Horsefly

Jason,I bought a shroud for a Swede 96 a couple years back from Brownells,and it wouldn't come close to working,so I ask an old man that builds beautiful custom rifles on Mauser actions and he said he gave up on trying to make Brownells work,but has better luck,not good luck,with Sunny Hill shrouds,and that they aren't worth the trouble and uses Bueler safeties now.Jerry

I bought a used rifle that has Conetrol scope mounts,and whoever sold it took off the scope and rings,but couldn't get the mounts off and made a mess of the screw heads.I don't have a screwdriver tip that will hold either.I'm wondering if one of those impact drivers like we used on motorcycle engines would work,if I could find a tip small enough?If new rings will cover the screw heads,I may leave them 'cause I know they won't shoot loose.Whoever mounted them must have used red locktite.Jerry

Tony,a thousand tornados is the best description I've heard.That's exactly what it looks like.We fixed my sons roof,and now his house is ok,but Keesler Air Base isn't going to be re-opened,so they have to sell out and go to another base.So far,they have Anchorage for first choise,but haven't heard if they got it yet.My daughter-in-law in in the Air Force and my son works for Singular,but he'll have to quit his job to go with her.She isn't allowed to live in their home,so they're here in Texas waiting to get her orders on relocation.They shouldn't have trouble selling their home since there aren't hardly any left.Every realestate office had signs made of plywood and spray paint that said "WE NEED HOUSES TO SELL AND RENT". The Gulfport,Biloxi and Passagulla areas are already being rebuilt.No whinning and piss and moaning going on there.The folks are dragging all the refuse to the street.Those poor people need our help and prayers so much more than the lowlifes of N O. Jerry

I went down this weekend to repair the roof on my sons house,and you folks wouldn't believe what shape the coast is in.I watched the news coverage hour after hour since Katrina blew through and thought I had a good idea of what's going on down there,but dang what a shock.There are whole streets where every house is flattened.It looks like a roof that was just set down on the ground.The wind blew away all the walls,and without any stucture,the roofs just fell,like dropping a trash can lid on the ground.For 20 miles inland,there were clothes,mattresses,boats,and all kinds of furniture up in trees.In Passagoola,we saw a huge ship blown up in the marsh in the grass and trees a 100ft. from the water.People have a look on their face that looks like they saw a ghost.It's a crying shame all the news footage was wasted on New Orleans,because that was only a little speck on the map with some flooding.We drove 4 hrs looking at different little coastal towns that are gone.There must be millions of blue tarps on roofs that could be saved.The people are dragging all the debris to the curbs,and the piles are so high in places,you can't see the house or what's left of it.We drove over 1000's of powerline wires.There are tractor trailers with the sides raised with plywood hauling trash somewhere,I can't figure out where though.New Orleans aint squat.All those folks have nothing left,but yet they're cleaning up the lot.They aren't standing around waiting on someone to save them and bring them something to drink or eat.I think I'm pretty tough,have been through some hard times myself,but setting here typing this mess of words,I'm getting choked up remembering what I saw and how the people were handling a bad situation.I've never had any trouble in my life,after seeing what I did.The news hasn't shown the big story yet.If you want to see what real Americans are,take the loop around New Orleans,and start about Slidell Louisiana and drive up the coast into Alabama.Unbelievable! We saw roofs with blue tarps all the way to Jackson Miss., about 2 hrs. to the north,I'd guess 150 miles.The news reporting is letting those folks down so bad by not getting the real story out.I'm madder than hell and wish there was someone I could too that would do some good.Jerry

In a few more years,maybe not a few,you'll be reading about some of us older fellers falling and breaking a hip and having to go to a nursing home and we'll just give up and die.How many times have you heard that?Jerry

Thanks for the replies! I've got a motor I scrounged from one of our former washing machine or driers I'll try.I think it's 1750 rpm.Tinker,if it doesn't work,I'll take you up on your offer.I didn't even think of Harbor Freight,and we have one about 10 miles down the road.Since I have a small area to work in my garage,reckon it'd be best to make it portable so I can polish outside? Z,by being best to skip using a buffer,do you mean it would be best to keep sanding up to 600 grit?I haven't found any finer than that where I get my paper.Maybe I should have ask how you dudeds get your stuff ready to blue.I just took it for granted I was the only one that didn't have a buffer.Jerry

rwims,you done good!! Your blued bolt really looks good.Seems not many do that anymore and I was trying to decide if I was going to polish or blue mine,but you helped me decide.Aint 308 a dandy caliber.I'm working on a 35Whelen and wish I had taken my stock a little darker to look more like what yours turned out.My Whelen is a 98/22 action too,so it looks like we think alike,that doesn't say much for your thinking.They are beautiful rifles,looks like you done a wonderful job,and now your family has some heirlooms to pass down.Where 'bouts do you hang your hat in East Texas?Jerry

Your right again Em.Tex-mex and Southwestern Mex is much better than the real thing from Mexico.Jerry

I need to get more serious about my polishing,and was wanting to know what I need to get started.I can't or won't go out and buy a 300 hp Baldor buffer just because it's suppose to be the best.I need something that'll do a good job and 2 or 3 guns a year.Working my way from 220 grit sandpaper up to 600 and using a Dremel is getting a little old,and still doesn't look as good as something done with a real buffer.Jerry

I don't even want a snake skin hatband! I grew up in rattlesnake,copperhead,and cottonmouth country and was taught to be cautious and afraid of snakes,just so we would watch our every move.When we were kids,our job was to gather the eggs,and there's nothing like staining to reach a nest,and have a 4 or 5ft. chickensnake come blasting out of there right down on your head.We learned at a very young age to get a stick to turn over a board or rock,and several time I've had scorpions nail me when I didn't see a snake and picked up a rock with it stuck underneith.When I was just big enough to reach over in a barrel of hen scratch,I noticed the lid was scooted back a little,and when I got the coffee can and scooped up some feed,something stuck my finger and I thought it was a sharp spot on the can,but when I pulled my arm out of the barrel,a 4ft.,but I thought 40ft. at the time,chickensnake came out on the end of my finger.He had my finger clamped to the rim of the can,and when I panicked and jerked the snake off my finger,I lost most of the hide on my thumb.Mom soaked my thumb in alcohol,but man it turned black for a while.2 uncles and a neighbor got bit by rattlers,and all three were crippled afterwards because of muscle damage.One uncle was 12 yrs old when he got bit,so the just cut his leg off.He had a pirate leg the rest of his life.That was good old Uncle Henry.The other 2 men were older,probably in their 60's,and it screwed them up pretty bad.You get a pretty good thrill when you pick up a bail of hay in the field that's good a snake baled up in it and it's so mad it hits you several time before you realize what it is,and the first thought is,I've been bitten by a rattler.To hell with snakes.Even Adam and Eve had a problem with snakes,and look at us now.Jerry oh how i wish we had spell check

Oh ya,the radio is a must,because after Katrina blowed by Biloxi,the only thing my son knew about that was going on was what my wife told him on the cell phone.He couldn't believe his house had such light damage,but a mile and a half south Biloxi was gone.Donna would tell him the casino's were blown 100's of yards inland and all the houses along the ocean drive were completely gone,and he said it must be the media making crap up,but he soon found out different.Jerry

Swamp Thing I think is the only one to mention matches.Shelter and a fire have always been my biggest concern.If you have a tarp or something to keep you dry,and a fire for warmth,boiling water to make safe for drinking,and for a signal,you could get by fairly well for a while.When I go on my muledeer hunt on the Mexican border,I carry a butane lighter,just in case.You never know when you might break a leg and need to let folks know where you are.Those dead soto cactus will make a whale of a fire for a few minutes,and they're everywhere.Jerry

Em,a guy I work with and his wife went to Argentina twice dove hunting,and the doves are gathered up and giving to the people living there.After they finish shooting,women and kids line up,they count them,and divide the birds up evenly.They shot so many that everyone got a dozen or so birds.The birds are so thick,they estimate they eat 40 percent of their grain crops.The way you described grilling the dove with japapeno's and bacon is the only way I can eat them,and they great that way.Cooked any other way,I can't do 'em.I'm not much of a fan for dark meat.Now quail is a different story.Never tried one raw,but it'd probably be good too.Jerry

You sure have an original idea there spector.I don't know what I think of it yet,still wallowering it around in my head.Maybe it would look pretty good if you done the safety and trigger the same way.I've worked on several shotguns that had been brazed on,and the brass does age in a pleasing way,but man do they look patched up.At first I thought you were talking about welding a bolt on with a groove around the joint,and then filling that with brass,leaving a band.Your idea will sure make it your gun and will look a hell of a lot better than those bent bolt add ons that have the set screw.I hope you do one,"cause it's sounds pretty interesting.Just be careful with the heat! Jerry

Z,are the bolts in the 2nd and 3rd pictures the Brownell bolt knobs?Jerry

Maybe you should agree to do it if the dispatcher will go with you.Reckon what excuses he'd come up with.Jerry

Tony,I've heard tadpoles being called pollywogs all my life,but did you know that out in West Texas,a pollywog is a mudcat.Roger Raglin is always saying on his hunting show "jiminey Christmas".Being raised in a Baptist church,if the door was unlocked,we were setting there,the first time I heard a yankee say "Jesus Christ" when something went wrong,well I was sure lightning was going to strike us and I kinda wanted to cry.I still can't say that but have gotten use to hearing it.God_ _amed it is just as bad,but I had heard and said it myself.It's just what your use too.Jerry

Something I've learned over the last 100 years is that women can't walk out the door at work and leave work there.My wife and sister-in-law would bring work home with them just because they didn't get finished at work or they wanted to do it where it's quiet.And that's unpaid.I've never seen a man do that.If things at work are crappy or somethings going on you don't like,your going to stay hare-lipped 24 hrs. if you can't leave it at work.The women I work with are more dedicated to their job than us dudes,and work very hard,but let one little change happen,and all hell breaks loose.I've heard women say men gossip as much as women,but that's bulls_it.Our ladies have more dedication to our job than us,but they take things so serious,I don't see how they keep from stroking out.The easiest going,happy ladies are the ones that work just to have something to do to get out of the house,sorta a hobby,but the hell raisers and hardest workers are the ones that depend on their job to survive.Putting in 10hrs. a day,going home to clean house,do laundry,make sure everyone is fed,has got to be a big load to bare.Jerry

My Grandma said her people mourned a birth,and celebrated death.Sounds right to me too! Jerry

My Dad has a farm south of Lindsay Tex.,north of Era,and west of Gainesville.I may go later on out to the LBJ Grasslands north of Decature.There's not many birds at Dads this year,but as you know,that can change at anytime.There are lots of whitewings here in Keller,and 2 years ago I had never seen a whitewing.I'm going to try and go dove hunting more this year mostly to get brushed up for my muledeer hunt down on the border at Presidio.There are lots of blue quail there and I had trouble hitting them,mostly because I hadn't practiced.Jerry.

What a great day! Opening day of dove season is the first hint that we might have survived another Texas summer and the other hunting seasons are close.Jerry

The kids made if fine through the wind.They lost some shingles and wood fence,and he's pretty sure his boat is gone or sunk.We finally got a call about 8 pm yesterday from them.Most houses in their subdivision are torn up pretty bad.They tried leaving Saturday,and couldn't get out of town because the highways were stopped from all the Alabama and Florida people.They've been hit so many times the last couple years they take the storms serious.They sure didn't want to stay,but were afraid of getting caught in their car,out of gas,food,and being stranded.The Air Force told my daughter-in-law to leave,but it was too late and they couldn't,so she went against orders and may be in trouble,but she's not the only one,so I bet she's ok.It sure was a long day yesterday not hearing from them knowing they were setting through 150 mph winds,but everythings ok.The news said it could be from 2 weeks to 2 months before they get the power back on.Thanks for your concern and when they do get power back,he's going to send pictures and I'll use it as an excuse to learn to post pictures here.Jerry.

Emul8,so much for you being a hard core vegetarian,and that's good news! If you like canned chili,and haven't tried it yet,get some of the Wolfbrand lean beef chili.I'm with you on peppers being to inhance and not cover up flavor.My favorite beer drinking snack is pepper poppers.Jalapinos stuffed with cheddar cheese,battered and deep fried.Jalapinos with a slit in the side just big enough to get out the seeds,stuffed with cheese,and bacon wrapped around it tight and held with toothpicks,cooked on the grill until the bacon is crisp,is gosh dang good.I'd eat some right now at 6am.Have a big day Emy. Jerry oh,how I wish we had spell check!!!!!

My boy and his wife are in Gulfport riding out the storm.When the Air Force decided to evacuate,the highways were already stopped,his neighbor set on I-10 3 hours and could almost see home and turned around and came back,so they decided to stay to keep from being caught in their car in the middle of a hurricane.He got all the windows boarded up and all outside stuff lashed down.I'm awful worried.Why do all the news reporters say that Camile was the deadliest hurricane in U.S. history,when 6,000+ were killed in Galveston in 1900?My Great Grandfather was the only survivor out of his family of 12,and him and someones dog walked all the way to Burneyville Oklahoma to be with relatives,and he was 12 years old.Jerry

I need to order a couple bolt handles for my first weld on job,and since we don't have our old archives,I gotta ask again,which style and or brand do ya'll recommend.I have several catalogs,but a picture aint worth a 1,000 words this time. fritz,wasn't it Marvel rod you use ,and would 1/8th be too big? Jerry