MtnMike

I love the US Constitution. In my opinion, the 10th Amendment of the Bill of Rights has become the most trampled amendment. In effect, the 10th Amendment states that the powers not specifically given to the Federal government belong to the States and the People. Ask yourself, how many powers are currently being exercised by the Federal government, and the regulatory bureaucracy that has evolved therefrom, which are not granted by the Constitution. My answer to that question is the vast majority. I also like looking at what's been changed from the original. One of those things is the original requirement that all national currency be based on silver. The founding fathers had directly experienced the collapse of European fiat currencies and knew the dangers. History repeats itself when forgotten. That's why the dollar is becoming more and more worthless. You could easily eat for a month, or make a monthly mortgage payment on your farm on an 18th century dollar. Today that same 21st century "dollar", which is now backed by the full faith and security of the "Federal Reserve" - as opposed to silver, might pay for your breakfast if you cook it yourself and buy frugally at Aldi. OK off my soapbox as well. (I don't know how to do the little emoji thing).

Been happy with mine in it's limited use to date (about 50 rounds). I did install a LaRue MBT2 trigger. Out the box, it was a tack driver (<0.75" groups at 100 yards off of lawn furniture) using Hornaday 178g Precision Hunter ELD-X. Enjoy!

Hope I never have to shoot a Grizzly. Would love to see one in the wild - from a reasonable distance. Black bears where I am are more of nuisance; rarely impressive. A couple of bow hunters one county over got a 500 pounder last fall. New state record (NC). That one WAS impressive.

Finally got the chance to re-sight-in the Windham R16SFST-308 with the new scope. This gun was my first "AR10" and has been modified for hunting whitetails as it's primary objective. I still f@ckin& love this gun. Got a helluva deal on a "blem" Leupold 2-12x42 VX6HD illuminated fire dot duplex a while back from Midway, more than 50% off, about a grand below current MSRP. Nice f@ckin& hunting scope IMHO. Anyway, the main point of this post was to report on how the rifle performed with 2 very different ammos. I'd previously determined that this rife is very happy on a diet of plain vanilla Federal Powershok 150g SP. I know some folks have issues running SP bullets through their ARs. But this gun, to my recollection, has never had a FTF with anything. Probably over a 1000 rounds, at least 10 different ammos. Re-zeroed it in quickly. Getting 1 to 1.25" groups of 3 at 100 yards with the Federal Powershok off a plastic folding table. She's ready to hunt. Happened to have a can of of Hornady Precision Hunter 178g ELD-X ammo with me. This is the ammo of choice for my DD DD5V3. It is stupidly accurate with this stuff. I'm talking walk down and double check the target at 100 yards to see if you missed 2 shots or they all went in the same hole (which is the case) accurate. You would think that 2 AR10s, both with 16" barrels with a 1:10 twist would like the same ammo. Nope. The Windham doesn't like the 178g ELD-X for $hit. 4+" groups at a 100 yards. I cannot explain it. But if the old gal prefers to eat cheap 150g SP, which knocks the deer down just fine, then that's what I'll happily feed her. Always liked a gal who could appreciate the breakfast bar at Shoney's. That's my range report for today.

I'm up at the lake cabin in VA this week on R&R. Sat out on the front porch for a while around daybreak with the Pro Ears on. Had seen a couple of deer out there earlier, well before daybreak, down the hill silhouetted against the background of the lake. The deer had moved on before I thought to pop in the Pro Ears. But still a multitude of wildlife moving around in the waking hour. I liked that I still had a decent sense of direction as to where the sounds were coming from while wearing the Pro Ears. That has been my primary concern with using them for hunting- would I be able to tell where the sound is coming from? The Pro Ears have now passed this preliminary test. I'll give them a go in early muzzle loading season in SC in a couple of months. Amplification level of 3 on the non-BT version that I have seemed to work best for me. Above that, the increased background static/fuzz noise seemed to outweigh any increase in the volume of the actual sounds out there. Well the trolling motor is charged, and I have worms, best get out there before it gets hot ....

I got the version without the Blue Tooth. Otherwise they are identical. Have used them a bit now. Sound protection is excellent. Took a while to determine the best size ear buds. Ambient sound amplification seems pretty good. No problems with conversations or hearing approaching boats and vehicles. Have not found any need to add the wind noise reduction filters so far. I am still ambivalent about using them for hunting. Where I primarily hunt, fairly dense woods and thickets, my ears are more important than my eyes for location of prey. @Cunuckgaucho You had mentioned you thought you would use them for hunting. Wondering if you have now done so. And, if so, what your thoughts were regarding their performance in that arena?

...or time for a fish fry. Neighbor feed neighbors in Wisconsin was my experience during my visits.

That lathe reminds me of a nuclear energy equipment manufacturing facility I worked in as a high schooler in the 80s. (Remember when teenagers were significant contributors to the labor force? - my how times have changed). We made a lot of high quality stainless steel equipment for the nuclear energy industry - spent uranium fuel rod containers was our forte. Helluva machinists shop. Everything was custom for the particular job. Anyway, we had a few Atlas lathes like that, used leftovers dated to WWII and the 50s as I recall. Cleaned them up, bondoed the dents, painted them and added digital readouts Were in constant use two shifts a day. Solid machines.

Recently moved the Hellcat into 1st place as my pocket carry option using the 11 round mags with the flush base and an Alabama pocket holster. Putting the old Sig P938 into gun safe retirement. Both are fine guns. But I can pick up the front sight on the Hellcat better with my old eyes. Also, as I've become more accustomed to carrying striker fired pistols over the last few years, I noticed my muscle memory for clicking off the safety as I drew the single action P938 in practice was no longer 100%. Getting old. Have to adapt.

Think I'll amaze the wife by using the air nozzle on her big stack of stuck buckets this weekend - FFS! Have to blow out the oak catkins and maple helicopter seeds gunking up the old Mustang convertible's drain reservoirs, so I'll have the pancake compressor out anyway. Maybe TikTok has some redeeming informational aspects after all. (Still not ready to put it on my iPhone - I'm such a dinosaur!)

I confess. After making that previous post, I went off the deep end watching Youtube knife sharpening videos & went & ordered an electric Ken Onion Work Sharp knife sharpener which utilizes abrasive belts from Midway. I've got a couple of Ken Onion designed knives I like a lot. My rationalization basically being If it works half as good as the reviews indicate, the time savings alone should be worth it. I use a $hit ton of knives in the kitchen and it normally takes me about a day every 4-6 months. Can change the angle to do hunting knives, regular kitchen knives and Japanese style knives. I'll give a report if it's worth the $140 after it arrives and I've used it enough to develop an opinion.

Curious what you fellas use for sharpening. I've been using Arkansas stones forever, and they seem to work fairly well. But, I'm not getting the razor sharp edge to shave the hair off the back of my arm from my current knives. I remember achieving that level of sharpness from basic Barlows and Old Timers I carried as a kid and sharpened on little 1" x 3" whetstones that came from who knows where.

@Cliff R The Hellcat has a small green tritium night sight on the front blade surrounded by a small white circle. Really not very bright during the day and I never practiced with it at night. Originally, bought it for the wife, but I've kind of reclaimed it lately since she wasn't using it. It is easier for me to see with the Hellcat's sights compared to my old Sig P938's sights. I'm with you on the regular practice. I took the Hellcat to the indoor range earlier today since I haven't shot it that much. Mainly drawing from the pocket holster and quick firing groups of 2 and 3 shots at a 6" target at about 5yds. (15 feet). By the end the hour, I was up to 90%. I also hear you on not actually looking at the sights for those first couple of shots. But I do like to be able to focus on the sight and target after that - I guess in case I have to "finish the job". My eyes are getting weaker as I get older. I used to hit the pistol range every week or two before ammo prices went crazy. Getting back into the habit. Lots of drug crazed whack jobs walking the downtown of Asheville where I work.

I pulled out all of my 9mm handguns to compare their sights and see if I can continue to pocket carry. The SigP938 has white tritium Siglite night sights. The Sig365xl, which has a Holosun red dot on it now, still has the green tritium Xray front sight on it. The Hellcat has a Udot sight with a ringed tritium front. My Browning Hi-Power Standard, 75th Anniversary edition has painted white dots front and rear. To start with, I can see a fairly decent sight picture with all of them at my house. Though admittedly the P938 is basically just a black blade sight in the daylight. So my problem may be as simple as dubious or dirty shooting glasses during my last trip to the pistol range (which doesn't have great lighting to begin with). The old Browning, with painted white dots, is definitely the easiest to see during the day. But obviously cannot pocket carry with a standard size pistol. Hellcat is not bad. The Udot rear combined with a painted circle around the tritium front sight is significantly better than the P938. I might could switch out the green front sight from the 365xl to the P938, but not feeling real motivated. Think I'll take them all with me to the outdoor range next week for more testing. Been too long since I shot the Browning if nothing else. I used to love that gun before I became a trigger snob.

NICE!!!

I agree that I'd like to keep pocket carry as an option. I've got a Springfield Hellcat around here somewhere that I got for the wife. She doesn't carry it, which was the original intention. Need to see if I can pick up those sights with my old eyes. My recollection is that with the flush magazine, it was very similar in dimensions to the P938.

Last time I went to the pistol range, I decided to retire my Sig p938 from my regular carry rotation. Not a damn thing wrong with the gun. It's been an excellent piece for a decade or so. Retiring it because my eyes can no longer pick up the sights without having to take several seconds to focus. Luckily, I still do just fine with my 365 xl with a Holosun red dot. The biggest downside for me is that now eliminates pocket carry as an option. Just can't do that with a red dot sight; too bulky. IWB or nothing.

Taking the 50 round Magpul drum magazine with me on my lake shoot this weekend. That and the Precision Armament M4-72 muzzle brake on my Windham might offend a few of the neighbors as well. Toughskins. Been curious to see if the drum magazine will reliably function all the way fully loaded.

Did not realize you were a fellow Tarheel until I saw the letter from the Hon. Elaine Marshall. I'm just West of Asheville.

That's where I'm at now. Planning to take 4 guns (2 AR308s, TC muzzle loader & a 10/22) up to the lake next weekend to sight in after putting new or different optics on each. Lots of associated gear to set up a temporary range. Hell, it's going to be challenge to find cases to transport just the guns with the optics in the truck. Got one nice Pelican hard case custom fitted for one of the 308s, and one nice soft case that'll fit anything. Think there are a couple Flambeau & Plano hard cases up in the attic that'll do just fine. Folding table. Duck blind seat. Shooting sled. Good binoculars. Targets. And need to make a target stand that'll stand up to the 308s and .50. This is adding up to a lot of poop to pack for a relaxing weekend ... luxury problem for sure.

Sounds just like my old house. Re-did the knob and tube about 20 years ago. Iron pipes about 10 (still not 100% done with upstairs bath renovation - hard to get motivated we hardly use the upstairs since the girls got married). Working on kitchen floors now as well. Chimney requires a pro. Probably hire someone to convert the side screened in porch to heated square footage as well. At his point on my life is easier to make money and hire someone than invest the sweat equity. I simply don't have the time to do it all anymore. I'm too damn slow and meticulous when I'm working on my own stuff. And, I'm still always working on something...

I truly appreciate the offer. Right now though there are no new toys on my horizon. My house is almost 100 years old and I've got a mason coming tomorrow to look at probably taking down and rebuilding the chimney from the roof line up. Very high, very steep roof. This ain't going to be cheap ... not a job anyone wants to do.

I'm a bit like your Bud. I've got two excellent AR308s, a Windham & a DD. But the weight and price of the SFAR are tempting. I actually looked hard and long at the POF Revolution before I bought the DD. Again the weight made it very tempting, though at a much higher price. Ultimately I didn't get the POF because I ran across a lot of folks online who had reliability issues. I do not tolerate an unreliable weapon. I'm hopeful the SFAR will get there with Ruger's resources. I've got one of their AR556 MPRs that runs like a Timex. And, I've long been a fan and owner of the 10/22. But it doesn't sound like the SFAR is there at present.