Jimro

Sometimes there is no way to reach an agreement, or even mutual ground. When that happens the only thing you can do is say your piece then let it lie. Sometimes I have a hard time letting something lie, but I'm working on it. Jimro

Hopefully she'll shoot as good as I want. I boresighted the scope and found that it was centered left/right pretty good, so I shouldn't have to file/shim too much unless the boresight is way off the natural zero. I think the bullet drop compensating dial on the scope is calibrated for 148 grain light ball, so I'll start with that load. Thanks for the info, also my rifle doesn't have the "7 alphanumeric serial number" on the left side of the chamber which is indicitave of a Russian sniper rifle. But the serial number on all the metal matches (reciever, bolt, magazine), and the bolt looks authentic (not a bend job). I also found two stamps on the scope mount, which some internet sources say could be armorer stamps some units used instead of electropencil. I don't believe it, if this rifle ever was a sniper then it wasn't with the Russian army. Jimro

I picked one up today from a gunshop, and as far as I can tell it's authentic, except that it looks like the wood removed from the stock to make room for the scope mount base wasn't refinished, it looks like raw wood. Jimro EDIT: The rifle is a 1942, so it would be the earliest year for the PU scope, the scope is authentic, the base is authentic (no electro pencil markings I can find), but there hasn't been any filing done to it for rough zeroing. According to Vic Thomas this means I have an importer special, of course there is an exception to every rule. Either way I wanted a shooter so I'm happy with my purchase.

Excellent info, did you ask if they used straight pine tar or did they thin it down with turpentine, toluene, or other common thinners? Jimro

Look to GB to work through the UN solely because of the Democrat majority in Congress. There is no point fighting the budget battle for action against Iran when you are fighting a budget war for Iraq. Every time the Dems screw with the budget they keep soldiers from redeploying back stateside and fresh troops from replacing them. Moving troops costs money.... Go figure. Jimro

Iran wouldn't have screwed with Churchill's administration. Four years ago they wouldn't have screwed with Blair, but right now he's busy fighting the "war at home" more than helping us in the war on terror, which is probably why Iran felt it was safe to pull the kidnapping stunt. Sun Tzu advised to never pick a fight that you haven't already won. Islamists are VERY good at information warfare. Of course they have willing allies in the liberal media. Jimro

most excellent humor. Jimro

You can get to satori through bushido. Do no the lions kill the offspring of other lions? Do not the bulls fight for mates? Violent struggle is a very important part of life. Recognizing the importance of violence to existence is essential to achieve kensho. Saying that violence is bad is like saying that existence is bad. Unrepentent warrior poet Jimro

The headspace issues with the Whelen stem from being chambered in push round feed rifles like the Rem 760 where the shallow shoulder would wedge too far forward in the chamber as the extractor pushed it forward, leaving a "gap" between the case head and bolt face. With a control round feed action you do not have this problem, hence the popularity of a "B grade" Mauser in 9.3x62 in Africa. The claw will keep the case head against the bolt face and all will be well. Jimro

I'm not disagreeing, just raising another point. Air Power is great, but it's boots on the ground that win wars. I think that WWII proved decisively that you can't truly achieve "victory through air power" unless you use nukes. Unfortunately we don't have much of a history as a conquering nation post "manifest destiny". Heck we won the Phillipines and then immediately tried to prove we weren't conquering imperialists. Go figure. I guess as a culture we have brainwashed ourselved into believing in relativsism and diversity so much that the noble act of civilizing the barbarians is now seen as "destroying a precious native culture". Personally I say use nukes and damn the price increase in oil, the sooner we stop relying on oil as our main energy source the better off we will be. Jimro

Welcome back stateside, having fun out at Ft. Irwin? Good looking Nagant, I can't wait to get back to WA to finish up some of my projects... Jimro

This is just my thoughts, but Islamic nations believe in symbolism a lot more than Western nations do, it's a cultural thing. By holding westerners hostage they "show" that they are a "player" in the region if not the world. Like the Soviets they will use any international negotiations only as a stalling point to extend the lifetime of their drama. This isn't about the sailors, it's about Iran posturing against the "Big Boys". They only do this because the US Military is "extended" quite a bit right now and doesn't have the strategic reserve to kick Iranian butt up between their shoulderblades. Actually we do have the reserve, but not the political will. Jimro

Thanks guys, no need to call me sir. Had a hard 8 days of training, got my first ride on a UH-60 Blackhawk, and did the last three days doing non-stop operations ending with an eight mile forced ruck march. Good training. When you are too tired to gripe you learn a whole heap about yourself, and your peers. I appreciate the prayers, it's very motivating and humbling to know that someone is praying for you. I've found that God never puts more on my plate than he can handle. Jimro

The warrior spirit is hard to stamp out, no matter how hard the libs try. Jimro

Tomorrow I go to the field for eight days, and when we come back it should be clean weapons and admin stuff until our graduation ceremony before the four day Easter weekend. Soon there will be 130 newly minted Infantry lieutenants ready to take charge of the most precious resource of our nation, her sons and (occaisionally in todays Army) daughters. You would be very proud of the men with whom I serve. We have young ROTC pups, mid career OCS jokers like myself, and even a salty dog closer to 40 than 30. After earning the blue cord the only major hurdle to overcome before taking charge of a platoon is earning the Ranger tab. Please keep us in your prayers, I have a buddy who won't get a chance at Ranger school since his gaining unit needs him now as they are a little north of Baghdad in the "Sunni Triangle". It seems like I'm finally getting close to the end of the journey I started nearly a year ago as I boarded the plane to Ft. Benning. God has blessed me time and time again, and I pray that I don't get hurt so that I can finish my training here and get out to the real Army and into the fight. Please keep us in your prayers, that God will help us make good decisions and bless our bodies to withstand the rigors of training. Thanks in advance, Jimro

it's the "Pinochet Conundrum". Pinochet took power in Chile from the Marxists and did a bunch of bad things, but he stopped the suicidal socialism that was destroying the economy. While the economy never reached the health it had before he took power, the democratic free market system he helped create has since matured into the most vibrant economy in South America. Smart people took notice. Jimro

I like my 24/47, it's a dandy. I also like the Parker Hale cadet barrels that were cheap a while back, they tend to shoot really nice even with the slow twist. Don't be afraid to ask questions here, just realize that you'll get different opinions from time to time. Jimro

Did a little more research and Pine Tar was an ingredient in the Finnish finish, I'm still trying to track down the other ingredients. If I had to make a guess I'd say that it would be similar to maritime wood finish blends but I have no facts to base that on, just a hunch. Jimro

Church, gunshows, fishing holes, shooting range, libraries, etc. Lots of stuff to do, just have to convinve your body that it has the energy to do it Jimro

A lot of energy is wasted "idling" at stop lights or waiting for construction, hence the stop engine function of hybrid vehicles. Makes sense right? Turn off the engine when you aren't using it. Except that the batteries used by hybrids are actually MORE energy intensive to manufacture and recycle than a traditional internal combustion engine over the same period. Jimro

I came across the Wikipedia article on Pine Tar and came across this "The Finnish army used dark pine tar to coat the stocks of its firearms during the Winter War and subsequent conflicts. This both protected the wood and acted as an early form of camouflage." Anybody have a source to confirm/deny this claim? Jimro

That looks suspiciously like New Orleans to me, but I could be wrong. Jimro

The last time a guy, a clerk at a crafting store, hit on my wife he creeped her out. Evidently a wedding ring doesn't mean what it used to. Now I go with her whenever she shops at that store. Nothing says "TAKEN" like a 6'1" 210 lb infantryman. Jimro

What it truely disgraceful is using patients as platoon sergeants. A platoon sergeant should know EVERYTHING about the system that his troops are in. There is no way an Engineer or Infantry E6 or E7 can master the steep learning curve fast enough to be an effective platoon sergeant before they themselves are discharged from the system. Activating some E7 and E8's from the Army Reserve to act as platoon sergeants for these soldiers, to handle their issues without having issues themselves, would be a real step in the right direction. Our boys and girls deserve better. Jimro

About two years ago my brother in law gave me his grandfathers Gillette double edge safety razor as we cleaned out he grandmothers house. So it sat around for a while until I finally decided to get some replacement blades and test it out. The PX carries blades for $1.49 for ten. So with a new blade I gave it a shot and was amazed at how well it worked. You can buy premium blades from Germany, Japan, or Israel for about the same price per blade on eBay. Haven't tried any premium blades yet, but some blades from Japan are on the way, along with some more razors to give as gifts to my Dad and brothers. So I started doing research on the net to find out more about shaving the old fashioned way. Turns out I'm not the only one. Evidently a bunch of other "young guys" are going the old fashioned "wet shaving" route. My wife likes the "kissable smooth" that comes from a really close shave. Turns out shaving well is dieing art. Anyways it got me thinking about how there is a "quiet retro" movement going on elsewhere in our society. The 8x57 Remington "Classic" that came out. The renewed interest in the 9.3x62 and 45-70 cartriges. I don't know whether it is people trying to maintain a connection to our past, or whether it is a societal backlash against modern marketing. And I figured that the folks here all have a penchant for doing things the old way. So I ask, "What do you do that is old fashioned that beats any of the modern alternatives?" Jimro