Another Year

As this year winds to an end, the Boss and I will be doing our usual . . . nothing.  In our younger days we'd go to a party followed by some bedroom fun.  In our middle years we skipped the parties.  Now that we're older, we're sound asleep before midnight.  Tonight will be the same, especially since the Boss is ill.

Original 1911 Design

A friend/extended family member has an older ATI 1911 that he bought used.  He showed me how it chambered ball ammo without issue but wouldn't chamber flat nosed ammo when using the slide release. He was completely unaware that when the original was designed, only what we call ball ammo was available, so there was no loading ramp.  So even today if an original 1911 design is made, it's absent a loading ramp.

I ran into this issue several years ago with a couple of Llama 1911s I purchased.  I used a small grinding tool and carefully created a loading ramp in the frame and barrel.  They both still don't like some hollow points but they swallow most types of ammo.

I'm now in the process of grinding and polishing a loading ramp in his ATI.  It now feeds flat nose ammo without a problem.  I think it will load Hornady XTP hollow points as well.

Update 12/30
Made it to the range yesterday for actual fire testing.  As expected the flat nose and my reloads with Hornady XTP-HP fired and loaded without flaw. And also as expected the cheap swaged HP bullets don't feed hardly at all. 
What I didn't expect was that his factory loads printed a bit low at 25 yards while my 185 grain reloads printed to the sights, at least for me.

12/14 Again

As it turns out we buried the Bosses dad 12/14.  Her mother died 12/14.  Her Christmas may never be the same again.

Great-grand-kids running around at a funeral may be rude to some people, but to the Boss and me that was a real stress killer.  They lightened up the mood, especially my one grandson who arrived with a green face.  He'd been the Grinch at school.

Been ignoring the news channels lately.  All the blather is so very insignificant to the recent issues here at home.  May all the evil, lying politicians have their black tongues fall off.

When She Cries

 Bosses dad was bad enough that hospice got involved and he was moved to the dementia area Tuesday.  That was 2 days ago.  He was there one day, went to sleep, then the Boss got a phone call at 11pm.  The funeral is tomorrow.  I haven't seen the Boss cry as yet.  She might explode tomorrow, then when she cries, so do I.

May He Pass Quickly

Today around 4pm got a text message from the Boss asking me to go to the facility that's been caring for her father.  She said he might not be with us much longer.  When I got there her dad was laying in bed with labored breathing. He'd take a breath, pause, then another breath.  My mother was like that just before she passed.  After a couple of hours he came out of it.

He's 97 and been going down hill fast lately.  Garbled speech, can't walk and needs someone to feed him, what little he eats.  May he pass quickly.  Better for him and us.

Yesterday

was one of the best times I've had in some time.  Went over to my eldest son"s place to throw some lead.  He has enough acreage that he has his own personal shooting range, up to 280 yards.  With the available distance, we spent hours shooting 22lr hand guns at little rubber animals at around 25 yards.  Had a great time harassing each other about missing the tiny little targets.  Also broke up some clay pigeons into smaller and smaller targets. My Browning Buckmark and his S&W did their jobs as long as we did ours.

It's been a while since we enjoyed our mutual hobby together.  I didn't realize how much I'd missed that.

Added 11/27/18
. . . . . . . Looking forward to retirement late spring.  Unlike some I have plenty to keep me busy.  Shooting, horses, and actually getting back into fishing and hunting.  Then there's the Boss who always has projects.

Turkey Day

Thank goodness it's over.  It's nice to have the family together but . . . Too many people in a small space . . . The grandkids and great grandkids are way too noisy.  All that stresses me out. 

Hope you enjoyed your thanksgiving holiday.