Chairmen of the Politically Incorrect

Walt · Post by **Walt** » Fri Apr 25, 2025 1:10 pm

I cast a couple hundred RCBS 44-250 bullets this morning. I normally cast just what I need for the short term future rather than what some guys on this forum do, like casting 1000 or more over the course of a day.

BTW, this area is so dry that I have never put a protective coating on any of my molds; I've never had a spot of rust. Years ago I cut out a piece of sheet metal to cover the top of my RCBS furnace and while it heats up I put my molds on top of it, no other mold preparation necessary.

gamekeeper · Post by **gamekeeper** » Fri Apr 25, 2025 4:28 pm

You won page 288 Walt.

I've only done a little casting mainly for muzzle loading and over a campfire, slow but fun.

OldWin · Post by **OldWin** » Fri Apr 25, 2025 4:47 pm

I cast the same way Walt. Ive gotten so lazy I only cast for my old guns now. For most of my handgun cartridges I use the Acme coated bullets. They are pretty reasonable and it saves my lead for my oldies.

Got in a little ride with the DRZ today. It seems to go really good.

Walt · Post by **Walt** » Fri Apr 25, 2025 7:16 pm

GK, casting over a campfire makes me think of mountain men, frontiersmen. Like you say, slow but fun. Very cool!

Jay, riding your DR-Z, how were the road conditions, how far did you go, did it stimulate any thoughts of new modifications? You had said that the bike had been lowered by a previous owner. Did you bring it back to stock? Does it have decent tires on it?

Good for you, Jay. I hope it's just what you had envisioned.

OldWin · Post by **OldWin** » Fri Apr 25, 2025 8:37 pm

Hey Walt!
Yeah, it's a great bike.
Yes, I put the stock links back in. The lowering links change the leverage on the shock and make it soft. It's already lower in the travel so it's like having your sag set too low. Handling was not good.
Once the links were back stock, I set the sag. I had to up the preload about 3/4" to get the sag at 3.5". Huge difference! I haven't played with the clickers yet, but there isn't any point till I can get it in the woods proper. It's still way too soft or frozen, depending on where you are. Even the maintained dirt roads have some sketchy spots.
The bike has Kenda Trackmasters on it. They are DOT, but probably a 90/10 tire. Just what I want. They are great in the dirt. Maybe a little sketchy on the road, but I do t care about that. Downside is they will probably wear fairly quick.
I rode today on some paved back roads and some maintained dirt/gravel roads. Seems like an excellent bike for what I want. The PO had the gearing set with a 14/47. It would be awesome in the woods, but maybe a little short legged on the road. When I had the wheel off, I put the stock 44 back on and left the 14 front. This doesn't seem too bad. Going down the road at 60 is doable without it screaming, but it doesn't feel like I have to go 30 in 1st. I will be able to tell once I get it in the woods.

I dug out the Jeep and the TW today also. It was our first 70 degree day. Man! Doesn't that TW feel funny after getting off the DRZ! I love that little thing though. I feel like I can go anywhere on it.

Walt · Post by **Walt** » Sat Apr 26, 2025 11:06 am

I'll tell you what feels funny; a couple of days ago after I rode the TW on that 30 mile loop, I rode my BMW on a little 60 mile trip because I wanted to put some fresh gas into it. Quite a contrast!

The TW is SHORT.

OldWin · Post by **OldWin** » Sat Apr 26, 2025 4:47 pm

Haha I bet it does. It's still one of the most fun bikes I've had. I have to get mine registered this week.

gamekeeper · Post by **gamekeeper** » Mon Apr 28, 2025 11:21 am

My son found an old ESSO quart oil bottle in a wood where he was fencing, I don't know how old it is but I never saw them when I was a Grease Monkey back in the sixties, anyway they are now selling for over $40.00

so I'm hunting for more.
.

weblistings-69-6-1-1200x1500.jpg

OldWin · Post by **OldWin** » Mon Apr 28, 2025 2:02 pm

Thats awesome! I love finding stuff like that. Makes my whole day.
It's beautiful here today. It's 70 degrees and sunny, so I cranked up the DRZ and took a ride. Nothing serious, just some dirt back roads in Cornville through to Canaan, and back home. I'm kind of running the tank down so I can get an idea when it will hit reserve. I'm at 100 miles and haven't yet. Better than I'd hoped for really.

Post by **Old Savage** » Mon Apr 28, 2025 2:08 pm

We “harvested” a basketful of those glass insulators from telegraph poles, selling for $6 at an antique store that expressed interest. We took them to the antique store and then it seems she had no interest in buying them.

So check what they are really “selling for” if you have them

Walt · Post by **Walt** » Mon Apr 28, 2025 3:10 pm

Jay, of course it depends upon riding style and terrain but driving at reasonable rates on the highway, my DR-Z always gets above 60 mpg. My range with a 4+gallon IMS tank is around 250 miles. Even with an aftermarket Sargent seat, "monkey butt" ends the ride well before I run out of gas.

OldWin · Post by **OldWin** » Mon Apr 28, 2025 5:40 pm

Haha yeah i can see that with me and the stock tank! If I stand some, which you should do in a lot if situations anyway, I'm good. Or take a break every hour or so.

OldWin · Post by **OldWin** » Tue Apr 29, 2025 4:36 am

Walt,
I fueled the DRZ last night and it was better than I expected. It took 2.07 gallons for 111 miles. Worked out to 53.5mpg of mixed riding. I still hadn't hit the reserve yet with the new petcock, but it had to be close. That would only leave me about half a gallon. Either way, for the distances between fuel here, I'm all set with the stock tank.
Out there in your part of the country is a different story.

OldWin · Post by **OldWin** » Wed Apr 30, 2025 7:11 am

I went down and registered the TW yesterday. Took it for a little ride out through the Burril woods as it was a beautiful day here yesterday. Quite a difference after getting off the DRZ. Rolling along about 50 on the road is about the comfortable limit with my gearing, but there's just something about this little bike. It's really fun, and I'm so glad I have it. My rear brake is 100% better since I tore it apart this winter and cleaned it up.

Post by **Old Savage** » Wed Apr 30, 2025 1:31 pm

Gk, not legal for you but came across this folding chef’s knife for travel. Blade on the Opinel is 4”. $20 and it is stainless, locking and quite sturdy.

The other picture is a bat that triggered the motion detector at my daughter’s house.

Walt · Post by **Walt** » Wed Apr 30, 2025 2:30 pm

Regarding the TW, I'm happy for you, buddy. I had hoped I could get up into the mountains today but then remembered I had an appointment to get my annual physical today. Foiled again. The physical turned out good though. I guess I'll be around for a bit longer.

How much higher than stock are your handlebars?

OldWin · Post by **OldWin** » Wed Apr 30, 2025 6:23 pm

Hey Walt. Sorry you didn't get out. I think they are like an inch and a quarter. It's not much but it does help.

Got up to camp for some woods loafing this morning. It was cool and windy. I wasn't there long as I had to get home and tear my parents deck off. Time for a rebuild. Been there since 1980.
I took along my button mag 38-55 94 SRC and the little Colt Peacemaker .22 I got from my friend about a month before he passed. The carbine was his too, but I've had it for years. It was made in 1899, and has seen a lot of country, but has a mint bore. It's quite rare. Not only for the button mag, but because it has a nickel steel barrel. Not seen much in 38-55. Anyway, I was thinking of him, so I brought his guns for a walk.
I was kinda scouting stand sites. Wanted to beat the leaves coming out, and REALLY wanted to beat the black flies. I parked at the road and walked all the way. While the snow is gone, the frost is going out, and even walking it's pretty soft.
Saw a couple partridge. Snapped a pic of one in the road you can barely make out.

Walt · Post by **Walt** » Wed Apr 30, 2025 7:24 pm

Thanks for the beautiful pictures, Jay. I can't read the label on the old square can. Can you?

I don't have any old guns. My oldest, my Winchester model 62A was made in 1949, my model 61 in 1952. I have a Chief Special Smith made in 1952, I believe and a Browning 20 ga Superposed made in 1959. Most of the remainder of my guns were made from the early 70s to my Ruger Bisley .41 mag which was made in late 2024 or early 2025.

Oops, I just remembered a wall-hanger Smith and Wesson. It's a Third Model Double Action 32 cailber made in 1883 and it's in poor shape. It has a broken spring inside and is not functional.

OldWin · Post by **OldWin** » Wed Apr 30, 2025 7:45 pm

The name on the can is Saphire. I've seen other old cans laying around from logging in days gone. This is the the only Saphire labeled on I've seen.

Walt · Post by **Walt** » Wed Apr 30, 2025 8:11 pm

I cast some bullets over the last 3 or 4 days. No marathon casting sessions but just cast 50 or 100 miscellaneous bullets of some that were due to be refilled. I think I ended up casting about 500. Because wheel weights these days are harder to come by and shops want to sell them rather than giving them away as they used to, I bought foundry-alloyed ingots from a friend of a friend who has a commercial casting business. I bought about 250 lbs from him 3 years ago and about 350 lbs last December. BTW, the price went up 50% over that period of time. It is an excellent alloy with a 16-18 BnH hardness and it makes some beautiful bullets. I would rather cast my own instead of buying machine-cast bullets because I don't like the lube that the commercial casters use and I think the lube grooves are too small. I do frequently add some pure lead to bring the hardness down a bit. I still shoot some machine-cast bullets but prefer pouring my own in order to size them to the diameters I want.

It used to be that you could trust that all wheelweights were made of the same alloys but that came to a skidding stop when the wheel weight manufacturers began using zinc or steel or whatever else. The zinc weights have the letter Z imprinted on them but that means you have to closely examine each weight. I learned my lesson when I carelessly dropped a couple of zinc weights into a 20 lb pot and ruined the whole potfull.

Walt · Post by **Walt** » Wed Apr 30, 2025 8:12 pm

I looked up Saphire Lubricants on Google and the company is still in business.

OldWin · Post by **OldWin** » Wed Apr 30, 2025 8:17 pm

Haha no kidding? I never would have guesses. I've never seen it before.

gamekeeper · Post by **gamekeeper** » Thu May 01, 2025 3:06 am

My WiFi went AWOL yesterday so I've got to catch up on what's up.
I love the photos Jay and great that you got a bit of woods loafin' in especially with a couple of special firearms with a personal history

OS I haven't seen many Bats up here strange as there are lots of very old buildings around. That Huusk knife looks useful and is legal over here just not for EDC.
Walt, casting bullets as I've said before I have very little experience but I have collected lead over the years from several sources, old pianos, wheel weights and roofing lead (not off church roofs

) my old muzzle loaders weren't too particular on the chemical make-up as used mostly for target practice.
I took a photo of the wild flowers while walking the dog, the mown path leads to the owners residence.

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OldWin · Post by **OldWin** » Thu May 01, 2025 5:27 am

Glad you're back buddy! Beautiful picture. Sure has greened up over there!

Walt · Post by **Walt** » Thu May 01, 2025 7:36 am

A beautiful photo indeed, GK! Looks like a wonderful day for a stroll with your dog. Thanks!

Post by **Old Savage** » Thu May 01, 2025 9:14 am

How green, as you know you don’t see that out here.

gamekeeper · Post by **gamekeeper** » Thu May 01, 2025 4:49 pm

Thanks fellas I've been here 12 months now and still finding my way around

OldWin · Post by **OldWin** » Fri May 02, 2025 11:37 pm

That means you have plenty of adventures ahead of you.

Man! I've had trouble getting on here for the last day.

gamekeeper · Post by **gamekeeper** » Sat May 03, 2025 2:11 am

There's something wrong with the forum, I think the admin have hired Joe Biden to run it.

Post by **Old Savage** » Sat May 03, 2025 10:53 am

Palm Springs

gamekeeper · Post by **gamekeeper** » Sat May 03, 2025 5:00 pm

Those California moths sure like Denim...

OldWin · Post by **OldWin** » Sat May 03, 2025 6:43 pm

Daddy must be proud.

gamekeeper · Post by **gamekeeper** » Mon May 05, 2025 4:06 am

I was only thinking the other day how standards have dropped when it comes to dress, what some folk call it "smart casual" others seem to think that means anything goes...

As for females I prefer a little mystery before full disclosure

Post by **Old Savage** » Mon May 05, 2025 9:29 am

Well there was a big frat boy party at the hotel in Palm Springs. If this gets you would not be ready for he bathing suits,

gamekeeper · Post by **gamekeeper** » Mon May 05, 2025 10:01 am

"big frat boy party" that doesn't sound like anything we have over here....

Please explain.

Post by **Old Savage** » Mon May 05, 2025 3:21 pm

A couple of college fraternities had a big party this weekend at the Riviera hotel of course with all their girl friends. Lots of drinking, noise and pool time with the girls kind of competing for attention amongst each other and the frat boys.

gamekeeper · Post by **gamekeeper** » Mon May 05, 2025 4:44 pm

We don't have fraternities in the the UK. I guess we are lucky to have not adopted such practices

OldWin · Post by **OldWin** » Mon May 05, 2025 5:07 pm

After my power nap this morning, we hitched the boat up to Old Red and aimed to go get some fiddleheads.
What a day! It's early this year by a couple weeks, and I'd never have guessed they'd be up. The sun came out, there were NO black flies, and it was good pickin'.
I didn't want to get too many, cause we gotta clean em, blanch em, and put em up. But boy is it hard to stop when they are up like that.
We went to our usual spot. We put in the river a couple miles from the house. Then we head up the Wesserunset where it runs into the Kennebec. We go up the stream a little over a mile to a little island. It had rained all weekend and the river was high and fast. I was worried the island would be under water. It wasn't, but had been.
Anyway, here's a few pics. I'm gonna post on the main forum too. Gunny was asking about fiddleheads the other day.

Walt · Post by **Walt** » Mon May 05, 2025 8:32 pm

This area is in a perpetual state of drought and it's been dryer than the proverbial popcorn phart. BUT, last night it opened up and poured, today it has rained on and off and we're supposed to get more heavy rain tonight and tomorrow. That's put a halt to my shooting which is normally on Monday mornings or sometimes Tuesdays. But that's okay. I'll give up shooting for rain almost any day.

OldWin · Post by **OldWin** » Mon May 05, 2025 8:40 pm

It poured here all weekend. The old river was high and fast. Today was nice but that's it for the week. Gonna rain most of it.

gamekeeper · Post by **gamekeeper** » Tue May 06, 2025 3:05 am

Been sunny but cold over here. I have Fiddleheads in my garden but I don't think they are the edible kind I don't know of anyone here who harvests them. Great to see you and your Dad on the river.
My son put the bosses boat on the lake last week for the trout fishing and our little dry spell has dropped the level of the lake somewhat, my garden pond is also lower.
Walt when I was in Arizona it only rained on us once but it came down so hard it flooded the luggage compartment on the tour bus in just a couple of minutes. At Canyon de Chelly we saw rain in the distance sending water over the canyon walls and some people down on the canyon floor had to jump in their pick up trucks and skedaddle pretty quick.

OldWin · Post by **OldWin** » Tue May 06, 2025 5:45 am

Yeah, we have many other ferns here too. None of which can be eaten.
Haha yeah, it don't rain much out there, but when it does it makes up for lost time. When we were in Utah last September, we got caught in a real gullywasher too. I must confess, in spite of being a woodsrunner, I just love that country. It's hard to say if I could take it full time. I'd probably miss my woods, especially in the fall.

Post by **Old Savage** » Tue May 06, 2025 9:56 am

Flash floods can be a problem out here.

gamekeeper · Post by **gamekeeper** » Tue May 06, 2025 11:24 am

I was surprised to see five graves in Boot Hill said death by drowning ....

the desert can be mighty dangerous...

far-side-boot-hill.jpg

OldWin · Post by **OldWin** » Tue May 06, 2025 7:34 pm

Drowned in the desert. Well that's gotta suck!

Crawling along through the sand dragging an empty canteen. "Water.......water......"
Whoooosh!

Post by **Old Savage** » Tue May 06, 2025 9:49 pm

Imagine a motorcycle in that picture of the trucks bogged in mud which btw way was near here and one of my patients was in it.

Post by **Old Savage** » Tue May 06, 2025 9:52 pm

Or, the road could wrinkle, also near here.

OldWin · Post by **OldWin** » Wed May 07, 2025 5:23 am

The road between Tok and Anchorage is almost that bad in places. Permanent frost damage would be my guess. Ours get that (albeit not as severe) but mostly go back in the spring.

gamekeeper · Post by **gamekeeper** » Thu May 08, 2025 6:15 am

Our UK roads don't get that bad but the potholes are everywhere I have had two brand new tires wrecked because of darn potholes and I'm still missing a hubcap from when I lived in Somerset.

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Walt · Post by **Walt** » Thu May 08, 2025 8:54 am

Hey OS, that looks like my driveway!