Cards.

Okay, just finished Christmas cards.  Still waiting on current addresses from Old_NFO, Christina_LMT, The Nerds (but they don't read this blog). So, I've got that going for me.
 

New collection addition....

I actually bought this like a couple of months ago, but one thing and another and work and I'm just getting it home today.  They guy I bought it from swore up and down it was chambered in .30-06, and then said it was made in 1903.  Which didn't add up to me.

The serial number checks for a 1903 birthday, so.... confusion.  So, when I was able to pick it up from my FFL, I took one look at it and took it to my gunsmith to have a chamber cast made to find out what caliber it actually was.

Yes, I checked the barrel. It's marked .30US.  Yeah, see, back then they were in the midst of changing nomenclature on how they denoted ammo. So, while we all know and love the .30-30 and .30-06 and .30-40Krag, back then they were called things like .30WCF and .30Army and .30Gov't and .30US.

Oh and just to throw a little more confusion in the mix, in 1903 there was the precursor to the .30-06 called the .30-03 of all things.  The .30-06 was basically a cut down case length on the .30-03.

Yes, I'm incredibly oversimplifying it.  You want to learn, go read a book people!

So, chamber mold seemed to be the smart thing to do.

Anyway.  I'm pretty sure the guy didn't know what he had.  Considering the three holes on the side of the receiver aren't just cut willy nilly like he thought.  They were the saddle ring hole and two holes tapped for a Lyman sight system.  Score!

So, here she is. A Winchester 1895 born in 1903, chambered in .30-40Krag

The ad for Colt is just there because I was so excited to finally be taking pics, I forgot to move it.

Today is Veteran's day.

Whether you call it Veteran's Day, Remembrance Day, Armistice Day, etc. Whatever you choose to call it. Today is the day we honor those who have chosen to serve their country.  I've heard many who've served say that those who haven't can not understand what those who have, have done, I don't know about that.  I do know that all of us who have served share a brotherhood.  We may disparage one service or another, there are jokes out there about each service that I swear go back to when Og and Gog were slinging rocks at each other across the cave. But we all share that brotherhood. 

I want to thank my brothers and sisters in arms for their service and sacrifice.

They've all given some, and some have given all.

Aepilotjim
US Army, Blackhawk helicopter crew chief
'85 - '88

Gather 'round...

everybody! We've got a cure for what ails ya!  Why, this little bottle I hold in my hand (for external use only) will guarantee cure the following, or DOUBLE your money back! It'll cure Acid Reflux Disease, Acne, Allergies, Antisocial Personality Disorder, ADHD/ADD, Altitude Sickness, Alzheimer's Disease, Andropause, Anorexia, Arthritis, Aspergers Syndrome, Asthma, Autism, Back Pain, Bad Breath, Baldness, Bed wetting, Bladder Cancer , Bone Cancer, Brain Cancer, Breast Cancer, Cancer cancer! Why, this little bottle is probably the most important bottle you'll ever buy! I wouldn't lie to you folks! It'll cure memory loss, canker soars, Depression, diarrhea, burns, Gout, even Hemorrhoids! No infectious disease known to man is immune to my patented (pending) oil!  This oil, extracted from common southwestern rattle snakes, yes, I said snakes, my friend. This little bottle of snake oil.....

Right, you get the idea.  It's snake oil. And nobody out there in their right mind believes in snake oil cures.

So, why do so many people believe that big government or even bigger government will cure everything?

The end of an era...

It's the end of the era of the Jeep.  That Jeep served me well and faithfully for many years and aside from tires and batteries, she never let me down.  But the new job sort of necessitated a truck and that's what I found.  A nice one owner '07 F-150 with a tool box and a bed extender.  I'm happy with it but it will take some getting used to driving something that big.

You know that Carbine I mentioned the other day....

This ain't it.

Went to the gun show today.  Just one of the monthly ones. Nothing special.  Went in looking specifically for M1 Carbines.  There were exactly 3 there. there were 3 others but I don't count Plainfield or Universals as M1Carbines. Yeah, you can call me whatever name you want now.  Any, around the second time through, (yes, it was that small of a show) I found this.

Finish hex receiver Mosin - Nagant. 5 digit serial number.  Has the correct sling according to the seller.  He threw in a slew of stripper clips too.

I can stop any time. 

I almost walked out with 2 instead of 1.

This is my new addition.  While I was at the FFL, I noticed an M1 Carbine up on the wall, Inland receiver and barrel, mix master for the other parts, type 3 barrel band and flat bolt, serial number puts it solidly in the '44-'45 time frame.  They had a price that was a touch too high, I countered and I'm just waiting to here if they'll bite. So there may be new pics soon.  Anyway, this is my new (to me)SMLE No. 4 Mk 1. Born  in '44.  Dragon shaped slippers for scale.

 



 

Always remember.

Today is an anniversary. It's an anniversary for 2 events. The one that everyone is focusing on happened 12 years ago and exceeded Pearl Harbor in its death toll. The other was 1 year ago today and only 4 lost their lives. 

I don't think the number of lives lost is important to remember. 

What I think is important to remember is how each administration handled the events. 

G. Bush gave 2 of the best speeches an American president ever has and committed us to catching and punishing those responsible and those who aided them. The administration in office during the event last year spent the time after, lying, hiding, misdirecting, looking for scape goats, and hampering any attempts at justice. 

Make of that what you will.

Followup to the last post.

So, as a follow up to the last post. This pic shows the Enfield P14 from the last post's pic and the Eddystone M1917 (top).  Yes Virginia, the 17 is a direct descendant of the P14.  The interesting thing about this system is the cock on close rather than cocking on extraction with the bolt.  So, you're fighting the spring tension in the system to close the bolt.  I'm trying to think of the reasons why for either system.

Anyway, the 17 does fill a gap in my collection.  Yes, I understand that the 17 was really a stop gap rifle as the Krag-Jorgenson was phased out and they couldn't field enough M1903's to equip the AEF as it went off to fight WW1.  But it is the rifle Sgt. York was carrying on the day he earned the MoH. Heck, the P14 was created because the Brits were desperate for long arms to fight the war and anything they could get was used.

Which reminds me. I need to find a nice shootable example of the Lee-Enfield SMLE.  It's interesting to the nerd in me that the MLE was adopted in 1895 through the SMLE which was the standard long arm of the RA into the 50's and 60's while the US Army went from the .30-40 Krag-Jorgenson, the M1903, M1917, M1903a3, M1Garand and finally to the M14 in the same period. What do you think that says?

Just a note...

I HAVE AMMO FOR THEM ALL!!!! Not zombie apocalypse amounts for all of them, but enough to go to the range and shoot a couple of rounds.  Wanna take a stab at what calibers these are?