BrianK

Well, that's the pits! (the tree) We're still in a drought with no relief in sight. Our well can supply the entire neighborhood if I wanted it to. But I don't. Others aren't as fortunate. Some trees are in stress and are getting their autumn leaves early to cut their losses and maybe live. Our weather has changed somwhat, and this is our wet season coming up. But what we're getting is a break in the summer heat and humidity. A very welcome break. Traditionally Labor Day is the flipping of the switch to autumn weather but it appears to already have begun. Yesterday it was 46*F when I got up to take the dog out. The day before 47*. I love autumn! (even if it's still summer for most of the nation)

I should have done this decades ago. But in my defense I have some pretty good bipods and didn't see the need. I also didn't have rifles that I felt required 'more'. I have a Caldwell v. 2.0 machine rest on order. Fingers crossed that it's not junk. The goal to be finding out just what my KIDD SG and the SK ammo will provide for precision. Could be that I'm seeing all it'll give now but maybe there's more to be had and I'm the limiting factor. Anyway, should have done it many decades ago. I also saw the Axil Extreme 3.0 earbuds available at a supposed discount. I have the 2.0 and they work great. The 3.0 has 'more'. So it too is on order. I borrow money from myself to buy shooting items. It's a way to limit my spending. So now I'll spend the winter paying off the debt to myself so that in the spring I can buy a case of SK Standard+ and whatever else. Then the borrowing from myself begins all over again. Sure, it's a game, but it does limit my spending. There was a time when there was no governor limiting what I spent. Sure, I can cheat since I keep the records, but I don't. I intiated the system.

Eley has a bad rep' lately. When folks discuss Eley today they write wistfully of the old days when it won olympic matches and not todays Eley. It'd be one heck of a gamble that I wouldn't accept. If you spring for it let us know how it works out. I figure that if I get a bad lot of SK I'd put it up for consinment at the LGS and at least get my $ back less the open brick I'd eat. Maybe something like that is an option for you?

The biggest hurdle I had to overcome was what the "problem" is with rimfire. I handload and tailor my loads to what I shoot the loads out of. My handloads are quite a bit better than factory and I can make them do things that the factory just can't or won't do. With rimfire we're at the mercy of what the factory makes and we can't tell a good lot from a bad lot just by looking. The only way to tell is by shooting it, then go back and try to get that lot if it hasn't been sold out yet. Good luck with that and also get a decent price. The retailers who sell affordable ammo get sold out in days. The high priced outfits will have what you want for quite awhile. I'm not made of money so I can't do business with the high priced places. So I gamble. If I get a terrible lot I'll put what remains on consignment at the LGS. But that hasn't happened yet. That latest case of LRM I got for $9.97/50 but it was a gamble. Want to see what the combination of gear, shooter, and ammo will do? According to Hornady, shooting a 30 round group gets to about 97 (or was it 98?) % of what the shooting equation will deliver. That flyer in the above groups? I called it in the 9 round group. But it hit where it hit and surprised the heck out of me. In a 30 round group it would be included. It was ammo. The shot was good. But I can't afford any better than SK as a regular diet for the rifle. I'm on a rimfire forum and I suspect that many people there cherry pick targets ignoring the bad ones. I have no proof of that, but they're using gear that just isn't capable (rifles built down to a price and intended for plinking) and getting fantastic results. Some even use HV ammo and display targets that that ammo just can't produce regularly. It's just not going to consistently happen in the real world. BTDT. I sold those safe queens to make room in the safe. That KIDD sees nothing but SK ammo to keep the barrel seasoned with the same lube. I bought a brick of their Standard+ to test for hunting to save a few bux. I was pleasantly surprised at just how good it was. Nothing you want for precision because there are more fliers, but for hunting it'll be fine for head shots. Next year I'll buy a case of it. Another gamble but Standard+ didn't make the grade to be Rifle Match, and I know that, so it's expected that it won't up to RM standard. But it's better than any off the shelf ammo I can buy, and out to 50 yards flies to the same POA as Rifle Match or LRM. Any difference is insignificant for me at that distance. Beyond? Yeah. that's where i'd expect the difference will be seen. I need to get a machine rest and a better rear bag to better remove myself and my gear from the shooting equation to better evaluate just the ammo and rifle. But for a 10/22 it's pretty good. Puts a smile on my face anyway. Not a pretty rifle but I wanted functional and pretty took a back seat. It had big shoes to fill and it's doing that.

I haven't done much the last 2 years not due toa lack of desire but because I needed to get myself into the body shop and after getting the body worked on I was living to heal. But the other day the last of the sutures were removed for all scheduled surgeries. Unforeseen body work? We'll see what happens with that. But even though I was largely out of commission I was still thinking positively and planning ahead. I ordered a case of SK Rifle Match and Long Range Match but couldn't test it. Same goes for Standard +. I also ordered an ULW barrel for the KIDD SG and hadn't fully tested it, or the closeout 4-16x Viridian scope I ordered for the field rifle conversion for the KIDD. Things were backing up. I set things up, I was capable of doing at least that much. The I saw a sale on ammo that's far out of what I can buy by the case, it's just to expensive. But I could afford 100 each of 2 loads, fingers crossed that those lots selected wouldn't be garbage. I have yet to test that ammo. with the target version of the SuperGrade. So the other day was comfortable and the sun was muted, temp' was good and humidity low with, when there was one, a gentle breeze, but shooting could happen between breezes. There was plenty of time between air movement. I set up at my home 50 yard range. This is the >12# target rifle. All shooting was done with a Banish 22 can on the muzzle. First the lot from 3+ years ago. It tested that it was good and I wanted to refresh my memory as to what it would do and gauge the new case against it. Pay no attention to the text. I print targets on scratch paper and this sheet was stacked incorrectly. The flier is included in the group measurement. Next up was the new ammo. Targets are NOT cherry picked they are presented as shot. 50 yards. I called the new ammo good based on that. Good thing I have a case of each, and the gamble of a case purchase paid off. Next up was the 16" ULW barrel, not as it would be set up for the field, but the same basic target set up to give best precision to test the barrel and not as it would be in the field. The scope is the 4-16x Veridian (discontinued) because the goal was also to get the scope on paper to make future zeroing a piece of cake. The scope will be removed for now, and put back on in 2 months. For targets the trigger is KIDDs 2 stage 8/8. That's too light for the field, so the field conversion , seen far below, has a KIDD 2 stage 16/16 (aka a 1/1, but mine is more like 13/13). Yes, all of my optics are mounted high. I have a trick neck and I've had chronic pain for decades. I couldn't "scoonch" down for a proper cheek weld. But a jaw weld? That I could do. No more chronic pain and I don't want it again. I still keep the high optics. Same ammo, ULW barrel. The goal was zeroing the optic so I didn't dial in an offset to "keep" the aimpoint. I call it good. The rifle as set up for the field. One difference... the scope is a Nikon ProStaff that is parallax adjusted for 100 yards. That might be OK out west, but for Maine the shots are much closer. The Viridian that is now on it in the pic' up above is side adjustable from infinity to <10 yards. I wanted a 1" tube to save weight but the scope still weighs 2# with bases. I guesstimate the entire rifle should be near 7# but I haven't weighed it yet. It should "hold" nicely for hunting. In use I have a tall bipod that can be used standing or anything lower, except prone, which is a useless position in the Maine forest anyway, and my neck won't allow it anyway. Next up is to test the more expensive loads I got on sale to see what the barrels will really do (fingers crossed that the ammo isn't garbage), then the rifle can be converted to it's field version at my leisure and remain that way until spring.

I didn't watch the entire video once I knew where it was going. (or thought I knew) At least one person in Maine knows how to actually BBQ. Many others think BBQ is done over a propane grill and would get offended when I would correct their misuse of the trem "BBQ". Ignoramusses. Whatever. Some actually checked me out and never came back to tell me I was wrong but I could see that they sooo wanted to. In Maine the markets sell extremely thin steaks and put labels such as "For BBQ" or "For grilling" on the package. WRONG! you want a thicker cut. 1" thick or more is good. I won't even look at the thin cuts. Yes a roast can be low and slowed, then seared, even with Sous Vide (see below). I've been doing reverse sear for decades. Couple of ways to do it. One is low and slow over coals, yes, coals. There can be low controlled heat over coals and wood for smoke. I use an electronic draft control to tightly control the heat. Then remove the meat and build the intense fire, then sear. I've been known to put the meat directly on the wood charcoal burning with a blue flame (not briquets). Another way is with Sous Vide which uses a different source of heat for the low and slow. Then gets finished with a butane torch. Why butane? If you aren't sensitive to the rotten egges smell/taste added to propane use that. But to dodge that entirely use butane. Play the intense flame over the meat to sear it. To gild the lily make a solution of Dextrose and Sodium Bicarb' and either brush it on or for a steak I just put it in a tray and bathe the steaks in it for a second on each side. I make a saturated solution to ensure I have it as strong as possible. One bath per side is enough. The dextrose combines with the protein producing more of the grilled flavor we all love (Maillard reaction). And the Sodium Bicarb' helps the browning by lowing the Ph. The result is the very outer layer of seared meat with the "grilled" taste and the rest of the steak or roast perfectly Med' Rare or whatever internal temp desired as controlled by the Sous Vide bath. Could one sear in a frying pan? Sure. I don't see why not as long as the pan is screamin' hot. But I don't know how the solution would work. Maybe sprinkle the the meat with the dry Dextrose and Sodium Bicarb. Never did it with a pan. Of those techniques I prefer over coals. But at -20* the indoor method is preferred by the cook (me). Either way, guests love it when they're invited over. Results? Yes, better then the steak house. We never go out for a steak dinner any more and haven't in decades. Can it be done in an oven? No. The heat isn't controlled enough for reliable results. Ovens swing 50* one way or another. Up and down, up and down won't work. Never tried it and I won't try it.

Happened over time... much time. I have a KIDD Supergrade rimfire. It converts from one rifle to another and anything in between in minutes. Right now it's between the bench and field versions 'cause I want to test the ULW barrel extensively for precision and that's easier to do with the chassis in target mode with target scope. The extremes are a 12# summer bench rifle and a 6# field rifle. Both versions are very precise and accurate in extensive testing for the bench rifle and initial testing with the ULW barrel. I'm the weak link and that's what I want from all my firearms. First scope for the field rifle was a Nikon. It was parallax adjusted to 100 yards. I didn't know and didn't research it deep enough. It was a rimfire scope and I have my ideas on what a rimfire scope should be. Nikon had different ideas. It was totally useless, but nice glass. The next scope was a Burris adjusted to 50 yards. Better but still not right. The next scope was objective parallax adjustable 6-25x but It's really a target scope. I didn't pay much for it 'cause it was discontinued. I thought it would be junk, but it had good reviews. I paid $63 for it shipped with tax. It's not worth the effort to sell it. It's a Veridian EOS. The quality punches way over it's weight class. I was really surprised at how good the glass was. Based on that and not wanting to spend alot, Ebay to the rescue again, and I found a Veridian 4-16x with side adjusting parallax that goes down to 10 yards with good reviews. YES! I don't need the 16x high end (that I know of but it'll be there if needed) but it's more in line with what I need. It'll do. It too punches way over it's weight class in the cost/quality ratio. I took it from FedExs hands the other day. Since it won't be needed until autumn I have plenty of time to get the mounts figured out. I have rings for it (parts box) but I need to figure out how high to get it (trick neck) and still make it easily convertible. Right now it's in 1" high rings and that's not high enough for my neck.

Maine weather changes in a minute. Maybe that's an exaggeration. Yesterday hot, humid and rainy with T-storms. Then around dusk different air came in and that all changed to clear dry air. Today it's in the 70s and very low humidity. Windoews are open to allow the wonderful breeze in. What a beautiful day!

Yeah, I saw that. I guess the locomotive doesn't have a reverse? When in the middle of a fire stay there and bake. Unh huh! Makes no sense to me. Whatever. Yesterday and today temps in the 70s and low humidity. Windows open and life is good and comfy. There's a day of humidity coming then back to this. This is why we moved to Maine. Wayyyy off subject, but did anyone notice the Maine democrat "debates" to find someone to replace the nipple nazi (aka Platner)? Democrat comedy show... It would have been funny if people from away weren't seeing that and getting the wrong impression of Maine. Ashley whoever (the "it" candidate), "I write songs and books...". Yeah, I need that to represent me and make laws. A comedy show put on the national stage, like Maine needs that! I had people calling me to ask me what's up? Looney Tunes! Whatever. Just another sign of the times.

OH WOW! 112*! Not here thank God! I'm guessing it's in the 70s, feels like it. It's trying to clear out from last nights rain. But we could get showers.

Cloudy all day, in the 70s. More rain on the way for tonight.

Yesterday the weather changed to T'storms and rain for most of the day. Right now it's nice but the forecast is for more rain in a bit. Over 2.5" of rain in the last few days. We entered the year in a drought condition, we might be out of that at this point. If not we're really close to being out of it.

It never did rain yesterday but It looked like it was going to open up all day. Today in the mid 60s and white skies. Variable heavy breezes.

Low 70s, Variably cloudy with dark clouds. Rain could happen at any time. Breezy. Other than the possible downpour it's a pretty nice day.

Low 50s and rain today. T'storms in a few hours.

Another nice day. A little warmer than yesterday but very tolerable. Slightly more fair weather clouds. Variable gentle breezes.

Beautiful day today, low 70s and low humidity. Fair weather clouds but mostly blue skies, and a gentle variable breezes.

That's what we get for living under where the humid Gulf air and Arctic air fight it out for supremacy twice a year. Last night another front must have come through. At 0600 the skies opened up and unleashed a torrent. Cooler today and while I have not been outside yet I bet the humidity is even lower than yesterday.

Oh, sorry, central Maineiac.

Pull up a chair and set a spell. You're welcome here.

The last few days have been in the high 80s and very humid. Similar temps today but quite a bit drier. Thunderstorms right now and heavy rain.

Okayyyy! You haven't really lived until you've heard a pack of coon cats headed in all directions and all hissing.

Just curious. Write as much or as little as you want. I tend to diahreah of the keyboard. I get to go first. When I was in the military I thought it might be worth learning to keep my body behind cover as much as possible. But frankly, other than having the thought I didn't act on it because, well, it was the military and I had the thought that signing my M-16 out of the arms room for dry firing might be frowned on. But one terrible day (civilian life) we had an ice storm during the night. It was "black ice" which is invisible and I went out to start my car, slipped and turned my right wrist into shards. I was put into an erector set of pins, screws , and rods and I got to thinking after talking to the surgeon... I was told that my wrist would never be the same, yada, yada. But then came the fighter in me. "No", said I silently, "I am going to get the full use of it back, but if I miss that goal I will never not be a rifleman and shooter. I just need to learn to shoot lefty. Heck, I'm already left eye dominant!". So while in the erector set I started to teach myself to shoot lefty. Eventually the pins, rods, and screws were removed and I was able to see what I had learned by actually shooting. Darned if I wasn't a better lefty shooter than I was as a righty. I just wasn't comfortable being a lefty shooter, meaning it didn't come naturally to me. I was so accustomed to thinking "righty". But I can do it, and with handguns the brain automatically has me using my dominant eye. I do everything I can for gear to force my right hand to use my right eye. I'm older and with age sometimes comes cataracts. At one steel challenge match my brain started to use my left eye to sight with. I was silently muttering "What the eff!?? What's going on?". So I closed my left eye to force the use of the right eye. My preference is shooting with both eyes open and trained myself to do that. Advancing forward a few months from the match. I had one cataract fixed for distance (right eye), I'd been profoundly near sighted since the 3rd grade and was now in my 70s. No need for glasses for distance anymore, and I had 20/20 vision in that one eye. I was still profoundly myopic in the left. I thought that would drive me nuts. It didn't. My brain did what it did during that steel challenge match and chose the eye with the best vision for the job. I had great close in vision, like having a built in magnifying glass, and great distance vision. I finally understood why I had been using my left eye during the match. My brain knew what "was best" and just used what was the best eye for the job during that match, the eye with the better vision. I sorta liked the new "no need for any eyeglasses at all" new me, and considered keeping my left eye myopic, but instead had the left corrected for distance for binocular vision and the ability to shoot lefty or righty without requiring a Rx lense for the left eye. Oh, the right wrist? I fired my therapist and searched for one that wasn't going to treat me like someone about to die tomorrow having the attitude, "so who needs a right wrist?". I have full use of it today. I didn't baby it, I pushed it and dictated to the wrist what it was going to do. At times, rarely, I feel tauma arthritus but it's no big deal. Mostly it's just a wrist that I use and give no thought to.

Rain yesterday, rain on and off for the next few days. Maine is a well watered land. Lotsa lakes, streams and rivers and that water comes from somewhere. Water... The other day a friend came over for lunch and asked for a glass of water. She drilled a well decades ago and hit salt water that was trapped at a minimum 10s of thousands of years ago. She's 80 miles away from the sea. She tasted our water and told us "Your water tastes good.". Yup, we hit a great aquifer with a delivery rate too high for the well driller to accurately guess at. He just wrote 15gal/minute on the final well form. If I wanted to put in a suitable pump I could supply the entire mountain. So the rain? Yes, we might not want rainy days but they resupply our aquifers so suck it up. Right now we're in our rainy season. That'll change in a month or 2. Today light clouds and sunshine, 70*F in the sun.

That's terrible! The loss of any of my dogs have always hit me harder than the loss of close humans. I have no idea why, maybe their trusting innocence? I am so sorry for your loss!