Last spot shoot of the spring

It was perfect weather out for  a shoot. Lots of people showed up and it was  a huge success. Forgot to pack my guns up last night, so I didn't get to shoot after the shoot. They did a lot of work on cowboy town again. They are beefing up the berms and adding distant targets as well. They found a local person that had clean fill he wanted rid of, so the club gets the material free for hauling it away. Works out for everyone. The tree planting went great. A lot of scouts made it out to help as well as members. They had extra trees available for those that wanted them.

Before the shoot, I went to the antique show/flea market at the local 4h center. The flea market area is pretty lousy, but the antique side was awesome. There were two nice size booths with real civil war artifacts. They had pistols, documents, pictures and muskets, along with many other items from the time. It was like going through a museum. Other booths brought back memories seeing items from the sixties and seventies. It was a cool way to spend the morning before the shoot.

Back to work tomorrow. Hopefully the parts arrive for my machine and I can get it put back together again. They don't understand the machine cannot deal with moisture in the air lines. The drier on the air compressor was acting up, so they shut it off. What ever third world country we bought the new compressor from does not have a fan motor for it in the US, so, they have to ship it in from overseas. Apparently, it takes a week to get the motor, and our company lacked the sense to get the extended warranty on the compressor when they bought it, so we don't even get a loaner.The maintenance tech couldn't comprehend the idea of sending motor downtown to have it rewound and reinstall. Usually the place can turn a motor around in a day and it costs a fraction of the price of a new one. When they shut the drier off, the moisture in the air lines found its way in to the linear scales on my ID grinder. Electricity and water do not mix well. The ironic thing is, Fagor automations uses compressed air through it's scales to keep coolant and contamination out. Well, when the geniuses at the plant shut off the drier, the moisture filled the three water separators I installed last time they had drier issues and you could actually see a stream of water running up the clear tubing going to the scales. Needless to say, the machine alarmed out and shut down. One saving grace is, Fagor, unlike most scale manufacturers, make their scales where you can dismantle them and clean the scale thus saving a lot of money. However, when you really soak them, the reader head can short out and need replacement. So far, one reader head is alright, and  one is fried. Still have two axis to check when I can get machine to home out. Reader heads are $850 each. Machine is still on the end of the air line run. This is the second time they have damaged the machine and created massive expense and downtime, but are too busy to have maintenance run an airline from a different area of the line. The end of the air line is where the water always collects, so that is where the geniuses put the most sensitive machine. Only been back to work a couple weeks and it already feels like I never left.

Spot shoot day

Headed out to the club to work the spot shoot. It started out slow, but, people finally started drifting in. It was chilly and rainy, but we still had a good time. The shoot is held out of a huge pavillion. I was one of the two  people changing the targets out. Fortunately, the rain would start and stop and didn't hang around for long. I was the only volunteer who showed up today outside of the spot shoot group. We were short handed, but got by alright. Rob was able to recruit a few of the shooters to lend a hand. Next week is the last spring shoot. It is also arbor day and the club is planting several hundred trees on the new acreage we bought last year. The boyscouts were invited out to help toward their merit badges. Some of the club members with tractors with pole diggers have already made holes in preparation for the planting. Will be a busy weekend next week. I missed the cowboy shoot yesterday. Thought it was next week.

No new guns

The M1A went for $1900, which was still a good deal as it was a match rifle with springfield scope and mount. The broomhandle went for $800. I missed the lugers. Two of them went for $800 each. They were worth a lot more. I just missed them. The springfield trainer was up to $1200 in the online bid which was  more than I would pay. The bad part about bidding online is you don't get to see the gun other than a picture. The bidder could not see Bubba had drilled and tapped the receiver and the barrel to install some chewed up scope mounts. It had also been reblued which effects the value. It was in nice shape other than the scope mounts. Wood was perfect and metal was in great shape. Didn't stay to see how high it went for. They had an early model Springfield 03 that went for about $600. It was one of the early models that they warn you not to fire. It was a nice relaxing day. A bit overcast and gloomy, so a perfect day to be inside. Really nice way to spend the day. Would have been even better if I had been able to bring one of the lugers home. I will definitely be hitting all the gun auctions I can. Great deals and just an enjoyable time. It is only about a five minute drive from home as well, and no admission or parking fees.

What a first week back

Things at work are insane. They are busier than ever. I lucked out and the kid at work wanted to work tomorrow, so I am off. It is suppose to rain, but that is fine. The grass needs it, and I will be at a gun auction. A buddy from work is suppose to be there as well. I went after work for the viewing and got my number for tomorrow. They have several interesting guns. They have a Springfield M1922, a really nice M1A with scope, several WW2 lugers, several shotguns and an 1896 broom handle, just to mention a few. There are bins of paraphernalia that are for silent auction as well. It is a nice way to spend a rainy Saturday. Usually some great deals to be had. May head to Indy for the motorcycle swap meet as well. See how the weather fairs.

No shootin today

Went down to Whitakers to ogle the guns for a while. I picked up another black powder revolver while I was there. Went to club for their orientation and picnic. I walked through the orientation to see what the new plans for sections of the club are. The new acreage they bought last year is being converted back to a natural habitat. They will be planting a lot of trees on arbor day. They invited members to bring their kids out to help plant trees as well as some cub scout troops. They are digging holes in preparation this weekend. They are also beefing up the berms in cowboy town. They had construction crews dumping dirt and gravel, so both the range and cowboy town were down today. Cowboy town is really shaping up. They also installed a motorized target that moves a "bad guy" steel target down a cable when it is triggered by another target you hit. They have constructed some new structures for shooting from. The newest one is a gallows. Tomorrow I will work the spot shoot at the club. I am hoping they have cowboy town open in the morning so I can shoot before going to the spot shoot. Met some new members that work for the same company I do. I work at the toolroom and they work at the main plant. One of the guys at the club really liked my scope mount on the garrand. He was back out there today and was telling me about an auction he went to today that had a lot of garrands and M1A's for sale. I was meaning to go to that, but thought it was next week. He says next weeks is another big gun auction. Have to see if I have to work or not. I imagine we will be working ten hour days six day weeks still. When my buddies from work came out earlier in the week, they said we are busier than ever. That's all right though. Making money is always good.

Nice range day

I made the wood platform to the specs of the shooting rest manufacturer. I am going to cut the plywood to fit the bench by making a couple angle cuts on back to match angle of bench. I marked wood while it was mounted. I also need to drill and put one more threaded insert and bolt in the base. The directions call out for an "optional" bolt to be put through the base under rifle butt. Without the "optional" bolt, the rest has some wobble in it. I will modify it and try it again tomorrow. Need to loctite the scope mount bolts as they keep loosening up. I hit cowboy town for a while. I really love my newest lever gun. It feeds flawlessly and is a joy to shoot. I shot out there until they were done with their pistol shoot at the range. The guys were down there talking and the M1A is rather loud, so I just shot cowboy town until they finished up. I got decent groupings at 100 yards, but without the one bolt and with the wood sticking out, it was too awkward to really hold and shoot properly. It does have a strut that absorbs all the recoil. There are provisions for removing struts and installing springs to accommodate lighter shooting rifles like .223's. She is going to be nice and solid when done.

They have some things going on at the club tomorrow. I think I am just going to hit the club for the day tomorrow. I was going to go to the NRA Banquet, but my knee is acting up and I don't think I can handle all the walking. Too many years working on concrete floors and heavy lifting. I don't think knees are suppose to crackle when you bend over, but mine do. Found out the club is now a CMP affiliate. I was talking to Rob (the caretaker) and he said they are currently working out a deal for a big shipment of the 30-06 ammo. He is suppose to keep me up to date. Wouldn't mind getting several cans while they have it in stock. They are currently out of the stuff in enblocs, but they still have the ammo packed in cartons. I have plenty of empty bandoleers and enblocs to fill up. Be nice to have access to the ammo without having to wait for the machine gun shoots and hoping they have some. He said it qualifies members to buy the rifles as well, but I have a C&R licence, so I can order direct already.

Range day tomorrow

I built the wood base for the shooting rest today and bolted the rest down to it. Take it out to the range tomorrow to try out. Want to practice shooting clays while there as well.I will post pictures of the rest tomorrow when I get it set up. It is a bit tricky. You have to calculate the recoil in ft/lbs and adjust the shock or springs to accommodate the particular rifle. It isn't too bad as they provide a chart and a calculator on their website. It is incredibly sturdy and the cost is in between the low and high priced lead sleds. There is no need for lead shot or barbell weights as it is mounted to a base and clamped to the table. The tables at the club are concrete and very sturdy, so the set up should be very solid. I want to see how the repeatability is with it as well. I haven't tried the remote trigger yet, but it does come with a hydraulic trigger mechanism to take the human factor completely out of the equation. I will play with my favorite lever gun as well. They have part of cowboy town functional again,and quite a few targets set up at the 50 and 100 yard range. Tomorrow will be the last day I can go during the daytime and pretty much have the place to myself. Weekends sometimes get crowded now that the weather is so nice.

 Vacation is winding down, but it has been both relaxing and productive. I did some work in the garden today. Got a few bushes put in around the shed, and some hostas to fill in the area between. Be a few years before they look like much, but should keep weeds at bay when mature. Haven't decided what I am doing this weekend for sure yet. Still thinking of spending one day at the NRA meet in St Louis. There are some things going on at the club too, so I am still trying to make up my mind. It does feel good to just relax a little though. The guys from work that I shot with yesterday said we got a few more molds in and we are still doing six day, ten hours a day weeks. Money is great, but, I it is harder to do as the weather gets nicer and nicer out. It is great to get out and enjoy while I can. Neighbor behind me was testing his new edger out. He was having so much fun, he did my yard too. He is a great neighbor. He cut part of my grass for me when I was sick earlier in the month. He keeps an immaculate lawn and his wife takes care of the gardens. They are an older semi retired couple.

Fun filled day

Got up and cooked breakfast for me and the dog. He likes bacon eggs and sausage. Then it was off to the club. I took a detour to the local shooting goods store and bought a nice shooting rest. It is real nice. I was going to get a Lead Sled, but I liked the features on this one a lot better. I will post pics when I finish making the base for it. I used it plain out of the box today,and sighted in the M1A, the Garrand, and the savage .17hmr. The rest came with prints for making a plywood base to mount the rest to and c-clamp down to the bench at the range. I should be able to make it tomorrow and hopefully try it out in the afternoon. I played around cowboy town and shot at the rifle and pistol range. I was just about to head home when I got a call from a couple of buddies from work. They were heading to the club to shoot for a while. I set back up and we shot for  a few more hours. When we finished up at the range, we headed over to the trap shoot area where we talked to the trap league and found out how to operate the equipment. We then shot clays for a while. It was a nice relaxing day. About thirteen hours of shooty goodness. Got home and repacked the ammo bags for tomorrow and put the guns in the living room for the night. It was a most enjoyable day. The guys from work never shot at the cowboy town before. One of them never shot lever action before and now wants one really bad. They had fun with the single action revolvers as well. The one kid is going to buy his girlfriend a single action .22 like mine. He liked how it shot, and it has no recoil. You can also shoot it all day for next to nothing.It is always a lot more fun with friends. May hit the trap shoot tomorrow for some practice.

Time for some fun tomorrow

Actually been staying on course on getting some chores done around the house. I put a ceiling fan up in my computer / reloading room. I painted the shed. Had the AC guy out to charge and clean the air conditioner in preparation for warmer weather. Caught the laundry and house cleaning up. Trimmed all the trees and bushes. Trimmed around the fence in preparation for repainting it. I figure it is time to have a little fun. I fully intend on hitting the range early AM and spending the majority of the day making brass. Get home from there, take the Vette out for a long run. Wednesday, I am hoping on getting some work done on the Mustang. I know if I get back on it, I will get it done.

Happy Easter

Hope everyone has a Happy Easter

Finally off for vacation

Didn't quite make it out the door on time. Should have ducked under machine when boss was coming. Got a few hours OT, but still off for the weekend so all is well. Suppose to have recieved my scope mount today according to tracking info, but it isn't looking good. Hopefully be here early tomorrow so I can get it out to the range. If not, I will still hit the range. Want to check out cowboy town and get some updated photos. They put some steel reactive targets out at the hundred yard over there I am anxious to try out. Want to get a ticket to the Friends of the NRA banquet as well. Sounds like they are almost sold out. Huge improvement over last years. They had quite a few unsold tickets last year so quite a few prizes were taken off the table. They have some really interesting guns up this year. They will be doing some work for the kids easter party as well and I can see if they need a hand.

One more day

Eight work hours until vacation starts. I lucked out, and the bosses left me off the weekend list. Typical holiday panic. They have most of the shop working the weekend on hot jobs. Today's club meeting went well. They are having another Friends of the NRA event in May. Bought some tickets for the safe they have up on the auction block. Mine is full, so, I am hoping on getting the safe (wouldn't mind something to go in it either). It is a great time. Food, raffles and games. I won a gun last year. Cowboy town is getting a huge make over. They put up a new building and are expanding the area. I need to take the camera out there and get some pictures. NCOWS are using it again this year. It makes five years in a row now. They put drainage in cowboy town and the rifle range which will hopefully help ease the flooding. Looking forward to spending some time at the club. Need to do some serious reloading this weekend. Want to get the floor welded in the Mustang and the hydraulic clutch bracket made. Eight hours until freedom. YEAHHHH

Cancelled

Just checked. They cancelled the spring machine gun shoot.... Guess they sustained major damage in the recent storms and are still recovering. Guess I will hit the NRA banquet in St Louis instead. Should be a good time. I can hit the Cabelas while I am in the area as well. I will miss the machine gun shoot, but the fall one is still on. May still make a trip out to the store and range out that way. It looks like the range is still open, just not having the machine gun shoot. I can hit the Paton museum while out there as well. Just play it by ear. Probably see the gunny, aka R Lee Ermey, at the NRA event as he is a member of the NRA board now. Be cool to see Nugent as well.

Gerst Haus

Had a great weekend. My brother and his girlfriend showed up yesterday evening and we went out for a nice dinner. We went to a really cool German restaurant, The Gerst Haus, downtown Evansville. All the people from work recommend it, and with good reason. The food was excellent and plentiful. I had enough leftover for dinner today. They also have a huge beer selection from all over the world as well as some of their own brews. If German cuisine isn't your taste, they had American dishes as well as steak, ribs and seafood. Restaurant was retro. They have a nice outdoor table area as well. It was great visiting with family again. Don't get too much company down here. Hope they can spend more time next time around. Keep trying to get him and or Og down to go to the machine gun shoot, but keep coming up empty. Machine gun shoot is in a couple of weeks. It is always a great time. Have to remember my Curio license this time around. Usually some great deals to be had. Well, back to work tomorrow, but it is only a four day week, then vacation time.