed. About 6-7 months ago the phone rings in the shop and call ID shows up as "wireless" so I pick it up and hear Suicide Is Painless playing on guitar, then the words. My buddy who I haven't heard from in 23 years on the line singing. About freaked me out, I had heard he croaked in the VA hosp. years ago, PTSD from Nam, and Agent Orange. It was quite a reunion.

Rebel49

SUICIDE IS PAINLESS

Theme from M*A*S*H

(Mike Altman & Johnny Mandel)

Through early morning fog I see

Visions of the things to be

The pains that are withheld for me

I realize and I can see that

Chorus: Suicide is painless

It brings on many changes

And I can take or leave it if I please

I try to find a way to make

All our little joys relate

Without that ever-present hate

But now I know that it's too late, and (chorus)

The game of life is hard to play

I'm going to lose it anyway

The losing card I'll someday lay

So this is all I have to say, that (chorus)

The only way to win is cheat

And lay it down before I'm beat

And to another give my seat

For that's the only painless feat. (chorus)

The sword of time will pierce our skins

It doesn't hurt when it begins

But as it works its way on in

The pain grows stronger; watch it grin! and (chorus)

A brave man once requested me

To answer questions that are key

Is it to be or not to be

Oh I replied, oh why ask me? 'cause (chorus)

And you can do the same thing if you please

Here You go Fritz, enjoy

Rebel49

For what you want to do you will need a larger Lathe. Something in the 9"- 12" and 24"+ length, with a through headstock splindle hole of 1"ID or greater. And don't forget the tooling for it.

Rebel49

Very close friend of mine was with the Seawolves / HAL-3 in Vietnam. Has a lot of stories about the funny stuff that went on there and with him and others. Doesn't say very much about the missions though. It took about 3-5 years before he told me about his commendations, and only after he brought them over to me to copy for him. Among other things he had were 23 air combat medals. I know that he has some issues that he deals with on a daily basis, and when he needs to talk I just listen. There are times I want to ask questions, but I think it's better for him that I listen and let him do the talking.

Many years ago the foreman I worked with seen me reading the book A Bridge To Far and asked if he could borrow it when I was done. I lent it to him and the next time I saw his wife she asked that I not give him any other of those books to read. It seems that he was there and reading that book triggered the nightmares again after not having them for years. He did tell me about jumping into Normandy and into Holland and some other things, but it still bothered him a lot. I never try and pry info out of our Vets for this reason. I figure if they wish to tell me anything they will in their own time. I just respect them for what they have done and thank them for their service to our country, after all they have kept me free by their actions and deeds, I figure I owe them big time. That goes for you FC and all the other guys that are here, Thanks for everything you have done.

Rebel49

Clayton:

Everyone of the guys has given you good sound advice, and I agree with them. Stay in school, get a degree in something. You will never make a whole lot of dough doing gunsmithing, I certainly don't and probably never will and I've been doing this for about 25+ years. The equipment costs are a killer and machinery is another killer. A good CNC mill will set you back about $12K used, then the tooling is about the same. That's a big nut to crack before you make any profit. Or a whole lot of guns you will have to build and sell, and you will still need other machinery. Drill presses,Lathes,Grinders,etc. and the tooling for each one. I am not out to bust anyones dream, this is just the facts of life.

After 38 years as a Tool and Die Maker, I am semi-retired, laid off from a part-time job and have no prospects of finding employment. No one wants a 56 year old guy no matter how much experience you have. After 45-50 your employment prospects are about nill in the machine tool trades, if you aren't in a shop that you can retire from you are skating on thin ice. last year alone I sent out 170 resumes and got 6 replies and 2 interviews, and that's with 38 years experience. They don't and won't say it, but they are looking for younger guys as machine operators. They can pay then less, and work them harder with low benefits. Programmers make more money than Tool Makers anymore, and they barely know how to turn on the machine in some cases. Heck we had to layout, program, machine, fit and assemble everything. No stay in school and get that degree, you will be far better off in the long run.

Rebel49

Hey Tony:

Get well soon buddy. I'll bet that you are right handed also, which rules out any shooting for awhile. Time to do some catch up with the family. Take the wife and kids shooting, sightseeing, that sort of thing. Make something good out of the bad. Good luck and heal up soon.

Rebel49

The one thing to remember with carbide is that it is brittle, even the more dense grades. Also it is in the 70-72+ RC range for hardness, so a razor sharp edge will chip very quickly. This will happen more so when you try and move it slowly like you are talking about. Most button rifled barrel the button actually forces the metal out rather than cutting it. What's needed is something along the lines of M4 tool steel hardened to 65RC and coated with Titanium Nitride for wear and toughness after sharpening. Even then you run a very good chance that somewhere down the barrel it will try and track out of the existing rifleing and try cutting a new path. It would be cheaper and less work to buy a rifled blank and turn a new barrel by the time you make the necessary 4-6 cutters, pilots and mandrels. Just my $.02 and thoughts as an old tool & die maker.

Rebel49

What I've done in the past for setting back a barrel and having the sights line up again. First determine the number of threads per inch, then divide 1.000" by the number of threads per inch and remove that amount from the torque shoulder. This should set the barrel back one full turn, on a 98 style barrel you will have to remove stock from the secondary torque shoulder also. What you end up with then is a short chambered barrel, use a finish reamer to clean up the chamber to the proper headspace and you're back in business. That way you don't have to mess around with the sights. Hope this helps.

Rebel49

Attaboy FC!!!! Sleezy Board can go take a flying!$#^. So in other words the only way to get a refund of the Community Chest is to use Ezboard again. Tell you what Tony if I was working I would contribute to the new Chest here, but since being laid off funds are tight. Maybe when I'm flush again.

Like what you did in support of Fritz also.

Rebel49

Something going on over at Bill's forum today. Alot of his posts are missing, they jump from 4/05 to 7/13/05. Everything in between is gone.

Hey All:

Nice new home!!!!!!!! Thanks Tony!!! If you need help with this new site just ask.

Rebel49