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Posted on 05/03/2008 8:48:06 AM PDT by HairOfTheDog
Welcome to The Hobbit Hole!
Sing hey! for the bath at close of day
That washes the weary mud away!
A loon is he that will not sing:
O! Water Hot is anoble thing!
O! Sweet is the sound of falling rain.
and the brook that leaps from hill to plain;
but better than rain or rippling streams
is Water Hot that smokes and steams.
O! Water cold we may pour at need
down a thirsty throat and be glad indeed;
but better is Beer, if drink we lack,
and Water Hot poured down the back.
O! Water is fair that leaps on high
in a fountain white beneath the sky;
but never did fountain sound so sweet
as splashing Hot Water with my feet!
Heh...
twos
Safe Journey Rosie, have a great time. OB & LSA
Thanks!
OK, shutting down the ‘puter here. Airport shuttle’s coming by in about twenty minutes. Tam is alternately yowling and trying to get into my suitcase - I figure he knows something’s up.
The place still isn’t tidy, but oh well. It’ll exist when I get back.
See ya in a week! Stay safe!
Have fun! You’ll be glad you went.
Crimson Trace laser grips for S&W J, K, L, and N frames. Laser grips for M1911s. Ask, and American ingenuity has already answered.
It was a long day, but it's a fun part of watching your kids grow up. We can send anyone interested in riding pics a link to York...you'll just have to send me your email address.
G’nad and Mrsnad
SirKit's family is returning to Perdido Key for their reunion this year. We've missed it, not having the condo we had before. We found another building, also right on the beach, just west of where we were before, and b-i-l was able to get a 3BR condo for not much more than the 2BR he had at Ft. Morgan the last couple of years. This new place is near lots of restaurants, and a grocery store, so he won't have to drive 20 minutes to get food or out for a meal. He could walk to the Mexican restaurant across the road, or not more than 3 or 4 blocks to several others, if he wanted to do so. We're hoping to make it down for at least a week, and he said we could just stay with him. He has the condo for the whole month.
I’d love to see the pics! My e-mail addy is on the way in FRmail!
Tonight should be (I hope) the last of my M1A customizing, prior to live fire. I don't have enough time to go to the range, but I have enough to install goodies, if UPS and the mail cooperate.
Today they did, bringing me the following items:
First the always-handy bolt takedown tool for the M1 and M14.
What you see above it is a GI headspace test bolt for an M1. Used in conjunction with a go-nogo gauge, it will tell you whether the barrel-to-bolt face headspace is safe or not. The cuts (and the firing pin stub welded in place) are hints that this is not a "live" bolt, but rather a gauge.
Here it is in the tool, pretending to be a real bolt. Squeeze the handle and it pushes the bolt forward, compressing the extractor plunger. A button on the bottom then pushes up on the extractor stem, letting you remove it. Slowly release the handle, and the rest of the bolt innards come out.
I guess this is the place to confess that I once had a complete depot-level set of M14 inspection gauges, complete in their fitted wooden box, and an inventory label on the inside cover listing all the appropriate pages in the TM where they were discussed. I didn't have an M1A at the time, so I swapped them for some other toy. They're really of no use unless you're building something from the ground up, but they scored high on the coolness scale.
A similar nifty-but-probably-unneeded tool is the M1/M14 trigger assembly takedown tool.
Again, it provides the extra three hands needed to safely compress, remove, and reinstall some vey powerful springs in the trigger group. I cannot impress anyone (including myself) too much about the importance of wearing eye protection when working with any springs. It may be just some dinky spring, but it still could be strong enough to launch some tiny part right at your eye.
Now a couple of smaller items. On the left is a tool to grease the tiny roller on the end of the bolt that runs around in its little track in the operating rod handle. To the right of that is a plastic buffer that goes over the operating rod spring. It cushions the impact of the operating rod against the front of the receiver when weapon is fired. For $13 it's cheap insurance against battering, even if it only lasts a few thousand rounds.
Next, something a bit more exotic. On the left is the super high-tech National Match gas piston, with the regular ol' one on the right. These are the ones going into the military's new "born again" M14s. The piston is made of Austrian "boutique steel", probably N90. It's held to tighter tolerances than stock, and is given a TiN plating to help protect it, and provide smoother operation. It also has the new "National Match groove" down the front of the cylinder, running through the gas hole.
The critical dimensions on both parts are identical, as far as my digital caliper and micrometer tell me. But the standard piston slowly falls to the end of the cylinder when I turn the action muzzle-up, while the new one thunks right to the bottom of its stroke instantly. I think the old one is trying to overcome a partial vacuum during its fall, slowing it down. The groove on the new one must let in enough air to stop the braking effect. This is supposed to be good, although I haven't quite figured out why. But if it's good enough for us taxpayers to buy, it's good enough for me to get one, too.
Here's a quick look at the underside of the assembled action, showing the new piston on the left, and the recoil buffer on the right.
The most important item just arrived in the mail today, and I had just enough time to install it and take a picture before heading off to work. It's the adjustable cheekpiece, and all it required was the drilling of four holes in the stock which, if done correctly, joined up to form two 1/4 inches holes straight through the stock, and lined up properly.
I used a drill press, rather than trusting my eyes to do it freehand. Everything was laid out on masking tape placed on the stock, and then triple checked.
Fortunately, it worked. Everything is quite simple. Loosen the two thumb screws, and move the cheekpiece. In my case, things were so snug that I had to "persuade" the part with a rubber mallet, but that might be a good thing. Nothing is going to move until I whack it.
I used my dad's old rule for fitting guns: close your eyes, bring the weapon (unloaded, of course) to a natural firing position. Open your eyes. If the sight picture isn't perfect, readjust. It took me two sets of thumping with the mallet, but now the Aimpoint points right where I want it, and everything feels sooooo comfortable. The rifle now feels alive and responsive, and ready to do snap shooting out to quite a distance.
John C. Garand should be proud of his grandchild. After being put in the back of the armory for 40 years, it's now finding new life in civilian and military hands.
Hey how are ya - I'm in my post-mom's-visit recovery. *whew*
Heh, true enough Winmag. We have a pair of those crimson-trace on our 38.
I was hoping that someone would put a light/laser combo out that would clamp onto the barrel/ejector rod housing. but the market would likely be limited since the combo is so practical on a semi-auto w/rail. And gives the ~ reason ~ to get another sidearm, if another reason is needed. :-)
Morning - sounds like a very busy day indeed; swimming and horseback riding. We’re with you, take the wins when you can.
Got SIG?
Nice Going Win-Mag. Externals, check. Internals, check. Sights, check. You got a fine rifle there Winmag.
Your dad was spot-on with regard to fitting a long gun. If you have to jink your head up and down, it’s time for adjustment to stock or sights. Glad you had the hammer for those ‘fine’ adjustments.
Morning - wear your sunglasses on your walk this morning. It’s bright out there. All’s quiet in theshire. Not so last night, the benefit concert downtown went till 1 a.m. Looks like the rains down south so far, it’s been a couple days so I guess we’re due for some more. Daylilies popping open all over town, including ours. Dead-heading to commence after another cup of coffee.
Very very nice.......I am at fault for leaving mine bone stock for now. I have a spare mag pouch on the stock of mine as I despise carrying spare mags in a responder bag when oh dark thirty need arises. The ability too snag the rife with at least two magazines on it is what I was after in that effort.
My AR’s have the redi mag adapters for the same reason and my marine magnum Remington 870’s and Benelli M1’s have sidesaddle and stock socks too keep a usable amount of spares WITH the weapon 24/7. That is Weapons that are working tools versus the safe queens that don’t serve as duty guns for home and road trip security.
My next effort is too bring my SOCOM II with the friggin cheese grater rail systems back too SOCOM 16 mode. I figure an after market stock will fill that void and let me convert the weapon back too SOCOM II if such a unforeseen for now need should arise.
The SOCOM 16 is a very well made tool. BTW did you have head space issues with yours out of the box ?!?! Or were you just hawking brownells wares ........?:o) Creedmoor and Sinclair have some very good stuff as well for M1A / Garand family . And as the mouse gun has pretty much taken over the leg matches at Whittington I am looking for another Garand (or three) as that little 8 round battle rattle is the truck gun for me when traveling through a state that says no high capacity or detachable mags , pistol grips etc ..........:o)
A sleeper of a serious defense tool IMO and experience. I think Milehi had purchased or was planning on purchasing some surplus 30-06 from Greek military arsenals. I believe it was him commenting on that ammo being pretty good stuff !
M1A and Garands are good durable designs that will serve for millennium’s IMO.
frac no... but muh gunsmith's werkin' on muh accurized EBR... pro'ly have that before I get the SIG... dagnabbit...
nice rig winmag... a weapon werthy of SOF Warrior...
Afternoon OT - hey, where did thesun go? WTF is that on the radar? Well, so far-so good, really dropping the temp. Keep a weather eye on the grill?
Afternoon G’nad - Sounds like the EBR is coming along. That’s going to be a fun/serious rifle. ‘Specially with you cutting cloverleafs at 200M.
Did a bit of looking for a SIG, none in stock so far. ‘Course I could just order it but wanted to heft one first. Maybe the big July Gunshow will have some. There’s usually several EBR dealers amongst the flintlocks, Colts, and Smiths afficianados.
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