Pratfalls

Today was one of those days where I stumbled from one pratfall to the next.

It started out promising. I knocked out a 2.5 mile run this morning.

One of my neighbors planted a Hibiscus moscheutos between two ponds. It is lovely. All parts of this species are edible, including the flower petals.

 

A very tall (maybe 8'!!!) "mustard" plant. I have to take a closer look at this tomorrow. This MAY be the same species as the western "tumbleweed'.

Few Christians appreciate the the species of mustard Jesus was (probably pointing at) when he shared the parable of the mustard seed was the same thing as a tumbleweed.

Getting ready for making crispy pickles

I made my brine. 

I pulled out my "Inkbird" temperature controller and fiddled with it. The breakthrough was that the sensor which is enclosed in a stainless steel bullet on the end of the wire-lead IS waterproof. Dunking it in the water bath calmed down the temperature excursions.

"The IP67 waterproof temperature probe can be inserted into the soil or submerged in water"

And then I sallied forth, into the garden to pick pound upon pounds of cucumbers only to find that they were overly mature. So, I snapped them off the vine. The shoots are still extending and they SHOULD set more cucumbers.

The upside is that I am all set up to make small lots of a few pints at a time if that is how they trickle in.

And then the phone rang...

One of my children had a vehicle go Tango-Uniform in the middle of a busy intersection, busy by the standards of Eaton County, that is.

By the time I arrived, helpful motorists had pushed it 40 yards past the intersection and the vehicle was well off the pavement. That particular child had house-guests who were expected to arrive in the early afternoon. 90 minutes of Keystone Cops activity followed. Alas, the vehicle is still beside the road as I type this.

Fiddling with 16 gauge reloads

24hourcampfire has a 16 gauge forum.

Contrary to my assumptions (Translation: I was wrong), most older 16 gauge single-shots are not overly stressed by pressure. Rather, their stocks are the weak link. It is recoil that does them in.

Early 1900s 16 gauge or 20 gauge single shots are a joy to carry. They weighs little more than an umbrella and they grace one's arm while afield with no more effort than you might expend slipping your arm around your beloved and resting your hand upon her far hip.

The blackpowder loads in existence when those firearms were designed were pedestrian in the extreme. They pushed 1 ounce of shot in the 16 gauge or 7/8 of an ounce in the 20 gauge at a sedate 1000-to-1100 feet per second. Those load slayed rabbits by the railcar, dove by the hundred-weight, passenger pigeons into extinction and cleared the skies of migrating waterfowl. Early smokeless loads mimicked those statistics.

Game laws drastically shortened the hunting season. There was a LOT more competition. Ducks were smarter. Payloads and velocities grew to give hunters an edge over the people in the duck-blinds to either side of them.

That 4-1/2 pound single-shot that could be carried with the ease of a pack of Wrigley's Spearmint Gum was suddenly not the tool for the job. The recoil of the souped-up loads was punishing. Follow-up shots were slow...and...the heavy recoil took a toll on the stocks.

The fix is two-fold.

First, the crack must be repaired with low-viscosity epoxy.

Second, loads that match the blackpowder's ballistics and recoil must be used in that firearm for the rest of its natural life.

Those velocities were delivered using Fiocchi 16 gauge hulls and primers, 15.0 grains of "Universal" non-canister grade powder, Claybuster CB0100-16 wads, one ounce of #7 shot, 1/4 teaspoon of uncooked oatmeal (filler). Fired from a single shot, full-choke 16 gauge with a 32" barrel.

This "lot" of powder might have a slightly faster burn-rate than the Hodgdon's Universal powder that you would buy at a retailer. When in doubt, start low and work your way up. If you look at the "book", loads start at about 19 grains of Universal and deliver 1165fps. The 15 grains the chronograph led me to is a LOT less than 19 grains.

I don't claim that these reloads are magic. They are of value to me because I have a modest supply of that non-canister grade powder and now I have a use for it. I am sure the local Red Squirrels and Cottontail Rabbits will not notice that the payload left the barrel at 150fps less than "modern" ammo.