Reverend Recoil

Attached is a pic of some of the tools I have made for gun work. I have about two dozen more in boxes and drawers. They are screwdrivers, wood carving and scraping tools. Most were made from engine valve spring wire by heating with a propane torch and forging to shape. The center punch was made from a valve stem. The pin vise was assembled from a cheap 1/4" drill chuck. Most of the handles are of stained white oak and 3/4" copper tubing. They are not hard to make and are limited only by your imagination. If anyone is interested I can post pictures of some of the others. I would like to see some of yours. Reverend Recoil

Attached is the reloading work center that I completed a few months ago. It's located in the corner of my garage. The bench top is 3/4" oak plywood laminated to 3/4" CDX pine plywood. The bench was framed with 2X6 and 2X4 lumber with a 1X6 oak back splash. The oak cabinets were purchased unfinished from Lowe’s. Everything was finished with Minwax stain and spar urethane. The plastic drawers came from Office Depot. So far this arrangement has worked well for me. I would be interested in seeing a picture posted of what your gunsmithing or reloading setup looks like. Reverend Recoil

I'm still around. I haven't forgotten any of you. Since returning from Iraq last Novmenber I have been quite busy making up for lost time. I have been remodeling my home and shooting sporting clays with my sons. I took on a new job that requires more travel than I expected. Maybe I can do something about that in the next few months. Last week I received a new Ruger No.1 in 9.3X74R caliber. I am in the process of gathering cases, dies, load data, and a bullet mold. What fun! I would love to use it on a wild pig hunt. It would be the first time for me. I have an old French MAS 36 rifle that I have thought of restocking it with fine wallnut shaped like a Savage 99, slow rust bluing the metal, and converting it to 450 Marlin. Maybe this winter. So many projects, so little time.

I ordered one ten years ago. The only defects it had was a void from a small knot in the butt and a knot in the comb behind the bolt. In shaping the stock for a 22 bolt gun the knot in the comb was removed. The other knot was filled with black epoxy. With a steel grip cap, Nieder checkered steel butt plate, 20 lpi point pattern checkering, and a hand rubbed finish it made a nice elegant 22 rifle. I would buy another one for a 22 rifle. The Weatherby Monty Carlo pattern is best suited for off-hand shooting in the standing position. A slightly modified Weatherby stock would make a good silhouette or air rifle stock. If you have a big investment in barrel, scope, and custom metal work, order a premium blank with no defects.

Thank you for all your kind words. You all have made my day.

After thirty-one months in Iraq I have had all I can stand of the Middle-East. I have seen it all, heard it all, and have had too many close calls. There are no regrets, I have done my bit. I will be back home in Baton Rouge November 15. I will be spending the next two month putting my family and personal life back together. It will require a transition after being here so long. The first things I am looking forward to is a cold beer and big bowl of gumbo. Thanks to all of you for your support and encouragement. God bless America! Reverend Recoil

I have been playing Texas Hold'em poker for about ten years. I have been successful in 10-20 to 30-60 limit games. I have just started playing no-limit Texas Hold'em with mixed results. As of yet I have not played any Internet poker. I may try Internet poker by the end of this year. I play mostly in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Sometime I run over to Biloxi, Mississippi but that was before Katrina. I haven't tried Tunica yet. Are there any poker players out there? What type of game and where do you play?

Two questions: How many 'Little Johnny' jokes are there? I know quite a few of them. I'm sure there are more. How many suckers lost their ass investing in Beannie Babies? And you thought you were a bad at managing money. Ha!

A point checkering pattern would look nice on that stock.

bja105, Does your MAS 36 sporter have a cross-bolt safety in the trigger guard? If so, please post a picture of the safety assembly. I have a MAS 36 that I would like to convert to 450 Marlin. It will need some kind of safety. Maybe with a little welding, drilling, and hand fitting a typical shotgun safety could be installed.

Last night I sent the last payment for my home mortgage. It feels great. No more house payments. No car loan or credit card debt. It took two and one half years of long hard work to make that happen. I will be leaving Iraq for good November 15. Only seventy-four more days until I am out of here. The humble little house I own may not look like much now, but by Christmas it will be transformed into something nice. I haven't decided yet if it needs a women's touch or if I should fit it out as a manly-men's joint for my three sons and my self. I am sure a manly-men's joint would cost less. All it needs is a urinal in the bathroom. I wonder what my house would look like painted red? Hmmm. "There's red house over yonder. That's where my baby stays............." That's all for now. Reverend Recoil

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In Baghdad the M2 Browning is called the 'Ghetto Blaster'.

Yesterday in Mosul it was 120 degrees in the shade, and there is not much shade.

This is going on in America? Just wait until I get back.

* If we quit buying their oil nobody would give a damn about either one.

For several months we have been hearing strange sounds coming out of the dessert at night. Weird laughing and screaming sounds. Some times those sounds really creeped us out. In the morning we would find tracks that looked like they were left by large dogs, much larger than a jackal. These tracks led to large burrows and tunnels dug into the hills. We wondered what was in there. Dogs don't dig burrows. We left a Pop-Tart at the entrance of one of the tunnels. The next morning the Pop-Tart was gone. Something was definitely in there. Nobody had the guts to crawl in one of those burrows with a flash light to see what was in there. The next night traps were set and baited with Pop-Tarts. In the morning we had an irate hyena in the trap. That was one strange creature. It looks like it is half cat and half dog and capable of biting a man's hand off. We hauled it across the base in the trap and turned it loose in the Iraqi Army area. There are a lot more hyenas where that one came from. I think they like our Pop-Tarts. That’s all for now, Reverend Recoil http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/dwa...ripedHyena1.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/dwa...9316/cage6a.jpg

I think the progress in Iraq has slowed down some. Rebuilding infrastucture is easier than changing hearts and minds. That will take more time. It took 45 years to pull down communism. Most of the pipefitting jobs will be with the oil industry. I would contact Flure, Parsons, or the Shaw Group. They are each working in Iraq.

I am back in Iraq for the last time. My plans are to bug-out for good some time before Thanksgiving. It's just as well. I have been working in Iraq over two years and it is starting to wear on me. Today the temperature is 120 deg F. Most of the needs for new design and construction projects are winding down. It was hard to come back. We had the best time in Idaho on the Snake River. That water was ice cold! It was everything we had hoped it to be. We rode the biggest rapids the guides had seen in five years. I caught a five foot sturgeon on the third day. The only things we missed were bear chasing and grits. We almost went to Alaska. On our return trip we had to fly from Boise to Seattle by Alaskan Airlines. It was announced that the flight was over booked and anyone willing to take a later flight would be given a ticket to any destination that they wanted. I told them that we would be willing to spend four or five days hoboeing in Anchorage if they could re-rout the return of the four of us to Baton Rouge. It didn't work. I tried. I would have loved to call my son's mother to tell her the boys are in Alaska, come and get them! After the rafting trip we spent each day of the next three weeks at the skeet and sporting clays club. We cleaned out all of the 12 gauge shells at Wal-Mart. My new Winchester double gun shoots well. This winter when I am home my off time will be spent sporterizing three Mausers for my sons. Which caliber should I make them in, 308 Win or 6.5X57? I would like a 9.3X62 for myself. Have any of you made one in that caliber? What do you think? Reverend Recoil

Friday I leave Mosul for a five-week vacation. I need it badly. I am more than ready to get out of this cat box. I have not been home since December 2005. It takes thirty hours of travel to get back to Baton Rouge with a layover in Amsterdam. I have enough Euros for several tall beers. I have heard that Holland & Holland has a shop in the Amsterdam airport. I will have to check it out. I have ordered a Winchester Select Traditional Elegance double gun for myself. It’s sitting in my brother’s house. My three sons and I will be burning up some shells at the skeet club. This year’s manly-men’s trip is five days of white water rafting in Hell’s Canyon Idaho. Also included is fishing, rock climbing, and bear chasing. It can’t be any more dangerous than Baghdad. I will post some pictures if we survive.

Nothing needs to be said about me. The stories are unbelievable. Just show the pictures and play the videos.

Yesterday was Palm Sunday. At Marez chappel the liturgy of the Mass was very short. One of our soldiers was killed Saturday. It was very sad. These brave men are no older than my oldest son, Michael. We are all like family in Iraq and we all feel the loss. This is the price of liberty that should never be taken for granted. With our thoughts of one of our own killed in combat, the readings of the 22nd Psalm, and the Passion, it seemed like we were at a funeral Mass. Before Mass was over we managed to cheer each other up some what. We all knew the risk when we volunteered and we still believe in the mission to protect America and to bring liberty to the good people of Iraq. Sometimes the mission is very hard.

For me the #1 TV show was "The Rifle Man", staring Chuck Conners. I would love to fire a Winchester 92 the way Chuck did.

Don't know. I'm a blade man.

Attached are the links to some of the picture posted on the old fourm. Sand storm at Al Asad. The second and third picture were taken from the top of a power generation bunker. My pictures were posted on the net and beat the Drudge Report by three days. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/dwa...6/P3290264a.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/dwa...6/P3290276a.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/dwa...6/P3290278a.jpg A few pictures around Baghdad. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/dwa...usmc281_001.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/dwa...316/usmc173.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/dwa...316/usmc126.jpg A big smile from Australia http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/dwa...01MAY03WG01.jpg Another big smile. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/dwa...6/hair_wash.jpg Kill them all! http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/dwa...16/b8f4747b.jpg The 336th Fighter Squadron back from the mall at Kuwait http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/dwa...6/336thGals.jpg Sgt Suzie USMC. Her and I got along just fine. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/dwa...iebickels20.jpg A nice pose. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/dwa...EKLRRNFDDYX.jpg Iraqi squat toilet with hose. That reminds me of another story. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/dwa...aqiToilet01.jpg