Annnnddd... reloading stuff!

I went to Cabellas... and spent more than I should have... but...

I got some more reloading stuff, and a buddy gave me some lead! Not a bad day!

Fixing a Glove

This was a new one on me, but it was an interesting challenge. I will say I'm happy with it turned out.

Before:

After:

What's Fer Supper?

Glad you asked! Red Beans and Rice, or as I call this recipe, Cheatin' Beans.

See, to make the traditional Red Beans and rice of South Louisiana, you start the night before, soaking beans. But sometimes you don't have the time to do all that, hence Cheatin' Beans.

Brown a pound of chopped sausage, whatever the store has on sale. Add a chopped onion, and about 5 cloves of minced garlic. Once it's all browned, and the onions are clear, pull them out. Make a roux, and once it's a peanut color, add water, the sausage and onion mix, 3 or 4 cans of kidney beans (I always use 1 can of Blue Runner brand red beans... they add a certain something.) Let it simmer on low for a half hour. Make a pot of rice, and enjoy some Cheatin' Beans! They're almost as good as Traditional Red Beans and Rice, but the time investment is much, much less!

I Can Think of Lots of Worse Ways to Spend a Sunday...

But only a few better ways come to mind than reloading...

Liquid Alox

For anyone out there that is new to reloading, or at least new to casting bullets:

Liquid Alox is an awesome cast bullet lube. I use about a half tablespoon per 200 bullets, and it's overkill, truthfully. You could get by with less.

Plop some in a sandwich bag with about 200 bullets, seal the bag, and knead the bag for 3 or 4 minutes. Pour the bullets out onto a clean surface that you can throw away (I use whatever is handy: wax paper, aluminum foil,  paper plates) and let dry for 24 hours.

It covers everything in a nice coating that STAYS PUT, especially once dry. Even before it dries, the natural lubricity repels water, and it sticks so well that it took 4 washings to get it all off my hands, even using Dawn dish soap.

So, just saying, if you are looking for a good cast bullet lube, don't overlook liquid Alox. It's sold by several companies for reasonable prices, and it works like nothing else for cast lead bullets.

Actually finished

I've been on vacation for the past week at the Happiest Place On Earth. The Star Wars section of Hollywood Studios was pretty amazing. The family had a great time, and I managed to walk 34 miles in 3 days. I'm slap worn out, but I had a blast.

Anyway, I hit back home yesterday, and I got around to finishing my dad's fast-draw rig. I think it turned out great!

Practically Finished

I say practically, because I need to burnish the edges of the knife sheath and the roping cuffs. And I need to emboss the family brand in the cuffs and sheath. And I need to add snaps to the wrists of the roping cuffs.

But the hard work is done.

The knife is one I forged from a lawnmower blade in 2009. It's a "boucheron", which is French for "butcher knife". They were very popular amongst the French in the 1700s, but the design is one that looks as if it could have been crafted by any Louisiana boy who knew his way around a forge from the 1700s up to today. Probably because it was! Lol. Actually I can't take all the credit for the forging. My blacksmithing Mentor, a French-Canadian named Marquito walked me through the whole process, and actually did most of the rough forging.

I branded the handle of the knife with a bent paperclip back in 2009, and it's holding up well.

I hope this setup will serve my Pawpaw well.

Slim Jim Progress

Pawpaw's Slim Jim rig is coming right along. I finished up the sewing, and installed a toe-plug.

It looks pretty nice, and all the edges are burnished.

I'm also working on a matching set of roping cuffs and a knife sheath for the rig. Hell, I figure if your son is a Leatherworker, you should have a matching leather setup for your single-action, amirite?

Also, all of the leather is actually the same color. Lighting and moisture really make a difference in how things look.

Slim Jim

Working on a Slim Jim rig for PawPaw. First, there's tooling.

Then there's dyeing.

This is right after dyeing. It's going to lighten up considerably. After it does, I will apply anot her stain that will darken it back to about this color, and will highlight the tooling.

There's still a lot of work to do, but I'm liking the results.

Rifle musings

So I've been thinking about my gun situation, and this year I want to get more deliberate about my gun acquisition process. One of the things I've been really wanting is a good multi-purpose bolt rifle. Now, the scout rifle concept is really where I think the crossroads of functionality come together for a all-around rifle.

My total wants are:
-medium to heavy barrel profile
-easily acquired sighting through a scope
-back up iron sights
-threaded barrel
-.308 chambering
-detachable box magazine
-short barrel

Now, I have a .308 bolt gun, but it is definitely a bench gun. It weighs in North of 9 pounds, if I had to guess offhand. It's not practical for stalking game. Nor is it practical for patrolling. But it will shoot tiny groups, which is what I wanted when I got it.

But truthfully, it's not really what I want now.

So I could buy a scout rifle, like the Savage Scout, or the Ruger Gunsite, in left hand....

And I would spend a mint.

I've been thinking of taking the target stock off my Savage 110. Taking it to a competent gunsmith, and getting the barrel cut to 18 inches and threaded. Putting a XS Clifton scout scope mount on it. Having the Smith install a weaver peep and a front sight blade on it. Attaching a long-eye relief scope on quick-detach mounts...

I'm not sure if it would save much money over just buying a deer rifle and calling it good, but I wonder if I would be happier with the result than having 2 rifles, one for "target" shooting and one for hunting. I feel like I would be happier with one rifle that was decent at both tasks.

What say you internet? I'm definitely interested in ya'lls opinion.