To contact us Click HERE
From one of my friends.....
In honor of the 44th President of the United States , Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream has introduced a new flavor: Barocky Road
Barocky Road is a blend of half vanilla, half chocolate, and surrounded by nuts and flakes. The vanilla portion of the mix is not openly advertised and usually denied as an ingredient. The nuts and flakes are plentiful.
The cost is $92.84 per scoop...so out of a hundred dollar bill you are at least promised some CHANGE..!
When purchased it will be presented to you in a large beautiful cone, but after you pay for it, the ice cream is taken out of the cone and given to the person in line behind you at no charge.
You are left with an almost empty wallet, staring at an empty cone and wondering what just happened. Then you realize this is what "redistribution of wealth" is all about.
.
25 Haziran 2012 Pazartesi
Field Day Is NEXT Weekend
To contact us Click HERE
And I'm dragging all the stuff out of the garage and shack to do a dry run.
The picture is yours truly from 2010. The smile on my face is due to the fact that I'm in the process of making 35 satellite contacts....the best my club had EVER done!
In 2011 I made 45 contacts, another "record" for the club. This year we've lost a couple of satellites, AO-51, and HO-68. AO-51 was an FM only bird, but HO-68 was a linear transponder (SSB and CW), and I made about HALF our contacts on it last year.
AO-51's batteries finally failed after 7 years in orbit, and HO-68 suffered a failure of a relay used to switch things around, and has been beacon-only since January 2011.
Back later with more.....
The picture is yours truly from 2010. The smile on my face is due to the fact that I'm in the process of making 35 satellite contacts....the best my club had EVER done!
In 2011 I made 45 contacts, another "record" for the club. This year we've lost a couple of satellites, AO-51, and HO-68. AO-51 was an FM only bird, but HO-68 was a linear transponder (SSB and CW), and I made about HALF our contacts on it last year.
AO-51's batteries finally failed after 7 years in orbit, and HO-68 suffered a failure of a relay used to switch things around, and has been beacon-only since January 2011.
Back later with more.....
Satellite Station Up And Running
To contact us Click HERE
And it was remarkably painless!
I was a bit concerned about using my newer laptop with Windows 7 this year. The 4-port USB-to-Serial converter I'd been using for years did NOT have Win7 drivers, so it forced me to get a newer version. Then Windows remapped all the ports compared to what I had been using on my older laptop, so after a bit of digging, I had the correct cable on the correct port, and was able to set up the radio, the tracking interface which tells the rotor controller which way to move the antennas, and my HP GPS clock.
And it all worked!
I could easily hear myself on the FO-29 downlink, and had a chat with a guy in San Diego. Not exactly DX from here, but the satellite's footprint was mostly over the Pacific, so I was lucky to have somebody to talk to.
FO-29 is a Grand Old Lady, having been launched in August of 1996. She's had some battery trouble, but the guys at JAMSAT have kept her running all these years. They've been turning it off during extended eclipse periods so the batteries don't go completely flat, and they've done a superb job.
Now I just have to wait for some more passes that are over this area, and see who else I can yak with.
I was a bit concerned about using my newer laptop with Windows 7 this year. The 4-port USB-to-Serial converter I'd been using for years did NOT have Win7 drivers, so it forced me to get a newer version. Then Windows remapped all the ports compared to what I had been using on my older laptop, so after a bit of digging, I had the correct cable on the correct port, and was able to set up the radio, the tracking interface which tells the rotor controller which way to move the antennas, and my HP GPS clock.
And it all worked!
I could easily hear myself on the FO-29 downlink, and had a chat with a guy in San Diego. Not exactly DX from here, but the satellite's footprint was mostly over the Pacific, so I was lucky to have somebody to talk to.
FO-29 is a Grand Old Lady, having been launched in August of 1996. She's had some battery trouble, but the guys at JAMSAT have kept her running all these years. They've been turning it off during extended eclipse periods so the batteries don't go completely flat, and they've done a superb job.
Now I just have to wait for some more passes that are over this area, and see who else I can yak with.
Field Day Preps
To contact us Click HERE
Well, I brought the 4'x6' U-Haul home tonight, and even managed to back it into the driveway without running off the concrete, or taking anything out.
Tomorrow I'll tip over the tower, and pull the VHF antenna off the cross-boom, and then pull the cross-boom out with the UHF antenna still bolted to it. This allows me to do the minimum of dis-assembly, which means the minimum of RE-assembly at the Field Day site on Saturday morning.
I tested all my gear last weekend (and had a ball doing it!), and it's all packed and staged in the garage, ready to put in the trailer tomorrow. Saturday morning I'll hop in the Jeep, and head down to the site. My son will meet me there with the tent and the other camping gear, and we should have everything running by 11am when the event officially starts.
We usually set up on Friday, 24 hours before the event starts, but this year we're down to about one-third our normal strength, and nobody is staying overnight at the site.
I'm NOT leaving my generator, radio, and other support stuff unattended there!
Our three most experienced operators, and all their equipment, will be operating with one of the other clubs they belong to, in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the other club.
We've been running category "5A" or "6A" the last several years, but we might be "3A" this year, if another club member decides to come out.
The number in the category refers to the total number of transmitters we have on-the-air, and the letter indicates our power class. "A" is for off-the-grid, generator operation.
Six transmitters might sound like a lot, but you can have multiple transmitters on the same band, as long as they operate different modes. We usually had one SSB, and one CW station on the three most popular bands, but things can change around quickly if there's a "Band Opening" with a lot of activity. One of the CW stations might decide to go operate SSB, say if 10 Meters gets hot, and the CW band he was operating in wasn't producing many contacts.
Field Day is NOT supposed to be a contest, but that's the way most clubs approach it these days. I think the record was a club operating something like "157A" ( !! ), but in reading about their operation, they kind of bent the rules by about 90*!
Field Day is supposed a simulated emergency test, where we all go out away from our normal stations, and operate with portable equipment and power sources, as a test of our preparedness. It's also a good opportunity the show the General Public what Amateur Radio is all about, and to (try) and introduce them to the fact that there are other ways to communicate besides using a cellphone or the Internet.
And it's a good test to see if all your radio junk that's been buried in the garage for the last 12 months still works!
.
Well, I brought the 4'x6' U-Haul home tonight, and even managed to back it into the driveway without running off the concrete, or taking anything out.
Tomorrow I'll tip over the tower, and pull the VHF antenna off the cross-boom, and then pull the cross-boom out with the UHF antenna still bolted to it. This allows me to do the minimum of dis-assembly, which means the minimum of RE-assembly at the Field Day site on Saturday morning.
I tested all my gear last weekend (and had a ball doing it!), and it's all packed and staged in the garage, ready to put in the trailer tomorrow. Saturday morning I'll hop in the Jeep, and head down to the site. My son will meet me there with the tent and the other camping gear, and we should have everything running by 11am when the event officially starts.
We usually set up on Friday, 24 hours before the event starts, but this year we're down to about one-third our normal strength, and nobody is staying overnight at the site.
I'm NOT leaving my generator, radio, and other support stuff unattended there!
Our three most experienced operators, and all their equipment, will be operating with one of the other clubs they belong to, in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the other club.
We've been running category "5A" or "6A" the last several years, but we might be "3A" this year, if another club member decides to come out.
The number in the category refers to the total number of transmitters we have on-the-air, and the letter indicates our power class. "A" is for off-the-grid, generator operation.
Six transmitters might sound like a lot, but you can have multiple transmitters on the same band, as long as they operate different modes. We usually had one SSB, and one CW station on the three most popular bands, but things can change around quickly if there's a "Band Opening" with a lot of activity. One of the CW stations might decide to go operate SSB, say if 10 Meters gets hot, and the CW band he was operating in wasn't producing many contacts.
Field Day is NOT supposed to be a contest, but that's the way most clubs approach it these days. I think the record was a club operating something like "157A" ( !! ), but in reading about their operation, they kind of bent the rules by about 90*!
Field Day is supposed a simulated emergency test, where we all go out away from our normal stations, and operate with portable equipment and power sources, as a test of our preparedness. It's also a good opportunity the show the General Public what Amateur Radio is all about, and to (try) and introduce them to the fact that there are other ways to communicate besides using a cellphone or the Internet.
And it's a good test to see if all your radio junk that's been buried in the garage for the last 12 months still works!
.
Field Day
To contact us Click HERE
Well, so far it's been pretty quiet. Nobody fell off a tower or out of a tree, or blew up a radio or generator, at least not yet.
The Solar Index dropped off last week, and with it, HF propagation. We only have 1 'Big Gun" station this year, and he's running CW, where each contact nets two points. The other two stations we have set up, besides mine, are using fairly low dipoles and a vertical. They're doing kinda-sorta OK, but I doubt if we'll get even one-third the points we scored last year.
Things went pretty smoothly for me setting up the satellite station, and I was ready to go about 20 minutes before the event started. The first satellite pass didn't occur until 45 minutes later, so I ran around and helped everybody else chase Murphy away.
So far I've made 16 satellite contacts after untangling a couple of problems of my own, and the higher-elevation passes will occur later tonight.
Next pass is AO-7, and it happens in 10 minutes, so I'll end this.
The Solar Index dropped off last week, and with it, HF propagation. We only have 1 'Big Gun" station this year, and he's running CW, where each contact nets two points. The other two stations we have set up, besides mine, are using fairly low dipoles and a vertical. They're doing kinda-sorta OK, but I doubt if we'll get even one-third the points we scored last year.
Things went pretty smoothly for me setting up the satellite station, and I was ready to go about 20 minutes before the event started. The first satellite pass didn't occur until 45 minutes later, so I ran around and helped everybody else chase Murphy away.
So far I've made 16 satellite contacts after untangling a couple of problems of my own, and the higher-elevation passes will occur later tonight.
Next pass is AO-7, and it happens in 10 minutes, so I'll end this.
24 Haziran 2012 Pazar
Centennial Uberti 1876 in 50-95
To contact us Click HERE
This Centennial Uberti 1876 in 50-95 is currently for sale on gunbroker.com with a low starting bid of $850! These guns retail for $1300-$1500. Click the above link to view the auction.
Summary:
I'm starting this Centennial Uberti 1876 50-95 Lever Action rifle at a really low starting bid! This Uberti Centennial edition Model 1876 is a really exciting rifle, it is an exact reproduction of the Winchester model 1876. The "Big 50" was a huge deal when it was first released, It was the first 50 caliber lever action rifle ever made, and it packed a lot of power with its 350-400 grain bullets with 95 grains of powder! This is a true black powder lever action rifle and would be a perfect cowboy action gun.
More information:
Ken Kempa did an article featuring this gun in Guns & Ammo magazine check it out at this web address:
Condition: This gun is in 98% Condition and comes with the box. There was an issue with this gun from shipment, a small chip at the stock where the tang of the rifle meets the wood. It has been repaired and is smooth. That's the only mark on the gun and its shown close up in the pictures. It comes with the original box and papers and i'm throwing in a set of RCBS reloading dies!
Specifications:
Barrel: 22" Blued Octagon Barrel
LOP:13 1/4" (Length Of Pull)
Serial# CN0676
Summary:
I'm starting this Centennial Uberti 1876 50-95 Lever Action rifle at a really low starting bid! This Uberti Centennial edition Model 1876 is a really exciting rifle, it is an exact reproduction of the Winchester model 1876. The "Big 50" was a huge deal when it was first released, It was the first 50 caliber lever action rifle ever made, and it packed a lot of power with its 350-400 grain bullets with 95 grains of powder! This is a true black powder lever action rifle and would be a perfect cowboy action gun.
More information:
Ken Kempa did an article featuring this gun in Guns & Ammo magazine check it out at this web address:
Condition: This gun is in 98% Condition and comes with the box. There was an issue with this gun from shipment, a small chip at the stock where the tang of the rifle meets the wood. It has been repaired and is smooth. That's the only mark on the gun and its shown close up in the pictures. It comes with the original box and papers and i'm throwing in a set of RCBS reloading dies!
Specifications:
Barrel: 22" Blued Octagon Barrel
LOP:13 1/4" (Length Of Pull)
Serial# CN0676
Browning Auto 5 Light Twelve BA5
To contact us Click HERE
This is my Browning Auto 5 Light Twelve and it is selling currently on gunbroker.com as a no reserve auction, with a starting bid of $600.00 Click the above link to view the auction.
Summary:
This gun shoots sweet! I was so excited to find this gun, and this Browning Auto 5 Light Twelve has a really low serial number! #L1436 the "L" stands for Light. This Browning Auto 5 Light Twelve is in great condition, the bluing is all original and it shows very little wear on both action and barrel. Of course there is the small rub line that the recoil activated ejection causes on all BA5 shotguns other than that there are only 2 spots that show any wear, and they are shown in the pictures. This model has the Gold trigger and there are no cracks in the stock or forend.
The Barrel has a Poly choke, and comes to a total of 30" but the barrel is a 28" barrel. This barrel also has the Solid Rib on it.
The pattern test pictures:
I used Remington Sport Loads for the pattern test with 7 1/2 shot. The first pattern test picture is the poly choke set to modified at approximately 25 yards the resulting pattern span was 25". During the second pattern test photo, I have the choke set to Full and I'm shooting at the same distance and the resulting pattern span was 13". You can see the difference for yourself! Personally I have always liked the poly choke the best, you can shoot any ammo through it and control your grouping easily. Disregard that large hole in the paper, that was not part of this shotguns pattern test at all.
Specifications:
Barrel: 28" barrel with poly choke (30" overall barrel length)
LOP 13 1/2" Length Of Pull (not original buttpad)
Serial #L1496
Got Questions? Ask away!
Summary:
This gun shoots sweet! I was so excited to find this gun, and this Browning Auto 5 Light Twelve has a really low serial number! #L1436 the "L" stands for Light. This Browning Auto 5 Light Twelve is in great condition, the bluing is all original and it shows very little wear on both action and barrel. Of course there is the small rub line that the recoil activated ejection causes on all BA5 shotguns other than that there are only 2 spots that show any wear, and they are shown in the pictures. This model has the Gold trigger and there are no cracks in the stock or forend.
The Barrel has a Poly choke, and comes to a total of 30" but the barrel is a 28" barrel. This barrel also has the Solid Rib on it.
The pattern test pictures:
I used Remington Sport Loads for the pattern test with 7 1/2 shot. The first pattern test picture is the poly choke set to modified at approximately 25 yards the resulting pattern span was 25". During the second pattern test photo, I have the choke set to Full and I'm shooting at the same distance and the resulting pattern span was 13". You can see the difference for yourself! Personally I have always liked the poly choke the best, you can shoot any ammo through it and control your grouping easily. Disregard that large hole in the paper, that was not part of this shotguns pattern test at all.
Specifications:
Barrel: 28" barrel with poly choke (30" overall barrel length)
LOP 13 1/2" Length Of Pull (not original buttpad)
Serial #L1496
Got Questions? Ask away!
Remington 870 Wingmaster Magnum
To contact us Click HERE
Here's my Remington 870 Wingmaster Magnum, It's listed on Gunbroker.com with a no reserve auction started at $500.00 Click the above link to view the auction.
Summary:
This is a find! An old Remington 870 Wingmaster 3" magnum in like new condition! It comes with the original 30" barrel, that shoots 3" shells through a Full choke, and an additional 28" barrel that is Modified choke. The 28" Modified barrel only shoots 2 3/4" shells. This gun is in 97% condition with very, very few light handling marks! It has been extremely well taken care of, it comes with Remington's deluxe wood package that only comes on Wingmaster shotguns and it even has the original Remington Buttpad on it! This gun comes from a time when you could not swap your choke out like changing diapers
Specifications:
Barrels:
barrel 1 - 30" Full Choke 3" Magnum shells
Barrel 2 - 28" Modified choke 2 3/4" shells comes with 2 sight beads
LOP: 14" Length Of Pull
Serial#S840841M
Summary:
This is a find! An old Remington 870 Wingmaster 3" magnum in like new condition! It comes with the original 30" barrel, that shoots 3" shells through a Full choke, and an additional 28" barrel that is Modified choke. The 28" Modified barrel only shoots 2 3/4" shells. This gun is in 97% condition with very, very few light handling marks! It has been extremely well taken care of, it comes with Remington's deluxe wood package that only comes on Wingmaster shotguns and it even has the original Remington Buttpad on it! This gun comes from a time when you could not swap your choke out like changing diapers
Specifications:
Barrels:
barrel 1 - 30" Full Choke 3" Magnum shells
Barrel 2 - 28" Modified choke 2 3/4" shells comes with 2 sight beads
LOP: 14" Length Of Pull
Serial#S840841M
12 Gauge 32" Barrel Winchester Model 12
To contact us Click HERE
I just listed this 12 Gauge 32" Barrel Winchester Model 12 for sale on Gunbroker.com with a No Reserve auction started at ONE CENT! So click the link above to check it out!
Summary: What a find! This model 12 is in great shape! And I'm starting this auction with no reserve at one cent! Just look at the pictures, the 32" barrel is a real find. There is a little micro pitting on the receiver extension area, and a little on the barrel. The stock and for-end are beautiful, very nice looking wood, the stock grain has real character to it, It even still has the original Winchester Butt-pad! All the serial numbers match and she comes with a FULL choke barrel, Happy Bidding!
This Winchester Model 12 features a "slam fire" pump action, slam fire basically means you can hold the trigger down and pump away to shoot. This works because the trigger does not need to release for re-set. To my knowledge the only slam fire shotgun being made today is the IAC foreign made reproduction of the Winchester 1897 (not a quality gun), so if you want a slam fire shotgun this Winchester Model 12 is a great choice, and a rare find.
Specifications:
Barrel: 32" Blued 2 3/4" FULL Choke
LOP: 14" Length Of Pull
Serial#1000199
Summary: What a find! This model 12 is in great shape! And I'm starting this auction with no reserve at one cent! Just look at the pictures, the 32" barrel is a real find. There is a little micro pitting on the receiver extension area, and a little on the barrel. The stock and for-end are beautiful, very nice looking wood, the stock grain has real character to it, It even still has the original Winchester Butt-pad! All the serial numbers match and she comes with a FULL choke barrel, Happy Bidding!
This Winchester Model 12 features a "slam fire" pump action, slam fire basically means you can hold the trigger down and pump away to shoot. This works because the trigger does not need to release for re-set. To my knowledge the only slam fire shotgun being made today is the IAC foreign made reproduction of the Winchester 1897 (not a quality gun), so if you want a slam fire shotgun this Winchester Model 12 is a great choice, and a rare find.
Specifications:
Barrel: 32" Blued 2 3/4" FULL Choke
LOP: 14" Length Of Pull
Serial#1000199
Ballard 1885 Hi-Wall 45-110 2 7/8ths Winchester Reproduction
To contact us Click HERE
I just listed this Ballard 1885 Hi-Wall 45-110 2 7/8ths Winchester Reproduction for sale on Gunbroker.com at a low starting bid of $1900 and it's a no reserve auction! These rifles are hard to come by, click the link above and you can view the auction.
Features: This Ballard Rifle in 45-110 AKA Sharps 2 7/8ths is the Sporting Field Model, an exact replica of the Winchester 1885 Hi-Wall, It is so exact to specs it is "parts interchangeable" with the Winchester 1885. The base price for this rifle off the Ballard site is $3400 for a complete rifle! As far as I know the only way you can come by one of these amazing guns is to order it custom from Ballard, these guns are made entirely in the USA and are extremely high quality. This Ballard rifle comes with the #4 (heavy) cut barrel with Ballard type rifling, made to stabilize up to 500 grain bullets. the #4 barrel is the second heaviest barrel made the maximum being a #5. This gun has the traditional open sighting system on it, but it has been professionally tapped for a weaver base and it has factory screws on the tang to put a tang sight on it if you choose to go that direction. The caliber is 45-110, one of the famous buffalo hunting rounds, and also used in the movie "Quigley Down Under", but fired from a Sharps rifle. The stock is Ballard's Standard Sporting walnut "Shotgun" Butt Stock and Walnut "Splinter" for-end, the forend has the Schnabel styling with the ebony inlay at the tip. This is the single trigger model, the pull came from the manufacturer at 2.5 Lb's and it is gunsmith adjustable. Sorry, the box is not available.
Condition/Summary: This gun has been used succesfuly on hunts in Montana, the stock has very minor handling marks, none of which penetrate the finish. The barrel has some little minor wear spots through the bluing, there are no dings in the metal just wear on the bluing from shooting off of shooting sticks. The marks are so minor they may be hard to see in the pictures, but I took close up photo's for you anyhow. These guns are extremely hard to get, Ballard has waiting lists for all their guns, as people order these guns, fully customized to their specifications. It's rare to find them anywhere on the internet for sale.
Check out the Ballard site at this URL to view their "traditional rifles" http://www.ballardarms.com/traditional_rifles_ballard.shtml
Accesories: I am including a Lyman 3 piece die set with this auction (47-70 shell holders are used with this caliber), if you are looking for brass you can find it at Buffalo Arms website or Bell.
Specifications:
LOP: 14 1/4" Length Of Pull
Barrel: 30" Heavy #4 Octagon barrel rated to stabalize 500 grain bullets also tapped for weaver bases.
Serial# W234
Stock: Ballard's Standard Sporting Walnut "Shotgun" Butt Stock and Walnut "Splinter" forend. The butt pad is a beautiful case hardend, checkered pad.
Trigger: Single trigger, set to 2.5 Lb's (gunsmith adjustable)
Sights: Open sights, weaver bases can be mounted, and the tang is set up to receive a tang sight.
Features: This Ballard Rifle in 45-110 AKA Sharps 2 7/8ths is the Sporting Field Model, an exact replica of the Winchester 1885 Hi-Wall, It is so exact to specs it is "parts interchangeable" with the Winchester 1885. The base price for this rifle off the Ballard site is $3400 for a complete rifle! As far as I know the only way you can come by one of these amazing guns is to order it custom from Ballard, these guns are made entirely in the USA and are extremely high quality. This Ballard rifle comes with the #4 (heavy) cut barrel with Ballard type rifling, made to stabilize up to 500 grain bullets. the #4 barrel is the second heaviest barrel made the maximum being a #5. This gun has the traditional open sighting system on it, but it has been professionally tapped for a weaver base and it has factory screws on the tang to put a tang sight on it if you choose to go that direction. The caliber is 45-110, one of the famous buffalo hunting rounds, and also used in the movie "Quigley Down Under", but fired from a Sharps rifle. The stock is Ballard's Standard Sporting walnut "Shotgun" Butt Stock and Walnut "Splinter" for-end, the forend has the Schnabel styling with the ebony inlay at the tip. This is the single trigger model, the pull came from the manufacturer at 2.5 Lb's and it is gunsmith adjustable. Sorry, the box is not available.
Condition/Summary: This gun has been used succesfuly on hunts in Montana, the stock has very minor handling marks, none of which penetrate the finish. The barrel has some little minor wear spots through the bluing, there are no dings in the metal just wear on the bluing from shooting off of shooting sticks. The marks are so minor they may be hard to see in the pictures, but I took close up photo's for you anyhow. These guns are extremely hard to get, Ballard has waiting lists for all their guns, as people order these guns, fully customized to their specifications. It's rare to find them anywhere on the internet for sale.
Check out the Ballard site at this URL to view their "traditional rifles" http://www.ballardarms.com/traditional_rifles_ballard.shtml
Accesories: I am including a Lyman 3 piece die set with this auction (47-70 shell holders are used with this caliber), if you are looking for brass you can find it at Buffalo Arms website or Bell.
Specifications:
LOP: 14 1/4" Length Of Pull
Barrel: 30" Heavy #4 Octagon barrel rated to stabalize 500 grain bullets also tapped for weaver bases.
Serial# W234
Stock: Ballard's Standard Sporting Walnut "Shotgun" Butt Stock and Walnut "Splinter" forend. The butt pad is a beautiful case hardend, checkered pad.
Trigger: Single trigger, set to 2.5 Lb's (gunsmith adjustable)
Sights: Open sights, weaver bases can be mounted, and the tang is set up to receive a tang sight.
23 Haziran 2012 Cumartesi
The Dutch Birdman Is Faking
To contact us Click HERE
In the pre-launch frame, there is a large black dot on the left wing, but no matching dot on the right.
In the post-launch frame, there are large dots on both wings.
That's because the post-launch stuff is CGI.
So why the fakery? Is Smeets just fooling around, or is this project one of those elaborate marketing devices?
In the pre-launch frame, there is a large black dot on the left wing, but no matching dot on the right.
In the post-launch frame, there are large dots on both wings.
That's because the post-launch stuff is CGI.
So why the fakery? Is Smeets just fooling around, or is this project one of those elaborate marketing devices?
Another one bites the dust...
To contact us Click HERE
Another EV maker down. Azure Dynamics is filing for creditor protection after Canada's investment regulatory agency denied their request to issue new shares, which Azure needed to do to generate operating capital.
That's because Azure wasn't selling many electric vehicles, not enough to support operations.
I am somewhat disappointing, because Azure is a relatively mature player, and wasn't going after exotic 3-wheel cars or anything fancy, they are in what should be a solid business: retrofitting existing designs with electric powertrains.
The problem remains, that the EV conversions are so expensive (batteries!) that few businesses can afford to buy them in lean times, even though they do save a lot of money in the long run, in fuel savings.
I hope Azure survives, but the future for small EV players looks dim.
That's because Azure wasn't selling many electric vehicles, not enough to support operations.
I am somewhat disappointing, because Azure is a relatively mature player, and wasn't going after exotic 3-wheel cars or anything fancy, they are in what should be a solid business: retrofitting existing designs with electric powertrains.
The problem remains, that the EV conversions are so expensive (batteries!) that few businesses can afford to buy them in lean times, even though they do save a lot of money in the long run, in fuel savings.
I hope Azure survives, but the future for small EV players looks dim.
Republicans Buy American, Democrats Don't
To contact us Click HERE
According to a new study by Strategic Vision, these are the top 5 vehicles most popular with Democrats:
Here are the top 5 vehicles most popular with Republicans:
- Honda Civic Hybrid
- Volvo C30
- Nissan Leaf
- Acura TSX Wagon
- Ford Fiesta Sedan
Here are the top 5 vehicles most popular with Republicans:
- Ford Mustang Convertible
- Audi A8
- Mercedes GL
- Ford Expedition
- Ford F150
Now, there is a very interesting trend here. Only one of the Democrat picks is built by an American automaker, and NONE of them are built in UAW plants (the Fiesta is built in Mexico).
On the Republican side, 3/5 are Fords, and all 3 are built by UAW run plants in MIchigan-Flat Rock MI, Rouge MI, and Wayne MI.
I think some re-evaluation of stereotypes may be in order here. Democrats will fight tooth and nail to increase union power--but don't necessarily buy the products they produce.
Ford's 5 "Myths", Aren't
To contact us Click HERE
Ford has a post on their web site listing 5 "myths" about electric vehicles.
I think these need a rebuttal.
Myth 1: "The technology isn't ready."
Ford: "Ford has been putting reliable, efficient hybrid electric vehicles on the road for over 10 years."
Rebuttal: Sneaky Ford is combining hybrid electric vehicles into the same bin as battery electric vehicles. Truth is, Ford is about to release its first modern mass market BEV. The electric Ranger of the late 1990's was a low volume fleet product. And high profile technical issues in the new crop of EVs show that, in fact, the technology is still in flux.
Myth 2: "Electric vehicles are too expensive."
Ford: "Ford has yet to determine pricing on its plug-in hybrid electric vehicle and all-electric vehicles. Though the initial price of these vehicles may be higher than a conventional gas-powered vehicle, keep in mind that the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle is being designed to deliver maximum fuel efficiency. So you may be able to save money on fuel costs. Tax credits may also be available. Check with your appropriate local, state and federal agencies for more information."
Rebuttal: Ford has yet to determine? They already announced an MSRP of $40,000 for the Focus BEV, and current HEVs, I don't expect the final prices to go down by much--batteries are still expensive. Truth is, BEVs are prohibitive for most people to buy, until battery costs are reduced dramatically. HEVs do have a faster payoff, yet even with $4/gal gas, they are not exactly flying off of the dealer lots.
Myth 3: "I'm afraid I'm going to get stranded when the battery runs out."
Ford: "A Ford hybrid electric vehicle has a gasoline engine, so you're in no more danger of getting stuck than you would be if you were driving a traditional gasoline engine- powered vehicle. The battery of the hybrid electric is also continuously charged while you drive. As for the all-electric vehicle now in development, Ford is working with the public and private sectors to help create the infrastructure that will enable you to recharge your all-electric vehicle in a variety of locations other than your home."
Rebuttal: Ford again combines HEV and BEV into the same answer. If you have a Focus BEV, chances are you will only get about 75 miles (according to EPA) on average. That's a mere one hour of driving at Michigan speeds. Anyone driving a BEV must be careful about range, because recharging takes at least 4 hours for a full charge.
Myth 4: "My commute is too long for an electric vehicle."
Ford: "Because a hybrid electric vehicle has a gas engine as well as an electric motor, no commute is too long for a hybrid. The Ford all-electric vehicle, currently in development, is targeted to go up to 100 miles on a single charge."
Rebuttal: The average daily commute is about 40 miles, so a 75 mile average range should cover it. But if you are driving in the winter, and using the heater, you probably won't have much range left for the grocery run after work, or the detour to pick up the dry cleaning.
Myth 5: "They don't make electric vehicles in the style I want."
Ford: "Ford offers hybrid electric vehicles in the responsive, fun-to-drive Fusion as well as the Escape small SUV. Other Ford vehicles are currently in development."
Rebuttal: Escape HEV is about to be killed. Transit BEV is in limbo along with Azure's future. Which leaves two styles of vehicle--compact hatch and mid-size car.
I think these need a rebuttal.
Myth 1: "The technology isn't ready."
Ford: "Ford has been putting reliable, efficient hybrid electric vehicles on the road for over 10 years."
Rebuttal: Sneaky Ford is combining hybrid electric vehicles into the same bin as battery electric vehicles. Truth is, Ford is about to release its first modern mass market BEV. The electric Ranger of the late 1990's was a low volume fleet product. And high profile technical issues in the new crop of EVs show that, in fact, the technology is still in flux.
Myth 2: "Electric vehicles are too expensive."
Ford: "Ford has yet to determine pricing on its plug-in hybrid electric vehicle and all-electric vehicles. Though the initial price of these vehicles may be higher than a conventional gas-powered vehicle, keep in mind that the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle is being designed to deliver maximum fuel efficiency. So you may be able to save money on fuel costs. Tax credits may also be available. Check with your appropriate local, state and federal agencies for more information."
Rebuttal: Ford has yet to determine? They already announced an MSRP of $40,000 for the Focus BEV, and current HEVs, I don't expect the final prices to go down by much--batteries are still expensive. Truth is, BEVs are prohibitive for most people to buy, until battery costs are reduced dramatically. HEVs do have a faster payoff, yet even with $4/gal gas, they are not exactly flying off of the dealer lots.
Myth 3: "I'm afraid I'm going to get stranded when the battery runs out."
Ford: "A Ford hybrid electric vehicle has a gasoline engine, so you're in no more danger of getting stuck than you would be if you were driving a traditional gasoline engine- powered vehicle. The battery of the hybrid electric is also continuously charged while you drive. As for the all-electric vehicle now in development, Ford is working with the public and private sectors to help create the infrastructure that will enable you to recharge your all-electric vehicle in a variety of locations other than your home."
Rebuttal: Ford again combines HEV and BEV into the same answer. If you have a Focus BEV, chances are you will only get about 75 miles (according to EPA) on average. That's a mere one hour of driving at Michigan speeds. Anyone driving a BEV must be careful about range, because recharging takes at least 4 hours for a full charge.
Myth 4: "My commute is too long for an electric vehicle."
Ford: "Because a hybrid electric vehicle has a gas engine as well as an electric motor, no commute is too long for a hybrid. The Ford all-electric vehicle, currently in development, is targeted to go up to 100 miles on a single charge."
Rebuttal: The average daily commute is about 40 miles, so a 75 mile average range should cover it. But if you are driving in the winter, and using the heater, you probably won't have much range left for the grocery run after work, or the detour to pick up the dry cleaning.
Myth 5: "They don't make electric vehicles in the style I want."
Ford: "Ford offers hybrid electric vehicles in the responsive, fun-to-drive Fusion as well as the Escape small SUV. Other Ford vehicles are currently in development."
Rebuttal: Escape HEV is about to be killed. Transit BEV is in limbo along with Azure's future. Which leaves two styles of vehicle--compact hatch and mid-size car.
EPA's Hybrid Payback Calculator
To contact us Click HERE
The EPA has posted a very nice interactive hybrid vehicle payback calculator. It lets you quickly adjust assumptions to see how long a hybrid or electric vehicle would pay for itself based on fuel savings.
For example, comparing a Chevrolet Malibu Eco to a base gasoline Malibu, 12,000mi/year, 60% city driving, gasoline at $3.75, the tool says that you would save a whopping $200/year on gasoline, and that the $550 MSRP difference would be paid off in 2.7 years.
Clearly, the Malibu Eco isn't an irresistibly good deal, because that $200/year in fuel savings is going to cost you several cubic feet of trunk space.
For example, comparing a Chevrolet Malibu Eco to a base gasoline Malibu, 12,000mi/year, 60% city driving, gasoline at $3.75, the tool says that you would save a whopping $200/year on gasoline, and that the $550 MSRP difference would be paid off in 2.7 years.
Clearly, the Malibu Eco isn't an irresistibly good deal, because that $200/year in fuel savings is going to cost you several cubic feet of trunk space.
21 Haziran 2012 Perşembe
Those Wacky Democrats
To contact us Click HERE
Evidently, they're being paid to heckle the Romney campaign, but one little tidbit buried in the article makes me wonder.
Neither of the representatives agreed to give their names, but two protesters said they were getting paid to stand outside of the rally, though their wage is unclear: one said she was getting $7.25 per hour, while another man said they were being paid $17 per hour.So, I'm wondering.. why is the woman getting $7.25 per hour and the man is getting $17.00 per hour. And which party is about equal pay? And who's conducting a war on women?Just wondering.
The Solstice
To contact us Click HERE
Today, I'm told is the summer solstice, that astronomical time when the sun reaches it's highest point in the sky, heralding the start of summer. Milady and I were married on the solstice, not to celebrate some Druid rite, but because (1)we were both off work that weekend, (2)the day fell on a Saturday, and (3)the hall we rented had an opening. Serendipity. However, we were married on the 21st, so our anniversary is tomorrow. It seems, on leap year, the sun rises one day earlier.
The folks in the Northeast are expecting a scorcher today. The AP reports:
The folks in the Northeast are expecting a scorcher today. The AP reports:
Readings are expected to be in the mid- to high-90s Wednesday and Thursday in cities including Philadelphia, New York and Boston. Humidity could make it feel even hotter.Heh! That's a normal day here, temps we've been dealing with since early May. Our own weather forecast for today calls for a high of 92 with 94% humidity. A standard summer's day inn central Louisiana. I think that in another hour I'll go to Momma's house and sit on a tractor for a couple of hours. I need to knock down the grass on my range and around my deer stand. If everything goes according to plan I'll be back home, comfortably ensconced in the air conditioning by the time the noon hour arrives.
Executive Privilege?
To contact us Click HERE
It seems that Eric Holder has asked the President to assert executive privilege for the Fast and Furious documents that Congress wants. Fox news asserts:
What's in those documents? And why the panic to keep them secret? If this doesn't make the mainstream media wake up, nothing will.
Rep. Darrell Issa pressed ahead with a committee vote Wednesday to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress, despite an 11th-hour move by President Obama to exert executive privilege over the Fast and Furious documents at the heart of the dispute.What the hell? Our President, in the middle of a campaign, is asserting privilege over this scandal? He's got to know that there will be political fallout, and has decided that it's worth the fallout to keep those documents hidden.
What's in those documents? And why the panic to keep them secret? If this doesn't make the mainstream media wake up, nothing will.
Bug Holes and Flyers
To contact us Click HERE
Flyers are the bane of every serious rifle shooter. As soon as you think you've got a great group going, one shot strays outside the box and lands somewhere in the next county. Case in point: I took my Ruger 77 to the range today. It's an older rifle, built in 1973, in .25-06. I bought it early this year from a local pawn shop. The rifle has potential, with what seems to be an affinity for the 117 grain Hornady Interlock bullet. I put a fouling shot through it then settled in at the bench.
That's a five shot group. The first two went into a bughole, the third shot went down into the doldrums, and the next two simply widened the bughole. Four shots into an incredible 0.335 inches and that flyer opened the group to 1.35 inches. Gaah!
So, then, I took out my Savage 110, a standard .30-06 hunting rifle. It's my favorite and it likes 165 grain Sierra Gameking bullets and the standard Garand load of 47.0 grains of 4895. Once again, a flyer ruined a nice little group.
That's the clean-bore shot on the left, then three for meat shots. Two touching and that third shot down below. The rifle still put those three in under an inch, but I would have been really pleased if all three were touching. That's not my karma today, so I packed up and came home.
I might have been flinching., Before I started with the scoped rifles, I tried out a new load in the Handi-rifle. I went to the Hodgdon website and looked up cast bullet loads, found a load for the .45-70 of 45.6 grains of IMR 4895. I used a 405 grain, soft lead bullet. It's listed as a starting load, suitable for trapdoor rifles, but when I touched the first one off, just damn! Four more and I was finished with that rifle, much preferring to shoot the .30-06. The Hogdgon website says that the load should be running about 1500 fps, and that may be wo, but it was throwing pieces of berm 15 feet into the air. That may be a starting load, but shot from that lightweight Handi-rifle, it was quite a handful. I'll need to make an appointment at the dentist, simply to see if my fillings were jarred loose in the recoil.
That's a five shot group. The first two went into a bughole, the third shot went down into the doldrums, and the next two simply widened the bughole. Four shots into an incredible 0.335 inches and that flyer opened the group to 1.35 inches. Gaah! So, then, I took out my Savage 110, a standard .30-06 hunting rifle. It's my favorite and it likes 165 grain Sierra Gameking bullets and the standard Garand load of 47.0 grains of 4895. Once again, a flyer ruined a nice little group.
That's the clean-bore shot on the left, then three for meat shots. Two touching and that third shot down below. The rifle still put those three in under an inch, but I would have been really pleased if all three were touching. That's not my karma today, so I packed up and came home.I might have been flinching., Before I started with the scoped rifles, I tried out a new load in the Handi-rifle. I went to the Hodgdon website and looked up cast bullet loads, found a load for the .45-70 of 45.6 grains of IMR 4895. I used a 405 grain, soft lead bullet. It's listed as a starting load, suitable for trapdoor rifles, but when I touched the first one off, just damn! Four more and I was finished with that rifle, much preferring to shoot the .30-06. The Hogdgon website says that the load should be running about 1500 fps, and that may be wo, but it was throwing pieces of berm 15 feet into the air. That may be a starting load, but shot from that lightweight Handi-rifle, it was quite a handful. I'll need to make an appointment at the dentist, simply to see if my fillings were jarred loose in the recoil.
She knows all about it.
To contact us Click HERE
Nancy Pelosi, the Minority Leader of the US House of Representatives:
“They’re going after Eric Holder because he is supporting measures to overturn these voter suppression initiatives in the states… This is no accident, it is no coincidence. It is a plan on the part of Republicans.”Uuuh, what? Is she really that stupid? Or simply that obtuse? This is unbelievable. Just as unbelievable as President Obama requiring ID to get into one of his rallies. Is this what passes for sentient leadership in the Democrat party?
20 Haziran 2012 Çarşamba
Ford's 5 "Myths", Aren't
To contact us Click HERE
Ford has a post on their web site listing 5 "myths" about electric vehicles.
I think these need a rebuttal.
Myth 1: "The technology isn't ready."
Ford: "Ford has been putting reliable, efficient hybrid electric vehicles on the road for over 10 years."
Rebuttal: Sneaky Ford is combining hybrid electric vehicles into the same bin as battery electric vehicles. Truth is, Ford is about to release its first modern mass market BEV. The electric Ranger of the late 1990's was a low volume fleet product. And high profile technical issues in the new crop of EVs show that, in fact, the technology is still in flux.
Myth 2: "Electric vehicles are too expensive."
Ford: "Ford has yet to determine pricing on its plug-in hybrid electric vehicle and all-electric vehicles. Though the initial price of these vehicles may be higher than a conventional gas-powered vehicle, keep in mind that the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle is being designed to deliver maximum fuel efficiency. So you may be able to save money on fuel costs. Tax credits may also be available. Check with your appropriate local, state and federal agencies for more information."
Rebuttal: Ford has yet to determine? They already announced an MSRP of $40,000 for the Focus BEV, and current HEVs, I don't expect the final prices to go down by much--batteries are still expensive. Truth is, BEVs are prohibitive for most people to buy, until battery costs are reduced dramatically. HEVs do have a faster payoff, yet even with $4/gal gas, they are not exactly flying off of the dealer lots.
Myth 3: "I'm afraid I'm going to get stranded when the battery runs out."
Ford: "A Ford hybrid electric vehicle has a gasoline engine, so you're in no more danger of getting stuck than you would be if you were driving a traditional gasoline engine- powered vehicle. The battery of the hybrid electric is also continuously charged while you drive. As for the all-electric vehicle now in development, Ford is working with the public and private sectors to help create the infrastructure that will enable you to recharge your all-electric vehicle in a variety of locations other than your home."
Rebuttal: Ford again combines HEV and BEV into the same answer. If you have a Focus BEV, chances are you will only get about 75 miles (according to EPA) on average. That's a mere one hour of driving at Michigan speeds. Anyone driving a BEV must be careful about range, because recharging takes at least 4 hours for a full charge.
Myth 4: "My commute is too long for an electric vehicle."
Ford: "Because a hybrid electric vehicle has a gas engine as well as an electric motor, no commute is too long for a hybrid. The Ford all-electric vehicle, currently in development, is targeted to go up to 100 miles on a single charge."
Rebuttal: The average daily commute is about 40 miles, so a 75 mile average range should cover it. But if you are driving in the winter, and using the heater, you probably won't have much range left for the grocery run after work, or the detour to pick up the dry cleaning.
Myth 5: "They don't make electric vehicles in the style I want."
Ford: "Ford offers hybrid electric vehicles in the responsive, fun-to-drive Fusion as well as the Escape small SUV. Other Ford vehicles are currently in development."
Rebuttal: Escape HEV is about to be killed. Transit BEV is in limbo along with Azure's future. Which leaves two styles of vehicle--compact hatch and mid-size car.
I think these need a rebuttal.
Myth 1: "The technology isn't ready."
Ford: "Ford has been putting reliable, efficient hybrid electric vehicles on the road for over 10 years."
Rebuttal: Sneaky Ford is combining hybrid electric vehicles into the same bin as battery electric vehicles. Truth is, Ford is about to release its first modern mass market BEV. The electric Ranger of the late 1990's was a low volume fleet product. And high profile technical issues in the new crop of EVs show that, in fact, the technology is still in flux.
Myth 2: "Electric vehicles are too expensive."
Ford: "Ford has yet to determine pricing on its plug-in hybrid electric vehicle and all-electric vehicles. Though the initial price of these vehicles may be higher than a conventional gas-powered vehicle, keep in mind that the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle is being designed to deliver maximum fuel efficiency. So you may be able to save money on fuel costs. Tax credits may also be available. Check with your appropriate local, state and federal agencies for more information."
Rebuttal: Ford has yet to determine? They already announced an MSRP of $40,000 for the Focus BEV, and current HEVs, I don't expect the final prices to go down by much--batteries are still expensive. Truth is, BEVs are prohibitive for most people to buy, until battery costs are reduced dramatically. HEVs do have a faster payoff, yet even with $4/gal gas, they are not exactly flying off of the dealer lots.
Myth 3: "I'm afraid I'm going to get stranded when the battery runs out."
Ford: "A Ford hybrid electric vehicle has a gasoline engine, so you're in no more danger of getting stuck than you would be if you were driving a traditional gasoline engine- powered vehicle. The battery of the hybrid electric is also continuously charged while you drive. As for the all-electric vehicle now in development, Ford is working with the public and private sectors to help create the infrastructure that will enable you to recharge your all-electric vehicle in a variety of locations other than your home."
Rebuttal: Ford again combines HEV and BEV into the same answer. If you have a Focus BEV, chances are you will only get about 75 miles (according to EPA) on average. That's a mere one hour of driving at Michigan speeds. Anyone driving a BEV must be careful about range, because recharging takes at least 4 hours for a full charge.
Myth 4: "My commute is too long for an electric vehicle."
Ford: "Because a hybrid electric vehicle has a gas engine as well as an electric motor, no commute is too long for a hybrid. The Ford all-electric vehicle, currently in development, is targeted to go up to 100 miles on a single charge."
Rebuttal: The average daily commute is about 40 miles, so a 75 mile average range should cover it. But if you are driving in the winter, and using the heater, you probably won't have much range left for the grocery run after work, or the detour to pick up the dry cleaning.
Myth 5: "They don't make electric vehicles in the style I want."
Ford: "Ford offers hybrid electric vehicles in the responsive, fun-to-drive Fusion as well as the Escape small SUV. Other Ford vehicles are currently in development."
Rebuttal: Escape HEV is about to be killed. Transit BEV is in limbo along with Azure's future. Which leaves two styles of vehicle--compact hatch and mid-size car.
The 2014 Impala
To contact us Click HERE
GM has unveiled the 2014 Chevrolet Impala at the NY Auto Show. You can see nice photos here.
I like the exterior design, it is a big improvement over the current, ancient Impala.
The interior is also a big upgrade, but to me seems a bit busy.
GM says that it will come with a choice of 2.5L I4, 2.4L eAssist (mild hybrid), and 3.6L V6 powertrains. It should get pretty good fuel economy, but with the I4 engines pushing about 200HP, it is not going to feel very quick unless the weight is substantially reduced over the current model. Looking at the photos, I'd be surprised if it is less than 3750#.
I like the exterior design, it is a big improvement over the current, ancient Impala.
The interior is also a big upgrade, but to me seems a bit busy.
GM says that it will come with a choice of 2.5L I4, 2.4L eAssist (mild hybrid), and 3.6L V6 powertrains. It should get pretty good fuel economy, but with the I4 engines pushing about 200HP, it is not going to feel very quick unless the weight is substantially reduced over the current model. Looking at the photos, I'd be surprised if it is less than 3750#.
SAE Congress Tidbit: DCT (Dual Clutch Transmission) Issues in US
To contact us Click HERE
Listening to an SAE Congress panel discussion about future powertrains.
A question to the panel, regarding transmission, elicits an interesting comment on DCT (dual clutch or automated manual transmissions)
In the U.S., DCTs (e.g. Ford Focus) are not well liked because they have a less smooth low-speed and stop/start/creep performance compared to a traditional hydraulic torque converter equipped automatic. In the U.S., customers are used to the very smooth performance of automatics, having mostly abandoned manual transmissions, so the jerky feel from DCTs is a big minus. In Europe, most customers are coming from automatics, and are used to some clunkiness.
The industry hopes that customer acceptance in the US will increase as consumers become used to the feel of DCTs... but there is a real danger here to the technology, judging by the poor acceptance and near-demise of the CVT in the NA market.
Personally, I would nave no problem trading some clunkiness of a DCT for its advantages: fast shifts, full manual control, and no fluid to deal with.
A question to the panel, regarding transmission, elicits an interesting comment on DCT (dual clutch or automated manual transmissions)
In the U.S., DCTs (e.g. Ford Focus) are not well liked because they have a less smooth low-speed and stop/start/creep performance compared to a traditional hydraulic torque converter equipped automatic. In the U.S., customers are used to the very smooth performance of automatics, having mostly abandoned manual transmissions, so the jerky feel from DCTs is a big minus. In Europe, most customers are coming from automatics, and are used to some clunkiness.
The industry hopes that customer acceptance in the US will increase as consumers become used to the feel of DCTs... but there is a real danger here to the technology, judging by the poor acceptance and near-demise of the CVT in the NA market.
Personally, I would nave no problem trading some clunkiness of a DCT for its advantages: fast shifts, full manual control, and no fluid to deal with.
SOLVED! TheAutoProphet Geocache Challenge 2012
To contact us Click HERE
Ziebart, provider of numerous car detailing, protection, and customization services has generously sponsored my annual Geocache Challenge.
The prize this year is a $100 gift certificate to Ziebart for any of their services, including:
Ziebart is a Michigan based company and I am very happy to work with them! They have 15 locations in MI and many more nationally. You can find a list of MI locations here.
As in prior years, here is how it works: Go to the below coordinates, and search around for the prize box. If you get it first, you get the prize. Just make sure you email me (theautoprophet "at" gmail.com) and let me know you have it. If you don't mind, please send a cell phone pic of yourself with the prize.
Here are the GPS coordinates:
SOLVED!
Jason F. has solved the challenge and captured the prize. However, in true geocaching spirit, he left the container with something new in it for the next person.I didn't think it would still be there, but wow, there it was! So cool! Thank you for the awesome prize and sharing this great park with me. I will be coming back here for sure. Now in true geocaching spirit I left behind a little prize, and I plan on listing it on a caching site if thats ok with you?
Thanks again!
Jason
Ps. I plan on using this to detail my new-to-me 04' Grand Marquis. :)
Ziebart, provider of numerous car detailing, protection, and customization services has generously sponsored my annual Geocache Challenge. The prize this year is a $100 gift certificate to Ziebart for any of their services, including:
- Detailing
- Bed Liners
- Fabric Protection
- Window Tint
- Tonneau Covers
- Bed Rails
- Step Bars
- Wind Deflectors
- Remote Starters
- Toolboxes
Ziebart is a Michigan based company and I am very happy to work with them! They have 15 locations in MI and many more nationally. You can find a list of MI locations here.
As in prior years, here is how it works: Go to the below coordinates, and search around for the prize box. If you get it first, you get the prize. Just make sure you email me (theautoprophet "at" gmail.com) and let me know you have it. If you don't mind, please send a cell phone pic of yourself with the prize.
Here are the GPS coordinates:
- Start: N42d 33.472', W083d 12.456
- Waypoint 1: N42d 33.550', W083d 12.535
- Waypoint 2: N42d 33.549', W083d 12.591
- Finish: N42d 33.544', W083d 12.603
EPA's Hybrid Payback Calculator
To contact us Click HERE
The EPA has posted a very nice interactive hybrid vehicle payback calculator. It lets you quickly adjust assumptions to see how long a hybrid or electric vehicle would pay for itself based on fuel savings.
For example, comparing a Chevrolet Malibu Eco to a base gasoline Malibu, 12,000mi/year, 60% city driving, gasoline at $3.75, the tool says that you would save a whopping $200/year on gasoline, and that the $550 MSRP difference would be paid off in 2.7 years.
Clearly, the Malibu Eco isn't an irresistibly good deal, because that $200/year in fuel savings is going to cost you several cubic feet of trunk space.
For example, comparing a Chevrolet Malibu Eco to a base gasoline Malibu, 12,000mi/year, 60% city driving, gasoline at $3.75, the tool says that you would save a whopping $200/year on gasoline, and that the $550 MSRP difference would be paid off in 2.7 years.
Clearly, the Malibu Eco isn't an irresistibly good deal, because that $200/year in fuel savings is going to cost you several cubic feet of trunk space.
19 Haziran 2012 Salı
Reloading Steel II
To contact us Click HERE
Some time ago, I did a primer on reloading steel cases. It was (and remains) one of the more useful posts I think I have written. As I pointed out then and will reiterate here- we as shooters and reloaders have to be willing and able to embrace changes in the market and technology in order to keep our sport alive. That means that if brass cases become too expensive to be commercially viable, even if we squander away large stores of brass- we will eventually run out.
knowing how to safely use what is available is going to be key in our sport. I have been reloading for a while now, and realistically have a store of brass that will last me many many years.
But what about new reloaders? When I first started reloading, a thousand 9mm could be purchased (once fired) for about 10 bucks plus shipping. As such, most people usually ordered a few thousand at a time from any of a number of individuals or retailers. 40 S&W was priced similarly, and even 45acp could be found for under 40 bucks per K (again once fired) with a bit of hunting. All of those prices have gone up- 9mm seems to be floating around the 25 dollar per K mark, with 40S&W going similarly. 45acp seems to trade well at over 50 bucks per K now (again, all once fired brass).
The investment to reload has shot up exponentially if you price components- and steel could be the ticket to keeping price down for new reloaders- even if the steel is only a bridge until they can slowly build up brass stores.
I decided my last post wasn't enough- so I wanted to do more testing. This time, I picked the most controversial pistol caliber around- 40S&W. The Kaboom history of this round amongst reloaders is fairly high, and cases blowing out is common enough that you might know someone that actually experienced it.
I picked my range over for as many reloadable steel 40 S&W casings as I could find, and came up with 35. By the end of the experiment, I have none, but could have recovered about 9. More on that later.
I took my 35 cases that were (I suspect) once fired- they had a primer that very closely matched the factory wolf primer anyway. I then went to my reloading books and looked at max charges. My manual lists 6.7 gr of Unique as a compressed (c) max charge for a 170gr jacketed bullet. Well I had 165gr Rainer plated JHP and figured those were close enough, and loaded them up with max charges of unique.
Test gun was my CZ75b SA. I fired the loads at my local club, recovered as many of the cases as possible, and repeated the experiment for 3 reloading cycles. By the last firing, I had 20 usable cases. 2 had been lost to cracked case mouths, the other 13 had just been lost. No noticeable differences in primer pockets, reloading force, or feeding in the gun was noted throughout the entire process. No cases blew out on me during firing, but I do admit that three max loadings was all I had the nerve to run through the gun before I lost my nerve.
The cases seemed fine, but the only cases I have ever experienced giving out first hand were shitty bulk pack 22lr. I did not want to experience a high pressure round (IE any centerfire round) blowing chunks well not in full lock up in the gun.
Now I'm not an expert, nor should my practices be taken as advice on how you should treat your guns- I am saying though that for me, with the above formula in my gun- all was well for the cases I tried. If I had stayed more within my standard 40SW loadings (155gr LTC bullet at 6.2 gr unique) I would have kept these cases around a while longer. That load (according to the lee second edition) runs at a minimum of 1000 less PSI.
I learned that you can push steel a bit (at least in handgun rounds) and it holds up just fine. I didn't have the nerve to see how long it would hold up, but frankly I don't think it is necessary. if a person can buy boxer cased steel ammo cheap, and get 2-3 loads out of it even in a high pressure pistol round- that isn't doing too bad. A total of 4 firings from a piece of brass, though not good, is not unheard of, especially if a person is running them hot. With moderate loads, 5 or 6 loadings (or more in 45acp- or at least that has been my experience) starts getting into the solidly acceptable range of brass life (38 spl and 45acp excluded- I have cases that I got from reloaders that must have dozens of firings on them in those calibers- and I still use em).
I'll keep picking these guys up- and if I find another caliber I can load for in reusable steel, I'll try them out as well.
for those interested, I was using lee carbide 40SW dies in a lee pro 1000 press. I chose Unique because I load almost all my handguns with it, and the only other powder I had on hand (but not enough to play with) was Reddot- which puts out almost the same pressure in max loads (according to my lee book anyway). I bought the press used in 2004, so I have no idea how old it really is- and the dies are from 2005-2006ish. They have between 4-6k reloads on them. The majority of what they have reloaded has been nickle and brass, with 155gr LTC or 165 gr plated JHP. So I would put there wear as negligible.
 |
| 40 S&W reloaded Steel |
But what about new reloaders? When I first started reloading, a thousand 9mm could be purchased (once fired) for about 10 bucks plus shipping. As such, most people usually ordered a few thousand at a time from any of a number of individuals or retailers. 40 S&W was priced similarly, and even 45acp could be found for under 40 bucks per K (again once fired) with a bit of hunting. All of those prices have gone up- 9mm seems to be floating around the 25 dollar per K mark, with 40S&W going similarly. 45acp seems to trade well at over 50 bucks per K now (again, all once fired brass).
 |
| Max Charge of Unique |
The investment to reload has shot up exponentially if you price components- and steel could be the ticket to keeping price down for new reloaders- even if the steel is only a bridge until they can slowly build up brass stores.
I decided my last post wasn't enough- so I wanted to do more testing. This time, I picked the most controversial pistol caliber around- 40S&W. The Kaboom history of this round amongst reloaders is fairly high, and cases blowing out is common enough that you might know someone that actually experienced it.
I picked my range over for as many reloadable steel 40 S&W casings as I could find, and came up with 35. By the end of the experiment, I have none, but could have recovered about 9. More on that later.
 |
| after their final firing |
Test gun was my CZ75b SA. I fired the loads at my local club, recovered as many of the cases as possible, and repeated the experiment for 3 reloading cycles. By the last firing, I had 20 usable cases. 2 had been lost to cracked case mouths, the other 13 had just been lost. No noticeable differences in primer pockets, reloading force, or feeding in the gun was noted throughout the entire process. No cases blew out on me during firing, but I do admit that three max loadings was all I had the nerve to run through the gun before I lost my nerve.
 |
| primers after final firing |
Now I'm not an expert, nor should my practices be taken as advice on how you should treat your guns- I am saying though that for me, with the above formula in my gun- all was well for the cases I tried. If I had stayed more within my standard 40SW loadings (155gr LTC bullet at 6.2 gr unique) I would have kept these cases around a while longer. That load (according to the lee second edition) runs at a minimum of 1000 less PSI.
I learned that you can push steel a bit (at least in handgun rounds) and it holds up just fine. I didn't have the nerve to see how long it would hold up, but frankly I don't think it is necessary. if a person can buy boxer cased steel ammo cheap, and get 2-3 loads out of it even in a high pressure pistol round- that isn't doing too bad. A total of 4 firings from a piece of brass, though not good, is not unheard of, especially if a person is running them hot. With moderate loads, 5 or 6 loadings (or more in 45acp- or at least that has been my experience) starts getting into the solidly acceptable range of brass life (38 spl and 45acp excluded- I have cases that I got from reloaders that must have dozens of firings on them in those calibers- and I still use em).
 |
| side view of cases after final firing |
for those interested, I was using lee carbide 40SW dies in a lee pro 1000 press. I chose Unique because I load almost all my handguns with it, and the only other powder I had on hand (but not enough to play with) was Reddot- which puts out almost the same pressure in max loads (according to my lee book anyway). I bought the press used in 2004, so I have no idea how old it really is- and the dies are from 2005-2006ish. They have between 4-6k reloads on them. The majority of what they have reloaded has been nickle and brass, with 155gr LTC or 165 gr plated JHP. So I would put there wear as negligible.
 |
| view inside case after last firing |
Incoming Steel!!!
To contact us Click HERE
Targetsfromus contacted me via comment on my review of their targets here. They offered me a discount to buy some more steel to see how I liked it. I've gone back and forth with them for a while now and finalized an order- and I must say, the communication from them is Excellent. I'm a bit of a night owl- and have emailed questions a few times after midnight and received a reply within the hour. Talk about people who are working hard to get stuff done!!
The walking jack that I had previously purchased from targetsfromus was not my first steel target- it was my second. My first steel target was a reduced size auto-resetting popper target (for a comparison of the jack to the auto-popper, look at the pics in this post). The auto-popper is a lot of fun, but I find the timing between shots overly predictable and limiting as to the tempo of shooting. The flipper target is much more fun to chase, giving an even more reactive experience, but without the limitations of the resetting the popper has.
I'm going to keep the targets I chose to order a surprise, but I will admit I am super excited. Review might be slightly delayed, as I am leaving the country on the 30th and will not be returning until mid-June - and I am giving these targets a very tough workout when they arrive.
When I first got my auto-popper, I brought it on nearly every range trip, but found I still shot some paper. now that I have a couple steel targets that fill different roles, I honestly haven't shot paper in a while.
Here is to getting excited for some new stuff to shoot!
The walking jack that I had previously purchased from targetsfromus was not my first steel target- it was my second. My first steel target was a reduced size auto-resetting popper target (for a comparison of the jack to the auto-popper, look at the pics in this post). The auto-popper is a lot of fun, but I find the timing between shots overly predictable and limiting as to the tempo of shooting. The flipper target is much more fun to chase, giving an even more reactive experience, but without the limitations of the resetting the popper has.
I'm going to keep the targets I chose to order a surprise, but I will admit I am super excited. Review might be slightly delayed, as I am leaving the country on the 30th and will not be returning until mid-June - and I am giving these targets a very tough workout when they arrive.
When I first got my auto-popper, I brought it on nearly every range trip, but found I still shot some paper. now that I have a couple steel targets that fill different roles, I honestly haven't shot paper in a while.
Here is to getting excited for some new stuff to shoot!
To contact us Click HERE
Ah the thompson center Encore. I continue to hunt with it, even though it continues to leave me mildly annoyed by its performance. I recently purchased a 28in rifled, fluted 20 gauge barrel for my Thompson Center Encore. I had originally planned for this to be a post comparing a variety of slugs through the gun- but instead will question why I still own these damn things.
I want this gun to shoot non-saboted rounds well. I need another $3 per shot gun like I need a hole in my head, and this thing just doesn't seem like it is going to perform to that expectation.
Slugs tried were:
Remington Slugger
Winchester Grey Box
Federal Blue Box
and some Nobel 20 gauge slugs on clearance from SGAmmo (PS SGAmmo is Awesome to work with).
The best group for the day was the Federal Blue Box, coming in at an impressively disappointing 8 inch 5 shot group. The Nobels didn't even get on the paper at 100, and if it wasn't for a flyer I think the winchesters have some potential.
I will continue to putter around with this gun, and I will get it shooting well eventually, but man - I do not know why thompson sells any guns in a market where people can buy an NEF HandiRifle for a third of the price and as good if not better performance. I am getting smoothebore barrel performance out of a $300 dollar rifled barrel.
The only reason I shoot them is that my old man is enamored with thompson, or I'd sell these things tomorrow. To be fair, my thompson pistol barrels shoot well- but my encore muzzleloader was a total bust and unless something changes in the next few range trips, this 20 gauge will be just as disappointing.
On to the sabots I guess.
Ah the thompson center Encore. I continue to hunt with it, even though it continues to leave me mildly annoyed by its performance. I recently purchased a 28in rifled, fluted 20 gauge barrel for my Thompson Center Encore. I had originally planned for this to be a post comparing a variety of slugs through the gun- but instead will question why I still own these damn things.
I want this gun to shoot non-saboted rounds well. I need another $3 per shot gun like I need a hole in my head, and this thing just doesn't seem like it is going to perform to that expectation.
Slugs tried were:Remington Slugger
Winchester Grey Box
Federal Blue Box
and some Nobel 20 gauge slugs on clearance from SGAmmo (PS SGAmmo is Awesome to work with).
The best group for the day was the Federal Blue Box, coming in at an impressively disappointing 8 inch 5 shot group. The Nobels didn't even get on the paper at 100, and if it wasn't for a flyer I think the winchesters have some potential.
I will continue to putter around with this gun, and I will get it shooting well eventually, but man - I do not know why thompson sells any guns in a market where people can buy an NEF HandiRifle for a third of the price and as good if not better performance. I am getting smoothebore barrel performance out of a $300 dollar rifled barrel.
The only reason I shoot them is that my old man is enamored with thompson, or I'd sell these things tomorrow. To be fair, my thompson pistol barrels shoot well- but my encore muzzleloader was a total bust and unless something changes in the next few range trips, this 20 gauge will be just as disappointing.
On to the sabots I guess.
I'm Back! and a Solarforce review
To contact us Click HERE
My Trip to the Balkans was fantastic, but that will be a post unto itself.
Some time ago I wrote about Solarforce lights as a reasonably priced everyday carry light. The L2 lights are one of my favorite carry options, but they can be a bit large and a little on the heavy side. The are basically the legos of lights, being quite customizable. Recently, Solarforce introduced a new polymer body. So I ordered one from solarforce-sales to test out.
First the bad- the polymer body is not compatible with any of my other L2 aluminum body parts. However, they have an awful lot of good things going for them and I suspect this light is going to make it into my carry rotation quite a lot.
Emitter options are quite broad with the L2 sized body, and for this light I went with LC-XML 3.7-8v single mode power plant. Even though this emitter rates 3.7v as the minimum- I've had no problems running 18650 3.7 rechargeable in it with great brightness and adequate battery life. I haven't done a full discharge yet, so I can't comment on total life span, but so far I'm very pleased. The focus ring is tight enough to get some good range, but there is sufficient flood to actually see what you are doing in most any setting.
I will say that I had to change the spring around the emitter to get it to run in this body, switching to an older (and shorter) spring around the emitter body. This is of little consequence to me as I have tons of spare parts around for these lights, but not everyone has a spare parts bin for all of their assorted hobbies, so be advised it could be an issue.
The polymer L2 body is noticeably lighter than the aluminum body, and does have a forward clicky / temporary on tail switch like I prefer. However, it does not balance on the tailcap like the H3 caps I prefer on the aluminum light. Being almost a half inch shorter though than the aluminum body, I think I am starting to prefer this light already over the aluminum counterpart.
Obviously, this light is solarforce's competition to the surefire G2 body, ironically, it is one of their more expensive body options, costing upwards of 20 bucks at the time of this writing. Realistically, I would consider buying one of the kits where an emitter is included instead of buying them individually - as the combination packages generally seem to offer better pricing.
At right you can see a close up of the tail-caps. Unlike the surefire G2, which turns to constant on if you screw the tail-cap down completely, the L2 polymer body allows for full thread engagement and only uses the tail-cap clicker to turn on the light. I much prefer this style, as the G2 I've played with engages accidentally far too often for my liking.
Unlike with a stock aluminum L2 body, the Polymer does not come with a crenelated bezel. I consider this a bonus, as I used to have to sink another couple bucks into each light to switch to a flat bezel that did not cut into my pockets.
The polymer L2 comes with a white opaque plastic insert to keep cr123a rechargeables and primary batteries from rattling within the body. I find that the tube is not necessary (nor compatible) with my protected 18650s, but it does work well with the primary and rechargeable cr123s I have tried.
Overall, I'm a big fan of this new body. I think it would be a no-brainer at 15 bucks, but for 20, I think it is just barely overpriced. the combo emitter / body packages though are actually pretty good deals, with good emitter, body, and belt pouch packages hovering right around 50 bucks shipped.
Teaser pic below of the next thing to be reviewed, I know blue is excited.
My Trip to the Balkans was fantastic, but that will be a post unto itself.
Some time ago I wrote about Solarforce lights as a reasonably priced everyday carry light. The L2 lights are one of my favorite carry options, but they can be a bit large and a little on the heavy side. The are basically the legos of lights, being quite customizable. Recently, Solarforce introduced a new polymer body. So I ordered one from solarforce-sales to test out.
First the bad- the polymer body is not compatible with any of my other L2 aluminum body parts. However, they have an awful lot of good things going for them and I suspect this light is going to make it into my carry rotation quite a lot.
Emitter options are quite broad with the L2 sized body, and for this light I went with LC-XML 3.7-8v single mode power plant. Even though this emitter rates 3.7v as the minimum- I've had no problems running 18650 3.7 rechargeable in it with great brightness and adequate battery life. I haven't done a full discharge yet, so I can't comment on total life span, but so far I'm very pleased. The focus ring is tight enough to get some good range, but there is sufficient flood to actually see what you are doing in most any setting.
I will say that I had to change the spring around the emitter to get it to run in this body, switching to an older (and shorter) spring around the emitter body. This is of little consequence to me as I have tons of spare parts around for these lights, but not everyone has a spare parts bin for all of their assorted hobbies, so be advised it could be an issue.
The polymer L2 body is noticeably lighter than the aluminum body, and does have a forward clicky / temporary on tail switch like I prefer. However, it does not balance on the tailcap like the H3 caps I prefer on the aluminum light. Being almost a half inch shorter though than the aluminum body, I think I am starting to prefer this light already over the aluminum counterpart.
Obviously, this light is solarforce's competition to the surefire G2 body, ironically, it is one of their more expensive body options, costing upwards of 20 bucks at the time of this writing. Realistically, I would consider buying one of the kits where an emitter is included instead of buying them individually - as the combination packages generally seem to offer better pricing.
At right you can see a close up of the tail-caps. Unlike the surefire G2, which turns to constant on if you screw the tail-cap down completely, the L2 polymer body allows for full thread engagement and only uses the tail-cap clicker to turn on the light. I much prefer this style, as the G2 I've played with engages accidentally far too often for my liking.
Unlike with a stock aluminum L2 body, the Polymer does not come with a crenelated bezel. I consider this a bonus, as I used to have to sink another couple bucks into each light to switch to a flat bezel that did not cut into my pockets.
The polymer L2 comes with a white opaque plastic insert to keep cr123a rechargeables and primary batteries from rattling within the body. I find that the tube is not necessary (nor compatible) with my protected 18650s, but it does work well with the primary and rechargeable cr123s I have tried.
Overall, I'm a big fan of this new body. I think it would be a no-brainer at 15 bucks, but for 20, I think it is just barely overpriced. the combo emitter / body packages though are actually pretty good deals, with good emitter, body, and belt pouch packages hovering right around 50 bucks shipped.
Teaser pic below of the next thing to be reviewed, I know blue is excited.
TargetsFromUs review
To contact us Click HERE
TargetsFromUs recently offered me a discount on their targets. Below, you can see the three targets I ended up with along side my original walking target for size comparison. The two targets furthest to the right are half inch steel, and the black 'stubby' is 3/8 inch steel- all are AR500.
I could go into detail about the superb quality of the customer service I received, and the exceptional quality of these targets- but instead I'll just say this: Before I received these hemmed and hawed about the cost of steel targets, and their application. No more. I love these things, and I'd buy them again at retail in a heartbeat, and I'm thrilled at how well I was treated.
They are just an illegal amount of fun, and they really can take some abuse and ask for seconds! For today's test, I focused on the two larger green targets on the right. I wanted to see how well they hold up to fairly high round count days, and spreading the love across four targets (I thought) would either make the day too expensive and time consuming for me, or hinder the quality of the review.
I selected the two largest targets because in talking to TFU customer service, they said they weren't sure if you could get these targets to 'walk' with handgun rounds. I figured, hey - I could find that out at least.
As was the case with my original walking target, the welds were secure and well done. As is also the case with my last walking target, I assumed if I was going to run into problems, it would be with the welds- so I intentionally shot them throughout the day, and tried to work over the entire face of the targets.
Note the heavy bead on the welds, the lack of gaps, and the secure top and bottom beads to lock the faces together.
Sadly, my range was fairly busy today for some reason, so I only got to hit the targets with pistols. Most shooting was done at 20 yards, with about a third of the shooting occurring at 13 yards (as close as I dared to venture to the steel while shooting it). The benefit though, was I offered the guy in the bay next to me use of the steel, so they didn't only have the fire I could put on them, but also about another box of 40sw from his glock 23 (well, maybe a third of a box if you just count the hits. . . ).
Here are the two targets that were worked over today- in their last few pristine moments before I could run them out at a cease fire.
Privately owned steel targets are not that common at my range, so these two were instantly the topic of much conversation.
For shooting today, I tried to bring a representative variety of what I think people would normally shoot these targets with. I know the 22lr doesn't really put the hurt on a well made target, but lets be honest-
the majority of shooting I do is with a 22, and it would be foolish to not include it.
Anyway, I brought:
Ruger mk II 5.5inch barrel in 22LR
American Classic II Government sized 1911 in 45acp
CZ-75b SA in 40sw
Ruger Security Six 4inch barrel in 357 mag
excluding the 22, which fired all Remington bulk pack today- all other guns were shot at the steel target with a mix of factory FMJ, reloaded JHP, and reloaded lead bullets. The 40 sw also had reloaded plated bullets fired on steel. Total centerfire round count (excluding 22 obviously) was just over 200 rounds. with the majority of those being 40 and 45 acp.
I was going to bring the 9mm AR, but frankly I just didn't have room. Not counting the camera gear or the targets themselves, my range bag weighed over 30 lbs, and I just couldn't bring myself to bring multiple range bags. ah well- there is always next time.
Now as to the targets flipping- yes they will. Even the big bad space invader will flip but there is a trick to it. That trick dear readers, is heavy for caliber 357 magnum rounds over H110 as fast as you can fire them and hit the target at 13 yards. I got it to walk 1 position exactly 2 times with these application of stout medicine. You can get it rocking pretty well with the 45, and you can move it with the 40, but unless you are faster and more accurate on the trigger than I am, you will have trouble getting them to fully turn over.
Remember when I said I like to shoot at the welds to see how they held up? Well- they held up fine. I smacked them pretty solidly on a number of occasions, and though the face and welds of the targets are covered with splatter, the target faces remain smooth and un-pocked (is that a word?)
Here is one of the other faces on the space invader after I finally got the target to turn over. Even when you hit the corners or by the cut out eyes, these targets held up very well.
Another great thing about having multiple larger steel targets was transitions. With the two targets a few feet apart, switching between them provided me a great challenge and lots of excitement.
So the final verdict on these things? I'm just thrilled with them. Seriously, I know I sound like a broken record but I am super pleased with these targets- much more so than I am with my auto-popper. The walking target is just more fun. I will admit that I really prefer the space invader target to any of them- I find it is a large enough size to get fast hits, and I think it is just a fun target to shoot at.
Right now, TFU has a 6 inch flipper on sale for 65 bucks. The 4.5 inch flipper which I shot today, runs under 50 dollars with 3/8 inch steel- which ought to handle most anything you throw at it. My space invader target is the 6 inch model- though they do go up to 8 inches. The 6 inch in 3/8inch steel runs under 85 dollars.
When you compare the price of these to the cost of other steel targets, they really are extremely well priced. Shipping on this order was quick and the packaging was secure. I haven't had a chance to shoot mine with rifles yet- but I am confident they will take the abuse just fine so long as I listen to the recommended distances TFU lists for shooting bottle necked cartridges.
If you need steel, I'd really give TFU a hard look. If my experience is at all representative, I think you'll be pleased.
 |
| for comparison, the silver target has a 2inch circle |
I could go into detail about the superb quality of the customer service I received, and the exceptional quality of these targets- but instead I'll just say this: Before I received these hemmed and hawed about the cost of steel targets, and their application. No more. I love these things, and I'd buy them again at retail in a heartbeat, and I'm thrilled at how well I was treated.
They are just an illegal amount of fun, and they really can take some abuse and ask for seconds! For today's test, I focused on the two larger green targets on the right. I wanted to see how well they hold up to fairly high round count days, and spreading the love across four targets (I thought) would either make the day too expensive and time consuming for me, or hinder the quality of the review.
I selected the two largest targets because in talking to TFU customer service, they said they weren't sure if you could get these targets to 'walk' with handgun rounds. I figured, hey - I could find that out at least.
As was the case with my original walking target, the welds were secure and well done. As is also the case with my last walking target, I assumed if I was going to run into problems, it would be with the welds- so I intentionally shot them throughout the day, and tried to work over the entire face of the targets.
Note the heavy bead on the welds, the lack of gaps, and the secure top and bottom beads to lock the faces together.
Sadly, my range was fairly busy today for some reason, so I only got to hit the targets with pistols. Most shooting was done at 20 yards, with about a third of the shooting occurring at 13 yards (as close as I dared to venture to the steel while shooting it). The benefit though, was I offered the guy in the bay next to me use of the steel, so they didn't only have the fire I could put on them, but also about another box of 40sw from his glock 23 (well, maybe a third of a box if you just count the hits. . . ).
Here are the two targets that were worked over today- in their last few pristine moments before I could run them out at a cease fire.
Privately owned steel targets are not that common at my range, so these two were instantly the topic of much conversation.
For shooting today, I tried to bring a representative variety of what I think people would normally shoot these targets with. I know the 22lr doesn't really put the hurt on a well made target, but lets be honest-
the majority of shooting I do is with a 22, and it would be foolish to not include it.Anyway, I brought:
Ruger mk II 5.5inch barrel in 22LR
American Classic II Government sized 1911 in 45acp
CZ-75b SA in 40sw
Ruger Security Six 4inch barrel in 357 mag
excluding the 22, which fired all Remington bulk pack today- all other guns were shot at the steel target with a mix of factory FMJ, reloaded JHP, and reloaded lead bullets. The 40 sw also had reloaded plated bullets fired on steel. Total centerfire round count (excluding 22 obviously) was just over 200 rounds. with the majority of those being 40 and 45 acp.
I was going to bring the 9mm AR, but frankly I just didn't have room. Not counting the camera gear or the targets themselves, my range bag weighed over 30 lbs, and I just couldn't bring myself to bring multiple range bags. ah well- there is always next time.
 |
| target face after some abuse |
Remember when I said I like to shoot at the welds to see how they held up? Well- they held up fine. I smacked them pretty solidly on a number of occasions, and though the face and welds of the targets are covered with splatter, the target faces remain smooth and un-pocked (is that a word?)
Here is one of the other faces on the space invader after I finally got the target to turn over. Even when you hit the corners or by the cut out eyes, these targets held up very well.
Another great thing about having multiple larger steel targets was transitions. With the two targets a few feet apart, switching between them provided me a great challenge and lots of excitement.
So the final verdict on these things? I'm just thrilled with them. Seriously, I know I sound like a broken record but I am super pleased with these targets- much more so than I am with my auto-popper. The walking target is just more fun. I will admit that I really prefer the space invader target to any of them- I find it is a large enough size to get fast hits, and I think it is just a fun target to shoot at.
Right now, TFU has a 6 inch flipper on sale for 65 bucks. The 4.5 inch flipper which I shot today, runs under 50 dollars with 3/8 inch steel- which ought to handle most anything you throw at it. My space invader target is the 6 inch model- though they do go up to 8 inches. The 6 inch in 3/8inch steel runs under 85 dollars.
When you compare the price of these to the cost of other steel targets, they really are extremely well priced. Shipping on this order was quick and the packaging was secure. I haven't had a chance to shoot mine with rifles yet- but I am confident they will take the abuse just fine so long as I listen to the recommended distances TFU lists for shooting bottle necked cartridges.
 |
| a representative paddle on the smaller round walking target |
Kaydol:
Kayıtlar (Atom)