Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967
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Posts posted by Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967
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So, Surtsey lost it's spot as "yougest island." But I remember when it happened!
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Model for the california High Speed Rail. 🙄
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I've seen two blown .45's... one, a Second Generation Colt, the other an original Vaquero. Cylinders burst and top strap gone on the Colt and bent to hell on the Ruger.
Don' do it.
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14 hours ago, Alpo said:
Undoubtedly a california PG&E customer.
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13 minutes ago, Pat Riot said:
I darn near got myself a Savage 555 in 12 gauge for turkey hunting. Instead I actually won a Franchi Affinity 3 12 gauge at a thing they have here called a “Gun Bash”. It’s an event where you buy tickets for $25-$35 and they make drawings every 15 or 30 minutes for guns, ammo, cash, etc. usually the money goes to a charity or a town purchase of a fire truck or ambulance. Gun Bashes usually go for several hours and there are other raffles put on during the main event. It’s a fun time even though I really don’t know anyone here.
Mine is an Affinity 3 matte walnut sporter. It does not kick like a mule. It’s a pleasure to shoot.
I look forward to your range report once you finally receive your 28 gauge.
I've been a fan of Italian shotguns for over fifty years ~ and yours is reeeally cool! My main go-to for birds (feathered and clay) is a Beretta Al-2 that I bought in '71 or '72. I think I mentioned passing my Franchi O/U on to my son. Very good gun, and it suits him well.
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1 hour ago, J-BAR #18287 said:
Dontcha get tired of the abuse?I mean, it's not like you would have to spend 3 months on a windjammer to get outta there.
I absolutely do, and you're absolutely correct.
But, like many, I have compelling reasons for still being here, b'sides being an OOF - "Official Old Fart:"
First, family. That's the strongest anchor of all for most.
Second, real estate - I could sell my home for a tidy profit, but buying a replacement in another state at today's iterest rates is an unpleasant challenge at best (my current rate is two point sumpin' percent
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Third is plain ol' stubborness - I am that rarest of creatures, a last-century native. I cannot stand the thought of being driven out by a mob of snivelers (I can think of more appropriate terms for 'em, but don't want to get banned from the universe).
Back in the year 2000 I read an article that stated that only one out of every eleven adults (at that time) in this state was a native. And, for what it's worth, I live in a relatively conservative part of the state - a lot of the D's are disgusted. Unfortunately, though, being D's, most will still vote D no matter what. If the devil hisself popped up on a ballot with a D next to his name they'd vote for him.
Mind you, I know a lot of fine folks who are D's... but they don't run the outfit. And it's amazing how many of 'em flat out state that they ignore most of the states gun laws - of which there are over a hundred.
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1 hour ago, Pat Riot said:
@Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967
That’s a nice looking shotgun. Congrats! Nice and light in 28 failure should be fun.
I am assuming the one you bought is this one: https://www.sportsmans.com/shooting-gear-gun-supplies/shotguns/savage-arms-stevens-555-compact-black-semi-gloss-28-gauge-2-34in-over-under-shotgun-24in/p/1477463
Almost!
I chose the matte finish... won't feel as bad when it gets a scratch.
The only one I could actually see in the flesh and touch was a 20 gauge; it did not feel like a cheap shotgun at all. If this one works out it might get a big brother.
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13 hours ago, Pat Riot said:
@Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967
What shotgun did you end up buying?Well, Pat, I ended up with the Stevens 555 28 gauge. I looked for the "Enhanced" version, but ended up with the standard - at 1¢ under seven hundred bucks. Seems the "E" model was not practical to acquire locally without busting the thousand-dollar ceiling. Ah well... I'll live with the matte finish and extractors. Plain and simple, just like me. As much as I'd like a Browning or Beretta, for the limited use it'll see it should be just fine.
Some folks talk about buying a box of ammo, then finding a gun to go with it ~ I actually have had a 28 ga MEC loader sitting here for a bunch o' months now.
Oh... and on his list, @bgavin left out the thumbprint requirement and the additional 11% BS california punishment tax. Total fees and taxes - DROS, sales tax, DROS, BS fee, Firearms Safety Act fee, and Safety and Enforcement fee - adds a total of 20% to the cost of a firearm here. Now, if you "import" a gun from another state via a local FFL holder (dealer), you might add up to another hundred bucks.
https://www.gundogmag.com/editorial/stevens-model-555-28-gauge-review/175319
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So... the FW-190 was quite effective; arguably in some respects the equal or even superior to the Spitfire and P-51. In some respects.
And how could this be? Why... 'cuz it had the BMW 801 Kommandogerät~!
Basically, a primitive (but advanced for the time) mechanical-hydraulic computer, that made "one lever" control possible. This allowed the the pilot to focus on flying and fighting. By comparison, while flying, the Spitfire driver had to also constantly monitor RPM, manifold pressure, mixture, cylinder head temp, prop pitch, and more.
Clever people, them Germans!
(Undoubtedly inspired by one Mr R. Goldberg hisself)
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Buying a new gun is officially a PITA. And not the kind ya stuff with yummy stuff. At least in the
GoldenTarnished, Peeling, Brass-Plated State.Wanted to buy a shotgun; about the only place locally to get it was Sportsman's Warehouse. I know, I know... "patronize the LGS instead of the big-box stores!" Well, LGS's are right scarce in these parts. So, SW it was. Went in to the store; "ya gotta order it online. We'll let you know when it comes it." So I did last week; got an email - it arrived yesterday.
Drove to the store in Fresno this morning ~ was waiting at the door twenty minutes before it opened. Wanted to get in and out. Okay... but when you go to the gun counter, you can't just talk to someone. Now you have to walk up to a plackard and scan a "QR Code" with your cell phone. This will open an internet link, and you have to select your reason for being there (begin process for the ten-day 'cooling-off period' or pick up a firearm at the end of the 'cooling-off period'). Then you enter your name and phone number. And wait. Anywhere from a half hour to three hours. Unless you're first in line... like I was.
And be prepared to present your drivers license and birth certificate or passport.
Being first in line, it only took me about forty minutes, including completing the 4473 on an electronic tablet. No more paper version... at least not there.
So now I get to wait to pick it up; anytime after 0945 2/28/2025. (But if I don't get it before 03/20/2025 I get to start over).
I hate to say it, but I had the impression that the folks behind the counter don't enjoy it any more than the customers. Certainly not a cheerful bunch; can't say I blame 'em.
Yup... a real PITA.
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And then you have the california approach: Ignore centuries of forest management wisdom and practice because it's not "natural."
Result...? Tree densities to the point you cannot walk between them (personal observation), and choking undergrowth resulting in disease, infestation, death of an unimaginable number of those trees, and then - fires. Over thirteen million acres burned, along with countless individual structures - not to mention entire towns and small cities. And, of course, the deaths of people and wildlife.
Ignore the professional foresters - obviously, the latte-shlurping denizens of San Francisco and Oakland (where the Sierra Club is headquartered) are much more enlightened.
Way to go, Sackamenna.
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57 minutes ago, Alpo said:
It's 1912. Boy scouts just came to America in 1911, so nobody in this town really knows anything about it. And this kid moves in from another town, where he had been a scout. So they form a troop and he's the senior patrol leader, and they're going on their very first camp out.
Uh... 1910.
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Nope.
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Was his name Pinocchio...?
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46 minutes ago, Alpo said:
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Or ammo~!
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2 hours ago, J-BAR #18287 said:
Someone's career just ended.
Multiple someones, I'd suspect.
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So somehow the bottles for one of my MEC reloaders went the way of all good things - gone, without a trace. Well, not the end of the world - replacement bottles can be had. But at close to thirty bucks for a pair.
But I made a serendipitous discovery ~ empty Sriracha bottles fit perfectly! Just a tiny bit less capacity, and a heck of a lot cheaper... like, purty darned common around the Hardpan scatter.
But they don't have a hole with a plug in the bottom. I can put holes in 'em... suggestions on "plugs?"
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Good find, Sarge.
For any not familiar with the model, here's a link to a decent article - I wish I had one!
https://revolverguy.com/the-high-standard-sentinel-r-103/
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On 2/11/2025 at 10:02 AM, DeaconKC said:
Check out his book "Lightning Down" a great WW2 story of survival.
Different author but similar is "Kohn's War," another good read about a P-38 jock.
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On 2/10/2025 at 4:10 PM, Chantry said:
Try switching ammo, I have CZ SxS as well and does not like shells with softer primers, especially Herters, Estate and Federal. Otherwise I think it is a pretty good gun at the price.
'Tain't the ammo - it's stoopid stiff when it's empty.
But starting to get better,though - the Kid sez it oughtta be right fine by the time he's my age.
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Yup ~ no mo' pennies.
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Good topic, Whitey!
I can't exactly recall which was "first," 'cuz they were both about the same time. Nineteen seventy, at 19 years old, living in the Kappa Phi Delta fraternity house - mailed away something like $90 for a Belgian made Centennial brand copy of an 1860 Colt Army. And of course I still have it. For another ninety bucks, a Stevens 5100 12 ga side-by-side from the venerable San Francisco Gun Exchange. Hunted with it for many years before it became my main CAS shotgun some thirty+ years ago.
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3 hours ago, Buckshot Bear said:
What about eu de cologne of dog farts?
Back in the college days, ol' Hank had an English bulldog, named Sir Wintrhrop Ralston, or just "Butch" to most of us. That dawg was famouse for SBD's, 'specially when he was sleeping. He could rapidly clear a room with nary a word said. If he suddenly stood up and did a high-speed wobble toward the door, there would be a stampede past him - recognizing that "he who smelt it dealt it!" and we knew we were by seconds from a full olfactory frontal attack.
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A Very Interesting Arisaka
in SASS Wire Saloon
Posted · Edited by Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967
Both. My type 99 still has both, although the receiver Mum has a couple of sharp chisel cuts in it - the less offensive alternative to a grinding wheel.
This one has an interesting domestic history... back in 1971 or 1972, my then seven or eight year old cousin found this thing on the roof of our aunt's garage. His mom immediately asked me to "get rid of this thing!" and of course, I immediately agreed to.
I took it home to the Kappa Phi Delta house, and contemplated it for a bit. All moving parts frozen solid. A solid coating of patina beneath a rather thick layer of dirt, grime, and bird poop - no telling how many years it had resided atop the garage. I tried to give it away; no takers. Finally, I scraped it off, and weekly would give it a dosing of either WD-40 or Liquid Wrench ("Tiger Pee") and lean it back in its corner. Finally, after a few months, I picked it up one day and on a whim whacked the bolt handle. It moved! Not much, but a bit! I worked at it, managed to get the bolt release pried open, worked the bolt out of the reciever, then tossed it up to peer down the barrel. I expected it to look like an old sewer pipe - imagine my surprise when it gleamed like a newly polished chrome bumper! I'd had no idea that they were indeed chrome lined! Rifling was crisp and sharp.
I disassembled it, and over many hours of scrubbing with oil and bronze brushes and steel wool got it cleaned up - and it cleaned up quite nicely, in my not so humble opinion. I was gratified to discover that beneath that patina, dirt, grime, and bird poop most of the original bluing was still intact.
And it shoots quite well! About as accurate at a hundred yards as the old Winchester .30-30. It's relatively light, and handles surprisingly well. Although I have not taken a deer with it, I have carried it afield. A comfortable rifle to carry or sling.
And I still shake my head when remembering the old-timers telling me when I was a kid that "them Japanese rifles are junk! They're dangerous! If'n ya git one, toss it away!"
Yeah, fellas... toss 'em MY way!