Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967

Watched 'er fly at the Chino air show two or three years sgo. 'Twas magnificent.

I don' think Carroll and Don did much in the movie... dey be daid. Gotta get this book! https://jalopnik.com/how-carroll-shelby-and-a-gang-of-nerds-beat-enzo-ferrar-5910453

Boy... if he's listening to that music through his ear buds, that's gotta be reeeal weird for his fellow passengers.

I have nowhere near the skill or talent. John McRae, an old craftsman gunsmith in Vallejo, did it for me back in the 80's. Sadly, I think it was his last job. Long story short, Palouse and I visited him one day, but he at first declined; said he was too tired and ill. He asked me what I'd wanted done, and I said I'd hoped to have the military sights removed, the bolt handle replaced with a Model 70 style, and a Buehler 2-position safety and 2-part Buehler mounts installed. He then asked if I also wanted the barrel turned on a lathe to remove the "steps" and give it a smooth countour. "Oh, NO!" I said. "That would alter the stiffness!" He looked at me for a minute, then smiled and said "Damn! A young fella who knows what he's talkin' about! Okay... I'll do it! I'm having lunch with Maynard [Buehler]* on Tuesday. I'll call 'im and have him bring the parts!" It took a few months; then I got the call and picked up the rifle. He passed shortly after. I mounted it in the stock, and installed the trigger (easy!). The late Hank of the Kings River Regulators parkerized it for me. *The late Maynard Buehler designed and produced high quality scope mounts, safeties, and the like. Also known for his home.

I hear ya on the Model 70. Mausers are pretty special, too... When I "sportered" my Yugoslavian Mauser, I had the bolt handle replaced with a Model 70 style. AND a Timney trigger.

Only hurts when he laughs.

'Tis a Mauser. J C Higgins Discussion Here ya go! Timney "Mauser Sportsman Trigger"

A few months ago I came upon the scene of an accident just as the Life Flight chopper was lifting off. Head-on collision on a two-lane country road, speed limit 55. High school kid veered across the center line. Killed instantly. Multiple injuries in the SUV he hit, and one 11-year old also killed instantly. Family was returning from an amusement park outing to celebrate the kids good report card grades. Speculation was that the high-school kid "may have been texting, but we'll never know." Seems like that would be pretty easy to determine - look at the phone and phone records. On the other hand, the law enforcement types can sometimes be too overbearing. I knew a fella who pulled off the road and parked to make a call. Cold, winter day. Cop pulled up behind him, and wrote him a $200 ticket - vehicle parked, not moving, but since the key was in the ignition, it "constituted operating a motor vehicle and we have a zero-tolerance policy!"

Uh....

Ya think? I was once sitting at a red light in a VW Jetta. Light changed; before I could shift into first gear, a fella comes zipping along and rear-ends me at a speed the CHP estimated to be 35+ mph. Hit so hard it punted my car over a set of divider berms, where I ricocheted off a tree-grinder trailer towed by a large truck, snapped the tree-grinder loose from it's truck and tossed me back over the divider berm - which was preferable to going over the embankment the tree-grinder saved me from. Jetta's stern was crushed entirely up to the bottom of the back window. Impact was so severe it broke the circuit board in the expensive aftermarket radio.... The impact was so hard that the driver's seat broke free, and it and I bounced about the interior like a giant spoon and a bean in a can until it eventually came to a stop, when I managed to grab the emergency brake handle as I floated past it. Car was a total loss. Anyway, AAA wanted to allow me a Geo Metro rental for up to a month, until we replaced the Jetta. I said nope... and rented a Taurus. No way was I going to drive my family around in a tin can. End of the month, we'd bought a new Jetta. I returned the Taurus, paid for it, and took the receipt to AAA for a reimbursement. Agent argued that they only authorized a Geo Metro; I countered with the argument above. Agent then argued "Well... OUR insured client claimed that YOU were at fault, and YOU sideswiped HIM!" I looked at the agent, and asked, "Have you read the police report? And did you look at the pictures?" He sniffed, "There are no pictures. And we have not been able to get a copy of the CHP report." "Well, Ace - here ya go!" I said, reaching into my briefcase. I handed him a bunch of pictures of the Jetta and an official copy of the report. "Note that the CHP describes the accident as the other car striking me from the rear, with me being at at a standstill. And note that the pictures support that, clearly illustrating that the stern of my automobile was entirely destroyed. Now... can you explain to me how I supposedly sideswiped 'your' client? Oh... and by the way... I am ALSO your 'insured client!'" Dude turned a deep red... got out of his chair... and grumbled "I'll be right back with your draft."

Remember ~ there ain't no "g's" in "AAaarrhh....!"

SH-H-h-hhhh.... Don't tell Forty~!!

Walther P-38. Drooled over Hank's liberated Nazi piece. Shot it... most miserably fitting handgun I've ever held. Quite uncomfortable. I'd still like to have one, though.

Or give it to your favorite sweetie to wear as a nightie.