Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967

That was fun!! I was thinking about the Marshal recently... anyone heard from him?

So I was talking to Sassparilla Kid a while ago and asked if he'd heard about Newsom's executive order. "The one banning propane?" "Huh? What propane ban??" Ten minutes later I received an email from my propane company:

Slim, I will do that! Early on with the Hawken I discovered that it preferred fffg over ffg. A few years ago I played with Triple-7 with good results - even won a turkey shoot with it shooting Maxi-Balls. A quick anecdote: About 1975 I was at the Manteca Sportsman's Club one fall weekend, just finishing a long and enjoyable day of shooting. Just about dusk, Hank walks up to me and sez "Ya know, I've never shot your Hawken! Lemme try that thing..." So I handed it to him, then passed over the horn and measure. "Hell, I don't need that" he said and declined the measure. "Yeah ya do!" "Naw... I'm just gonna try it out" and started to pour powder from the horn directly into the barrel. "Huh! Nothing's coming out!" he said. He turned toward the West and held the rifle up so he could see the muzzle in silhouette against the rapidly fading grey of the sky. Powder was pouring! "Dammit, Hank... Just dump it out and start over - here's the measure!" "Aw hell, it don't matter none - it's just black powder!" and he started a ball. I have no idea how much powder was in that barrel... but when he seated the ball, it did not go so very far down the tube. I'm pretty sure it was well uphill of a thousand grains... might've been two or three thousand! "Dammit, Hank!" I scolded. "Here's a screw - put it on the end o' that ramrod and pull that ball and dump out the powder!" "Aw hell - it'll shoot!" he said, and cocked the hammer, mashed on a cap, and threw the short rifle to his shoulder. I started t back up , intent on crawdaddy-ing my way outta the danger zone. When he touched that thing off, it was MOST impressive indeed! Ba-ROOOM! she spoke. Almost like in slow motion, a VW Beetle sized cartoon-balloon ball of flame came out of the mouth of that gun and rolled about fifty yards downrange, shrinking in size as it progressed. And, it was accompanied by a well-illuminated, giant smoke ring. Hank took about eight or nine quick steps backward and landed on his butt. He looked at the gun in the faint light from a nearby bulb, then said "Well... I guess it works," and handed it to me. Amazingly, it survived! The only damage was a 1/2 inch long crack in the wood just at about 10 o'clock from the through-stock lock bolt. Now, forty-five years later, whenever I notice that flaw I smile and remember my old pard....

Man's a joke. And many of us refer to him as "Emperor Newsom." Personally, I think he's the reincarnation of Emperor Norton. I wish I had Photoshop... I'd love to put his face on Emperor Norton's body. I almost choked a few weeks ago when he referred to California as "a Nation State." Can ya just picture all those battery powered fire trucks trundling up to the woods to put out the fires caused by "climate change?" Here's a real eye-opener: Link

As much as I'd love to visit Arizona I won't be making the trip any time soon... and at a buck a shot, I won't be plinkin' with these things. For that I'll be using my home-cast, at less than 2¢ a round. Headed out now for the 55 mile round trip to Sportsman's Warehouse - hopefully they'll waive their "no return" policy. Update: No problem with exchange; "upgraded" to Barnes 250 gr T-EZ. I really dislike sabots, but at least they're legal. Gentleman whom I believe may have been a manager or supervisor opened the PowerBelt package and discovered the "This Product Contains Lead" message on the backside of the label - not prominent, and totally invisible from outside. He was surprised, especially when I pointed out the liability aspect. Cost was a bit higher; about sixty bucks for 48 rounds. A pox on Messrs Brown and Newsom!

Thanks to all who contributed to the Speaking of Muzzle Loaders thread. I realize that my 1:48" twist is not optimal for any of the copper conicals, but it is what it is. A faster twist barrel (thanks, @Michigan Slim !) is worth pursuing; not available right now. Based on your input, I reviewed several, and focused on the Federal Premium BOR Lock and the PowerBelt projectiles. From my reading and watching YouTube videos, the Federal Premium BOR Lock had the most appeal. Unfortunately, only the PowerBelt were available locally, and I bought a package yesterday afternoon from Sportsman's Warehouse. They ain't cheap - $50 for the package of 50; but even this represents a 25% savings on the per-shot cost of the 15-round packages. As a matter of interest, about .44% less than the per-shot cost of the 15-round packages of the Federal projectiles. Oh... and another oddity - the basic hollowpoint version is more expensive than the plastic "Aerotip" versions - which seem to just be a hollowpoint with a plastic insert. Peculiar... Anyway, I hoped to try 'em out this week, but in looking at the things I had a concern. The PowerBelt bullets are "bore riding." And loosely, at that. But the skirt is supposed to - and undoubtedly will - expand, seal, and engage the rifling. But! Said skirt literally slips onto a "post" on the base of the bullet. And can be easily spun with fingertips. So, my concern was - how the hell can these things impart any spin to the projectile? Or does it simply effectively make my rifle act as a smoothbore?? Hm. I thought I could try drizzling some cyanoacrylate (CA) into the junction of plastic and copper. However, as it turns out, the whole thing is moot. Why? There was a niggling suspicion in the back of my mind, and I learned long ago to not ignore such suspicions. A phone call to the manufacturer this morning disclosed that, despite the product being clearly labeled "COPPER," the bullets are only copper plated. Sheesh. NOWHERE IN THE LABELING DOES IT SAY THAT THESE ARE LEAD. Admittedly, they do not specifically say "Lead Free," but when labeled "copper" one would expect them to be just that. Also, in none of the on-line advertisements or descriptions does it say that they are anything but copper. And in good ol' California, that will get me a $500 fine if caught with them afield. To add to the problem, Sportsman's Warehouse return policy states "The following items cannot be returned: Firearms Ammunition Powder & Other Propellants Primers Bullets & Other Projectiles." I do believe I shall attempt to argue this policy with them. Caveat emptor. And back to the drawing board.

They obviously haven't seen The Mysterians~! [1957]

Wow. Bill 3054 SD 2 is really weird... So if you live in Hawaii, and decide to take your guns and move to Wyoming (who wouldn't? ), what's Five-Oh gonna do? Send you a bill...?

Saturday was a good day. No forest fire smoke, grilled steak dinner, and belated birthday presents from the Kid. Bottle o' Maker's Mark and a new Wrangler. Complements the 1982 Mk II and 1971 vintage Bearcat nicely.

Not easy reading, but more details here: https://history.nasa.gov/rogersrep/v1ch5.htm

The flaw with the argument is that members of a certain political party will overwhelmingly vote for candidates of that party regardless of conflicts with their personal beliefs and philosophies. This has been demonstrated time and again. I'm sure the Eloi in H. G. Well's The Time Machine were descendants of today's party members.

Mebbe he crossed the Delaware in the Turtle and nobody saw 'im...

What Joe sez...

Reza Aslan. What a piece of work. Reza

Damn, Joe!! Now I'm gonna have nightmares all night~!!