Shocking Politics

I used to say that you can tell when a politician is lying because his lips are moving.  We now have a president, who is new to politics and says what he means, means what he says and at least so far follows through.  For me that's refreshing.  For others it's catastrophically shocking.  May the shocking continue, and the tears flow.

It's Back Home

As posted before, my lever action 454 came with traditional buckhorn sights.  For my old eyes, 50 yards and beyond is very iffy with those sights.  I considered installing a very large rear aperture and fiber optic front, but then settled on a red dot. 

I've become a fan of the red dot.  I have them on my 357, SKS, AR, and for a while on a 308 bolt action set up as a scout rifle.  I find them to be quicker than any iron sight and more accurate, at least for me.  On a long gun consistent hits on a 12 inch steel plate at 200 yards is routine from a standing position.

Nobody makes a mount for my Winchester clone except maybe to the side of the receiver, which I don't like, so I took it to a local machine shop.  They bought a rail blank and machined the bottom to fit the taper of the barrel.  So far I'm happy with the results, but I haven't made it to the range as yet.  I'd be very surprised if there is a problem because those guys make their own falling block rifles, from scratch as a hobby.  And shoot black powder cartridges in long range competition.

Slow to Heal

It's been 2 months and my Achilles tendon is not yet healed.  It's still sore and tender after use.  I'll be seeing the doctor this Monday.

My horse has also suffered due to my injury.  For more than a month I was unable to clean her stall, so she stood in her own excrement to the point of having bad thrush in one of her hooves.  My granddaughter did not keep up with the cleaning. The ferrier had to cut out half of the frog and pack her hoof with medication.  At least now I'm able to shovel out her stall and clean her hooves, but pushing the wheelbarrow is still a no go.

Real Gunsmith

Around here there's a lack of gunsmiths, not part changers, but real gunsmiths.  A while back I purchased a lever action rifle chambered for the 454 Casull because I have a Ruger revolver chambered for the same cartridge.  They both also shoot the old 45 Colt cartridge as well.  At least to me that's cool.

Conforming to tradition, the rifle came with buckhorn sights.  If my eyes weren't older than the rest of me that would be OK, but they're not.  Instead of installing a really large rear aperture sight I decided I wanted a red dot instead.  A company that I occasionally deal with at work (welding & machining) agreed to modify a scope rail and install it on my Winchester clone. I received an e-mail today informing me that my rifle is ready for pickup.

I'm sure a great job was done for me.  I have confidence because I've handled a falling block that guy made from scratch, and what a beautiful piece of craftsmanship to behold.

Made It

Made it to the range today for the first time in months.  A birthday present to myself.  Shot the Hi-Power and Kimber 45 at 25 and 50 yards.  Didn't do too bad.  In fact better than I anticipated after months of not shooting.  As expected, my weak hand only marksmanship was . . . . well weak.

Fired my old Securit Six 357 and Super Redhawk 454 at 75 yards.  That was fair at best.

Only shot for an hour because the Achilles tendon started talking to me.

While there I re-upped my membership.  They now have about 1500 members, and growing.

Fantastic

President-elect Donald Trump has announced that he now has all the materials necessary to build the promised wall along the Mexican border.

When he won the election, 60+ million Democrats shit a brick....

 

Stolen from Kevin

Goes Up, Goes Down

The company that employees me had a sales increase of  40% in 2016.  They're expecting an additional increase of 30% this year.  Sounds great doesn't it?  If I wasn't so close to retirement I'd be concerned.  What goes up fast can come down as fast or even faster.

Something Wrong With Them

The Boss and I have 2 horses and 2 dogs.  Not sure about the horses, but we'll probably always have a dog or 2 living with us.  We can't imagine any other life style.

The other day she said that those that don't like animals have something wrong with them.  My father-in law and my sister-in-law don't like animals.  Obviously I conclude that there's something wrong with them.

My sister really likes animals.  She has 2 dogs, 2 cats and 2 guinea pigs.  That seems a bit much.  Might be something wrong with her as well.

We find that the dogs enrich our life and reduce stress.  The same with the horses, but to a lesser degree but only because they don't live with us.  The stress and hassle of daily life seems to disappear when I'm at the barn or riding.

Much Better, But not There

Today would've been a nice day for riding or a trip to the range.  Instead I'm sitting in front of the TV icing my touchy Achilles tendon.  The tendon is much better but not there yet.  Gotta treat it tenderly to prevent going backwards in the healing process.

The Boss has a T-shirt that says she's happy when riding her horse.  She hasn't been happy in more than a month, because I can't ride and she, thankfully, won't go alone.

Happy New Year

Here's hoping for a prosperous, and most importantly a happy 2017 for all.